Xu Lifang knew Xu Liqin's job was different from hers. As a nurse, Xu Lifang often worked night shifts, and when it was her turn, she would rest at home during the day. Xu Liqin was different. She worked at the supply and marketing cooperative counter, usually from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. It wasn't time to get off work yet! Why was her sister back home?
Moreover, every time Xu Liqin returned to her parents' home, she would bring a lot of bags, and her hands were never empty. With Xu Liqin's occasional financial support, the Xu family could get by, except for the cramped living quarters.
Xu Liqin's hands were empty today, and her face also had a look of sadness. Did she have a quarrel with her brother-in-law? Xu Lifang guessed.
"Lifang, is Erwang at home?" Xu Liqin came to her senses under her sister's gaze and asked.
"That kid was out all night last night and just came home this morning, sound asleep!" Speaking of her younger brother, Xu Erwang, Xu Lifang was furious. Of the Xu family's four children, Xu Erwang was the youngest and the laziest. Sixteen or seventeen, he didn't even bother looking for a job, just lazing around all day.
"Sister, are you looking for Erwang?" Xu Lifang asked. A few days ago, Xu Liqin went back to her parents' home and told Mother Xu that her family couldn't rely on her for long-term financial support, and asked Mother Xu to keep an eye on Old Lai Xu and the younger generations of the Xu family.
What Xu Liqin said was true. She doesn't have any children yet, and her salary can be used to support her parents' home. But after she has children, her burden will increase, and she may not be able to support her parents' home anymore.
In the Xu family, except for Xu Mama and Xu Lifang who are a bit more reliable, the others are lazy and greedy. Even the three nephews and nieces, under the instigation of Wu Dani, only think about how to take more advantages from Xu Liqin and her sister all day long. At such a young age, they are almost corrupted by Wu Dani.
Not to mention Xu Laolai, who spent his days drinking and playing cards. Xu Laolai's real name wasn't Xu Laolai, but Xu Renshou. Laolai was a nickname given to him by others.
Xu Laolai worked at a farm tool factory. Whenever the work got a little strenuous, he would complain of pain here and there, lying in bed groaning and asking for sick leave. The factory's management was terrified of Xu Laolai, so to avoid disrupting the other workers' work, they had no choice but to transfer him to guard the warehouse.
Working in the warehouse was much easier than working in the workshop. Xu Laolai relied on his own shrewdness to get a good job, which made his colleagues, who were more embarrassed than others, both envious and contemptuous. This also made Xu Laolai famous.
Xu Laolai didn't care what others thought of him. In his opinion, if he hadn't been smart and knew how to play tricks on his boss, how could such a good job as a warehouse guard have fallen on him? Hadn't you seen that many units' warehouse and gate guards were relatives of the boss?
This incident was one of the few "great achievements" in Xu Laolai's life. Whenever Xu Laolai drank, he would brag about it in front of his children from time to time.
If the Xu sisters didn't feel sorry for their mother who was always busy, they might have been like most of the Xu family, choosing the fattest and the thinnest when eating, and unwilling to do dirty or tiring work.
The Xu family's men, along with Wu Dani, didn't want to do anything around the house. They would evade payment for things they bought outside, and everyone in Sanhe Town would shake their heads when they heard about the Xu family's three sons. This also made the marriages of the Xu family's two daughters much more difficult.
Xu Liqin was lucky enough to find a "golden turtle husband" like Zhao Guohui. Shortly after Xu Liqin married Zhao Guohui, he became the director of the supply and marketing cooperative. His mother, delighted, boasted to the neighbors that their daughter was destined to bring good fortune to her husband. However, despite Xu Liqin's mother's praise, Xu Lifang's marriage was always unsuccessful. Young men in town who wanted to pursue Xu Lifang were scared away by the 100-yuan betrothal gift demanded by Mr. Xu.
Xu Lifang will be 20 years old after the Chinese New Year. This age is neither too old nor too young. Several neighbors of the same age as Xu Lifang have already married, or are engaged and waiting to get married.
Fortunately, Xu Lifang works as a nurse in the People's Hospital and also eats commercial grain. In the eyes of ordinary people, a job like a hospital is considered high-end. If it weren't for Xu Laolai's outrageous request for a 100-yuan dowry, Xu Lifang would have no worries about getting married.
As for Xu Dafu, the Xu family's eldest son, Old Debtor Xu had taken early retirement and had Xu Dafu take over. In recent years, there have been many unemployed young people, and with only a few factories and no vacancies, the young women and men waiting for a job often have to wait several years before they can land one.
Xu Laolai was just being lazy, eager to retire early, spend his days drinking and playing cards, and living a very comfortable life. Xu Dafu taking over Xu Laolai's job also had its advantages. The Xu family was extremely poor, and if Xu Dafu hadn't had a job, he might not even have been able to find a wife like Wu Dani.
Wu Dani has a rural household registration and her parents' home is in the mountains. The fact that she was able to find Xu Dafu, whose family lives in Sanhe Town and who eats commercial grain, is considered a marriage of wealth.
With such a family, Xu Liqin couldn't just sit back and do nothing. After marrying Zhao Guohui, Xu Liqin still secretly sent gifts to her family and sometimes gave some money to Xu's mother. Xu Liqin knew that Xu Laolai didn't have enough money of his own and often took Xu's mother's money to drink and play cards. If Xu Liqin hadn't secretly supplemented his income, the Xu family would definitely have had a harder time.
Xu Laolai was a scoundrel, always drinking, whether he was happy or not. He loved to drink, but he couldn't hold much. Once he did, he'd get drunk, and when he got drunk, he'd go berserk, hitting someone or kicking someone, bringing a bunch of people to the Xu family to settle accounts. If he hit someone, he'd have to pay compensation for the injury, and apologize for the pain. If it weren't for Xu Laolai's unruly behavior, the Xu family wouldn't be living like this.
Xu Laolai likes to play cards for a bit of excitement. Even if others are unwilling to play, Xu Laolai will force them to play for money. Xu Laolai's card playing skills are not good, and he often loses all his money in a night.
Whenever Mr. Xu loses money, he starts swearing and even starts fighting with others.
Zhao Guohui had to clean up after Xu Laolai several times because of these two bad habits. Whenever Xu Laolai got into a fight, he would be taken to the police station for a day or two of education. If Zhao Guohui hadn't intervened on his behalf, Xu Laolai would have been arrested and sent to prison for reform.
Xu Liqin was in a bad mood seeing her mother's house in such a mess. That time, because her grandson couldn't stay at Xu Liqin's house for a while, Xu Liqin grumbled a few words in displeasure, and then she said those words that the Xu family should be independent.
Xu Erwang heard it at home at the time, and angrily pointed at Xu Liqin's nose and cursed her, saying that his elder sister looked down on her family because she had a good life. Xu Liqin went home crying.
It had only been a few days when Xu Liqin came to see Xu Erwang. To be honest, Xu Lifang was quite curious.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
