Xiao Zhengde, who had been slowly accepting reality and finally managed to calm himself down and resolve to just manage his own village properly, was reminded of the past when he heard that Xiao Yi had returned in a sorry state. He regretted it all night.
It was almost dawn when I finally drifted off to sleep.
He tossed and turned all night, sighing and lamenting. His wife knew this, and when he finally fell asleep at dawn, she didn't wake him. Instead, she left him some food to keep warm.
As soon as he woke up and picked up his bowl, he heard that Xiao Yi and Xiao Dayong's families had arrived together.
Well, I bet there's something else I need him to mediate.
Xiao Zhengde suddenly felt a throbbing pain in his head!
Their family's affairs have really affected them, and they've started to have stress reactions.
For a moment, Xiao Zhengde wanted to quit.
But thinking about it, it's not easy to give up this responsibility. We can't just abandon the whole clan because of his family!
I had no choice but to suppress my frustration and slowly finish my meal before going out to meet people.
Xiao Dayong could understand Xiao Zhengde's cold face. In fact, Xiao Yi also felt somewhat ashamed at this point, but it was too late, and life had to go on, so he shamelessly spoke up.
"Grandpa, I'm really sorry, but we still need you to make a decision about our family's affairs."
Previously, I was wrong. Because I was trying to escape my mother's exploitation, I made a name for myself but never came back to pay respects to our ancestors, and I didn't think about making any contribution to the clan. I didn't think things through enough.
It's too late to say anything now. To be honest, if I were all alone, I could just be buried wherever I die. But I have a son who is still breastfeeding, and a wife and mother-in-law who depend on me for food.
I was implicated by the Chu family and now I have nothing and am even disabled; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call me a cripple.
But most of my land was given to my parents to support my fourth son's education. Now that he's been exiled, my parents don't need that land for their old age, and our family is really struggling. So I'd like to ask you to make the decision and let us redistribute our property.”
Xiao Zhengde was still full of anger, but when he heard Xiao Yi take the initiative to admit his mistake, and that his mother was really difficult to deal with, it was understandable that he didn't want to come back. Moreover, he had ended up in such a miserable state, so he could only say that he was really unlucky.
My anger subsided a bit.
However, I still can't help but say a few words to him.
You!
Your mistake was leaving without a word and then marrying Chu Mingzhu!
Marrying a good wife brings prosperity to three generations; marrying a bad wife brings misfortune to three generations.
Look at Xie Yushu. Now, it's no exaggeration to say that when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs benefit. In Xiejia Village, every child has access to education, every family is well-off, and even the village dogs have coats to wear in winter!
And look at Chu Mingzhu, whom you married. What kind of woman is she? She's just a woman with no skills. She should stay at home and take care of her husband and children. Why did she go to the battlefield?
I heard he even colluded with the enemy? He caused a huge disaster, not only dying himself, but also causing you to end up like this.
She's a classic example of someone who brings bad luck to her husband!
Rumors about Chu Mingzhu altering military orders were circulating widely. Everyone knew she had committed a serious crime, but those who were far away didn't know what crime she had committed. They only knew that she was being kept at the entrance of the Heroes' Tomb, which meant she must have done something to harm the Great Qi.
Xiao Yi was rendered speechless by the scolding and could only listen with his head down.
Granny Zhu had been taking care of Chu Mingzhu for eighteen or nineteen years, and she still cared for Chu Mingzhu very much. She felt terrible to hear Chu Mingzhu being scolded like that, but the things Chu Mingzhu had done were obvious, and no one dared to speak up for her. They could only pretend not to hear it.
Seeing that he had vented his anger and done his job, Xiao Dayong spoke first, agreeing with him.
"Grandpa, whether it was right or wrong, it has already happened. It's all fate, so just accept it!"
Moreover, Xiao Yi has now paid such a heavy price for his mistakes back then, which can be considered as atonement.
I think that splitting the family property again isn't necessarily a bad thing.
My parents used to be confused, and we were indecisive. Our house was a mess, which caused you a lot of trouble and made us a laughing stock in the village.
This is perfect, it's all about correcting past mistakes, that's what it means, right? That's how I heard it sung in operas when correcting errors.
The rules are set, so we'll divide it accordingly.
Our family used to be unruly, and now we're getting our just desserts for it. It's like karma coming out in this life, and we've become a negative example in the village.
This textbook should be revised now.
"We need to change that so we don't hold the village back. Otherwise, when people talk about our family, they'll still look down on us, which will damage the village's reputation!"
Xiao Dayong's words did indeed tempt Xiao Zhengde.
People leave their names behind, geese leave their calls behind. The Xiao family has never produced such eccentric figures as Old Man Xiao and Old Lady Xiao in several generations. In fact, the entire Phoenix Mouth has never had such a troublesome thing as the Xiao family in nearly two hundred years!
Since he can remember, the ancestral hall has never been opened so frequently. Now, their family's affairs are the talk of the town for miles around, and he's had enough.
Moreover, the Xiao family's old mansion is now actually run by that widow Liu. No matter how bad or wicked Old Madam Xiao is, she has still given birth to a group of grandsons and granddaughters for the Xiao family and is also the legal wife. Although everyone curses her for getting her just deserts and that she deserves it, she is now paralyzed.
However, being paralyzed in bed and having a concubine ride roughshod over him was still quite disheartening for the women in the village.
At first, it was somewhat satisfying to watch, but seeing how Old Man Xiao endlessly indulged Liu's arrogance and domineering behavior, and how he would curse Old Madam Xiao at the drop of a hat, wishing she would die quickly so he could take over her house.
As time went on, everyone gradually felt that Old Man Xiao was heartless. After all, she was his wife of many years. No matter how much Old Lady Xiao acted up, her starting point was for the good of her and Old Man Xiao, and for the good of their Xiao family. Therefore, outsiders cursed her, but no one cursed her like Widow Liu did.
Old Man Xiao shouldn't have treated Old Woman Xiao like that!
Therefore, many daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law have felt disheartened by Old Man Xiao's attitude, and their daily conversations have become increasingly strained.
"We women are wronged. We should enjoy ourselves while we can still eat and drink. Who knows, one day we might end up like Old Mrs. Xiao, paralyzed or sick, and the men will immediately bring back a young man to eat and drink well, and they'll even be hoping you die soon!"
"If you save every penny, it'll all end up benefiting others!"
Especially when the couple fights, they bring up Old Man Xiao's family to make fun of them!
This directly affects the trust between husband and wife.
It looks like this is going to ruin the relationship between the couple.
Therefore, he cannot break the rules left by his ancestors regarding the proper relationships between ruler and subject, father and son, elder and younger, and superior and inferior. If he breaks one rule, everything will fall into chaos.
This unhealthy trend must be nipped in the bud, or it will cause trouble sooner or later, given how much Widow Liu is supporting the Liu family's children!
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