When Old Madam Xiao and Xiao Yuanhang heard Xie Yushu mention the ten taels of silver, their faces immediately fell. Xiao Yuanhang chuckled and said...
“Studying costs a lot of money, and I have other plans for the fifty taels of silver, so I can’t give it to you right now.”
Old Mrs. Xiao was so angry that she slapped the kang (a heated brick bed).
“Xie! Are you obsessed with money? You’re always thinking about that little bit of money. The fourth son’s education is a big deal. Shouldn’t you, as his older brother and sister-in-law, give him money?”
Asking you for some money is a sign of respect. If the fourth son becomes successful in the future, won't you all benefit from it?
Besides, an elder sister-in-law is like a mother; it's only right and proper for an elder brother and sister-in-law to help their younger brother. That ten taels of silver should have been given to the fourth brother long ago. You, being so ignorant, even wrote an IOU in front of the village chief. You're only being indulged because the second brother has a leg injury; otherwise, you would have been sent back to your parents' home long ago!
Upon hearing this, Xie Yushu pulled Xiao Yi to sit down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and addressed Xiao Yuanhang.
"Fourth brother, come here! Give your second brother a shoulder massage and then a leg massage. Your second brother has bad legs and needs a massage the most!"
Xie Yujiao, come here and give me a back massage. I've been hiking in the mountains for days, I'm really tired!
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuanhang scoffed disdainfully, turning his face away without even glancing at Xiao Yi and Xie Yushu. Xie Yujiao also spoke up angrily.
"Xie Yushu, what are you thinking! Our fourth son is a scholar, and I am a scholar's wife. Who do you think you are? You're not worthy to give me a shoulder massage!"
"We're like your parents! Didn't you hear what your mother just said? The eldest brother is like a father, and the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother! Asking you to be filial to us is already giving you face, so don't be ungrateful!"
Xie Yujiao was cornered and pointed at Xie Yujiao, trembling with anger. She then collapsed onto the kang (heated brick bed).
"Honey, my stomach hurts!"
Xiao Yuanhang said with a grim expression
"Brotherly love and respect, Second Brother, are you just going to let her bully your younger brother like this?"
Xiao Yi raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, "You were the ones who disrespected your elder brother first!"
"Second brother, what do you think you're doing? Your parents aren't even dead yet! You think you can take over my household? You've gone too far!"
Grandma Xiao couldn't sit still any longer. She grabbed Grandpa Xiao's pipe and smacked Xiao Yi with it. Then she turned around and tried to hit Xie Yushu.
Xie Yushu leisurely got up and took three or four steps back to avoid it, her pipe hitting the stone edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and breaking in two.
Old Mrs. Xiao was panting heavily with anger, and Xie Yujiao said without any politeness...
"Since Mother has said that you are still alive, we certainly can't take away your responsibilities."
Xiao Yuanhang's disrespect for his elder brother is a minor matter. If he treats us as his parents, then he is unfilial and disrespectful. At least we, as his elder brothers, have lent him money for his studies and helped him with chores. No matter how you look at it, we have done right by him. Yet these two actually said that his elder brother and sister-in-law are nothing.
They don't know gratitude or filial piety; this is a matter of character. If we report them to the authorities or their school, their academic future will be in jeopardy!
"The Xie family! How dare you!"
"What do I have to be afraid of? Even a rabbit will bite when cornered! I'm not afraid to say this: whoever makes things difficult for me, I'll make sure they never get away with it. Let me tell you, I've already been more than kind to you, so don't push your luck and force me to turn against you!"
"And Xiao Yuanhang, return the money I borrowed from you, right now! If you don't return it today, tomorrow I'll go talk to your teacher and ask him how he managed to raise such an ungrateful, untrustworthy, and shameless ingrate!"
"You! Xie family, you! You!"
Xiao Yuanhang didn't expect Xie Yushu to turn on him so suddenly, and rushed over to point at her and curse.
"How dare this mere village woman point at me and lecture me? Who do you think you are, Xiao Yi? Such a barbaric and rude person, why don't you beat her up? It would be good to teach her how to be a proper daughter-in-law of the Xiao family!"
Xie Yujiao thought her man was about to get aroused and stopped complaining of stomach pain, so she rolled up her sleeves, intending to take the opportunity to help and teach Xie Yushu a lesson.
Xiao Yi, however, stood up, leaning on his cane, and blocked Xiao Yuanhang's path, saying...
"Your second sister-in-law is right! You yelled at me and showed absolutely no respect! You're the one who deserves to be hit!"
"Second brother, what are you doing!"
"What Mr. Xie said is true!"
Xiao Yuanhang wished he could slap Xie Yushu twice himself, but with Xiao Yi blocking his way, he didn't dare to move and could only curse.
"Ignorant slut, I disdain to speak with you!"
Xie Yushu was more than happy for him to make a move. How dare he lay a hand on his elder sister-in-law! She'd teach him a lesson. Too bad, she could only say...
"Whether you are ignorant or not does not prevent me from asking for money. It is only right to pay back debts. When you borrowed money, you wrote an IOU that you would pay it back when you had the money. But things are not the same now!"
Back then, you used your status as a scholar to pressure your clan and even the entire village. I didn't lend you the money because I was ignorant. Now that you have fifty taels of silver, you're holding onto the money and refusing to pay it back, but you're in the wrong!
If you don't give me the money today, I'll report you to your school tomorrow and ask your teachers if they taught you what it means to keep your word!
Let me ask your teacher again, who taught you to yell and shout at your elder brother and sister-in-law who have been kind to you, calling them "things" and "wild women" all the time!
"You occupy your brother and sister-in-law's land, arbitrarily ordering them to do chores for you, and then you show them no respect whatsoever. You pick up your bowl to eat, then put down your chopsticks and start cursing. I'll see which teacher would dare to accept such an ungrateful and disrespectful student!"
"You dare? Xie, do you believe I'll divorce you right now in place of the second son?!"
Grandma Xiao jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed) in a fit of anger and pointed at Xie Yushu's nose.
"Go ahead and divorce me! Even if you divorce me today, I'm still going to get this money. I won't even need to go to the county school; I'll just file a lawsuit at the yamen and say that this scholar Xiao Yuanhang owes me money and hasn't paid it back, and even insulted his creditor. Let's see if his reputation as a scholar will be ruined!"
"You dare!"
"I dare! Try me if you don't believe me!"
"Enough! We're talking about Yanzi's dowry, why bring up other things? Xie, the fourth son's studies are the most important thing. Put your money aside for now. When the fourth son becomes successful, you'll get your share! Let's not talk about this anymore!"
Old Man Xiao stepped in to smooth things over!
"This can't be delayed any longer. I'm in a bad mood today, and if I'm in a bad mood, no one else can be either. Either pay back the money, or wait for the county school teacher to talk to Xiao Yuanhang!"
"Mrs. Xie! I am your father-in-law, the head of this family. Does my word not carry weight?"
Xie Yushu sneered
“Father-in-law, I’m sorry, my brother works at the government office. If I don’t see any money today, I’ll go back to my parents’ house and complain. If my brother finds out that his sister was being scolded by his brother-in-law at your Xiao family’s house, I wonder if he will go back and complain to the governor. I wonder what the governor thinks of such a scholar!”
It's just about bullying people! Anyone can do that! Do you really think she went through all that trouble pushing Xie Tianqi and the others out to get positions in the government office just for fun? She just didn't want to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut!
You've really gotten too big for your britches, going around in circles like this!
Sure enough, when Old Man Xiao heard Xie Yushu mention Xie Tianqi, his expression changed and he immediately shut up!
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