She first made arrangements for resuming work, giving a passionate speech about not accepting money, then asked Shen to give everyone a red envelope for resuming work, while she hurriedly went to the Li family.
Right now, the Li family is in a state of gloom. Everyone else has gone to the Lu family to prepare for the resumption of work, but his family members are all staying at home and don't dare to go out to see anyone.
The Zhang Cuiya incident was quite ugly. Although it was all the Zhang family's fault, and they were even detained for a few days, it wasn't a big deal. They were given a lesson and then released. Now, the Zhang family tells everyone they meet that the Li family is the one who harmed them.
Only a small number of people know the truth, and with the Zhang family spreading it like this, now no matter where they go, people will point fingers at them. They even tried to cheat their own sister's family. What kind of good people are they?
Li's mother had originally planned to find a marriage partner for her third son after the New Year, but now that she had lost business with the Lu family and her reputation had been ruined by the Zhang family, her son's marriage was even more uncertain.
“Mom, how about I go to the county town to see if there are any suitable jobs I can do for a while? The crops haven’t been planted in the fields yet, and it’s not good to just stay idle like this.”
The family was gathered around the stove, sighing and complaining, when Li Sanniu couldn't help but speak up.
Since he can't find a wife anyway, he might as well earn more money to supplement his household income.
Now that he's no longer working for the Lu family, his quality of life is going to drop significantly. He himself isn't used to it, let alone having so many people in his family.
Li's mother felt that this was the only way for now, so she nodded and said, "Go ahead, you can meet more people in the county town, and maybe you can even find a wife through an introduction. Our family's current situation has really ruined you!"
As Li's mother spoke, she began to wipe away tears. She felt sorry for her youngest son. Her grandchildren were still young, and by the time they grew up, the matter would have been almost forgotten. But now her youngest son's important life event was imminent, and it had been delayed like this. It was truly a tragedy.
Li's father sat beside her, not daring to utter a sound. That was his sister, and he always felt guilty and ashamed of his son, but there was nothing he could do to make up for it.
No one else said anything; they all tacitly agreed that life would be tough for the family in the future. It would be better if someone went out to work to help support the family. The eldest and second wives both had families, so the single third son was the most suitable.
"It's alright, Mom. Marriage is all about fate. This just means my time hasn't come yet! There's no rush!"
Li Sanniu smiled lightly, not wanting his family to suffer along with him.
Li's mother said, "Don't worry, our family has made some money from the Lu family in the past two years. When you get married, I will definitely give more dowry than ordinary families. With our family's reputation now, it's rare for someone to be willing to marry into our family."
Upon hearing this, the eldest and second wives immediately became anxious. The eldest daughter-in-law said, "Mother, we should just follow the same amount as ordinary families. After the Lu family's work is gone, our hard times are yet to come. We can't waste money!"
"Yes, Mother, the bride price is for the bride's family, it has nothing to do with us. Mother, we can't let our own family suffer just to save face!"
The second son's wife couldn't wait to speak up, fearing that Li's mother would really take out the money to help the third son get married.
Normally, they wouldn't dare speak to Li's mother like that, but now that the family is in financial difficulty and the money isn't being used for them, they feel resentful and have become bolder.
"Shut up, all of you!"
Li's mother turned and glared at her two daughters-in-law, her eyes flashing with anger. She was also very disappointed in her eldest and second sons. Their wives said such things, and they didn't say anything to stop them. Did they think they were right?
"Ask yourselves honestly, has the third son ever mistreated you, the first and second wives, all these years? You have so many families to support, and you can't even earn enough to support yourselves. All the money the third son earns goes to the family. Are you blind? Now the third son is being dragged down by his family and can't get married. Is it wrong for me to give him more money then? You heartless ingrates, I've wasted most of my life!"
At this point, Li's mother felt heartbroken. She had worked hard for her three sons her whole life and always tried her best to treat them equally, but in their eyes, she was still the one who was biased.
Over the years, I have felt most indebted to my youngest son.
Because she was young, everything she had was leftover from her older brothers. When her brothers got married, she would have to help raise her nephews and nieces.
She finally reached the age to get married, but not only was her reputation ruined, she was also plotted against by her brother and sister-in-law.
Her youngest son is truly a bitter little gourd!
The others dared not speak. Li's mother continued, "When the third son said he wanted to find work to supplement the family income, why didn't you stop him? Why didn't you go out yourselves? You've all benefited from the third son's good fortune, but has the third son ever taken advantage of you in any way?"
“Mother, that’s not what we meant. If you were spending money on my third brother, we naturally wouldn’t say anything, but you’re talking about the bride price…”
The eldest daughter-in-law tried to argue, but before she could finish speaking, Li's mother interrupted her: "Stop talking nonsense. All the money is with me. As long as I'm alive, you have no say in this family. If you're not happy, then separate and live your own lives. Let's see how you manage to live!"
Li's mother was genuinely angry. She spoke without any restraint and didn't care about anyone's feelings. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally.
The eldest son of the Li family hurriedly said, "Mother, no, no! While our parents are alive, we will never separate the family. Whatever you say goes, we will listen to you!"
My mother is right. If it weren't for my parents and this younger brother helping out all these years, they wouldn't have been able to support these little ones.
The boy ate his father out of house and home. After the family split up, and with no more work for the Lu family, the whole family was going to starve.
The second son of the Li family also spoke up, and with everyone's combined efforts, the matter of dividing the family property was finally settled.
Li's mother felt a pang of sadness and wanted to wipe away her tears. Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Li Sanniu was about to open the door when his mother stood up and said, "You sit down, I'll go by myself."
Lu Guilan knocked for a while before someone opened the door. As soon as the door opened, she saw Li's mother with red eyes and couldn't help but ask, "Aunt Li, what's wrong?"
"N-nothing, Madam Guilan, what brings you to my house?"
Li's mother forced a smile, really not wanting anyone to know about her family's troubles.
Lu Guilan was a shrewd person; she immediately stopped asking questions and started talking about her own affairs: "Our workshop reopened today, so I came here specifically to invite Auntie and the two sisters-in-law over."
"ah?"
Li's mother was very surprised and said, "We are not..."
Lu Guilan smiled and said, "Auntie, that incident wasn't your family's fault, nor was it yours. Besides, you tried to stop it, even severing ties with your family. You made sacrifices and were victims too, so you shouldn't be ostracized. I'm here not only to ask you to go back to work, but also because I need a junior manager, and I think you're perfect for the job. You're capable and can do a good job. The pay is three times what it is now. What do you think, Auntie?"
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