When Shi Mingtong saw his younger brother come back, he hurried to the kitchen to serve him food. The two little ones were scrambling to eat the eggs on the plate without even raising their heads.
"Ahhh, ahhhh," Shi Mingtong was mute, but he felt sorry for his younger brother, so he held the bowl and asked his brother to eat quickly.
Shi Mingan and Shi Mingying had just finished dividing the eggs. They put down their chopsticks and Shi Mingying said to Shi Mingda:
"Second brother, when will you pay me? I want to eat meat."
"Yes, second brother, it's been a long time since our family has seen meat."
Shi's mother, Xu Sanni, looked at the two younger children, then at her second son, and asked with a smile:
"Mingda, they want to eat meat, buy some when you get your salary!"
Shi Mingda looked at the rice soup and steamed bread in his hands, then looked at the empty plate, and a chill ran down his spine.
"Mom, we don't have meat coupons. Our family is so poor. We're lucky to have eggs to eat."
"Second brother, what do you mean?" As the only girl in the family, Shi Mingying has always been spoiled.
"We are from the countryside, and this is the condition we have."
After hearing this, Xu Sanni began to wipe away her tears again:
"It's all my fault, Shi Jianguo. Why didn't you take me with you? You left me and my widow here to suffer."
Shi Ming'an and Shi Mingying also followed Xu Sanni and cried bitterly, while Shi Mingda ate his meal on the side without saying a word.
The mother and her two children cried for a while, but when they saw no one to comfort them, they stopped. Shi Mingying pointed at her second brother and asked:
"Second brother, why are you so cold-blooded? Didn't you see we were crying?"
Shi Mingda put the bowl on the table and looked at his younger brother and sister coldly:
"My eldest brother and I are raising this family now. What right do you two have to cry? You don't have a father, and neither do I. What's there to cry about?"
"Mingda, you..." Xu Sanni was also frightened by Shi Mingda. It was the first time she saw him lose his temper like this.
"Mom, look at what they eat and wear, and then look at me and my eldest brother. What else can we not be satisfied with? Mom, Qiaoling and I broke up. Do you know why? She thought I was a burden."
"Mingda, this is the situation in our family. You can't ignore your brothers and sisters. The whole family is counting on you."
"Mom, then I guess I'll be single for the rest of my life."
"How could that be? At worst, I can find someone with worse conditions." Xu Sanni said as a matter of course.
Shi Mingda was really disappointed this time. Her mother would rather he remain single than support his younger siblings, and she didn't care about him and his elder brother at all.
At night, Shi Mingda lay on the kang, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, and Zhang Weifang's words kept lingering in his mind.
He hadn't originally considered his younger siblings a burden, but judging by what happened that night, if he didn't make a decision, he would be responsible for them for the rest of their lives.
The next day, Shi Mingda took a day off. He found the team leader of Mohe Village and told him about his family affairs.
The captain was also in a difficult position. This was a family matter, and Xu Sanni was a widow who was prone to crying and making a fuss, so he didn't want to get involved.
Mohe Village is a small village, and most people have the surname Shi. Since the cannery was built, the village has become much richer, and many people are willing to marry here.
The team leader called several elders from the village to discuss Shi Mingda's matter together.
They called Shi Mingda's family over to hear their side of the story.
As soon as Xu Sanni arrived, she started crying, crying about the unfairness of God, her husband's early death, and her son's unfilial behavior.
The head of the Shi family was particularly disgusted by her crying. Her family had two sons who earned money and their conditions were not bad. He didn't know why she was crying.
"Xu Sanni, have you cried enough? If you have, talk nicely."
"My dear uncles and lords, I am a woman and I don't know much. You can talk and I will listen."
"What do you think of Mingda's marriage?" the captain spoke first.
"What do we think? This is the condition of our family. Whoever is willing to marry can marry."
"What about after we get married? Who will take care of the two little ones?"
"Of course Mingda raised me. I'm a useless person, so the family depends on him."
"Then who will take care of his wife and children in the future?" the captain asked again with a frown.
"Captain, whose child it is should be raised by whomever it is. Isn't that human nature?"
"Yes, then why do you want someone else to raise your child?"
"Captain, you can't say that. My family's situation is different. Mingda is the only one who earns money. If we don't let him raise the child, who will? It's his father who died early!" Xu Sanni started crying again as she spoke.
"Ahem, Mingda, what do you say?" The head of the Shi family spoke.
"Third Grandpa, Ming'an and Mingying are both 14 years old. They never do any housework, and all the delicious food is theirs. I don't think this can go on."
"I found a partner before, but he thought I was too much of a burden. However, my mother asked me to take care of everything for my younger siblings, including getting married in the future. I don't think it's my responsibility."
Patriarch Shi knew a lot about Shi Mingda's family affairs, but his family had always been harmonious, so he didn't care. He didn't expect that Shi Mingda would learn to resist.
After hearing what Shi Mingda said, Xu Sanni started to make a scene:
"Mingda, how can you be so selfish that you don't even want to support your own brothers and sisters? Can you be worthy of your father?"
"Mom, you have four children, not two. My brother and I weren't born by you? How can you not see our grievances?"
"Why are you feeling wronged? This is the financial situation at home, so you have to endure the injustice."
"Xu Sanni, shut up." Clan leader Shi couldn't stand it anymore. He was trying to suck Shi Mingda's blood dry.
"Captain, let them separate!"
"Yes, Third Uncle."
Xu Sanni wanted to resist, but was directly suppressed by the crowd.
Soon, the results of the division came out:
"Shi Mingda will give Xu Sanni five yuan every month until her two younger siblings graduate from high school. After that, Xu Sanni's retirement money will be divided equally among the four siblings."
Normally, families would rely on their eldest son for retirement, but Shi Mingtong's situation was special, so the team leader asked Xu Sanni for her opinion:
"Xu Sanni, whose family are you going to live with in your old age?"
"Of course it's the third one. Not to mention the eldest one, even the second one is unreliable."
"Captain, elders, I have another request, about my brother."
"Mingda, go ahead."
"Let Big Brother follow me, I will take care of him in his old age."
"No, the eldest brother is the laborer of the family and can't follow you." Xu Sanni immediately refused.
"Okay, Mom, let the third child take care of the eldest brother in his old age, and I won't care about him anymore."
"How can that be possible? How can you rely on your brothers for retirement?"
"Then what will happen to my eldest brother in the future?"
"Let's do what we have to do!" Xu Sanni started to act like a rogue. She just wanted the eldest brother to work now and she wouldn't take care of him when he got old.
Several elders of the Shi family were very angry with Xu Sanni. Even though Shi Mingtong was deaf and dumb, he was still a member of the Shi family. How could she treat him like this?
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