Chapter 7
The family owned a decent amount of land, but not much either. They had to support him while he studied away from home, and also feed this large family. After deducting taxes, they were barely making ends meet.
Old Man Wen glanced at Liu Shi and couldn't help but sigh.
"Why don't you go back to your parents' home and borrow some? This land can't be sold."
Liu lowered her eyes. Her previous trip back hadn't been a grand affair, but now she was being asked to go back to borrow money. Although it was for her eldest son's sake, she didn't really want to go.
Deep down, she knew perfectly well that her family wanted to take advantage of her, and that they would never lend her money.
“You’ve only just gone to the county, so you’re not really familiar with it yet. Maybe wait a couple of years before you buy.”
Liu looked at her eldest son. In two years, the two of them might have some savings, as the family's savings had long been exhausted.
"Father, Mother, it's not that my husband and I don't care about home, it's just that we're not having an easy time out here either."
After Xiuyu finished speaking, she picked up a handkerchief and pretended to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Everyone thinks my husband and I are living a life of luxury outside, but that's not the case at all. My husband gets up early every day and studies hard until late at night, all so that our family can have a good life."
“My husband is in the county school, but his classmates have already bought houses in the county and are eating and using the best things.”
"Nowadays, my husband and I don't need all the money from the household; just a little extra is enough."
Upon hearing this, Old Man Wen felt a pang of sadness, and a worried expression appeared on his face. It seemed that he had no choice but to buy it.
After a while, he asked, "How much more is needed?"
Sixty taels of silver.
Upon hearing this, the eldest son of the Wen family immediately spoke up.
If we want to sell land, we need to sell at least two acres to barely raise enough money. But if we don't sell land, we can't borrow that much money from anyone.
Liu also looked worried and troubled as she looked at Old Man Wen.
You should know that he's always the one making the decisions at home; she only takes care of the small things.
Old Man Wen sighed, then got up and left.
In the kitchen, Wen Ersao was already furious, her face turning ashen. They wanted so much more; she was really afraid that her parents-in-law would sell the land to give to the eldest son's family.
After that, what will the couple have left? How will they survive?
Before she knew it, she almost burned the dish. After realizing what had happened, she quickly added water to the pot, otherwise she would have been scolded. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt.
The eldest son and his wife had already spent a lot of the family's money, and now that they've become scholars, they're coming back to ask for more money. It's like they're not giving the family a way to survive.
When it was time to eat, the family sat down together to eat, but no one spoke.
The eldest couple sighed from time to time, and although Old Man Wen remained silent, he was clearly keeping the matter to himself.
First, he thought of borrowing, but who could he ask? He couldn't bring himself to ask the villagers, and he might not be able to borrow from his relatives. He was also reluctant to sell the land.
Moreover, it was only early spring planting season, and if the land were sold, this year's harvest would be much smaller. He found the whole table of food tasteless.
Late at night, the full moon hangs high in the sky, and countless stars twinkle.
The eldest son and his wife lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at each other.
"Xiuyu, do you think our parents will give us the money?"
"Don't worry, they will. They've always been very kind to you. Once we get the money, plus what we had before, we'll definitely be able to start a business with them."
"I don't know if the deal will go through."
“I heard that the county magistrate’s wife is also planning to participate in this business. How could it possibly lose money? Think about it, the best location, the best shop, and the best chef. Once this restaurant opens, how can it not make money? We can steadily receive dividends every year. If we save up for a few years, we can afford to buy a house in the prefectural city, let alone the county.”
"This is a rare opportunity."
"I'm always a little nervous about having to invest all the money I have at once."
The eldest son of the Wen family was neither good nor bad at studying. He knew in his heart that it was unlikely that he could make any further progress. After going to study in the county, he was often scolded by his teacher and was under a lot of pressure.
Xiuyu is a farm girl, but she has been very opinionated and shrewd since childhood, and is good at socializing.
The scholar's wife was quite well-liked in the county. Some merchants would even invite her to their homes. When the eldest son of the Wen family had just passed the imperial examination, she even went to the county government office and had a meal with the county magistrate and his wife.
This is a great honor, something most people would dream of.
"What are you afraid of? Don't you think about how much benefit you'll get if it succeeds?"
"Over the years, my family has spent a lot of money on me. Now my third son is also studying. Although I don't know how well he will turn out, I can't guarantee that my parents won't think about him."
"Don't worry about that, your parents didn't give him any money to study."
"Don't always sigh and worry about failing the exam. How can you possibly pass the exam if you keep thinking like that? How can you become an official in the future? You should focus on your studies. I'll take care of things at home. We must do this business."
Xiuyu's expression was resolute.
In the house across the street, Old Man Wen was also discussing the matter with Mrs. Liu, trying to figure out what would happen.
He didn't want to go to the end. In his heart, he hoped that his wife would borrow money from her parents' home. After all, his eldest son was promising and would become an official in the future, so a few taels of silver would be nothing to him.
He could have made more with a casual wave of his hand, but Liu seemed not to understand and refused to respond.
"Are you really going to sell the land?"
The couple never considered refusing their eldest son; their only concern was how to make money.
In the darkness, upon hearing her father's words, Liu nodded.
“If it doesn’t work out, we can sell it. It’s all for the good of the family. After we buy a house, we can go and help the eldest son take care of his children during the winter off-season.”
"Then sell it."
Old Man Wen made up his mind immediately.
Land sells very well, especially in the village. The next morning, Old Man Wen went to see the village head. The village head looked at him incredulously but didn't say much. His family was about to split up, and they had a lot of money but not much land. For ordinary people, land is their lifeline.
Everyone in the village knew he wanted to buy land.
"Then give me those two acres of land at the west end of the village. After the transfer, I'll deliver the money to your home."
"good."
On the way home, Old Man Wen's steps were a little heavy, but when he got home, he looked at his eldest son sitting in a chair pretending to read.
I immediately felt it was worth it.
As the weather grew hotter, the family members wore more and more clothes every day. Wen Ersao had to wash a large basin of clothes every day, leaving her breathless with exhaustion. After receiving the money, the eldest couple happily returned to the county.
Watching them leave, Sister-in-law Wen almost dropped the basin she was holding.
The second, fourth, and fifth sons of the Wen family didn't say anything.
Wen Ersao had a lot of complaints, but she couldn't argue with her in-laws, so she could only endure it. The house fell into an eerie silence. No one spoke, but everyone seemed to be preoccupied with their own thoughts.
When Yingxiang and Wenshi returned from their holiday, on the morning of that day, as soon as they arrived at the village entrance, many people stared at them and whispered among themselves.
Yingxiang wondered why they were talking when she hadn't even come back yet. Wenshi didn't take these people seriously at all. The two walked home and by the time they got there, they already knew.
It turned out that Old Man Wen sold two acres of land to buy a house for his eldest son in the county.
Wen Shi remained calm, even when busybodies tried to talk to him at the door, he didn't say a word. As for Yingxiang, she didn't say anything either, since it wasn't really her business.
These biased in-laws can't bleed her dry, and as for the rest of the Wen family, they'll probably just have to put up with it.
Yingxiang was wearing a dress that had just been made, and silver hairpins and other jewelry in her hair. Her complexion was very rosy and she looked to be doing well.
As soon as the two entered, Liu looked over, and her face turned very ugly when she saw Yingxiang.
As for the second sister-in-law of the Wen family, she was filled with envy, and her movements slowed down considerably.
"Be quicker."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are weaving baskets to sell for money. They didn't work this hard in previous years, but they have to this year. The family's harvest won't be much this year, and if they don't do something else to supplement their income, they'll probably go hungry.
"Third brother, third sister-in-law, you're back."
The two of them were not empty-handed, of course. Wen Shi specially cut off a pound of meat to bring back, and there were people watching over them along the way.
In any case, he had to save face.
He has already passed the preliminary examination and will be taking the county-level examination this year. Once he passes, he will not have any financial pressure.
He's suffered for several years now, and to be honest, he's gotten used to it. Besides himself, who else can he rely on? Things are a little better now than before, though, because he has a wife and someone who cares about him.
"Sister-in-law, is that a silver hairpin in your hair?"
"yes."
After Wen Ersao finished speaking, she glanced at Liu Shi.
"You have such good things but don't even know how to show filial piety to your mother-in-law."
Liu said something sarcastic, and Yingxiang cursed inwardly but remained calm on the surface. She even reached out and touched her silver hairpin with a smile, as if showing it off.
“Mother, it’s just a small silver hairpin, not worthy of you, and frankly, it’s not anything valuable.”
"When your brother and sister-in-law came back, I heard you sold two acres of land. When you come back next time, are you thinking of selling this yard too?"
Yingxiang sat to the side, frowned slightly when she heard this, but said nothing. They were all living, breathing people with flesh and blood and feelings. How could he not have any resentment when his parents were so biased?
"Don't you have any manners? You're even blaming your mother-in-law."
"Mother, Yingxiang works very hard in town too."
Remembering what the villagers had said before, and looking at Yingxiang's current attire, she immediately stood up, walked directly to Yingxiang, and stretched out her hand, intending to ask her for it as well.
"Where's the money? Right now, we're all living together as a family, and your dad and I are the ones running the household."
"it took."
Yingxiang said without changing her expression.
"Mother, what are you doing?"
Wen Shi looked at his mother disapprovingly, feeling ashamed of her actions.
"What are you talking about? We're not doing well at home right now. If we have money, why don't we hand it over? Are you expecting this spendthrift to squander it all?"
After saying that, she went to take the hairpin from Yingxiang's hair, but Yingxiang would not let her have her way and avoided her.
"Mother, my husband needs writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones for his studies. These can't just fall from the sky, can they?"
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