Jiang's mother couldn't help but sit there and shed tears.
How can you say that Mom is biased?
Which of you does Mom favor?
"All the money I earn from pasting cardboard boxes every day goes towards buying you food."
Jiang's mother had no way to express her suffering. She asked her second son for his wages several times, but he insisted that he would only give her five yuan a month.
Just as I had guessed, the second son was not as easy to control as the eldest.
Jiang's mother used to not have to do anything at home.
But now I have to do all the housework myself, and I also have to make money by pasting cardboard boxes.
They stayed up late every night, burning the midnight oil, but the little money they earned from pasting cardboard boxes was barely enough to fill their stomachs.
Even so, the children in the family still don't understand her.
They were all hands-off managers; not only did no one help her with housework, but no one even helped her paste paper boxes.
Her fingers were cracked from applying glue while folding paper boxes.
And yet no one has ever asked me a single question, and now I have the nerve to complain to her about my grievances.
Jiang's mother still doesn't know who to appeal to; her letter to her eldest son has gone unanswered, and he hasn't replied to a single letter yet.
She didn't know if the eldest brother had received the letter.
If the eldest son receives the letter, he shouldn't have to watch his family go hungry.
It's probably because they haven't received mail that far. Registered mail can get lost, let alone ordinary mail.
When the three children saw Jiang's mother crying, they not only felt no pity, but were also filled with rage.
"Mom, please don't feel wronged. If you really care about us, you should go to my second brother."
“My second brother doesn’t even come back for the Chinese New Year. He’s definitely out there living a life of luxury while the whole family suffers poverty because of him.”
"If only we had let my older brother go to work back then, we wouldn't have had to suffer from hunger pangs."
"If my older brother were here, he would never let us eat cornbread and pickled vegetables every day."
Now they finally remembered how good Jiang Tiecheng was.
Just then, the door opened, and Jiang Jincheng, humming a little tune and slightly drunk, walked in.
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, but he doesn't want to go back to that home.
The house is now cold, quiet, and lifeless.
The entire room was filled with cardboard boxes piled up by my mother, leaving no room to even step.
Jiang Jincheng had eaten out with his cronies and was only just getting back.
I drank half a jin of liquor, along with pig's head meat and peanuts.
Jiang Jincheng felt that he was living a very comfortable life.
Without even looking around, the family sitting at the dining table went straight into their own little room, collapsed onto the bed, and started snoring.
The strong smell of alcohol further fueled the dissatisfaction of the other three siblings sitting at the table.
"Mom, did you see that? This is my second brother. He's so irresponsible."
"Mom, are you planning to let us go hungry from now on?"
If you don't take care of this, I'm going to the factory to find the factory leaders.
"I want to take over the job too. It's my dad's job anyway, why should my second brother have to do it all by himself?"
"We all have rights."
"Watching my second brother eat and drink well while the rest of the family starves to death, is that something a human being would do?"
Jiang Yinping became anxious.
Although she is only 16 years old this year, she can still fill in at the factory if she is asked to.
At worst, we can just add two years to our age.
There are hardly any classes at school now, basically just one class a day, and the whole school is in chaos.
She was timid and didn't join in the students' antics, but she knew that whether she attended class or not would be the same.
But I definitely can't just go home like this and stay home making paper boxes like my mother.
Are you still eating cornbread every day?
Watching my second brother eat and drink well every day.
Jiang Yinping immediately started thinking.
If my second brother were as responsible as my eldest brother in supporting the family, then I could certainly live off what's readily available.
It would be so nice to have someone at home to take care of you.
But things are different now. If I don't fight for it, what chance will I have in the future?
Not having a good job means not being able to earn money, and it means not being able to find a good husband in the future.
Jiang Yinping is only 16 years old, but she has already started planning for herself.
Upon hearing this, Jiang's mother glanced at her daughter; ultimately, her son was more important to her.
"Will this ever end?"
You're a girl, how can you just take someone else's place like that?
Your second brother has been working for more than half a year now, how are you going to take his place?
I'm telling you, don't even think about it.
"And if you don't want to eat cornbread and pickled vegetables, then get out of here."
Even without you guys, I can still live a life of luxury.
When it comes to doing chores, you guys aren't around, but you're quite capable when you're calling out to your family members one by one.
"If you're so capable, go earn your own money and enjoy the good life."
"If you don't have the ability, then shut up!"
Jiang's mother was usually gentle and kind to all the children and had never said anything harsh to them. This was the first time she had lost her temper, and it did indeed intimidate the children.
Silently munching on cornbread and pickled vegetables, I could smell the alcohol fumes in the room.
The children's resentment towards their second brother reached its peak.
The mother's favoritism, the second brother's inaction, and his disregard for sibling affection.
This left the three of them feeling both resentful and angry.
Jiang's mother didn't finish cleaning up after the meal and went straight back to her room.
This is unbearable.
The three siblings didn't clean up. After finishing their meal, they threw down their chopsticks, went into the small house, closed the door, and began to plot.
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