Chapter 33: You guys will drown when it rains, and freeze to death if the wall leaks! ...
The main hall of the country house is large, but with so many people standing there, it seems a bit cramped.
The capable younger generation of the Wang family borrowed some benches and chairs from next door and finally managed to accommodate all the people from both families.
Sitting at the top were the heads of the two families, the old lady of the Zhang family and the old man of the Wang family, as well as other prestigious people from the two families.
The Zhang family invited a cousin, while the Wang family invited the old man's brother.
Below, there were about ten other people scattered around, and the two sides were like two armies facing each other, hating each other.
Out of friendship for Peanut, the aunt still stood by Xiang Yao. She counted the number of people, assessed the postures of both sides, and whispered, "The Wang family is going to suffer a great loss today!"
Xiang Yao blinked his eyes and realized that the Zhang family was now like a twisted rope, and they were determined to tear off the skin of the Wang family.
The old man of the Wang family took a puff of his cigarette, his expression rather dejected. "Sister-in-law, now that we're all sitting down, let's talk it over. Now that it's happened, there's nothing we can do. Just tell me what you want to do, okay?"
Old Mrs. Zhang snorted coldly, pounding her leg without saying a word.
Uncle Zhang beside her pondered for a moment, then said, "Brother Wang, since both families are here, and we're afraid of losing face, let's be frank."
Mr. Wang nodded: "That's right."
Uncle Zhang said, "Our Dawei met your Xiaolian half a year ago. We agreed at that time to let the two young people get along together first. Over the past six months, our Dawei has always treated you as elders and respected you well. Isn't that right?"
Mr. Wang nodded again: "Yes, Xiaowei is a good boy, and our family has always been fond of him."
Old Lady Zhang said angrily, "What the hell are you interested in? I think you just want to marry the daughter of one family into two families, and now we've found out!"
Old Master Wang tapped his pipe and said awkwardly, "Sister-in-law, we don't dare to admit what you said! We would never do such a conscienceless thing!"
It’s not uncommon for a woman from one family to marry two families, but the Wang family has never thought of doing such a thing.
He looked at Uncle Zhang and said, "Brother Zhang, if my Wang family really did something like this, you are all not far away, and there are so many neighbors outside, it is impossible that you didn't hear anything. I, an old man, guarantee that this is absolutely not the case!"
Uncle Zhang glanced at Old Lady Zhang, then turned to Old Master Wang and said, "Brother Wang, my sister-in-law is short-sighted, ignorant, and talks nonsense. Don't worry, we all believe her, so let's not talk about it anymore."
After several rounds of discussion, Uncle Zhang asked Old Lady Zhang to decide for herself what she wanted.
Old Mrs. Zhang took a sip of water, looked around at the people in the main room and those watching the fun outside, and began to make requests while counting on her fingers.
"When our family first visited the girl, we brought four gifts. You should return them."
Mr. Wang simply nodded: "Okay, that's what I should do."
Wang Xiaolian's mother said in an awkward whisper, "Dad, those gifts were just snacks. We don't have any left any..."
Old Master Wang glared at her and said, "Then pay! Just pay for what you paid for it!"
Old Mrs. Zhang nodded with satisfaction.
Yes, she just wants money. Even if those four gifts were kept until today, she would not want them. She must get the money.
Wang Xiaolian's mother stopped talking. Old Mrs. Zhang looked at her proudly and continued talking.
"My Xiaowei is visiting your house for the second time. He brought you a piece of bacon. It was smoked last year, and it's got a lot of fat! We couldn't bear to eat it ourselves, so we asked him to bring it to your house to eat!"
Naturally, the bacon was not kept. Half of it was cut off when Zhang Xiaowei was invited to dinner that day. Later, during the double harvest season, the remaining half was eaten.
What else can I do? I still have to pay the price.
Old Mrs. Zhang said, "We're very generous. The firewood for smoking the bacon won't be yours. Don't worry, there's more!"
"Later, we bought some tofu and asked Xiaowei to send four blocks of tofu and half a pound of sugar to your family. You have to return this to us before the discount."
"During the double harvest, we gave you a pound of pork, and later we gave you a pound of lard. We gave these to you so that we could marry our son and please your father-in-law. Most people wouldn't be willing to give them away!"
The onlookers nodded unconsciously, agreeing very much.
Country people seldom eat meat throughout the year. When they finally get some pork, it’s gone after just a few chopsticks from each family member, and it’s not even enough for their own consumption!
The Zhang family was quite open about this matter.
Old Mrs. Zhang continued counting on her fingers: "Last month, our family sent a piece of cloth to make clothes for your Xiaolian. You have to pay for it."
Old Master Wang nodded. These were all benefits their family had received, so it was only right for them to return them. There was nothing to say about it.
Old Lady Zhang looked at Uncle Zhang and said, "I'm an old woman who has never been educated and isn't good at math, so I'll let Old Brother Zhang figure it out for us."
Uncle Zhang agreed.
Old Lady Zhang added, "This is a tangible gift for your Wang family. There are also other gifts."
"Our Xiaowei came to your house to help with tasks for several days during the double harvest. All of this should be counted as work points! It can be converted into money."
Wang Xiaolian's mother couldn't help but say, "When your boy came to work at our house, we treated him to delicious meals. Even the bacon you sent him mostly went into his mouth! Does this count?"
Old Lady Zhang's eyes bulged. "Of course I have to give it to you. Isn't it my duty to treat you? Do I work for you and you don't even give me a meal?"
Wang Xiaolian's mother snorted and laughed: "Your boy hasn't done much work, even worse than our Xiaolian."
Old Lady Zhang glared at her: "What's the matter? Are you going to deny it? Did our Xiaowei's efforts go to waste? How can such a thing be justified in this world?"
Old Master Wang felt a little annoyed when he heard her sharp voice. He wanted to interrupt her immediately and said in a gentle voice, "Okay, I'll give them all to you."
Old Mrs. Zhang raised her head high, looking very proud, like a rooster that had won a fight.
It is said that honest people are the easiest to deal with. She knew that the old man from the Wang family would definitely agree.
At this point, the Wang family felt a little relieved.
Although a lot has to be given to the Zhang family this time, at least this matter has been explained.
Who knew that Mrs. Zhang’s plan was far from over.
She took another sip of water, cleared her throat, and said, "Now that we've sorted out all the previous stuff, it's time to talk about the rest."
The old man of the Wang family also paused and couldn't help moving his stiff body: Anything else?
Old Lady Zhang said, "In preparation for marrying your daughter, we bought tiles and patched up the roof last month, and also patched up the drafts in the walls. I also used the wood I was planning to use for my coffin a hundred years from now to make a bed. I don't want much, just twenty bucks from your family."
Xiang Yao on the side thought: Here it comes, the aunt is really smart, the Zhang family actually brought up this matter.
The aunt felt very proud when she felt Xiang Yao's admiring gaze.
That's right, she has lived for many years and has seen many things like this!
Others were also talking about it at this time.
Although the Wang family is sorry to the Zhang family, it is really too much for Old Lady Zhang to make this request.
Especially the more honest people felt that Mrs. Zhang's behavior was a bit dark.
Why didn't she include all the diapers her precious grandson used when he was little?
As for the Wang family, Old Man Wang was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time.
Wang Xiaolian's mother, on the other hand, couldn't help but explode after hearing this. She stood up and pointed at Old Lady Zhang's nose.
"You, the Zhang family, are so heartless! This is my daughter's fault, and as her mother, I accept it. I will return all the benefits we received to you without hesitation, but you are repairing your roof and walls, and you are blaming us for it?"
Old Lady Zhang raised her chin confidently: "If not you, who else can I blame? If your family hadn't agreed to this marriage, we would be able to do these jobs. If your girl hadn't been an adulterer and cheated on my grandson, would I have come to your house to ask for money?"
Wang Xiaolian's mother sneered, "Yes, yes, yes. Without this marriage, you will drown when it rains, and freeze to death when the wall leaks!"
Old Lady Zhang was displeased when she heard this. She stood up and put her hands on her hips and said, "How can you talk like that? Are you cursing me to death?"
Seeing that the two groups were about to quarrel again, Mr. Wang looked at Uncle Zhang and said helplessly:
"Brother Zhang, look, our Wang family's sincerity is clear, but we're not wealthy. Even if I were to sell my bones, I wouldn't be able to fetch this much money."
Uncle Zhang's face looked a little ugly at the moment. He had come here to discuss things with his sister-in-law, and he was shocked when the other party said that just now.
But he did not forget his position. After all, he was invited by the Zhang family. He could not ruin his own family's place at this time, so he said:
"Brother Wang, this is a discussion, isn't it? Since it's a discussion, there's room for negotiation. My sister-in-law has already put forward her demands. Just tell us which ones you can agree to and which ones you don't want to agree to."
Wang Xiaolian's mother couldn't help but sneer: "How dare we not respond? Even if you want to move our entire Wang family home away, we dare not disobey!"
Old Lady Zhang crossed her arms and snorted, "It's good that you know! If you try to play tricks, don't blame me for reporting your daughter's adultery to the commune. Then she'll be paraded through the streets with a sign and criticized. It won't be my family that will be embarrassed."
She glanced at the Wang family and thought that this was a very good idea.
The Wang family loves their daughter very much, so she doesn't believe that they would dare to disagree with her request.
Uncle Zhang's expression became even uglier at this time. His sister-in-law's behavior was really a bit criticized.
If he really did this, wouldn't he lose his integrity and reputation in his later years after having lived a clean life?
The other onlookers also sensed something was wrong and felt that the Zhang family was a bit greedy.
"Ah, I was just supporting the Zhang family, but after what Mrs. Zhang said, I felt it was a bit unfair."
"Although it was Uncle Wang's daughter who was at fault, there was no need to get to this point."
"Yeah, if this gets reported, the two families will become enemies forever! The Zhang family's actions are too cruel!"
"Oh, it's also the Wang family's daughter's fault for being disobedient. How could she do such a thing? It's really shameful!"
Everyone was talking about it, but Xiang Yao couldn't help but look towards the door on the side.
The people outside didn't control their voices, so everyone sitting inside must have heard it.
I don't know what she's feeling at the moment...
Xiang Yao suddenly felt that this lively scene was boring.
She rubbed her fingers, but suddenly her eyes widened...
Meanwhile, Old Lady Zhang didn't realize that what she said had been criticized. She was still imagining what she would buy and do after receiving the compensation from the Wang family, and she was very happy.
However, her son noticed that his uncle's expression was not right, so he quietly pulled Old Lady Zhang twice, asking her to calm down a little.
Everyone in the Wang family was furious at this moment.
They endured the embarrassment and discussed with the Zhang family for so long just to reduce the scope of the situation. After all, they were in the wrong since such a scandal had occurred in their family, so they had to cooperate and put an end to this matter as soon as possible.
They had originally planned that when the rumors had died down, they would find a husband for Wang Xiaolian far away to marry.
Now, the Zhang family keeps talking about reporting the matter to the commune. How can I get married in the future?
Old Master Wang sighed and thought, forget it, what else can they do except agree to the Zhang family's conditions?
Just when he adjusted his mentality and was about to agree in a nice voice, he saw the door of the next room open from the inside.
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