Ye Jiu had just reached out his hand, the words of decline not yet spoken, when he heard He Shi bluntly say to both of them, "What are you looking at? Those eggs are for your auntie to nourish her health. Don't tell me you're thinking of snatching them to eat?"
Ye Jiu clearly saw that as soon as He Shi spoke, the two children trembled with fright, and his second sister-in-law, Zhao Shi's face, instantly fell.
However, due to He Shi's authority, Zhao Shi, knowing that speaking out would do no good, could only hold back.
In fact, such situations had occurred countless times since Ye Jiu was born, but previously, due to his ill health and inability to speak, he could only think about many things without being able to act.
But now things were different, his health greatly recovered, he really couldn't just look out for himself and eat alone, letting two younger ones, who even called him uncle, watch.
Under the eager gaze of Ye Wenxuan and Ye Qingzhi, Ye Jiu directly peeled one of the eggs, split it in half down the middle, and placed the halves in each of their bowls, saying, "My health has improved a lot, let Wenxuan and Qingzhi share this."
Just as He Shi was about to say something, Ye Jiu tugged at her and picked up the other egg, saying, "Mom, I haven't caused you little trouble over the years with my poor health. This egg is for you and dad to eat. When your daughter has money in the future, I'll buy you other nice things."
"Good, good, my dear child has grown up and become sensible, even knows to be filial to mom. But you're still weak and need to nourish yourself, so you eat the egg. In the future, when you've grown up, Mom will be waiting for my daughter's filial piety!" He Shi, pleased, placed the egg back in Ye Jiu's bowl, and Ye Lao Han felt equally comforted.
It's just that, as a man, he didn't express his emotions as openly as He Shi did.
After praising Ye Jiu, He Shi couldn't help but utter a few sarcastic remarks about Zhao Shi's recent behavior, "Xiaojiu is so clever, unlike some rotten-hearted people who only care about their own little family; even when they get nice things, they only think to honor their maiden family and never care about the life and death of their in-laws!"
Zhao Shi's face darkened immediately, "Mother, that's not right. It's you who controls the household and holds all the earned money. Even if we wanted to show filial piety, we're powerless, aren't we? If you really want filial money, it might be better to split the family sooner. Once we have money in our hands, we can better honor you, the elder."
This remark hit a raw nerve with He Shi, "Ptui! Zhao Shi, you heart-rotted thing, you dream too sweetly! Have you ever seen any family where the younger brother is still unmarried and the younger sister is not yet wed, and yet the sister-in-law clamors for a separation? I have spent all my effort in bringing up my son, getting him a wife and children; your grandchildren have been raised to their teens, and you only think of the good for yourselves. After the separation, living the good life while leaving the old and the young at home with no one to care for or ask after them, is that it...?"
The customs in Wangshan Village were still considered good, without the saying that children should not split the family while the parents are alive.
However, because people of this era were prolific breeders, with sizable age gaps between the children, it was not uncommon for the older sons to marry while the youngest children were still not grown, and the parents had already aged.
Thus, most people, even after a family division, would wait until all the children in the house were married.
Then the elderly would often choose to live with the eldest son, while the other children provided some filial support money each year.
It was only that with such an arrangement, the older children tended to be at a disadvantage.