One word, separate

  "It won't do, if you don't become a zhuangyuan, who will we rely on in the future?" Mrs. Li let out a sharp cry, but as soon as she spoke, she regretted it - what was she saying at this hour? She gave a silly smile to Lian Laoye, who had frowned and looked over at her, "Head of the household, I wasn't scared by Sanlang just now."

  "If you can't speak, then don't say anything." Even Lao Ye wasn't stupid, why would a good son suddenly say he didn't want to read books and give up the imperial examination? The anger on his face subsided for a moment, staring at Lian Qing who was kneeling on the ground with his head down, not daring to look at him. He suddenly turned to Li Shi and said, "You go out, bring the door closed, I have something to say to San Zi."

  Is this something you have to carry on your own?

  Li's eyes rolled, just about to say something, Lian Lao had already lost his temper, stretched out his hand and slapped the kang, "How, my words are useless in this house, even you take them as nothing, huh?"

  Li stamped her foot and turned to walk away.

  In the house, Lao Die glanced at Lian Qing and said, "Speak up, what do you want to do?" It's hard to know one's son better than oneself. This son has been steady since childhood, from young to old, never causing him any trouble. But only he knew that this son was more difficult to deal with than the other three!

  With Li gone, Qing had already made his move, and stood up with a smile on his face. "Father, aren't you eager for your son to make a name for himself, bring honor to our ancestors, and come back as a top scholar?"

  "That's for sure. This is your old man's lifelong obsession, if it can't be achieved, I won't be able to close my eyes even in death." As soon as he mentioned this, Lao Die's face showed a few more hints of melancholy, and subconsciously wanted to take a puff of his cigarette, but only realized that the cigarette holder was broken when his hand was halfway up. He glared at Lian Qing and scolded him, "If you have something to say, spit it out quickly, don't play around with your old man, dare to play tricks on me? See if I won't flay you alive."

  "Father, I want to divide the family property."

  Lian Lao's hand trembled slightly, his eyes narrowed and stared at Lian Qing with a few dull pupils - he said "must", not "want"!

  Outside, Li was eavesdropping on the door and faintly heard words like "division of the family". She was greatly shocked in her heart. This won't do! If they really split up, how could she still follow Lian Qing openly and live a good life? But thinking of Lian's father's face earlier, she didn't dare rush in again, so she could only anxiously worry in her heart and silently pray: "Lian's father must not agree!"

  She couldn't hear anything else after that, and in her anxiety and anger, she didn't notice the time or the movement inside the house. The door creaked open from the inside, and Li was caught off guard, stumbling forward with a thud.

  Lian Qing seemed to be frightened, "What's going on? How can someone lean against the door like that? It's all my fault for not being careful. Are you okay?"

  "No, I'm fine, Sanlang, it's me—"

  "Mother, how is it you?" Lian Qing wouldn't have expected anyone in this household to have the audacity to eavesdrop on Father's conversation, except for Li Shi. Thinking about it, her expression was one of self-reproach, "Mother didn't get hurt, did she? Look, it's all my fault, if only I had checked outside the door before opening it."

  "Mother be careful, I'll help you up—"

  Lian Qing reached out to help Li Shi, who was also severely shaken and had a sore buttocks. She didn't dare say anything to Lian Qing, but when she saw him stretch out his hand, she reluctantly took it while still asking, "Third Brother, what were you and your father discussing behind closed doors?"

  "Nothing much, just some idle chatter."

  "What nonsense are you talking about——ah——” Thud, Li got up halfway and felt her body sway, falling to the ground again. At the same time, her foot "coincidentally" and "extremely carelessly" bumped into a wooden bench, hurting so much that her face turned white. "Ahh, it hurts me to death."

  Li fell down and lay on the bed, humming and murmuring, asking for this and that, making Zhou's several daughters-in-law busy running around. Fu Qiulian took a glance and smiled, "Dad, husband, elder brother and sister-in-law, second brother and sister-in-law, Sweetie fourth younger brother, mom's leg didn't hurt the tendons and bones, it's nothing serious."

  "It's not your leg, you'd naturally say it's nothing, Dad. My mom is fine, how could she have fallen?" Lian Tian'er's eyes widened in accusation, her voice echoing through the house, "Someone must have bullied her, if nothing was wrong, my mom wouldn't be so angry that she fell and hurt her leg."

  "Yes, Father. Why did Mother fall down all of a sudden?" Lian Fei and Lian Tian'er didn't get along, but after all, they were born from the same womb, and when facing outsiders, they would never be ambiguous. Their eyes scanned across the few people in the room, and Lian Fei's gaze stopped on Lian Qing, "Third Brother, I saw you coming upstairs earlier. Did you have something to discuss with Mother?"

  "There's nothing much, I'm here to talk to Father about the division of property. Moreover," he glanced at Li Shi who was lying on the bed, muttering to herself but with her ears perked up listening, and smiled faintly at Lian Xia and the others who looked shocked after hearing his words, "Elder brother, second brother, Father has also agreed to this matter."

  Lian Xia is the eldest, although he thinks it's not proper. The ancients emphasized that as long as parents are around, one shouldn't travel far or separate households. Now his father is still alive, yet Lian San suddenly mentions dividing the household. He wanted to retort instinctively, but upon hearing that even Old Master Lian agreed, he swallowed back the words on the tip of his tongue and merely nodded silently, "I'll listen to Father."

  Zhou was so angry he wished he could have gagged him back then.

  Divorce, what for?

  Watching Lianqing is about to stand out, they have been working hard for him all these years, isn't it just for a better future? Now saying division of the family, he can say that three rooms are also outspoken!

  Qian's family jumped up, "I disagree. This house cannot be divided." At least, it can't be divided now. Lian Qing is about to take the imperial examination for jinshi, if he passes, they will become relatives of the jinshi official, what a prestigious thing!

  The Li family on the bed was thrown to the back of their minds by everyone, and they all focused on the matter of separation. Lian Laoda, sitting at the head of the kang, had still held onto a glimmer of hope in his heart, but looking at the scene before him from start to finish, he let out a sigh. When several of his children cast seeking gazes at him, Lian Laoda raised an empty hand and nodded slightly, slowly uttering a single word: "Separate!"

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