Uncle Qin was silent. Even if he didn't say it, everyone knew what he was thinking. It was nothing more than the problem of not having an heir. But how could he say such a thing
Grandpa Qin said, "I just asked the eldest brother about the matter of adopting Shoucheng, and he disagreed."
Uncle Qin clenched his fists. He actually knew that when he proposed to adopt Shoucheng, his hope was slim. When Shoucheng was still young, he was also young. How could he know that he couldn't have a son? Later, his eldest nephew went to serve in the army, so he naturally couldn't bring it up. After all, if his eldest nephew died, he would be scolded for his spine if he brought it up. But now that his eldest nephew is back, even if he brings it up, the first wife will not agree.
Grandpa Qin said: "I have also thought about your matter, so I have a few ideas. I will tell you and you can listen."
Uncle Qin opened his mouth and finally uttered four words in a hoarse voice: "Dad, you say."
Grandpa Qin: "If the family is divided, all the things in the house will be divided into three parts, and each of us three brothers will get one part. We will follow the eldest wife because we will also get land, and the land has income, so we don't need you to support us in our old age. When we are older and our health fails, you don't have to worry about the cost of seeing a doctor, because the eldest wife will bear it all. This is what I have discussed with the eldest brother and A Fang."
Aunt Qin heard this and thought it was okay. Although the eldest wife would get more land, but from ancient times to the present, when the family was divided, the eldest wife would get the most. Moreover, the eldest wife would also bear the cost of the old couple's future doctor's visits. Although Aunt Qin liked to take advantage of small things, she was not the kind of person who didn't know right from wrong.
Aunt Qin said immediately: "We have no objection from the second house."
Mother Qin was a little unhappy. The old couple followed the eldest wife, which was the rule. But in the future, they would have to pay for the old couple's medical expenses. Wasn't this a bit too much? But her husband and eldest son agreed, so she didn't say anything. She thought about it again. The eldest son was now an official and had a salary, so the relationship probably still existed. After thinking it through, she gave up the unsatisfactory idea.
Grandpa Qin continued, "The following is about the third house. I have given the third son two ideas. The first is to adopt a child from within the clan. But this is also troublesome. If you adopt someone from within the clan, you can't hide their identity. The child will definitely know about your own affairs when he grows up. So I came up with a second idea, which is for the third son and his wife to live outside for a year, and then bring back an adopted child after a year. In this way, no one in the village will know the child's background and they will just think that the child is your own."
Uncle Qin raised his head slightly, but still said nothing.
Grandpa Qin sighed and continued, "The third idea is to find a son-in-law for Sanya. No matter what, Sanya is your flesh and blood. If you adopt or foster her, she is someone else's child. But the child born by Sanya's husband is still your blood. Isn't your grandson closer to you than the one you adopted or fostered?"
Aunt Qin was very excited when she heard this. In fact, she had always preferred her daughter to have a son-in-law rather than adoptive husband, but she didn't dare to say it.
Grandpa Qin: "San Ya is looking for a husband. There are so many brothers in the family. Are you still afraid of being bullied? If San Ya marries someone else, if something unexpected happens, the brothers will not be able to rush over in time. What do you say?"
Uncle Qin was silent for a while: "Dad, what is the fourth idea you mentioned?"
Grandpa Qin: "The fourth idea, if you don't agree with the above three, then after we pass away, our land will be given to Afang, and the produce from the land will be sold for silver as your retirement money, until you die, the produce from the land will belong to Afang. With the land by your side, you don't have to worry about being alone in your old age and having nothing to eat. And with silver by your side, you don't have to worry about seeing a doctor when you are sick. I talked to Afang about this fourth idea, and he agreed. Afang is the eldest son and grandson, and our land was originally given to him. He is willing to use the produce from the land as your retirement money."
Qin Fang was also stunned. According to what they said in grandfather's room before dinner, he would provide for his third uncle and third aunt in their old age, but he didn't say that he would use the output from grandpa and grandma's land. Now that he thought about it, grandfather had the idea from the beginning, and his question in the room was just to test his own ideas. How could he let himself suffer
Qin Fang: "Don't worry, Uncle and Aunt, I'm here and I won't let you grow old without support."
Yang Haiyan and Qin's mother were silent and did not speak. In this division of the family, if Qin Fang did not become an official, the first wife would indeed suffer a little. The old couple's land belongs to the first wife, and the medical expenses for the illness should be borne by the third family, but now the first wife has to bear it. Moreover, before the third wife dies, if they do not adopt, foster or recruit a son-in-law, then the old couple's land will continue to support the third wife. Isn't this a disadvantage for the first wife
But the eldest son Qin Fang became an official, so Qin's mother didn't care about it anymore.
Grandpa Qin: "Old Third, what do you think?"
Aunt Qin San saw that Uncle Qin San didn't say anything, so she said softly: "I want to choose the third one and let San Ya find a son-in-law."
Uncle Qin glanced at her and was silent again. He was silent until everyone thought he was going to adopt or foster him. He finally nodded and said, "Find a son-in-law for San Ya." A grandson born by a son-in-law is still his own grandson. With San Ya's brothers at home, San Ya will not suffer any loss. Although A Fang has made a good career, adopting Shou Cheng would allow A Fang to take care of him, but Shou Cheng is indeed old, and he can't force his eldest brother to let Shou Cheng be adopted.
In this case, let's take a step back and let San Ya find a husband. If A Fang becomes successful in the future, won't he take care of San Ya
The matter of the Qin family's division was settled very quickly. Speaking of it, there is no daughter-in-law who doesn't like the division of the family. Especially Erya and Sanya were learning embroidery in the embroidery workshop. They were almost done. In the future, the money they earned from embroidering handkerchiefs would belong to the family and would not have to be handed over to the government. How could Second Aunt Qin and Third Aunt Qin not agree
Besides, the first house has more people and eats more, while the second and third houses have fewer people, and the maids can earn money, so it is definitely cost-effective to split up the family.
Grandpa Qin: "There is one more thing. The wedding banquet after the first day is Afang's. Afang's wedding banquet will be held in public. After that, each wedding banquet will be held by your respective families. You don't have to feel that you are at a disadvantage. If you don't split up, all wedding banquets will be held in public. The eldest family will have several more."
Uncle Qin Er and Uncle Qin San didn't say anything either. They didn't care about it.
Aunt Qin and Aunt Qin San didn't say anything. For Aunt Qin San, her daughter would need the support of the brothers of the eldest house when she found a son-in-law in the future, so she wouldn't care about such a small matter. For Aunt Qin Er, after all, Qin Fang was promising now, so she naturally wouldn't care about such a small matter. In the face of the overall situation, Aunt Qin Er still knew her limits.
Yang Haiyan said at this time: "No need, my husband and I's wedding should be hosted by our first wife." She didn't want the second and third wives to feel that they were taking advantage.
Mother Qin: "Yan Yan?"
Yang Haiyan said, "What I mean is that we, the eldest branch, will pay for the wedding banquet ourselves. Of course, grandpa and grandma will still have to support the occasion, and there is no need to mention this matter to the outside world. After all, when Daya got married, the public had already held a wedding banquet for our eldest branch. Now that the family has split up, it is not easy for us, the eldest branch, to take advantage of it."
Grandpa Qin looked at Qin Fang: "Ah Fang, what do you say?"
Qin Fang: "Listen to Yanyan."
Grandpa Qin looked at him for a while and said, "Then let's do it this way. Next, divide the things that should be divided. The houses will be arranged according to the current residents. The first house now has three rooms, one for the eldest brother and his wife, one for Afang and his wife, and one for Shouye and Shoucheng. The second house now has two rooms, one for the second brother and his wife, and one for Niudan. The third house has only one room, one for the third brother and his wife. There is still one room left, which is the room for Erya, Sanya and Daya. This room belongs to the third brother. In the future, Sanya will marry a son-in-law, so this room will be left for Sanya, but for now, let Erya and Daya live in it first. Third brother, is there any problem?"
Uncle Qin: "No problem." Actually, he didn't expect his father to give them an extra room, and he was very touched by it.
Grandpa Qin nodded: "Then it's settled." Then came the matter of dividing the money. The Qin family had just built a house a few years ago, adding two more rooms, so the family didn't have much money. After the money was divided, each household received 600 coins.
Then, Qin's father invited the village chief, the village students, and the elders to witness the division. This was the most peaceful and fair division they had ever witnessed.
Speaking of the Qin family's elders, they are not really elders in the true sense.
In ancient times, villagers in many villages were from the same village and had the same surname. However, Baili Village was different. Some were surnamed Qin, some were surnamed Han, and there were others. This was related to the famine after the founding of the Qi Kingdom.
During the famine, the common people fled everywhere. The Qin family was originally from Qinjia Village. Everyone in the village had the surname Qin, and they all had the same ancestor. The people of Qinjia Village fled to Jintian County, and under the arrangement of the county magistrate at that time, they settled down here with other refugees. This village composed of different refugees was called Baili Village, and this name was given by the county magistrate at that time.
The only ones from the Qin family who fled here back then were Grandpa Qin and his parents. Not long after Grandpa Qin got married and had children, his parents passed away. Furthermore, when Grandpa Qin settled here with his parents, his parents were also injured due to the famine, so Grandpa Qin was the only one left at home.
The elders of the Qin family are from Qinjia Village, who fled here together. When escaping, it is important for everyone to live together.
After the Qin family split up, everyone returned to their own rooms.
Mother Qin also called Qin Fang and his wife over and said, "Fang and Yanyan are going to hold their wedding banquet in a few days. Do you have any ideas?"
Qin Fang looked at Yang Haiyan.
Yang Haiyan said, "Mother, this is my first marriage too, and I don't have any special ideas. Everything is up to you. By the way, this is a gift from my husband and I to you."
Mother Qin took it and saw that it was a ten-liang silver note. She went back and said, "You also need to spend money at the border. If you give it all to me, how can you live? You should keep this money."
Yang Haiyan pushed the money back: "Mother, my husband has a salary, and I also have a dowry shop. My brothers and sisters are still young. As the eldest brother and sister-in-law, if we ignore the family and spend more of the family's money, it would be too bad."
Mother Qin: "But this..."
Yang Haiyan said: "This money is our gift to our father and mother this year. We will give 100 taels of silver to our family every year in the future. Mother doesn't have to worry about us. We will definitely give this money out when we can afford it and will never let ourselves down."
Qin Fang: "Mother, just listen to Yanyan." He had thought about giving money to his family every year, about ten taels of silver a year, until his two younger brothers got married and his younger sister got married, and then he would only give his parents some money for their retirement, not as much as ten taels. But he didn't expect his wife to speak up first and also take out money.
Seeing her son say this, Qin's mother accepted it and said, "Don't give me the money for the wedding banquet. We don't want to divide the family property."
Yang Haiyan: "Listen to my mother."
Qin's father was just a decoration from beginning to end.
Then, Qin's mother took Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan to her mother's home. A family that could raise a person like Qin's mother must be good. Qin Fang's maternal family had not yet split up, and like Qin's family, they were very lively. They had lunch there, gave Qin Fang's grandpa and grandma shoes, and told them the date of the wedding banquet, and then they came back.
In the blink of an eye, it was the wedding day.
On this day, the Qin family was very busy, except for Yang Haiyan and several children. Speaking of children, the day before, Erya and Sanya, who were learning embroidery in the embroidery workshop, also came back. Both girls seemed to have a relatively well-behaved personality. Compared with Erya, Sanya is more well-behaved. Erya has a younger brother, so she is relatively confident, while Sanya has no younger brother. In terms of personality, she is a bit like Aunt Qin San, and feels that she lacks confidence. However, on the day they came back, they brought silk flowers to express their gratitude to Yang Haiyan.
The wedding banquet was at noon, and it would end after lunch. Even if there were relatives who had to travel far away, like Qin Fang's grandparents, they would have lunch and go back in the afternoon so that they could travel faster. If they went back at night, it would be dangerous.
Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan both put on their wedding dresses and worshipped in the hall with the blessings of their relatives and friends. After the worship, everyone started drinking wedding wine.
Weddings in this era were much better than those in modern times, because people in this era would start eating as soon as they sat down, unlike modern times, where there are all kinds of awkward situations and toasts.
After the wedding banquet, everyone dispersed. Some sensible women would stay to help, and with the three daughters-in-law of the Qin family and Qin Fang's aunts, the yard was cleaned up very quickly. When the yard was cleaned up, Qin Fang's grandparents were also leaving. Uncle Qin San could drive a carriage, so he drove the carriage to send Qin Fang's grandparents back. The carriage was not big enough for the whole family, so Qin Fang's grandparents and several children were in the carriage, and his uncles and aunts walked.
After the wedding banquet, the Qin family was truly divided, and everyone began to eat separately. Fortunately, the second and third rooms had already set up stoves a few days before the wedding banquet.
Yang Haiyan had already changed out of her wedding dress, but Qin Fang hadn't. He really liked this wedding dress, which was dark red and very conspicuous on him. Qin Fang walked in and saw his wife: "Why did you change out of your clothes?"
Yang Haiyan was speechless: "Aren't we going to the village chief's house to buy land later? It would be embarrassing to go there in wedding clothes?"
The purpose of buying the land was to build a house. The couple had already discussed this matter and told Qin's father and mother. Once the land was bought, they could build a house. The reason why they didn't buy the land before was that they didn't want to cause any trouble before the wedding banquet, fearing that it would affect the wedding day. Now that the wedding banquet was over, even if they went to buy the land and attracted some trouble from the second or third room, it wouldn't be a problem.
Grandpa Qin and Grandma Qin knew that they were going to buy land and build a house. Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan also said frankly that this was Yang Haiyan's private property and dowry. The soap recipe was sold for 500 taels of gold. In Qin Fang's view, this was Yang Haiyan's private property, so the couple unanimously called it dowry.
Although if the husband's family takes the bride's dowry, it will be despised and a lawsuit will be filed. In the matter of the bride's dowry, the lawyers are biased towards the bride. But if the bride is willing to use the dowry money to build a house for the groom, what can others say
Qin's father and mother had no objection to their daughter-in-law using her dowry to buy land and build a house, nor did they feel insecure. Although they knew that this was their daughter-in-law's money, their son was now an official and would be able to make money in the future, and their son was not the kind of man who needed a woman to support him.
However, this house was built by the daughter-in-law, and they will not live in it. They are still used to living in the old house.
The whole family, Qin Fang and his wife, Qin's father and Qin's mother, all went to the village chief's house in a mighty manner.
The village chief saw them and joked, "Qin Fang, you haven't even taken off your wedding clothes yet, so why are you here?"
Qin Fang: "Village Chief, I'm here to buy land."
The village chief was holding an old pipe, and he was not surprised to hear Qin Fang's words: "Where do you want to buy land? Good land is not for sale now." Two years ago, people said that Qin Fang had made a lot of money and could bring money home after serving in the army. A few days ago, Qin Fang returned home with a wife. Everyone said that his wife was given by the court because Qin Fang had made contributions. No one lied about this because Qin Fang said it himself. So the village chief was not surprised that Qin Fang came to buy land now.
When you have money, you buy land. This is the most simple idea of the common people. Silver can be stolen, but can the land also be stolen
As for the land, Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan had also looked at it a few days ago and discussed it with Qin's father and mother. Although it was a bit far from the Qin family's old house, it was in the same village after all. It would take less than a quarter of an hour to walk through the entire village. How far could it be
Qin Fang said: "Village Chief, I want the land on the east side of the foot of the mountain."
The village chief was stunned: "That's wasteland. Although it's a sloping wasteland, there's no danger of landslides or rock falls, but crops can't grow on wasteland."
Qin Fang: "I know. I didn't buy it to grow crops, but to build a house."
The village chief didn't say anything more after hearing this. He was present at the Qin family's division and served as a witness. However, he remembered that the Qin family only received 600 coins when they divided the family. Was this enough money to buy land
The village chief said: "How much land do you want to buy? Even though it's wasteland, it costs two taels of silver per mu."
Qin Fang: "I want to buy three acres."
The old pipe in the village chief's hand almost fell to the ground, but he quickly calmed down. Qin's father and mother were both there, and they didn't say anything. It was obvious that the whole family had discussed it before: "Okay, I'll write the paperwork for you, and then you take it to the county to transfer the ownership. After the paperwork is written, we'll go measure the land."
Qin Fang said: "Village Chief, my wife's name is written on the document, and she is also the owner of the transferred household."
The village chief...steadied himself and looked at Qin's father and mother.
Mother Qin said with a smile: "We just divided our family. You have seen the money from the division. How can we afford to buy wasteland and build a house now? My daughter-in-law is considerate. Seeing that Shouye is 15 years old and Shoucheng is 2 years old, the two brothers-in-law have grown up and are about to start talking about marriage, but they are still squeezed into the same room. So she said that they should give up their room and she would buy wasteland and build a house for the two of them to live in."
The village chief couldn't help but feel envious after hearing this. Whose daughter-in-law is so generous? It seems that the Qin family has married a golden baby.
The village chief took Qin Fang's family to measure the wasteland, and then gave Qin Fang the land purchase document: "Remember to transfer the ownership as soon as possible."
Qin Fang: "Don't worry, we will go to transfer the ownership tomorrow." Then he gave six taels of silver to the village chief.
The village chief nodded, took the silver and left.
Yang Haiyan looked at the three acres of wasteland. Even one acre of wasteland would be too big to build a house, let alone three acres. However, she had her own plan. She wanted to build this house well, in the style of a modern suite. However, because modern suites are expensive, each room is very small, but it is different if you build it yourself, you can build it bigger.
Not only that, she also wants to build a leisure area in the yard, such as a swing, a stone table... Everything can be planned slowly.
Seeing her looking at the wasteland with longing, Qin Fang couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"
Yang Haiyan smiled and said, "I'm thinking about our future and what our house will look like."
Hearing the words "our future", Qin Fang's heart was also filled. What will their future be like? I dare not say anything else, but there must be a group of children surrounding them.
Yang Haiyan added: "I will finish drawing the blueprints in the next few days. Then I will trouble my father and mother to help us find someone to build it."
Father Qin waved his hand: "No trouble."
Mother Qin: "We are all one family, why should we talk about two families?"
Yang Haiyan went over and took Qin's mother's hand: "When our house is built, the vacant land next to it can be reserved for Shouye and Shoucheng to build their own houses. This way, the three brothers' houses will be close to each other. Dad and mom will live with us in the future. Even if they miss Shouye and Shoucheng's home, they can just call them."
At first, Qin's mother didn't understand why she wanted to buy three acres of wasteland, but now she understood that it was for the sake of preserving the business, and she was even more satisfied with this daughter-in-law. Moreover, in her daughter-in-law's plan, they were also planned to be the eldest house. Yes, in their house, Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan are the eldest house.
After hearing this, although Qin's father didn't say anything, his eyes also brightened up a bit. A big tree will branch out, and their family will definitely split up in the future, but it doesn't matter if they split up, as long as the heart is still there.
When they returned to Old Qin's house, Grandma Qin came over and asked, "Have you bought the land?"
The second and third wives also heard it and were shocked. Did the first wife buy land? Because Qin Fang and Yang Haiyan had a wedding banquet at noon, the Qin family did not go to the fields in the afternoon and rested all day today.