The two remained silent, and the room was filled with an awkward silence.
Finally, Zhao Dashu shook his head. It wasn't the first or second time they'd been so clueless; why was he arguing with idiots?
"Alright, second brother, I'm a bit busy at home, so I won't entertain you any longer. Wait a moment, I'll go get the money for you."
Master Zhao said that now that his family is large and wealthy, he has servants who carry silver with him when he goes out. He hasn't carried any loose silver in his pocket for a long time. Even if he has money on him, it will only be in large denomination banknotes.
When you're rich, that's how you show off.
"Wife, wife, give me three and a half ounces!"
What are you doing?
Madam Song had no idea what kind of medicine he was selling, yet he actually asked her for a few taels of silver. What could she possibly do with such a small amount of money?
"My second brother asked me to borrow money, saying he wanted to buy back the old house, but he didn't have enough."
"Should we buy the old house?"
Mrs. Song was even more puzzled. The old house had been sold? How come she didn't know? Wasn't her second brother's family still living in the old house not long ago?
"You forgot that the old house doesn't just belong to Second Brother; Eldest Brother also has a share. They can't keep it all to themselves. If they want the other half, they'll need money. Let's not talk about it now. Give me the money, and we'll discuss it after Second Brother leaves."
Madam Song hurriedly went to find her daughter, but she didn't have any loose silver coins in her hand.
Zhao Xiaoyu gave her father three and a half taels of silver, but she couldn't understand why her second uncle couldn't even come up with a few taels.
Are they really that poor?
What happened to all the money I saved over the years?
Zhao Dashu rushed back to the main room after receiving the silver. Zhao Dayong sat there dumbfounded, his mind filled with Zhao Dashu's earlier words: be ruthless, be ruthless...
"Second brother, I'll lend you four taels of silver. Go buy a house right away."
There was no other way; the whole family was broke. He wanted to keep the money his mother had given him, so his daughter gave him four taels of silver directly.
Zhao Dayong's eyes welled up with tears; it was his third brother who had helped him at the crucial moment. "Thank you."
"If you really want to thank me, think carefully about what I said. Second brother, even if you pick the softest persimmon, you can't do it the way you do it. Don't push Erzhuzi too far. Think about how many more years you and your wife can work together? Leave yourselves a way out."
Zhao Dayong's body trembled.
"Once people's hearts have grown cold, it will be too late for regrets. No matter how much you try to win them back, their hearts will never return. Think about me back then, and then think about Erzhuzi now."
"If I didn't see how pitiful you were, with no one to help you, I wouldn't even want to talk to you about this."
Zhao Dayong went home, leaving in a daze.
"Did you manage to borrow the money?"
Zhao Dayong didn't give all the money to Li Shi, but only six and a half taels. "Go, go and give the money to your sister-in-law."
"Hey!"
After Li left, Zhao Dayong hid the silver again, this time not in his own room, but under the woodpile. He didn't believe Li would find it!
She can forget about touching any of the family's money again.
"Girl, it's getting late, let's cook."
He was exhausted after a long day and just wanted to finish his meal and rest on the kang (heated brick bed).
"good!"
Zhao Dayong squinted his old eyes, "What's wrong with you? Who hit you?"
The girl's face was covered in injuries, and her eyes were so swollen that she couldn't open them. He hadn't noticed when he got home, and Li Chunhua hadn't told him either.
"I……"
The little girl lowered her head, tears streaming down her face.
"What exactly happened?" Zhao Dayong asked sternly.
Although he didn't particularly like the girl, she was still his own flesh and blood, and there was no reason for her to be beaten for no reason.
"Did your mother hit you?"
The girl shook her head, "Mother told me to go cook for my older brother, but he..."
Zhao Dayong was furious. Yesterday, when the girl called for help, his eldest son already disliked her and was clearly trying to cause trouble. Today, the old woman even asked her to cook for the eldest son. Was she afraid that she wouldn't die soon enough?
"You're asked to cook?"
"Yes, Mother said that from now on I have to go to my eldest brother's house every day to cook, do laundry, and fetch water. I have to take good care of him, otherwise... otherwise she'll strangle me!"
Zhao Dayong gasped and nearly fainted.
Is this old hag trying to lose her humanity? If she's so obsessed with her eldest son, why doesn't she do it herself?
"Dad, can I not go?" The little girl cautiously raised her head, her eyes filled with tears. "Big brother is so scary. He said I ruined his plans and he won't let me off the hook! He'll beat me every time he sees me."
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