"Grandma," Xia Daohua didn't go back to pack her things. Instead, she stood there motionless and asked Zhou, "Isn't this silver only one ounce in total?"
She opened her big, clear eyes and looked at Zhou seriously, waiting for her answer.
Zhou smiled and said, "It's one tael. Didn't I just say ten taels?"
Xia Daohua nodded. Sun and Jiang testified in unison, excitedly saying, "You did say it was ten taels of silver..."
Jiang felt a little embarrassed, and her eyes reddened again. She had just been careless and hadn't noticed the amount of silver, and she had almost wronged Daohua.
Sun, however, looked disdainful and snorted twice:
"Hmph, hmph! Mother, you were talking so excitedly just now, but in reality, you only gave Daohua one ounce of silver... Could it be that you're counting on this little girl to make up the remaining nine ounces? It turns out that in our entire family, you're the most calculating!"
Zhou frowned and scolded Sun:
"Why? The second wife's family, isn't it your second wife's responsibility to look after Erlang together? Are you still planning to be stingy and not contribute a penny?
I'm giving Daohua one or two taels of silver so that she can buy some snacks for herself along the way.
As for the money for taking care of Erlang, I can only give it to you if you bring Erlang and Daohua back safely, and both children are well.
Otherwise, I would have given it to Daohua directly. If you had snatched it from Daohua on the road, what could Daohua do to you?
She is just a junior, and I asked her to keep an eye on your spending and make sure you don't do anything stupid. It's already difficult enough for her!
If you only care about silver and act like an aunt to her, being overbearing and shameless, she will probably beat you up, right?
Sun was left speechless by Zhou's questioning. She sat on the ground, slapping her thigh and throwing a tantrum:
"We have so many people in our second room...
How much does it cost to eat this every day? Where can we take out the extra money to take care of Erlang's injuries?
If you don't give me all the money, you should at least give me half of it first, right? Otherwise, we won't even be able to raise the money for the journey. How can we, my mother, give Erlang the medicine he needs from the doctor?"
Zhou was so angry that she laughed:
"What's going on? Are you trying to blackmail me, Second Brother? Second Brother, do you have the same idea as your wife?"
How could the second brother Xia Yougui dare to admit it so directly?
However, he had indeed anticipated Sun's move and was happy to see it happen.
After all, the money Sun had dug out from the old couple must have passed through his hands first before it could be used by the family. This was a perfect balance of power for him.
However, there are some things that can be done but not said. In front of Zhou, he could not admit it like this no matter what.
Xia Yougui shook his head with a sad face:
"Mother, Sun is a scoundrel who only knows how to make trouble. You can't reason with her. Please don't bother with her.
Not only did he get sick from being angry, but we, his children, felt so sorry for him.
It’s not that we don’t miss Erlang, it’s just that we don’t have any money!
Otherwise, when Erlang was conscripted for labor, we would not have failed to pay him one or two taels of silver as a substitute for his labor.
"Erlang is such a good kid, down-to-earth, hardworking, and capable! I can't give up anyone but him! Apart from anything else, without him, there would be no one to do all the chores at home, right?"
Zhou looked at the second son, Xia Yougui, intently, smiled meaningfully, and nodded:
"That's right, Lao Er, you're right. Let's put it this way. Whenever you have enough money, you can set out to see Erlang. And when you go, don't forget to ask Daohua to come along."
She turned to the rice flowers again:
"Daohua, my good child, please keep this tael of silver for now.
If your second aunt goes out to see your brother Erlang and forgets to invite you, this one ounce of silver will...
It's yours.
If your second aunt asks you to go with her, you should write down the amount of money you spent on the journey and give me an account, and return the rest to me."
After Zhou finished speaking, she only left one sentence:
"Everyone, go away!
In addition, if anyone wants to plant the new wheat seeds, please come to me and get them.
As for the price, it's two taels of silver per catty. I won't charge you a single copper coin more."
After saying these words, Zhou went back to the inner room, fell on the kang with her clothes on, covered her face, and sulked silently for a while.
She felt that both she and Old Man Xia had acceptable character.
I don’t know why, but the children I taught have such different personalities and behaviors.
The eldest and the second one are obviously grown crooked!
Ever since the Lantern Festival, everyone was tired, hungry, and frightened, but the boss took his family and quietly slipped away, without even a polite word of inviting everyone to rest at his house...
Zhou was already disappointed at that time.
Afterwards, despite her parental nature, Zhou still couldn't help but care about her eldest brother's family.
Especially Xia Dalang, who may change the Xia family's fate.
However, Zhou was no longer like before. She would think about it and obediently give them money to support them as soon as the eldest son and his wife gave her a hint.
In recent days, Old Lady Zhou has been even more disappointed with Xia Yougui than with Xia Youcai.
When the laborers were conscripted, Zhou was sad once. This time, Erlang needed someone to take care of him, and the second wife's evasion and greed made Zhou sad again.
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