Sun was reborn, and no one knew the torment she had endured that night.
Seeing Da Bao return safe and sound, my heart finally settled down.
"Dabao, your mother is taking care of your father, so you should go and get some sleep."
"I'm not sleepy." Chen Dabao looked at Sun Shi, whose eyes were red and swollen, and felt guilty. "Mother, I'm sorry to have made you worry. It's all my fault. I will never let you worry again."
Madam Sun shook her head. "I don't blame you. It's all my fault. I was only thinking about how your third uncle would pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, so that our family could benefit from it. I never considered your feelings. I was wrong."
After saying that, she looked at Chen Zhanliang lying on the bed with a wronged expression, and hesitated for a moment.
She pursed her lips, as if she had made a huge decision, "Zhanliang, let's separate the family. I don't want to go through something like this again."
Hearing his mother say this, Chen Dabao's eyes were full of expectation. "Dad, I agree with Mom. I don't want to get involved with the third branch of the family. Let's separate from Grandpa and Grandma!"
“But…” Chen Zhanliang hesitated.
"Honey, stop with the 'buts'. Haven't you realized yet that your parents don't care about us at all?"
Sun's eyes reddened, and her voice choked with emotion.
"Last night, Da Bao's fate was unknown, but our mother was calm and unconcerned, acting as if nothing had happened."
You were injured, and she didn't even bother to come and see you. With a home like this, what is there left for you to be reluctant to leave?
Chen Dabao quickly chimed in, "Yes, Dad, we can't keep doing their work. Even if my third uncle really passes the imperial examination one day, our family won't get any benefit from it."
It's obvious to everyone that my grandparents favor the third branch of the family; they only have my third uncle in their hearts. If they don't separate the family soon, who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause us!
Chen Zhanliang frowned and shook his head. After a long silence, he finally sighed, "Dabao, you've misunderstood your grandfather. He's just all bark and no bite."
You have no idea how heartbroken and devastated he was when he saw me fall off the cliff. He cried his heart out, it was truly a scene of utter grief and despair.
Hearing that I had injured my leg, she was heartbroken and tears streamed down her face. She insisted on carrying me on her back.
No one could stop him; he said I was his son and he wouldn't trust anyone else to carry me.
Those words warmed my heart.
At that moment, I truly felt what fatherly love was, and tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.
He's quite old, and I was worried he'd get sick from all the hard work, but he gritted his teeth and carried me for over ten miles.
Do you think he would do something so touching if he didn't care about me and didn't have me as his son?
Therefore, I couldn't bring myself to say that we should separate the family property; I was afraid of hurting his feelings.
Sun frowned as she listened. "Husband, you're so confused. You open your heart to anyone who's even slightly kind to you. Have you forgotten how we've managed all these years?"
Even outsiders can't stand it, yet you're still so stubborn. If we don't separate now, who knows what our future will hold? We might even have to beg for food.
Chen Dabao also spoke up to persuade him, "Dad, haven't you done enough for my third uncle over the years? But he not only doesn't know how to be grateful, he has become even more and more exploitative of us."
My grandparents are completely biased towards my third uncle, letting him do whatever he wants. Our family is getting poorer and poorer. If we ever go hungry, we won't even have a way out.
Through his experience last night, Chen Zhanliang felt an unprecedented fatherly love, a feeling that satisfied him and made him feel dependent on his father.
From the moment she lay on Old Chen's back, she forgave everything from the past.
He shook his head vigorously. "Dabao, don't try to persuade me anymore. Although your third uncle did go a bit too far, your grandparents are my parents."
Even if they favor your third uncle, it's because they hope our Chen family can rise above others and place their hopes on him.
As long as your third uncle passes the imperial examination at the county level and then becomes a scholar, our family's life will definitely improve. Therefore, this family must not be divided.
Chen Dabao looked helpless. "Dad, since you won't listen, just pretend I didn't say anything. But I'll make this clear from the start: Sister Qingqing has already agreed to let me work for her."
She said she would pay me my wages, but I wouldn't give you the money I earned to keep; I wanted to save it myself.
"You mean Qingyatou is going to pay you for your work?" Chen Zhanliang put on a dismissive expression. "She only dug up a ginseng root, sent Chen Han to school, and bought a few acres of land. She probably doesn't have much money left. These words are just to comfort you."
"Sister Qingqing didn't lie to me. She said that once my leg injury heals, I should go to her and she will arrange work for me. The pay is thirty coins a day, and if I do a good job, she will give me a bonus."
Thirty coins a day, that's nine hundred coins a month, and ten taels of silver a year. At this rate, three years of work would be enough to pay for Da Bao's bride price.
Mrs. Sun was shocked. "Da Bao, are you telling the truth? Qing girl really promised to give you so much money?"
"Of course it's true."
Madam Sun curled her lips into a smile. "Dabao, you can't keep this money for yourself. You have to give it to your mother. I'll save it for you and find you a good marriage in a few years. How about that?"
“No, I’m not getting married,” Chen Dabao refused without hesitation. “I’m saving this money to support my younger brother’s education.”
Sun's tone was somewhat urgent, "What's the use of studying? It can't put food on the table, you can't lift a finger or carry a heavy load, you're just a useless person."
"Our second child doesn't study, so Mom has to save this money for your wedding."
"Yes, Mother is right." Chen Erbao nodded vigorously. "Big brother, I'm not going to study anymore. I don't need you to save money to support me. Studying isn't good. I don't want to end up like Uncle San."
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