But before this, at most she just gave Uncle Sam a cold shoulder, refused to give her nephew new clothes or good food—nothing like now, where she was pushing the three children to the brink of death... The The Brooks Family was considered a prominent family, and treating her own nephew like this was disgraceful and damaging to their reputation.

The reason Holt suddenly became so vicious was because in March of this year, that is, this very month, the The Brooks Family’s mourning period was ending, and the day for the legal division of the family property was approaching. She was determined to get the lion’s share, so she had her own brother go to the county office in advance to make arrangements.

Who would have thought her brother would come back and say that the government clerk had given a clear answer: this kind of matter was very tricky, because the laws of the Song Dynasty opposed dividing family property, considering it an act that undermined public morals. Therefore, whoever first proposed the division would actually get less of the inheritance. Moreover, since grandsons and granddaughters also had inheritance rights to their grandparents’ property, when dividing the estate, the authorities would refer to the number of people in each household... Neither family had any unmarried daughters, only sons, which meant that except for her as the daughter-in-law, everyone else had inheritance rights... The number of inheritors was three to five, so her side was still at a disadvantage.

Furthermore, the unique official appointment system of this dynasty meant that the county magistrate would never risk his reputation for a small bribe. So if they relied on the authorities to settle it, her family would definitely lose out.

Holt was completely dumbfounded—was she about to shoot herself in the foot?

Her brother told her that now, either let Edward Brooks propose the division first, or both sides reach a private agreement before going to the authorities... As long as things were generally fair and reasonable, the magistrate would turn a blind eye.

This became Holt’s lifeline, and she resolved to force her brother to propose the division first, so naturally she became even more ruthless. It just so happened that Edward Brooks was away studying at the time, so she began to torment his three children in every possible way... The goal was to make sure that as soon as Edward Brooks returned, he would realize he had to either stay home forever to watch his children, or immediately agree to divide the family.

If, by chance, one or two of them died, that would suit her just fine. In this era, the child mortality rate was shockingly high—even among wealthy families, if you had ten children and managed to raise half to adulthood, it was a miracle. She herself had given birth to seven, but only two survived, so in her eyes, losing a few underage children was nothing at all.

※※※

Having her intentions suddenly exposed by a child, Holt couldn’t help but panic, muttering curses like “I’ll tear your mouth apart,” while her feet began to edge toward the door, not wanting to face those eyes that seemed to see right through her.

Charles Brooks secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though his expression didn’t change at all.

But how could Holt just slink away like that? She scowled, her eyes darting around, hoping to find an excuse to put this brat in his place.

When her fierce gaze landed on Little Henry, she suddenly noticed the little rascal shifting his body to the side. She immediately shouted, “What are you hiding!” and reached out to grab Little Henry’s right hand.

“What are you doing!” Charles Brooks hurried to shield his little brother, but he was only ten years old himself—how could he have the strength he had in his previous life? With a shove from the fierce woman, he stumbled. Though he quickly regained his balance, in that instant, Little Henry’s sleeve was seized by Holt.

“Let him go!” Charles Brooks clung tightly to the woman’s arm, shouting to Little Henry, “Run!”

But the little child was already scared stiff. Robert Black reacted, grabbing his younger brother and pulling him away. Little Henry’s clothes were already in tatters, and with that tug, the sleeve tore wide open, and something fell out.

Seeing what it was, even Charles Brooks was stunned—it was a scorched yellow chicken leg...

“Well, well!” Holt’s anger surged. She flung off Charles Brooks, smoothed her disheveled hair, and, like a rooster possessed, crowed excitedly, “I knew it! A whole nest of little thieves!”

“You’re talking nonsense!” This shout didn’t come from Charles Brooks or Robert Black, but from Little Henry, whose face was flushed red. He was so anxious he stammered, “My—my brother isn’t a thief!”

“Still dare to talk back!” As a shrew, Holt would never let things go when she had the upper hand. She raised her hand and slapped Little Henry, knocking him to the ground, blood streaming from his mouth and nose.

Holt was about to vent her rage further, when suddenly an angry roar rang out: “To hell with you, you wicked woman!”

“You—” She had barely uttered the word “you” when it turned into a scream, as the frenzied Charles Brooks rammed into her ribs.

Caught off guard, Holt was sent sprawling, dizzy and disoriented. Charles Brooks once again overestimated his own strength and, unable to keep his balance, also fell to the ground.

But at that moment, Robert Black let out a low growl, curled himself up, and pounced, landing on Holt’s stomach and raining punches down like a storm.

……

In this book, I’ve decided not to show off my knowledge, so you won’t see long explanatory passages, let alone essays. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t done my research. Although I can’t guarantee everything is perfectly accurate for the era, I’ve done my best, and it’s certainly no less authentic than “Officialdom.”

Chapter Six: Desperate Sanlang

However, the gap between adults and children is just too great—especially when it’s a woman fiercer than most men, compared to a boy not yet nine years old who’s been chronically underfed.