Chapter 35 Let's split up

  the family! Split up the family?

  Old Mrs. Fang was furious when she heard this. She sat on the kang and cursed her second son for his ill intentions, saying he wanted to break up their family.

  The Fang family returned from the countryside more than a decade ago and relied on the old man's work as a pharmacist at the pharmaceutical factory to support the family. Later, when the pharmaceutical factory was restructured, they had to buy the house originally allocated to them out of their own pockets.

  But by then, the old man was old and had little money. The eldest son and daughter had already started their own families. Although they hadn't explicitly said they wanted to split up the family, they had already moved out and started their own families. Only the second son was left to take care of his parents and earn money to support his younger siblings' education until they started working. To this day, the Fang family has never officially split up the family.

  Fang Qing's father, Fang Decai, was an honest man who followed his parents in everything. Sometimes, when his parents favored someone else, the second son would just endure it to please his mother, but they had no idea how much they had suffered in private. Even so, none of his brothers and sisters had ever truly considered their own interests.

  Faced with the old lady's wrath and watching the roomful of people plotting, Fang Qing's father finally made up his mind.

  "Mom, whether we live together or not, we're still family. But my eldest sister needs money now, and since you're selling this house, we absolutely can't live here anymore. Then, each family will live in their own place, just like a split family."

  The old lady refused to listen to these excuses, stubbornly believing her second son had ill intentions. "Are you just planning to dump me, an old woman, and live a comfortable life on your own? I'm telling you, no way! As long as I'm here, this family can't be split up!"

  Father Fang, seemingly resigned to the old lady's bullying, finally found the courage to defy her.

  "Well, since we don't want to split up, that's fine! I borrowed money to buy this house. If you want to sell it, just write me an IOU and I'll agree immediately!"

  Father Fang's words caused the sobbing old lady to pause, then she raised her voice and burst into tears, as if she couldn't bear to live any longer.

  "What a sin! Ouch! I'm going to die! Old man, you're not here... these bastards are bullying me!"

  Everyone rushed forward to comfort him. The eldest aunt finally found her chance, turned around and stared, and began to scold Fang's father.

  "Oh, second brother, you've been a cadre in the countryside for two years, and you've got a bad temper. As soon as you get home, you dare to talk back to Mom! You're so arrogant! And you bought this house? Your family is so poor, where did you get the money? You treated us like three-year-old children?"

  Fang's father was usually quiet, but that didn't mean he didn't have a temper. Faced with the ridicule of the eldest sister-in-law, he didn't give in. "Sister-in-law, of course you don't believe it! When Dad wanted to buy this house, you immediately hid back at your parents' house, afraid that you wouldn't have to pay a penny! But now that the house is bought, you're right back to hang around old lady. Don't think I don't know what you're up to!..."

  The eldest aunt was exposed, her purpose ashamed and furious. She screamed and threatened to scratch him.

  The uncle standing by couldn't stand it any longer, so he grabbed his wife by the collar and threw her back, "Shut up! This is a matter between our Fang brothers, and it's none of your turn to butt in! Scream again and see if I dare to hit you!..."

  The aunt was so frightened by her husband's unprecedented ferocious expression that she didn't know how to react for a moment, so she had to keep quiet and hide behind the eldest sister.

  The uncle then turned to his second brother, "Decai, you... you really want to split up the family? Mother is still alive, and it won't sound good to tell others about the split..."

  Father Fang looked tired, stepped forward and patted his eldest brother on the shoulder, "Brother, you know me well, I will do what I say! You all know how our family has been living all these years!

  When we bought this house, my eldest sister said she had no money, my eldest sister-in-law was hiding, my youngest sister and Deli were unemployed, so in the end I had to shoulder the responsibility! I went to so many relatives and friends to borrow money to buy this house, but in the end, my parents' names were still written on the house title. Do I have any complaints?"

  The eldest aunt and the eldest sister-in-law blushed at these words, and they lowered their heads and said nothing.

  When Father Fang talked about the hardships of the past, tears welled up in the eyes of the seven-foot-tall man. He glanced at his wife who had shared hardships with him for many years, and then at the sensible children behind him, and his heart was even more sour.

  "I understand why you didn't help me back then. Everyone has to make a living. But now that you're broke, you've set your sights on the house. Have you ever considered how I feel? Are we still family, brothers and sisters who grew up together?"

  Everyone in the room was speechless, their heads bowed in silence. Father Fang finally let out a long sigh.

  "Brother, I'm really tired! For all these years, for this family, I, Fang Decai, won't say how well I've done, but if I ever see my ancestors, I can pat my chest and say I have a clear conscience! Since my sister is in trouble, let's deal with this house. You can discuss how to sell it, but I've decided on the division of this family!"

  At this point, Mrs. Fang, who had finally caught her breath on the kang, finally spoke.

  "Okay! Second brother, you are really my good son! Since you have said so much, I also want to say something. Let's divide the family, but you have to give me an extra fifty every month! If I have a headache or fever in the future, none of you can abandon me, otherwise, I will go to the government to sue you even if I have to crawl!"

  Uncle Fang Deli immediately stepped forward to comfort the old lady, "Mom, why are you saying this? What have we become of our brothers and sisters after you said that? When did we stop caring about you? Which family wouldn't want to worship you like a goddess? Oh, don't be angry, your wrinkles can kill a mosquito..."

  The uncle's jokes finally made the atmosphere weirdly better. The old lady breathed a sigh of relief, patted her son's hand, and kept muttering: My son is still the best, my son is still the best...

  Everyone in the room was used to it. The old lady was biased. Even her son's farts were fragrant, but no matter how well they did, they would not get a word of praise.

  Thinking about it this way, it's a good thing to separate the family. They can each live their own lives, so they don't get together and get angry at each other.

  The eldest aunt looked at it and coughed. "Well, then, let's split up. I have no objection."

  Father Fang seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, and his previous toughness was gone. "We will move out as soon as possible. If mother wants to live with us, I am willing to take care of her in her old age. You can discuss the rest. I won't take care of it."

  As soon as Father Fang left, the remaining siblings began to discuss what to do with the house. Finally, the eldest aunt, who worked in a government department and knew several real estate developers, was appointed to handle the house affairs.

  The old lady eventually stayed in the eldest house, but she also said that when her eldest son got married, she would go and live with him.

  The eldest aunt curled her lips when she heard this, but said nothing. After all, the sale of the house was hers. She had endured for so many years and finally it was worth it. She finally tasted the sweetness.

  (End of this chapter)