Another woman chimed in, "Indeed, that old lady is such an embarrassment."
"...." A group of people were discussing loudly in the back while Yang Chuxia and the others headed back to the village first.
Once back in the village, Land Officer Yang went to the ancestral hall to deal with Old Sun. Old Sunâs family had no one left, with his only elderly mother passing away last year. Hence, the clan took back his few acres of land and expelled him from the village.
As soon as Old Sun left the village, Ms. Lv of Hua Family greeted him from a distance. As for where Ms. Lv took Old Sun, that remains unknown for now.
As for today, when Old Lady Hua was thrown into the pond, her two sons and three daughters-in-law did not appear. Even Old Yang watched as people took her out of the village and then returned home himself.
At this time, the courtyard of the Yang Family was incredibly somber.
Seeing Land Officer Yang and several elders, along with Yang Chuxia, entering, Old Yang spotted that Old Lady Hua was not with them, and his eyes brightened considerably.
Upon seeing this, Yang Daâan started to sob with a "whimper" and cried out loudly, "Mother, Mother!"
As for Yang Xiaochuan, he just sneered, thinking that he didnât want such a disgraceful mother since he couldnât even hold his head up in the village anymore.
However, after looking at Yang Daâan and then at Ms. Ye, who was wiping her tears with her head bowed, he came up with a new plan in his heart.
Seeing Yang Daâan crying, Land Officer Yang didnât say anything and just spoke to Old Yang, "The old lady was thrown into the river, and you all should split up your household now. From now on, live your separate lives. The constant quarreling is too annoying."
Several elders agreed, "Baozi, what your cousin said is right. Your family is too chaotic. Itâs better to split up."
Old Yang nodded at their words.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaochuan hurriedly interjected, "Father, Uncle, the members of the first and second branches are not my fatherâs sons and have no right to split the house with me. I donât care about the first branch, but the second branch is the son of Burly Lu. And Burly Lu isnât landless himself, so why should he have a share in our Yang family?"
Normally, in such situations, it is the men who speak, and Ms.Luo wouldnât have a chance to say a word. However, when she thought of the land and the houses in their family, she couldnât help but speak her mind.
Growing more and more aggravated, she chimed in, "Exactly, Father. That old woman has disgraced our family so badly. What good can the burdens she brought with her be? Look at the way the first branch is crying. They might even blame you. As for the second branch, canât you see Burly Lu written all over them when you look at them?"
Yang Chuxia sneered as she watched the antics of Yang Xiaochuan and his wife.
Though the couple was a bit selfish, their words aligned with her own thoughts. She didnât like the first and second branches either, especially knowing that a bunch of burdens was occupying their family estate, which annoyed her.
"Grandfather, Fourth Uncle has a point. Our Yang family should only split between the third and fourth branches. The others should just roll far away."
"Nonsense, what are a little girl and a married woman doing here, butting into these matters? What do you have to do with any of this?" One elder slammed the table and angrily said, "No matter what, the first and second branches are now surnamed Yang, and they are registered in the Yang familyâs books. They are Yang Baoziâs sons. After all these years of calling each other father, brothers, and siblings, isnât there any affection left? People canât be too ruthless. If you drive them out now, how will they survive? As for Burly Lu, we elders have already decided to expel him from the village like Old Sun and take back the familyâs land."