Chapter 53: Division of the Family

"Are you worried about Sister Plum?" Shao Diandian asked the three little ones.

The three little ones nodded honestly.

At eight years old, Big Plum was like half a sensible parent, helping Mrs. Wu the Younger take care of the three little ones.

After all, this was the Liu family's internal affair. Unless Liu Ping's branch stood up for themselves, Shao Diandian could help them once or twice, but she could not protect them for a lifetime.

"None of you are of any use! You can't earn a few coins, and all you do is bring useless burdens to this family! I say don't bother making dinner! Go drink the Northwest wind for all I care!"

Every word from Mrs. Wu the Elder pierced like needles into Mrs. Wu the Younger's heart.

That's right, she couldn't give birth to a son, so she deserved to hang her head in shame, deserved to be a beast of burden for others, and deserved to drag her two daughters down to be beaten and scolded right along with her!

She desperately wanted to return to her maiden family, but even her own family advised her that it was better to avoid trouble than to make a fuss, and to endure it until it passed.

Lately, however, she found herself less and less able to endure it...

The sudden suppression and silence in Mrs. Wu the Younger stirred an odd feeling in Mrs. Wu the Elder's heart.

"Are you mute?!" Mrs. Wu the Elder barked.

"Mother." Mrs. Wu the Younger hugged her two trembling daughters and spoke in a low voice, "If you truly find us such an eyesore, let us split off and live separately."

Mrs. Wu the Elder's expression changed. She pointed at the younger woman's nose and snapped, "You little hussy, what did you just say?"

Gathering her courage, Mrs. Wu the Younger looked at her mother-in-law tearfully yet stubbornly, "I said, let's divide the household."

Mrs. Wu the Elder burst into a torrent of abuse: "Your father and I are still alive, and yet you dare mention splitting the family! Are you trying to curse us to an early grave? You heartless and ungrateful wretch!"

As long as one's parents are alive, a family does not split. This was the unwritten rule in the countryside.

Besides, if the family truly split, Liu Ping's wages would no longer go into the common purse, and there would be no one left to do the chores around the house!

Mrs. Wu the Elder snatched up a rolling pin and lunged fiercely at Mrs. Wu the Younger!

"Mother—" Big Plum shrieked.

Suddenly, a small, plump hand seized Mrs. Wu the Elder's rolling pin.

Mrs. Wu the Elder glanced back, "Chubby Lass Shao?"

She gritted her teeth and tried to yank her arm away.

Shao Diandian effortlessly held the rolling pin fast. "What? Still want to throw hands with me?"

Naturally, Mrs. Wu the Elder wouldn't dare raise a hand against Chubby Lass Shao!

With a cold, irritated, and fierce expression, Shao Diandian easily snatched the rolling pin from her grip.

Faced with the menacing Chubby Lass Shao, Mrs. Wu the Elder didn't even dare to let out a peep!

That was the definition of bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

Shao Diandian tapped the wooden door with the rolling pin and said indifferently to Mrs. Wu the Younger, "Hey, you surnamed Wu, I told you to go wash the clothes, and you ran off halfway through?"

Mrs. Wu the Younger kept her head down and remained silent.

"If she won't wash them, you go do it!" Shao Diandian gestured fiercely toward Mrs. Wu the Elder.

Mrs. Wu the Elder had no intention of doing that!

What was wrong with Chubby Lass Shao? It had been a while since she last wreaked havoc, so why was she acting just like her old self again?

"Get going already!"

Mrs. Wu the Elder scolded Mrs. Wu the Younger.

Mrs. Wu the Younger dejectedly slipped through the back door of the kitchen toward the Shao household, her two children trailing behind her.

Mrs. Wu the Elder wanted to keep the two younger children behind, but when Shao Diandian cast a freezing glare in her direction, she kept her mouth shut.

With the men of the house around, she might have been able to put on a show of authority, but on her own, she wouldn't dare cross Chubby Lass Shao.

Shao Diandian turned and left.

Mrs. Wu the Elder stealthily peered in that direction.

With a flick of her wrist, Shao Diandian tossed the rolling pin back. It hit Mrs. Wu the Elder squarely on the head with absolute precision.

"Ouch—"

A large bump instantly swelled up on Mrs. Wu the Elder's forehead!

--

Over at the Shao household.

The Plum sisters sat on small stools in the kitchen, having finally stopped crying.

The three little ones generously brought out their own little pastries to treat the guests. Big Plum didn't eat, but Little Plum happily snuggled into her older sister's embrace as she nibbled on a piece.

Mrs. Wu the Younger sat behind the stove, helping feed firewood into the hearth.

Shao Diandian continued slicing sweet potatoes.

"Have you really decided to divide the household?"

Shao Diandian asked.

The three little ones and Little Plum buried their heads in eating pastries, while Big Plum glanced sideways at her mother.

Mrs. Wu the Younger nodded with calm resolve. "Mn, I've decided."

In the past, she would never have dared. Leaving the Liu family meant not only being pointed at derisively by the villagers, but also facing a future with nowhere to go.

Mrs. Wu the Younger asked, "After we split the family, will you still want me to come and work at your place?"

Shao Diandian answered without hesitation, "Of course."

Such an efficient worker who could do the job of three people—why wouldn't she want her?

Mrs. Wu the Younger seemed to finally understand where the courage for her decision to split the family came from.

If not for Big Lass Shao, she probably would never have dared to bring up splitting from the Liu family in her entire life.

Shao Diandian added, "If Liu Ping doesn't mind, he can come over and try working here for a couple of days too."

Mrs. Wu the Younger's eyes lit up. "You mean... you want to hire Liu Ping for odd jobs?"

"It depends on whether he's up to the task." Shao Diandian didn't make any absolute promises.

Mrs. Wu the Younger hurried to say, "He is, he is! He can endure hardship!"

If both of them could find work, feeding the two children would no longer be a problem!

Shao Diandian murmured in acknowledgment, then, recalling something, she asked, "Have you mentioned the matter of dividing the family to Liu Ping?"

Mrs. Wu the Younger replied, "I mentioned it. He didn't object."

For a stepson to scrape by under a stepmother's thumb, the hardships and grievances went without saying.

In Shao Diandian's memory, Liu Ping was an honest and straightforward man—hardworking and capable of enduring hardship, even if he was a bit rigid in his thinking.

However, he had never resented Mrs. Wu the Younger for failing to give birth to a son, and he cherished his two daughters deeply. The young couple shared a genuine affection.

"It's just..." Mrs. Wu the Younger hesitated, stopping short.

"Just what?" Shao Diandian asked.

Biting her lip, Mrs. Wu the Younger lowered her voice. "If we truly split from the Liu family, it will cause an unpleasant ruckus. Coming to work at your place might end up implicating you all as well..."

Shao Diandian shrugged her small rounded shoulders. "Oh, you mean our reputation? Did our Shao family ever have one of those to begin with?"

Mrs. Wu the Younger: "..."

--

Mrs. Wu the Younger stayed at the Shao house until her father-in-law and husband returned. Although the old man also favored the second branch, with him and Liu Ping present, Mrs. Wu the Elder would restrain herself somewhat and wouldn't beat her and the children half to death.

Shao Diandian didn't keep Mrs. Wu the Younger's situation a secret from her family. After all, since she might openly employ the couple in the future, she needed to give her family a heads-up beforehand.

Having listened to Shao Diandian's account, Old Man Shao likely recalled his own past of making a clean break with the Chen family. He remained silent for a long moment before sighing, "It's for the best if they split the family."

...

Influenced by the sale of the recipe, Shao Erdan's spirits were somewhat low, and he ate one bowl of rice less than usual at dinner.

Seeing him looking so pitiful, the three little toddlers sighed, clutched their pillows, and crawled onto the bed, deciding to sacrifice themselves for a sleep companion tonight to cheer up Uncle Erdan.

The family turned in one by one, but Shao Diandian remained awake.

She went to the kitchen, first tidying up the bowls and chopsticks, and then systematically preparing all the ingredients needed for the next day.

Afterward, she took out the dough she had left to rise in the afternoon. Because it had been kept near the stove, the temperature was higher than outside, and by now it had fermented to perfection.

In addition, the hind leg pork in the pot had finished boiling; she fished it out, placed it on the chopping board, and drew out the rolling pin from the utensil cabinet.

When Wei Ting walked into the kitchen leaning on his crutches, the sight that met his eyes was that certain chubby little lass expertly and earnestly rolling out meat.