He Sanqiang saw that the second family had quieted down, and he continued, "The original kitchen will stay for me and your mom. At the south side of the courtyard, right opposite your rooms, each of you should build your own kitchen. The utility room on the west will be given to the third, it’s what he should get. Do any of you have objections?"
The eldest, He Jiefang, and his wife Wang Erni were the first to express their stance, "We have no objection."
The second brother naturally dared not object, but Gao Yumei darkened her face and asked, "So, that means the kitchen will be theirs in the end too, right?"
He Sanqiang cast a cold glance over, "Yes, when we pass away, if you brothers can’t get along, you can just build a wall between the courtyards, so nobody bothers anyone else."
Gao Yumei was very displeased. Not only did the eldest take two main houses, but also the original kitchen they had built, and with the dividing walls in the future, that courtyard would not be small.
But they had only one room, and if they were to build walls on both sides and then a kitchen to the south, how small would the courtyard be: "Dad, I know you have your reasons for dividing it like this, but it has to be based on reality. I’m not saying anything about Big Brother, but the third doesn’t even need that room right now, we can’t be cramped while he has space, can we?"
Thinking of her two kids, she began, "See, how about this, each family has one main room, I don’t argue, but how about we switch to the west side, the utility room that the third doesn’t use, whether we can have that. This way, even if we’re separated by a courtyard, we can still make it work. I’ll clean up the utility room, and also have a place for the two kids, right?"
What she said made sense, but no one was a fool; the utility room wasn’t in the courtyard, but beside the main room, and when finances allowed, it could be rebuilt into a main room, doubling the yard size.
Everyone looked at the couple of the second family. Of course, He Jian Country wanted an extra room, but he understood his dad had made it clear—it was given to the third because the whole family owed him, and it was what he deserved.
As everyone in the room watched them, he felt on pins and needles: "Yumei, what nonsense are you talking? Let’s do as Dad says, that was supposed to be for the third."
He Jinxuan, holding his two nephews, sat there without uttering a word. Surprisingly, the old man had divided it this way, which, to be honest, was fair.
Gao Yumei realized the key to the matter lay with the third, He Jinxuan, so she stood up and looked at the third. "Jinxuan, I know I am a bit selfish, but with just one room we can’t fit, so for the sake of your nephew and niece, give the utility room to us. Anyway, even if you go back to the city, having a main room is enough."
Initially, he didn’t want to argue, but Gao Yumei’s words reminded He Jinxuan that what was his should not be given up. Even if he did, it might not earn him any goodwill, and he could even offend the eldest and the fifth: "Second sister-in-law, Dad said he’d consider all his children, why impose a moral dilemma on me? Besides, I will also start a family and have children. What if I get transferred back to the city?"
Gao Yumei was furious: "You don’t need it now anyway, why not let us have it?"
Looking at her attitude, He Jinxuan was even less willing to give it up: "Second Brother, do you have an objection to Dad’s allocation?"
He Jian Country was afraid the third would dig a pit for him: "No objection, don’t listen to your second sister-in-law, women are troublesome."
He Jinxuan was very satisfied with his second brother’s response: "I’ll do as Dad says. Since Dad has given it to me, I won’t decline. However, as brothers, since the second sister-in-law has said so much, I can temporarily lend you the utility room for use, but whenever I need it, you must return it unconditionally. Do you have any objections?"
He Jian Country did not expect the third to do so, naturally, he had no objections: "You’re showing us respect, how can I have an objection."
He Sanqiang was very pleased with the third’s handling, thinking: among the sons, the third is actually the smartest, even if it’s a dilapidated house, it’s still an asset.
Seeing that they had agreed, He Sanqiang turned to look at the fifth, He Yuejin: "Old Five, do you have any objections?"
He Yuejin smiled and waved his hand, "Dad divided it fairly, I have no objections."
Being the youngest in the family, he hadn’t suffered much hardship. He graduated high school last year, didn’t pass the college entrance exam, and now doesn’t need to go to the countryside to support farming. He hasn’t found any stable job, so he’s been idle at home, only occasionally doing odd jobs. His contribution to the family was the least, and he was already very satisfied with getting a room.
He Sanqiang glanced at the others: "Since there are no objections to the housing, then it’s settled. Later, go and get the housing certificates done, to avoid future troubles."
The second daughter-in-law, Gao Yumei, who originally had little schemes, felt very angry upon hearing this. She had thought that since they’d occupy it, then she wouldn’t plan to return it easily, but with housing certificates, that wouldn’t be possible.