Yan Xingmao only went out to work this year. In previous years, with him around, the eldest branch of the Yan family didn’t have to lift a finger and could enjoy the fruits of others’ labor. The second branch, with its family of four, took on all the summer harvest work. Though it was a bit of a struggle, they managed just fine.

But once someone grows accustomed to taking advantage, forcing them to stop is more painful than death itself.

The same applied to the original body’s situation.

This ger had obediently served as a slave for over a decade, becoming perfectly suited to Tao Cuiqin’s needs. If he suddenly “rebelled,” she would undoubtedly devise ways to make him compliant again.

Otherwise, wouldn’t all those tasks that were merely registered under her name end up falling on her shoulders? Coming from a scholarly family, she was rather haughty and looked down on the village women. How could she tolerate doing the same work as them?

Therefore, Yan Xiaoyu was certain that Yan Xingsheng and his wife wouldn’t let it rest. They would definitely find a way to make the second branch compromise.

He Qiuhua and Yan Xiaoyue hadn’t thought this deeply. They assumed that since the main branch hadn’t mentioned the summer harvest again, and Tao Cuiqin had softened her tone a bit, she must have agreed to send someone.

“Even if… even if they refuse to share half the burden, just… just sending one person to work the fields is… is acceptable.”

Yan Xiaoyu snorted derisively. “Then you’ll just have to wait and see.”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

True to Yan Xiaoyu’s expectations, the very next morning, Yan Xingsheng and his wife made their move.

They sought out He Qiuhua, claiming Yan Xiaoyu had grown wild and needed proper discipline. Otherwise, this already difficult-to-marry ger might become even more undesirable. Not only would it delay his own prospects, but it could even lead to trouble—and by then, it would be too late.

They declared they would withhold food from Yan Xiaoyu, starving him for several meals until the ger “returned to normal,” only then would they feed him again.

He Qiuhua had already been troubled by Yan Xiaoyu’s words from the previous day. Now, upon reflection, she realized that denying him food while forcing him to work would surely leave lasting damage. No wonder her poor Xiaoyu had only lived to eighteen!

Her poor, unfortunate child!

With a mournful expression, she stumbled over her words, pleading for her son’s mercy. But the Yan Xingsheng couple had made up their minds and wouldn’t relent. They took away every last morsel of the food she’d prepared, leaving Yan Xiaoyu nothing.

When He Qiuhua and her daughter tried to carry their own food to Yan Xiaoyu’s room to eat, they were scolded by Old Master Yan.

But Yan Xiaoyu wasn’t one to be pushed around! Hearing the commotion, he came out with a swagger, snatched Yan Xiaobao’s egg custard, and shoveled it into his mouth, infuriating Old Master Yan to no end.

When Yan Xiaobao finally caught on and tried to fight him, he still didn’t fare well.

Finally, Yan Xiaobao wailed and rolled on the floor. Yan Xiaoyu, going all out, flipped his chopsticks upside down and picked out every last piece of meat from the only meat dish on the table—the braised tofu with pork. Unable to win in a fight or a grab, Yan Xiaobao cried his lungs out.

Yan Xingsheng and Tao Cuiqin tried to intervene, but Yan Xiaoyue stood between them with a pitiful expression, preventing them from touching Yan Xiaoyu.

Old Master Yan slammed the table and glared, ready to discipline his grandson, but He Qiuhua pulled him back.

The Yan family’s breakfast descended into utter chaos, the commotion so loud it quickly drew neighbors from several households next door.

The moment they arrived, they saw He Qiuhua weeping bitterly, while Yan Xiaoyue timidly pleaded with the eldest son and his wife: “Uncle, please stop hitting my little brother! Let him eat!”

Everyone was stunned.

Good heavens! Hadn’t Yan Xiaoyu just been pulled from the water, his body barely recovered? Why wouldn’t Yan Xingsheng let him eat, and even beat him? No wonder the ger was so desperate, he kept trying to jump into the river!

The village chief had visited just two days prior, and Yan Xingsheng had put on such a show of being the perfect elder brother. Now he couldn’t even bother to pretend?

Thoughts swirled through the crowd. Those who couldn’t hide their feelings now looked at Yan Xingsheng and his wife with a new layer of contempt. These two, always putting on airs and acting superior, couldn’t even tolerate their own nephew?!

Yan Xiaoyu nearly laughed out loud.

He hadn’t expected He Qiuhua and Yan Xiaoyue to perform so ‘brilliantly’ today. Yan Xiaoyue’s remark was pure genius—she’d casually pinned the blame for abusing her nephew squarely on Yan Xingsheng. And since the girl was famously honest, no one suspected she was exaggerating. Yan Xingsheng, who always prized his reputation, was probably seething inside.

True to form, Yan Xingsheng erupted, “What nonsense are you spouting, Sister Yue? When did I ever hit your brother?!”

“You always wanted to,” Yan Xiaoyue replied, her face etched with hurt, “but I stopped you.”

The crowd exchanged stunned glances. Aunt He from next door opened and closed her lips several times before finally blurting out,

“Even if Yu-ger did something wrong, as his uncle, you shouldn’t have laid hands on him…”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The breakfast ended in discord, providing the neighbors with quite a spectacle. By the end of the day, the entire Xiling Village knew about the Yan family’s eldest branch mistreating their nephew.

Old Master Yan and the entire main branch family were furious. They eyed Yan Xiaoyu as if they wanted to tear him limb from limb, and their displeasure spilled over to He Qiuhua and Yan Xiaoyue as well.

Yet Yan Xiaoyu felt refreshed and elated.

First, He Qiuhua’s stance on the family division had softened slightly. Second, he had nearly maximized the resentment against himself.

To divide the family, it wasn’t enough for the second branch to agree—Old Master Yan’s approval was essential. Ideally, Old Master Yan would initiate it himself; otherwise, the weight of filial piety could crush anyone.

If the second branch took the lead, Yan Xingmao would likely bear the stigma of disobedience, leaving him vulnerable to manipulation by the first branch and Old Master Yan during the division. But if Old Master Yan and the first branch initiated it, the upper hand would shift to Yan Xiaoyu and his faction.

Only by making Old Master Yan and the Yan Xingsheng household grow weary of the second branch—making them feel they gain nothing and only suffer losses—could they be forced to initiate the division themselves.

With this plan in mind, Yan Xiaoyu grew increasingly brazen in his actions over the following days.

In the past, even when the finest dishes of the Yan household were laid out on the table, the second branch never got a taste. Otherwise, Tao Cuiqin would deliver her cold, cutting remarks, Old Master Yan would put on airs and lecture them, and Yan Xiaobao would even knock over the bowls of the siblings.

Yan Xiaoyu, however, refused to tolerate such treatment. Not only did he eat the delicacies himself, but he also served portions to He Qiuhua and Yan Xiaoyue. Should Yan Xiaobao dare touch his bowl, he would overturn the table, declaring that no one would eat.

After two such incidents, the first branch learned their lesson. To prevent the second branch from “gaining an advantage,” the Yan family table went meatless for two consecutive days. Tao Cuiqin, who managed the household finances, wouldn’t even splurge on tofu.

Getting Yan Xiaoyu to do any chores was utterly out of the question.

He slept until breakfast time each day, ate immediately upon waking, then did nothing but follow He Qiuhua and Yan Xiaoyue around, looking for chances to persuade them to split the family estate. He even encouraged the two girls to stop working.

Having suffered several setbacks at Yan Xiaoyu’s hands, Yan Xiaobao was in a foul mood and sought revenge on Yan Xiaoyu. He resorted to his old tricks, trying to scare Yan Xiaoyu by the riverbank. Instead, Yan Xiaoyu shoved him, sending him tumbling flat on his face.

With old grudges piled on fresh ones, Yan Xiaobao suffered more setbacks in these few days than in his entire twelve years of life. Rage made the veins on his forehead bulge as he gnashed his teeth and spat out threats.

“You unwanted, good-for-nothing ger! What right do you have to freeload off our family? I’ll make sure my parents kick you out! If you care so much about your sister, why don’t you marry that old widower in Nanling Village instead? No one else would have you anyway!”

“Fine!” Yan Xiaoyu crossed his arms, undaunted. “Once I marry that old bachelor, I’ll bring him back to my parents’ house to eat and drink at your expense. My parents are still alive—this place is my home. Unless you can kick out my entire family.”

Yan Xiaobao’s breath caught.

This ger has thick skin—nothing is beyond him. That old bachelor’s family can barely scrape by. If Yan Xiaoyu marries him, those two might actually pull off freeloading off the Yan household!

After returning home that day, Yan Xiaobao pondered anxiously for a long time. Finally, he sought out his mother: “Mother, is there any way we can kick Uncle Yan’s entire family out?”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

In the days that followed, Yan Xiaoyu redoubled his efforts. While brainwashing He Qiuhua and her daughter, he also worked to stir up resentment against the second branch of the family.

Not content with being lazy and idle, he also set his sights on the house of his eldest cousin, Yan Yonghe.

“My room is just too dilapidated—it even leaked yesterday! My eldest cousin’s place is so bright and airy, and it’s a proper brick house! Anyway, he’s off to school and only comes back once a month. Why not just give me his room? When he returns, he can make do with mine.”

The moment these words left his mouth, Old Master Yan erupted in a torrent of curses. Yan Xingsheng and Yan Xiaobao glared at him with eyes practically shooting sparks. Even Tao Cuiqin, usually the most composed, couldn’t maintain her expression.

Yan Yonghe was the Yan family’s hope, holding unparalleled status at home. All the family’s best possessions were reserved for him first. For Yan Xiaoyu to dare covet his things was something neither Old Master Yan nor the eldest branch of the Yan family could tolerate.

This incident sparked another fierce family quarrel, and Tao Cuiqin also gave He Qiuhua a stern talking-to.

“Sister-in-law, Xiaoyu is becoming increasingly unmanageable. If this continues, even if your eldest brother and I choose not to confront him, Father will likely find him intolerable. From what I gathered yesterday, Father seems to be considering splitting the household. If that happens, we won’t be able to look after you anymore. You and Second Brother have no sons. Once Xiaoyu and Xiaoyue are married off, who will you rely on?”

She expected He Qiuhua to panic, but the woman’s reaction was less dramatic than anticipated.

“If Father truly… truly wants to divide the household, I couldn’t… stop him!” He Qiuhua looked utterly helpless.

Though surprised, Tao Cuiqin didn’t dwell on it, assuming He Qiuhua was merely frustrated by her inability to control Yan Xiaoyu.

In the village, descendants were paramount. Families without sons inevitably faced hardship. Hadn’t Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua lived peacefully these years precisely because they leaned on the main branch’s protection? If they split the household, what good life could they possibly have? If He Qiuhua had any sense, she wouldn’t want to divide the family.

She resented He Qiuhua’s uselessness—unable to even control her own son—yet outwardly maintained a calm and considerate demeanor.

“I’ll try to persuade Father again. You should also think of a way to handle Xiaoyu. We’ve endured all these years; we can’t let a family split happen now and become a laughingstock.”

She’d already warned her repeatedly. If He Qiuhua still proved incapable, then splitting the family would be for the best!

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

He Qiuhua immediately turned and told Yan Xiaoyu about it.

She was increasingly convinced that splitting the family wasn’t such a bad thing—they could live perfectly well apart from the main branch. Mainly, Yan Xiaoyu’s ‘predicted’ outcome was too grim for her to bear.

As long as the family could live well together, a little hardship was bearable.

“After the autumn harvest, when your father returns, we must talk to him properly. If your grandfather insists on splitting the family, we should agree.”

All his efforts these past days hadn’t been in vain. He’d finally managed to change his mother’s perspective, and Yan Xiaoyu felt deeply gratified.

Over the next two days, the eldest branch’s intent to divide the household grew increasingly clear. He, He Qiuhua, and Yan Xiaoyue all eagerly awaited Yan Xingmao’s return to finalize the division.

Unexpectedly, Yan Xingmao returned before the summer harvest—carried back on a stretcher.