Chapter 104
"You...you're going too far! You want my son to marry a fool?! And you expect me to give you five taels of silver?! What a dream!"
Grandpa Zhou clutched his chest, pointed at the two shameless old people, and cursed.
The elderly Wang couple seemed confident, and surprisingly, they didn't retaliate when scolded, even smiling at Zhou's third grandfather.
A kind-hearted man like Zhou Fengnian is the easiest to manipulate.
Zhou Chuxue paused for a moment, then said to Zhou Fengnian in a deep voice, "Are you going to divorce me for this boy?"
Zhou Fengnian hurriedly shook his head, "No, I..."
Zhou Chuxue smiled and glanced at Li Ge'er, whose clothes were covered in patches, and whose cotton wadding looked like it had been used for many years and was stiff. He was still unaware of the situation and was smiling foolishly.
Zhou Fengnian made up his mind, "Over the years, I have fulfilled my filial duties to A-Liu enough. Now that I have a new home, Uncle Wang, please stop bothering me."
Goodness, now even the way we address each other has changed.
Seeing Zhou Fengnian's angry face, Old Man Wang knew that things had really gotten ugly this time.
The elderly couple had hoped to keep Zhou Fengnian, their son-in-law, but their efforts backfired.
The two exchanged a glance and immediately softened their attitude. The old man completely changed his previous arrogant and unreasonable demeanor.
Wiping away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes, she said, "Alas, my poor Liu-ge'er, his younger brother is in such a state. If you don't take over the care of him for the rest of his life, how will he survive?"
Old Man Wang chimed in, "We also feel sorry for Li-ge'er. If we didn't think you were a reliable man, your uncle and I wouldn't have been so shameless as to think of marrying another of our sons to you. If Li-ge'er could have a good home, I think Liu-ge'er in heaven would be extremely gratified to know this."
This is an attempt to use Wang Liu to force Zhou Fengnian to agree.
Zhou Fengnian laughed in anger. If it weren't for the negligence of the Wang family elders, who hadn't taken Wang Li to see a doctor or buy medicine for him after he had a fever for two days, he wouldn't be in this state now.
It was Zhou Fengnian who went to visit the elderly couple and discovered Wang Li, whose entire body was burning red. He then hurriedly carried Wang Li to town.
Unfortunately, it was too late. Although his life was saved, he was left mentally impaired by the burns.
Nowadays, the elderly couple in the Wang family are the epitome of loving and devoted fathers.
“Since I married Brother Liu, I have never mistreated him. I have also been able to face you both with a clear conscience all these years. I know that you have come here because I did not send the New Year’s gifts earlier this year. Now that you have come, I will make it clear that I have started a new family and can no longer use the money I earn to support you as before.”
"you……"
Wang Laomo immediately became furious. His feigned gentleness vanished in an instant, and he pointed at Zhou Fengnian's nose and started cursing again.
"You, Zhou Fengnian, you think you can just refuse to give it to us like that?! There's no such thing as a free lunch. You owe my brother a life, and everything you earn and use belongs to our family! This is what you owe us!"
Zhou Fengnian ignored them. He owed Wang Liu a debt, but he didn't owe the Wang family a single penny.
Once a young man or woman marries, they follow their husband's family; once they enter their husband's home, they become part of their husband's family.
Talking to such unreasonable people is a waste of breath.
Seeing this, Zhou's third grandfather shouted, "It's the New Year, how can we let other villages bully our Mu Family Village?!"
No sooner had they finished speaking than Zhou Lin and Mu Sheng quickly chased the group of people from Wangjia Village out of the house.
Several elderly women and their husbands, who had worked the land all their lives, still had considerable strength.
Especially the husband who had just been scolded by Wang Laomo, who grabbed Wang Laomo and pulled him outside.
The scene immediately descended into chaos.
Many people came from Wangjia Village, but on Mujia Village's territory, they were driven away by the villagers with sticks, about two miles from the village entrance.
Upon seeing this, Wang Li, who was standing next to Zhou Fengnian, called out "Little Daddy" and chased after him.
Zhou Fengnian intended to pull him back, but ultimately lowered his hand.
Grandpa Zhou was so disappointed in him that he slapped him hard across the face.
"I told you, the Wang family is no pushover. And you, you foolishly rushed to give them money and get busy with the work, and now you've caused trouble!"
Zhou Fengnian hissed as he was hit. Seeing Zhou Chuxue turn and go into the house, he didn't have time to say anything to his father and hurriedly followed her in.
Mu Jin and the others didn't want to get involved in the couple's family affairs, so they helped right the overturned basket and went home.
The rice porridge on the dining table was only lukewarm, and Mu Sheng and Mu Lingyun picked it up and drank it in two gulps.
"Burp, it's actually quite comforting to have a sip of soup after a fight."
Bai Qiqiu followed up with a few punches from the man who had come at him, his eyes shining as he swung his fist.
"If they dare to come again, beat them out! I've never seen such shameless people."
Zhou Si shook her head helplessly and helped Mu Jin clean up the dishes.
The group didn't say much about Zhou Fengnian's family affairs. Seeing that it was getting late, they didn't linger and hurried home.
As the sun sets in the west, its orange glow envelops Mujia Village, where wisps of smoke rise from chimneys, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere.
The chaos at Zhou Fengnian's house not long ago seemed as if it had never happened.
We ate a lot in the afternoon, so none of us were very hungry in the evening. We ate a few bites of pastries and then went back to our own rooms.
Mu Jin lit a lamp, sat fully clothed on the bed, and took out the cotton shoe soles she had made for Zhou Lin a while ago, sewing the thick and warm uppers onto them.
"What do you think about what happened at your uncle's house today?"
Hibiscus licked the thread and, under the light, threaded it through the eye of the needle.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Lin thought for a moment and said, "My uncle's former father-in-law and mother-in-law went too far. They took advantage of my uncle's soft heart and kindness to make trouble unreasonably."
Mu Jin smiled and said, "If Uncle hadn't spoiled them so much before, they probably wouldn't have caused such a scene."
Zhou Lin was speechless. He lay on the bed, resting his head on his arm, and pondered for a while before saying, "My uncle is kind-hearted. I don't think he's wrong."
Mu Jin gently shook her head, her hands continuing to make shoes.
“Kindness is good when used in the right place, but when used in the wrong place, it will harm both others and oneself.”
Zhou Lin looked at Mu Jin with a confused expression, not understanding what she meant.
Mu Jin sighed, "The Wang family hasn't reached the point of desperation and starvation yet, so there's no need for Uncle to make such sacrifices for them. Uncle should focus on living his own life well. If the Wang family really does end up like that, and he has the ability and money, he should lend a hand and not betray the friendship he shared with his former uncle."
Zhou Lin looked intently at Mu Jin under the lamplight, without interrupting him.
"Providing help in times of need is far more valuable than selfless acts of kindness in ordinary times, which are often taken for granted and are not appreciated."
Zhou Lin always felt that Mu Jin's words had a hidden meaning.
Sure enough, Mu Jin asked, "I didn't ask you to deliver the pig-killing feast to my parents today. Are you upset about that?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Lin immediately sat up and shook his head, "No, I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Mu Jin interrupted him, saying, "We've been married for a year now. I know you, like your uncle, you're easily swayed and kind-hearted. After living apart for a year, how do you feel compared to when you were still at home?"
"Life got better after the family split up."
Zhou Lin said in a low voice.
Mu Jin smiled and said, "That's because we've left home, and we're surrounded by people who care about us and want us to be doing well."
Zhou Lin rested his head on Mu Jin's thigh and sighed, "From childhood to adulthood, I've only known that there are no parents who make mistakes, only children who don't know any better. I also know that my parents don't like me, but it's precisely because I know that I always try to do more so that my parents can love me as much as they love my fourth brother."
Mu Jin touched the big head on her thigh.
"I don't want to think about it now. Today, I was carrying the pig slaughtering feast and I did hesitate for a while about whether to send it to my parents. But then I thought, yesterday, when my parents slaughtered their New Year's pig, they didn't invite us or send us any. So I decided to just forget about it."
Mu Jin smiled and said, "When did you start thinking about such things?"
Zhou Lin played with a strand of hibiscus hair that was hanging down. "You'll get the hang of it once you see it a lot. Today I went to deliver vegetables to my master and the others. I brought three bowls when I went and three bowls when I came back, but the dishes were different."
Mu Jin nodded gently, "The fried meatballs that Master made are delicious. I'll fry some for myself tomorrow."
Zhou Lin smiled. He now understood what Mu Jin meant by "misplaced kindness." To him, kindness meant filial piety.
His parents, like the old couple in the Wang family, only know how to make unreasonable demands.
If he indulges them indiscriminately, it will be his own husband who suffers.
His parents have his fourth and second younger brothers, so they probably don't need him, their eldest son who doesn't please them, to show filial piety.
The most important thing is to live a good life with your husband.
Outside, snowflakes, as fine as goose feathers, began to fall.
The oil lamp in the room went out, and a soft rustling sound could be heard.
Early the next morning, the rooftops were covered with a thick layer of white snow.
After breakfast, Zhou Lin moved the snow out of the woodshed. He used the wooden ladder he had made in his spare time during the summer to climb onto the roof and sweep the snow down.
Mu Jin helped him from below, carefully reminding him to be careful.
Wen Zhaoran, biting into a steaming jujube cake, asked, "Big brother, brother-in-law, aren't you two going to your nephew's 100-day celebration today?"
"No rush, we can go later."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Zhou Fengnian stumbled over, carrying a boy in his arms, followed by Zhou Chuxue, who was also staggering.
"What's wrong?"
Mu Jin was surprised, and Zhou Lin on the wooden ladder also turned his head.
"Jin-ge'er, Lin'er, you two help your uncle out."
Looking down, Mu Jin saw Wang Li, the silly boy from yesterday, lying unconscious in Zhou Fengnian's arms, his lips purple from the cold.
Mu Jin hurriedly helped carry him into the room where Bai Qiqiu had previously lived, and went back to her room to bring over two quilts.
"What exactly happened? Didn't he go back with his father and stepfather yesterday?"
Zhou Fengnian sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead, his face full of worry.
Zhou Chuxue sighed, "This morning, I was just thinking of sweeping the snow in front of my door. When I opened the door, I saw him squatting outside my door, covered in a layer of snow. At first, I thought he was someone's child who had built a snowman in front of my door yesterday."
Zhou Fengnian slammed his fist on the wooden table. "They're so heartless!"
Zhou Chuxue looked quite helpless. "After feeding him some hot water, he woke up and hugged Fengnian, crying. He said that his father didn't want him anymore. After asking for a long time, we found out that they had kicked him out of the house last night. He had nowhere to go, so he timidly ran here and squatted at the door. The big fight yesterday must have scared him. He didn't dare to knock on the door. He was outside in the middle of winter all night. After crying, he fell asleep again."
Upon hearing this, Mu Jin touched the forehead of the sleeping boy and said, "He has a fever."
Zhou Fengnian said in a deep voice, "Li Ge'er can't stay at my house. If the Wang family finds out, they'll probably come knocking on our door again."
As he spoke, he took out five taels of silver from his pocket and placed it on the table.
“Jinge’er, please take him in for a while. I don’t have much money. The thirty taels the clan gave me before have been used to repair the house and order furniture, so there’s not much left. Please don’t think it’s too little. Once I think of a good place for Li’er, I will take him away.”
Zhou Chuxue looked apologetic and chimed in, "Father is still angry with Fengnian. After thinking it over, we could only think of you. We're shamelessly asking you to look after him for a few days."
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