"Alright! If you want to discipline someone, go do it somewhere else. We have important matters here," Su Minghui said, seeing Ergouzi getting out of hand. Although his goal was for Ergouzi to discipline Madam Qian, he didn't want her hitting children.
Seeing that everyone below had quieted down, he continued, "This is how the grain will be distributed. Now, let's talk about how to divide the silver."
As soon as the topic of silver distribution was mentioned, even the crying Madam Qian fell silent. Everyone craned their necks, waiting to hear how Su Minghui planned to allocate the silver.
"You all know this silver was found by Mu Qing. There are 240 taels in total. Our village now has 43 households. After discussion, we've decided to give 40 taels to Mu Qing's family. Do you have any objections? The remaining 200 taels will be divided among the other 40 households, with each household receiving 5 taels. Then there are two families..." (This refers to households registered together.)
Before Su Minghui could finish, Madam Chen couldn't help but interject, "I disagree! Why should the silver be distributed to others? Su Yatou is part of our old Su family. The silver she found should naturally be managed by us, the old Su family."
Did this wretched girl truly not consider her a senior? How could their old Su family receive the same amount as others? This was outrageous!
Thinking this, Madam Chen raised her chin and spoke with a condescending air, "After all, we are all from the same village. We won't ask for too much. Just give us a hundred taels. Qing Yatou hasn't even reached her hair-pinning ceremony. Forty taels is such a large sum, it naturally should be kept by me, her grandmother. The remaining hundred taels can be distributed among you. Even with a hundred taels, each of you can still get two and a half taels. In years past, when there were no disasters, one tael of silver could buy enough rice to last more than a year. You shouldn't be too greedy."
The villagers scoffed at Madam Chen. This old woman's face was probably thicker than the walls of a fortress. Now she was eagerly claiming her granddaughter. It was as if disowning someone in their family was as simple as children playing house.
If it were about something else, it wouldn't concern them. But this time, it was about how much they would receive. Five taels versus two and a half was a difference of more than double. Not to mention that grain prices had risen. They couldn't let this old shrew succeed!
So, as soon as Madam Chen finished speaking, someone sarcastically retorted, "Oh! Now you're someone's grandmother? Bah! Grandmother, indeed! For all we know, you could be some old madam from another family! You two aren't even in the same household register anymore. What kind of grandmother are you? Is it your place to meddle in their affairs?"
Madam Chen roared angrily, "So what if we're not in the same household register? She was found by my son. Unless I disown her, she can't possibly..."
"Didn't you just say you disowned her yesterday? We were all watching from the side! What now? A spit is a nail. Are you going to lick back your spittle? When you were bullying her, you didn't care about kinship, but when you want benefits, you put on airs as an elder. I think you no longer want that old, bark-like face of yours!" Third Grandmother, who had been a sister-in-law to Madam Chen, often argued with her.
While her words might have been a ploy to curry favor with Su Muqing, whether they were or not, they sounded incredibly satisfying to hear! Madam Chen's face turned almost as red as a pig's liver!
Su Minghui smiled, then said to Madam Chen, "Aunties, please stop and listen to me. This silver was found by Mu Qing. The distribution plan was also discussed by everyone, not decided by any single person. I'm just informing everyone."
A villager immediately raised a question, "Village Chief, that's not right! You said 200 taels divided among 40 households, but you mentioned there were 43 households? Excluding Qing Yatou's household, there are still two families left."
Villagers: That's right! Why aren't those two families getting any share?
Su Minghui heard the villagers' questions, glanced at Su Muqing, then at Madam Chen and Ergouzi. He cleared his throat twice, then said, "Indeed, two families will not receive any share. Madam Chen's family and Ergouzi's family. Neither of you will participate in the silver distribution."
"Why? I object..." Hearing that his family wouldn't get a share, Ergouzi immediately jumped up, disregarding the village chief's expression.
Even Ergouzi was jumping around, let alone the old Madam Chen who had been eyeing the silver. "How dare you! Why? Everyone else gets a share, why shouldn't we? Even that little bastard was raised by my son! You dare not give me a share! Believe it or not, I'll report you to the authorities... I'm going."
Old Madam Chen was too agitated to speak coherently. Su Cuiling quickly stepped forward to support her, constantly trying to calm her down, while inwardly cursing. This old hag, always shouting and screaming at the slightest provocation. Did she really think everyone had to listen to her?