In the east wing of the main house, Zhang and his wife retreated to the kang to rest. Old, they lacked the energy for work in the fields that young people possessed. They chatted about their sons' marriages and children, their children growing up and each starting their own small family. They felt both anxious and happy. Spreading the family out is the way it's been passed down from generation to generation, and as parents, they couldn't bear to see their family split up. For the sake of future harmony in the extended family, separating early meant less trouble, fewer conflicts, and for the sake of their children and grandchildren. The old couple felt a mixture of emotions.
Mother Zhang looked at her husband lying beside her with his eyes closed and a frown on his face, and whispered melancholy about the funny and ugly things that happened to his children when they were young. She thought it would be better to say something else to make him feel better. Even though the family had split up, sons were still sons and were filial. The children in their family were different from those in other families.
"Dad, Xiaowu bought a lot of things today. They're all new and trendy. I saw he asked someone to bring them to me, so I guess he bought them in a big city. I won't tell you about the things he bought, you can see when you have time. Jiaojiao said a few things to me, and I thought they made a lot of sense and overturned my previous ideas. I just wanted to tell you about it."
Zhang's father was surprised to hear this. No wonder his wife was so cheerful today. He had no idea his daughter-in-law had touched his wife's heart, and he wanted to hear what had touched her heart.
"Today, Xiaowu bought a large bag of special rice, red dates, brown sugar, two pig's trotters, and two black-bone chickens. You wouldn't believe it, but he heard someone say that red date rice porridge replenishes blood, so he asked me to drink it every day to replenish my blood. He also bought two black-bone chickens for Jiaojiao and me to share. He said he bought more so that I could also eat, otherwise he wouldn't have bought two. But I really didn't want to compete with the confinement mother for food. I said I would never agree.
Later, Jiaojiao said that if Xiaowu bought something, I should be happy to eat it, and I should also be happy to accept the food and clothes he bought in the future. Jiaojiao said that the child is filial to you, and if you don't accept it, won't it make the child unhappy? Then, when he sees something nice in the future, he will think that although this is good, my mother doesn't want it. Then when he sees other nice things, he will want to buy them for me, but then he will think that I won't want them either. After a long time, Xiaowu no longer wants to buy things, because I won't want them anyway. Gradually, when he sees nice things in the future, he won't think of buying things for us to show his filial piety, thinking that we won't want them either. Then no one will buy things for us to show our filial piety in the future. So Jiaojiao thinks that I should be happy to accept whatever my child buys for you. In the future, when he sees something good, he will think that this thing is good, and my mother must like it, so she should buy it for me. Then when he sees something good, he will remember that he also likes this thing, so he will buy it and give it to me. I will be happy to accept it. Xiaowu and the others will think that their mother will really like what they like, and they will be very happy too. Then they will buy these for my mother in the future. Xiaowu will be very happy in his heart, thinking that he and his mother are of one mind and like the same things. Then he will think of his mother when he sees something in the future, because what he buys is what his mother likes, and he will always be filial to us in the future.
Listen, I think what he said makes sense. If I didn't want any of them, he would have thought I didn't like them. Who would take care of us when we're old? But then I think about it, it doesn't make sense. What mother doesn't try her best to support her son and give all the good things to her sons and grandchildren? Do you think what Jiaojiao said makes sense?"
Zhang's father laughed heartily. He was just trying to persuade his mother in a different way. A filial child who didn't want to eat alone and tried every possible way to comfort and persuade his parents when they saw they didn't accept their wishes was a good child.
"That makes sense. You should do this in the future. They can afford to buy it, so they won't be reluctant to spend it. If you are asked to eat, then you should eat it. If you don't have money and ability, you will only care about your own food and clothing. Who will think of giving to your parents and the elderly? This is because the child doesn't want to eat alone."
"Well, you didn't see the bag Xiaowu was carrying today. I put it in the next room. Let me tell you first, besides the things I mentioned earlier, there are some other things you haven't seen. That diaper is whiter than a white towel. He said a classmate got it and the child won't get a rash on the bottom. And that milk bottle is obviously a special product. We haven't seen it before, and I don't know how his classmate got it. Oh, he also bought two bags of milk powder and saved one for the two girls at home. Those bags are all in foreign words and are rare. I don't think you can buy them even in the provincial capital."
"The son is a good son, and the daughter-in-law is also a good daughter-in-law. The fact that they can get it shows that they are capable. You should remind them to keep a low profile and not let everyone in the village know about it. You can also use a bottle to fill the milk powder yourself, and burn the foreign words on the packaging. Let the children drink it, but don't tell anyone else about it."
"Okay, I know. Xiaowu was just about to talk about the Zhou family, but he got sidetracked by the split. I asked him about it at noon, and he said he'd wait until you get back. But he did mention a fight with a bitch. I guess he's had a fight with the Zhou family. I saw he wasn't hurt, so I guess he wants your advice on something."
"If things are urgent, Xiaowu will be here soon. Just wait and see. You don't know your son yet. If there was something wrong, everyone would have gone to see it. This kid knows what's going on and is very cunning."
Father Zhang told his worried wife that he was not worried about his youngest son at all. That boy has been smart since he was young, and he has a set of ways to do things and behave. Everyone in the village praises him. It’s just that the second son has a harder time. It’s harder when compared with the three brothers in the family. No family in the village would have a hard time. The second son hasn’t handed over his private money in recent years, which is probably about 200 yuan. His wife said that his wife spent it, but he didn’t believe it. If he had money, his wife would steal sweet potatoes, which would be hilarious. This kid is also a cunning one, he only knows how to calculate for himself, and he can’t compare to the generosity of the eldest and the fifth son. But he still cares about his family, he just loves money too much.
He knows his three sons like the back of his hand. The second son is the shrewdest. The eldest is selfless, and his wife also hides some private money. The youngest son is even less worried. Although I didn't see the things he bought today, I can tell from hearing that they cost hundreds of yuan. This kid wouldn't make such a fuss if his family's wealth was 2,000 yuan less. But this kid is indeed too generous. Jiaojiao lets him do what he wants. The couple doesn't value money, so he needs to pay attention to it.
The second brother, on the other hand, had plenty of money. After the family split up, they'd have a house built for him, and 150 yuan would be left over. When the two brothers split up and moved into the new house, their burdens would be lighter, and their lives would be easier. It was the eldest brother who was truly destitute when the family split up. The one who suffered the most was the eldest. He was the oldest and had suffered the most. When the family split up and his mother had no money, he was the one who took care of his younger siblings. He worked tirelessly day and night to help earn the family fortune.
He'll bring it up when the family division agreement is written. He'll give all the private money in the account to his three sons; he's keeping track of it. The eldest son's private money should also be returned to him. It doesn't make sense that if the second son hasn't paid his private money in recent years, the eldest and third sons' money should be included in the family division. What is a family division? It's about dividing the property left by the parents. It's impossible for parents to treat everyone equally. The eldest son has had a much harder time than his younger brothers. Raising three sons is not easy, and no one understands the difficulty of raising three children better than he does.
Given the eldest son's honest nature, he would be exhausted to death if he was forced to work in the fields, relying on work points to support three sons and a daughter. He had to help out for a few years after the family split, and with the help of his two brothers-in-law and Xiaowu, it wouldn't be a big deal. And the things in the cellar had to be kept for now; they couldn't be divided. The nationwide campaign against landlordism was in full swing, and leaving them in the hands of a child was a sin.
Antiques are valuable in prosperous times, and gold is valuable in troubled times. He always remembered the words of the old patriarch, and he didn't know if he could wait until the prosperous and peaceful times.
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