Chapter 4 Meeting

The Lin family was chatting before going to bed at night, and the Wang family was holding a small meeting over there.

After Wang Xiuren left Yue's house, he looked at the sky which was getting darker and darker, and hurried back. He returned in less than a quarter of an hour.

He did not rush to the old house immediately, but returned to his own narrow and simple side room. After entering the room, he picked up the kettle on the coal stove and walked towards the washstand.

I poured half a basin of water, filled the kettle and put it on the coal stove to continue boiling, otherwise there would be no hot water at night.

Wang Xiuren rubbed his face hard with a towel several times, then rubbed the towel with soap, wrung it dry, hung it up, poured the dirty water out of the door, put the washbasin away, then fell on the bed with his hands behind his head.

He thought of his wife who was returning to her parents' home today. He also knew that his parents did not consider his wife and daughter as their own people, but what could he do? After all, it's not easy for my parents either. I just hope my wife can be less irritable and more tolerant. A harmonious family is the key to success! He had no idea what the rules for his parents' meeting tonight were!

Slowly, Wang Xiuren's eyelids drooped. Not long after, he heard someone calling him in a daze.

"Second brother, it's time to eat! Get up quickly!" The younger brother Wang Xiuxin pushed Wang Xiuren who was dozing off on the bed.

Wang Xiuren suddenly woke up: "Xiu Xin, you almost scared me to death!"

"You were sleeping so soundly that I couldn't hear you when I called you!" Wang Xiuxin urged as he walked out, "Hurry up! We're just waiting for you!"

"I'm coming! Don't rush me!"

Wang Xiuren pulled his hair back and followed behind, closing the door.

After going out, I was instantly awakened by the night wind. Wang Xiuren walked quickly into the main room.

I saw that the Eight Immortals Table in the main hall was full of people. Wang Zongsheng and the eldest son Wang Xiude sat at the top, with the third son Wang Xiuli and the fourth son Wang Xiuxin sitting on their left, and the eldest sons Wang Ming and Wang Lei sitting on their right. Li Xiuying was feeding Wang Lei with a bowl at the bottom.

To be honest, when Wang Xiuren saw the two brothers Wang Ming and Wang Lei sitting at the table, he thought of Shanshan and felt a little uncomfortable, but he quickly suppressed his unhappiness and sat next to Li Xiuying.

"Second brother, come and have dinner! I've poured you the wine!" The eldest brother raised his glass and gestured.

Wang Xiuren also picked up his glass and clinked it with the boss, took a sip, picked up the chopsticks, picked up a peanut coated with salt, and chewed it slowly.

"Second brother, is Lin Qiu back to her parents' home again?" Li Xiuying suddenly asked.

"Yeah." Wang Xiuren nodded.

Li Xiuying put an egg into Wang Ming's bowl while muttering, "I'm not saying anything bad about her, but since giving birth to Shan, she has been back to her parents' home for 300 days out of 365 days a year. People who don't know would think I'm bullying her!"

Wang Xiuren explained: "Mom, she wanted to go back to her parents' home to have someone to take over. My aunt can help her take care of Shanshan."

"Are you blaming me for not helping you bring people?" Liu Xiuying was unhappy when she heard this.

"When you four were little, which one of you was taken care of by me? When you three got married and had children, which one of you didn't I worry about? You are hurting my feelings by saying these things now. How have I let you down?

Li Xiuying outputted rapidly.

"How could I blame you? I just said that." Wang Xiuren replied.

Liu Xiuying was not satisfied and continued, "How could I not want to take care of your sister Shan? As long as I can take care of her. She is very shy and cries when I hold her, as if I have thorns on my body. She is very delicate!!"

"Okay, why talk about this? My in-laws' family is well off, so it's normal for Lin Qiu to want to go back!" Wang Zongsheng put down his wine glass and made the final decision: "Let's eat!"

Li Xiuying finally stopped talking, and everyone at the table ate their meal in peace.

After dinner, Wang Xiu De sent his two sons back home and hurried over.

Liu Xiuying washed the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and carried the brazier into the main room where the old couple lived. The six people sat around the brazier.

Wang Zongsheng lit a cigarette, took a puff, and then spoke: "Today's meeting is mainly because the boss wants to build a new house. What do you brothers think?"

"What should we think about this? It's a good thing!" The fourth child, Wang Xiuxin, is young and lively, and spoke quickly.

The third brother, Wang Xiuli, nodded in agreement: "It is indeed a good thing!"

Wang Xiuren also nodded: "But, wasn't it just a few years ago that Big Brother's house was built?"

"I'm thinking of building a red brick house while I have a few dollars on hand. Bricks and tiles are relatively cheap now, but I won't be sure about the price in the future." Wang Xiude also lit a cigarette and paused: "After all, I have two sons. It's okay for them to be young now, but they will need money when they grow up! Sister Ling is still hiding in my wife's house and I dare not bring her back! If the family planning people find out, I will lose the money on hand!"

"Boss, you still have a chance of success!" Wang Zongsheng praised.

"But it's still a bit difficult for your eldest brother to build a new house. He has three children and it's a heavy burden. You brothers should still help him out. After all, he is your family!" Li Xiuying then stated the theme of today's meeting.

"I'm not even a finished apprentice yet, and I don't have any money!" Wang Xiuxin rolled his eyes and made his attitude clear.

"Xiu Xin, this is the actual situation, and it is understandable!" Wang Xiu De patted Wang Xiu Xin on the shoulder.

"What about you, Third Brother?" Li Xiuying asked.

Wang Xiuli answered slowly, "Mom, you know, I bought a new house last year and got married before the New Year, so I don't have much money left."

"But when I go out to work and earn some money this year, I will definitely help my brother," Wang Xiuli added.

Wang Xiu De sighed and said, "Third brother, this is indeed a pile of things! Second brother, what about you? Can you help your brother?"

Wang Xiuren originally wanted to agree directly, but thinking of Lin Qiu's anger today, he hesitated.

"Xiu Ren, you have the least burden among the four of you brothers. You only have a daughter, Shan. Two years ago, you and Lin Qiu worked outside and saved some money. Your eldest brother is in trouble now, so it's only right for you to help him!" Li Xiuying looked at Wang Xiu Ren and said with a smile: "When your eldest brother recovers, he will definitely repay you!"

"Yes, second brother, I promise that once the new house is built, I will go out to work and pay you back when I make money!" Wang Xiu De promised, patting his chest.

"That's right, there's nothing to be afraid of with just a few people in our room!" Wang Xiuxin echoed.

"I'll discuss it with Lin Qiu when she comes back!" Wang Xiuren really wanted to agree, but he was afraid that Lin Qiu would argue with him, so he didn't dare to say it definitely.

"You are the head of the family, what is there for you to discuss with her!" Li Xiuying curled her lips, a little angry: "Your own brother asked you for help and you refused? Second brother, is this how you treat your brother? It was the eldest brother who arranged for you to learn carpentry. You can't be a heartless person!"

"That's right! Second brother will definitely help! Unlike me, I am powerless!" Lao Man continued to interrupt.

"Second brother, just one question, will you lend me money?" Wang Xiu De stared at Wang Xiu Ren.

Li Xiuying grabbed Wang Xiuren's hand and said forcefully, "Second brother, are you going to help me or not? If you don't help me, then we are not brothers anymore!"

Wang Xiuren was a little shaken at first, but suddenly he got angry and broke free from Li Xiuying's hand. He stood up and said angrily, "What are you forcing me to do?"

Seeing that the second brother didn't give her face, Li Xiuying also got angry and pointed at him and cursed: "Who forced you? Who is like you? Your eldest brother is in trouble, but you didn't help him even if you could? You have the skills you have now because of your eldest brother's methods, but now that you've made money, you don't recognize anyone, you ungrateful wolf!"

When Wang Xiuren heard Li Xiuying scolding him like that, he was so angry that he gasped!

"Enough! Why are you, as a mother, scolding the second son like that? The second son never said he wouldn't lend money to the eldest son!" Wang Zong took the last puff of his cigarette, threw the cigarette butt into the brazier, and then pulled Li Xiuying to sit down.

"Second brother, don't blame your mother. She is just anxious. After all, she wants you brothers to help each other. After all, broken bones are connected with tendons!" Wang Zongsheng is very good at balancing things and comforting both sides.

"But, speaking of this, since you have some extra money and don't have anything important to do, it's only right that you lend it to the eldest brother in case of an emergency!" Wang Zongsheng continued, "We, as parents, always hope that our sons will all live well. If any of you have difficulties, we will try to help you solve them. It's also because we are incompetent and useless. Otherwise, why would we ask you for help? We would have built red brick houses for all of you! Alas, I'm old now and there's nothing I can do. I just hope that you brothers can help each other and work together!"

The eyes of the four Wang Xiuren brothers were reddened by what Wang Zongsheng said.

"Second brother, I won't force you. You should have a good talk with Lin Qiu tomorrow. She is a sensible girl and will definitely understand you!" Wang Zongsheng patted Wang Xiuren on the shoulder and spoke after a long time: "Okay, it's getting late, you guys should go back to bed early! It's so cold, cover yourself with the quilt, don't catch a cold!"

The eldest, the second and the third brother walked out the door with different expressions.

It was pitch black outside and there were gusts of cold wind.