Pei Family Hall
When Jiang Xi went out, there were already quite a few people in the room. Pei's parents were glaring at the middle-aged men and women in front of them in anger. There were also a few teenage boys and girls watching them.
When they saw her come out, everyone had different expressions on their faces, but without exception they all looked repulsive.
Jiang Xi had the original owner's memories and recognized these people. Not long after Pei's parents got married, they had two sons, Pei Deming and Pei Deyi. They are now in their thirties and have already married and had children. The eldest child is fifteen years old.
Pei Hejun was born when the couple was in their thirties and was raised by them personally. The two older ones were raised by Pei's mother and grandmother and were not close to her.
These two people were separated more than ten years ago.
Pei's parents and their two sons were not very close. They only visited each other during festivals or when the family made something delicious and sent it to them. At other times, they rarely appeared here in such a group.
They came for themselves.
Jiang Xi stood aside and said nothing.
"You are really old and confused!" Pei Deming glanced at Jiang Xi and his heart ached even more.
He had long considered the Third Brother's things his own. Now that he found out that his things might be gone, he was about to explode. He didn't care if there were outsiders or not, and said directly in a hateful voice: "If I hadn't seen you two go out to work, I wouldn't have known! You are really crazy to support one person just for the Third Brother!"
Pei Deyi nodded in agreement with a dark face: "Is the Third Brother so proud? Isn't it enough for you two to serve him? Do you have to hire someone specially? I've already said that my eldest brother and I will take turns to take care of him in the future. Is this not okay?"
The wives of the two men were also unhappy and said, "Dad and Mom, in your hearts, neither of our families is as good as an outsider, right?"
Mother Pei was so angry that she was shaking. She did not forget to block Jiang Xi behind her. Facing the accusations of her two sons and daughter-in-law, she was not willing to be outdone. She shouted with red eyes: "You said I was confused? You said an outsider is not as good as you? Then what did you do? The third child was lying here. What did you do except come over to take a look and say a few words of pity? Just remember to ask me for money! You want the money to buy the third child's life!"
After all, he was her own son. No matter how disappointed she was, she couldn't help but feel aggrieved at this moment.
Mother Pei questioned: "Am I confused or am I too clear-headed?! Ask yourselves, if I really hand the third child over to you, can you take good care of him wholeheartedly?!"
The four of them were stunned for a moment, and Pei Deming awkwardly said, "How do you know I won't take good care of you?"
Mother Pei sneered: "The third child had just been transferred to the city hospital, and I went to take care of him. The old man was still sick, so I asked you to send some food over. What did you send? Leftovers! Sometimes you even forget! Let him cook for himself when he's sick!"
Xu Cui's eyes sparkled as she explained, "You also know that we have given birth to so many children to continue the Pei family's lineage, and that we don't have anyone to take care of them? Dad didn't want to come to our house for dinner, and it wasn't intentional!"
Mother Pei laughed angrily: "How can you treat a living person who can run and talk so perfunctorily? The third child can't speak now, and I won't be able to see you being perfunctory when the time comes! Who knows, he might starve to death one day. How can I trust you to hand over my son to you?"
"Then you don't have to marry someone specifically!" Pei Deming once again pointed his finger at Jiang Xi, staring at her suspiciously and said, "She went to see someone this morning. Who knows if she has made an appointment with her lover to come back and cheat you for money?"
Pei Deyi and the others' eyes lit up, as if they had caught an adulterous affair, and they all started to make a noise: "That's right, maybe the mistress has already prepared the train tickets, just waiting for you to foolishly give her the money."
Pei's mother became even angrier and was about to hit someone.
"Auntie, let me tell you." Jiang Xi stopped her, smiled, turned her head and glanced at Pei Deming and the others, her face darkened again, her pretty face tense and she said loudly:
"Brother Pei, what you said makes sense, but the person I met today is a battalion commander. Since you have this guess, I will call his unit immediately and someone from the unit will come to investigate. If it's true, he will be fired and I will go to jail. If it's false, you have wronged an active military officer and you will all go to jail!"
As soon as the voice stopped, the faces of those who had just spoken with great vigor changed one after another, and they dared not say another word.
Especially Pei Deming at the beginning, he turned his face away unnaturally.
What this damn girl said was scary.
But those words sounded so powerful, just like the judgments of bad guys on the radio. They were all a little stunned and no one dared to speak for a while.
Mother Pei breathed a sigh of relief, and then said loudly: "I believe Xiaoxi, she is not that kind of person. There is no need for a little girl to spend her whole life for that little money!"
Xu Cui's heart sank, and she glared at Jiang Xi fiercely. She had never expected this damn girl to be so difficult to pester. She rolled her eyes and suddenly said, "Mother, you really don't need to marry someone to take care of the third child. Can't you just take care of him yourself? We won't say anything, really!"
Mother Pei sneered: "Forget it, do you think I believe it?"
If she takes care of it herself, the two families will definitely feel unbalanced as before and will insist on asking her to give them money. When Jiang Xi is gone, she will have no choice but to accept the consequences!
Xu Cui was at a loss for words. She stomped her feet in rage, pinched the man's arm tightly, and pulled him, trying to make him speak.
What could Pei Deming do? He was sweating with anxiety, but his father didn't say anything, his mother was firm, and Jiang Xi was even more talkative, so he looked to the second son for help.
Pei Deyi's eyes sparkled, and he gritted his teeth and threatened: "Mom and Dad, you are not treating me and my eldest brother as your own sons by doing this? Since you think that my second brother and I are not as good as an outsider, then you can let this outsider take care of you in your old age."
When this was said, everyone was silent, some were shocked, but soon they felt it made sense. Liu Xiaohua even supported her husband and said bluntly: "Yes, then let outsiders give it to you in the future--"
Father Pei, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly looked stern, looked at his second son gloomily, and shouted, "You idiot, tell me that again?!"
Pei Deyi was so frightened by his father's shouting that he shrank his head. However, seeing his father so angry, he felt that he had taken advantage of them, so he said stubbornly, "That's right, you think outsiders are better than me and my elder brother, so let her take care of you in your old age, right, elder brother?"
Pei Deming nodded vigorously: "Yes, Lao Er is right."
Xu Cui and Liu Xiaohua also nodded.
Pei's father was so angry that he couldn't speak. He pointed at his two sons, his old eyes full of disappointment.
Mother Pei's face turned pale, and she looked at her two sons and cried out in hatred, "Why did I give birth to two evil children like you!"
Jiang Xi patted her comfortingly and deliberately said loudly: "Uncle, aunt, don't be afraid. Legally, they have an obligation to support you. If they don't support you in your old age, you can sue them and put them in jail."
Pei Deming and his brother's expressions changed: "Don't try to scare me, you little bitch!"
Jiang Xi smiled with a hint of pride, "I'm not kidding you. Just read our country's laws and you'll know. Do you really think your parents raised you for nothing? How can you say you don't want to support them in their old age? Wouldn't that be a mess for the country?"
Pei Deming and the others looked at her with suspicion. They had already believed her 70% and their faces turned ugly.
Pei's parents just pursed their lips and said nothing.
They were obviously still somewhat afraid of the threat posed by their son.
After all, the law that Jiang Xi blurted out to sue them was not used by many people in this village, or even in the town. It was too far away.
They have no hope in the law.
Jiang Xi also knew that, and after scaring Pei Deming and his brother, she put away her smile and said sincerely, "Uncle, aunt, after I marry Pei Hejun, I am also a member of the Pei family, and it is my duty to provide for you in your old age. Even if I really want to remarry in the future, I will return all the money I took from the Pei family, and my promise to provide for you in your old age will never change!"
"Xiaoxi..." Pei's mother called out with sobs.
She was so angry at her son that her heart sank. She never expected that it was really an outsider who wanted to take care of them in their old age.
Pei's father's expression was also very moved.
Pei Deming and others didn't believe it and laughed out loud.
Liu Xiaohua whispered, "It sounds nice, but who knows if it's true or not? There are still more than ten years to go!"
Jiang Xi glanced at her and continued, "To prove that I'm telling the truth, please ask the captain to let me sign a document! Write it down in black and white. If I don't provide for your old age and don't treat Pei Hejun well in the future, you can come to me with the document."
After the last sentence was spoken, Pei's parents, who were originally just moved, were shocked.
Pei Deming and the others were so angry that their faces turned red. Xu Cui couldn't hold back any more and cursed directly, "You little bastard, just lie..."
"Shut up!" Pei's father stood up and yelled.
He didn't even look at his son, daughter-in-law, or grandson, but only stared at Jiang Xi. Tears welled up in his cloudy eyes, and he was excited and nervous: "Girl, are you telling the truth?"
"Of course it's true!" Jiang Xi said calmly and firmly, "Uncle, with the captain as a witness, my elder and second brothers won't have any ideas, right?"
Originally, she wanted to stay in the Pei family, not only to find a suitable place to settle down, but also to get rid of the original owner's extremely evil family members.
Now that she has the system, she has to stay here even more.
Pei's parents had been kind to the original owner, and now they had taken her and her two younger sisters in. It was natural that they would provide for the two elderly people.
Moreover, the two elderly people are in good health and can live for another ten years if nothing unexpected happens. By that time, reform and opening up will have already taken place and the overall environment will have changed. She believes that with her forward-looking vision, it will not be difficult to provide for the two elderly people.
It's worth it if I can use this to make Pei Deming and others shut up.
Her determination made Pei's mother burst into tears. Pei's father, who had always been introverted, couldn't help but smack his lips at this moment. He turned around and wiped his tears quickly. He faced them again with a more serious face, but no matter how serious it was, it couldn't hide the excitement and joy in its eyes.
Their requirements for old-age care are not high. They just need to be fed and visit from time to time. When they can no longer move, they can be prepared with a coffin.
This is how the elderly in the village all live. If they get a serious illness, they won’t seek treatment. However, even so, many elderly people are still homeless.
But now, even if the two sons are unreliable, the fact that the third daughter-in-law can say this is enough to comfort them.
Father Pei looked at the children with a gloomy look in his eyes and said coldly: "I'll go find the captain!"
"Dad! You really believe it!" Pei Deming panicked.
Pei's father ignored his eldest son and walked out.
Pei Deyi was so angry that his nostrils grew dilated. He gasped and stared at his father's back, but he didn't know what to do.
Jiang Xi has said so much, and their previous threats have made their parents lean towards this person even more. He is too cunning!
Soon the captain came over.
Carrying a stack of letter paper and a pen, he looked at the Pei Deming brothers meaningfully as he came over.
Of course he knew about the Pei family's entanglements recently. Several surrounding brigades were discussing it. After all, Pei Hejun's pension was definitely a lot. There was also a soldier in the surrounding village. After he broke his leg and was discharged from the army, he received a pension of 800 yuan. That was a few years ago.
Pei Hejun’s pension is now estimated to be one thousand.
Who wouldn’t be tempted by this amount of money?
He just didn't expect that things would turn out like this and that outsiders would benefit in the end. But he also felt that it was reasonable. The brothers Pei Deming and Pei Deyi were indeed not filial sons.
The captain first understood the situation, then asked Jiang Xi: "Are you sure you want to write a receipt? Do you really want to provide for their retirement?"
Jiang Xi nodded vigorously: "I will always remember how much my uncle and aunt have taken care of my family over the years. Now that I am about to marry Pei Hejun, it is my duty to provide for them in their old age."
The captain praised him, "He is a kind child."
Pei's parents nodded repeatedly and praised: "Isn't it? The third child is really lucky to meet Xiaoxi!"
The captain handed over the letter and the document. Jiang Xi took them, sat at the table in the main hall and began to write. He wrote the document concisely and made two copies, one for Pei's parents and one for the captain to keep.
Pei Deming, Pei Deyi and the others watched the document appear with their hearts sinking, angry and resentful. However, it had come to this point, and they could no longer find any loopholes to accuse Jiang Xi of having bad intentions.
Missing a thousand bucks!
Can suffer for a year!
They left in a daze, but Pei's parents were holding the paper happily. The captain had just read it to them. Jiang Xi did not coax them. It was written very clearly that they would be taken care of in their old age!
Even if I remarry, this promise will still stand!
Father Pei, who was relatively taciturn, was particularly close to Jiang Xi. He even came over to pat her on the head, speaking in a gentle tone as if he was afraid of scaring her: "Good child, don't worry, when your aunt and I get old, just give us leftovers to eat, and just check on us from time to time to see if we are dead, don't feel any burden."
Kind old people are too humble and reluctant to ask for anything.
Jiang Xi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but didn't explain too much. No matter how much he said, it would not be as good as putting people at ease with his actions.
At this time, Pei's mother said: "By the way, when are we going to hold the banquet?"
Things have come to this point, and she is becoming more and more impatient. She originally wanted to discuss it in the evening, but now that she has time, she decided to discuss it together.
Jiang Xi said, "The sooner the better, otherwise I won't be able to live here properly."
She had nothing to be ashamed of saying this, since the groom was a vegetable.
Pei's mother also didn't think it was wrong and nodded in agreement: "How about the day after tomorrow? I'll go shopping tomorrow, and you and my second and third sisters can come with me. I'll buy you two new clothes then."
She calculated happily, then went into the house and took out a passbook, stuffed it into Jiang Xi's hand, and became more and more intimate, as if she was talking to her own daughter: "This is the pension for the third brother. The third brother's medicine is free every month, and the army subsidizes it. This money is your betrothal gift, and it is your private money. You can do whatever you want with it. You don't have to worry about the family expenses. Your uncle and I have saved some money."
Jiang Xi then looked down and saw the balance on the passbook read: One thousand yuan.
She was stunned.
This gift is a bit too much!
Jiang Xi thought it was at most three hundred, and he was still thinking about cutting costs to support his younger sister!