Chapter 43: Success in Splitting the Household
“You brat, why are you adding to the chaos?”
As the argument inside the Zhang family grew louder, a large crowd of busybodies from the neighborhood gathered at the doorstep. Someone immediately ran off to the subdistrict office to fetch help.
The women’s director, Director Sun, young Officer Zhang, and Auntie Qin all rushed over. The moment they arrived, they heard Zhang Hongqiang stirring the pot.
“What on earth is going on here?” Director Sun asked.
This family was always causing a scene. Previously, when it came to the educated youth being sent down to the countryside, their household had made a huge fuss. Yet, who could have guessed their luck would turn out so incredibly good? One daughter had married a military officer, and the other daughter brought by Huang Guixiang had actually passed the exam to enter the post office. Where on earth could anyone go to find reason?
“Old Huang, it’s not that I want to lecture you, but how can you throw the word ‘divorce’ out so casually?” Auntie Qin said with absolute disdain. “One of your daughters married an officer, and the other entered the post office. Your good days have arrived, so why can’t you just live your life in peace?” She simply couldn’t stand someone like Huang Guixiang, who did nothing but look for trouble day in and day out.
Huang Guixiang wiped her tears and shot back, “Not divorce? And just sit around waiting to be kicked out?” She retold the events of the previous evening, heavily exaggerating the details.
“Look around the entire compound and tell me whose son-in-law is as generous as mine when visiting? They turned around and kicked him out the very moment they finished eating the meat my son-in-law provided. Can I go on living like this? I’m laying it out right here today: we are getting a divorce! Once divorced, I’ll take my daughter out to rent an apartment and live with my son-in-law. My son-in-law certainly can’t be forced to stay in a guesthouse every single time he visits! How deep do you think his pockets are that he can treat a guesthouse like his own home? Does it not cost money?!”
Auntie Qin replied, “You’re just making things difficult for them. According to the old generation’s rules, a married daughter cannot bring her man to sleep in the same room under her maternal family’s roof. It brings bad luck! It ruins the household’s fortune!”
“Bah!” Huang Guixiang spat right at Auntie Qin’s feet. “Why didn’t the campaign to smash the ‘Four Olds’ smash you down along with them? Still talking about the old generation’s rules! You are promoting feudal superstitions and resurrecting decadent, archaic feudal ideologies! The Great Leader himself said that men and women are the same, and women hold up half the sky! Why is it that when a son gets married, he can bring his wife to live at home, but when a daughter gets married, she can’t bring her man to stay at home? What’s the matter, do you think you’re more formidable than the Great Leader? Director Sun, I want to report Auntie Qin for resurrecting feudal dregs and engaging in feudal superstitions!”
Auntie Qin: “…” She slapped her own mouth internally. Stupid mouth, why did you have to flap so fast!
“Huang Guixiang, you’re hurling blind accusations! I am absolutely not engaging in feudal superstitions!”
Huang Guixiang crossed her arms. “Everyone here heard it, so don’t you dare think you can deny it! Director Sun, I’ve reported her. What have you got to say?”
Director Sun pressed a hand to her forehead, her temples throbbing with a sharp pain. Young Officer Zhang stepped back, subtly shrinking his presence.
“Little Bao, this is where you were in the wrong,” Director Sun chided. “How could you act like that? Hurry up and apologize to your mother-in-law!”
Bao Yan felt an immense wave of grievance, but left with no alternative, she could only offer her apology.
Huang Guixiang let out a cold sneer. “An apology doesn’t resolve the issue. Is my son-in-law supposed to stay in a guesthouse the next time he visits too?”
Zhang Aimin quickly chimed in, “He’ll stay at home! The next time he comes, have him stay right at home! The house has space, so there’s absolutely no reason to make him stay in a guesthouse.”
Huang Guixiang still refused to budge. “Divorce! I wouldn’t dare let him stay at home. Otherwise, if anyone in this house happens to trip or run into any trouble, it will all end up being blamed on Wanwan and her husband.”
Zhang Aimin looked ready to burst into tears. Flying into a rage, he bellowed, “Eldest Son, Second Son, find your own places and move the hell out! I raised you, helped you secure jobs, and married wives for you—my responsibilities as a father have already been fully accomplished! This apartment is mine, my word is law, and I will let whoever I want stay here! Not a single one of you has the right to say a damn thing!”
His words instantly stunned the entire crowd. The two brothers, Zhang Hongqi and Zhang Hongjun, hurriedly admitted their mistakes. The subdistrict staff and the neighbors all began to persuade them to calm down as well.
Out of nowhere, someone in the crowd called out, “Why don’t you just split the household? Once the household is split, everyone can manage their own lives.”
“Yes, splitting the household is a hundred times better than a divorce.”
“There’s no reason for a biological father to kick his sons out. I also think splitting the household and living separately is the best way to go.”
“The youngest son and Lin Wan will stay with Old Zhang and Old Huang. As for whether Lin Wan’s partner gets to stay over, Old Zhang and the little one will have the final say.”
Zhang Hongqiang immediately voiced his stance: “I want Brother-in-law to stay over! Brother-in-law is great! He buys us meat to eat every single day!”
Zhang Hongqi instinctively looked toward Zhang Hongjun. His younger brother had always been sharper than him.
The subdistrict staff also urged the two brothers to take a step back. For a blended family, splitting the household was truly the best solution to minimize friction.
Zhang Hongjun gave a slow nod. “Auntie Huang, how about we split the household? It hasn’t been easy for our dad all these years, and it breaks our hearts as his children to see him like this. Auntie Huang, as long as you can live happily with our dad, we as his children will agree to absolutely anything.”
Compared to being kicked out by their biological father, splitting the household was naturally a much better alternative. However, he felt deeply indignant. Therefore, he deliberately phrased it this way to make the neighbors believe that Huang Guixiang was the one causing a scene, while they, the sons, were driven to absolute wits’ end.
Zhang Hongjun was smart and harbored plenty of petty calculations. Yet, the reason why he had always been thoroughly suppressed by Huang Guixiang and unable to cause any waves was simply because Zhang Aimin, the master of the house, only listened to Huang Guixiang, possessing only her in his heart and eyes.
Zhang Hongqi added, “Yes, let’s split the household. Please don’t divorce my dad!” If he caused his biological father to end up divorced, his reputation would turn completely foul, and he could forget about ever being evaluated for an excellence award at the factory in the future!
Huang Guixiang shook her head. “Divorce! We must divorce!”
Zhang Aimin turned a helpless gaze toward Lin Wan. Lin Wan let out a soft sigh, walked up to Huang Guixiang, and gave her a tight hug. “Mom, why don’t we just split the household and live our own lives separately? Once the household is split, my husband can stay with me when he returns. As long as Dad and Hongqiang have no objections, no one else has the right to utter a word.”
“Mom, Uncle Zhang is a really good man.”
“Since my biological dad passed away, I have always treated Uncle Zhang as my own father. Please don’t divorce Uncle Zhang, okay? I don’t want to lose a father all over again.”
Hearing this, Zhang Aimin was moved to absolute tears. It truly had to be Wanwan! She was a hundred times more considerate than his own biological flesh and blood!
Lin Wan held Huang Guixiang and nudged her gently. “Mom, let’s just split the household, alright? No divorce!”
Only then did Huang Guixiang wipe her tears and nod. “Fine, then let’s split the household. But I’m laying it out right here: if my son-in-law comes to stay in the future and anyone flaps their trash mouth about it, I am divorcing you instantly!”
“As for splitting the household, you family members go negotiate it among yourselves. I, as an outsider, will not interfere!” With that, she wiped her tears and walked into Lin Wan’s bedroom.
Lin Wan quickly expressed her gratitude to the women’s director and the others. “Thank you all for making the trip down. Director Sun, you’ve worked hard. My mom is still feeling deeply distressed. Please make yourselves comfortable while I go console her.”
“Hongqiang, you are a member of the Zhang family, so stay out here. You’ll need to sign the papers when they settle the accounts and split the household in a moment.”
Huang Guixiang paused at the bedroom door and threw out one final remark: “Once the household is split, don’t go mixing your food in the same pot anymore. If we are splitting, we are splitting completely. I don’t want to hear anyone whispering behind our backs about who owes whom in the future! If we are talking about owing, it is you who owe Old Zhang! Since you two started working, have you ever bought Old Zhang a single bottle of liquor or a single piece of clothing?!”
Lin Wan gave Huang Guixiang a massive thumbs-up in her heart. Her mother was truly formidable. No wonder she held Uncle Zhang in an absolute death grip. On the surface, she appeared to never fight for her own interests, speaking entirely on Uncle Zhang’s behalf at every turn, but in reality, wasn’t everything that belonged to Uncle Zhang hers anyway? Lin Wan felt she still had plenty of areas where she needed to learn from Comrade Huang Guixiang.
Sure enough, Zhang Aimin was profoundly touched. On the other hand, the expressions of the two brothers, Zhang Hongqi and Zhang Hongjun, turned rather unsightly, because the neighbors had already begun pointing fingers and whispering about them.
“Who could have guessed? If Huang Guixiang hadn’t pointed it out, I would have thought Old Zhang favored his new wife and slighted his own children. I didn’t expect that even though both couples earn dual incomes, they haven’t bought a single thing to show filial piety to their old father all these years…”
“If they aren’t filial now, can he even count on them when he gets old?”
“Unlikely!”
Well, the tide of public opinion had completely shifted in favor of Old Zhang and Old Huang.
Just like that, the household split was carried out with absolute smoothness.
