"But the eldest son doesn't like doing farm work. Of the three sons, he has the biggest ambition and the most heart."
“What’s the use of having big ambitions? All he does is scheme against his family. He’s nothing outside. Stop indulging him. Forget what you told me before, that I should leave them alone.”
Li sighed, "Those days are different from now. My eldest son is in poor health and can't have children. He's also not married yet. If we don't take care of him, it will be too pitiful."
Zhao Dayong sneered, "He's pitiful, but we're not. We're so old, yet we're so frugal, saving every penny for him. Do you think he's filial?"
"Is he truly filial, unwilling to do even the slightest bit of work during spring planting and autumn harvest? He won't even cook a meal at home and deliver it to the fields? And don't tell me he doesn't want to go out and see people; look at all the trouble he's caused in the village!"
Mrs. Li didn't know how to put it, but she really couldn't bear to see her son working.
There's an old saying that as people get older, they only cherish those who stay by their side.
She used to dote on Sanzhuzi the most, but now? I don't know when, but her attention is all on Dazhuzi, and she only gets a small share of attention from her youngest son.
She felt so sorry for Dazhuzi that she wanted to save more money for him to spend in the future, so that she could find him a wife after the New Year.
Even when the head of the household was seriously ill, she couldn't bear to spend money on medicine.
The thought of her eldest son's crippled body felt like a knife cutting into her heart.
"No way, he's right here beside us, how can we ignore him? We can't see Sanzhuzi, and Erzhuzi is fine, he only has his wife in his heart. We only have Dazhuzi left."
"We have to rely on him. Do you think he can do it?"
"There's nothing we can do about it," Li Shi thought to herself. She knew her own children perfectly well. Her eldest son dared to cheat even his own brothers, so what wouldn't he dare to do?
“I know Dazhuzi is unreliable, but he’s an old man. The house feels so empty. At least with him around, I have something to look forward to. And with my children around, I feel at least satisfied.”
Zhao Dayong didn't know how to talk to his wife. Maybe it was because their home used to be so noisy, and she wasn't used to the quietness now.
"It will only get quieter in a few years. After the girl gets married, it will be almost just the two of us left."
The light in Li's eyes completely disappeared, and she lowered her eyes in despair. Yes, after the little girl got married, she no longer had anyone to do the work.
She had to handle all the trivial matters herself.
"Perhaps we should let her get married a few years later."
"Nonsense! What nonsense are you spouting? Even if she doesn't hurt anymore, we can't delay her treatment. What will the villagers say?"
Li didn't dare argue with Zhao Dayong. The old man was in poor health and couldn't sleep because he was worried. She couldn't let him get angry.
"I'm not going to say anything more. I'm going to the third brother's house to ask the doctor how to take care of your illness and to get a clearer picture."
Seeing that his wife still cared about him, Zhao Dayong's expression softened slightly.
"Just ask anyone."
I knew exactly what the doctor would say without even thinking: just relax and let it heal slowly. That's what I told my mother too.
Zhao Dayong's face darkened. Could it be that he really wouldn't live a long life? No, he didn't want to die yet. His good days hadn't even begun; how could he die?
The next day, the three brothers gathered again to divide the money.
The old woman's remaining possessions were all in the open. Zhao Maihua's five taels of silver had already been given to her after the funeral.
“We can each get an acre of land from Mother, and the remaining silver can also be divided equally. The same goes for the grain, but the houses are hard to divide.”
Zhao Dashu didn't mention the funeral expenses to them. He hadn't expected to ask them for money when he started the funeral. Even if he doubled his mother's savings, it wouldn't be enough. He wanted to save face, so there was no reason for him to involve them.
“I paid for Mother’s final expenses, including her last doctor’s visit and medicine, but it wasn’t included in the bill.”
Zhao Dayong hesitated for a moment, "Third brother, what did those servants say? There were four of them. We bought them together. Now that Mother is gone, should we resell them or give one to each of them?"
His wife was nagging him last night that if they had to assign someone, they would want the doorman, because with him around, all the heavy work at home would be taken care of.
Even if you were to sell them, the strong man would be worth more than the other three.
Zhao Dashu looked up at his second brother. He was incredibly shrewd. Sometimes you can't be soft-hearted. If he softened even a little, his older brothers would teach him a lesson and remind him not to be too kind.
“You’re right. I’ll keep all four of them. I’ll return the money I spent on them to you later.”
It's good that he bought it. Anyway, his family doesn't need servants, and he and his wife can still do the work.
Zhao Dashu offered to buy the four men with silver, and neither of the two brothers objected.
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