Su Ding felt humiliated, his face turning livid. "I am your eldest brother! What are you two trying to do? Dad, aren't you going to do something about this?!"
Su Bingcheng rested with his eyes closed, choosing to ignore the scene altogether.
Seeing the situation escalate, Fan Biyun gritted her teeth and said resentfully, "Deng Jing, I'm sorry, okay?"
Fearing that the brothers might actually come to blows, Deng Jing walked over to her husband and placed a hand on his arm. "Let it go. Sister-in-law has already apologized."
Su Jue let go of Su Ding's collar, his cold, clear gaze sweeping over Fan Biyun. "I support Mom and Dad's decision on how to divide the property. The Fan family might treat their married daughters like spilled water, but our Su family doesn't play by those rules.
I only have two daughters, and I won't be having any more children. If I ever hear anyone belittling my wife and daughters again, I absolutely will not let them get away with it!"
Deng Jing instinctively looked into his eyes, trying to confirm if he truly meant what he said.
She didn't want to have any more children.
The two they had already took up all her time and energy.
But nowadays, most people still believed that a family needed a boy. Even her own mother had urged her to try for another while Su Jue was home.
She had finally managed to raise their two kids to this age and was just starting to catch her breath. Deng Jing had absolutely no desire to repeat that grueling process.
Su Jue turned and gently grasped her wrist. "After the New Year, I'm going to get a vasectomy. I'm a state worker, so the procedure is free."
The country was currently gearing up to heavily promote family planning, pushing the slogan: "One is not too few, two is just right, three is too many."
Sterilization was the primary method of birth control.
Nowadays, commune health centers generally offered the procedure for both men and women.
For state workers, the government covered the cost.
There were also policies in rural areas where the collective would cover the surgical fees.
During the recovery period, workers still received their regular wages, and commune members could still earn work points.
It was supposed to be a serious topic, but his mention of it being "free" instantly made the atmosphere a bit comical. She had no idea when he had even looked into it.
Deng Jing wanted to laugh but felt it would be inappropriate, so she secretly glanced at her father-in-law.
Su Bingcheng was indifferent.
In his youth, he had been quite a chauvinist, believing that a man absolutely needed a son to carry on the family line.
Then Xu Yueyun gave birth to Su Jia.
As his firstborn, Su Bingcheng cherished this daughter the most and felt he owed her the most.
With Xu Yueyun constantly reshaping his perspective over the years, grandsons and granddaughters were now exactly the same in his eyes.
However, he still asked with a hint of concern, "Is this surgery safe?"
"It's very safe," Su Jue replied. "The surgery is quick, and the recovery is fast."
Compared to a woman getting her tubes tied, it was both safer and more convenient.
Su Lang patted Su Jue on the shoulder. "Not bad, Second Brother. Spoken like a true man."
Wang Gaihua pursed her lips. This entire Su family was out of their minds.
If a man got sterilized, could he even still be considered a man?
Catching sight of his grandmother's expression, Su Lei immediately tattled, "Second Uncle, Grandma just made a face like this."
He mimicked his grandmother's expression, winking and grimacing.
His Second Uncle even dared to beat up his dad, so he would definitely dare to beat up his grandma too.
Fan Biyun smacked her son lightly. "What nonsense are you spouting?"
"I'm not spouting nonsense," Su Lei said, stiffening his neck. "Grandma just did exactly that, I saw it with my own eyes. If you don't believe me, ask my brother."
Su Ming lowered his eyes. "I didn't see anything."
When Su Lei badmouthed their grandma, their mom would scold him a couple of times and let it go.
If he said it too, his mom would definitely single him out and berate him later.
Su Ming wasn't about to do something so foolish; it was better to play it safe and protect himself.
Wang Gaihua's mouth twitched. "The child is just speaking nonsense."
Su Jue swept a cold glance over her, then kicked Su Ding right in the back of the knee. Su Lang pressed down in tandem, and Su Ding was forced to his knees.
His knees hit the floor through his thick pants with a muffled thud.
Su Ding hissed in pain. "Su Jue, are you crazy? I wasn't the one making faces at you."
Su Jue sneered. "I'm only holding you accountable. If it weren't for you, the Fan family wouldn't even have the chance to stand in front of me."
"Dad!" Su Ding shouted. "Are you really not going to intervene?"
Su Lang dusted off his hands and laughed. "I was just wondering who Su Lei learned his tattletale habits from. Turns out he gets it from you, Big Brother. But how old is he, and how old are you?"
Su Bingcheng sighed. "Enough, stop arguing. Take your respective shares of the money and let's all disperse."
"I disagree!" Su Ding's chest heaved violently, his face flushed as red as if he were drunk. "Why should the house go to Jiang Chengzhou? If we're truly being fair, it should be divided into four parts, one for each of us."
Fan Biyun chimed in, "Aren't you and Mom afraid of becoming a laughingstock once word gets out? I've never seen anyone leave a house to a grandson from a daughter instead of their own sons and grandsons. This could make the news!"
Su Bingcheng panted heavily with anger. "Have you ever thought about it? Your surname is Su, not Xu! This house belongs to your mother; it belongs to the Xu family! Your mother can give it to whoever she wants!"
Su Ding froze, suddenly remembering this fact.
This little western-style house was originally the Xu family's ancestral home. Since Xu Yueyun was the only remaining daughter of the Xu family, it was only natural that she inherited it.
Passing it from daughter to daughter, and eventually into the hands of a grandson from that line, didn't seem entirely wrong.
Fan Biyun nudged her husband. "Dad, but Su Ding is also Mom's child."
Su Bingcheng looked up. "Yes, we gave birth to all of you. Even if you were sent here to collect a karmic debt from us, we've already given you everything we should. We don't expect you to be filial, but don't scheme for our things either.
Our belongings, whether it's money or the house—if we give them to you, it's out of our goodwill as parents. If we don't, you have no right to demand them from us."
Su Bingcheng knew his eldest son's family would make a scene like this.
Originally, the old couple had decided to secretly transfer the house to Chengzhou's name. That way, when they passed away, they wouldn't have to see whatever fuss was kicked up.
The reason they were announcing it in front of everyone now was that they didn't want to leave any trouble for Chengzhou and their youngest son's family.
Now that the fuss had been made, the title and paperwork would be finalized. Everything would be clear in the future, preventing any inheritance disputes.
Looking at it now, they hadn't been wrong in their judgment.
If they had waited until after they were truly gone...
Su Bingcheng figured the eldest son's family would have slandered Su Lang and Chengzhou, accusing them of embezzling the Su family's inheritance.
Seeing that he couldn't reason with his father, Su Ding turned to Jiang Chengzhou. "And you? Are you really that greedy for the Su family's house?"
Su Lang shielded his eldest nephew behind him, his expression darkening. "Chengzhou doesn't know anything about this. If you have a problem, take it up with me."
Su Ding smirked. "Su Lang, you're the cunning one, pulling off big moves in silence."
When their eldest sister passed away, it had nearly taken half of Xu Yueyun's life with her.
Thinking back, the old couple cared about Jiang Chengzhou the most.
They said the house was being given to Jiang Chengzhou.
But how long could a mere child hold onto it?
It was essentially no different from giving it to Su Lang.
Fan Biyun also sneered. "No wonder Lin Zhilan bought the kid roller skates. She probably knew about this all along and was just trying to buy the boy's affection, right?
Chengzhou, you're young, and you might know someone's face but not their heart. If this house is given to you, I'm afraid it will only bring you harm in the future."
