Gao Baoliang had just settled Yang Lu into bed and tucked her in when his mother called him to the living room.
At this moment, his parents, older brother, and older sister were sitting in the living room, warming themselves by the stove.
This looks like a family meeting is about to begin.
Gao Baoliang made a move to call Yang Lu, but was stopped by his mother.
"Family meetings, no outsiders need to attend."
He glanced at Cuihua, who was making tea in the kitchen, and felt resentful:
"Lulu is my wife, how can she be considered an outsider! If there's anything, let's talk about it tomorrow."
Since he brought his wife back, he has also sensed his mother's subtle attitude towards her. On the surface, she is very warm, but she always unintentionally reveals her disapproval.
Upon hearing his words, Gao's mother's face immediately fell.
"Sit down right now! You've really forgotten your mother now that you have a wife. No matter what I say, she doesn't care anymore. Your wife sleeps until the sun is high in the sky, and only gets up to eat after the food is cooked. She doesn't do any chores and just wanders around all day. Does she think she can be the boss in my house?!"
As he spoke, he pulled up a chair for him to sit down.
The older brother and sister chimed in, "Baoliang, sit down. Let's discuss something as a family."
Gao Baoliang's chest heaved, a fire burning inside him. He sat down reluctantly.
“Let me make this clear first: you can say whatever you want, but please stop criticizing my wife. She gets up late, but I helped make breakfast, and I did a lot of other chores. I don’t need her to stay here for days and still have to work.”
At this moment, Cuihua came from the kitchen with tea, poured a bowl for each person, and said with a smile:
"Oh dear, Lulu is a city girl, so naturally she's a bit delicate. I'll do any chores. We're family, let's not hurt our harmony."
Gao Guixiang puffed on his pipe, frowning as he spoke:
"Alright, how many times have I told you? Baoliang rarely comes back, and this is his wife's first time visiting the countryside. Please be more understanding."
Then Gao's mother laughed it off and said:
"Yes, yes, I've been a bit too talkative today. Let's get down to business."
Baoliang, your older brother wants to build a brick factory. Could you contribute some funds to help him out?
As she spoke, Cuihua walked up to her husband and looked at him with expectant eyes.
Gao Baoliang was startled. What was going on with them?
Knowing that he had started a company with Lin Chen and others in the capital, he also thought about starting his own business.
My older brother works at the village committee now, isn't that good?
"Brother, do you know how much it costs to build a brick factory?" he asked.
The older brother looked delighted, thinking he had asked about the amount so he could lend it to him, and chuckled sheepishly:
"I asked around, and it'll probably cost around 50,000 yuan. I only have about 5,000 yuan on hand, so just give me 45,000 yuan!"
Gao Baoliang gave a wry smile and pressed his tongue against his mouth.
"Brother, did you know it would cost that much money? How could you think I had that much money on hand? Our joint venture in Beijing is just starting out. We haven't even started generating revenue yet, and we don't have as much money on hand as you do!"
The elder brother and Cuihua exchanged a glance, their eyes dimming.
They came back in such a high-profile manner, buying gifts for everyone. I thought the company had made a lot of money, but it turns out they haven't even made a profit yet!
Hearing this, Gao's mother was somewhat disappointed and tentatively said:
"Why don't you withdraw your investment? Your project might not even succeed, but your older brother is very confident. Once the factory is up and running, it can earn tens of thousands a year!"
Gao Baoliang rubbed his forehead, feeling a slight headache.
"Mom, how can you just withdraw your investment? You might go bankrupt before it even gets started!"
Don't even think about it. Running a brick factory isn't easy. It doesn't require much skill and is incredibly hard work. Too many brick factories have been built in the last two years, and the market is starting to saturate.
Moreover, a brick factory built with 50,000 yuan is just a small factory, which cannot compete with large factories at all, and the quality is not guaranteed. He really does not recommend going into it blindly.
Upon hearing this, the older brother became completely enraged, stood up abruptly, and raised his voice eight octaves:
"Alright, I thought you'd finally made it in the city and come back to help me out! Come on, let's go to sleep and clear our heads!"
He pulled Cuihua back to the room.
Gao's mother and eldest sister sighed with dark faces, and the atmosphere became somber.
Gao Guixiang took a sip of tea and said to Gao Baoliang:
"Don't take it to heart. Your older brother is just jealous of how others are making money. I've told him before that you're not having an easy time out there either, so don't bring it up, but he just won't listen."
After a few days, he figured it out.
"From now on, just focus on running the company well in Beijing. Don't keep thinking about sending us money. After you get married, take care of your family first."
Gao Baoliang nodded, "Yes, I understand, but don't worry, I will give you money every year from now on."
After listening, the eldest sister, who had been holding back her words all night, finally couldn't help but speak them out.
"That's not a good point of you to say. So you're saying that giving money is filial piety, but what about our children at home? Does that mean we're not being filial when we come back to visit them? Little brother, you've made money in the city and married a city girl, but don't be too proud of yourself. Who knows, maybe one day you'll need us."
Gao's mother agreed, saying, "Siblings are very close. Don't neglect your older brothers and sisters just because you've gotten married. Since you said you'd give them money as a sign of filial piety, give your eldest sister 10,000 yuan this year so she can start a small business."
After she finished speaking, the room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Gao Baoliang sat in a chair with his hands crossed and his elbows resting on his knees, his expression inscrutable.
After a long while, he finally spoke to Madam Gao:
“The average wage for employees in the capital is around 70 or 80 yuan now, which is a bit higher than here. I gave you two thousand yuan for the New Year, which is quite a lot, isn’t it?”
I don't care whether you give this money to your older brother or sister. But I don't have any extra money on me, so I definitely won't take any more. From now on, the money I earn will be handed over to my wife for safekeeping, just like in our family.”
Previously, Gao Baoliang gave most of his salary as a criminal police officer to his family. Later, he went to Beijing to wholesale clothing and earned some money. He sent about 10,000 yuan home. The house he lives in now was built with his own money.
Why are they still not satisfied with this?
Gao's mother was furious. She wanted to borrow some money from him, but he just said that his future money would be managed by his daughter-in-law.
Wouldn't it be harder than climbing to heaven to ask him for money again in the future?
In an instant, both sides were on the verge of a heated argument.
It was Gao Guixiang who restrained his mother and calmed the situation down.
“You’ve been managing our family’s money since we were young, so why is it different with Baoliang? He’s already sacrificed enough for the family. If you’re still so ungrateful, he might never come back home.”
After he finished speaking, he coughed violently.
Gao Baoliang went over and patted his back to calm him down.
"Dad, it's not that serious. I will still come back to see you often in the future."
As he was speaking, he sensed someone at the door. He looked up and saw Yang Lu standing there wrapped in a cotton-padded coat, her face showing displeasure.
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