Chapter 1806

"Split the family and not give you a single copper! You are the eldest son in the family; on what grounds do they not give you a single copper? This isn't fair! Did you agree to it?"

Su Xuewen nodded.

Huang Dongxue was both angry and anxious, her heart filled with fury. Suddenly, she pushed him away. "I have never seen such an unfair way to split a family; how could you agree? You cannot agree! Splitting the family is fine, but you must get your share. You are the eldest son; you should at least get sixty percent of that family."

Su Xuewen's mind was still a bit muddled and dazed.

He said to Huang Dongxue, "I can earn money. Even if the family doesn't give me a single copper, it might be difficult at first, but in a year or two at most, I can pay off my external debts. After a year or two, our lives will get better."

Huang Dongxue was incredibly annoyed and spoke without thinking: "Are you stupid? What does that little bit of silver you earn count for? The key is that teahouse your family owns. You told me the teahouse was part of your mother's dowry from the Hou Fu, and the property deeds were all given to your mother. That is the truly valuable asset.

Besides, the teahouse business has always been very good; the monthly profit is much more than what you earn. That is a hen that lays golden eggs; how can you let your brother have it? Your brother doesn't know anything, his brain is slow; does he know how to manage a teahouse? You are the eldest son; you can give up anything else, but the teahouse must be split to you..."

"Shut up, don't say any more."

Su Xuewen closed his eyes, unable to believe that such mercenary words, calculating at every turn, came from Huang Dongxue's mouth.

He was working hard to strive for their marriage and their future.

Yet the other party was coveting his mother's teahouse and even looking down on his younger brother Xuewu.

He laughed softly.

Seeing his expression was wrong, Huang Dongxue panicked a little.

She suddenly realized she had said the wrong thing. Su Xuewen was not a worldly man in the traditional sense, one who was competitive and would turn against his brothers for a bit of family property. Su Xuewen had just entered society and still had a heart of innocence. He still believed in exchanging sincerity for sincerity, rather than exchanging interests for interests.

She decisively changed her strategy. "Xuewen, the reason I wanted you to fight for the teahouse wasn't for the money, but for responsibility and filial piety. You are the eldest son; although your aunt said she doesn't want you to provide for her old age, we cannot take it for granted and push the responsibility of providing for the elderly onto your brother Xuewu. We should take on the responsibility of the eldest son, manage the family business well, and let the whole family be at ease.

Xuewu is so young, and his mind is simple; he can't think of so much, nor does he know the sinister nature of people. If the teahouse is given to him, what if—I'm just saying what if—the teahouse is swindled away by someone? What then!"

Su Xuewen slowly shook his head, not accepting her words at all. "That won't happen! Even if Xuewu were truly swindled, with Uncle there, the swindler would be caught and brought back even if they fled to the ends of the earth. Even if the swindler has a backer, we have the Hou Fu and Uncle behind us; even if the other party were a Prince, they would still have to give us some face. In the capital, no one would be so blind as to swindle the teahouse."

Huang Dongxue was furious inside.

Prison Warden Chen was indeed a stumbling block.

"But what about you? Can you accept your aunt's arrangement with a clear conscience and not provide for them? Don't you feel guilty?"

Guilty, yes!

Precisely because of the guilt, he had disappointed his parents, and thus felt pain. His heart had been tearing itself apart.

"Xuewen, go home, go talk it out with your aunt. Say everything you have in your heart, and strive not to split the family. Even if you really have to split the family, you are the eldest son; you should take on the heavy responsibility of the family."

Su Xuewen was still dazed and not very clear-headed.

He asked, "Are you coming with me?"

Huang Dongxue shook her head. "It wouldn't be appropriate for me to go. In what capacity would I go?"

"Come with me. We can't just keep avoiding them!"

Huang Dongxue bit her lip and hesitated for a moment. "I'll go with you, but only in the capacity of a friend. Is that okay?"

Su Xuewen felt a sense of relief.

The two walked back to the Su family home.

Chen Guanlou was sitting in the main hall drinking tea; seeing them return, he glanced at them and then withdrew his gaze, as if the two were an eyesore that hurt his eyes.

Su Xuewen felt a lump in his throat and wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

Huang Dongxue cowered, hiding behind Su Xuewen, not daring to show her face.

Chen Guanlou tapped the table with his finger. "Sign the document, and you can leave this home. From now on, your life, old age, sickness, and death have nothing to do with each other."

Only then did Su Xuewen notice the few pages of documents on the table. Unsurprisingly, those were the family-splitting documents. Once he signed and pressed his thumbprint, and registered it at the yamen, he would be officially split from the family.

"Uncle, where are my mother and father? I don't want to split the family!"

"Your mother was too heartbroken, so your father accompanied her to the Mu family clinic. Xuewu followed them there too. Tell me if you have anything to say."

"Is my mother alright?"

"At least you still have some conscience. Rest assured, Medical Official Mu is personally attending to your mother."

Chen Guanlou felt very troubled.

Raising children was indeed a very worrying matter. You're either worked to death or angered to death!

Fortunately, he was clever; he had dumped all the children on the women's side and wasn't raising any of them.

"Uncle, I don't want to split the family." Su Xuewen hung his head, looking very dejected. His desire not to split the family was very strong.

"This matter is not up to you. You brought Miss Huang home without your parents' consent; clearly, your desire to marry her is stronger than your desire not to split the family. Your parents are fulfilling your wish, so please fulfill theirs."

"Uncle, can't things be perfect for both sides?"

Chen Guanlou sneered. "Are you dreaming? You want this and that; you're asking for too much! Su Xuewen, I can tell you clearly: Chen Xiaolan is my sister, my own sister. In my heart, she is a hundred times more important than you. If you make her sad and heartbroken, don't expect me to help you. The only reason I haven't killed you two or gone to cause trouble for the Huang family is for my sister's sake."

"Your mother" and "my sister"—the weight of these two different forms of address was clear at a glance.

Su Xuewen was left speechless, his heart feeling cold and desolate.

Suddenly, Chen Guanlou threw the family-splitting document into Huang Dongxue's face. "Miss Huang, since you want to marry Xuewen, you should take a look at this family-splitting document too."

Facing the document that flew into her face, Huang Dongxue appeared at a loss.

She knew a few characters, so she took the document and, with some effort, finally finished reading the contents.

She was in despair!

The Su parents really hadn't left Su Xuewen a single copper. Besides what he wore and used himself, he wasn't allowed to take even a single tile away. After signing the document, he had to get out of the Su family door within two days.

Too heartless!

How could there be such heartless parents in the world, kicking out their eldest son without giving him a single copper? Even the most stingy parents wouldn't go to such lengths.

No one would believe this family-splitting document if they heard about it.

"This is too much!" she muttered.

Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Too much? Is your behavior—ignoring your parents' opposition and insisting on getting married, hurting your elders—not too much? Don't talk to me about feelings. In this matter, I only stand with my sister. There is only a stance, no right or wrong! Su Xuewen, sign it. I'm in a rush to go to the yamen to file this!"