Chapter 191: Chapter 27 Dividing the Family (Part 2)
"Then letâs keep it for our parents in their old age!" Gu Chenglian naturally had no objections either.
"And you, second son?" Mr. Gu looked at the silent Gu Chengyi, worried that the second son might not even care about this bit of familial duty.
He and Mrs. Zhang were staring heatedly at the stack of silver notes, feeling unhappy about having to take less, but they dared not protest!
"Weâll divide it as father says!" Gu Chengyi glanced at the silver notes and replied coolly.
Mr. Guâs face darkened; the second son was getting greedy. Was he unwilling to give them to their elderly parents? The second son seemed unreliable after all!
Gu Chengyu and the others also expressed that they had no objections, saying that the division was fair!
"As for the house, you can continue living as you originally did. Build a stove in an empty room yourselves. If you donât want to stay here, then build your own house. After weâre gone, this house will go to the eldest son. Heâs the eldest, thatâs his rightful share!"
"And for the grain, thereâs 500 catties of wheat, 300 catties of rice, and 700 catties of sorghum at home. Spring planting is about to start, so if you are frugal, it should be enough! Youâll divide it according to the number of people, not households, so those with more people wonât suffer from a lack of food!"
Mr. Gu took a puff of his pipe and paused, "As for the bowls and chopsticks, take a set. Thereâs no spare iron pot or spatula, so youâll need to buy those yourselves in town! You can take any extra farming tools, but leave anything thereâs only one of. Well, thatâs about all the things at home, basically everythingâs divided. Anyone have anything else to add? Speak up now!"
"Dad! You havenât mentioned one thing. What about the soap business? This needs to be clarified!" Gu Chengyi was most concerned about this, as it was the fastest business to bring in silver. It could earn a few hundred to a thousand taels of silver a year at least, possibly more with greater output. It really was a goose that laid golden eggs!
"Second son! You know this idea came from Xiao Bao. What do you mean now? Do you want the soap business? Do you want the formula?"
In truth, the formula wasnât a secret anymore. Everyone in the Gu family was involved in soap making; who couldnât make it? Even Gu Wan was skilled at it. They just didnât expect Gu Chengyu to have added essential oils to the soap.
The best two kinds of soap required essential oils. Initially, the old method was used to extract it, but later Gu Chengyu found a small essential oil extraction setup in the space. Though extracting in the space was more convenient, the origin couldnât be disclosed, so Gu Chengyu didnât tell anyone.
"Second son! How do you have the face to bring this up? This formula is Xiao Baoâs idea! And youâre still eyeing it? After having divided so much silver and land for you, arenât you satisfied?" Mrs. Lv glared at Gu Chengyi, wishing she could eat him alive.
Among the two stepsons, the second was the most cunning. Even when combined, the third and fourth sons couldnât match him. Because of the second son, many issues often arose in the household. Now he had the gall to ask for the soap formula?
"What do you mean then? Thereâs only one formula, how do you propose it be divided?" Mr. Gu set down his pipe, curious to see how the second son would respond.
"This still depends on father! Our third son wants to get into business, doesnât this make it an ideal opportunity for him to practice?" Gu Chengyi thought of the third son who didnât enjoy reading, believing that if this business was in the third sonâs hands, their line wouldnât lack silver in the future.
Gu Chengyu was shocked by this entitled statement. The second brother was usually cunning, but to say something so shameless? The Gu family did not consist only of him.
In reality, Gu Chengyu underestimated human nature. The silver had dazzled their eyes, clouding their judgment. This only illustrated how wealth can tempt the heart!
Mr. Gu looked at Gu Chengyi in shock, "You, you want to take it all for yourself?"
Gu Chengyi was startled by Mr. Guâs sudden raised voice!
"No! What are you saying? What do you mean by taking it all? I just wanted the third son to help manage it. The younger fifth wants to study; how could he have time to manage this? Itâs better to give it to the third son to avoid bothering the younger fifth!" Naturally, Gu Chengyi wouldnât admit wanting to monopolize the business. He wanted the third son to take over first, then slowly pull it into their branchâs control over time.
But no one there was a fool, and none would trust the silver to be in anotherâs pocket.
"Dad! Letâs keep making the soap at home! When itâs sold, we can divide the earnings equally, so nobody feels wronged! Mr. Wang is our partner because I studied with Wang Qikai. The third son can take over, but he shouldnât manage the accounts. I think Er Ya should handle it! Does anyone have any objections?"
"How could Er Ya, a girl, manage the accounts? People would laugh at us for letting a girl run the household!" Gu Chengyi objected again, knowing Er Ya was clever and hard to fool!
"Whatâs wrong with a girl? Hasnât she managed it until now without any errors? If we donât tell, how would outsiders know itâs Er Ya?" Gu Chengyu, seeing that Gu Chengyi wanted their branch to monopolize it, grew displeased too!
"We havenât even split the house yet! What? You think youâre in charge now? Based on what?" Gu Chengyi sneered.
Gu Chengyiâs face fell. At this moment, he decided to tolerate no longer. After so many years, he had done enough for his mother.
"What do you mean by âbased on whatâ? Because I came up with the formula. If the second brother speaks like this, then Iâll naturally be blunt too. In all this, have I wronged you, or anyone else?"
"Iâve given my best for the family. Letâs make it clear today, I donât owe anyone! Sharing things with you all shows sentiment. If I hid it, wouldnât you have nothing?"
Gu Chengyu looked around at everyone present and continued. He didnât want to nurture their sense of entitlement!
"Second brother! I donât know why you dislike me. I believe Iâve treated you and the elder brother equally. Never mind, itâs pointless to say more! Besides, one shouldnât be too greedy. Other than our parents, nobody will endlessly give or sacrifice."
In truth, Gu Chengyu felt bad as well. After all, they were family.
Hearing these words, Gu Chengyi was stunned. Yes! When did his dislike for the younger fifth start? He couldnât remember; he only knew that he increasingly resented the younger fifth. Though he didnât want to admit it, he was envious of Xiao Wu, envying the affection he received from their parents and resenting their fatherâs favoritism.
Even though he thought this way, he couldnât voice it, so he lowered his gaze uncomfortably, "Whatâs that supposed to mean? When did I dislike you? Youâre overthinking it!"
Gu Chengyu didnât want to argue pointlessly either. Anyway, the second brother wouldnât admit it. The second brotherâs dislike for him was merely due to jealousy and fundamentally, not sharing the same mother.