After Brother Wu and his family returned, the Wu family was quiet for only two days before Brother Wu and his wife started causing all sorts of trouble.
She mocked and ridiculed her younger sister, locked her at home and made her sister-in-law go to work in her place, and even tried to secretly enroll her in a rural job.
Fortunately, Wu Yuanyuan was quick-witted, and with the help of Bu Lingtie, she remained safe and sound.
Grandpa Wu had witnessed everything that had happened at home. That evening, after dinner, he sent his grandson out to play.
"Yuanyuan, could you talk to Tiehe and ask his parents to come to our house to discuss the marriage?" Grandpa Wu said to Wu Yuanyuan.
When Wu Yuanyuan was called upon, she looked up at her father and asked, "Dad, what do you mean?"
"Take your work with you!" said Grandpa Wu.
"dad!"
"dad!"
"Old man!"
Grandpa Wu ignored the three of them: "But I won't give you the dowry and the money I've saved up. You can take the bride price back with you."
Hearing this, Wu Yuanyuan felt a pang of sadness. Although her parents had backed down, she still felt extremely distressed. "I understand, Dad. I'll discuss it with Tiehe," she said, her voice choked with emotion.
"Dad, are you getting senile? You're going to give away our family's jobs to someone else for nothing!" Sister-in-law Lu shouted.
"Yes, Dad, we should give Yuanyuan a bigger dowry. As for her job, it would be better for her to stay."
Aunt Wu was a little hesitant. She only had one son and one daughter. It was impossible for her not to be biased, but she certainly didn't dislike her daughter.
She had been putting so much pressure on her daughter before because she was afraid her son would really drift apart from her.
Grandpa Wu remained unfazed: "It's settled then. Don't think I'm favoring Yuanyuan. Once Yuanyuan is married, everything in the family will be out of her reach. All we can give you is this job." The last sentence was addressed to Wu Yuanyuan.
“I know, Dad!” Wu Yuanyuan said.
"Dad, everything in this family has nothing to do with that girl. Think of your eldest grandson." Seeing this, Sister-in-law Lu softened her voice.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, your family doesn't treat your daughter like a human being, but mine doesn't either. If you're not happy about it, then take your eldest son back to your parents' house. That way, we can save some food." Old Wu remained unmoved.
Perhaps it was that night that made Grandpa Wu realize that his daughter and son were no different; as long as you put your heart into it, what difference does it make whether you have a daughter or a son?
That night, the eldest son wasn't home. Yuanyuan, a young girl, was willing to go to the police station for him. How could he possibly drive his child to become estranged from them?
On the contrary, the son, relying on being the only male in the family, would go back to his wife's parents' home with her whenever things didn't go his way, using this to threaten them.
If they give in this time, won't the eldest daughter-in-law become even more demanding?
He wasn't unaware of these principles before, but he thought that harmony in the family was paramount, and that it wouldn't hurt for Yuanyuan to back down. That is, until Yuanyuan made her stance clear.
He then realized that his daughter could also feel sadness.
He looked at his son and said, word by word, "I'm not dead yet, and I still call the shots in this family. If you really don't want to, then let's separate and live separately."
"We don't want your retirement allowance. We'll give you everything you're entitled to. Go live your own life and stop trying to take advantage of your family."
Brother Wu's face flushed red under his father's gaze.
Sister-in-law Lu pouted, thinking her father-in-law was just trying to scare them.
"Dad, if that's the case, I'll take my husband and son and go back to my parents' house!" she threatened.
"Old man!" Aunt Wu exclaimed anxiously upon hearing this.
Sister-in-law Lu smiled smugly
"Go back. I'll transfer your household registration there another day, and you can live there from now on," Grandpa Wu said coldly.
Who are you trying to scare? If the eldest daughter-in-law's family were in such a state, they wouldn't have sent them back if they could have taken them in.
With an extra person in the family this year, they'll have to consume a lot more food. His mother-in-law, a calculating woman to the core, would never do something so unprofitable.
Sister-in-law Lu was speechless; they really had been sent back by their maternal family.
Not only that, during their time at her parents' home, the three of them had to pay one yuan a day for living expenses, and the food they ate was mostly porridge, far worse than what they received from her husband's family.
While she was at her parents' home, she still had to do laundry, cook, and clean for her older brother and sister-in-law. Even the things Xiao Qiu brought with her were snatched away by her nephews.
If it weren't for work, she would have given up long ago.
"Dad, I'm serious!" she reminded him.
Grandpa Wu tapped his pipe on the edge of the table: "I wasn't joking. Do as you please."
"Waaah, I don't want to go to Grandma's house! Grandma, I don't want to go to Grandma's house!" Xiao Qiu suddenly rushed in from outside the door, threw herself into Aunt Wu's arms, and cried loudly.
Aunt Wu felt so sorry for her.
She glared at Sister-in-law Lu, then immediately lowered her head to focus on comforting her grandson.
Grandpa Wu was also distressed, but he managed to stay calm.
Finally, seeing her father-in-law's insistence, Sister-in-law Lu had no choice but to give in. In this family, although she usually listened to her mother-in-law, she generally didn't object to her father-in-law's opinions.
Moreover, she didn't want to go back to her parents' home anymore, and she didn't want to live the life of a workhorse anymore.
A storm vanished without a trace.
The Wu family finally reconciled.
Wu Yuanyuan regained her previous optimistic demeanor, and Tie He finally felt relieved.
After discussing the matter with Wu Yuanyuan, they urged their parents to come and discuss the marriage. The Tie family was quite cooperative.
Tie Ze and Aunt Zhao, carrying six gifts, visited the Wu family's door once again.
This time, Mr. and Mrs. Wu readily accepted the gift. After discussing it with the Tie family, they decided to get engaged first, given the poor harvest this year, and then marry next year.
This would also ease the burden on both families and fulfill Aunt Wu's wish to keep her daughter until she was twenty.
The Tie family of three discussed it and agreed.
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