Qin Lin, after seeing his brother's smile, was the second to sign and press his handprint.
Qin's father still wanted to express his opinion, but under Qin grandmother's glare, he had to shut up and obediently sign.
The Qin family's division was very harmonious, which made the villagers who came to witness it praise Qin grandmother's skill.
Such an unfair division of property, yet the sons accepted it without objection. It seemed that the old lady of the Qin family was not, as her daughter-in-law had said, a meddling, sharp-tongued, cruel old woman.
After the witnesses left their marks on the division documents, they returned home. It was the spring plowing season, and every family was busy. The feast for these people would be held in the evening.
"Mother, this division," Qin's father, holding the division document, was still in a daze. How did the family get divided?
"Those who are getting a good deal should speak less," Qin grandmother tucked a division document into her sleeve, tidied her cuffs, and prepared to address the second matter.
"I've wanted to divide the family for more than a day. Everyone knows that our family is different from others. If there's too much money in the family, it's inevitable that trouble will arise later."
"However," Qin grandmother sat on the kang, scanning the people in the room, "as long as I am alive, you will all pretend to be filial brothers, harmonious spouses, and loving mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law."
"If your trivial matters cause me to have to mediate disputes, don't blame me for punishing everyone equally and letting no one off."
Qin mother was the first to lower her head. Even though she was about to become a grandmother, she still feared her mother-in-law.
"Alright, I know you're all curious why only the third son was given a house," Qin grandmother beckoned Qin Sen to sit beside her.
"Take off your mask and let your nephew and nieces see what you look like, so they won't not recognize you if they meet you later."
Qin Sen sat down beside Qin grandmother and slowly took off the mask from his face. Immediately, he heard gasps of surprise from Qin Xiaoyu and Zhang Dani.
Little Si Niu, sitting in Qin's second aunt's arms, widened his eyes, waved his chubby hands, and cried, "Ah ah," thinking that his uncle, like his father, could take off his face.
"Xiao Sen?"
When Qin mother first heard her mother-in-law's words, her premonition of something bad increased.
Her eyes were panicked, her hands clenched tightly as she called out to this man whom she had raised as her son.
Qin Sen lowered his head to look at the mask in his hand, then looked up at his family, and gave a wry smile, "Eldest sister-in-law, eldest brother, second brother, I... I've found the people who gave birth to me."
The words didn't need to be fully spoken for everyone to understand why the family was being divided today.
Qin family's third son, Qin Sen.
He was going back to his real home.
The room was a little quiet. Besides Little Si Niu's cries, there was only the chirping of birds from outside the window.
Qin Lin's eyes widened. He suddenly stood up and rushed to Qin Sen's side, his fists, as big as sandbags, hitting Qin Sen's cheek heavily.
Qin Sen's face visibly swelled.
One punch could not quell Qin Lin's anger. His fists rained down on Qin Sen's body. Qin Mu also got up to join in hitting his brother.
The room, which had been silent moments ago, suddenly became noisy.
Qin grandmother's scolding, Qin mother's and Qin second aunt's cries, Qin Da Niu and Qin San Niu's muffled groans from being hit while pulling them apart, and Little Si Niu's wails of fear.
"Third son, you have no heart, no heart!" Qin Lin, held back by Qin Da Niu and Qin San Niu, yelled at Qin Sen, who had fallen onto the kang. Su Dan Novel Network
He didn't know what to say. Should he talk about the hardships their mother endured to raise the three of them? Or about how their family almost starved to death to protect this brother's life?
Memories of Qin Sen flashed through Qin Lin's mind like a revolving lantern.
This perpetually silent man, who had always blamed himself for his youthful recklessness and the trouble he caused that cost the family money, had red eyes.
He and his brother were both adopted children. He had never thought of finding his biological family. The Qin family was his home.
Now that the Qin family was doing well, why did this brother have to leave?
Why?
"What are you howling about? Third son isn't going to die," Qin grandmother straightened her headscarf, which had slipped during the scuffle.
Taking a few deep breaths, Qin grandmother said to Qin Da Niu, "You two brothers take your second uncle out."
"You're a grown man, but you can't use your mouth, only your fists. It was my decision for third son's departure. If you're so capable, then hit me."
Qin Lin, who was being led out, slumped his shoulders.
As everyone's attention was on the closed door, Zhang Dani suddenly exclaimed.
"Mother, Mother, wake up."
The people in the room came to their senses and saw Qin mother with her eyes tightly shut, slumped on Zhang Dani. Together with the pregnant Zhang Dani, she slid to the floor.
Qin Junyao handed the Little Si Niu in her arms to Liu Rong and was about to step forward to check, but Qin grandmother, moving faster, stopped her, "Quickly have San Niu find Liu Yu. Your mother has stopped breathing. Eldest son, quickly lay your wife down flat."
After speaking, Qin grandmother began to press Qin mother's philtrum and pinch her tiger's mouth with Qin second aunt.
Without delay, Qin Junyao lifted her skirt and ran out of the room to find the fast-running Qin San Niu.
As soon as she spoke to Qin San Niu, telling him to tell Liu Yu to ask someone to fetch Doctor Sheng, Qin Junyao heard Zhang Dani's pained cry from inside the room.
Zhang Dani was going into labor at this moment.
Qin Da Niu wanted to enter the room, but Qin Junyao stopped him, instead telling him to hurry and drive to fetch the midwife.
Having given birth herself, she knew that the arrival of the midwife at this time was more important than her husband's visit.
By the time Qin Junyao returned to the room, Qin mother had regained her breath and was lying semi-conscious on the kang. Zhang Dani had already been helped by the other women and Qin second aunt into the adjacent room.
Qin Junyao went up to check on Qin mother and saw that she was still pale, which made her a little worried.
She took Little Si Niu, who was still crying, from Liu Rong's arms and said to Liu Rong, "Give me the child, you go back and find some people to help."
"Wait," Qin second aunt, holding two small garments, came out from the adjacent room and called out to Liu Rong.
"Yaoyao, you take Si Niu, Xiaoyu, and your third uncle back. Xiaolangtou can't be without you now, and your eldest sister-in-law will have to wait a while for childbirth."
Qin second aunt turned and looked at the lying Qin mother and the Qin father sitting by the kang, looking flustered. She sighed, "Your mother fainted from anger. She'll be fine once this breath passes. Your third uncle is not lightly injured. Go back and put some medicine on him."
"These are Si Niu's clothes."
Qin Junyao thought for a moment and let Liu Rong take the clothes. She really couldn't stay at the Qin family any longer. Xiaolangtou was too young, and she was worried.
"Second aunt, sister, I'm not going back. I want to stay with my mother," Qin Xiaoyu, sitting beside Qin mother, had tears in her eyes and did not want to return to the Zhao family with Qin Junyao.
"Alright," Qin second aunt removed Little Si Niu's hand from her hair, "then you stay here to guard. Third son, you go back with Yao Yao first."
She looked at Qin Sen, who was sitting on a stool, and sighed, "Your matter will be discussed later."
Qin Sen, who was sitting on a stool, stood up, his face bruised and swollen. He looked at his second sister-in-law and niece and nodded slightly.
After nodding, he panted and raised his hand to cover his neck.
It hurt.
After arranging for them, Qin second aunt turned and went back to the room where Zhang Dani was.
She ignored Little Si Niu, who kept reaching out and crying for his mother. Her own sons were two, and she didn't feel much pity for this little boy.
Liu Rong wanted to take back the somewhat heavy Little Si Niu, but Qin Junyao didn't let her. Since his own mother didn't pity him, she, as a new mother, couldn't bear to see Little Si Niu crying, so she held him and soothed him.