"Mother, should I excuse myself for a moment?"
As a new bride, it was indeed inappropriate for Tang Qiyue to get involved in this matter. However, Mother Zhan grabbed her hand.
"You've already married into our family. You're part of the family now. Sit here and listen!"
Having no other choice, Tang Qiyue could only sit down.
"There's only one house in the family. The three rooms on the east side will be for me to retire in, and the three rooms on the west side will belong to the eldest son's family. We'll build a courtyard wall in the middle so the eldest son's family can have their own small home."
As soon as Mother Zhan finished speaking, the eldest daughter-in-law became anxious.
"Mother, why do you need so many rooms?"
She had always coveted the house. Besides, she wouldn't have only one son—what would happen when she had more children?
Zhan's eldest brother roared, "Shut up! Listen to Mother!"
The house had been built with money raised by Mother Zhan. Originally, only the three rooms on the west side had been built; the three rooms on the east side were added later with money sent back by Zhan Zeye.
The eldest brother had barely contributed anything, so how could he have the nerve to covet his mother's house?
But Sister-in-law Zhan wouldn't accept it. She would rather be disliked by her husband than remain silent.
"It's your business if you don't fight for it! Your brother is capable and got a house allocated by the army. Chunying will get married sooner or later. But what about you? What are you capable of? All you do every day is carry heavy loads. Can carrying loads build us a house?"
Brother Zhan's eyes turned red, but he knew his wife was telling the truth. Precisely because he knew she was right, he became even angrier.
"Even if I work myself to death, I'll build you a new house! Can you stop coveting what doesn't belong to you?"
Perhaps his rare outburst frightened her. Sister-in-law Zhan wiped away her tears and sat down without saying another word.
Seeing this scene, Tang Qiyue sighed inwardly.
She hadn't expected to witness such a situation. Fortunately, she was only an observer.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, stop this act. The east-side house will definitely not be given to you unless I die!"
Mother Zhan's tone was cold.
She was a capable widow who had raised three children and even arranged her son's marriage. She was definitely not someone to be easily fooled.
"Chunying isn't an adult yet, and her marriage is still two years away. She'll stay with me. Xiaoye may spend most of his time in the army, but this is still his home. Should he have to borrow a place to stay when he comes back to visit?"
Mother Zhan had no intention of tolerating her eldest daughter-in-law's behavior.
Brother Zhan, seeing his mother's anger, trembled and nearly knelt down.
"Mother, I was confused! You decide how to divide the property, but you must stay with me!"
Mother Zhan sneered.
"You are obligated to care for me in my old age and arrange my funeral. But I'm still healthy and don't want to live with anyone yet. After Chunying gets married, whoever is most filial will be my family. Don't rush to make promises."
Zhan Zeye didn't want any of the household items. He didn't need them. Mother Zhan didn't give any to him either; instead, they were given to the eldest brother.
Finally, there was the money.
"This is all the money in the house. I've divided it into four parts: one for the eldest son, one for Xiaoye, one for Chunying, and one for myself. Don't complain that it's too little."
Seeing that both of her sons had no objections, Mother Zhan asked Chunying to call the neighborhood committee director to witness the division and write a certificate.
Thus, the Zhan family was officially divided.
At the end, Mother Zhan reminded them:
"When Chunying gets married, both of you brothers must contribute your share. Can you do that?"
Both brothers nodded in agreement.
And so, the division of the Zhan family came to an end without any chaos, proving how important it is to have a fair elder in the family.
Although the family had been divided, they still ate together. Zhan Zeye would soon return to his military unit, and they wouldn't have many chances to share meals together.
"Alright. You're still injured, so go inside and rest. Tomorrow you must take your wife back to her parents' home. Don't look sickly and embarrass the family!"
Mother Zhan shooed Zhan Zeye and Tang Qiyue away before turning sternly toward her eldest daughter-in-law.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, you disappointed me today. Do you think no one sees through your little schemes? Xiaoye isn't stingy, and his wife isn't short-sighted. As long as you treat me well, whatever they give me will ultimately benefit you."
Mother Zhan poked her daughter-in-law's forehead in exasperation.
Back then, the family had been poor, and she had only wanted to find a wife for her eldest son. She hadn't expected wealth—she believed she could raise her daughter-in-law well herself.
But this petty mindset was difficult to change.
The eldest daughter-in-law, who had felt wronged at first, immediately lost her resentment when she heard the implied favoritism.
She awkwardly rubbed her hands.
"Mother, I'm slow-witted. Please scold me if I do something wrong. I promise I won't do anything foolish again!"
After all, she had been her daughter-in-law for many years. Mother Zhan sighed and decided to let the matter go for now.
Leaving aside how Mother Zhan disciplined her eldest daughter-in-law, she also had her prepare gifts for the younger couple's return visit to Tang Qiyue's family.
Meanwhile, Tang Qiyue and Zhan Zeye returned to their room.
The two of them were still unfamiliar with each other. Zhan Zeye leaned against the bed, watching Tang Qiyue organize her dowry.
The Tang family had been quite generous, preparing a substantial dowry. However, Tang Qiyue wasn't familiar with it, since no one had previously shown her any valuables. She was simply checking the dowry list.
"Your father really went all out. What exactly does he want from me?"
Zhan Zeye suddenly spoke.
Tang Qiyue thought for a moment before replying,
"The Tang family wants to get in touch with the leader behind you to save their failing assets."
Zhan Zeye laughed, his laughter full of sarcasm.
"The old leader isn't senile."
Tang Qiyue knew that too.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have witnessed the rapid collapse of the Tang family after her death in her previous life. All of her father's schemes had failed, and the items sent out with her dowry were eventually handed over to the state by Zhan Zeye.
Thinking of this, Tang Qiyue's expression changed. She suddenly stared at the dowry chest.
Perhaps because she had been staring at it for too long, Zhan Zeye noticed something was wrong.
"What? Do you regret it?"
But before he could say anything more, Tang Qiyue suddenly turned around and grabbed his arm, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Zhan Zeye, is your unit short of money?"
Even Zhan Zeye hadn't expected such a question. He instinctively nodded.
After all, which unit wasn't short of money? Their funding was limited, so they often had to rely on themselves.
Tang Qiyue became even more excited.
"If I donate a large sum of money to your unit, can you guarantee that my brother will pass the political background check one hundred percent and finish university smoothly?"
Even someone as straightforward as Zhan Zeye could sense something was wrong.
He sat up straight in bed, staring sharply at Tang Qiyue.
"You'd better tell me the truth. What kind of scheme are you plotting?"