Chapter 22
Old Man Wen is the head of the family. He has lived for so many years and has never been a muddle-headed person when it comes to important matters.
Wen Shi wasn't particularly outstanding before; he didn't like to talk and even less like to show off. He and the eldest brother seemed to be two completely opposite children, but now it's clear that the difference in their abilities is obvious.
Wen Shi managed to read it all on his own. Logically, he had more reason to not bring his family along than the eldest son, since he didn't spend a single penny of his family's money on his studies.
Ke Shi was different. When he became successful, he thought of his brothers. On the other hand, Wen Chuanzong used to only ask his family for food and money. Even after passing the exam, he didn't say that he brought much benefit to his family.
Now he even wants to use this as an excuse to abandon his younger brothers. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him heartless. These days, Old Man Wen gets angrier and angrier as he thinks about it at night.
He was really a bit confused before; how could he have thought the boss was a good person?
The third brother is usually quiet and reserved, but he excels academically and passes exams on his first try. The eldest brother used to want everything to be the best, and every time he came back, he would compare his food and clothing with his classmates. He went to several private schools.
As a result, the third son passed the exam on his first try, while he had to take it several times.
"Let's go find the boss tomorrow."
"The third son is shrewd and decisive. If I pass away in the future, I will still have to leave the family to him. Fortunately, his wife is also a good person. I feel at ease leaving the family to them."
Liu was taken aback when her father suddenly said those words.
"Don't think I'm going too far. I've figured it out now. Only with Lao San and his wife can we live a good life. We can't ask them for money. Anyway, all the land at home has been rented out, and we're both in good health. We don't need any money."
"We're all getting on in years, it's time to retire."
“I reckon that after the third son’s wife pays them their wages, they’re unlikely to give you any on their own. Don’t ask for it either. The children are all grown up and can’t live like this forever. They need to learn to be in charge of their own lives. Having money in hand is the only way to have a future. The fifth son’s schooling money is also paid for by the third son.”
Liu didn't speak, but she didn't refute either; she knew that whatever she said would be useless.
The following afternoon, Xiuyu was at home eating sunflower seeds. She wasn't in a good mood, but when she saw her in-laws suddenly visiting, she was taken aback at first, and then immediately invited them in.
"We didn't say anything useless. Your mother and I came here for one purpose only. In the past few years, the family spent a lot of money to support the eldest son's education. Now you don't want to be filial to your mother and me, nor do you want to help your brothers. Since that's the case, pay back the money."
Old Man Wen walked straight in and sat down. After he finished speaking with a dark face, Xiuyu was a little confused.
Pay back the money? Pay back what money? They're not family, so why would they pay back money to their family? The room wasn't big, but it was furnished quite a bit.
Xiuyu is now adorned with gold and silver, which makes Liu feel very uncomfortable.
She reached out and pulled the thin gold hairpin off Xiuyu's head, held it in her hand, and sat down next to Old Man Wen without changing her expression.
Xiuyu was completely bewildered, not knowing what the old couple wanted to do.
"This hairpin is a gift for my mother-in-law. My third son's wife also bought me a piece of jewelry before the New Year."
That was Liu's only piece of jewelry. Although it wasn't very valuable, she loved it dearly and wore it whenever she went out. After all, jewelry is a reflection of a person's image.
She used to be a peasant from the countryside, but that doesn't matter. But things are different now. Even though Liu is getting old, she is still a woman. Every day, she sees women wearing jewelry on the streets and in the shops. How could she not be envious?
In the county, an ordinary bracelet wouldn't attract much attention.
Xiuyu had been eyeing this gold hairpin for a long time before reluctantly buying it, as Wen Chuanzong liked to associate with scholars from wealthy families.
She also liked to associate with wealthy women, so her clothes couldn't be too shabby, otherwise it would be embarrassing and she would be ostracized in private.
Before they became successful, the two relied entirely on their families for support. Wen Chuanzong only studied and didn't care about anything else, while Xiuyu also just sat at home eating and never thought of helping her family.
This is also what angers Old Man Wen the most these days.
He thought of what Yingxiang had told him a few days ago: that the third brother had passed the imperial examination and was now copying books and writing letters for people, all in order to earn more money.
This couple takes a lot of things from home, but they don't remember anything good about home.
Xiuyu felt wronged when she saw her parents-in-law suddenly visiting. She quickly closed the door, looking like she was about to cry.
"Father, Mother, what are you doing? We are all family."
“Even a family can’t do two different things. You two have no conscience. You’re eating and dressing well in the county, but have you ever thought about us back home? Now that your mother and I have come to the county, everything was arranged by the third son and his wife. You should at least contribute some money.”
The eldest couple spends a lot of money and doesn't earn much. Besides, they now live a decent life and can never go back to what they used to be.
"Father, Mother, it's not that Chuanzong and I don't want to give, we just really don't have the money."
After Xiuyu finished speaking, she wiped away her tears and was about to start counting on her fingers when Old Man Wen glanced at her, snorted, and stopped her.
"No money to hire people to do the work? Do you think your mother and I are fools? No money to buy gold hairpins? I've never seen the third son's wife wearing gold and silver in her hair. She even wants to earn money to help support the family."
Xiuyu was rebuffed and instantly speechless.
She began to have more and more complaints about Yingxiang and her husband. She suddenly wondered if the old couple were acting this way because the third son and his wife were trying to sabotage them behind their backs.
Thinking of this, Xiuyu's expression immediately turned ugly.
Well, it really is a dog that bites... She didn't say it outright, but she couldn't refute it for the moment.
“I’ve calculated it. Over the years, you and your husband have spent at least a hundred taels of silver from the family. If you can’t come up with that money, I’ll stay here. I don’t only have Wen Chuanzong as my son.”
Old Man Wen was unusually fair, and Xiuyu felt even more wronged upon hearing this; it was simply an undeserved disaster.
She moved her lips repeatedly, afraid of saying the wrong thing, but finally decided to wait for Wen Chuanzong to return before speaking.
Yingxiang wasn't idle at home either; she was reading. Running back and forth every day must be really tiring, but thankfully it only takes half a day, so it doesn't matter.
When she thought of Wen Shi, she still admired him.
Now that he's a scholar, he's even more diligent than before. If nothing unexpected happens, he'll have no problem with food and clothing in the future, and he'll live better than 80% of the people in this county.
But he remained very frugal.
That day, she was making dumplings with her sister-in-law, Ma, and Old Man Wen was also there. She made an excuse to talk to Ma and said everything that needed to be said.
Wen Shi is no less capable than his older brother. He didn't receive the same treatment at home before, and to be honest, part of the reason was his personality.
He has always been a man of action, and having grown up in the village, he is honest and straightforward at heart.
Wen Chuanzong was the complete opposite, and for Wen Shi, this kind of personality was somewhat of a weakness.
Fortunately, he has experienced a lot since then. Although he is now taciturn, he has a clear plan in mind, thinks far ahead, and doesn't let himself suffer losses.
That's good.
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