Chapter 40 Parents' Worries

Li Banxia shook her head, "No."

"That's great! I'll wait for your good news at home." Sister-in-law Li's eyes were full of smiles, and her gaze towards Li Banxia became much more affectionate.

After the two women finished speaking, Li's mother called out to send them away.

"Go back and discuss it carefully, and decide how much money is appropriate. Although the way to make money is reliable, opportunities can change in an instant. You need to weigh this carefully yourselves, and don't blame your little sister if something goes wrong."

Li Erge said coldly, "Who dares!"

Brother Li smiled and said, "Mom, you're wrong. My little sister earns money and takes us with her because she cares about us. If we're so ungrateful, we might as well just smash our heads against that old locust tree at the village entrance."

Li's mother glanced at him and gave a soft snort.

"It's good that you know."

Li Ersao and Li Sansao exchanged a glance, and one of them said with a smile, "Mom, my little sister likes braised chicken. I'll go back, kill the chicken, cook it, and bring it over."

"I'll go get some cold dishes. Mom and Dad, you two chat with your little sister for a bit, dinner will be ready soon," the other said with a smile.

Li Banxia smiled and thanked them, "Thank you, Second Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law."

After exchanging a few more jokes, the group left one by one.

Only Li's father, mother, and Li Banxia remained in the room.

"Mom and Dad, I... I don't have much money. I was thinking of borrowing six hundred from you to make it a thousand. My eldest son's wife's family gave her two thousand, and I thought I couldn't let the children pay for everything, so I..."

Li Banxia trailed off, unable to continue.

Over the years, she has never had more than a thousand dollars in her hands!

No, there was a short period of time when the eldest son's wife brought a dowry of one thousand yuan, which she kept to herself. However, not long after, she used it to buy a job for the second son.

Yes, that thousand belongs to the eldest son's wife, and the second son has to pay it back!

Li Banxia paused for a moment, her thoughts drifting far away. Seeing her parents' worried eyes, she quickly forced a smile, "Before, we had many children and expenses, so we couldn't save any money. Now, the eldest son and his wife, as well as the second son, all have jobs, and the third son is also looking for work. More and more people in the family are earning money, and things will get better soon."

"You're so stubborn!"

Li's mother nodded at Li Banxia and looked at Li's father, "Go and get the money box."

Mr. Li agreed and turned to go into the inner room. A moment later, he came out with a square mother-of-pearl box inlaid with phoenixes in flight and handed it to Mrs. Li.

Li's mother opened it and took out a stack of money, fifty bills in a bundle.

"Here's five thousand. A while ago you said you wanted to buy a job for your second son and to help him and your third son get married, so your father and I took some out, thinking we'd give it to you when you came back. But you never came back. Then we heard you took your eldest son's dowry..."

Li's mother sighed. She had always known that her daughter had a hard time supporting the family on her own.

But the daughter is strong-willed and doesn't want to trouble them.

"A mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are two strangers brought together, and when it comes to money and interests, conflicts can easily arise. Your eldest son is caught in the middle and in a difficult position. Listen to your mother's advice: your eldest son's wife is a good person. You should return her dowry money to her later..."

Li Banxia looked at her mother and vaguely remembered that her mother had reminded her of something similar in her previous life. She had forgotten what she was thinking at the time, but she had never returned the money to her eldest son's wife.

"Mom, this money shouldn't be yours to pay, nor should it be mine. It should be paid by the second son."

Li Banxia said, "He'll be promoted to a full-time employee next month, and his salary will double. I'll talk to him about paying back the money."

"Can he honestly save money to pay off the debt?"

Father Li frowned, his expression revealing his pessimism towards Su Lao Er.

Li's mother glared at Li's father, "How can you talk about your own grandson like that?"

Thinking of his daughter's protective nature, Mr. Li sighed softly and said nothing more.

"Dad wasn't wrong about him."

A cold glint flashed in Li Banxia's eyes. "I'll find a way to make him pay back the money."

Li's mother looked at her daughter with heartache.

The son-in-law doesn't know how to be considerate. Xiaxia's children, I don't know if they are spoiled or if they are born with a gene that doesn't know how to be considerate. They do everything for Xiaxia.

"Let's not talk about anything else. Take this money first, and let us know if it's not enough."

Li's mother stuffed the money into Li Banxia's hand, but Li Banxia dodged it and didn't take it.

"Mom, this is money you've worked so hard to save, I can't accept it!"

“We still have some left, so don’t worry about using it,” said Li’s father from the side.

Li Banxia shook her head. She had taken so much money without saying a word. If her sisters-in-law found out, it would affect their relationship with their parents.

"I know what you're worried about, so you can take the money without worry."

Li's mother sighed, "Which of your brothers and sisters-in-law doesn't have several thousand yuan in their pockets? Your father and I have already made it clear that we don't expect them to pay for our retirement, and they shouldn't even think about the little retirement money we have."

“Yes, whether they know or not doesn’t matter,” Mr. Li added.

Seeing that she was still shaking her head, Li's mother got angry, grabbed her hand, and stuffed the money into it.

“You should not refuse a gift from an elder! If you are given one, then take it. If you feel indebted to us, then try to live your own life well and don’t keep making us worry about you.”

Li Banxia was forced to take the money.

"...Then, then consider it a loan. I'll borrow two thousand, and use the remaining three thousand to buy things for my parents. The money I earn will be your retirement savings."

After much deliberation, Li Banxia came up with a compromise.

Mr. and Mrs. Li exchanged a glance, not daring to object, fearing that their daughter's stubbornness would flare up and she would refuse to accept the money, leaving them with no other option.

Seeing that her parents agreed, Li Banxia breathed a slight sigh of relief and put the money away.

The three chatted for a few more minutes about everyday things, and when they learned that the eldest son's wife was pregnant with twins, Mr. and Mrs. Li were overjoyed for their daughter, saying, "You're going to be a grandmother soon..."

Speaking of the girl that Su Lao Er liked, a meal cost more than ten yuan, and Li's father had to suppress the urge to curse.

Li's mother frowned and asked Li Banxia what she planned to do.

Li Banxia smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "I've already told the brothers that their standards for choosing wives will be based on the eldest brother's. They will treat everyone equally and without favoritism. If they don't meet the other party's requirements, then they'll have to find their own way."

"Yes, it's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality. That's a good point." Father Li nodded in agreement.

Li's mother also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Mom, Dad, and little sister, the braised chicken is here."

A short while later, Sister-in-law Li arrived carrying a pot of rice.

Next came Brother Li and Sister-in-law Li, each carrying a three-tiered food box containing six dishes.

The table was covered with food.

After the family finished their meal in a happy atmosphere, Li's mother told Li Banxia to rest for a while while she went to make some soup to cool her down. Li Banxia said she had to go up the mountain to change Master Chang's wife's prescription, as two of the ingredients could only be found on the mountain.

"Alright, then let your second brother go with you."

Li Banxia refused, saying, "Let my second brother call my eldest brother. He doesn't know yet."

“Then I’ll go with my little sister. I haven’t been to the mountains in a long time.”

Brother Li volunteered, but Sister-in-law Li's expression changed drastically. "You can't go."