Chapter 101: In the Hole

Jiang Yong's face was burning with anger. The lukewarm tone of his father-in-law made him feel even more ashamed. He really blamed his youngest son for not living up to his expectations and causing the whole family to be separated.

He saw that his other sons were exploiting his youngest son, but he did not say much. His youngest son had spent a lot of money on his studies and was doing more of what he was supposed to do. He thought his youngest son and his wife knew it well and would not say anything even if they were wronged. Unexpectedly, they not only said it but also told their in-laws. Not only did the couple come to his house in person to tell them, but what was even more shameless was that they encountered their harsh treatment of their two children. Now that he had been humiliated by his in-laws, he did not dare to look at them for a while.

Zhulan snorted and came in. Several sons of the Jiang family were in the hall. She glanced at them coldly and asked, "Where is my mother-in-law?"

Jiang Yong shuddered in his heart. His mother-in-law was very skilled in martial arts. Was she going to use force?

No one said anything. Zhulan also knew to hide in the bedroom. She handed the man to Zhou Shuren and turned and went straight to the bedroom. The eldest son of the Jiang family was shocked and was really afraid that his mother would be beaten, "Auntie, auntie."

Zhulan snorted and walked over to the bedroom. Not only was Jiang Wang in the bedroom, but several daughters-in-law were also there. It was really full of people. Looking at the melon seeds on the ground, she no longer had to suppress her anger. "Oh, my mother-in-law is so free to eat melon seeds and chat!"

Jiang Wangshi felt guilty, "My mother-in-law is here, please sit down."

Zhulan said gloomily, "I don't have time to sit around. I'm worried about my two children. In the middle of winter, there's no fire in the house for them. No one cares when they cry. As a grandmother, I feel so sad. People say seeing is believing. I didn't believe it before, but now I do. When I got married, the matchmaker praised my in-laws so much that I picked a great mother-in-law. But today, my mother-in-law has opened my eyes to what it means when elders are unkind."

Jiang Wangshi was embarrassed to be scolded openly, but she had no reason to refute. She had to consider more grandchildren, so she couldn't help but explain, "I didn't notice it for a while."

Zhulan sneered, and the women of the Jiang family looked at them one by one, "You didn't notice it, but you didn't hear the child crying? It's understandable that the mother-in-law is deaf at her age, but how old are they, too, and they are also deaf at such a young age?"

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Jiang family dared to quarrel with her parents-in-law, but her parents-in-law were kind people. She didn't dare to quarrel with outsiders because no one would tolerate her, especially her brother-in-law's mother, who was well-known for being a powerful person in the surrounding villages. She originally only dared to ridicule her brother-in-law, but later she had the courage to fight her brother-in-law and his wife without saying a word, ignoring that her brother-in-law's family was not easy to mess with. This time she was calm and didn't dare to say a word even if she was scolded.

Zhulan was not here to use force today. She despised the women in the Jiang family for being arrogant and said her purpose, "My mother-in-law doesn't love her sons and grandchildren, but I do. I have packed the children's clothes. This year, Jiang Sheng's family will spend the New Year at Zhou's house, so that Jiang Sheng's family won't stay and continue to be bullied."

Jiang Wang felt like she was slapped in the face again. Her son and his family went to his mother-in-law's house to celebrate the New Year. The Jiang family lost face. "Mother-in-law, this is not good!"

Zhu Lan smiled, "You don't think that after torturing Jiang Sheng's family for half a year, the Jiang family still has some dignity in the village, right? It's better to tear off the fig leaf that covers up the truth."

Mrs. Jiang Wang was so stunned that she couldn't utter a word. Her youngest son was very thin and did most of the housework. There had been gossips about him in the village for a long time. The old couple knew about it, but was there anything they could do? Who made their youngest son live up to his expectations? The more gossip they heard, the more they blamed him. Now that the mother-in-law came to their house, it was also because of the youngest son's family that she came. The guilt and remorse disappeared in an instant. After all, she was the mother.

Zhulan saw the change in Jiang Wangshi, but she didn't take it seriously. When she heard the sound outside the door, she turned around and came out. Zhou Shuren had already stood up. Zhulan asked, "Shall we go?"

Zhou Shuren, "Well, my in-laws agreed to split up after the New Year. We will split up after the seventh day of the New Year, and then we will come over."

Zhu Lan knew that Zhou Shuren was a strong fighter, but she didn't expect that she would be so strong that she decided to split up the family. "I'm going to hold the baby."

"kindness."

The Jiang family had been humiliated today and no one came out to see them off. They didn't even bother to show courtesy. Zhulan sneered, put the children to rest, locked the door, got in the car and motioned for the second child to hurry up.

After leaving Wangjia Village, Zhu Lan asked, "Why did Jiang Yong agree to split up the family?"

Zhou Shuren hugged his grandson tightly, "At first I didn't agree. When Jiang Yong saw us coming, he hoped that we could support Jiang Sheng to take the exam for the scholar degree, and thought that Jiang Sheng's success would bring benefits to the family. I said I would not support him and that he should not take advantage of me. I also directly pointed out the resentment of several branches of the Jiang family. If we don't divide the family, the brothers will become enemies. It's better to divide it early."

Zhulan patted her granddaughter, "It's not that easy to split up the family!"

Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "I said that Jiang Sheng's study cost the family money. If Jiang Sheng doesn't want the land after dividing the family, I will introduce Jiang Sheng to copy books. Half of the money earned from copying books will be given to my in-laws, and Jiang Sheng will keep the remaining half for the examination. The Qin family was hesitant, but Jiang Sheng's brothers knew that the examination was difficult and had given up hope. They agreed to my proposal. No matter how cunning my in-laws were, they had no choice but to agree."

Zhulan saw that the two children had fallen asleep, and was concerned about the second child catching up outside, so she whispered, "You didn't ask Jiang Sheng to copy the book you brought back, and then said you would pay him for the job you introduced, did you?"

Zhou Shuren said, "I'm not the one who paid. Today we got engaged. The clan leader looked at the books I brought back and felt embarrassed to take them for free. After discussing with me, he decided that the clan school would provide the pens, ink, and paper and pay for the handwritten copies. I'll give five taels of silver for each copy. Jiang Sheng should copy four copies in total, which is enough for him to copy for a year. I'll introduce some letter writing jobs to him. He can earn money from writing letters to support his family, and he can save half of the money, ten taels, for his exam to be a scholar."

Zhou Shuren did not lower his voice either. The matter of copying books could not be kept secret, and he did not want to hide it. Originally, he wanted to give the job of copying books to Rongchuan, but unfortunately the plan could not keep up with the changes.

Zhulan knew the value of the book she bought back. "The handwritten copy is now cheaper, and it's the same as giving it away for free."

Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "The clan school can only give twenty taels. I was originally planning to give the manuscript away for free. Now that we have received the money and performed a favor, not only do the children of the clan school have a sense of gratitude, but the clan also owes me a favor. This favor must be repaid in the future."

Zhu Lan continued to pat her granddaughter and said, "You have also solved Jiang Sheng's problem. Jiang Sheng is now more confident that he can make money and his psychological burden is less. He will not push himself too hard, and his mental state will improve, so he will do better on the exam. You have achieved multiple goals at one stroke."

Zhou Shuren changed his posture, "Well, this time the family was divided, Jiang Sheng didn't occupy the land, which is equivalent to paying back part of the money he spent on his studies, and he paid back another sum by copying books. The money the Jiang family paid for his studies has basically been paid back. In the future, the Jiang family brothers will not be able to use the favor of paying for his studies to justify their debts. Xuemei and her husband will have fewer troubles in the future."

Zhulan calculated that the Jiang family had sixteen mu of land and ten mu of paddy fields. The four sons and the old couple of the Jiang family divided the land into five parts. The paddy fields were divided into two mu each, and the price of paddy fields was ten taels per mu, which was twenty taels in total. The price of dry land was five taels per mu, and each family was given one mu in equal shares. Since Jiang Sheng did not occupy the land, he had to pay back twenty-five taels. Add the ten taels he paid back for copying books, and the total was thirty-five taels. Jiang Sheng was not a scholar and had never stopped working. After adding and subtracting, he had almost paid back the money.

Zhu Lan narrowed her eyes. She said that Zhou Shuren was a dark-hearted person. How could he give the Jiang family such a big advantage? "You are really thoughtful."