Chapter 64
In the bustling shop in the county town, Old Man Wen sat at the counter, looking somewhat absent-minded.
The sun was high in the sky outside, and he looked at the guests coming and going with a somewhat unfocused gaze.
"Shopkeeper, please settle the bill."
"They're here."
After reacting, Old Man Wen quickly walked to the table at the end of the second row to calculate the bill for the guests.
After the midday rush hour, Wen Lao Er and Lao Si came out and sat down to rest. They were both exhausted and covered in sweat, and the towels around their necks were already soaked.
Summer is the hardest time for them. Last winter, there were many people working in the shop, but this year there are several fewer. Everyone starts preparing as soon as they open their eyes every day and can only rest briefly in the evening.
They made a good profit, but everyone was exhausted. Wen Laosi thought of Liu Shi and his eldest brother, and was full of resentment. It was all their fault.
"Father, I want to go back and see Mother tomorrow."
As soon as Wen Lao Er opened his mouth, he was rejected by his younger brother and father.
"No, that won't work."
“We haven’t been back for a long time. Mother’s condition improved before, so maybe she’s fully recovered. If she comes, she can help out.”
"If we don't make any business tomorrow, let's go to the temple and pray to the Buddha. The third brother will be leaving soon, and we can't hold him back."
"Father, we just went there ten days ago."
Wen Lao Si said this with some confusion. Of course, he was not jealous of Wen Shi, after all, it was Wen Shi who brought them out, but was going to the temple so frequently really useful?
You know, they've been to the county countless times since the New Year. Old Man Wen always wanted to go whenever he thought of it, and at first, no one had any objections.
Wen Erge also felt that although he went there many times, he was still more worried about Liu Shi than going to the temple.
"Father, let's go back and see Mother."
"I think we should take a day off. We haven't had a moment's rest since we arrived. There's always work to be done from morning till night."
Wen Lao Si looked at his father and said, hoping that he would take his advice.
"Listen to me, go to the temple. To show our sincerity, we are not allowed to eat meat from now on. We will eat vegetarian food until the third brother finishes his exams."
After speaking, Old Man Wen looked determined. The second and fourth brothers looked at each other but didn't say anything.
As evening approached and the shop prepared to close, Old Man Wen sat at the counter counting the day's earnings. He had earned a little more than yesterday, and he took out a portion to donate to the temple the next day.
"father."
Old Man Wen subconsciously looked up, but his expression changed instantly when he saw Wen Chuanzong's face, and his tone became somewhat unpleasant.
What are you doing here?
Wen Chuanzong was young, and by the beginning of spring, he had almost fully recovered. He went from working in the village to working in the county. He didn't want to stay in the village, as he didn't earn much each month in the county, but it was enough to support himself.
Hearing his father's unfriendly tone, he immediately felt somewhat wronged.
"Father, this is our family shop. Am I not a member of the Wen family now? Can't I come here? I am also your son. Now you only care about the third son, and you never care about me. Father, you weren't like this before. I am also your son, your own flesh and blood. Why are you so biased?"
Wen Chuanzong's voice was not quiet. He felt very wronged. Madam Ma was tidying up the main hall. After reacting, she immediately closed the door. Family members should not let outsiders know about their quarrel, or they will be laughed at.
Wen Chuanzong, dressed in a blue robe, stood in front of Old Man Wen with a resentful expression on his face.
On the second floor, Sister-in-law Wen heard it too, and she immediately took the child and went downstairs.
"Yeah?"
Old Man Wen immediately retorted, his face turning as cold as ice.
“Wen Chuanzong, pat your chest and tell me how your mother and I have treated you since you were little?”
"All the good food in the house is for you to eat, and you always wear new clothes during holidays. Do your brothers all have new clothes to wear?"
“When you’re a little older, we’ll send you to school. Your grandfather’s life savings were all left to me, and I used all that money for your education.”
"Are your father, your mother, and your brothers destined to sacrifice everything for you?"
“You’ve caused quite a few troubles since you started studying. Today you complain about your teacher, tomorrow you complain about the private school. After we hear what you say, we immediately change schools for your future. When you say you don’t have money, the family immediately finds a way to give you money.”
"Even when the third brother insisted on going to school, you immediately objected when you found out. Your mother and I didn't give him a single penny. He had to earn his own money to study. Even so, you told me privately many times that the third brother wouldn't be able to finish his studies and that he should give up on the idea as soon as possible. You said that when you become successful, you will definitely help your brothers out."
“Wen Chuanzong, do you know? Now, when I think about these things, I feel ashamed. You almost ruined Lao San. I feel like I have let him down.”
"Tell me, what else do you want me to do to you?"
Old Man Wen practically roared out those words. Right now, he felt utterly desolate. The child he had raised with such care had ended up like this, not achieving much in his studies and instead constantly blaming his family.
Wen Chuanzong's face turned pale, and he naturally felt a little guilty because what Old Man Wen said was true.
He was the best treated among his brothers since childhood. He wore the clothes that his younger brothers didn't need so that they could wear them. Before the third brother passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, he was pampered by the whole family and never suffered any grievances.
He was against Wen Shi reading aloud, fearing that if Wen Shi read it aloud while he couldn't, it would be embarrassing. He started his education when he was just over five or six years old, while the third child was already past that age. But unexpectedly, things ended up developing in that direction.
Wen Chuanzong stood there, eyes lowered, silent. After a long while, his lips moved.
“I used to be the hope of the whole family, and now I’m the third child. But Dad, you’re being too biased right now. Do you know how sad I am?”
"Then why didn't the third brother argue with me about how I treated you before, saying that I was biased? He worked hard to earn money, study, support his brothers, and carry on the family line. But you, after passing the imperial examination, instead of helping your brothers, you thought about abandoning them, afraid that they would affect your future."
“Your brothers are all here today. Before, how did they work at home? After finishing their own work, they would work for other people, all to earn more money to support you. They didn’t keep a penny for themselves, hoping that when you became successful, you would take them to live a good life. And you? You enjoyed all of this without a care in the world, yet you despise them.”
After speaking, Old Man Wen was panting heavily, his face flushed.
“Now that you’ve grown up and are a father yourself, Wen Chuanzong, I, Wen Dafa, don’t only have you as my son. They are all my sons. I can’t possibly indulge you and support you, you heartless wretch, for the rest of my life.”
"father."
Seeing that his father was furious and coughed repeatedly after speaking, Wen Lao Er immediately stepped forward to pat his back to help him catch his breath.
Yuqin had planned that if Old Man Wen couldn't persuade her or was convinced to change his mind, she would say a few words, but she didn't want any more changes to her life, which was already good.
Unexpectedly, Old Man Wen saw things so clearly, as if his mind were a mirror. He didn't say it, but he hadn't forgotten their sacrifices. He still remembered Wen Chuanzong's attempt to abandon them and harbored resentment towards him.
"Brother, stop talking. Look how angry you've made Dad. What exactly did you come back for today?"
Wen Chuanzong hesitated, wanting to come back for money. After thinking for a while, he prepared to argue again. Yuqin also spoke up: "Brother, how can you accuse Father of favoritism? I've been married into this family for many years. We're both Father's sons. How did you and sister-in-law live those years? How did my husband and I live?"
“In those years, we tightened our belts to support you. I was heavily pregnant at the time, and I didn’t rest for a single day during my entire pregnancy. If you and my sister-in-law hadn’t come back with the child once, I wouldn’t have been able to afford white rice or white flour, let alone meat.”
"Dad has given you money time and time again, don't we know that? But have we said anything?"
“We wear clothes full of patches, but you and your sister-in-law always come back and leave in a respectable manner. When you come back, there are always three or four dishes on the table. But what about us? Most of the time we eat wild vegetables at home.”
“The eggs at home, the vegetables in the garden, and the grain left over after paying taxes—my parents would ask someone to sell them all, and give you all the money. They were afraid of making you suffer. Even when my son was sick, the family couldn't afford it, and all the money went to you.”
“When our parents acted like this before, what good did it do for me, my husband, and the third, fourth, and fifth children to have any objections or make a fuss? Your behavior today is really inhuman.”
Yuqin may not be a great writer, but her plain language is flawless.
The second and fourth brothers nodded subconsciously. Although Ma Shi sat to the side without saying anything, she felt a pang of injustice for her brothers.
How come other people could tolerate it back then? Wen Chuanzong is not a three-year-old child anymore. He's a grown man. Can't he survive without his family supporting him? It's really too much. He's lazy and greedy.
After hearing what Yuqin had to say, Wen Chuanzong lowered his head and turned to leave.
"Fourth brother, pour some water for Dad."
"good."
"Father, don't be angry, my eldest brother..."
"Let's stop talking about him and live our own lives."
“If he comes to cause trouble again, I will kick his wife and children out of the house.”
Wen Chuanzong's life was not easy either. Although the work was not that tiring, his income was limited. He came to ask for money because of A Mian.
He walked into another alley and looked at Ah Mian waiting for him. He couldn't help but lower his head, looking very dejected.
When A-Mian saw him like this, her heart skipped a beat, and she knew something was wrong. She unconsciously touched her belly, looking rather pitiful.
“My dad wouldn’t give me the money, and he even scolded me.”
Wen Chuanzong made no mention of his own mistakes. He was originally speaking from a superior position, but it was true that his family was currently biased towards Wen Shi and that his father had given him a lot of money.
He figured Old Man Wen would probably feel guilty and might give him the money, so he could just forgive him and win some goodwill in return.
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