Zhao Youcai picked up his grandson and granddaughter from school and brought them home. The two little ones were no longer the pitiful little ones who dared not breathe loudly. They chattered non-stop all the way home.
Because Zhao Youcai stood up for his grandson, he successfully won the admiration of the two little children.
In their eyes, it was the grandfather who disciplined the bad teacher like a grandson.
Now, the two little ones look at Zhao Youcai with eyes full of admiration, sparkling like stars.
When Zhao Youcai got home, he found that his son and daughter-in-law hadn't returned from work yet. He first went to the kitchen and divided the large slices of fatty meat among his two children, telling them to wash the dishes and chopsticks after they finished eating and then go back to do their homework. Only then did he go back to his room with his hands behind his back and begin to take stock of the remaining supplies in the house.
As the head of the family, Zhao Youcai usually kept all the valuables in his own room.
Soon, Zhao Youcai sorted out some things he didn't need for the time being. Good heavens, he had no interest in using the fabric that had been sitting there for who knows how long to make clothes for himself.
I wonder how long the original owner has been hiding in the box.
Since we won't need it, we might as well give it to our children and grandchildren.
It will also make them remember the good things about you.
As darkness fell and family members gradually returned, Zhao Youcai called them all to his room.
Seeing the anxious expressions on the faces of his family, Zhao Youcai coughed lightly and said calmly:
"Today I paid ten yuan for my second son's medical expenses, and we still have 213 yuan left at home. It's getting warmer every day, and my eldest son's two children are growing up. We still have a few bolts of cloth, which is just enough to make some clothes for the two children."
There was truly no food left; three consecutive years of famine had depleted all of the family's reserves.
The sons and daughters-in-law in the room stared wide-eyed, completely unable to believe what they were seeing, their faces flushed with excitement.
The sun didn't rise in the west today, so why is Zhao Youcai unusually bringing out all his old, best-kept secrets?
If it weren't for the fact that it was indeed the same person standing in front of them, they would have suspected that their father had been replaced.
The eldest daughter-in-law rubbed her eyelids several times until they were red and she could see stars. With the money and cloth in front of her, she couldn't help but grin and laugh out loud.
Zhao Youcai was very glad that the original owner was a stingy person. Although he was a bit vicious, he was also a skilled player.
To be able to accumulate these things during the three-year famine period, one must indeed possess some skill.
Seeing that everyone was past their initial shock and excitement, Zhao Youcai said, "What I said in front of my sons on the ridge today will take effect starting next month. Each of your families will only need to hand over 200 work points at the end of each month starting next month. You can keep the extra ones yourselves. As for the 213 yuan I have now, it will still be in my custody. We have to get up early to continue working tomorrow, so go home and rest."
After all, grain and various ration coupons had to be exchanged for work points, and the busy farming season in Northeast China was very fixed. In winter, fishing and hunting weren't possible every day either; when heavy snow blocked the mountains, everyone had to stay home and hibernate.
Each family contributes 200 work points, which is enough for them to live on. Families with children can earn work points together. As long as they work hard, they can make a good living.
For a good-for-nothing like the third brother, who has no marriage prospects and no farming experience, it's best to work hard for a while to experience the hardships of life. Two hundred work points might be the maximum he can earn each month.
His actions today might seem strange to his sons and daughters-in-law, but Zhao Youcai naturally had his own plans.
Although he still holds the reins of the family finances, after what happened with the youngest son, he suspects that his sons and daughters-in-law are starting to consider dividing the family property, but they dare not bring it up due to his "tyranny".
However, not daring to mention it doesn't mean not daring to think about it. Zhao Youcai's actions today were to loosen the reins on the others, so that these few exceptional kids wouldn't feel that he only knew how to exploit and oppress them.
For Zhao Youcai, dividing the family property was not a big deal, since there weren't many good people in the family anyway.
However, with my old bones and limbs, if we really split up the family business, even if I can make something of myself in the future, there's no guarantee that others won't covet it.
Instead of doing that, it would be better not to separate the family for now, but to continue to trick the sons into helping with the work while he secretly farms and plays games.
As expected, Zhao Youcai's sons and daughters-in-law were all taken aback upon hearing his words.
I don't know what Zhao Youcai is up to. In the past, Zhao Youcai would have them hand over all the work points they earned in a month to him for safekeeping and to support the family's expenses.
But why are they suddenly giving us fabric and assigning us work points today?
Could it be that he was angered by the youngest child, which triggered a drastic change in his personality?
However, this is ultimately a good thing for them. After all, not only will the youngest brother no longer be able to exploit them, but they will also no longer have to hand over all their work points. Wouldn't they be able to distribute the remaining work points freely?
Although they had doubts, they were also eager to stop handing in work points, fearing that if they pressed them further, Zhao Youcai would change his mind, and everything would be back to normal.
Only the third son looked aggrieved and yelled, "Dad, you're not being fair!"
"Why do the other two only have to hand in 200 work points, but I have to hand in 200 work points all by myself? I quit!"
"Unfair?"
Looking at his third brother's tantrum, Zhao Youcai said coldly, "Why don't you mention that when you were idle all day, your older brothers and sisters-in-law supported you?"
"After what happened with the youngest son, I've finally figured it out. Even your own son can't be spoiled unconditionally, or you might end up raising an ungrateful child. If you want to stay in this family in the future, you'll have to work hard to earn a living."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
