Chapter 105: How Do You Want to Divide It?
Yu Zhengqing’s face was full of disappointment as he glared at Zhang Yuan, this heartless and ungrateful man. He could no longer suppress his anger. Just as he was about to speak, Ye Jiamai, who had been casually stacking the firewood that Yu Haojie had gathered, nonchalantly remarked:
Her tone was indifferent as if nothing was wrong, but her words instantly made Tao Fanghua frown.
“Lady Ye, what do you mean by that?”
“Nothing much. Just a little reminder—you’d better keep your mouths shut about how those officers death. Otherwise, don’t blame us for taking action. Your Zhang family may have a few fighters, but do they compare to Yu Zhengqing and his sons? Or to our archers?”
Ye Jiamai wasn’t about to reveal her trump card just yet. That was her backup plan, in case the Zhang family one day decided to use the Yu family as a stepping stone to escape the wilderness.
Though reconciliation with the main Yu family was impossible, their fates were still intertwined. Even if they formally severed ties, it was impossible to truly separate their destinies. She had no intention of letting her family get dragged into political turmoil again.
She wasn’t naïve. From the moment the Zhang family had started bickering over resources in the cave, she had seen through their true nature—they weren’t people who would remember favors. Since that was the case, she had no reason to be merciful.
But a warning was still necessary. If these people had divided loyalties, forcing them to stay together would only cause trouble. It was just a matter of time before something went wrong.
Hearing Ye Jiamai’s veiled threat, Zhang Yuan and Tao Fanghua breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment, they wondered—had Ye Jiamai done something to them? Did she hold some kind of leverage over them?
“Tomorrow morning, our family will leave. Let’s divide up the supplies tonight.”
Tao Fanghua stepped in front of Zhang Yuan, speaking without a hint of shame, making her intentions clear.
“Then how exactly do you want to divide it?”
This time, it was the old matriarch Chen, who spoke. Most of these supplies had been earned through the Yu family’s efforts. If the Zhang family tried to take too much, she, an old woman, would be the first to object!
Seeing the old woman’s wary and calculating gaze, Tao Fanghua smirked coldly.
“We want one tent, four horses, 40% of the food, 40% of the bedding and clothing, and one-fourth of the pots and utensils.”
Her outrageous demands made not just the others but even some of the Zhang family members, including her own children and Zhang Yuan himself, inwardly flinch.
Tao Fanghua really had the audacity to ask for so much. Out of ten horses, she demanded four for their family. That meant Yu’s family would also get four, leaving only one each for the Bai and Liu families?
Even though the Bai and Liu families didn’t have fighters, everyone knew that without the Yu family, the Zhang family wouldn’t even be alive to claim these supplies. How could Tao Fanghua have the nerve to make such demands?
“Tao Fanghua, I just realized—you’re the most shameless, greedy woman I’ve ever seen!”
Liu Mingxia’s wife, Zhao Qiuyue, was furious. Her chest heaved with anger as she pointed at Tao Fanghua, gritting her teeth. She wanted nothing more than to slap that smug face.
“You shameless woman! If my son and the others hadn’t stormed in to save you, you and the other women would have been raped by those officers and sold to brothels! Even your seven-year-old granddaughter wouldn’t have been spared! And now you dare to demand more supplies?”
Old Madam Chen, who hadn’t been angered to death by Yu Luo’s family, was now on the verge of a stroke because of Tao Fanghua’s greed.
“Exactly! My aunt is right. You, Tao Fanghua, claim to be from a respectable family, yet you have no shame and no gratitude!”
Liu Lan, known for her hot temper, rolled up her sleeves, ready to charge at Tao Fanghua.
Her husband, Yu Shanhai, quickly pulled her back, but he couldn’t stop her from continuing to curse at Tao Fanghua like a market fishwife.
Yu Luo and her parents exchanged glances, choosing to stay silent. They didn’t care about the supplies. People like Tao Fanghua would eventually meet their match. They knew the others wouldn’t stand for her demands.
Yu Zhengqing’s face had long since darkened. He had even begun considering killing the Zhang family outright.
Just as he was about to draw his sword, Zhang Yuan suddenly pulled Tao Fanghua behind him and cupped his fists toward the others.
“My wife is just a foolish woman. Please don’t take offense. You all decide how to split the supplies.”
“Husband!”
Seeing Zhang Yuan’s concession, Tao Fanghua angrily tried to stop him.
But this time, Zhang Yuan was like a different person. He turned and slapped Tao Fanghua so hard that she was left stunned, her face burning.
“Shut up! Out here, you don’t get to call the shots! Get back to our area!”
Tao Fanghua had never seen her husband act this way before. Covering her sore cheek, she bit her lip, stomped her foot, and stormed off.
“Mother, you were really pushing it! Did you even think about what would happen if they refused to give us anything? Even the usually quiet Bai and Liu families were ready to fight!”
Her youngest son followed her back, lowering his voice in frustration.
“What are you so scared of? We’re all in the same situation—without supplies, how will we survive in the wilderness? I was only looking out for our family. Your father is the one who embarrassed me by siding with them!”
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhengqing watched Zhang Yuan’s unexpected change in attitude with suspicion.
Back when he had asked Zhang Yuan to help rescue Yu Luo, the man had hidden behind his wife, refusing to even speak.
But now? Now he was suddenly acting like a responsible man?
Did he finally realize that Yu Zhengqing had been considering killing their entire family? Was that why he had a sudden change of heart?
“Frankly, with how you people have behaved, I don’t want to give you anything. But since we’ve traveled together, I’ll be fair.
You can take three bags of rice and flour. There are twenty bags of wild boar meat left—you get three. You’ll get some basic kitchenware, ten blankets, and one hundred sets of winter clothing. That’s all you’re getting.”
“What?! That’s all? Yu Zhengqing, you’re pushing us too far!”
Tao Fanghua, who had been sulking on the ground, instantly jumped up in protest.
But before she could stand fully upright, Zhang Yuan turned and roared at her.
“Shut up!”
This time, Zhang Yuan’s eyes were filled with pure rage, making Tao Fanghua instinctively shrink back in fear.
