"Let's split!" I said aloud as my words seemed to shock the entire village.
"S-split? W-what rubbish are you saying?!" Aunt Lu stood up in shock as she pointed at me, ready to explode.
"You heard me loud and clear. You have done nothing but hurt me and my children. From now on, I want to have nothing to do with any of you."
I declared, placing my two hands on my slender waist, ready to blast anyone who tried to fight me.
As though knowing where this was going to lead, Yan Mei immediately left and ran to call her father, who was the village head.
But before he arrived, stepping in was Uncle Lu. From his looks now, I understood where the ugly twins got their resemblance from.
"Aya! What is the meaning of all this? What's all this commotion about?!" he asked, shocked to see all the villagers present.
Upon seeing their father, the twins broke down into crocodile tears together with their mother as they ran to him for safety.
"Pa! You have to see what Lin Xu is doing... s-she didn't just eat our rooster, she also bullied Ma! Now she is saying she wants to split our family!"
Lu Fei reported, as her words made the old man flare up, his expression turning red in rage as he exchanged deadly glares with me.
"I see... Lin Xu, you have finally grown wings! I always knew that all those pitiful acts were all fake... you want to split my family. Never!"
He shouted as some villagers supported him.
"Yes, young Lin... you are so young and weak, you can't survive on your own!" a woman said.
"Exactly... you don't have any means of profit. How will you take care of the children all by yourself without your in-laws?"
"Yes... good point, good point. Old Lu has a point."
They all said, their words quite annoying. These villagers , they change sides quite easily, huh?
"I understand what everyone is saying, but who said I was just going to split and leave with nothing?"
I said aloud, as they all became confused.
"What do you mean by that?!" Lu Fong asked, confused as well.
"If I leave, then of course I will take half of everything belonging to the Lu family. After all, my husband is a part of this family, so half of everything here also belongs to me."
My words seemed to send them all flying as gasps and murmurs surrounded me, but I wasn't backing down.
They won't get rid of me that easily. I won't leave until I take everything belonging to them.
"You want what?!" Aunt Lu shrieked, as if I'd just demanded her soul.
"Half!?" Uncle Lu staggered as though I'd slapped him with a brick. "You ungrateful wench! How dare you say such a thing?!"
Lu Fong stepped forward with his puffed chest. "What do you mean half?! Do you even know how hard my father worked for all this?!"
"Worked?" I raised a brow, crossing my arms as I turned to him. "Are you referring to the two benches in front of the house, the sack of moldy rice, and that rooster I already cooked?"
The crowd snorted with laughter. Lu Fong's mouth opened, then shut again like a confused frog.
"You speak of hard work when I'm the one raising my children in a storage shack with a leaky roof and no food? Tell me which part of this glorious estate should I be thanking you for?"
"I fed you!" Aunt Lu yelled, face red and splotchy. "I gave you shelter!"
"You fed me boiled water and spoiled cabbage," I replied with a deadpan face. "And you gave me a broom closet with rats. You think that's charity? That's punishment!"
"Silence!" Uncle Lu bellowed. "You will not shame my family in front of the village! This nonsense will stop now!"
"Oh, it's not nonsense," I smiled brightly, "It's business."
That's when the sound of footsteps echoed through the air, heavy and authoritative footsteps.
"Make way for the village chief!"
The crowd parted, and there he came: Village Chief Yan, walking with his hands behind his back, his embroidered robe swaying with each step. Right beside him, with a proud smirk, was his daughter, Yan Mei.
"What is the meaning of this?" the chief asked, looking directly at me.
I bowed respectfully, quickly speaking before Aunt Lu could start with her drama. "Village Chief, I humbly request your judgment in an urgent matter."
"Proceed."
"I, Lin Xu, wish to split from the Lu family. I no longer wish to be tied to a house that mistreats me and my children. But since I was legally married into the Lu family, and my husband contributed to its estate before his disappearance, I'm entitled to my share."
Uncle Lu's face twisted. "That's outrageous! She's lying! Her husband left nothing behind!"
Yan Mei raised a brow. "Is that so? Because I recall during your nephew's wedding, you bragged to my father about the land he had worked on and the tools he left behind."
Uncle Lu turned pale.
"I also recall," Yan Mei continued, "you receiving two goats and a bag of silver and 50 taels as bride price from Lin Xu's family."
The villagers gasped.
I stepped forward. "Exactly. And let's not forget the wooden cart my husband built with his own hands, the iron tools, and the small patch of farmland that miraculously became Lu family property after his passing."
"You little—" Aunt Lu lunged at me but was held back by her own daughter, Lu Fei.
"Ma! Don't hit her in front of the chief!"
"Village Chief, see, see! Look how she wants to hit me... this is how I am repeatedly treated here at the Lu residence! You have to take justice for me!" I fake-cried.
Uncle Lu growled, "Village Chief, are you really going to allow this outsider to make a mockery of us?"
Chief Yan raised his hand. "Silence, Old Lu. If what she says is true, she has every right to claim her share."
"Wha—Village Chief! Surely you won't believe this wench's words over ours!" Aunt Lu wailed. "She's just a woman with no job, no family here, no strength. She can't possibly do anything!"
"And yet she's got more backbone than your entire household," Yan Mei muttered with a smirk as Aunt Lu flashed her a death glare.
The chief turned to me. "Lin Xu, what is it exactly that you want?"
"Half," I said confidently. "Half of all assets gained during my marriage. Land, livestock, tools, the cart, and the house and land near the mountain. I'll leave, but not empty-handed."
The chief nodded. "You shall have it."
The crowd exploded into murmurs. Aunt Lu collapsed onto the ground, fake-crying like a professional actress. "My chickens! My millet! My future rice harvest!"
Lu Fong dropped to his knees, grabbing his father's legs. "Pa! We can't let her go with our things! We'll starve!"
"You're already useless even with them. The only way this family makes money is thanks to my cooking skills. Otherwise, how would you sell all those rice balls? I have every right to take all these," I said sweetly. Lin Xu helped the Lu family to survive, but they never even let her have a single good meal — such heartless people.
Uncle Lu looked like steam would shoot out of his ears. "Village Chief, please reconsider—"
But the chief raised his hand again. "No. A fair judgment is a fair judgment. If she's mistreated, she's free to go. And she shall take what is hers."
Yan Mei smirked, stepping beside me. "Congratulations, Lin Xu. You're officially free… and half-rich."
I grinned. "Now all I need is a mule to carry my things. Oh wait—" I glanced at Lu Fong. "You look free, don't you? I'm sure you'd love to be useful for once."
Lu Fong squeaked and hid behind his mother.
The villagers erupted with laughter, some even clapping. Aunt Lu was fuming like a broken kettle. Uncle Lu stormed off, muttering curses under his breath.
As for me, I gathered my children, lifted my chin, and walked out of that yard with the dignity of a queen.
I didn't just split from the Lu family. I blasted my way out of it.
And this was just the beginning.