They endured discomfort and nausea, making themselves look ugly and acting strangely, all for that one hundred taels of silver.
But this is the result.
Although he handed it over to his wife, it's still not the same.
It's never as convenient as having the money in your own hands to spend.
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Huang remained noncommittal and continued to ask, "You two too?"
"Pretty much," said the eldest Huang, who had also been pondering the matter. "If it weren't for the hundred taels that Mother had promised, the three of us would never have been willing to swallow our pride."
"Do you think your own mother wouldn't be willing to give her son one hundred taels?"
"Of course not, she's not that kind of person."
Upon hearing this, the two elderly women's expressions softened considerably.
Old Mrs. Huang gave a soft snort before speaking, "Of course she's not that kind of person. She's so generous to outsiders, how could she be reluctant to give her own son a mere hundred taels?"
Hearing this, Huang Lao Er asked, feeling wronged, "Then why don't you just give us the silver directly?"
"It's all for you kids," Old Mrs. Jiang said coldly. "There's a lot to learn about how couples get along. You always have to know how to give in. The worst thing is to be at each other's throats. Whether it's the woman or the man, as long as one of them can give in, the relationship can get by."
"Is Mother telling us to back down so that her son and daughter-in-law won't have a fight?"
Huang Xiaosan couldn't express how he felt.
I felt a little touched, but mostly relieved, and also a bit heartbroken.
Grandma Jiang didn't answer, she just nodded gently.
"Grandma," Huang Lao Er asked curiously, "Are you sure we weren't adopted from someone else's home?"
Although he was happy that his wife was being loved, he still felt a little jealous.
He's still my own son, how come he's not even as good as his wife who's only been with the family for a few years?
"What do you think?" Old Mrs. Jiang glanced at Huang Lao Er with disdain. "If he weren't her own son, so simple-minded and a big eater, who would dare to keep him?"
Fortunately, although he was a bit slow-witted, he had a good heart and at least didn't lose face over a hundred taels of silver like the other two brothers.
Indeed, being carefree has its advantages.
"Never mind, I didn't ask." Huang Lao Er awkwardly touched his nose and shrank to the back.
"Grandma," Huang Xiaosan said somewhat guiltily, "I also want to know, everyone says that a woman should obey her husband after marriage, so why does Mother want us to submit?"
Although I've come to terms with not getting the hundred taels, I'm still very curious.
"A mother-in-law and daughter-in-law can never be as close as a mother and daughter," Grandma Jiang sighed softly. "It's precisely because you are her own children that she favors your daughter-in-law. If she indulges you in everything, things will get out of hand sooner or later."
She favors her son and blames her daughter-in-law whenever something goes wrong.
Most mother-in-law and daughter-in-law problems stem from this reason.
The long-term struggle eventually resulted in a feud between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, with either the east wind prevailing over the west wind, or the west wind prevailing over the east wind.
There have even been cases of young wives deliberately starving, poisoning, or drowning their elderly mothers-in-law when they are too old to walk...
“That’s right,” Old Mrs. Huang chimed in. “Mothers and sons don’t hold grudges overnight. A fight or a scolding can be over in a few words. But it’s different for mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. Even a slight conflict can be held in their hearts for a lifetime.”
She had been quite devoted to her eldest daughter-in-law, who had treated her like a thief, not allowing her to touch her eldest grandson.
As if they were afraid of taking it from her!
Don't they realize they have sons of their own? Why would they try to snatch a grandson from a generation away?
She just really loves her grandson. She has so many sons, isn't that enough for her to raise?
Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaosan nodded in agreement, his tightly furrowed brows relaxing. "That's true, they are indeed different."
He simply couldn't treat his father-in-law like his own father.
At most, I can help him out when he's in trouble; that's all I can do.
Honestly, even after all this time, he still minds being tricked into signing the long-term contract.
Especially now that I've seen more of the world and know what that long contract meant, I can't forget it even more.
Even knowing that I was the one who made the biggest mistake, I still have a knot in my heart.
This is also why he was able to decisively follow Jiang Nuan back to the prefectural city.
"You three should go back and give your wives a talking-to," Old Mrs. Jiang speculated. "Your mother is a very thoughtless person and doesn't usually get involved in these things. The fact that she's doing this means that your wives are having some kind of problem."
Even now, Grandma Jiang still feels that Jiang Nuan spoils her daughter-in-law too much.
If someone has wicked thoughts, just scold them. If that doesn't work, send them back to their parents' home to reflect on their actions. They'll make room for others, and some people might want to join them anyway. Why go through all that trouble?
Things are different now; the Huang family no longer needs to be subservient.
Grandma Jiang had very low requirements for her three nephews' wives: they didn't need to be shrewd or capable; they just needed to be honest, dutiful, and not a burden.
If she can't even do this, and still needs her elders to indulge and coax her, she's not that good-tempered.
"this?"
Huang Lao Er and Huang Xiao San exchanged a glance, both revealing a look of surprise and doubt.
They seem to know the reason.
“Grandma is right,” Huang Xiaosan patted his older brother’s shoulder, “You should take some time to have a good talk with your sister-in-law.”
It had been many days, and he thought the matter was long over.
"Me?" Old Huang felt confused. "I talked to your sister-in-law before, and she said it was great."
He did as his mother instructed that very day.
Although I was completely confused at the time.
"What did my sister-in-law say?"
She told me not to worry, that nothing was wrong.
Upon hearing this, Grandma Huang gave her grandson a look of exasperation, "And then you just ignored it?"
"What else is there to worry about?" Old Huang frowned and explained, "Grandma, I have to take care of the estate, run errands in the county town, and worry about Jiang Chao. I'm so busy that I don't even have time to eat. How can I have the mind to worry about such trivial matters?"
She has plenty of food and clothing, and no one in her family mistreats her. What more do they need to do to her?
“That’s true,” the old lady said, seeing her grandson’s busy work. “The eldest daughter-in-law is too unreasonable. The men are busy outside all day, and when they come back they still have to worry about the backyard. It doesn’t make sense.”
At this moment, she was already slightly impatient with Wang.
"I'll talk to her properly later," said Huang, sounding a bit of a headache. "Why is she making such a fuss when life is going so well?"
“It’s not just him,” Grandma Jiang said slowly, looking at the other two. “You two are the same. Just because you’re not causing trouble now doesn’t mean you won’t cause trouble in the future.”
“I don’t need it,” Huang Lao Er said confidently. “My wife isn’t that kind of person.”
She's smart enough not to be clueless.
Upon hearing this, the two elderly women remained silent, tacitly agreeing.
They felt that although Huang Shu was simple-minded, he was lucky in his foolishness and had married a very good wife.
Whether he's clever or not is secondary; he has absolutely no ulterior motives and trusts his family completely.
Although Wang only harbored some minor thoughts, it proved that she didn't really trust her mother-in-law, husband, or even the Huang family.
It's not a big deal, but it makes me feel uneasy.
I always feel that my daughter (daughter-in-law) treats me so well, it's not worth it!
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