"Life at home is relatively good for now. Although we are all family, you can't be without money, especially your son-in-law's family. They can't work for us for nothing."
Upon hearing Sun's words, the Zhang brothers, Song and Yong, immediately became anxious.
Zhang Song hurriedly said, "Mother, please don't say such polite things! If it weren't for the help from the family, our whole family might have died in Ganzhou City. You have saved our lives. Besides, for so long, we have been eating and using the family's food. Third Sister-in-law even sent my son Huzi to school. These are things I never dared to dream of before. Helping the family is what we should do. How can you say that we are working for nothing?"
They are all grateful people, and they are already very content with their current lives, so they would never dare to have any other thoughts.
"Yes, Mother, there's no heavy work at home, not even as tiring as when we slaughtered pigs! Besides, we eat and use good things at home, so why are you saying we've worked for nothing? If we went out on our own, who knows what kind of life we would have had!"
Zhang Yong and Shen Shi were also anxious to speak, but Sun Shi raised her hand, signaling them to be quiet for a moment, and then continued, "I know you are both good children, but no matter what, Guilan is a married daughter. We are family, so naturally we won't hold it against her, but outsiders might laugh at you. As an elder, I have to consider your situation, and this is a decision I made after discussing it with your father."
“Although you are living at home now, you will have to move out one day. But you don’t have any money. Do you expect your family to give you money separately? That’s not right. So, starting tomorrow, I will pay you wages in the same way as Cui’er and the others. But since we’re family, we’ll take care of your food and lodging. Once you have money, you don’t have to be timid about what you want to do in the future.”
Sun is a rather fierce old lady, but she is really good to her children. She knows that her children are harmonious now, and even if they don't talk about these things, there won't be any conflicts. But people can change, and she wants to arrange things before they start to change in order to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"Mother, what are you saying!" Lu Guilan burst into tears on the spot, kneeling in front of Sun Shi and saying, "You yourself said that I am a married daughter. Now the family not only supports us, but also pays for the children's schooling. How can I ask for wages? If word gets out, what kind of person will I be?"
She knew her mother was doing this for her own good, but she still felt uneasy. She felt bad that her parents were still troubling her after she got married. She felt somewhat sorry for her older brother and sister-in-law.
“Yes, Auntie, we can’t accept that!” Madam Shen also knelt down. “If we hadn’t met you in Ganzhou City, we would have been dead long ago. You are our saviors. We would be willing to work for the family like cattle and horses for the rest of our lives. How could we have any other thoughts?”
Shen has always been rather timid and basically listens to Lu Guilan in everything. She didn't have much of a mind to begin with, but now that Sun has brought this up, she suddenly becomes a little scared.
Yes, it wasn't happiness, it was fear.
They are still able to live comfortably with the Lu family now. But if the Sun family were to pay them wages and let them go out and start their own businesses in the future, who knows what their situation would be like? So they are naturally afraid for no reason.
"Alright, this is a decision made by your father and me, so it's settled. If you feel bad about it, just reduce your food expenses. Get up."
Sun reached out to help Lu Guilan up, and said, "This is for your own good. Now that the family has started a business, life is much better than before. You are both hardworking and capable people. You can save up a lot of money in three to five years. When you move out, you will live a glamorous life. Do you want to rely on your brother and sister-in-law for the rest of your life?"
Lu Guilan hurriedly shook her head: "No..."
"I'll handle this matter."
Sun made the final decision, then looked at her son and daughter-in-law who had remained silent, and said, "Guilan and the others have money, so you can't be left with nothing. We'll pay you your wages, and we won't include food expenses in that; I know exactly what's going on. This way, things will be clear, and there won't be any discord among you siblings. The remaining money will be temporarily kept in the family fund, and when your father and I die, the three of you brothers will divide it equally."
"Mother! Why are you talking about death? It's so unlucky! Guilan is our own sister. Even though they live at home, we brothers can't say anything. We're family after all!"
Lu Laoda was also anxious. His parents were both healthy and strong, so why were they talking about their funeral arrangements?
Old Lu couldn't help but speak up: "Just do as your mother says. Harmony in the family brings prosperity. Our family has a good relationship now, and we can be considered brothers who are friendly and respectful to each other. Let's clarify things now so that things will get better and better in the future."
Yu and Qin wanted to say something, but secretly they were very satisfied with their parents-in-law's decision. After all, Lu Guilan's family wasn't just theirs; there was also Zhang Yong's family!
Thinking about it this way, he didn't say anything, which was considered tacit agreement.
He Jiuniang, holding the puppy, said, "I think our parents' idea is good. Even close brothers should keep clear accounts. This matter will have to be clarified sooner or later. No one will care now, but it's hard to guarantee what will happen in the future. It's best to clarify things now."
As she spoke, she looked at Madam Sun and said, "But Mother, with this division, there won't be much money left in the public coffers, will there?"
These words struck a nerve with Mrs. Sun. Although her family had been working hard to earn money, what they earned far exceeded what they spent. For example, today's gross profit was only two taels of silver, but they spent nearly twenty taels on cloth and loading the carriages. This was a situation where income could not cover expenses.
Even so, Mrs. Sun still wanted to make things clear before she made a lot of money, so as not to cause any rift between her children.
Everyone looked at Madam Sun, who nodded helplessly: "Yes, the public funds are now less than sixty taels of silver."
In the past, fifty taels of silver could support a family for ten years. But now, today's expenses are twenty taels. In the future, we will need to hire workers to make clothes and hire professional embroiderers to teach us. These are all considerable expenses.
Everyone's expressions were rather unpleasant, except for He Jiuniang, who smiled slyly.
"Mother, I have an idea that can solve our current predicament."
She winked and made faces at Madam Sun, making her originally beautiful features look rather unsightly. Madam Sun was very annoyed and reached out to slap her.
"Spit it out already! You're always doing nothing good!"
Everyone turned their attention to her again, eagerly awaiting her.
Old Man Lu couldn't help but get impatient: "Third daughter-in-law, if you have a solution, then tell me!"
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