Chen Ming knew what Mrs. Hu was thinking, and he sighed as he took the money, "This money may seem like a lot, but the expenses at home are high, such as buying medicine and repairing the house, and it will be gone in a blink of an eye." He then said to Mrs. Chen, "Mom, my family is either weak or sick, and I feel uneasy with so much money. Please keep these three strings of cash for me. You can use this money to buy mud bricks and wood for repairing the house and making the kang, and it will be convenient for my eldest brother to go and get it."
The old lady agreed and took it.
Chen Ming took out another guan of money and gave it to Wang, saying, "Go to the county town tomorrow to pay back the money you owe me for the medicine and buy some more medicine. The remaining two guan of money is for hiring someone to repair the house, and for buying pots and pans for Ah Fu and his son. As for furniture, since we don't have money to buy it, just move the furniture from the east room over there. I have a little over one guan of money left, which is only enough to buy medicine for two months. Alas, I have to take medicine every day, and no matter how much money I have, it won't be enough."
With this distribution, more than six strings of cash were gone in the blink of an eye, and the family lived a really difficult life.
At mealtime, it was still Old Lady Chen who led her two sons and eldest grandson to sit on the kang to eat. This time, Mrs. Hu and Mrs. Wang were also at the table, sitting on the edge of the kang.
Chen Afu and several other children were eating at the table on the ground floor. Without Chen Aju, Chen Dahu also showed his lovely side. While eating meat, he looked at Chen Afu's clean face and said, "Aunt Afu, your face is clean now. You look so handsome now, even more handsome than Aunt Aju."
Chen Ahfu laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid that Aunt Aju will beat you up if she hears you?"
Da Hu said nonchalantly, "I'm not stupid. In front of her, I will say that she is the most beautiful young lady in our Xiangluo Village."
This child really inherited the genes from the previous generation. He doesn't look like his father, but like Chen Ye. He is even more slick than Chen Ye.
Chen A-lu and Da-bao both laughed when they heard this.
This table is very friendly, but the table on the kang is not. They are all watching Hu's show.
Mrs. Hu repeatedly recounted the hard work of her husband, son, and herself, "... We have been busy for more than half a year. No matter it is windy or rainy, they have to run to the fields. They always take care of your land first, and then our own. It is so hard. I am often so tired that I crawl on the kang and cry 'ouch' at night. One day, it was raining heavily, and my husband went to drain the water. He fell and came back covered in mud. I was so heartbroken..." She pounded her chest and continued, "Where can I find someone who loves his brothers so much? Anyway, I have never seen anyone except my husband... I, the eldest sister-in-law, am also destined to be a hard-working person. I have been busy like a top since I entered the Chen family. My two younger uncles treat me like their own brothers..."
As Mrs. Hu sang, recited, and acted, her eyebrows were twisted into a rope, her eyes were slightly narrowed, and her face was sad. When she was moved, she seemed to be about to cry. She was considered pretty in the countryside, but she looked like an actress on the stage.
After hearing her words, if someone didn't know the situation, they would think that the first wife was farming for the second wife for free, and the second wife didn't know how to give back so she took back all the crops.
Chen Ming and Wang were both on pins and needles. Every time after the harvest, Hu would perform this act.
Chen Ye was quite pleased with these words. His eyes were full of smiles, but he cursed Hu, "You stinky woman, what are you talking about? Brothers should help each other."
After hearing this, Chen Ming quickly filled Chen Ye's glass with wine and said, "Thank you, brother."
Chen Ye took a sip of wine, patted Chen Ming on the shoulder and said, "I am the eldest brother. My father died early, so I should take care of my younger brother."
After hearing this, Mrs. Hu continued, "It is said that the eldest brother is like a father. When brothers are young, they rely on their elder brother like a father. But when they grow up, how many of them can respect their elder brother like a father?" After a pause, she continued, "Of course, not all of them are so ungrateful. Third uncle is not bad. He knows that I, the head of the family, have worked hard to raise him, and he often respects him..."
This made Chen Ye blush again, and he quickly scolded, "You stinky woman, why are you saying these things? We brothers support each other, that's because we have a good relationship. What you said is just trying to blackmail me, isn't it?"
Old Lady Chen particularly disliked hearing Mrs. Hu say these things. At first, the eldest son liked to hear them, so she didn't stop him. Now, seeing the eldest son scolding, she also scolded him, "Listening to what you said, people who don't know would think that not only did the three brothers lose their father, but also their mother. You are the mother of the second and third sons, and they should respect you."
Hu paused, and then she didn't dare to continue singing. If she was talking to the third son, she would continue to talk even if they tried to stop her. She would benefit from talking, and it would be worth it to be scolded. But the second house was so stingy that it was useless to talk, and it was not worth being scolded.
Through observation and the description of the two little boys, Chen Afu has a better understanding of the family of the first wife. Old Mrs. Chen and Chen Ye are good, relatively shrewd, with typical old peasant consciousness, unwilling to suffer losses, but they are very good to their sons and brothers, and will not do anything that harms the world. Especially Chen Ye, he is enthusiastic and helpful, and he is very face-conscious. But Hu is selfish and has no bottom line, thick-skinned, and wants to take advantage of everything. If it is her credit, she will exaggerate it a hundred times to get the benefits, and if it is not her credit, she has the ability to pass it off.
Among the children of the eldest family, Chen Agui is good, diligent, down-to-earth, and somewhat like Chen Ye, but even more honest and taciturn than Chen Ye. This character is neither like Chen Ye nor like Hu Shi. Chen Ye, who wanted his son to be successful, sent him to school at a very young age, but he just couldn't concentrate. When he was twelve years old, he refused to go to school, so Chen Ye had no choice but to send him to the capital to learn business from Chen Shi. Unfortunately, he didn't like it either, saying that doing business was a headache and he ran back home secretly after half a year. Chen Ye had no choice but to let him farm with him.
Chen Alan was gentle and hardworking, and would occasionally come to the second room to ask Wang for advice on embroidery. She just disliked Silly Afu a little, but she was generally nice to her and would not bully her.
Chen Aju is like Hu, extremely selfish and sinister, but not as smart as Hu. She likes to bully Chen Afu since she was a child, and often beats him until he cries. When she grows up, she hates Chen Afu and Chen Dabao because of the unsuccessful marriage.
Mrs. Hu did not dare to continue singing, and a few people started talking about repairing the house for Ah Fu and Da Bao.
What Chen Ming meant was to ask Chen Ye to help arrange it and hire a few people to repair it. His family would pay the same amount as others paid, and would also provide them with a meal.
Chen Ye nodded and said, "It's just a small yard with three thatched houses. It won't take many people. Agui and I can hire three more people to fix it in ten days. You only need to pay the three people, and you don't have to pay Agui and me."
Chen Ming said hurriedly, "How can that be? We have to do what we have to do. We can't let our elder brother and nephew work in vain."
Mrs. Hu also said anxiously, "Yes, how can Second Uncle have the nerve to let you work for nothing."
Chen Ye glared and said domineeringly, "Why not? Listen to me." He then said to Hu, "Have I not helped your brothers from your mother's side enough? Your second brother's family is having a hard time, and as an elder brother and nephew, it is your duty to help them. You are not allowed to secretly ask them for money."
Chen Agui also nodded in agreement.
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