After hesitating for a moment, Qin Jiqun finally said, "Zhong Hui, splitting up the family is a serious matter. How about we call our eldest brother tomorrow, bring over the elders from the main branch of the family, and then make a final decision?"

In truth, Mr. Qin hadn’t yet decided to split the family, but with Qin Jiqun putting it this way, the matter was basically set in stone.

The only thing left was to decide how.

The reason was simple: the couple, Qin Jiqun and Feng Lan, were exceptionally lazy. Their usual activities consisted of going to the village shop to play or watch card games, heading to the market to buy treats, or wandering over to other people’s homes to hang out and play more cards.

They were complete loafers.

’If Qin Zhonghui’s hand was really crippled, and with their parents getting on in years, did they really expect them to support him if the family wasn’t split?!’

’After all, Qin Zhonghui only had two daughters, and they were just going to be married off someday. You couldn’t count on them for anything!’

’Most importantly, they hadn’t wanted to split from Zhong Hui’s branch of the family before because Qin Zhonghui and Su Yun could earn good money working out of town. Now that the two of them weren’t going out to work anymore, they surely wouldn’t be earning much.’

’Worse, they might even have to chip in their own money!’

’It was much better to split up the household sooner rather than later!’

’Besides, if they really split the household, the old man would live with them. Since he favored them, they would definitely get a bigger share of the assets!’

Qin Jiqun and his wife had it all figured out, their little scheme clicking away. Meanwhile, Mr. Qin frowned, clearly displeased.

But since his youngest son had proposed it, he didn’t immediately object.

Mr. Qin finally said, "Alright, give your eldest brother a call. Tell him and his wife to come back tomorrow or the day after. Then go contact the other clan members."

Qin Jiqun immediately replied, "I’ll head to the village shop and call my big brother right away!"

He was all too eager to split the household.

Mr. Qin was still displeased. He turned and stormed back into his room in a huff. Meanwhile, Qin Jiao’s family of four also returned to their own room.

Since their room was right next to Mr. Qin’s, the family of four said nothing after they went back. They washed up, climbed onto the kang bed, and prepared to rest early. With only a dim little table lamp for light, Qin Jiao was busy writing something. Xiao Shi had pulled over a small stool and sat beside her, reading one of Qin Jiao’s old elementary school language arts books.

Su Yun whispered, "I bet they’re plotting to give us as little as possible."

Qin Zhonghui tried to soothe her. "Even if they play favorites, there has to be a limit. Don’t worry."

Su Yun was not optimistic. "Our third brother and his wife are full of schemes. And his parents always take their side. Not to mention, the eldest brother’s family is coming back as well."

"We’ll just have to take whatever we get. If we don’t get the money, we can just earn it back slowly later." Qin Zhonghui also had a feeling they wouldn’t receive much, so he could only try to console his wife. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Qin Jiao, who had been writing, looked up and said gently, "We can’t let that happen. They can’t short us a single penny of what’s rightfully ours. Mom, Dad, tomorrow our family just needs to stick to one core principle."

"What’s that?"

"We’ll play up how miserable we are! It’s not even an act, either—we really are miserable. Think about it: Dad’s injured. When you and Dad got married, you got nothing. When the big, tile-roofed house in the front yard was built, our family pitched in five thousand. Over the years, you’ve given Grandpa’s side of the family thousands more, off and on. And finally, there’s the fact that they slandered me, and that Qin Xiaotao bullies Xiao Shi. All of this is evidence."

Qin Jiao’s gaze was steady.

’They bullied me so horribly in my last life. If I don’t collect a little interest now, wouldn’t I be letting them off way too easily?’

She immediately handed the two sheets of paper she’d written on to her parents. "These are your scripts. Use the time tonight to memorize them, and then tear them up or burn them."