Zhou Xiaolan objected, jumping up and accusing, "You're basically kicking us out of our home! We have nothing now, how are we going to survive?"
"Then ask Ping An. These debts are all because of him. We can't let his brother carry them forever."
"He's married, but what about his older brother?" Xie Shengnan didn't give Zhou Xiaolan a friendly look, and seeing that she dared to jump out and cause trouble, she naturally pointed at the problem and scolded her without any politeness.
A perfectly good family could pay off their debts in less than a year if they worked together. But now, the debt owed to the Zhou family is almost breaking their backs.
Zhou Xiaolan was not to be outdone. Knowing that the relationship between the two sides could not be good, why should she wrong herself? "As parents, we naturally have to take care of our son's marriage. Even if you don't come to me, Zhou Xiaolan, you will still have to give betrothal gifts if you choose another family. Our family is considered good, and we can delay paying the IOU you wrote."
Xie Shengnan sneered, "What a great favor! If you hadn't shamelessly stuck to us, do you think our family would have wanted a daughter-in-law like you?"
Our family must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to have been associated with someone like you.
As a daughter-in-law, I'm already being very polite by not kicking you out with a broom.
He Ping'an, look at the kind of wife you've chosen! Letting someone like that live in the house is going to drive your father and me crazy.
Anyway, I've already arranged a job for you, and you chose your own wife. From now on, you're on your own.
He Ping'an also felt that his parents were being unfair by letting Zhou Xiaolan make a scene, but now that his mother had called him out by name, he had no choice but to stand up and say, "Mom, you know what kind of situation we are in right now. The wages for temporary workers are so low, how can we support the two of us?"
“What’s so hard about it? He’s supporting a whole family on his own. If any of the women in the family are idle, they can go to the match factory, get some matchboxes, and stick them together. That should be enough to make ends meet.” Xie Shengnan naturally couldn’t watch her son go to such desperation, so she had already come up with a solution for him.
"Besides, you owe the Zhou family a debt and don't want to rent a place. In order to pay off the debt as soon as possible, I believe the Zhou family will not object to you moving into Zhou Xiaolan's old room."
If they're unwilling to take you in, then your father and I won't take responsibility for this debt.
Anyway, they've already married her and gotten the marriage certificate. If all else fails, they can just take Zhou Xiaolan back with them.
He Ping'an is still young. We'll find him a wife after his older brother gets married in a few years. By then, he'll have a permanent job, so there's no need to worry about him not finding one.
Zhou Xiaolan's expression changed. If she really took him back, her parents would break her legs. "Whose married daughter is this, bringing her son-in-law home to live?"
He Laicai glanced at Xie Shengnan, surprised that she had such a plan. Sure enough, once you push her, she can come up with all sorts of ideas.
“I think your mother is right. If you feel that marrying off your daughter is a loss, I will marry my son to you and let him become a son-in-law of your Zhou family.”
Anyway, he has two sons, and ever since He Ping'an got involved with the Zhou family, he has already given up on He Ping'an in his heart.
I used to think that my two sons would take care of me in my old age, but now I think I should give up. Given the nature of the Zhou family, I'll be lucky if I'm not devoured by them in the future.
He Ping'an was really anxious now. His parents' attitude was very clear: they wanted to give up on him.
He turned and stared at He Pinghe, "Brother, you're really good at scheming. You're using a retreat as a tactic to try and kick me out of the house."
He Ping said, "Think what you want, but I have a clear conscience."
You could say I raised you, and aside from not providing for your education, I did everything a parent should do.
Before, when I tried to buy you a job, you saw that I didn't say anything, but you still ended up handing over your salary to the family.
Think about it, you got into trouble, the money for buying a job, and the IOU for getting married—I'm not going to help you with all of that.
All that I've done, and this is how you think of me? It seems all these years of effort have been for nothing.
Who doesn't harbor some resentment? He's willing to sacrifice for his brothers, but his sacrifices go unrewarded and he's met with suspicion. How can anyone feel at ease?
"But you have to consider my situation. If I leave home like this, I'm practically killing myself."
Xie Shengnan said, "Don't take your temper out on your older brother. He has already offered to back down and moved out himself. You are the one who is being unreasonable, wanting to occupy the house and expecting your brother to help you pay off your debts. There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
Even if your brother is stupid and agrees, your dad and I would never stand by and watch you bully people like this.
We'll help you pay off this debt, but your older brother still needs to save money to get married. You can imagine how many years he'll have to struggle.
How have you become so selfish? Wasn't this all Zhou Xiaolan's doing? I knew the Zhou family was all bad; they've only been here a few days and they've already caused so much trouble in our household.
Most mothers-in-law believe that the daughter-in-law is always at fault, and Xie Shengnan is no exception.
Zhou Xiaolan was holding her breath and wanted to vent again, but Ping An pulled her away. He looked at his parents and brother and said, "I know this family can't accept me, but you have to give me a way out."
Actually, moving out isn't a bad idea. Zhou Xiaolan can collect things from the surrounding area like before and resell them on the black market. She can quickly build up her own wealth.
But he was unwilling to let his elder brother take everything in the house; he naturally couldn't let go of any extra possessions he could get.
He Laicai felt uneasy seeing that he had made a decision so quickly. He was eager to leave home, without considering that his family had never mistreated him.
Speaking of their two sons, although they claimed to be impartial, they actually favored the younger one more.
The eldest child started taking care of his younger brother as soon as he learned to walk. He also took on the responsibilities of doing laundry and cooking for his younger siblings while they were at work.
Is it because all the burdens are placed on the eldest brother that He Ping'an has become this selfish?
"What else do you want?" He wouldn't dare keep such a son around to fulfill his filial duties. Since he's willing to leave, let him have his way.
But they didn't mention that he had also considered splitting up the family, nor that all members of the He family were equally selfish and capable of making choices.
"What else is there in this house? Just a few pieces of broken furniture. We don't have a single penny in savings." Xie Shengnan said with a bitter face. If she really had some wealth, she wouldn't be making such a fuss.
He Ping'an: "I'm not responsible for the house or the debt, right?"
He Laicai said, "If you don't want the house, it's equivalent to not having to bear the debt. All of our family's debts are because of you."
He Ping'an really couldn't refute it. When his older brother graduated from high school, several factories were recruiting, and he got in based on his own abilities.
Besides, once he gets a house, his parents will definitely live with him. In reality, he'll actually benefit from the situation.
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