Chapter 57

Elizabeth Stone had long contemplated dividing the household. As the eldest daughter-in-law, she knew her in-laws would inevitably live with her branch of the family. But the thought of finally separating from the insufferable second branch—always flaunting their status—filled her with satisfaction.

"Always going on about being the 'Stone family's great contributors' just because they have two sons," Elizabeth muttered with a sneer. The third branch might be stubborn, but at least they never bragged about their children. Compared to the second branch's arrogance, they were far less irritating.

William Stone crouched by the threshold, sighing heavily. He never imagined a simple bowl of noodles would lead to talk of splitting the family.

"Father really wants us to move out?" he asked his wife, wringing his hands.

Patricia Stone slammed her spatula against the wok. "Fine by me! From now on, we keep our own earnings." But the moment she remembered she’d no longer get to enjoy the third branch’s meat dishes, her enthusiasm waned.

Mary Stone was airing quilts in the yard when Grace tugged at her sleeve, little Jack in tow. "Grandma, can we go play with David?"

"Go ahead," Mary said, squinting against the sunlight. "But if anyone from the Wilson family comes by, call for me immediately."

She hadn’t forgotten how Emily Johnson used to behave. The woman seemed reasonable now, but who knew when she might revert to her old ways?

"Aunt Emily! Aunt Emily!" Grace called out before even reaching the door.

David dashed to open it like a gust of wind, and soon the four children were chattering and laughing in a lively huddle.

Emily peeked out from inside. "Come in and play." She retrieved her treasured breadsticks and gave each child two.

"Thank you, Aunt Emily!" Grace beamed, while Jack echoed her in his tiny voice.

Once the children raced off to play, Emily locked the gate again. The test papers on her desk remained spread out, and she rubbed her tired eyes.

"Mom’s so much nicer now," David told Grace as they ran. "She even teaches us to read!"

Other children gathered around, eyeing their snacks enviously. David generously shared small pieces, and soon a game of hide-and-seek erupted in the threshing yard.

Inside, Emily graded the papers, frowning at the results. The humanities scores were disappointing, and even the science answers showed muddled knowledge. She chewed on her pencil, troubled. "Should I choose humanities or sciences?"

The sound of laughter drifted through the window, and suddenly she remembered—she had chosen humanities in her past life too. The thought settled her nerves, and she bent over the papers again, determined to finish.