The Family Had Split, Why Should I Care if They Go Broke? - Chapter 1

“My niece-in-law really loved my nephew, didn’t she? She said she’d die for him, and… she did. Well… well, at least now they’re reunited. Over there, she has someone to keep her company. My eldest nephew won’t be lonely. Our Liang family really does have a virtuous woman—what an honor for the whole household!”

“Xuanxuan, my dear, don’t be sad. Your sister-in-law may have gone, but you still have your uncle and aunt here. From now on, you’ll live with us. Your uncle and aunt will take good care of you; no one will let you suffer a bit of hardship.”

The woman’s words, full of grief and sorrow, made everyone listening want to cry and sigh.

Another woman hurriedly interrupted, “Big sister, don’t get lost in grief yet. We need to handle your niece-in-law’s affairs first. Minglang died on the Western Campaign, thousands of miles away from our Xijiang Province. I think… we should cremate her. Cremation makes the soul light—it flies far, letting her reunite with Minglang in the west.”

“Wait—”

The suggestion from Lady Bai, the second aunt-in-law of the Liang family, shocked everyone. Cremation? Burn Lady Xu alive?

It sounded… a little creepy. 

Xu Zhichun herself was startled. Didn’t the ancients insist on proper burial? Burning someone… make their soul fly? She didn’t believe it for a second.

Well, better worry about staying alive first.

Listening to them debate whether to burn or bury her was… weird.

Xu Zhichun only vaguely remembered that the original owner had fallen from a hill. Whether it had been a lover’s suicide… she really didn’t know.

Her head still felt dizzy, probably from bl00d loss. Her hands were weak. She tried to lift the white cloth covering her, but her fingers trembled, powerless. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t lift it.

Suddenly, a young woman screamed, “Ah—!”

Everyone jumped!

Lady Bai, still trying to argue for cremation, was especially terrified. Her temper flared, and she snapped at the young woman, “Screaming for what? What are you yelling about, my niece-in-law?”

Lady Mao, the eldest uncle’s daughter-in-law of the Liang family, was on the verge of tears. Her index finger trembled as she pointed at Xu Zhichun, screaming hysterically, “She’s coming back to life! She’s… she’s coming back to life!”

“What?”

​​“Coming back to life?”

“Back from the dead… what?” Someone squinted and finally saw it clearly, shouting even louder, “Ah! She’s coming back to life! She really is back from the dead!”

Screaming, crying, pushing, panic… the room descended into chaos.

Xu Zhichun’s head ached.

Terrified of being trampled in the commotion, her weak body suddenly surged with a burst of strength. With a mighty effort, she threw off the white cloth and, using one hand to steady herself, managed to sit up. She clutched her mouth, coughing uncontrollably.

“Quiet! Everyone, shut up! What do you mean by ‘back from the dead’? Lady Minglang hasn’t died! She hasn’t died! Quick—ladies, help her up! Bring her back inside to lie down. Minghai’s Mom, go bring a bowl of hot water. Minghai, go get Doctor Jiang from Quanshan Village on the ox cart!”

Xu Zhichun looked at the elder issuing orders. It was Li Zheng¹, the chief of the Liang households, a genuinely good man.

Grateful, she nodded at him.

With Li Zheng commanding presence, the chaos gradually subsided.

Looking at the bright sun outside, everyone regained courage. Glancing at Xu Zhichun, they slowly relaxed.

Of course! It was broad daylight in early March—the blazing sun still high in the sky. How could something as absurd as “back from the dead” happen now? It’s not like it’s the dead of night!

That Lady Mao really had no sense and was so unreliable—fussing and shouting, she led everyone completely astray.

A false alarm.  

A few women stepped forward, helping Xu Zhichun to the bed in the room.

“Lady Xu really has a strong fate.”

“Indeed.”

“How could anyone make such a mistake?”

“Who knows? But she’s alive. That’s the important thing.”

“Yes.”

“Surviving a great disaster means good fortune will follow.”

“Ah…”

The saying was common enough, but for Xu Zhichun, it felt off. She was young, without a husband, no parents-in-law to care for her, a little brother-in-law too young to help, and no children of her own. Even if she survived this disaster, the future looked grim.

Her uncles’ and aunts’ families—everyone in the village knew their characters. She would just have to watch.

Lady Zhang, Lady Bai, Eldest Uncle Liang, and Second Uncle Liang exchanged glances and hurried over to show concern, speaking gentle words as they went.

Li Zheng’s wife—Minghai’s mom—fed Xu Zhichun a small bowl of warm water. Though she had recovered slightly, the bl00d loss still left her pale and weak.

“Lady Xu needs proper food to regain her strength,” she said. “Xu’s Aunty, shall we make some egg-drop soup?”

Lady Bai quietly stepped back, looking elsewhere as if she hadn’t heard.

Lady Zhang forced an awkward smile. “Right now… the stove is cold, lighting a fire would waste time. Who has a fire we can borrow?”

Naturally, whoever’s stove was borrowed would be the one doing the cooking—it wasn’t her concern at all. As for the eggs, either someone would be generous enough to hand them over, or they’d have to ask Xu Zhichun herself. There was no way she’d just get them for free.

Feeling clever, Lady Zhang thought herself very smart.

Li Zheng’s wife rolled her eyes but said nothing.

She was about to send her own daughter-in-law to cook a bowl of egg-drop soup. Meanwhile, Aunt Zhu’er, a young aunt from the next house, smiled and said, “My stove’s already lit. Wait here; I’ll cook it right away.”

From the original owner’s memories, Xu Zhichun knew the uncles’ families weren’t exactly helpful. They argued and refused to assist, just because they were stingy with two eggs.

Weakly, Xu Zhichun smiled at Aunt Zhu’er. “Thank you, Aunt Zhu’er. I’ll return the eggs once I’m better.”

Aunt Zhu’er waved her hand. “Two eggs? Don’t worry about it!” 

Then she turned and hurried off.

Li Zheng’s wife didn’t bother with Lady Zhang or Lady Bai’s expressions. Smiling, she told the others, “That’s enough. We’ll stay here with her. Everyone else can leave. Too many people around, and Lady Xu won’t be able to rest. If you care about her, visit later when she’s better.”

The room was small, and now that Xu Zhichun was awake, there wasn’t much to see anyway. People offered a few comforting words and gradually left.

A pit had been dug.