The eldest son, Ding Youwang, saw that his parents seemed to be planning to stay there permanently, but this was not an option. There were still several acres of land at home that needed to be tended, and as farmers, how could they leave the land they depended on for survival?
He also considered his parents living in the county town permanently, and wanted him and his wife to move in as well, but he had no such plans. It was not part of his plan. In the eldest brother's opinion, the money that the sixth brother had saved over the years should be returned to the public. Before the family split up, he and his brothers worked the land with their parents at home. In addition to feeding the whole family, the remaining grain they harvested was exchanged for money and returned to the public, which was how the family bought these houses and lands.
When the family was divided, didn't the houses and lands get divided equally among the brothers?
Similarly, the Sixth Brother used his savings to open an inn, and the profits should be divided equally among the brothers, with everyone having a share. He went there today simply to use his status as the eldest brother to suppress the Sixth Brother, to talk things over with him, to set the rules, to have him settle the accounts every month and return the silver to each family on time, and that would be it.
But he wanted to follow the group and not stay for even a day longer.
"What the hell are you thinking about?" No one knows a son better than his father. When Old Ding saw the stupid look of his eldest son, he knew that he was wrong.
Last night, Old Ding and Mrs. Meng discussed the matter until late at night before going to bed. They are the parents of Lao Liu. Even if Lao Liu only bought property in the county, even if he bought property in the capital, they, as Lao Liu's parents, would be able to go there!
Besides, they were not going there to beg for money. That was something the Tian family did, not something the Ding family would do.
As the saying goes, an old man in the family is like a treasure. He and Mrs. Meng are two treasures. They want to use their half-life experience to help their youngest son run the business, not to be lazy and enjoy the life.
Mrs. Meng is short of money, but Old Ding recognizes her ability to manage accounts!
As for himself, being the old shopkeeper and taking charge of the overall situation would be no problem at all. If it weren't for the careful budgeting of the two old men, how could these bastards now expect everyone to have a house to live in and a piece of land to farm?
What the hell are you dreaming about!
Old Ding glared at the eldest brother angrily, "The family property has been divided among you. Sixth Brother bought property without telling anyone else and secretly supported the Tian family. This is wrong of him. Now your mother and I will take you two to argue with him. After that, the business of the inn will be handed over to Sixth Brother. The inn can make money, but it can't be divided into several parts. Even if it can be divided, who can do this business or the second and third brothers? What else can you do besides farming?"
Mrs. Meng spat and said, "Do you think your father and I are going to enjoy ourselves? We're leaving our family to enjoy a leisurely life. At our old age, we have to guard that property for you brothers. If we make money, don't you divide it equally among you? What can your father and I get? It's just a waste of effort and suffering for you."
The second and third brothers and their spouses also came out one after another. Old Ding glanced at them and said loudly, "Your mother and I will go to the county to take care of your livelihood over there. The eldest brother and his wife will be back this afternoon. From now on, you three brothers will help cultivate the few acres of land owned by the sixth brother. As for the few acres of land owned by the fifth brother, even though we have rented it out, you still have to keep an eye on it, understand?"
The brothers all nodded in agreement.
Dad, Mom and Lao Liu earn money for them in the county town, and they farm for Lao Liu at home. There is nothing wrong with that.
"Then let's go quickly so that we can go early and come back early." The eldest brother felt at ease now. He was a good farmer and had a deep affection for the land. He felt empty if he didn't go to his own fields for a day. He didn't want to stay in the county town, and he couldn't understand his parents.
No matter how good the county town is, it is not his home.
There is no place like home, no place gold or silver.
He, Liu, and Old Dingtou Meng set off excitedly. The four of them waited in the town for a long time, and only set off for the county town after the oil-walled carriage was full.
The oil-walled carriage was a means of transportation for ordinary people, similar to a modern bus. A six-horse-pulled oil-walled carriage could carry twelve people, while one pulled by eight horses could carry sixteen people.
The car makes more money, and like modern buses, overloading is also common, but if caught by the police, there will be a fine.
The eldest couple were the last to get on because the bus was overloaded, and they were kicked off several times on the road. The drivers had developed the ability to keep their eyes and ears open. At the slightest sign of trouble, they would stop the bus and order the eldest couple to get off and walk. They would stop the bus again when the danger was over and wait for the eldest couple to catch up before getting on again.
They were a little late getting off, and not only was the driver unhappy, but the other passengers on the bus also complained and scolded them for wasting everyone's time, which made the driver very angry.
From this I deeply realized that it is good to be at home for a thousand days, but it is difficult to go out.
Arriving in the county town, they first asked around and found Zhang Mazi's restaurant. After asking the waiter there, they found the "Laifu Inn," which had been renamed from the "Hongyunlai Inn."
There were a lot of people gathered in front of the Lai Fu Inn, making a lot of noise, mixed with the shrill cursing of women and the crying of children.
"Boss, go and see what's going on." Old Dingtou had been to the county town when he was young, but that was more than 20 years ago after all. The county town is no longer what it used to be.
There were more people, more houses and more shops. From the moment he entered the city gate, the humility of being a countryman spread in his bones, and he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet.
Meng and Liu, having made their way from the countryside to the county town, couldn't see enough. They glanced here and there, delighted but also excited and nervous. Now, outside the inn, they saw a group of people gathered, arguing and noisy. Unsure of what was going on, their faces paled, their legs trembling with fear.
After all, the eldest brother had traveled far with his uncles and had seen the world, so he was much braver. When he heard Old Ding calling him to go and see what was going on, he didn't hesitate. He pushed through the people gathered outside the store and squeezed in.
"Let's go, let's go see the official. This matter today will never be resolved unless we pay the money!"
When the eldest brother squeezed in, he saw a woman pulling a child about thirteen or four years old. The child's face was covered in tears, and there was a bloody mark on his right arm the length of his index finger, as if it had been scratched by a cat. The woman was holding the child with one hand and the sixth brother with the other, shouting that she wanted to drag him to see the authorities.
Tian Xiaoyu, her parents and several shop assistants in the store were all smiling and saying nice things, but the sixth brother was arguing with the woman with an indignant look on his face. The eldest brother, as the eldest brother, had been protective of the other brothers since he was young. No matter whether they were right or wrong, he would always stand on his brothers' side. Seeing this, he rushed forward.
"Sixth brother, don't panic. What's going on? Dad and Mom are here. We won't stand by and watch you get bullied!" The eldest brother said, staring at the woman. "Sister-in-law, why are you fighting with my brother? There's always a reason in everything. We open the door of our inn to make a living. How can we continue to make a living if you make a scene with this woman?"
He suddenly appeared, and Lao Liu was already shocked. When he heard him mention that his father and mother were there too, his scalp went numb and he thought to himself, it's over, I'm in trouble now.
It's really like one wave has not yet settled when another wave comes!
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