The commotion in the crowd died down instantly. Everyone started praising Old Man Ji for handling things "impeccably."
Ji Qingshan sighed and looked at Ji Huan.
"Wuan, don't blame your grandmother. She's old and confused. She's just a woman and doesn't know any better. We're both old, how many days do we have left? We're not afraid of you jinxing us. But your uncles—your First, Third, and Fourth Uncles—and all your cousins... Your grandmother had no choice. For the sake of the entire family, she had to harden her heart..."
Ji Huan could see it now. Aunt Kang was all bark and no bite. She always rushed to the front lines, but in reality, she was just a brainless paper tiger.
And the one truly in charge of the Ji Family was this Old Man Ji standing before her, his face a mask of false compassion.
'Just look at that,' Ji Huan thought. 'With just a few words, he'd effortlessly turned the tables, completely absolving himself and the Ji Family of any blame. Everything was Aunt Kang's fault, and even she supposedly had her reasons.'
'So in the end, was it still her fault for being a jinx?'
The onlookers, who had just been filled with righteous indignation and sharp accusations, were now sighing in sympathy.
Every family had its own troubles. With a courtyard full of children and grandchildren, Old Man Ji was truly caught between a rock and a hard place.
Only Mrs. Ji hadn't yet recovered from the shock of being berated. Flustered and exasperated, she shrieked, "Husband, have you gone mad? You're going to hire a doctor for this jinx?"
Just as Ji Qingshan was about to shoot her a meaningful look, she plopped herself right on the ground and began to wail.
"You heartless man, Ji Qingshan! I married into your Ji Family all those years ago, bore your children, and ran this household! Even if you don't give me credit for achievements, you have to acknowledge my hard work! And now you're scolding me for a jinx? Oh, heavens, I can't go on living!"
Ji Qingshan's face darkened. He reached out to pull her up. "Get up! What kind of spectacle are you making!"
Seeing him try to pull her up, Aunt Kang only grew more frenzied. She kicked her legs wildly and slapped her hands hard against the ground. "Just let me die! Let me die! Oh, heavens, what's the point of living anymore? You might as well just let me..."
"Get up!"
That one roar didn't just startle Aunt Kang; everyone else was shocked as well. As far as anyone could remember, Old Man Ji had always been good-tempered. They had never seen him so furious.
At that moment, Ji Qingshan wanted nothing more than to strangle Ms. Kang.
He had just been feeling proud of himself for resolving the situation with a few choice words. He never expected his own wife to be an expert at tearing it all down. Seeing the situation about to spiral out of control, he could no longer afford to worry about saving face.
Aunt Kang knew her husband was truly angry this time and didn't dare continue her tantrum. She patted the dust off her bottom and scrambled to her feet. But the thought of having to spend money was physically painful to her. She muttered, "I don't have a single cent anyway. If you want to pay, use your own money!"
"You!" Ji Qingshan clutched his chest, nearly passing out from rage. 'I've never met such a complete and utter fool!'
Before he could speak again, Ji Huan seized the opportunity. Looking at Aunt Kang with a puzzled expression, she asked, "Father earned a good amount of silver from his carpentry work over the years, and he turned it all over to the family. How could it be that..."
Aunt Kang, still fuming, had a bellyful of anger ready to burst. She immediately shot back, "It was all spent on your parents' medical treatments! There's no silver left!"
When Ji Lianbai was carried back home, he could have been saved. But the Ji Family, afraid of the expense, refused to take him to a clinic. Mrs. Wei had kowtowed until her head was bleeding, and the villagers couldn't bear to watch any longer and spoke up to help. Only then did Aunt Kang reluctantly agree. But he died of blood loss before they even reached the town.
After that, Mrs. Wei fell gravely ill and was bedridden. Aunt Kang refused to spend a single cent on her, delaying her treatment until she eventually succumbed to her illness and died.
The villagers had seen all of this with their own eyes. They might have believed the silver was spent on the Ji Family's fourth son, but it was utterly impossible that it had been spent on the second branch of the family.
Facing the pointing fingers and whispers of the crowd, Aunt Kang's face turned livid with rage.
Ji Huan's small, pale face was filled with disappointment. She took a step back and said, "I don't want to make things difficult for Grandpa and Grandma. If the family really has no money for a doctor, then please... just give me a bite to eat."
Aunt Kang was extremely irritated, wondering how the topic had circled back to food. "I already told you, we don't have..."
Ji Qingshan quickly cut her off, forcing a smile that could almost be described as kindly. "You silly child. How could the family possibly deny you a bite to eat? Come on inside, and I'll have your grandmother make you a nice meal."
With that, he reached out to pull Ji Huan, thinking he had to get her inside first, no matter what.
But just then, Ji Huan seemed to lose her strength. She stumbled to the side, avoiding Ji Qingshan's grasp by leaning on a villager for support. Then, she covered her face and began to cry.
"Grandpa, please don't lie to me. Grandma already said she won't give me a single grain of rice. Didn't you say I was a member of the Ji Family, too? If I am, then I should be entitled to a share of the family's property. It's not like the family has been divided..."
As if she'd just grasped the perfect justification, Aunt Kang leaped up, practically jumping for joy.
"What do you mean, a member of the Ji Family? You haven't been one for a long time! Your father spent the last six months of his life talking about splitting the family, and your grandfather and I both agreed to it. We just hadn't gotten around to the paperwork before he died. But there's no taking back words that have been spoken! Since we agreed to the separation, the family is separated!"
Aunt Kang couldn't help but admire her own quick-wittedness. 'Why didn't I think of using the family separation as an excuse sooner?'
In truth, while her second son had mentioned separating from the family several times when he was alive, she and her husband had never agreed. Their eldest son was incompetent, and their third son was so lazy he could grow maggots. If the family split, who would earn the silver to pay for the fourth son's education?
But now that the man was dead, what was true and what was false was whatever she said it was.
Besides, there was no more profit to be squeezed out of this girl, and from the looks of it, she wouldn't live much longer anyway. If they formally separated her from the family, they wouldn't have to pay for her medical treatment or her food and drink.
Otherwise, if she breathed her last in their house, they'd have to buy her a coffin!
At this, Ji Qingshan fell silent. It was unclear whether it was out of anger or if he was tacitly agreeing with what Aunt Kang had said about the separation.
The onlookers started chattering amongst themselves, all saying that the Ji Family was acting dishonorably. To cast out such a young girl, who had no one to support her household, was simply heartless.
Aunt Kang, however, had already thrown all shame to the wind. She refused to let this short-lived burden back into her home.
Her goal achieved, Ji Huan breathed an inward sigh of relief, but her expression grew even more desolate and terrified.
"Grandma, I don't eat much... I can eat even less in the future. I won't ask for a doctor anymore, either. Please don't cast me out..."
As she spoke, she caught a glimpse of Ji Qingshan pulling Aunt Kang aside and whispering a few words in her ear. When Aunt Kang spoke again, she sounded remarkably more astute.
"Don't you blame me for being cruel. You've jinxed one family after another. I have to think about the rest of the Ji Family. Besides, this separation was decided long ago, and the village chief is aware of it. I've already sent your Third Uncle to fetch him. Don't you worry. After the separation, even if our family starves, we won't short you on your grain rations."
No matter how heartbroken Ji Huan appeared, with things having come to this, she could only nod.
Mrs. Ji, fearing that any delay might bring unforeseen complications, immediately sent her eldest son to invite a few respected village elders to act as witnesses.
Soon, the village chief and several village elders arrived one after another.
A kind soul reminded her, "Wuan, you need to think this through. Both your parents are gone, and you don't have any full brothers. You'll have to establish a female-headed household..."
Ji Huan remembered that in her past life, during the Song and Ming Dynasties, only a widow with no husband and no sons, or a widow with young sons, could become the head of a female-headed household.
But the Great Zhou Dynasty was different. An orphan girl who had reached the age of fifteen and had no parents or brothers could also establish her own household and act as its head.
As a vulnerable social group, the court classified such female-headed households as "corvée-exempt," meaning they were excused from miscellaneous labor duties.
However, they were still required to perform regular corvée labor and pay taxes. A female-headed household still had to pay its taxes on time and perform its regular duties within the lijia system.
As a young, single woman, she would have a hard enough time just supporting herself. How could she possibly have the means to shoulder such responsibilities?
Moreover, if an unmarried woman established her own household, her prospects for marriage were essentially hopeless.
Although the law allowed her to recruit a husband to marry into her family, an orphan girl without parents or brothers would find it very difficult to protect her family's assets. And if she couldn't protect her assets, who would be willing to marry into her family, only to take on a needless burden?
Ji Huan lowered her head, her voice laced with a bitter tone. "I've thought it through. I can't be a burden to my family. If we don't separate, and something bad happens to them, it will be my fault for jinxing them. I..."
The implication was clear: if anything happened to them after the separation, it would have nothing to do with her.
A wave of sighs went through the crowd. They all felt this girl was both remarkably sensible and terribly pitiful.
Ji Qingshan stared at Ji Huan, a feeling growing that this granddaughter of his was no longer the same as she used to be.