Lin Xiaoman really didn't expect that he would be facing a family division so soon after coming to this world, but a division was good; being alone would mean fewer restrictions.
Although his elder sister-in-law, Fang Zhaodi, was strong-willed, the family was currently still run by Lin Shanhe and Wang Xiuzhi.
Finally, after several disputes, the family division plan was decided, or more accurately, the plan to expel Lin Xiaoman.
Because, the only one truly separated from the family was Lin Xiaoman.
According to the plan, the family currently had a total of 500 yuan in cash, and Lin Xiaoman alone received 400 yuan, along with his share of pots, bowls, and other items.
As for everything else, including the house, Lin Shanhe's future salary, and his position, Lin Xiaoman gave up all claims.
It seemed that Lin Xiaoman was at a disadvantage.
After all, Lin Shanhe could still earn a salary for at least 10 more years, with an annual income of at least 400 yuan or more, and if you added the money from selling his future position, it was not a small sum.
But Lin Xiaoman didn't care much about these things.
With Fang Zhaodi in the house, most of that money would likely end up in her maiden family's pockets.
If Lin Xiaoman hadn't split from the family, his earned salary would have to be handed over, and that portion would certainly also go into the Fang family.
More importantly, with this 400 yuan as start-up capital, many things would be easier for Lin Xiaoman to manage.
Even if there was an unforeseen issue with the Steel Rolling Mill Security Guard job this time, he wouldn't face a survival crisis in the short term.
Lin Shanhe looked at his expressionless second son and felt a bit ashamed, but who could blame him when the old custom dictated that the eldest son supported the parents in their old age, so they had to show favoritism.
"Xiao Man, you're grown now. After this family division, live your life well on your own.
We don't need you to support us in old age, but a family division just means we live separately. We're still father and son; if you have any difficulties, we'll definitely help out."
Wang Xiuzhi secretly wiped away tears, and hearing her husband say this, she also expressed her stance.
"Yes, when you start a family and have children, I'll also go help you take care of them."
As agreed, after the family division, Lin Xiaoman would no longer have significant financial ties to this family, and of course, any future issues regarding their old age would also not concern him.
However, as a person from a later generation, Lin Xiaoman had a certain level of understanding and would certainly shoulder his responsibilities in the future.
"Dad, Mom, don't worry. I'll go look for a house tomorrow, and I'll move out once I've rented one."
"Don't you dare take a whole month to find one, still freeloading here every day after the division!" His elder sister-in-law, Fang Zhaodi, thought she had seen through Lin Xiaoman's intentions.
"Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person! Tomorrow, we'll go to the Neighborhood Committee to write up the family division agreement, and then go to the Street Office to separate the grain ration books and other things."
That night, each member of the Lin family had their own thoughts, while Lin Xiaoman slept more soundly than anyone on the incredibly hard wooden board!
The April morning dawned very early, and Lin Xiaoman woke up on the wooden board feeling sore all over.
This bed, no, this wooden board, was truly uncomfortable to sleep on; it was lumpy.
Also, his younger brother Lin Lei, though not big, had feet that were truly a bit too smelly, making his head feel a bit muddled.
Rubbing his head, Lin Xiaoman sat straight up.
Thinking of the system, Lin Xiaoman directly opened the screen in his mind.
【Experience Points: 5】
【Confirm extraction of intelligence?】
Thinking that he was in a good mood today, Lin Xiaoman directly clicked confirm. The screen moved slightly, and a message appeared.
【Primary Intelligence: Yi Zhonghai just dropped 50 yuan outside the Siheyuan Courtyard's dog hole. He will return to look for it in 10 minutes.】
Holy cow, this one experience point was worth it today.
50 yuan was two months' salary for a newly hired worker, and for temporary workers like Lin Xiaoman, it would take at least three or four months to save up.
If it were someone else's money, Lin Xiaoman would be too embarrassed to pick it up, but for a wealthy person and a hypocrite like Yi Zhonghai, it would be foolish not to pick it up.
So, Lin Xiaoman immediately got up, quietly opened the door of his house, and went out.
It was only around 5 o'clock, the sky was dim, and there was no one in the Siheyuan Courtyard.
The Siheyuan Courtyard's dog hole was in the backyard, and outside it was a small path. It was very convenient to go to the black market from there, and almost every adult man in the Siheyuan Courtyard went to the black market this way.
Yi Zhonghai must have returned from the black market, but Lin Xiaoman didn't know what he had sold to have 50 yuan.
Quietly walking out the front door, seeing that no one was paying attention, Lin Xiaoman circled to the outside of the backyard wall and indeed found several large black ten-yuan notes under the wall.
Besides that, there was a sharp, protruding stone on the top of the wall, with a piece of torn cloth hanging on it.
It seemed that Yi Zhonghai must have dropped the money because his clothes were torn.
Lin Xiaoman felt a little gloating; this guy was really too careless. Why didn't he hide the money in his underwear?
Lin Xiaoman picked up the money with a clear conscience.
As he left, Lin Xiaoman took out a Daqianmen cigarette butt he had just picked up in the Siheyuan Courtyard from his spatial dimension and threw it down.
Originally, he had thought of looking for the cheap cigarettes Yan Bugui usually smoked near his house, but Yan Bugui was truly too stingy; he had smoked all the cigarette butts, leaving nothing behind.
As a second-best option, he could only find the Daqianmen cigarette butts that Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao often smoked.
With the money, Lin Xiaoman quickly returned home, not even bothering to go to the toilet, to avoid running into others and being suspected by Yi Zhonghai.
Just 5 minutes after Lin Xiaoman left, Yi Zhonghai stealthily returned to the outside of the Siheyuan Courtyard wall.
When he saw the torn cloth, he immediately started searching on the ground.
But he searched a 10-meter radius nearby, and not to mention money, there wasn't even a single dog hair.
Oh, right, there was a Daqianmen cigarette butt.
"Damn it! Old Liu also went to the black market, it's very likely that guy picked up the money!"
Yi Zhonghai knew that Liu Haizhong had gone to the black market, and seeing the cigarette butt, he immediately identified him as the thief.
Lin Xiaoman returned home, endured Lin Lei's foot odor, and lay down for half an hour, then heard a commotion from the backyard.
"Slap!" Lin Xiaoman slapped Lin Lei on the thigh.
"Brother, what's up?" Lin Lei asked groggily.
"Someone's arguing outside, go take a look!"
Watching a commotion was human nature, and as soon as Lin Lei heard someone arguing, he wasn't groggy anymore. He ran out with Lin Xiaoman.
Following the sound, the two arrived at the backyard and saw many people gathered at Liu Haizhong's doorstep, with the sounds of Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong arguing coming from inside the room.
This was a rare sight; usually, these two acted like respectable elders, like the patriarchs of the Siheyuan Courtyard, and rarely had heated arguments. Today was a first.
Perhaps seeing more and more people gathering, Yi Zhonghai realized that continuing to argue like this would damage his image as First Grandpa, so he said something and walked out with a dark face.
"First Grandpa, should we hold a meeting to discuss this!"
As if on cue, Xu Damao, not one to shy away from trouble, joked with a smile from outside.
"Yes, we should hold a meeting, and give you idlers a good lecture!" Yi Zhonghai glared at Xu Damao.
"Hey, First Grandpa, I'm not an idler; I'll be a regular worker at the Steel Rolling Mill soon!"
As soon as Xu Damao finished speaking, Xu Fugui pulled him back from behind, smiled, apologized to Yi Zhonghai, and walked out.
Vaguely, Lin Xiaoman heard Xu Fugui quietly scolding Xu Damao for being an idiot, saying that the matter of becoming a regular employee must be kept secret.