Every family has its own problems. Look, Father Zhang lay on the kang that night, frowning and taking a few long drags on his pipe. Thinking of what his eldest brother had said, he felt annoyed too.
Zhang's mother brought in a bowl of rice porridge and urged him to drink it quickly.
Zhang Dad was amused by his wife and laughed. "I believe that drinking rice porridge will cure a cold. But I am also worried, so I drink rice porridge. Mother, this is not a soup for worry."
Seeing his smile, Zhang's mother said cheerfully, "You know what. This is truly a relief! Just think about the white rice; it's so rare! What could be better than having surplus food? My father got enough for my eldest brother, and there was surplus for my second brother. Before he left, he even said he hoped his descendants would have surplus food."
When Mr. Zhang thought of his father-in-law, he laughed happily.
"Dad, listen to me. Helping in emergencies without helping the poor is like a bottomless pit. Life isn't as hard as it was in the past few years when natural disasters were rampant. It's reasonable to say that making a living shouldn't be a problem, but now you're saying there's a food shortage. That's not the truth. I think you helped too much before, and she thinks we're well-off, so she wants to help the children."
Father Zhang nodded. "How could I not understand this? Back then, they were on the verge of death, and I couldn't just stand by and watch them die. Now..."
At this point, Zhang's father sighed, "Big brother is so smart. Just say this, Second brother, I have too many children at home, and my grandchildren all need wives. I really can't help my eldest sister. Can you please take care of her more? Look how easy he said it, but it made me suffocate."
"What did my uncle say?"
Father Zhang smiled and said, "My younger brother told me to ignore my elder sister. He said that the three of us brothers had already done enough to help her get through the first two years. Even if his family had surplus food, they wouldn't give it to a bunch of ungrateful people."
Zhang's mother smiled and shook her head. "No wonder you're annoyed. Whose opinion should we listen to? Dad, my sister-in-law talked to me about something today. She said that she and her husband don't care about the family anymore, and her eldest daughter is now the manager. From what she said, she doesn't want to take care of my eldest sister either. Do you think my eldest sister has offended her? She used to say that my eldest sister has a hard life, and I'll help her if I can."
Father Zhang sighed, feeling somewhat embarrassed to speak. It wasn't his sister-in-law's fault; anyone would be angry. The three brothers had agreed that he would give 50 kilograms of dried sweet potatoes first, and then they would take turns.
But who knew that after the eldest sister went back home, she didn't know what to say. The next day, the two older nephews ran to the village to ask for food, saying that their mother told them that their two uncles owed them 50 kilograms of dried sweet potatoes. At that time, everyone still ate in the village canteen, and they were so hungry that they almost strangled each other. Where did they get 50 kilograms of dried sweet potatoes?
In the end, the two little bastards stayed put and refused to leave. This caused a few people in the village to say some unpleasant things, saying that they had promised their nephew not to give them food but were taking advantage of the public resources. This would surely make my younger brother and sister-in-law hold a grudge against me.
Thinking of his two nephews' character, Zhang Dad said with a hard heart: "I will listen to my younger brother! If my eldest brother asks me to help, let him come and see if I still have any food."
Zhang's mother laughed heartily. She took the pipe from his hand, placed it in the basket in the room, and carried it outside. She went back to the back of the room, put up the mosquito net, and said, "Don't worry about such a small thing. It's not worth it. I'll tell you something that will make you happy."
Father Zhang nodded, fanned himself with a palm-leaf fan, and waited for his wife to continue.
"When I went back today, many people asked me if I wanted to meet someone."
Father Zhang smiled and shook his head. "Our eldest grandson knows what he's doing. He can choose whatever he wants. Look at the second and fifth sons. They've chosen their own choices. There's no need for us to worry about them."
"That's what I said. My eldest sister-in-law also told me that the child was too young to be accepted. Our Zhang family has never lacked candidates. By the way, her son Tiedan is also looking for a partner. My eldest sister-in-law said that Qingshan's wife is very worried now, because she is worried that she won't be able to build a house. Do you think she is sick? Can the eldest son still be separated?"
"Once Tiedan got married, it was the Yinsuo brothers who came next, and she was worried about the next generation. My eldest brother told me about this. He was so happy to have grandchildren at the time, but now they're all growing up one after another, and it's difficult to find betrothal gifts. I heard from the old team leader that quarrying stone now requires approval from the commune, and even building wood for a thatched house requires approval from the team. Not only is it difficult to find materials to build a house now, but the cost is double what it used to be."
After hearing what her husband said, Zhang's mother felt that her niece-in-law was right. However, her yard was big, so she had no choice but to let her sons live together.
Zhang Dad finished speaking and didn't intend to mention the matter again. He had better not let his wife know what his eldest brother was thinking, or she would be furious. He thought of the implicit meaning of his eldest brother's words today and smiled helplessly.
Not to mention that he disagreed, even Xiaowu would not agree. When had his son ever been short of money? How could he possibly sell the family property that he had given him?
That hundred bucks wouldn't even be enough for his son to take them on a tour of the capital. Not to mention his son, even his grandson Ping'an's pocket money wouldn't be worth more than a hundred bucks. His eldest brother really looked down on them!
"...Dad, do you think Xiaowu can live with a yard on the left and another on the right? Oh, luckily I didn't tell anyone, otherwise people would be jealous..."
Look! This is his eldest son's wealth. He owns three large courtyards in Beijing alone, and who knows where else. His eldest brother is worried that Xiaowu and his wife won't have enough money for school. In his opinion, no one can be poor, not his eldest son. The wife he married is a wealth-bringer.
"...Dad, do you know how much Xiaowu has? Haha... Last time I asked Xiaowu, he joked that he couldn't spend it all, no matter how hard he tried. How wonderful it would be if that were true!"
Father Zhang looked at his wife, her eyes sparkling, knowing she'd been unable to sleep again tonight. He smiled and said, "Once they start working, they'll have more money than they can spend. I've heard that a college graduate earns 56 yuan right out of the gate. How much will they make in a year?"
Mother Zhang counted the money with her fingers, struggling to calculate. After a while, she said worriedly, "Too much money isn't a good thing. Look at those landlords?"
Father Zhang laughed dumbly and patted her, "Go to sleep!"
Zhang's mother lay down obediently, but she still said anxiously: "Remember, if anyone asks you if Xiaowu has money, you should say that you have no income because you are in college."
Father Zhang laughed heartily and nodded repeatedly. But his wife had a point. The ancient saying, "Don't show off your wealth," was true. He needed to remind his son a few more times.
"Old Madam Cheng said that if the Gu family hadn't collapsed, Xiaowu and Jiaojiao wouldn't have spent all their money even if they gargled with ginseng soup every day."
Father Zhang secretly thanked the Gu family for their downfall, otherwise his son wouldn't be alive. Hadn't Brother Zhou's grandfather been victimized by someone because of his wealth? It was still better to be a commoner, to live a comfortable life. He didn't ask his son to be rich, but the way he was now was good enough—food and clothing were secure, and he could be a respectable person when he went out. That was enough.
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