Chapter 878: The Family-Splitting Drama

After scrubbing himself for several days straight, Chen Chen Guanlou finally felt the stench of corpses on his body had faded.

The office was also being deodorized, so he simply gave himself an early holiday and didn't go on duty at the Sky Prison.

Coinciding with the end of the year, Eldest Sister Chen Chen Xiaolan's plan to split the family had initially taken shape.

Su Su Pozi had thrown several tantrums, but each was suppressed by Su Su Dacheng. Su Su Dacheng had to report for duty and couldn't stay home all the time. Whenever he was away, Su Su Pozi would stir up trouble in every way possible!

Chen Chen Xiaolan simply hid out at the shop, leaving only Su family's Eldest Sister-in-law to cope alone.

Su family's Eldest Sister-in-law was also egged on and began to harbor thoughts of splitting the family, so she ran back to her maiden home to seek reinforcements.

This family-splitting drama at the Su household, which had been raging for several months on end, was about to come to a close.

Chen Chen Guanlou changed into a brocade robe, dressed very flashily, and rushed to the Su household to back up Eldest Sister Chen Chen Xiaolan, to discuss the specific details of the family split!

Worried his own weight wasn't enough, he also invited an elder from the clan to go along, to have an equal-generation talk with Su Su Dacheng and keep Su Su Pozi in check.

Su family's Eldest Sister-in-law had also invited her maiden family to come and bolster her side.

For a time, the Su family's modest courtyard was bursting at the seams.

The neighbors all gathered at the courtyard gate to watch the fun.

Chen Chen Guanlou simply stepped forward to chase them off. "Look, look, look! What are you looking at! Got nothing better to do? I'll call the Wucheng Military Affairs Office right now to come inspect and see which household has problems."

The moment the words fell, the neighbors scattered like birds and beasts. Privately, they all gossiped that Chen Chen Xiaolan's brother was a bully throwing his weight around—looking presentable, but not someone easy to deal with. Better to keep their distance from now on.

"I saw it coming when he was little—a cold-blooded sort who doesn't recognize his own kin."

"Still, Chen Chen Xiaolan is the lucky one. Back then she came married in with a tagalong kid. Who would've thought the tagalong would grow up and make something of himself, bold enough to call the Military Affairs Office to arrest people. What a bully!"

"Exactly, what a bully! So what if he's some lousy Prison Clerk!"

"We're watching the Su family's show, not his. He sure casts a wide net."

Chen Chen Xiaolan didn't quite agree with Chen Chen Guanlou's approach. "Why bother? Those people have such loose tongues. In less than half a day, your reputation will be ruined for blocks around."

"Let it be ruined! What can they do to me! I'm an official, they're commoners. They'll only avoid me, never dare say it to my face. Besides, once the family splits, I'm worried someone will bully you and your husband. If I don't step in and throw a scare into them, those people will think you and your husband have no one to rely on and are easy to push around!"

Chen Chen Xiaolan sighed. "It's all because your brother-in-law and I are useless. Every time, we make you play the villain."

"Why stand on ceremony with me? Lifelong siblings—could I just stand by and watch you get bullied?"

"How about you just get married!"

Here we go again!

Chen Chen Guanlou gazed at the sky!

"If you won't marry, at least have a child. Lou-ge, tell me the truth—is there something wrong with your body? Are you unable to have kids?"

"Nonsense. Don't believe everything you hear."

"It's not me talking nonsense, it's people outside. They say you're at a ripe age and still unmarried, running off to the brothels every day—surely there's something wrong. Probably can't have children, so you dodge marriage to avoid being laughed at."

Chen Chen Guanlou: …

He could only say that human imagination is boundless and ever-divergent.

Once marriage and family get dragged in, his reputation is guaranteed to suffer.

He's been used to it all these years. He didn't expect things could get even more absurd.

"If you won't admit it, then have a child to carry on the Chen family bloodline." Chen Chen Xiaolan delivered her ultimatum.

Chen Chen Guanlou offered a dry laugh. "If I admit it, will you stop chasing me to marry and have kids? Fine, I admit I'm sick!"

Chen Chen Xiaolan: …

Chen Chen Xiaolan first froze, then got angry, then panicked!

"Lou-ge, you're tricking me, right? Your body's fine, right? The people outside are talking nonsense, right! Don't you scare me."

Seeing his eldest sister's emotions on the verge of collapse, Chen Chen Guanlou had no choice but to backtrack. "Yes, yes, yes, I was tricking you. Who told you to nag me in my ear every day? If I don't scare you a little, you'll think I have no temper."

"You wretched boy! You dare spout nonsense about something like this—so reckless!" Chen Chen Xiaolan slapped him across, looking furious on the surface, but in truth she was crying tears of joy, laughing through her tears.

As long as her brother had no problem and could father children, that was all that mattered.

She wiped her tears, regained her fighting spirit. Today she would settle the family split for good, absolutely refusing to let it drag on any longer. With her brother here, she had plenty of confidence.

The negotiation was a long, petty, chaotic process.

When it came to splitting the family, even a single basin or bowl had to be divided clearly. Even though Chen Chen Xiaolan didn't care about these possessions in her heart, on the surface she had to put on an attitude of arguing on principle and yielding no ground. This was what they called: if you want to open a window, you need the boldness of tearing off the roof—only then will the other side agree to open the window.

Chen Chen Guanlou was fully supportive, egging her on and stirring things up!

Only Su Brother-in-law was kept in the dark, stuck in the middle and miserable. His wife refused to yield an inch, and he couldn't hold her back either! Otherwise, once he got home, he'd surely get a beating!

With both sides making a ruckus, Su Su Pozi was the one suffering this time, her ears buzzing from the noise.

In the past, she was always the one making noise for others. This time, two daughters-in-law plus in-laws from both sides were making noise at her, full force—and she finally got a taste of what her two daughters-in-law usually felt.

Once the younger generation finished arguing, the elders began to discuss.

The three parties of elders held a sincere negotiation on the matter of splitting the family.

Su Su Dacheng tapped his smoking pipe. "Splitting the family is fine! The two of us old folks will live with the eldest son's family. The second son's family moves out. The family has limited means—if the second son's family is capable, they'll figure out how to buy a house themselves. If not, they'll rent a place."

"Why! Such a big estate, all given to the eldest son's family—it's not fair!"

"If you want fairness, wait until your father-in-law and mother-in-law have passed, then split. If you want to split now, there's no fairness! In any case, this house was passed down from our ancestors and can only go to the eldest."

Su Su Dacheng settled it with one decisive word.

Su family's Eldest Sister-in-law secretly rejoiced.

Chen Chen Xiaolan secretly rejoiced as well. She didn't care for the old house. The money in her hands was more than enough for her family to buy a new place outside.

But the attitude had to be there, and what needed to be fought for had to be fought for! Otherwise, if the old folks and the eldest son's family found out they had that much private savings, they'd definitely refuse to split.

"Uncle-by-marriage, asking my eldest sister and brother-in-law to give up the house means you have to offer some compensation, right? You can't just keep picking on brother-in-law's family, can you? I'm not asking for everything to be perfectly even, but at least let everyone be convinced, so the two brothers don't fall out over the split and never speak to each other again." Chen Chen Guanlou stepped forward to state his position.

The Chen family elder also nodded repeatedly. "The house was passed down from the ancestors, so it's indeed not suitable to split it up. Leaving it to the eldest son's family is also proper. But you can't unreasonably wrong the second son's family either—you have to offer some compensation. Su Second Son, what do you think yourself?"

Su Brother-in-law appeared a bit wooden. "I, I, I want to hear Father's opinion first!"