Chapter 104 Chapter 104 There is still a good
This matter had been going on for a few days. Father Fan couldn't get over Chen Sanfang, and they couldn't just send Grandpa Fan over.
Kang He and Fan Jing did not get involved and were busy with their business.
The situation was at a stalemate until one day, when they came back from the shop, they were very happy because He Xiaoqiu and Zhang Shili were about to get married.
At noon, the four of them ate together, talking about how the chef they had invited was doing, and that the chickens and ducks could be delivered on about the same day.
After lunch, He Xiaoqiu took Fan Jing to see the wedding dress he had made. Fan Jing seemed to be in a good mood that day.
When they got home, they saw that Qiao'er didn't look well. She came forward and told the two of them that her father was sick.
"He collapsed in the field around noon. The tenant farmer brought him home and hurriedly called in Doctor Zhu. He said it was due to overwork and worry, which had caused liver qi to stagnate and become ill. The changing seasons are particularly prone to illness."
After hearing what Qiao'er said, Fan Jing quickly walked into the house, and Kang He followed closely behind.
When they entered the room, they saw Father Fan lying on the bed. His lips were pale and dry, his face was yellow and scorched, and his eyes were lifeless.
This doesn't seem like he's pretending, he's really sick.
Chen Sanfang sat at one end, wringing a handkerchief and wiping Fan Dad's face. She was silent, but her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.
The two of them were still unhappy about Fan Bingbing's matter.
Kang He asked, "Dad, where is the discomfort in your body?"
"It's nothing, I'm just a little dizzy, I'll be fine after a nap. I still have work to do in the fields."
Kang He listened to Father Fan's weak voice and said, "Now, Father, you should rest and recuperate. You don't want to worry about the farm work anymore. I'll ask them to do it myself. If you really don't need it, we can hire someone to do it."
Fan Jing frowned. He didn't say anything, but his worry was obvious.
The two of them served Father Fan in the house for some time. Then Dafu came over and Father Fan said he wanted his eldest grandson to accompany him, so he told the others to go about their own business.
Dafu took out the words and read them one by one to Fan's father who was lying on the bed. Only then did Kanghe and Fan Jing leave the room.
Qiao'er and Xiaoxiang were outside making medicine with Father Fan, and Kanghe also went to the kitchen to make some warm and nourishing porridge and soup for Father Fan.
Everyone in the room actually knew what had sickened Father Fan, but it was just Mr. Fan's fault. In this spring, Father Fan had been working very hard, going out early and coming back late, to take care of the fields and sow seeds.
My body was already tired, and I was also worried about something in my heart. The combination of these two things made me fall ill.
Mr. Fan's illness lasted for four or five days. Doctor Zhu came three times, but there was no improvement. He just looked thinner and thinner.
That night, Chen Sanfang came to Kang and Fan Jing's room, wiping away her tears. "What can I do with your father? He's sick, and I feel bad for him. I wish I hadn't argued with him like that before. He's never been able to win an argument with me, and he always kept to himself. Now he's gotten sick from anger. I'm really going to die of it. I'm afraid I'll have no peace for the rest of my life."
Kang Helian comforted Chen Sanfang, saying, "How can you blame mother for this? It's common for couples to quarrel, but it's not as serious as you say. It was just the changing seasons, and Dad was always working so hard that he got sick. People are bound to have ailments and illnesses, and it's impossible to be healthy forever. It's normal to have some pain."
Chen Sanfang felt better after Kang He's persuasion. She sighed, "That's all. Your father was just thinking about bringing your grandfather over. He's a filial son. He always told me that of the two sons of the Fan family, he's the least capable. He's not as capable as your uncle, so it's normal that your grandparents don't like him.
Now that our family is well-off, and your grandfather wants to come live here, he feels needed, so why wouldn't he accept?
Kang He sighed in his heart, thinking that among families with many children, those who are not loved are often the most filial, and they always want to prove themselves to their parents throughout their lives.
Dad Fan is the second child in the family. He has an eloquent and capable older brother and a younger sister. He is stuck in the middle and is the one most likely to be ignored by his parents. He is also dull in character and probably received the least care when he was young.
Kang He then asked Chen Sanfang, "What does mother want?"
"I'm just here to discuss this with you two. Otherwise, just agree to let him take your grandfather over to live with you. He's got this knot in his heart that he can't untie, and he's not getting well. How can this go on for long?"
Chen Sanfang said, "The family still has to consider your opinions."
Seeing this, Kang He glanced at Fan Jing.
Fan Jing said, "If you want to bring him here, then bring him here. Just explain to Dad that if he lives a peaceful life here, the whole family will respect him. If he likes to make trouble, he knows my temper."
Chen Sanfang agreed, and the three of them talked for a while before she went back into the house.
After fetching the medicine from the kitchen, Chen Sanfang gave it to Father Fan. "Don't lie there like this any longer. It's disturbing everyone in the house. Get up tomorrow and go to the main house to discuss with my eldest brother and his wife. If you want to bring him over, then do so."
After hearing what Chen Sanfang said, Father Fan perked up a bit. He moved his body and tried to sit up. "Can Da Jing and San Lang respond?"
"How could they not respond when they saw you like this? Everyone in this room would feel sorry for you."
Hearing this, Father Fan looked ashamed. He held Chen Sanfang's hand and said, "I feel bad too.
My mother passed away last winter, before she even celebrated the Spring Festival. I cry when I think of her. My parents now only have my father, and he is old, with not much time left. I want him to fulfill any wish he has, let alone just coming to live in our home.
"I know you've suffered a lot from them in the past, and you've been very respectful and filial to them all these years. It would be hard for you to take him here this morning. If he comes, I'll treat him with respect and filial piety. You should take Qiao'er to the shop and let Sanlang Dajing look after the business."
Chen Sanfang felt a little better when she saw that he still cared about his family.
She said, "Let's be clear in advance. Dad won't cause any trouble when he comes over, and we'll all be respectful to him. If he does cause trouble and brings trouble to Sanlang Dajing, the two children won't be able to say anything out of respect for their elders, but I won't allow it."
Father Fan agreed that if things really went wrong, he would be the one to criticize him and not let anyone else have a say.
That afternoon, in the main room, Zhang Jingui was muttering to the others, "Why hasn't my second brother come to pick up Dad yet? Chen Sanfang is so cruel. It's bad enough that she sees her father-in-law in trouble, but now she doesn't even care about her husband when he's sick."
After hearing what Zhang Jingui said, Mrs. Lu said, "Mother, please don't say such things anymore.
It was not right for Grandpa to live in the second house. The division of the family had been witnessed by the elders in the village. Now that Grandpa is old and needs filial piety, he has to live in the second house. Wouldn't that make people feel unhappy? Even if people outside see it, our family will not have a good reputation.
If the Second House is really willing to take her in, then we should agree with them that she can stay there for a while to help the master recover, and then be taken back when she feels better."
Zhang Jingui was just about to retort to her daughter-in-law that he was the one who usually served Master Fan, but she was relaxed and easy to talk to, and her waist didn't seem to hurt.
Fan Shoushan also helped Lu and said, "My daughter-in-law is right. Originally, our family was not in good shape. Dad gave all the extra property to the eldest wife. Now that I am old and can't work, it would be a loss for me to go to my second brother's house."
"Don't let the issue of support hurt the relationship between brothers."
Mrs. Lu was a businessman, and beyond family affection, she also had a bit of calculation: "Second wife's family has been very kind to us. When Axin was running a private school, Second wife ran around for him. Now, we also share the business of our shop with Second wife. We can't buy food at such a good price outside and sell it in the shop."
Zhang Jingui is short-sighted and has no thoughts. He only seeks temporary happiness and would not think about these things carefully.
After hearing what his daughter-in-law said, he said nothing more.
The next day, Father Fan actually got out of bed and went to the main room to talk.
The two sides agreed that they would clean up a room in the afternoon and pick up Fan Ye.
Fan Ye's illness was really scary. After just two days, she became full of energy again. After eating all day, she went out to chat with the old man in high spirits.
However, Father Fan's health has finally improved after some time of recuperation.
Seeing that Mr. Fan didn't cause any trouble, his family let him go out and have fun. Their life continued in harmony, not much different from before.
At the end of April, Zhang Shili and He Xiaoqiu got married and held a wedding banquet. Kang He and Fan Jing brought gifts and went to He's house with Chen Sanfang to attend the banquet.
It was a very lively occasion, with twelve tables filled with delicious dishes. Kanghe drank a lot of wine during the meal.
After the happy meal, Kang He got a little drunk, and Fan Jing drove them back.
Chen Sanfang was so nervous along the way, fearing that something might happen to Fan Jing with her big belly. Fortunately, it was a false alarm and nothing went wrong.
By the time I got home, I was sweating all over my back and chest. I called Xiaoxiang to get some water for me and rushed to take a shower.
Kang He had been blown by the wind all the way home and had sobered up a long time ago. He fetched some water and washed up with Fan Jing. It was still early and he didn't feel sleepy.
I went to see Dafu in his room and saw Qiao'er there, teaching the kid to count.
"Let me tell you a funny story, big brother, Gefu."
When Qiao'er saw the two men coming back, she put down Dafu, who she was holding.
She said, "My father came home from playing outside today with a sullen face. He didn't even eat a few bites of the delicious food in the evening and went back to his room to sleep."
"What's going on?"
Qiao'er said, "I heard that Old Man Kong, who played with him, had a quarrel and was cursing. The man said he couldn't stand seeing him get any better, so he told Dad not to have any contact with the Kong family in the future. He was like a little kid."
"No wonder Old Man Kong doesn't like him. I'm really stingy. When I'm hanging out with Old Man Kong, I never even offer him a cup of tea or a drink of water. But Old Man Kong often gives him some fruit and food."
"He always brags about our family to others, but he's as stingy as a miser. After a while, who would want to be friends with him?"
Kang He couldn't help but laugh when he heard this: "How can this man do things like this? There is no shortage of food and drink at home, and he never hides fruits and snacks. If he wants to give some to others, who can refuse him?
Not to mention that he opened his mouth, food and drink were often brought into his house, piling up so that he couldn't finish it all. Even if he invited people to his house, he would have plenty of food to entertain them."
"That's exactly what happened. I teased him the other day about why he never entertained his friends, only being entertained by them. People told me that money doesn't come easily, and if you don't hold on to it, you never know when it will be gone."
He even picked up some great moral principles and lectured me about how poor his family had been in the past. I thought to myself, I wasn't born into a wealthy family, so how could I not know such things? I didn't care to talk to him anymore.
After chatting for a while, they returned to the house to rest.
After hearing Qiao'er talk about Fan Ye's frugality, Yuan Kanghe told Fan Jing that this was better than making random friends and could be considered an advantage.
Who would have thought that after just two days of fun, something bad would happen.
One morning, it happened to rain, and Father Fan did not go to the fields to work. It was a rare opportunity for him to have some free time, so Carpenter Wang came to invite him to his house for a drink and entertainment.
Father Fan gave some instructions to his family and went there happily.
As for Fan Ye, ever since she had a falling out with Old Man Kong, she doesn't go out often during the day and spends more time at home.
At noon, Xiaoxiang and Father Fan set the table for lunch: a plate of stir-fried pork with water celery, a bowl of minced meat and chicken soup, a cold dish, and a bean sprout soup.
"There are so many dishes, Xiaoxiang, why don't you eat at the same table with me?"
Xiaoxiang said, "Grandpa, we have food outside. This is the dish that Master specially ordered to be prepared for you, as he was worried that you wouldn't be able to eat well at home alone."
When Fan Ye heard her say that she had prepared another meal for the servants, she went to see.
Xiaoxiang led him there, and Mr. Fan saw that the other dish was a pot of cabbage and radish soup, which was still greasy. A large piece of bacon was fished out of the pot, which had been cut into slices.
In addition, a basket of soft taro was also steamed.
"Is this what you eat?"
"I'm not eating alone. Brothers Mou, Liu, and Lian are eating together."
Mr. Fan's face immediately turned red with anger. He picked up the large bowl of bacon and said, "It's fine if you eat it yourself, but why are you eating it so well with them? You get paid to work for others, and you eat vegetables and rice, but you're eating so much meat! This is outrageous!"
Just as he was about to go into the kitchen to ask Xiaoxiang if the food was ready, Fourth Brother Lian heard what Master Fan said at the door and stopped for a moment, not going into the house.
Xiaoxiang kept chasing after Mr. Fan: "Grandpa, this is how we usually eat!"
Mr. Fan stiffened his neck and said, "In the past, our family was so poor that we couldn't even eat meat for ten days or half a month. But here, those of us who work for others eat meat every day. Our lives are no better than our masters'."
After saying that, Fan Ye looked at the well-behaved Xiao Xiang, softened his words, and wanted to pull her hand to sit down:
"You don't have to cook meat for them anymore. I don't think their work is hard. It's not as hard as when I was young. If you want to eat meat, come and eat with me."
Xiaoxiang was shocked. She couldn't bear to eat meat with Fan Bingbing alone. She said that she couldn't break the rules and ran away.
She ate outside at noon, and when the family saw that the meal was all vegetarian and had no meat, they inevitably asked questions, and even the fourth brother said a few strange words.
For a while, Xiaoxiang was in a difficult situation.
Mr. Fan felt sorry for giving the meat to the servants, so he ate the meat with his belly open at noon. He didn't eat a single grain of rice and only ate the meat.
After eating his fill, he went back into the house and fell into a deep sleep.
Unexpectedly, he became unwell in the afternoon and kept crying out in stomachache. Fan's father sent someone to call Doctor Zhu, who said that he had indigestion.
Seeing this, Father Fan couldn't help but take Xiaoxiang to ask, and was worried about Grandma Fan, so he spoke a little more harshly.
Xiaoxiang felt very aggrieved and lay down in the house crying for a long time.
When Kang and his family came, they didn't know what had happened yet, but they saw Xiaoxiang with red eyes saying:
"I am grateful to Brother Kang and Mr. Fan for their kindness over the years. But I am not young anymore. My parents sent me a letter saying that they have found a good match for me in their family and want me to get married."
Kang He heard this and felt that the matter was very sudden, so he said: "You have been doing a good job at home these years. We would like to borrow more of your time. However, marriage is a big deal and we cannot delay you.
How about this? I'll give you a long vacation here. After you go home and get married, you can come back and continue working. Okay? By then, my husband and I will also prepare a generous gift for you to congratulate you on your happy marriage."
Xiaoxiang really couldn't bear to leave such a good place, so she used this excuse to leave. After hearing what Kang and Fan Jing said, she felt even more sad and couldn't stop crying for a while.
Kang He felt strange and asked Xiaoxiang in detail if something had happened to her or if she had suffered any injustice, but she refused to say anything.
Instead, Father Fan said with a guilty look on his face, "Your grandfather was starving this afternoon and couldn't eat. I was so anxious that I said something harsh to Xiaoxiang. Your grandfather has the tongue, so don't blame Xiaoxiang for not looking after him."
"Don't resign. I shouldn't have said that to you."
Qiao'er, however, was very clear-headed. She was best friends with Xiaoxiang and knew that she was not the type to cry and scream at the slightest criticism.
Besides, her family was not doing well and they relied on her for the monthly allowance, so how could they easily quit?
She then asked Xiaoxiang in a gentle voice, "You must have suffered some grievance. Tell us everything so we can understand. My brother and my husband are fair people and will never let you suffer any injustice."
After some coaxing, Xiaoxiang told her what happened today.
"Is everything you said true?"
Father Fan stared with his eyes wide open. If it was said that his father did not eat meat with his subordinates, that was something he could really do.
But he refused to believe that he had been flirting with the young lady.
Xiaoxiang cried, "I dare not tell a single lie. I'm afraid the four brothers might overhear a few of my words and start arguing with me during lunch. I'd better call him over to question him."
Kang He called Lian Si to ask about it. Lian Si only said a few sarcastic words, but he never thought that the matter would be brought to Kang He. He said fearfully:
"I don't mean to criticize Xiaoxiang. It's just that during the spring and summer months, farm work is very heavy and requires a lot of physical effort. I saw Yi Huan and Er Xi, while Brother Mou and Brother Liu were both exhausted. But Grandpa brought our food away and said it was only for Xiaoxiang. We were angry for a moment and said something unpleasant."
Then I asked a few other people, and they all confirmed the same thing.
The few strong men didn't know the inside story, but the fourth brother heard a few words that Fan Ye said to Xiaoxiang. Although no one saw Fan Ye trying to touch anyone's hand, Fan Ye treated the young girl well and was harsh to other men. Everyone knew what he was thinking.
"What a sin! What a sin! What a nonsense!"
Father Fan's face flushed with shame and he felt burning. He suddenly stood up and went to Grandpa Fan's room angrily.
The rest of the people in the room all looked unhappy, and no one criticized Fan Ye directly. Kang He comforted Xiao Xiang and said:
"I'm sorry you've been wronged, Xiaoxiang. Go home tomorrow and rest for a couple of days. I'll see to it that this matter is resolved."
Xiaoxiang cried and responded to Kanghe's words. She thanked the people in the house and went back home.
Shameful and angry, Fan Shoulin ran into Mr. Fan's room and immediately started cursing, "My mother has only been gone for a few months, and you are so shameless at your age! You are really trying to make me lose all my face!"
Mr. Fan took some digestive medicine in the afternoon and felt much better. But when he saw his son coming in, he started scolding him, saying angrily, "Why are you scolding me like this without any reason?"
"What? What have you done? Don't you know what you've done? Aren't you ashamed? You're so old, but you're flirting with a young girl. Chen Yushun was paralyzed at home before! This is the result of being lustful!"
When Mr. Fan heard this, he immediately felt guilty. He didn't dare look at Fan Shoulin. He said, "What did that girl tell you? It was just nonsense. I saw that she was a thin little girl, so I wanted to tell her to eat more. Why did she talk to you like that? It's not right. Just fire her."
"Look at you, a skinny girl, who is kind-hearted and asks people to eat more, but she takes away the meat of the strong men in the family who work hard, and eats it herself until her stomach is sick. And she doesn't even acknowledge your shameful thoughts. How can you be such a person in this world!
Now that people don't agree with you, you want to fire them. Dad, my dad, how can you be such a person! "
Fan Shoulin was really angry and ashamed.
He was scolded and still felt unhappy, so he called his brother Fan Shoushan and told him what had happened.
Fan Shoushan was also shocked, and his face was filled with shame. "Even if they were rented people, they were still living people. Who doesn't eat rice and meat? The work this month is heavy, and if I don't share meat with others, who will be willing to work hard?"
"Even if Dad is frugal, he shouldn't be so frugal. You've never managed a large family business, so why are you meddling in other people's affairs?"
"Let's not talk about all that. You, you... Xiaoxiang, that girl, is only a little girl. If future generations knew about this, how would they view our family tradition? Daxin is a teacher who educates people!"
Both brothers felt very embarrassed and took turns scolding Fan Bingbing.
Chen Sanfang did not go into the house, but listened outside. Kang He and Fan Jing sent their subordinates to work outside and did not go into the house either.
"Your grandma is so pitiful. She has been with your grandpa since she was little. Decades have passed since their lives. I thought they were deeply in love. But now that she's gone, there's no one to supervise her, and she's started to think about things."
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Chen Sanfang cursed loudly, "This man is really no good!"
Kang He touched the tip of his nose and looked at Fan Jing innocently.
I thought there were still some good ones.
Fan Jing saw that his father and uncle had at least not spoiled his grandfather, and if they still didn't care about him after he did these foolish things, then he would scold all the elders as well.
Listening for a long time was boring, so he called Dafu and asked him to come into the room to read with him. It made him sleepy after listening to it.
Mr. Fan scolded his two sons so much that he lost all his dignity. He always felt that the people below him were secretly talking about him. He couldn't act arrogantly in front of others, so how could he still boss people around?
Within two days, without anyone trying to chase him away, he started clamoring to go back home. He went back to the main house and hid himself, refusing to see anyone. He refused to let Father Fan visit him, and he also refused to let Fan Shoushan serve him, implying that the two of them had scolded him too harshly and hurt him.
Father Fan was also angry. If he didn't want to go, then he didn't have to go. He was really making a fuss and showing filial piety to him in vain.
He was not only angry, but also ashamed and guilty. He could no longer hold his head up in front of Chen Sanfang.
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