Xie Liushan was a promising student. Back then, the two elders of the Xie family paid 15 taels of silver to prevent their adopted daughter from being sent back to the wolf's den.
That was supposed to be Xie Liushan's tuition for nearly two years, but in the end, he used it to "redeem" his adopted daughter.
Seeing his parents wasting their future on someone they weren't related to by blood, he made the difficult decision to abandon his studies and go to town to learn bookkeeping. In the end, he even became the son-in-law of the family he worked for.
This incident infuriated Xie's parents, who then decided to sever ties with him.
However, the three brothers have a good relationship. They dare not question their parents' decisions, but their brotherly affection has not diminished in the slightest.
Over the years, Xie Liushan, as the third brother, has been working diligently and humbly as a son-in-law in his father-in-law's house in town.
But he still secretly brought a lot of benefits to his family, so he could be considered a "thief" who subsidized his "brothers' family."
"My little sister's gone. I wonder if the people from over there will come!"
After all, he had watched her grow up, so Xie Liudi still had deep feelings for this little sister.
“What are you talking about? We’ve cut off all ties. In all these years, not a single person has come to visit my brother and sister-in-law. If they did come, I’d throw them out with a broom!”
When Xie Liudi's wife, Xie Zhushi, came out with a stack of yellow paper, she couldn't help but chime in after hearing the two brothers' conversation.
"Go away, what do you know, you woman?"
"Brother, sister-in-law is right. If they come, I'll have to pay for their drinks. Besides, my children only recognize you as their uncle!"
Xie Ming counted on his fingers and mumbled...
Upon hearing this, Xie Liudi fell silent and went to the side to help his nephew, who was at home, move the tables and benches in the main room.
In the countryside, a family lives in just a few thatched huts and a courtyard. Once the mourning cloth is put up and the incense and candles are lit, the mourning hall is quickly set up.
Once the filial sons and virtuous grandsons kneel down, anyone who wants to cry or wail can join in.
At this moment, Xie Zhu, who was folding yellow paper in the courtyard by the moonlight, would occasionally turn her head to look at her younger brother-in-law sitting not far away.
She wasn't sure how deep his relationship with his younger siblings was, but it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they depended on each other for survival.
But ever since their eldest son arrived, this younger brother-in-law's coldness made her feel uneasy.
Ignore, inquire about, and grieve over everything...
Is he heartbroken, or is he completely devoid of thought?
"Hey, you need to think more positively about this..."
She didn't know how to ask, but comforting her was definitely the right thing to do.
"Sister-in-law, do you think the Xie family owes her anything in this lifetime?"
"Owe? It's her who owes our Xie family! She was raised from the age of three until she was six. Before your brother and I were pregnant with Dali, most of our savings went into her mouth. Then her parents came to make trouble, and she had to pay 15 taels of silver to get rid of them, and then you were dragged into it too. In the end, her third brother even... sigh!"
As Xie Zhu spoke, all sadness vanished. "Go to hell with her wet nurse!" she thought. "Poor sister-in-law? How is her sister-in-law so miserable?"
If we're talking about who has a harder life, she's definitely the one who has the hardest!
My sister-in-law was pampered by her parents-in-law and loved by her brothers since childhood. After marriage, she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. She didn't have to worry about anything before or after her death! What kind of miserable life is that?
And what about her?
Before getting married, she was a devoted wife and mother; after marriage, she served her in-laws. Now she has four sons, but no daughters.
You know, after she passes away, her clothes and the "fifth seven" memorial service still need to be made by her daughters. She is holding her daughters-in-law in high esteem because she is afraid that they will not take these things seriously in the future, and she will not be able to pass away peacefully.
Thinking of this, Xie Zhu's tears began to fall in a steady stream. This time, she wasn't crying for her poor younger brother and sister-in-law, but for her own life.
"Sister-in-law, we don't owe her anything, but that woman doesn't have this family!"
After saying this, Xie Ming lowered his head as if deflated.
"What's wrong?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Zhu knew there was more to the story. She wiped away her tears and stared at Xie Ming with curiosity.
"When she was dying just now, I asked her if she had anything to say, and she said no!"
"No? What? No? She didn't explain anything about the family?"
Xie Zhu stopped what she was doing; she knew that her second brother's family was managed by his wife.
After the three sons finished their work in the fields, their third uncle would find them jobs.
Thanks to their third uncle, the two daughters learned embroidery at a young age, and started making handkerchiefs and purses for the town's embroidery workshop when they were 8 or 9 years old.
Over the years, her family has helped all four of her sons get married, built houses for them, and managed to save up nearly thirty or forty taels of silver.
My uncle's family only handled one major event, so they definitely have no less than a hundred taels of silver on hand. Why does this sound so strange?
"No, I asked her how much money she had left. She didn't say. I thought she was too upset to say it, but I didn't expect her to stare at me for almost half an hour before she breathed her last!"
"This...this..."
Xie Zhu was also stunned; in half an hour, she could point to hundreds or thousands of places with her fingers.
If you don't want to explain, then you don't have to. Now she finally understood why Xie Ming was so cold.
My uncle's family still has four unmarried children. If they lose this money, I can't even imagine how they'll manage to arrange their weddings.
“Over the years, besides the eldest son getting married, there are two more kids who need to find wives. Daya and Erya also need to find husbands. Why doesn’t she think about her children?”
"Second brother! Don't worry, maybe the silver is still in the house. How about this? Let's search for it together tomorrow morning!"
Xie Zhu didn't know what to say.
"It's almost 9 PM, sister-in-law, you and brother should head back early!"
Xie Ming didn't respond. He stood up, dusted himself off, and swayed as he walked into the house.
Madam Xie looked at him with sympathy, thinking that if her sister-in-law was ungrateful and wronged the Xie family, then no matter what decision her brother-in-law made, she would have to subdue the old man in the family.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
