All Heavens Pension started from the fiery era

Chapter 703 Chapter 704
After the old lady sat down in the middle seat, she glanced at the clan leader and the three heads of the family, and said apologetically:
"I'm sorry to bother the clan leader and the three clan leaders to make this trip. We're sorry to cause trouble for everyone."

The old patriarch said solemnly: "What are you talking about, sister-in-law? The five branches of our Yue family are descended from the same ancestor and are connected by blood, so we should be of the same blood.

This time, your three branches are splitting up, and it is only natural for us to come here to be witnesses."

"Our third branch has fallen to such a state that we have to split up. I am sorry to embarrass everyone." The old lady sighed. "Before this, I had the first and second wives check the accounts separately. Now there is nothing to divide up with the remaining assets. It is not worth a few copper coins in total. Our Yue family has been prosperous for generations, but it has come to this. Even if I die, I am afraid I will not be able to face the old man and my ancestors."

At this time, it was inappropriate for others to speak, so the clan leader had to come forward to comfort them:

"My dear sister-in-law, there is no need to worry so much. In troubled times, it is inevitable for a family to experience ups and downs. In our Wuzhou, no family can remain prosperous forever.

Under such difficult circumstances, it is extremely difficult for the sister-in-law to keep the reputation of the third house intact. It is no exaggeration to say that women are as good as men.

Besides, every downturn will bring a new beginning. I think the grandchildren of the third branch are all smart and clever, and I am very optimistic about their future prospects. Maybe the revival of your third branch, or even the rise of our entire family, will depend on these children. "

The old lady loved to hear such words. She glanced at her eldest grandson with a satisfied look in her eyes and said with some pride:

"Among these naughty kids at home, only Wenxuan is a capable person. The others are busy fighting cocks and chasing dogs all day long, so I'm afraid we can't count on them."

The old lady's preference for her eldest grandson has been going on for a long time. Although the first wife and the second master felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this, they were used to it and no one said anything.

If the original body had heard these words at the scene, he might have felt a little embarrassed, but Yue Wenxuan definitely wouldn't. He was confident that he could let the old lady live the same kind of luxurious life as before, and he could guarantee that she would never have to worry again in her lifetime, and could always be proud of him as her eldest grandson.

After some emotional sighs, the old lady got to the point: "The matter of dividing the family has been brewing for a long time, and I have talked to several children individually, and they all have no objection.

Today, in front of the clan leader and the three heads of the family, all the clauses must be written down in the family division document."

At this point, the old lady's eyes swept over the first wife and the second master, and said in a serious tone:
"If you have any other ideas, you can raise them now in front of everyone. Once the separation document is signed today, no matter what happens in the future, you can no longer regret it."

Just as the old lady said, the matter of dividing the family property had been brewing for a long time. The old lady had obtained the consent of several sons and listened to their demands respectively. They had reached a consensus long before today.

The third branch of the Yue family was once the most glorious of the five branches. Even though it has fallen into decline now, it is still far from comparable to the other branches.

The old lady was a person who cared a lot about face, and so were her sons. After all, they had once been the objects of admiration and envy of other clansmen. Even though they had now come to the point of splitting up the family, they could not allow outsiders to see them as a laughing stock.

Even for ordinary people, the division of family property cannot be smooth sailing. When a noble family like the Yue family divides its property, there will be even more conflicts.

Recently, the whole family had been in a state of unrest because of the division of the family property. But fortunately, it was all over. After all, the old lady was still around, and under her auspices, they finally reached a consensus.

In order to divide the family, the several branches did have some arguments, and the arguments were very fierce, but they were all in front of their own family members, so it was not shameful. At this time, a consensus had been reached, and in front of the clan leader and the heads of the branches, everyone must show a harmonious and respectful side.

The eldest wife said first: "Mother, you are the head of the family, everything is up to you."

The other two sons, including the third and fourth illegitimate sons, also expressed that they had no objection and would follow the old lady's arrangements in everything.

After everyone expressed their opinions, the old lady continued, “Since you all have no objection, I will just announce it directly.

The most important thing after the separation is to decide who will be the head of our third room. Originally, it was supposed to be the eldest brother, but his health is not good and he really doesn't have the energy, so it is not considered.

The eldest son has no legitimate son, and the two illegitimate sons are still young and cannot take on the responsibility of being the head of the family.

Next, the second child was given priority, but after careful consideration, he also gave up.

The position of the head of the third branch is not only an honor, but also a heavy burden. If you take on this burden, you must shoulder the responsibility of reviving the third branch.

If you want to take on this responsibility, the first prerequisite is to be accepted by those old relatives and old friends. If our third house wants to revive, we still have to rely on the support of those old relatives and old friends, and be able to integrate into the same circle with them.

After all, the second son is getting older, his health has not been very good in recent years, and his energy is not as good as before. After careful consideration, he decided to give up.

In this case, only the fifth brother can take on the responsibility of the head of the third room.

He is a responsible person. I have already communicated with him and he is willing to take on this responsibility. In this case, the head of our third room will be Lao Wu.

Lao Wu is just starting to take on important tasks, but if there are any inappropriate or inappropriate things he does in the future, please give him more advice and care from the clan leader and several family leaders."

The clan leader quickly said modestly: "Han Zhang was able to arrange the affairs of the new government properly and run the family business very well. Everyone who knows him praises him highly.
I personally think that Han Zhang is very suitable to be the head of the third house.

In the future, if we can have someone like Han Zhang contribute his efforts and dedication to family affairs, our entire family will surely prosper."

The other three room heads also expressed their support and spoke out words of praise.

With the approval and support of the clan leader and the three heads of the clan, Yue Hanzhang would be the head of the third house in the future. After this matter was settled, he also expressed his position with a serious expression.

The first and most important issue in the separation of the family was thus determined.

The old lady continued, "According to our ancestors' teachings, the ancestral house of the third branch can only be inherited by the owner's line. The head of the third branch must take on the responsibility of reviving the third branch, and naturally he must also enjoy the legacy of his ancestors. Unfortunately, our third branch declined too quickly, and the only legacy left from our ancestors is this ancestral house.

According to the previous rules, the branch that inherits the family business must inherit half of the family property in addition to the ancestral home.

But he can’t do that now. If he lets the fifth brother inherit half of the family business, his other brothers will be left with nothing.

The fifth brother is not a greedy person and pays more attention to family affection. Apart from the ancestral house that must be inherited by him, the distribution of other family property is the same as that of his two brothers. "

At this point, the old lady paused and took a sip of tea to moisten her throat before continuing: "After talking about the ancestral home, let's talk about the distribution of other family properties."

The old lady's eyes fell on the third and fourth sons, "Although the third and fourth sons are illegitimate sons of the family, I have never treated them unfairly over the years.

The same is true for the separation of the family. As an old lady, I can still do something for them in the end. They will each live their own lives in the future. I hope that both of them can live a prosperous life. "

Compared with the legitimate mothers of other families, the old lady was indeed quite lenient and had not treated the two illegitimate sons, the third and fourth sons, too harshly over the years. The two were quite satisfied with what they had received in this division of the family, and naturally wanted to maintain the last face of both parties. They both stood up and expressed their gratitude sincerely.

Regardless of how sincere these words were, the old lady was very happy after hearing them, and the clan leader and the other three heads of the family also felt that the two of them were quite sensible.

After the two of them finished expressing their opinions, the old lady continued to talk about the details: “Let me first tell you what else is in the public account book.

First of all, let’s talk about the cash. After paying off the deficit owed by the second brother some time ago, there are only two thousand dollars left in the public account book.”

Although the old lady looked calm on the surface when she said this, she felt her face was burning. She felt ashamed to say this number.

The once extremely powerful Third House had now fallen to the point where there were only two thousand dollars in the public account, which was simply a joke. Although the people who laughed at her were all from the same clan, she still felt very embarrassed.

Moreover, even the two thousand dollars was paid by her personally, otherwise it would be a negative amount. After all, the family was about to be divided, and it was impossible to have such an embarrassing situation of being in debt. For the sake of the family's face, the old lady once again made up for the deficit.

The old lady quickened her pace and said, "Let's talk about the real estate and the public sector.

In addition to the ancestral house, there are four small courtyards outside. After the family splits up, you won't have to worry about having no place to live.

Gongzhong's properties include two restaurants and four grain stores, which were counted some time ago. All the properties can be converted into 30,000 oceans, and this has been agreed to by the eldest and second sons.

Finally, let me talk about Gongzhong’s land.”

People of this era have a special affection for the land, and everyone listened with bated breath.

"The total amount of land that can be distributed to our three families is 860 acres, of which 160 acres are upper fields, and the rest are middle fields and lower fields.

In addition, there are the Qingming fields and the Shudeng fields on the 560 acres of upper land that belong exclusively to our third branch. These were specially purchased when the old grandfather was alive.

Regarding the management of this part of the sacrificial land, the old grandfather left a will that only the head of the household could be in charge, and brothers were not allowed to take turns managing it.

This is all the property of the public house. I will talk about how to distribute it later."

Hearing this, everyone else looked normal, but Yue Wenxuan was a little surprised. He knew that his family had hundreds of acres of sacrificial land, but he didn't expect that they were all upper fields. This was a huge fortune, but this property could only be used to enjoy the benefits and could not be bought or sold.

Since the Ming Dynasty, the tradition of major families purchasing sacrificial fields has become popular.

The sacrificial fields are a guarantee given by ancestors to future generations, and are also an effective means of avoiding property losses.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, if a disaster ravaged the family, the sacrificial land was not included in the list of confiscated properties. Of course, the sacrificial land did not belong to a single individual, but to the entire clan or clan branch.

The five branches of the Yue family originally had quite a lot of sacrificial fields, totaling more than 1,200 acres, including 200 acres of top fields donated by Yue Wenxuan's grandfather.

These 1,200 acres of sacrificial land are the common property of the five families, and all the descendants of the Yue family listed in the family tree have equal rights to the income.

For families with sacrificial fields, after many generations, the management of the sacrificial fields often adopts a rotation management system, and the specific management details vary.

The sacrificial fields belonging to the five branches of the Yue family also adopt a rotation management system. The economic conditions of the five branches of the Yue family are all good, and the competition for management authority is not fierce or urgent. The current rotation management system is that each branch takes turns to manage it for one year.

Since the family was financially well-off, the proceeds from the annual sacrificial fields were mainly used for the benefit of the clan members, and the problem of embezzlement was not serious.

According to the old man's will, the 560 acres of sacrificial land belonging to the fifth branch is managed by the branch head instead of a rotation management system.

If the family head is in charge, if the family head is financially well-off, he or she will generally not embezzle the income from the sacrificial fields, and the annual income can actually be used for the clan members.

With so many branches in a family, it is inevitable that one or several of them will fall into decline. If a rotating management system for sacrificial fields is adopted, it will lead to management embezzlement, which goes against the original intention.

The two sacrificial field management systems each have their own advantages, but after many generations, they will basically be changed to a rotation management system.

The old lady specifically stated that the sacrificial fields of the third house would be managed exclusively by the head of the house, and this should be written in the documents for the division of the family to avoid future disputes.

There are too many disputes regarding sacrificial fields, especially after the founding of the Republic of China, the legal provisions have changed a lot. Such sacrificial fields that belong to the entire clan are always subject to various disputes, which are often difficult to resolve.

While Yue Wenxuan was thinking, the old lady had already turned her attention to the third and fourth sons.

"Let me first talk about the property given to the third and fourth sons.

The two thousand dollars in cash will be divided equally among the five of you brothers, and each of you will get four hundred dollars.

The four small courtyards in the city will also be given to each of you, one of which will be given to each of you.

Our family has two hundred acres of dry land in the south of the city, and you two will each get one hundred acres of it.

If it is distributed in this way, both of you will have land, houses and cash, and you will not be left with nothing after the separation.

Do you two have any opinions on this distribution plan?"

The old lady's words sounded very nice, but in fact this was an extremely unfair distribution plan.

The two hundred acres of dry land allocated to the two were all used for farming. According to the current land price, each acre of land is about fifteen dollars.

But there is nothing that can be done about it, since the two of them are illegitimate sons.

Although we have entered the Republic of China, the changes in laws and regulations have just begun, and illegitimate sons cannot enjoy the same inheritance rights as legitimate sons.

Even for aristocratic families, when dividing the family property, the property given to the illegitimate son is usually just a small amount. For someone like the old lady, being able to save face is already considered good treatment, at least it sounds good.

(End of this chapter)