"Chicken comb, he's only 8 years old, you can't blame the child entirely. You're also at fault, how can you just hand over the money without checking the accounts? All these years you've only been focused on working hard, being controlled by a woman and not daring to utter a single fart... Ouch—it hurts like hell!"
Xie Liushan felt sorry for the child and began to scold Xie Ming. When Xie Zhu heard his words, she couldn't help but pinch him hard on the lower back.
"Second brother, don't listen to his nonsense. Your wife is cunning and even tries to fool her own son. We farmers are not as shrewd as her."
"Father, my younger brother is too young to know that Mother would use such a method to deceive him. Please forgive him!"
Seeing their younger brother's hopeless state, the others knelt down and begged for his life.
The nephews and nieces present also knelt down in front of Xie Ming to plead for their cousin.
“His second uncle’s children are all good people, they’re just young and don’t understand right from wrong. They’ll definitely not make the same mistake again after this lesson. And since they’re so united, it’s only a matter of time before they earn back that money.”
Xu Tongling also sighed, saying that the kinship in her family was weak, and that uncles and nephews could fight to the death over trivial matters, so it was hard to imagine that the Xie brothers were as tolerant as they were.
After a long while, the stubborn old man Xie Ming finally nodded with a pursed mouth.
It has to be said that life in the countryside is a bit tough, but there are substitutes for food and hands, so he can just play the role of an "innocent green tea" (a term used to describe someone who is innocuous and manipulative).
"By the way, is it possible to get that money back?"
"It's uncertain! Apart from Qili knowing that her mother was sending food over there, he only guessed at the details. Besides, there's no written agreement at home, so even if we take it to the magistrate, we won't get anything good out of it."
...
After learning the whole story, the family sat in the courtyard and discussed it for a long time. Xie Liushan and his wife decided to give Xie Ming 10 taels of silver to help him through this difficult time.
While they were talking, no one remembered to burn paper money or light incense for the people inside.
Only the dutiful eldest daughter-in-law glanced at the incense and candles that had been extinguished for a long time before gritting her teeth and going over to relight them.
Normally, a person's body should be kept in the hospital for seven days after death, but after such an incident, none of the Xie family members present wanted to keep that woman at home for even a moment longer.
So Xie Liushan and Xie Liudi went to the master again to ask for a new date, and set the day after the encoffining and burial.
On the third day, the Xie family sent word that the burial was taking place that day. Everyone was surprised; they hadn't expected them to be in such a hurry, burying someone only two days after they left.
Fortunately, a fortune teller stepped in to assure them that the auspicious date would be favorable for having children. The villagers had no objections and went to the Xie family's house to help after noon.
Just as the mourners were heading to the Xie family's house, a group of people from another village arrived outside the Xie family's house.
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