During the day, everyone had to go to work, so Wang Cuifen didn’t rush to notify the children about the family division. She only reminded them during mealtime, "There’s a family meeting tonight. Don’t make plans to go out with friends. Understood?"
"Got it," they replied.
Xie Jiankang and Xie Guiying were still young and didn’t have the privilege of staying out late or sleeping over at friends’ places. Wang Cuifen’s warning was mainly directed at the two older ones, especially Xie Jianzhong.
After scolding him the day before, Xie Jianzhong was still sulking. If he ran off to a friend’s house to sleep, the family wouldn’t be complete for the meeting.
Catching Wang Cuifen’s warning glance, Xie Jianzhong couldn’t keep pretending to be mute at home and muttered, "Understood."
Satisfied with their responses, Wang Cuifen turned her attention to Su Qing.
Now that the holidays were over, Su Qing had to pack up and report to her new workplace.
The job she had secured was originally meant to be Su Xue’s cushy position, so Su Qing didn’t have high expectations for the work environment or atmosphere.
"Anyway, they can’t fire you. Just coast along for a couple of years, and things will get better," Wang Cuifen reassured her while stuffing items into Su Qing’s bag.
"Take the enamel mug for hot water—who knows if the water at your workplace tastes funny? I packed a small bag of tea leaves for you. Also, some home-roasted pumpkin seeds to share with coworkers—helps break the ice. But keep the candies for yourself..."
It was like sending a child off to kindergarten. Wang Cuifen fretted over every little thing, making sure Su Qing’s bag was fully stocked.
Once everything was ready, Wang Cuifen didn’t hand the bag to Su Qing. Instead, she declared, "I’ll take you there myself."
"Mom, you’re going? What about me?" Xie Jianhua, dressed in his military uniform, had planned to escort Su Qing as well.
He worried about her first day and figured his uniform would command respect. A quick walk around her workplace would let everyone know Su Qing had someone backing her up.
Faced with two eager escorts, Su Qing didn’t hesitate.
"I’d feel more at ease with Mom by my side," she said, then asked Wang Cuifen, "Mom, can you ride the bike and carry me?"
"Me? No, I don’t know how to ride a bicycle," Wang Cuifen dismissed the idea and made her own plan. "You ride, and I’ll sit behind. Jianhua can just run after us—it’s not far anyway."
"Fine by me," Xie Jianhua agreed readily. He was used to running during training, so the distance was nothing.
But Su Qing hesitated. After exchanging a glance with Wang Cuifen, she asked timidly, "Mom, I don’t ride often, and I’ve never carried anyone before. Are you sure you trust me?"
"Of course I trust you!"
"Then… I’ll give it a try?"
The bicycle was compensation from the Su family—originally Su Lei’s bulky men’s bike.
Su Qing could handle shared bikes just fine, but the old-fashioned "28-inch bar" model was a challenge. She couldn’t swing her leg over the front bar, so she had to step on the pedal with her left foot and swing her right leg over the back.
She knew her skills weren’t up to par, but since Wang Cuifen understood her so well and still dared to ride with her, there must be a trick to it.
In Wang Cuifen’s memory, Su Qing used to ride this bike with ease—even one-handed while eating snacks.
But now, Wang Cuifen watched as Su Qing wobbled past her on the bike.
"Mom, hurry and hop on! I’ve slowed down as much as I can."
Xie Jianhua glanced between Wang Cuifen and Su Qing, skeptical. Forget Su Qing’s riding skills—could Wang Cuifen even manage to get on?
Youngsters were agile and reckless—they could chase after a moving bike and leap onto the backseat, even if they missed sometimes.
Wang Cuifen had seen kids do it, but she wasn’t so bold. First, she had no experience. Second, she wasn’t as spry as she used to be.
Swallowing nervously, she asked, "How do I get off later?"
"I’ll slow down, and you can just jump off?"
The answer made Wang Cuifen blink rapidly.
Right now, Su Qing couldn’t even stop steadily—the bike was too tall for her.
After showing off her shaky skills, Su Qing turned the bike around and stopped in front of Wang Cuifen, asking sheepishly, "Mom, do you still want me to carry you?"
"Once I get the coupons, I’ll buy you a proper ladies’ bike," Wang Cuifen dodged the question.
"It’s fine. I’ll get the hang of it soon," Su Qing said, self-aware. "I’d never let you fall, even if I take a tumble myself. But for now… maybe we should just walk?"
"No, you can’t be late on your first day," Wang Cuifen conceded reluctantly. "Let Jianhua take you."
Xie Jianhua could handle Su Qing’s bike—even if she sped up, he could still hop on.
But he didn’t trust her riding either, so he silently took the front seat, letting Su Qing sit behind.
With his long legs, Su Qing could settle in properly before they set off.
Even an average man looked good in uniform, and Xie Jianhua was far from average—broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, and tall.
Yet Su Qing wasn’t one to be distracted by looks. While Wang Cuifen was around, she only had eyes for her thoughtful mother-in-law, completely overlooking the handsome man in uniform.
It wasn’t until after saying goodbye to Wang Cuifen that Su Qing suddenly noticed—Xie Jianhua’s back was impressively solid. Not just well-dressed, but probably just as good underneath… The thought made her cheeks flush.
She lightly smacked her warm face, scolding herself, "Shameless! Punish yourself by looking a little longer, heh~"
In high spirits from the ride, Su Qing arrived at work still smiling.
Her onboarding was already done—she’d just been busy with the wedding and hadn’t started officially. Now at the Women’s Federation, she had nothing to do and spent the day idly.
It was peaceful, but no one talked to her.
The gossip about the Su sisters was well-known here, so no one extended an olive branch.
Being new and left out didn’t bother Su Qing. When Wang Cuifen asked, she only shared the positives.
"Mom, you picked the perfect job for me. Super easy—lots of the ladies just knit or bring their kids. Barely any real work."
"Nobody gave you trouble, right?" Wang Cuifen pressed. "If anyone bullies you, tell me. I’ll give them a piece of my mind."
Su Qing grinned. "Not a single problem. Honestly, this job suits me just fine."
"Whatever works is fine. You must be tired from work today—let’s eat first, and we can talk about dividing the family after dinner."
In Su Qing’s generation, single-child households were common. Even if they weren’t only children, getting married essentially meant splitting off to focus on their own small families. So, hearing about "dividing the family" didn’t faze her.
She just asked curiously, "Mom, why are you suddenly bringing this up?"
"I’m doing this for your sake. Right now, you and Jianhua are both working, both earning wages, and handing everything over to the family. That’s too unfair to you two." Wang Cuifen was blunt.
She wasn’t the type to silently sacrifice—if she did something good, she wanted people to know. Su Qing could clearly feel Wang Cuifen’s favoritism toward her.
Wang Cuifen brought up dividing the family mainly because, in her past life, Su Qing had made a fuss about it.
Both the original Su Qing and Xie Jianhua were used to handing over their wages and saw nothing wrong with it. But to Su Qing, it was a huge issue.
Why should she? She was the one working hard all month, only to have her entire paycheck go to household expenses.
In Su Qing’s eyes, paying some living expenses and rent was enough—why hand over everything? She didn’t care about the wages Xie Jianhua sent home, but her own paycheck? No way.
But differing values had once been unbearable for Wang Cuifen. In her eyes, she’d raised her son, helped him marry, and never mistreated him. The older ones got married, but the younger ones hadn’t yet. How could they take the family’s resources, wipe their mouths clean, and then ignore their younger siblings? That was just wrong.
Not only was it wrong, but if a daughter-in-law did it, it was a direct challenge to her authority in the household.
Over the wage issue, the two women had nearly come to blows.
But now, Wang Cuifen didn’t care at all. Arguing with Su Qing over twenty or thirty yuan wasn’t worth it—not even close.
So, before Su Qing even got her job or remembered this issue, Wang Cuifen proactively brought up dividing the family to spare Su Qing the awkwardness later.
Most importantly, Wang Cuifen preferred the sweet version of Su Qing and didn’t want to push her into becoming the knife-wielding menace from her past life. The thought of that pained her.
With the obstacle cleared before it even became a problem, Su Qing immediately turned into a cooing mess.
"Mom, you’re so good to me~ You’re literally the best mother-in-law in the world~ How are you even this amazing~"
"Damn right," Wang Cuifen said smugly, raising an eyebrow.
But in this household, aside from Su Qing, everyone else reacted to the idea of dividing the family with solemn expressions.
"Mom, Dad, why split up now when everything’s fine…?" The children all voiced their reluctance.
Xie Jianhua objected the most strongly. His wedding had cost the family a fortune, and dividing now would leave his parents with too heavy a burden.
After all, besides him, none of his siblings were married yet.
The Xie family wasn’t some cold, harsh household. When the kids were young, they’d fought over snacks and new clothes, never over survival resources. Wang Cuifen made sure none of them went hungry or cold.
To Xie Jianhua, mutual support was just how things should be.
The cacophony of voices made Cripple Xie frown. "Enough. Less talking, more listening."
"That’s right, shut it and listen to your dad," Wang Cuifen snapped, slapping the table.
This was supposed to be a family meeting, but the kids were treating it like a debate where everyone got a turn. No—the only speakers were her and Cripple Xie.
Having already discussed it, Cripple Xie laid it out plainly: "After the eldest and second son started working, their wages always went to the family. The second son’s marriage cost five hundred in bride price—that’s done. For the eldest, swapping jobs cost a lot, plus living at home added up. We’ve set aside two hundred for his bride price. The rest is on him."
Wang Cuifen chimed in, "Don’t think the bride price is unfair, eldest. You worked two years longer than your brother, but his bonuses and allowances were higher. What you both contributed to the family was about the same. But you spent more."
Hearing this plan, Xie Jianzhong stared at Wang Cuifen in shock.
Since his younger brother’s marriage had cost five hundred, he’d assumed his own bride price would match. He was the eldest—how could his be less?
No matter what the bride’s family originally asked for, his parents would cover five hundred, and the money would come back as dowry, just like with Su Qing.
The bicycle, thermos, and over two hundred yuan were called Su Qing’s dowry, but to Xie Jianzhong, it was all family money—now private savings for Xie Jianhua and his wife.
When Cripple Xie first spoke, he’d wanted to demand an explanation, but Wang Cuifen’s addition shut him down.
By that logic, Xie Jianhua was essentially funding his own marriage.
And because he’d spent more, his marriage fund was smaller than Xie Jianhua’s.
It made sense, but Wang Cuifen was calculating things way too precisely…
Unable to argue the expenses, Xie Jianzhong just stiffened his neck and said, "I don’t agree to dividing the family."
"You don’t agree? What does that matter? Your dad and I agree—that’s enough." Wang Cuifen wasn’t fazed. She wasn’t counting on her eldest for support in her old age, so his opinion didn’t matter.
Xie Jianzhong’s pride still hadn’t recovered from Wang Cuifen’s earlier scolding. He’d been quiet and withdrawn these past few days, not daring to confront her. Now, he just muttered bitterly, "Mom, you’ve already humiliated me! What more do you want?!"
This division plan was blatantly unfair to him.
But he figured Wang Cuifen was just acting out of anger. Once they reconciled, this would blow over.
Wang Cuifen wasn’t angry anymore—her temper had mostly cooled. She had no patience for Xie Jianzhong’s protests. "Enough. Shut up—I’m not done yet."
She gave him two choices: First, keep handing over his full wages as before, with the family covering his living expenses. After saving for two more years, his marriage fund could grow.
Second, he’d only pay for food and ration tickets. The family would feed him but nothing else. How much he saved for a wife would be up to him.
For Xie Jianhua, Wang Cuifen offered no alternatives—just pay for meals. No need to hand over his full wages. His paycheck could go to Su Qing.
