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The old man's eyes were filled with pleading, heartbreak, and a sense of despair. Murky tears slowly gathered, and Liu Laosi's previously triumphant heart suddenly softened completely.
This was his father, an already gray-haired man.
At this moment, he could not give a definite answer.
His silence provided a bit of comfort to Yan's deadened heart; at least this son was no longer forcing the issue of dividing the family.
However, in Wang's eyes, Liu Laosi's silence indicated an unwillingness to separate, suggesting that he wanted to cling to her for benefits.
How could this be allowed? Wang had her suspicions before, but now she was a thousand percent sure that Liu Laosi was trying to take advantage.
It was just that her sense of superiority over Liu Laosi temporarily made her forget Liu Qingxi's warning.
In front of someone she deemed inferior, that kind of soaring confidence intoxicated her.
Yan spoke earnestly, "Eldest Uncle's Wife, we can't divide the family; otherwise, our household will fall apart."
Wang rolled her eyes. This old man just wanted his other sons to benefit a little. What did it matter if the family fell apart? Thinking this way, she naturally expressed herself.
"Father, look at how grown up Fourth Brother and Fifth Son are; why can't we divide the family? Do you want me to support the whole family? They don't contribute anything. Now that Zhi'er has some ability, they all come around?"
"White Out—it's just about wanting to take advantage. Why should they? Zhi'er is my daughter; everything given is mine. They shouldn't think they can take even a single thread."
Wang fiercely protected what was hers, even if it was just a single thread.
"Father, you can't be so biased. Fourth House and Fifth Branch are your children too; are we not? Qing Shu is still your great-grandson! No matter what, this time the family must be divided."
Compared to Wang's firmness, Liu Laosi really couldn't bear to see his father being put in a difficult position. Moreover, he had no intention of taking advantage of the situation; when had he ever benefited from the Wang family?
"Sister-in-law, I have never taken advantage of you in any way."
"Oh, you've grown some wings, huh? What did you eat and drink? Where did you live? Wasn't it all thanks to our Zhi'er? If Zhi'er hadn't paid for the house, could your two families live in such a big cave?"
Wang had a look of entitlement, as if the cave was something she had provided for the Fourth House and Fifth Branch.
Liu Laosi found himself at a loss for words, and within a minute, he was left speechless by Wang's tirade.
Yan shouted angrily, "Enough! We can't discuss this any further."
Suddenly, Wang plopped down on the ground. "Dad, you can't do this! It was because of you and Mom that I married Liu Eldest and endured hardship. Otherwise, I would have..."
Yan stood up abruptly, startling Wang, who swallowed her words just as they were about to come out.
"Fourth Brother, you should go back for now. I need to think about this matter." Yan suddenly became incredibly heavy-hearted.
There were some things he didn't want Liu Laosi to know; these were sins from his youth. It was precisely because of that compromise that their household was now in turmoil and that he and the Qin family had always been timid and lacking confidence.
Liu Laosi silently turned to leave, feeling puzzled by Yan's sudden change in attitude but also somewhat hopeful. If they could really split up, wouldn't that be what he had always wished for?
In the room, only Wang and Yan remained. Wang stared intently at the aging man. "If it weren't for you back then, I wouldn't be like this."
Yan fell silent, filled with guilt yet utterly exhausted. "But Eldest Uncle's Wife, over these years you've managed the household well. We old folks have had nothing to worry about. You can do whatever you want; the Fourth House and Fifth Branch will listen to you. What more do you want?"
"Ha ha, what are you doing? Do you know that if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have to marry that good-for-nothing Liu Eldest? After all these years of hard work, what's wrong? Are you having second thoughts now?"
Wang was emboldened by this leverage, but it was precisely Liu Eldest's incompetence that frustrated her and contributed to her increasingly irritable personality.
Her man should have been gentle yet masculine, showering her with affection, but what about Liu Eldest? He was obedient but lacked the qualities of a real man and showed her no consideration at all.
Every time she saw that loving couple sharing knowing smiles, she felt a deep resentment; all of this was obstructed by Yan and the Qin Family. Otherwise, everything would belong to her.
"No, I didn't mean that. But can't we avoid splitting up, Eldest Uncle's Wife? Look at how well our whole family gets along."
"No way! We must split!" Wang raised her head defiantly, twisting her neck with no room for negotiation.
Yan fell silent. After a while, he sighed and said, "Eldest Uncle's Wife, why don't you go back for now? I'll think it over. Later, all of you can come together to discuss it."
Wang swayed her hips as she walked out the door, her mind drifting back twenty years to when she was still a carefree girl full of hope for the future. She may not have been the beauty of Ten Li Eight Villages, but she was certainly among the prettiest.
There were many suitors who came to seek her hand in marriage, including those from the Liu Family. Like all young girls waiting to be married, she got engaged to the son of the Liu Family.
She had met him—a warm and gentle young man whose words were accompanied by a faint smile, standing out among a group of dark-skinned farmer boys.
Just that one glance stirred her youthful heart, and she looked forward to their wedding day.
That young man went away for work, and both families agreed to wait until he returned to arrange their marriage.
She longed day and night, dreaming only of the young man's figure.
Then, the young man returned, but the happy life she had been looking forward to collapsed in that instant.
In a moment, everything turned upside down; she became the laughingstock of everyone, unable to go out or face the mocking gazes of those pointing fingers.
Inside the house, Yan's eyes were filled with murky tears, unsure whether her choice at that time was right or wrong.
However, he did not want the children to know this truth; it was his failure as a father that had implicated them.
At that moment, Qin Family returned with a basket of wild vegetables and pushed open the door to see his dazed partner squatting on the ground. "What happened?"
"Goodness, Eldest Uncle's Wife wants to split the family."
"What? Why? Isn't she already managing the household? Why split?" Qin Family was shocked but remained calmer than Yan.
Men often hold family values more strongly than women, so when Liu Laosi brought it up last time, he was more severely affected.
"If we don't split, Eldest Uncle's Wife will expose what happened back then." Yan sighed, the wrinkles on her face becoming more pronounced as she appeared older and more haggard.
Qin Family fell silent. This was also Liu Family's scandal, which had been ridiculed for a long time back in their hometown; Wang's reputation had suffered greatly because of it.
Thus, whenever they faced Wang, the two elders always felt guilty, which contributed to Wang's arrogance today.
However, what happened back then was truly their fault.
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