Chapter 981 Preferential Treatment
Tianjia Village is located in the vicinity of Yingcheng. It is relatively isolated, and each household relies on a few acres of land to make a living, living a very frugal life.
Fortunately, the village is not far from the sea, and the villagers get up early to go to the market to buy cheap fish and shrimp, occasionally indulging in a treat.
A large horse-drawn carriage arrived in the village, which was a novelty for the villagers. Upon hearing the news, the villagers rushed to the carriage and headed towards the farmhouse.
The villagers held sunflower seeds and peanuts in their hands, and some even carried bowls of hot water, fully prepared for the excitement.
Along the way, you pass by the low houses of the people in Tianjia Village, and further on, there is a spacious courtyard.
"We've arrived, esteemed guest, this is my home."
Grandma Tian led the way, beaming from ear to ear, calculating in her mind how much money she would make next.
Tian Dali is an unfilial son. He had already caused a scene with her because of the division of the family property, which made Old Lady Tian very unhappy.
She's Tian Dali's biological mother, so what's wrong with her taking some of her son's money? Besides, it's not helping outsiders; it all goes into her own family's pockets.
She's not wrong to favor the eldest son; in the future, she and her husband will rely entirely on him for their old age—that's the rule.
When Grandma Tian gave birth to Tian Dali, she had a difficult childbirth and almost died. She never liked the tongue-tied Tian Dali and thought that the third son was a troublemaker.
Parents are doing their children a great favor by raising them to adulthood. It only costs a little money. Tian Dali holds a grudge. What's the difference between him and a wolf cub?
The whole family is better off if Tian Dali is sacrificed.
Old Mrs. Tian kept plotting her own scheme, her expression changing constantly.
The Tian family's courtyard was spacious enough to accommodate a horse-drawn carriage.
The Prince of Luo instructed the coachman to wait outside the door and then led Lin Yuesha inside as a guest.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, distinguished guests have come from the prefectural city to deliver pension funds. Quickly, make some tea!"
Grandma Tian rushed in and greeted Tian Daguang's wife, who was eating sunflower seeds and sunbathing.
"Hurry up, you lazy bum!"
Old Mrs. Tian gave her a wink. She usually turned a blind eye to her laziness, but if it delayed important matters, she would never let the lazy woman off the hook!
"Mother, don't worry, I'll go make some tea right away."
Tian Daguang's wife glanced around and immediately understood.
In the Tian family, guests are treated in different ways. When villagers come to visit, they are only given hot water from the kitchen. If relatives come, they are given a little sugar or bitter tea leaves at most.
When Old Lady Tian went to the prefectural city to ask for money, she once bought a small tin of tea, which cost one tael of silver. The whole family usually couldn't bear to drink it; it was very precious.
Now that a benefactor has come to give her money, Old Lady Tian is finally willing to use it to entertain her guest.
Lin Yuesha only took a sip. The tea leaves were low-grade green tea, and the tea leaves were brewed with boiling water, so the taste was very bad.
Having seen too many good things, Lin Yuesha no longer cared about these things, and even deliberately showed a little disdain.
Old Mrs. Tian was quick-witted and observant. Seeing Lin Yuesha's expression change slightly, she smiled and said, "You are an important person, and I'm afraid you've never drunk such bad tea before. But we don't have anything good in our village, so please don't take offense."
"Of course we don't mind. We came here mainly to deliver the money, not to cause trouble."
Lin Yuesha took Old Mrs. Tian's hand and chatted warmly about everyday things.
The best way to deal with extreme cases is to give them hope first. Draw a big meat pie in front of them, and just when they think they can open their mouths and bite into it, take the meat pie away.
Such a contrast is enough to make even the most discerning person want to pound their chest and get angry for quite a while.
"Thanks to the people in the military who still remember my third son, Dali. It's not easy for him. He went to the front lines to fight the enemy and even fell ill while saving people. He can't find a wife yet, and his family is very worried."
After finishing her story, Old Lady Tian dabbed at the corner of her eye with her handkerchief. “I once went to the prefectural city, but I was beaten with a cane by those corrupt officials and had to lie in bed for quite a while.”
Grandma Tian revealed that what Tian boy said matched exactly.
Lin Yuesha had lived in Chenjia Village for a while. The villagers were not short of people like Granny Wang, and she prided herself on her ability to judge people.
From the moment she entered the door, Tian Daguang's wife stared at the gemstone hairpin on her head, her eyes gleaming like a hungry wolf, as if she wanted to snatch it away immediately.
Old Mrs. Tian spoke better than she sang, but she wasn't exactly a performer. Her constantly shifting eyes betrayed her.
When talking about Tian Dali's injuries, Old Lady Tian was still holding back her anger.
“My third son was injured while saving someone. He had saved the lives of his subordinates. After he retired, the person he saved became a centurion, but he never came to visit Dali.”
This wasn't the first time Old Lady Tian had scolded him; Tian Dali's simple-mindedness didn't seem like that of a member of the Tian family.
Why risk your life to save your men when they're already dead? As a result, you end up crippled, can't stay in the army, and have to go home to farm.
The family has only a few acres of land and enough manpower. What can Tian Dali do with his legs? The whole family has to work to support them.
The military provided a pension, but it was a one-time thing. Once it was gone, what would Tian Dali do for the rest of his life?
Those who were saved have escaped with their lives, and should at least be promoted and made rich, so they should give their military pay to Tian Dali.
Lin Yuesha listened to Grandma Tian complaining about her headache, and she showed a little impatience, which Grandma Tian immediately noticed.
“Old woman, why are you talking nonsense? We’re not doing this out of gratitude, but because we’re following our hearts to save people.”
Old Tian, sitting to the side, interjected, "We've always taught Lao San (Old Three) a lot. He's not a coward; he's kind and honest."
"Yes, that's how I've always taught Dali."
Grandma Tian chimed in, immediately taking credit for the achievement herself.
Lin Yuesha observed coldly. The most shrewd person in the family was not Old Lady Tian, but Old Man Tian, who had always been out of the public eye.
She said that without the head of the family's consent, Tian Dali wouldn't have had all his money withheld and been kicked out of the house.
Lin Yuesha found this odd family even more distasteful.
"My esteemed sir, may I inquire how much money the higher-ups have given my third son this time?"
Old Mrs. Tian couldn't hold on any longer; money was her main goal.
"Auntie, the subsidy isn't much, only one hundred taels. But the higher-ups have found Tian Dali a job, so he'll get a few taels of silver a month."
Luo Wang took the initiative to speak, and specially explained to Old Lady Tian in detail that working in the shipyard meant you could bring your family along.
"Food and lodging are free, and clothes are washed by a professional."
As for daily meals, they are provided with fish, meat, and eggs, and eat three meals a day, with a standard of four dishes and one soup, and there are people specifically assigned to cook for them.
"Doesn't that mean you'll be waited on hand and foot?"
They eat three meals a day, with fish, meat, and eggs all included. They don't need to do laundry; they just wait to eat what's ready.
Old Mrs. Tian could hardly believe it and asked again, "How many taels of silver do you get every month? Aren't the food expenses deducted from your wages?"
It's no wonder she didn't believe it. People from Tianjia Village occasionally went to the city to find work, doing manual labor or bricklaying. They would only get twenty copper coins for a full day's work, without meals included.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
