Chapter 29 Foreign Debt
Just then, Liu Weidong returned with lunch, and the group quickly finished eating. Before leaving, the honest Liu Weidong hadn't forgotten his business: "Wife, this month's household expenses..."
“I’ve already spoken to my third sister,” Zhou Juan interrupted him immediately, her tone light. “She knows our difficulties.”
Liu Weidong looked at her hesitantly. He naturally understood what his wife meant, and then shifted his gaze to the cabinet where the malted milk powder had been stored.
Zhou Juan quickly stepped forward, grabbed Liu Zhixia's hand, and said affectionately, "Third sister, let me see you off. Be careful on the road."
As she spoke, she winked at her husband. Liu Weidong had no choice but to follow empty-handed.
Looking at his younger brother and sister-in-law, Liu Weidong felt a little guilty and said in a low voice, "Fourth brother, I'll ask around for you again. If there's a suitable job, I'll ask someone to send you a message. Third sister, I didn't come back when you had that accident... I'll give you some extra pocket money after I get paid."
Liu Zhixia shook her head: "Second brother, don't be so polite, we're all family. You guys have it tough out there, so save your money for Erbao's education."
Zhou Juan immediately replied with a smile, "Third sister is such a thoughtful person. Your sister-in-law is also keeping an eye out for you in town. If you find a good family, it will definitely be much better than that Lu Huaiyuan."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, sister-in-law." Liu Zhixia nodded gently.
Liu Xuejun remained sullen throughout the journey after leaving the lumber mill.
"Sister..." he finally couldn't help but mutter, "Why do I feel like my second brother and sister-in-law are so distant from us?"
Liu Zhixia glanced at her younger brother, who only knew how to study, and explained calmly, "The family used to be poor, and they basically carried all the debts. Now that they see us eating fish and meat, of course they feel resentful. Plus, my sister-in-law even claimed that the chicken they bought was hers, which makes her think they're being taken advantage of."
“But when I suggested finding some work to do, so I could share the burden, they weren’t willing,” Liu Xuejun said, still puzzled.
"Silly brother," Liu Zhixia said with exasperation, "getting into a factory isn't that easy these days. You even said you'd only work there for a year. How are you going to repay the favors you've made? Your second brother has his own difficulties too."
Liu Xuejun then suddenly realized what was going on.
Liu Zhixia sighed inwardly.
I hadn't even thought of this aspect at first.
I guess he probably had very little contact with his second brother and sister-in-law even in his past life, and forgot their personalities.
Second sister-in-law Zhou Juan's family used to run a small business, but their fortunes declined, and she married second brother. The wedding cost the family a lot of money, which resented her eldest sister-in-law, who was also a daughter-in-law, leading to constant arguments between the sisters-in-law. Fortunately, Zhou Juan's family had some connections and used their influence to get both she and her husband jobs at the lumber mill. From then on, they rarely returned to the village except for holidays.
The second sister-in-law is a shrewd and independent woman, adept at handling affairs and never allowing herself to be taken advantage of. Unlike the eldest sister-in-law, she doesn't subsidize her own family, but you can't expect her to contribute a single penny to her husband's family either. In reality, the monthly allowance they give is only enough for their son, Erbao's, expenses. Knowing their hardships outside the home, and for the sake of family harmony, the parents always claim that the second son's family has given them a lot of money to help pay off debts. This keeps the eldest sister-in-law in check, preventing her from being too harsh on Erbao.
As they neared home, Liu Zhixia instructed, "Don't let my elder brother and sister-in-law know about selling the dendrobium. Don't mention a single word." Her sister-in-law was willing to sell her for a piece of meat; she couldn't afford to gamble with that.
Liu Xuejun knew the importance of the matter and nodded repeatedly.
When she got home, Liu Zhixia handed her mother the three yuan she earned from selling meat and noodles, plus the two yuan she earned from selling medicinal herbs, making a total of five yuan.
Zhang Xiuying looked at her money and asked in confusion, "Where did this money come from?"
"These three yuan were the compensation money given by the Lu family. The other two yuan were from selling goods from the mountains."
Zhang Xiuying quickly waved her hand: "I already said that three yuan was an apology to you. You should keep the money from selling your own things. Your second brother has enough money at home."
Liu Zhixia was silent for a moment before saying softly, "Mother, we met with my second brother and sister-in-law today. They said they are short of money and will not be contributing to the household expenses for the time being."
Zhang Xiuying's face stiffened: "What do you mean? Are you trying to cut ties with your family?"
Liu Zhixia sighed softly, "I guess she saw the fish in my basket and thought our family was doing well. Besides, the chicken my sister-in-law brought back last time was bought by my second sister-in-law. She found out about that too."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiuying's anger subsided, turning into a helpless sigh: "Fine... they've had a hard life too, let's just consider it as saving for Erbao's education. But if your sister-in-law finds out about this, she'll definitely cause a huge uproar."
Liu Zhixia stuffed five yuan into her mother's hand again: "So please take this money first and pay off the debts."
She leaned close to her mother's ear and whispered, "Mom, last time I went into the mountains with Comrade Shen, we found a lot of valuable medicinal herbs. A pound of them can sell for five yuan!"
Zhang Xiuying gasped: "What could be so precious?"
“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you. Anyway, there are still some in the mountains. I’ll go and collect them when things calm down. Let’s pay off our debts first. Once we have more money, there will naturally be fewer conflicts at home.”
Zhang Xiuying nodded emphatically, accepted the money, and her eyes hardened: "Okay. Your sister-in-law can't know about this. I'll have to ask you to bear with it and let her think that the money came from the second son."
Liu Zhixia agreed, and added, "Mother, this debt was borrowed to pay for Grandma's medical treatment. My eldest and second brothers are working hard, and I should do my part too."
Zhang Xiuying looked at her worriedly: "Is it dangerous in the mountains?"
"It's not dangerous. Only I know the place, and it's safer to go alone."
"Alright, be very careful."
Zhang Xiuying glared at her, annoyed. She was afraid others wouldn't notice her little scheme. She deliberately raised her voice and said, "Zhixia gave me the money from selling the meat, and Lao Er also gave them two yuan to take back. I have five yuan now, and I plan to pay off half of the debt first."
Upon hearing that the money was going to be spent, Shen Hongmei immediately became anxious: "Mom! Da Bao is old enough to go to school. Why don't we save this money for his tuition? Anyway, we're still short ten yuan. We can pay it back together when we've saved enough."
"Bullshit!" Zhang Xiuying immediately retorted. "They're doing us a favor by lending us money! We should pay off our debts first! Have you ever seen a family that's in debt yet still sends their children to school in style? The children in the village all start school late anyway, it won't make a difference if they wait a little longer!"
Seeing that Shen Hongmei was still unconvinced, Zhang Xiuying added, "If you're really anxious about Dabao's education, then hand the child over to Lao Si and let him give him his early education at home first."
"Can the fourth son's diploma really teach the children well?" Shen Hongmei retorted without hesitation. "He definitely needs to be sent to primary school and taught by proper teachers! Mother, Da Bao is your eldest grandson. Can you bear to let him fall behind the other children in the village?"
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