In this atmosphere, there is no trace of the tenderness that should exist between family members. It is like the reunion of old enemies who want to draw a clear line between them immediately and sever all ties.

In the Zhang family's yard, the sounds of quarreling and crying were intertwined, quickly attracting countless curious eyes nearby.

Neighbors all stuck their heads out, whispering and talking to each other, and the originally quiet village suddenly became extremely noisy.

Even the usually steady village chief was troubled by the constant disputes and frowned, and his pipe unconsciously slipped from his lips.

He used a crutch and took great effort to temporarily calm the storm within the family.

The little girl's eyes were like clear spring water, keenly capturing every detail.

She was first surprised at how swiftly Mrs. Zhang escaped from the scene, as swiftly as a rabbit. Her speed almost made her doubt whether she was really in her twilight years.

Then she caught a glimpse of the village chief's long face, which looked serious and helpless.

The little girl felt mixed emotions and could only swallow her dissatisfaction and frustration silently. Her small figure, with a bit of unwillingness and powerlessness, slowly moved back to her parents and lowered her head dejectedly.

"Alas, with all these commotions happening one after another, where can we, the Zhangjia Village, put our dignity? The villagers have been gossiping enough, and our family affairs have almost become the topic of their gossip after dinner."

The village chief's voice was filled with deep fatigue and helplessness, and the movement of shaking his head seemed like an endless sigh for the current situation of the Zhang family.

"The second brother's family finally returned safely, and the misunderstanding was resolved. Can't they just live their lives in peace? Why do they have to make such a fuss?"

However, the Zhang family has a completely different attitude towards this.

Old Lady Zhang's voice was high-pitched and sharp. "As long as the second wife moves out, our main wife will naturally be quiet, and good days will naturally come! Village chief, you are an intelligent person. Who in the second wife's family is not a troublemaker? Especially Xu Liyun, who has been in prison. Who knows how many unfinished messes are waiting to be cleaned up outside. Leaving them here is like leaving a time bomb behind!"

When Zhang Laoer heard this, his face suddenly became filled with worry.

"Mother, why do you say that? Didn't we agree that when Liyun and I make money, we will send our eldest son to the town to study so that he can have a good future?"

Zhang Laoda angrily retorted: "I can earn the money for my studies by myself, so you don't need to worry about it. You should pack up quickly and stop being an eyesore. It's best to leave as soon as possible!"

When the villagers heard this, they finally realized that the Zhang family was determined to kick the second branch out.

Seeing this, the village chief's hope of mediation became slim. He could only sigh deeply and asked Zhang Laoer: "You heard that your parents have made up their minds. What are your plans?"

Zhang Laoer hurriedly shook his head, his eyes filled with helplessness and fear: "If we don't share, how are we going to survive if we get out?"

Xu Liyun and the children clung to each other tightly. Their eyes were filled with reluctance and fear, especially the little girl. She pleaded in a tender and childish voice, "Grandma, don't chase us away. We will honor you and Grandpa well. We are very obedient. Please, don't let us go, okay?"

Old Lady Zhang snorted coldly, without a trace of warmth in her words: "You are the reincarnation of the star of disaster. Not long after you came back, you caused trouble and brought bad luck into the house. Now you are entangled in lawsuits. If you stay any longer, our Zhang family will be dragged down by you sooner or later! I have made the decision today. We must separate the family!"

Faced with such ruthlessness, the people in the second house turned helplessly to Zhang Lao Da and Zhang Lao San, hoping for a turnaround.

But what greeted them was only avoidance and ignoring.

Even a young girl who is full of curiosity and fantasy about the world cannot escape this feeling of being rejected.

She buried her little face in her mother's arms, tears of grievance falling silently: "Mom, grandpa and grandma don't like us, and uncles and aunts don't like us either. Are we really going to be forced to sleep on the ridge of the field?"

The little girl in Xu Liyun's arms had her petite body trembling slightly, and the scene of the mother and daughter relying on each other made it even more desolate.

The village chief stood aside and took in all the sorrowful looks of the Zhang family.

"It looks like we have to divide it. Well, tell me, how are you going to divide it?"

Zhang Fu straightened his spine, his voice full of helplessness and persistence: "Everyone is clear about the previous agreement, let's do as we said at that time."

However, the village chief did not seem satisfied with this answer and insisted that they clarify the conditions for the division again in front of everyone.

Zhang Fu's lips moved, but the words that were about to come out seemed to be strangled by an invisible hand at his throat, and he could not utter them for a long time.

Old Lady Zhang could no longer tolerate this and made her position clear: "The Second Brother and his friends can start their own business and live on their own!"

These words shocked everyone around.

In Zhangjia Village, although the division of the family property was not uncommon, most of the time the elderly would follow the eldest son. However, the situation of abandoning only one son and not giving him any family property was unprecedented, which caused the villagers to talk and whisper.

Several old ladies from the neighboring families who lived near the Zhang family looked at Old Madam Zhang with more contempt and disdain in their eyes.

Faced with the villagers' uproar, the village chief asked again, with a hint of doubt in his tone: "Do you really want to make Lao Er's family unable to make a living?"

Hu Cuimei was afraid that these remarks would damage her family's reputation, so she stood up quickly, tears in her eyes, and said in a sobbing voice: "Village head, you misunderstood. How could we possibly cut off my second brother's livelihood? It's just that our family is really in financial difficulty and we can barely make ends meet. Besides, my second brother and his wife took the money that our mother hid and haven't returned it yet. That money should be considered as their property."

As soon as Hu Cuimei finished speaking, the villagers' mood changed subtly. After hearing about the money, many people began to change their attitude towards the Zhang family and refocused their attention on this family.

At this time, Zhang Sanwa unexpectedly spoke up and retorted: "Aunt, what you said is not right. You said we took the silver, but look at what our family is wearing. Which piece of clothing is not old clothes discarded by our elders? If we really had silver, why would we be reluctant to change into decent new clothes?"

As Zhang Sanwa spoke, everyone noticed their loose and worn clothes, as well as the thin and haggard appearance of the family.

Although they are all members of the Zhang family, in contrast, the people in the second branch are heartbreakingly thin, while the other members of the Zhang family have rosy complexions. The children in the family are overnourished and have round little faces. The comparison between the two shows the difference in their living conditions.

Hu Cuimei wanted to continue arguing and wanted to bring up the incident of Xu Liyun buying cloth for the child to prove her point, but the village chief had lost his patience to listen any further.

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