As soon as Old Man Xiao got home, he called everyone to the main room for a meeting.
Grandma Xiao began by recounting, with righteous indignation, how Xie Yushu spent money to buy a donkey and a cart, and how she hauled a cart full of goods, and especially how she hired Widow Liu as a maid.
She cursed Xie Yushu as a heartless wretch for spending their family's money, pretending to have no money for her fourth son's education, and then hypocritically lending them ten taels of silver, even making them sign an IOU. In the end, she cursed Xie Yushu a thousand times as a despicable whore.
Xiao Dayong and his family lowered their heads and remained silent.
Xie Yujiao sighed with regret.
"Now that the family has separated, Second Brother has become estranged from us! To be honest, Yuanhang and he are brothers, even if the blood is broken, the tendons are still connected!"
Besides, our journey to study is a great honor for our ancestors. If we become successful in the future, how could we possibly abandon our second brother?
The second brother has no land, but plenty of money. He'd rather let his wife squander it than send his own brother to school. He doesn't treat Yuanhang like a brother at all!
Old Mrs. Xiao got even angrier after hearing this, and slammed the kang mat so hard that it only emitted smoke.
"He wouldn't dare! He crawled out of my mother's womb, so his things are my things. Whoever my mother says she'll give them to, she'll give them to."
"You all come with me in a moment and get those things back. The fourth son's education is of utmost importance. If we have money but don't use it for his studies, letting that little harlot squander it, I think he's lost his mind!"
Xiao Yan also hurriedly said
"Yes, I heard she bought a lot of nice fabrics last time, but she hid them. Mother, you have to get them for me. Why would a married woman like her dress so nicely?"
"I'm a young woman now, it's time to make myself some nice clothes!"
Xiao Yan didn't say the rest, but Old Madam Xiao clearly understood and patted Xiao Yan's hand.
"That's right, our Yan'er is a fifteen-year-old young lady now, it's time to dress her up!"
Seeing that Xiao Dayong's family remained silent, Old Man Xiao frowned and spoke.
"The eldest brother will go to the second brother's place later and drive the donkey and cart back. The second brother has no land, and he is lame and cannot herd the donkey. The donkey cart is useless to him, it's a waste!"
"Bring it back is just what we need!"
"Father, I can't bring myself to say it!"
"Those donkeys and carts belong to my second brother. If you want to use them, he won't object to letting you borrow them for a while. It's not appropriate to bring them back!"
Xiao Dayong said with difficulty.
"You idiot! You good-for-nothing! The second son is a cripple and has no land, what use is a donkey cart! It's that little whore Xie Yushu who drives the cart around and has fun. Who knows what she's doing outside? She goes out once and buys donkeys and carts!"
"We can't use our own things! Why should an outsider enjoy them?"
When Grandma Xiao saw that Xiao Dayong wouldn't step forward, she angrily pointed at his head and roared!
"My second sister-in-law's two older brothers both work in the government office, and the Liu brothers are also there. My second sister-in-law has also sold some money, so it's not difficult for her to buy a car!"
Besides, this car might not belong solely to my second brother's wife. It's possible that the siblings bought it together!
Li whispered a reminder, implying that Xie Yushu's brothers were now working in the yamen (government office), and they were not to be trifled with. She warned them to be careful if they tried to bully her.
As soon as Li spoke, Old Man Xiao and Old Madam Xiao's faces darkened. How could they have forgotten about this! Their arrogance immediately wilted!
Xie Yujiao's face turned pale with hatred!
What right does Xie Yushu have? From childhood to adulthood, she has always been the one suppressing Xie Yushu. Whether it's beating or scolding, Xie Yushu can only endure it. What's hateful is that ever since she married Xiao Yi, she has completely changed. She starts hitting people at the slightest disagreement and has become a complete scoundrel.
Along with her, her whole family of bastards changed. Not only did they stop listening to her grandfather, they even dared to go against them!
It turns out that her grandfather could still keep them in check by using his position as the clan leader. But ever since they went out and came back, that little brat Xie Tianqi got a job in the government office. A few days later, he also got Xie Er transferred there. Both brothers are government officials, so her grandfather has to give them some leeway!
She truly regretted persuading Xie Yushu to marry Xiao Yi! Now she's completely lost her mind, and no one can control her anymore!
Xie Yujiao was both angry and resentful. She hoped that Xiao Yuanhang would pass the imperial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations) to support her. Once she became a Juren's wife, she would see how Xiao Yuanhang would trample Xie Yushu underfoot!
No, even if she hadn't become the wife of a scholar, she would still put Xie Yushu in a bad light. Didn't she want to enjoy a life of luxury and be served by others? She would not let her have her way. So what if she hired servants? She couldn't use them anyway!
Seeing that Old Man Xiao and Old Mrs. Xiao also looked both timid and angry, he spoke up.
“Even if her brothers are employed, they have no right to interfere with the Xiao family! We haven’t bullied her. Isn’t it only right for a daughter-in-law to be filial to her mother-in-law? It shouldn’t be that the daughter-in-law is waited on hand and foot while the mother-in-law is busy with chores every day!”
After Xie Yujiao finished speaking, Old Mrs. Xiao seemed to gain confidence, and her back immediately straightened.
"That's right! It's unreasonable that my wife has someone to take care of her while I, the mother-in-law, have to work myself to the bone. If her brother comes, we're in the right too!"
Xiao Yan also gained confidence
“Yes, Mother, what are we afraid of? My brother is a scholar! He doesn’t even have to kneel before the county magistrate. Why should we be afraid of a mere clerk like him!”
When my brother passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, they will all have to kneel down and kowtow to him, as well as to my father and you, to pay their respects!
Xiao Yan's words were like a shot of adrenaline; Old Man Xiao and Old Mrs. Xiao immediately perked up.
“The girl is right. What are we afraid of? Once they’re in our house, they have to listen to us. Come on, let’s go get our things. Let’s see if Xie Shi dares to stop us!”
The eldest son and his family followed, shouting, "If you're not going, get out of here! I'll treat you like I never had a son!"
After Grandma Xiao finished speaking, she and Grandpa Xiao took the lead and walked ahead.
Xie Yujiao and Xiao Yan exchanged a glance and immediately followed. The two sisters-in-law had made up!
Xiao Dayong reluctantly got up and followed. Li Shi had no choice but to follow as well, but in her heart she cursed where this family got their confidence that Xiao Yuanhang would definitely pass the imperial examination!
He was always last in the county-level examinations. It was one thing to not even become a junior scholar, but to ask him to teach at a private school to supplement his family's income was like an insult!
She couldn't be happier to stay away from his arrogant and disgusting attitude. She was already being kind enough that he didn't take advantage of them; she'd be better off relying on her own two sons!
Li really looked down on these few arrogant, lazy, stupid, and self-righteous fools.
She just wanted to live a peaceful life, to build houses for her two sons, find them wives, and save up some dowry for her daughter. But she ended up with these terrible people who were always causing trouble. Plus, she had the burden of filial piety on her shoulders. There was nothing she could do!
Seeing that she had no choice but to follow, Li walked behind, quietly instructing her daughter and son.
"Your grandparents want to take your second uncle and aunt's things by force. Your second uncle has already given your grandparents eight acres of land for their retirement. As for these donkeys and carts, your second uncle can give them to them if he wants, or not if he doesn't. When you get there, don't meddle and don't talk too much, do you hear me?"
Song Ge and Bai Ge were used to following orders, and after hearing what Li Shi said, they nodded to indicate that they understood!
Xiao Taohua whispered
"Mother, I know. Second Uncle and Second Aunt are good people. Second Aunt even helped our family hunt down wolves to exchange for money! She also made clothes for us with floral fabric!"
Shh! Just know it, don't say anything more!
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