Xia Dahe and Xia Rong were called into the main room by Old Man Xia to talk, while Xia Liang and her mother stood in the courtyard surrounded by her aunts and uncles. When Old Lady Xia heard that Xia Liang was still receiving a salary, she immediately hatched a scheme, saying, "Xia Liang, look how good your grandma is to you. When you were born, even though we knew you were a girl, we didn't throw you away. Look at other families, they throw their daughters straight to the back mountain to feed the wolves." Xia Liang was speechless, and then Old Lady Xia continued, "You should give your job to your brother. That way, when you get married, you'll have someone to rely on. Your in-laws will see that your brother has a job and several brothers to back you up, so they definitely won't dare to bully you." The brother she was referring to was definitely not Xia Rong, but it was unclear which son from her uncle's family she was referring to. Xia Liang ignored her, thinking it was a waste of breath to say another word. Seeing that she wouldn't speak, Old Mrs. Xia started to fuss, "Hey, you brat, can't you understand what I'm saying?" Xia Liang said impatiently, "Grandma, do you think it's better for me to give my job to that brother?" Old Mrs. Xia thought there was a chance and started to plan, "Your eldest brother is getting married soon, and his in-laws are well-off. They might be able to help him find a job later. Your fourth brother is still young and can wait a couple more years. Let's give it to your second brother. He's almost of marriageable age too; having a job will help him find a wife in the city." Xia Liang said, "Then what about my brother Xia Rong? Doesn't he need to get married? Maybe I should give the job to him?" Old Mrs. Xia was furious, "No way! That's not the same!" She then looked disapproving, as if Xia Liang... As if her precious treasure had been snatched away, Xia Liang laughed and said, "What's the difference? If I'm going to give it up, why shouldn't I give it to my brother so he can marry a city woman? What kind of brothers are they? They've bullied us siblings since we were little, and they want me to work? Dream on!" Old Mrs. Xia was furious: "You little brat, you dare to play tricks on me! I'll skin you alive today!" Saying that, she grabbed a broom to hit Xia Liang. Xia Liang wasn't going to stand there and take the beating. As soon as the old lady chased after her, she ran away. Zhao Danxiang shouted, "Grandma, no!" and stepped forward to stop her mother-in-law, but was pushed away by Old Mrs. Xia. Wang Chunhua smiled and said, "Second sister-in-law, don't interfere. This girl Xia Liang dares to play tricks on her grandmother, so she deserves to be beaten." Hmph, if she doesn't give up her job, she deserves to be beaten to death, Wang Chunhua thought. Seeing Wang Chunhua watching the scene and making sarcastic remarks, Xia Liang's eyes lit up and a plan formed in her mind. She ran up to Wang Chunhua and stopped. Old Mrs. Xia, seeing that she wasn't running away, assumed she was scared and swung her arm to hit Xia Liang. But instead of a "smack," there was a scream of pain. Old Mrs. Xia looked closely and saw her eldest daughter-in-law clutching her head and howling. Xia Liang, that brat, was standing by with a look of amusement on her face. Old Mrs. Xia realized that she had been tricked by this brat and was about to rush at Xia Liang again with a broom when she heard an angry shout: "What are you doing? Have you no manners? Look at this!" It was Old Mr. Xia who spoke. The people in the main room heard the commotion and came out to see what was going on. When they saw the old woman chasing after the girl with a broom, they stopped her.
Grandma Xia put down her broom and angrily cursed, "Ask that brat what she did! How dare she play tricks on this old woman like me? Does she even respect me as her grandmother?" Grandpa Xia turned to Xia Liang and asked, "What happened? You dare to play tricks on your grandmother?" Xia Liang looked innocent and said, "I don't know either. My grandma made me give up my job to my brother, saying it would make it easier for him to find a wife, maybe even one from the city. I thought that was a good idea; after all, he's my own brother, I can't just stand by and watch him not be able to find a wife, so I agreed..." "My grandma was very angry and said I was playing a trick on her. She picked up a broom to hit me and accidentally hurt my aunt." Grandma Xia was furious: "What do you mean by accidentally hurting me? You did it on purpose!" Xia Liang was even more innocent: "Grandma, the broom was in your hand. How was I supposed to know when you would hit me? Besides, it was you who hit me, not me." When Grandpa Xia heard this, he understood everything. The old woman was coveting Liang's wages and wanted her to give them to her eldest son's three grandsons. But Liang refused, so this happened.
"Alright, alright, stop making a scene. It's Xia Liang's business who she wants the job to be with. Old woman, don't interfere. Second son, you and your family should all go home. We won't keep you for dinner. Look how angry you've made your mother. Can't you even have a moment of peace during the New Year?" On the surface, he seemed to be speaking up for Xia Liang, but in reality, Old Man Xia was also thinking that it would be better if the job went to one of his grandsons, whether it was Xia Rong or any of his other grandsons. They would all be better than Xia Liang. However, he knew he couldn't make that decision, so he didn't say anything to annoy others. After kicking the family out, Xia Laosan's wife thought that the things Xia Liang's family had brought shouldn't go to her eldest son's family so easily. So she said, "Mom, look, Xiaoxing hasn't had candy for over half a year. Can Xiaoxing have a piece of the candy that Second Brother and the others brought?" It was impossible that he hadn't had candy for over half a year. They always ate whatever they had behind closed doors, pretending to be innocent and naive, but actually quite cunning. Hearing this, Wang Chunhua couldn't sit still any longer. The old lady's meaning... Clearly intended for her son, she said sarcastically, "Oh, third sister-in-law, your parents-in-law haven't had candy in over half a year. How come your Xiaoxing is even more indulgent than his grandparents?" Grandma Xia, who had just begun to feel sorry for her grandson, immediately showed her displeasure towards her daughter-in-law and said harshly, "Your father and I haven't even had any yet, and you've already given up on that idea." With that, she picked up the candy and headed towards her room, locking it in the cupboard before feeling at ease. Outside, her two sisters-in-law, one with a mocking expression and the other glaring fiercely at the other, were clearly not to be trifled with.
Therefore, no one would agree to the condition proposed by Xia Dahe. In the past, Zhao Danxiang might have gone along with her husband's wishes, but thinking of her mother-in-law's ambition to get her daughter a job, she spoke firmly: "If you still want to live a good life, don't always think about your parents. As long as you give them the filial piety they are entitled to, I don't think they will want to see you." Xia Dahe was not angry when his wife spoke to him so firmly for the first time. He just looked at her curiously and felt that his wife seemed to have changed since she came to the city. Not only his wife, but his son and daughter had also changed. Thinking of this, he fell silent and did not say anything about wanting to live with his parents. Xia Liang and Xia Rong finally stopped worrying.
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