After some commotion, Guan Wanxin closed her eyes and leaned against the headboard.
When Guan Yuanxiu returned after emptying the chamber pot, she slowly opened her eyes, her gaze sharp and cold, sweeping over her son and daughter-in-law, whose faces still showed fatigue and a hint of helplessness.
“Now,” Guan Wanxin’s voice wasn’t loud, but it hit them like ice shards, “you two…now you know how Wenru has been serving this old woman all these years, right?”
Guan Yuanxiu lowered his head in shame, "Mom..."
Qin Yue stammered, not daring to utter a sound.
Guan Wanxin ignored her son's reaction, her voice filled with suppressed anger and deep heartache, "Three years ago... my health completely failed me. Forget about holding the child, I even had trouble carrying a bowl of water!"
She took a breath and stared at Qin Yue, "Your daughter, Wenru! She has to raise three young rascals all by herself! She has to manage such a big factory! And when she comes back, she still has to take care of me, this old useless woman who needs help even to poop and pee! At night, she has to get the three little ones to sleep soundly before she can take care of me! She watches me take my medicine, washes me, and only dares to close her eyes after she's asleep!"
Guan Wanxin's voice suddenly rose, "When she left just now, did you see the worry in her eyes?! She was afraid that no one would take care of me tonight! Afraid that I would cough myself to death! Afraid that I would die in this strange place!"
"Mom! Please don't say that!" Guan Yuanxiu's voice choked with emotion.
"I don't expect you to understand how tired she's been all these years!" Guan Wanxin abruptly interrupted him, her voice resolute and unwavering. "But tonight, I must make things clear!"
Her gaze was like a knife, piercing Qin Yue: "You feel sorry for the eldest son and Hongqi, that's your motherly heart! But Wenru is also a piece of your flesh and blood! The hardships she has endured, the toil she has suffered, the sweat and tears she has shed are no less than what the eldest son and Hongqi have done outside! How can you not see that?!"
Qin Yue turned pale at what she was being told, her lips trembling as she stammered, "Mom...I...I didn't..."
"What do you mean, 'not what'?!" Guan Wanxin interrupted her sharply. "Didn't you think that with the He family backing her up, her life wouldn't be bad?! With the He family backing her up, can they stay up all night to soothe the children for her? Can they take care of my bodily needs? Can they keep the factory running and handle all those storms for her?! How can your heart as a mother be so biased?!"
Guan Yuanxiu covered his face in anguish, "Mom...it's us...we're so sorry, Wenru..."
Guan Wanxin coughed violently, coughing so hard it was heart-wrenching. It took her a long time to catch her breath, and her face was ashen.
But her gaze remained sharp as a knife. She no longer looked at her son, but stared coldly at Qin Yue, each word spoken with resounding force:
"It's my business who I give my things to! Wenru has fulfilled her filial duty to me and taken care of me in my old age, she deserves it! None of you should even think about it! You have no right to think about it!"
I know that you've suffered during these seven years of farm reform, and your personalities may have changed. Things you didn't care about before... you might care about now.
Guan Yuanxiu raised his head, his eyes calm. "Mom, I really don't care."
Guan Wanxin's gaze swept over her son and finally settled on her daughter-in-law's face. "You can care. Whatever you have, no matter how much, if you're willing to share with Wenru, that's your kindness. If you're not willing, that's your right. I, this old woman, won't complain."
Qin Yue couldn't help but interject softly, "Mom, Wenru has had a tough time all these years, but we..."
"Let me finish!" Guan Wanxin raised her hand to interrupt her, her tone even colder. "My things are different. My things are only for Wenru."
"!" Qin Yue looked up abruptly, her face drained of color. "Only...only for Wenru? Mom, this...this..."
Guan Wanxin ignored Qin Yue's loss of composure and continued calmly, "When things are really stable in the future, Wenru will give the eldest and third sons ten gold bars each."
Give each of their wives a decent set of jewelry.
If the government policy allows, the two courtyard houses that the family originally owned in the capital could be applied for and reclaimed, and they would all belong to Wenru.
All the supporting documents, including my will, have been prepared and entrusted to a reliable person for safekeeping.
Qin Yue's breathing quickened, her voice rising, "Mom! This...this won't do! Wenru...she's a girl after all! The eldest and third sons are the men of the family, the pillars of the household! This way of dividing them...this...this isn't right! Hongqi isn't married yet, in the future..."
"What's wrong?" Guan Wanxin sat up abruptly, though the movement caused a suppressed cough, her eyes piercing Qin Yue like ice picks, her voice suddenly stern, "Qin Yue, tell me, what's wrong?!"
The room fell into a deathly silence; even the sound of the fire in the stove seemed to have been frozen.
Guan Yuanxiu suddenly stood up, his face full of anger. "Qin Yue! Shut up! How Mom divides things is Mom's business! It's none of your place to tell her what to do!"
Guan Wanxin ignored her son's scolding, her gaze fixed on her daughter-in-law, and said slowly and deliberately, "If it weren't for Wenru, we don't know if you would be alive or dead right now! To put it bluntly, she sacrificed her own marriage from the beginning to fight for this stability for you."
You also have friends and connections. You know in your hearts what happened to those friends and how many of them died!
Even if we don't mention that, even if you don't remember Wenru's kindness, let's talk about filial piety... It was Wenru who served me for the past seven years! I know you suffered on the farm! But do you know how Wenru managed to raise three infants and a frail old woman?
Forced back a step by her mother-in-law's imposing manner and questioning, Qin Yue's face turned pale and then flushed, her lips trembling. "Mom, I...I didn't mean that...I just felt that giving things to my son is the proper way...old custom..."
Guan Wanxin sneered, "What haven't I, Guan Wanxin, experienced? Put away your sexist attitude. I can leave ten gold bars and a set of antique jewelry for the eldest and third sons. Isn't that enough? If it weren't for Wenru, would these things have survived when things got chaotic seven years ago? Wenru was capable of protecting them, so they are hers!"
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