Chapter 303

Zhou Nan was not so happy because of her greed for money. After all, she had spent so many years with An JingZhi and their sons had grown up, so her status was unshakable.

Although most of the assets had been distributed to their sons, there was still some part that remained in the hands of the couple. The fact that the old lady was willing to leave something for her meant that she approved of Zhou Nan from the bottom of her heart, which made Zhou Nan feel that all these years were worth it.

She still remembered the long face the old lady made when she first married into the family, clearly showing that Zhou Nan was not good enough for An JingZhi. Of course, that was indeed the case back then.

Zhou Nan hugged her belongings and returned home where three of her four sons were present, except for the second son and his wife who were not at home.

An ZhiAng took one look at the abnormally delighted Zhou Nan and wondered, "Mom, what are you holding? Did you pick up money?"

"You're a grown up but still speak without thinking. Do I look that lucky to pick up money?" Zhou Nan glared at her and went back to her room with her stuff.

She had to think carefully about where to hide these things properly.

Although Zhou Nan did not know good merchandise, she was not stupid either. The things that her mother-in-law had kept for so many years and specifically told her to keep properly must not be ordinary goods.

She had witnessed back then how her young sister-in-law would go out shopping for jewelry, with every single piece worth several years of ordinary people's spending, which made her extremely envious at that time.

After locking the box in the wardrobe, Zhou Nan still felt uneasy.

She would ask the man of the house later if there was a good place to hide stuff. He must have a lot of good stuff hidden somewhere that she didn't know about, definitely not at home, because she hadn't found anything over the years.

Outside, An JingZhi explained on Zhou Nan's behalf, "It's something my mother gave her. She's been delighted all the way back."

Only then did An ZhiAng keep quiet.

When they distributed the assets, only the four brothers were present. There were too many things that it would definitely be unrealistic to distribute them completely fairly. Except for several shops, the rest were divided by grandparents into four parts for them to draw lots and select. Both good and bad depended solely on their own luck, so no one could blame others. An ZhiAng was in the army and also single, so he had no use for these things for now.

Liu Ling went back to the room and sent the two children out before asking An Zhiqing, "When grandpa and grandma called you and uncle and aunt over yesterday, was it just about the shops?"

"And some other stuff that can't be made public for now. If you want any, I'll take time another day to pick out some jewelry for you to wear. Just don't be too conspicuous, that shouldn't be a problem."

From An Zhiqing's words, Liu Ling felt that he was indirectly inquiring about something, but he did not intend to say.

No matter how much stuff the family had, it was the older generation's accumulation.

Even his mother did not have much say in dividing up the family property, let alone them of the younger generation. They could only take however much the grandparents gave them, and should not covet more.

When the opportunity was right, he would not continue to hide things from her forever either.

There were too many people in the family. That was also why the old lady and the old master were not planning to openly divide up the family property. Everything was obtained by their own draw, so no one knew what the others got.

The old lady explicitly said that her dowry would go to ZhiXia, but what exactly it contained was also unknown to the several brothers.

Liu Ling still had many more questions, but was afraid of asking too much in case he came across as power grasping.

At the same time, she also felt the difference in status in the family. They always claimed to be one family, yet such a big matter of dividing up the family property was done hiding it from her, the daughter-in-law of the eldest grandson.

The same went for Zheng Suchun as well.

In contrast, An Zhiren's side was much more harmonious.

In essence, Zheng Suchun and Zhou Nan were quite similar, both virtuous wife and wise mother figures who understood their position in the family from the beginning of their engagement and marriage, unlike Liu Ling who had career ambitions.

Being able to receive part of the family assets was an unexpected joy to Zheng Suchun.

She had also secretly probed how much her family got, but only received one line from An Zhiren - "Enough for our generation and the next generation to live in ease and comfort without working."

Zheng Suchun did not know the exact amount, she only knew that her luck had turned and she had stepped from a peasant girl into the ranks of the rich.

Instead of urging An Zhiren to take out the stuff, she urged him to hide them properly. Having personally witnessed the chaos of recent years, one could never be too careful. Flaunting wealth for a moment meant nothing, being able to flaunt for a lifetime meant victory.

What ZhiXia got was moved back home, its final destination being her space.

But she still had some questions in mind, "Don't you feel like grandparents were a bit too rushed in dividing up the family this time? Things have just started going well, there hasn't been complete liberalization, yet they divided everything."

Pei Jing was drenched in sweat after moving stuff in the sweltering weather. He emptied the glass of water ZhiXia poured for him in big gulps. "It did seem a bit rushed, but they must have had their own plans," Pei Jing slowly said, "It could also be because third uncle is going abroad. They wanted to settle things clearly before he leaves."

The talk was that third uncle would be away for a year's further studies, but there was no guarantee that things would stay the same. Grandpa and grandma were both in their 80s. It made sense that they wanted to make arrangements early.

ZhiXia thought that was reasonable too. There was no harm in dividing things earlier. She then urged Pei Jing to quickly go take a shower.

It was noon time. Liu Ling brought Wen Qing over carrying a watermelon.

ZhiXia quickly welcomed them, "It's scorching out there. Why did you come over? Hurry in and cool down."

"We came to see grandpa and grandma and happened to see someone selling watermelons on the way. We thought we'd get one for you guys too," Liu Ling said with a smile, "Your big brother is talking to grandpa next door. Wen Qing wanted to come find ChenYe and the others. I thought I'd drop by too."

Upon hearing that An Zhiqing was next door, Pei Jing also went over after informing them.

The children were all playing under the trees in the yard with occasional cool breezes blowing through.

"I happened to buy a lot of peaches yesterday when I went out. I'll pack some for you guys to take back and try later." Liu Ling smiled and agreed. ZhiXia was always very generous in this aspect and the things she got were always of exceptional quality and flavor. Liu Ling wondered how she always had such good luck.

The electric fan in the living room whirred noisily as the two chatted away.

Liu Ling suddenly spoke up, "ZhiXia, our confiscated shops were returned and grandparents distributed the assets. Did you know about this?"

"Yes, I heard it from fourth brother yesterday." ZhiXia secretly raised her brows. She suddenly felt that Liu Ling did not simply come to deliver a watermelon.

Seeing that ZhiXia did not continue, Liu Ling smilingly asked again, "Your big brother said he would pick out some jewelry for me to wear. Did you get any jewelry from your share? You have to speak up if there's anything unsuitable for you, we can swap around."

"Sister-in-law jests. There was no share for me in dividing up the assets, but the dowry from grandparents did contain jewelry. No matter if they suit me or not, they are tokens of grandparents' affection that I wish to cherish well."

"You're right about that. I dare not swap with you then. I should cherish mine as well."

Liu Ling also realized that she had asked about the asset division while ZhiXia spoke of the dowry. They simply did not continue the thread of her words.

It looked like nobody here was silly.

She was not coveting anything either, just curious about how much exactly everyone got.

Asking further would seem annoying, and Liu Ling did not wish for strained relations. So she took the initiative to change the topic.

ZhiXia did not mind either. Fortunately Liu Ling knew when to advance and retreat, unlike Wang Yue who was shameless. Otherwise the An family would likely be unsettled.