Chapter 13: Third Brother Ji and His Wife 

Old Lady Hong was surprised that her usually dull daughter was thinking smartly for once. But, “Will your mother-in-law agree? From what she said, the doctor is willing to support her and the nephew because of the situation with her eldest daughter-in-law. What does your son have to do with that?”

Hong Cuiyun said, “Whether she agrees or not, I’ll still bring it up at noon. Actually, the main reason I came today is something else. Mom, if my eldest sister-in-law really leaves, then won’t my mother-in-law be staying? At that time, we’ll have to support both her and the nephew. In these times, feeding even one more person means less food for us. That’s too much of a loss. I think if she won’t take my son to eat rice and flour in the capital, then we might as well split the family now.”

“And another thing—think about it. Even though the doctor said he would cover the medical fees for my eldest sister-in-law, what if he goes back on his word later and asks for money? Then wouldn’t our whole family have to pay? So we need to split the family before that happens. That way, if there are medical bills later, it won’t have anything to do with us.”

Old Lady Hong thought her daughter had a point, but wasn’t this going too far? Acting like this right after her eldest brother-in-law died—wasn’t that heartless?

She thought for a moment and said, “You can ask about taking the grandson to the capital, but don’t bring up splitting the family. Even though I worry the nephew might become a burden, I don’t agree with being so heartless. If eldest your sister-in-law really needs money for medical bills later, you can bring it up then. I believe your mother-in-law will understand. We’re all just common people. Getting sick is something only the rich can afford.”

Hong Cuiyun thought her mom was being soft-headed. “By then, my mother-in-law will already be in the capital. Even if she racks up a mountain of debt, we won’t even know. If we bring it up later, it’ll be too late.”

Old Lady Hong saw her daughter was set on it and sighed, “Think it over carefully. Oh, by the way, your brother-in-law died a martyr. Was there a condolence payment? Do you know how much?”

“What? What condolence payment?” Hong Cuiyun didn’t know about that. She didn’t know any soldiers or martyr families, so of course she hadn’t heard of it. “Mom, how do you know about this?”

“Condolence payment is the compensation the country gives when a soldier dies. I didn’t know either. A few days ago, I was chatting with your uncle’s wife about your brother-in-law, and she asked if there was a condolence payment. That’s how I found out. Turns out, someone from her village also died in the army and got a condolence payment—heard it was several hundred.”

When she heard it was several hundred, Hong Cuiyun’s eyes nearly popped out. In her whole life, she had never seen that much money. Even when the production team handed out money at the end of the year, families with lots of labor could only get a few dozen or maybe a hundred. But several hundred? Just thinking about it made her drool.

“Then I’ll go back and ask.” With that, she hurriedly got up. “I’m heading back now.”

“Cuiyun… Cuiyun…” Old Lady Hong tried to stop her and get her to think it over, but her daughter moved too fast and was already gone.

“Mom, if Big Sister splits off from the family, will she and her husband get a share of that condolence money?” second daughter Hong Zhaodi asked.

Old Lady Hong said irritably, “Why do you care? Even if they get a share, what good will it do you? Do you think you’ll get a cent out of your big sister’s hands?”

Hong Zhaodi pouted, “I was just asking.” Then her eyes lit up, “But mom, you always save the best stuff for big sister. If she gets money, won’t she at least be filial to you?”

Old Lady Hong said, “I’m not expecting her to be filial. I’d be thankful if she stops asking me for things.”

When Hong Cuiyun returned to the Yangguang Production Team, the Ji family had already finished breakfast. Second Brother Ji and Third Brother Ji had gone to work in the fields. Except for Ji Chun who had gone to school, the rest of the children were left with Widow Ji.

One reason the Ji family was so poor was that aside from the newborn Ji Dong, the other six kids—the oldest being Ji Chun who was only eight—were all too young to work. As the saying goes, half-grown boys can eat a family poor. That’s exactly what was happening.

During this period, while Widow Ji and Second Brother Ji’s wife were away, Ji Chun had taken a few days off school to help take care of the younger siblings. Now that Widow Ji and Zhang Caihua were back, he returned to school.

Hong Cuiyun didn’t return to the Ji house but went straight to the fields.

At lunchtime, when work was over, she pulled her husband aside to slow their steps and avoid the other villagers. Then she told him everything she’d heard from Old Lady Hong about the martyr’s condolence payment being worth several hundred yuan, and explained her thoughts on the sister-in-law’s medical bills. Finally, she stated her goal: “Head of the house, mom is going to the capital in a few days. We have to bring up splitting the family before she leaves. That condolence payment came before the family splits, so after the split, we should still get a share, right?”

Third Brother Ji’s eyes lit up at the mention of several hundred yuan, but he hesitated, “Will mom agree?”

Hong Cuiyun said, “We won’t know unless we ask. If we don’t bring it up, who knows if she’ll agree or not?”

“But…” Third Brother Ji was still hesitant. Doing this seemed a bit heartless.

Third Brother Ji had always been taken care of by his older siblings because he was the youngest in the family. This made him selfish by nature. However, his selfishness was not to the point of being ungrateful to his family. He just always thought of himself first when there was something good. He still understood right from wrong. The things Hong Cuiyun said felt like they had gone too far.

“Don’t you want money? Do you want to pay a huge sum of medical bills for your eldest sister-in-law in the future?” Hong Cuiyun asked.

“No no no…” Third Brother Ji quickly shook his head. “Then… let’s give it a try. But if mom doesn’t agree, then forget it.” When facing his mom, he was still scared. Since he was little, his older siblings would let him have his way, but not his mom.

Hong Cuiyun said, “That’s what I meant, just give it a try.” If she really had to go against her mother-in-law, she was scared too. Her mother-in-law had a solid reputation built up over more than ten or twenty years in the Yangguang Production Team.

The couple’s attempt ended up angering Widow Ji so much that she had a stroke.

Commune Hospital Ward

Third Brother Ji and his wife were kneeling upright at the bedside. At this moment, they deeply regretted their actions. They had only intended to ask. If mom didn’t agree, they never planned to force it. But how did it end up with mom getting so angry she collapsed?

The couple didn’t know that Widow Ji had only been holding on by one breath. She only had that one breath left. Once she got so angry and let it out, all the strength she had been holding on with these days collapsed at once.

Widow Ji looked past the kneeling couple without a trace of emotion. Did she not understand their personalities? Useless in everything they did, yet selfish above all else. If they wanted to talk about splitting the family, fine. But they even dared to have ideas about the compensation money for the eldest son.

She had fainted from anger earlier and hadn’t had a chance to ask. Now with a cold expression, she asked, “Who told you about the compensation money?”