Second Aunt's house.
Second Aunt Mei Yifang lives right across from Eldest Uncle Mei Yongan, and married one of his coworkers.
When Eldest Uncle got home, Second Aunt Mei Yifang arrived too.
As soon as she walked in, Second Uncle Qi Hua and their son Qi Yongwang craned their necks to look over here.
Father and son knew exactly what Mei Yifang went out for, so when she came back, curious, they asked, "You're back, how'd it go?"
Mei Yifang set down her bag, finally saying, "The house got split up, we signed the agreement, all the siblings get six shares, split evenly. Those two kids don't want to live with us, so they're staying there, Big Sis will look after them a bit day-to-day."
Qi Hua asked, "So how did you all work that out, you didn't make the kids cry, did you? If you ask me, you guys should've waited. Their parents just passed, and you're after the house—can the kids handle that?"
"What else can you do? Little Sis and Little Bro were seriously anxious—before the fourth brother and his wife were even buried, they were eyeing the inheritance. Finally got all the funeral stuff done, but those two couldn't hold back. But, I think Zhenzhen was ready for us to come asking about the house—she just made a few requests and agreed to split it up."
"What requests?" Qi Yongwang asked, curious.
"They'll live in the house till it's demolished or unlivable. We pay their water and electricity. For living expenses, Big Sis said each month we'd give them two hundred per person, but in the end nobody paid, so I just came back too. Oh, and, they don't have to pay rent."
Qi Hua couldn't help but laugh at that, "No rent? Zhenzhen's got nerve."
But Qi Hua's laughter trailed off, "Zhenzhen really thought it all through—even if she didn't spell it out, who knows, maybe in a year your siblings really would've made the kids pay rent."
Mei Yifang frowned, annoyed, "I originally thought we couldn't budge on the house—after all, it should be ours—but you have to give some living expenses, even if it's not much. Who'd have guessed, in the end, not a cent was paid... That's not right, is it? Those two kids have nobody now, and the relatives act like this."
Mei Yifang's thinking was simple: she wouldn't take less than her share, but wouldn't grab more than was hers either, and wouldn't dodge her responsibilities. These two kids were her brother's, she wasn't about to take them in, but she could at least chip in a bit. No need for siblings to be so petty...
Qi Yongwang's thinking was simpler, "Two hundred bucks a month isn't much." He thought the money could be given; his monthly allowance was more than two hundred, so giving that would let his cousins remember their family's kindness. And if they didn't, well, giving two hundred wasn't any big deal.
Qi Hua understood what the mother and son were angling for, "Your mom just goes with the crowd: if everyone gives, she'll give too; if nobody does, she feels like she'd be losing out."
Exactly—Mei Yinan really did think that way.
"But honestly, I don't think it's necessary. Since the house is already divided, if the kids need anything later, we can help out then."
Mei Yifang already felt the kids had gotten a raw deal, so when Qi Hua mentioned it, she nodded right away, "Alright, fine, we can do that."
Qi Hua was curious: "So, you split the money evenly, into six shares? Your brother and sister didn't complain? I don't see those two leaving a share for the kids."
"Zhenzhen brought it up, or the agreement wouldn't even get signed. Otherwise, do you think they'd ever agree?"
...
Little Aunt's house.
Little Aunt Mei Yifan doesn't live far, just in the building across from Auntie's.
Little Uncle Wang Gaofeng was in the living room and heard high heels climbing the stairs. She hadn't reached the doorway yet, but he hurried to open the door, enthusiastically welcoming her in from afar.
Seeing Mei Yifan all smiles, he relaxed completely. Before she even changed her shoes, he couldn't help but ask, "So? Did it work out?"
"Yeah, sure did. How could it not? If it hadn't, nobody would have left today. But, uh…"
Seeing Mei Yifan hem and haw, Wang Gaofeng pressed her: "But what? Didn't it work out? What do you mean by 'but' then?"
"Hey, chill out. The money's split, but it got split six ways." Mei Yifan exaggerated "six ways," her tone full of annoyance at not getting more.
Wang Gaofeng frowned, "Why six shares? Shouldn't it be five? The person's dead—how can they still get a cut? Come on, tell me what happened. I said we should've gone together, but you wouldn't let me. How much did we lose here, huh?"
"You could go, if Big Sis let you. Besides, nobody brought anyone." Mei Yifan was pretty unhappy herself, so she didn't bother with all that. She then carefully explained everything in detail—including the stuff about utilities and living expenses.
Wang Gaofeng was more and more speechless—the money wasn't even in hand and they expected them to shell some out? Good thing she came home right away—if she'd lent any cash out there, he'd make sure to get it right back.
But as he thought it over, Wang Gaofeng focused on another angle. Once he realized, he smacked the coffee table a few times, furious: "Well, I'll be damned. That little girl's clever—thought of every detail. Usually so quiet and obedient, I figured she was easy to deal with, but turns out she's got a crafty mind. It's always the quiet ones who bite; she can act, I'll give her that."
Wang Gaofeng said all this because Mei Mengzhen had blocked every possible way he could make extra money—whether water, electricity, rent, or cutting corners on the split—all closed off.
He'd planned that with the kids gone to relatives, the apartment would be empty for a bit, and he could sublet it, even if it wasn't much money—it was still extra income.
If nobody else wanted that cash, he'd take it himself; if everyone did, they'd split it. No matter what, where there's money, even a penny counts.
But seeing money that could've been his go up in smoke, Wang Gaofeng—who worshipped cash—couldn't stand it, so he started cursing.
"So you all agreed? Just let them stay there, not charging even a penny in rent? That's ridiculous."
Mei Yifan didn't want that either, but what else could she do? "Nobody objected; and if we kept arguing, we might end up paying out more. Forget it, as long as we get our share. Don't get any crazy ideas—the agreement spells it all out, so there won't be surprises. With Big Sis's attitude, she really might tear up the agreement, then we'd get nothing."
Wang Gaofeng nodded, "Yeah, whatever. Once the demolition payout hits, we'll figure out how to squeeze the money out of her then."
So what if she's cunning? How could a kid fight against adults? The money he wants—when has he ever failed to get it?
Hearing this, Mei Yifan caught the drift, too. Yeah, never mind right now—the money isn't going anywhere. They'll work it out later. Plus, she doubted she's the only one eyeing that cash.
She'd been a bit sour before, but now her mood suddenly brightened.