The second son's wife said, "We can't even hold on anymore, how can we possibly make it to next summer?"
Jiang Bai glanced at her: "So, just say what you want, what exactly do you want?"
The third son's wife stammered, "We'd like to borrow some money from you and my eldest brother."
It was called a loan, but in reality, it was a demand. If they didn't return it, Zhao Yi and Jiang Bai couldn't very well ask the Zhao family for it. So Jiang Bai nodded and simply asked, "How much do you want to borrow?"
"Five hundred taels," the second son's wife immediately replied.
Jiang Bai raised his eyebrows in surprise: "What did you do that requires five hundred taels?"
The second son's wife looked around the newly built old house and said, "Five hundred taels is too much? My eldest brother spent more than five hundred taels to rebuild this courtyard, didn't he?"
That's certainly not all; Zhao Yi is very willing to spend money on food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
But no matter how Zhao Yi spends it, it's his own money, and he can't allow others to criticize him.
Jiang Bai sighed: "Second sister-in-law, you have to understand that the money your eldest brother has now is all his own hard-earned money. The family has never given him any help. In fact, when the government conscripted soldiers, he was so young and his body hadn't even grown up yet, but he still served in the army in place of our father."
"Five hundred taels, you just said it so easily, as if it were a penny, but in reality, most farming families can't even save one tael of silver after a whole year of hard work."
"Five hundred taels is enough to buy ten milk tea shops. Even my big shop, I would give it to him for three hundred taels, without even moving the tables and chairs."
The third son's wife was quite reasonable. Hearing Jiang Bai's words, she lowered her head in shame.
Soon, she looked up and said seriously, "Sister-in-law, we are indeed short of money right now. We don't need as much as five hundred taels. See how much you can come up with. We won't mind even if it's less. I'll write you an IOU and I will definitely pay you back later."
When the second son's wife heard about writing an IOU, she nudged her hard with her elbow under the table, but she remained calm and endured it.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Bai nodded and said, "I need to discuss it with Zhao Yi. I'll give you an answer tomorrow, is that alright?"
The third son's wife smiled and said, "Of course! Please, sister-in-law, put in a good word for us with my brother. Business is bad, and everyone is anxious and worried. My parents are getting old and haven't been feeling well these past few days; they're taking medicine!"
Jiang Bai quickly asked, "Is it serious? Should I go check on it after I finish eating?"
"It's not serious, it's not serious," the third son's wife quickly waved her hand. "It's almost healed, but I'm still worried. I worry about the milk tea shop every day."
Jiang Bai said, "As long as it's not serious."
This banquet became the talk of the village for nearly half a month. Not only was the food delicious, but the luxurious house also became a topic of conversation.
When the second son's wife and the third son's wife walked home, they heard people around them chattering.
"If only I could live in such a nice house in my lifetime!"
"You? You wish."
"But that house is really too nice. Even an official's mansion is no better than this."
"I'm not fortunate enough to have that, I can only hope to be reborn into a better family in my next life." As he spoke, the person turned to look at the second son's wife, "You are all from the Zhao family, and Zhao Yi is your own elder brother, why don't you ask if we can stay?"
The second son's wife was tempted.
The third son's wife gave a stiff smile: "Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
Back when Zhao Yi was away on business and didn't come back, Old Master Zhao and Old Lady Zhao didn't even care about Zhao Yi's new bride and two children. They arbitrarily divided the family property and forced Jiang Bai to live in the dilapidated old house. Now that the house has been built, they want a share of the pie. The third son's wife feels ashamed just thinking about it.
The man speaking next to them, however, showed no understanding of the third brother's wife's feelings and continued to say to himself, "What's wrong with that? Zhao the eldest and his wife don't usually live there anyway, so the house is just sitting empty. Why can't you live there?"
She nudged her second son's wife's arm and whispered, "If all else fails, you can move your parents out. They can't just not let them live here, can they?"
If Grandpa Zhao and Grandma Zhao move in, there will be no shortage of space for them. After all, the two elderly people will be helping them take care of the children.
The second son's wife's face was full of excitement. She knew that Zhao Yi and Jiang Bai were not to be trifled with, so she did not agree immediately. Instead, she said meaningfully, "I'll go back and mention it to my parents."
That means you really took that person's advice to heart.
After parting ways with those people, the third son's wife gently nudged the second son's wife: "How can this be? The eldest brother will definitely not agree."
"Does it matter whether my eldest brother agrees or not, as long as our parents want it?" The second son's wife glanced at her disdainfully, thinking that her sister-in-law was just too timid. "If he doesn't agree, he's being unfilial."
With the label of "unfilial piety" attached to him, Zhao Yi's future path will likely be extremely difficult.
The second son's wife argued, "Besides, my eldest brother and sister-in-law don't live here. Houses deteriorate very quickly if no one lives in them. By moving in, we're helping them maintain the house, and they should give us money as a thank you fee!"
The third son's wife was speechless. She said, "Do you think everyone else is a fool and only you are the smartest?"
Living in someone else's new house and then having to pay a thank-you fee? Where in the world is there such a good thing?
The second son's wife clicked her tongue and ignored her.
The third son's wife couldn't help but say again, "Besides, we clearly discussed it at home and agreed to borrow fifty taels of silver from the eldest brother. How come you suddenly changed your mind and said five hundred taels?"
“I just blurted it out,” the second son’s wife said impatiently, lowering her eyes. “It’s all Xiaoli’s fault. She’s been nagging me about how this house will cost more than five hundred taels of silver to build.”
She was shocked when she heard the number, and the fact that Jiang Bai didn't refute it only fueled her jealousy.
She said, "My elder brother and sister-in-law spent so much money building this dilapidated house, why can't they give us some? We are their own brother and sister-in-law."
"Besides, we helped them take care of their parents, so they should be grateful to us and pay for it. Their parents raised our eldest brother to adulthood and helped him build such a great career. Doesn't that deserve five hundred taels of silver?"
“If you give us the money, we won’t squander it. In the end, it will all go to our parents and children anyway. What do they have to begrudge?”
The second son's wife became more and more agitated as she spoke, and finally couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "He's so stingy even though he has money, what a terrible character he is."
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