Chapter 018 Second Brother, Did You Forget to Apologize?
Su Laosan let out an "Ah".
After a long pause, he shrank his neck and said, "Then I'd better find a job. I can't stand the hardship of working in the fields."
Li Banxia laughed in exasperation, "...You really do have some self-awareness."
Having dealt with Su Laosan, Li Banxia looked up at Su Laoer.
Su Lao Er was on guard and subconsciously took a step back. "Mom, I'm just a temporary worker. I only make forty-two yuan a month. It's not even enough for my girlfriend and me to spend. Where would I get spare money to give to the family?"
“I’ve inquired. You’ll be officially hired next month. Your starting salary will be 68 yuan. Half of it will be paid to the government and half will be kept. You’ll still have 34 yuan left. With bonuses, you’ll have at least 40 yuan in hand each month,” Li Banxia said.
Su Lao Er frowned. He was only sixty-eight when he became a full-fledged employee, which might not even be enough for him and Yu Xiahua. He didn't want to pay.
Li Banxia looked at him and said, "You can choose not to give it to me; I won't force you."
Su Lao Er was overjoyed.
"...If you don't give it to me, you won't be allowed to eat at home, starting tomorrow..."
The joy in Su Lao Er's eyes hadn't even surfaced before Li Banxia's words extinguished it.
He quickly did the math in his head: lunch was at the factory, breakfast and dinner were out, and then there were the expenses of being with Yuxia. He simply couldn't afford it.
More importantly, he was still waiting for his mother to prepare the "three turns and one sound" (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) and the bride price for him. He knew how to calculate the difference between thirty yuan and eight hundred yuan for the bride price, and over a thousand yuan for the "three turns and one sound".
In summary, we must not let small gains lead to big losses.
"Mom, can I pay one-third?"
Despite his calculations, Su Lao Er still wanted to give it a try. If his mother agreed, he could get a smaller share.
"cannot."
Su Lao Er pursed his lips, his eyes full of displeasure, and nodded with a sullen face.
Seeing that Su Lao Er was humiliated, Su Lao San grinned and laughed silently twice.
When Su Lao Er saw this, he kicked him.
Su Laosan was prepared. He hugged his knees and hopped to the side to dodge, and after succeeding, he even made a face at Su Laoer.
Su Lao Er became even angrier.
Li Banxia looked away and glanced at Boss Su.
Su Laoda quickly said, "Mom, I'll pay for JianShu's money. Anyway, we eat and live at home, so there's no other place to spend money."
The eldest son's wife nodded in agreement.
"My second uncle and third uncle are talking about their partners. The family is in a critical period of needing money, which is the time for Guo Ge and me to help out."
Li Banxia felt a pang of guilt and let out a long sigh.
Her eldest son, who had always been obedient and sensible since childhood, had always kept her words in mind, but now she had changed her mind.
Who says the eldest child has to be responsible for the younger siblings?
Must we help them for the rest of our lives?
Must we suffer losses and be humble, must we give without expecting anything in return?
That doesn't make sense!
"Children are the responsibility of their parents, not you. You two should pay forty a month, and save the rest for when Jianshu has her baby and needs it during her postpartum period..."
The eldest brother and his wife exchanged a glance. The eldest brother's wife was about to speak when Li Banxia stopped her with a look.
"...Once the baby is born, there are many expenses, such as formula, diapers, clothes, postpartum care, and then the child grows up and goes to school."
"Mom, how about we each give forty..."
Su Laoda called out "Mom," but Li Banxia stopped him again, saying, "The home belongs to everyone. There's no reason for you two to keep sacrificing and making sacrifices. Do it the way I say!"
Li Banxia looked up, glanced at Su Lao Er and Su Lao San, and said, "Xiao Si, you should do the same when you get a job."
Su Lao Er felt that his elder brother and sister-in-law had so much money, and giving them forty yuan a month was too little. If they didn't give him money, when would he ever be able to raise all the dowry and the three turns and one sound?
He was trying to figure out how to bring up the question for his mother.
After hearing Li Banxia say that the matter was settled, she thought about getting the bicycle ticket first.
As it turned out, his mother didn't stop him this time, but his older brother did.
"Second brother, think about what you haven't done?"
"What? Wasn't the matter already discussed?"
Su Lao Er frowned, "Didn't I promise Mom I'd give money home every month..."
After he finished speaking, seeing his elder brother's face darken, he suddenly realized what he had said.
Su Lao Er's expression suddenly turned awkward, a hint of impatience showing in his eyes. "I didn't know Mom was innocent just now. Dad's words were ambiguous; who knew he was lying?! If Mom had explained herself earlier, I wouldn't have misunderstood her..."
"At this point, you're still shirking responsibility?"
The eldest son, Su, was somewhat incredulous. "Didn't Mom remind you to find out the truth before you speak?! You yelled at Mom, convinced that she fabricated stories about you and damaged your reputation, but what's the truth?!"
As Su Laoda spoke, he suddenly became extremely angry.
“Su Min’an, it was Mom who, in front of so many people from the auto parts factory, disregarded her image and saved your reputation! If you had any conscience at all, you wouldn’t have said those words just now!”
"I……"
Su Lao Er was a little stunned. He had never seen Su Lao Da so angry. When he was annoyed by what his father had said, he naturally assumed that his mother disliked Cui Yuxia and wanted to ruin his plans.
He has forgotten why he thought that way.
"Hurry up and apologize to Mom!" The eldest son raised his voice, clenched his fist, and glared at the second son.
Su Lao Er, "..."
Thinking about the bride price and the "three turns and one ring" (referring to a set of three watches, one watch, and one radio), Su Lao Er took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and bowed his head to apologize, "Mom, I'm sorry."
Li Banxia didn't miss the reluctance in his eyes.
He pretended not to see anything and responded calmly, "Second brother, this is the last time. If there is a next time, and you make wild guesses without knowing the truth, it won't be something that can be forgiven with just an apology."
Su Lao Er nodded.
At this point, Su Lao Er felt relieved that there were no more obstacles and reached for his bicycle ticket.
Li Banxia reached out and pressed down again.
Anger welled up in Su Lao Er's eyes. "Mom!"
Are you kidding him?
Li Banxia looked at him and said, "I can give you the ticket, but there are some things I need to say beforehand. From now on, the third and fourth brothers should also follow this rule."
"What?"
An uneasy feeling began to creep into Su Lao Er's heart.
"When your eldest brother and sister-in-law got married, our family only contributed a bicycle, plus a dowry of 500 yuan. The bicycle ticket was a dowry gift from your sister-in-law's family. In addition, your sister-in-law brought 1,000 yuan as part of her dowry. That means our family only contributed 660 yuan..."
Su Lao Er realized what Li Banxia meant, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
"Mom! You don't mean I should just spend 660 yuan to marry Yuxia, do you? Her family is asking for 800 yuan just for the bride price, not even counting the 'three turns and one ring' (referring to a radio, sewing machine, and watch), and if we only offer 660, they'll think we're giving money away like beggars. Mom, this is absolutely unacceptable! Are you kidding me? I've already apologized, and I've agreed to hand over my salary. You can't do this..."
Even though Su Laosan was a beat behind, he understood.
"Whether it's 660 or not doesn't matter. Although Erniu said she doesn't want a bride price, I can't let my wife be inferior to my other sisters-in-law. Whatever others have, my wife must have too!"
These words undoubtedly added fuel to the fire, and Su Lao Er turned around and glared at Su Lao San.
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