Zhou Huai'an had grown used to Lin Xiaoxiao hovering around him, occasionally saying something sweet that made him blush uncontrollably.

As the meat was nearly done stewing, Third Grandpa arrived with Xiao Zhu, followed by the village secretary Zhou Jiawang and several other elder uncles.

Zhou Mancang, who had been pretending to be half-dead until then, emerged trembling to greet everyone. Wang Fenglan also came out, wearing a strained smile that looked more like a grimace.

The men settled onto the kang in Wang Fenglan's room. Zhou Huai'an joined them, and the conversation started with casual topics like the weather and the harvest.

Lin Xiaoxiao was curious to hear what they would discuss—she wouldn't mind some drama.

But there were rules here: when guests came, women weren't allowed at the main table. They would eat later in the kitchen.

Once the dishes and dumplings were served in the other room, Lin Xiaoxiao sat down to eat with Wang Fenglan and Niu Chunying on the kitchen kang. The children were arranged at a small low table on the floor.

Niu Chunying, feeling sorry for little Xiao Zhu being so young, held him beside her and fed him meat and dumplings.

Wang Fenglan had no appetite despite the spread of meat and dumplings. Watching Chen Qiaolan wolf down her food, she couldn't hold back: "What's wrong with you? Did we starve you? Where's Lao San?"

With her mouth full, Chen Qiaolan mumbled, "How should I know?"

Wang Fenglan's face darkened further. With the family division happening and her other sons absent, there'd be no one to back her up if things got heated.

Lin Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, was in high spirits. The sparrows were tender, the rabbit savory, the pheasant lean but not dry, and the dumplings were bursting with juice.

Best of all, she was thrilled to watch Zhou Huai'an confront this rotten family.

Over at the men's table, the atmosphere was still civil. Zhou Jiawang took a sip of liquor and asked Zhou Huai'an about his work: "Will you be staying in Longbei City for good?"

Zhou Huai'an shook his head. "Not necessarily. If the unit moves to the experimental base, we'll go along."

Zhou Jiawang, who listened to the radio often and knew more than most, asked: "The experiments you work on... are they missiles? The kind that can fight the Japanese?"

Zhou Huai'an sidestepped the question. "Uncle Jiawang, I'm sorry to trouble you all during such a busy time."

Zhou Jiawang waved him off. "No trouble at all. Look at this feast—it's better than New Year's!"

When everyone had almost finished eating, he broached the real purpose of the visit:

"Changsuo, are you sure about dividing the family? Can you tell us why?"

Zhou Huai'an nodded. "When I left to join the army, the condition was that I send my allowance home all these years. And that after I married, we could divide the family."

Zhou Jiawang and the other elders were aware of this. Back then, the conscription quota was meant for Zhou Changyun, but he refused to go, so Zhou Huai'an took his place—a very public drama in the village.

Zhou Mancang frowned. "We were just afraid you'd waste money out there alone. Besides, we're one family. Wouldn't want people laughing at us."

But Zhou Jiawang had doubts. "Changsuo, you'll be living in the city now, hardly coming back.

Isn't that the same as splitting up? And what is there to split? It's not like you can take the house with you."

Zhou Huai'an was prepared. He took an envelope from his pocket and showed Zhou Jiawang a written agreement: "After the division, I won't be involved in family matters. I'll send five yuan each month for support."

Zhou Mancang's face turned dark with suppressed anger.

Zhou Jiawang read the agreement slowly. To his surprise, Zhou Huai'an had listed many conditions. The gist was that beyond the five yuan, he wouldn't give another cent—not even for Zhou Mancang and Wang Fenglan's medical care or funeral expenses.

He never expected Zhou Huai'an to be this severe. This wasn't a family division—it was cutting ties.

Hesitating, he looked at Zhou Huai'an: "Changsuo, are you really going this far? They're your parents. Maybe they played favorites, maybe they were selfish, but raising you wasn't easy. As the saying goes, they raised you young; you should care for them old."

Zhou Huai'an was firm. "My mind is made up, Uncle Jiawang. Please read the terms aloud. If everyone thinks I'm being unreasonable, I'll explain."

Zhou Jiawang hesitated. One glance at Zhou Mancang's ashen face told him the old man might not survive hearing the contents. To lose your most successful son like this—who could take it?

But Zhou Huai'an was unwavering. Reluctantly, Zhou Jiawang read it out.

Except for Third Grandpa, the other uncles were stunned. Zhou Mancang's face shifted from dark to red, then purplish-black. Rage stripped away his self-control.

He grabbed a glass from the table and hurled it at Zhou Huai'an. "You ungrateful bastard! Now that you've made something of yourself, you want to cut us off? You heartless brute!"

Zhou Huai'an didn't flinch. The glass struck his forehead, opening a gash that bled freely.

He didn't bother to wipe the blood, letting the warm liquid flow as he stared at Zhou Mancang.

"Whether you agree or not, this is how it will be. Today, I only want Third Grandpa and the uncles to witness it."

Zhou Manchang had nothing left to lose at this point. Since the mask had been torn off, there was no point in hiding anything anymore: "Witness what? Witness that after all these years, I've raised an ungrateful bastard?"

Third Grandpa had seen enough. He pulled out a handkerchief he used for Xiao Zhu's nose and pressed it to Zhou Huai'an's forehead. Glaring at Zhou Mancang, he said, "Mancang, frost doesn't form in a day, and hearts don't turn cold overnight. How you treated Changsuo—we all saw. Look at what he's given this family. You should learn to be content."

Zhou Mancang wasn't having it. "What did we do to him? We gave him life and raised him. He should support us in our old age."

Zhou Huai'an held the handkerchief to his head, calm and unflinching. "When I was seven, you abandoned me in the mountains because you said I ate too much. If I hadn't been lucky, the wolves would've got me."

"Then there was the time I fell off the cliff and Aunt Wang Ying saved me. The famine had just started. You told me to pick up dried goat droppings near the edge—and pushed me."

Zhou Jiawang and the other elders stared in shock. "Changsuo, you can't say things like that."

Zhou Mancang panicked, lashing out angrily: "Bullshit! Even a vicious tiger doesn't eat its cubs.

How could we do something so inhuman?"

Zhou Huai'an held his gaze. "I heard you talking about it."

Third Grandpa sighed. "Mancang, I was gathering firewood on the mountain that day. It was me who told Changsuo that when times are desperate, parents sometimes make cruel choices."

Zhou Mancang's lips trembled. "Third Uncle..."

Zhou Jiawang suddenly felt suffocated. What kind of man does something like that?

He slammed his hand on the table. "Changsuo, we bear witness. From now on, you have no obligation toward Zhou Mancang and Wang Fenglan, alive or dead. You don't even need to send those five yuan!"