Granny Yang suspected that her eldest daughter-in-law and her husband were giving up because of her second daughter-in-law. Although the second daughter-in-law had promised to contribute ten taels of silver, she had not yet given it to her eldest daughter-in-law.
"Wen Kai's family, you should quickly hand over the silver to them, and I'll figure out the rest."
"My daughter-in-law managed to scrape together only one tael of silver, even after much effort."
Qiu's expression changed instantly. She had originally wanted her mother-in-law to discipline her sister-in-law and mother-in-law, but to her surprise, her mother-in-law asked her to give her money.
Granny Yang sneered, "Wen Kai's family, I don't want to repeat myself. If you really have no other choice, I'll have to agree to split the family."
Qiu looked depressed. Her mother-in-law threatened her with dividing the family property at the drop of a hat, wasn't she afraid of hurting her feelings?
Grandma Yang sighed helplessly: "These past few days, the villagers have been talking about our family. They all say that your sister-in-law went to borrow money at exorbitant interest rates because I forced her to. Some people even say that you second wives are a bunch of bloodsuckers. It's one thing to take advantage of the first wife's family on ordinary days, but when it really matters, you just stand by and watch her die."
“My daughter-in-law has also heard about the rumors circulating in the village, and she suspects that Shen Yunsheng deliberately spread them.”
A murderous glint flashed in Granny Yang's eyes; she truly regretted not killing Shen Yunsheng directly.
“Wen Kai’s family, your vision is too short-sighted. You only see the value of ten taels of silver, but you can’t see the importance of the main branch of the family.”
Just as Qiu was about to speak, Granny Yang interrupted her again.
"I know you have money, so hurry up and take it out."
Qiu clenched her fists in anger. She had earned her money through hard work, so why should her mother-in-law make her hand it over?
“Wen Kai’s family, you know how much money you’ve spent on the eldest son’s family. Once the family is truly divided, your family’s taxes will be more than ten taels of silver. Your husband and two sons will also be forced to perform corvée labor. Do you want to ruin their future?”
When her mother-in-law became angry, Qiu immediately lowered her head.
Since Xiao Jingchuan joined the army, the second branch of the family has indeed benefited a lot. If they were to separate the family, all eight members of their family would have to pay taxes.
She had to call her second son and his family of four back home, otherwise she would be the one cooking every day.
"Go make breakfast first, I'll go check on the east wing."
Granny Yang didn't want to talk about her second daughter-in-law anymore; saying too much about it wouldn't make a difference.
Qiu felt a dull pain in her chest. Although she had more than ten taels of silver on her, she was unwilling to give it away like that.
As soon as her second daughter-in-law left, Granny Yang casually remarked, "The dishes you cooked last night were too salty. Use less salt next time."
As her mother-in-law nagged, Qiu couldn't help but mutter, "You don't cook it yourself, and you complain that mine doesn't taste good. If you're so capable, why don't you cook it yourself!"
East Wing of Xiao Family Courtyard
Shen Yunsheng and her mother-in-law had already gotten up.
Last night, they planned to go to town for a stroll.
“Jingchuan’s family, we stay at home every day, and your second aunt has started to complain. When I went out to get water for washing my face, I saw her going to the main room to find the old lady.”
Luo sat at the table sighing. Although it was nice not to have to do any work, she was still worried that her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law would make things difficult for them.
When Shen Yunsheng noticed that the old lady had come to the east wing, he immediately lowered his voice and said, "Mother, my grandmother is here. Please try to speak as little as possible later."
Ms. Luo nodded in agreement.
As Granny Yang drew closer, Shen Yunsheng deliberately started chatting.
“Mother, we have to figure out a way to deal with the usury ourselves. Although my grandmother asked my second aunt to scrape together ten taels of silver for us, my second aunt doesn’t want to give it to us.”
After understanding her daughter-in-law's intention, Luo immediately chimed in, "Oh dear! What can we do? Your grandmother has always favored the second branch of the family. If your second aunt doesn't give it to her, she can't do anything about it."
“Mother, don’t worry. If they don’t help us pay back the money, I’ll go to the county government office and ask the magistrate for a settlement.”
“Jingchuan’s family, you must not do anything reckless.”
"My silly mother, we've been driven to the brink by them, and you're still thinking about them."
“Your second uncle and eldest cousin are both scholars. If this matter goes to the county government, it won’t be good for them.”
"They're not leaving me any way out, so why should I care about their reputation?"
"Actually, your grandma had a tough time too. Your grandpa died early, and she raised three children all by herself. It was really hard for her."
Shen Yunsheng was speechless. Her mother-in-law was hopeless. She felt sorry for the old lady, but the old lady didn't seem to care about her at all.
"Mother! Please don't be soft-hearted. The days when our eldest son's family was treated like slaves by the second son's family are over."
Luo frowned slightly. As long as her mother-in-law was still alive, her days of being a slave to the second wife would never end.
Outside the door
As expected, Granny Yang was eavesdropping. Whenever she thought of what Shen Yunsheng had just said, she wanted nothing more than to strangle him.
Seeing that Granny Yang was not coming into the house for a long time, Shen Yunsheng gave his mother-in-law a meaningful look.
"Mom! Let's not count on Second Aunt anymore. After we finish breakfast, let's go for a walk in town."
"I want to go to your father and ask him to help me find a solution."
Luo wanted to redeem her daughter-in-law's jade pendant as soon as possible. Her husband worked as a lumberjack at a timber shop, earning 500 coins a month. Even if he gave his mother-in-law 300 coins a month, he would still have 200 coins left. He should have some savings.
“Mother! I’m not trying to discourage you, but ever since I married into this family, I’ve never seen my father give you money on his own initiative. You’d better not go.”
Shen Yunsheng hates her mama's boy father-in-law the most. As the head of the family, he indulges the old lady and the second wife in bullying his wife and children. If she really loves her mother-in-law, she shouldn't give her wages to the old lady.
Ms. Luo couldn't help but sigh again. Although she and her husband were husband and wife, she felt like an outsider. Her husband would rather earn money to support a bunch of ungrateful wretches than spend money on her.
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