Chapter 55

“Xiu Niang! I’ll go get some money from my mother right away. We’ll go to the city to get medicine early tomorrow. Didn’t Dr. Yin say that as long as you take the medicine and rest well, it can still be treated?”

Dahai wiped his tears and quickly helped his wife sit on the bed.

“Don’t worry about sewing clothes anymore, let Hehua do it. She’s old enough now, she should help you out a little.”

Li Xiu opened her mouth but just sighed in the end.

Hehua couldn’t be of any help.

When she asked Hehua to learn some needlework, she complained that it hurt her fingers. When she asked her to learn to cook, she said the smoke was too much. Even when asked to sweep the floor, she had to be coaxed, and she didn’t even wash her own clothes.

She had once longed for a daughter, but now she was utterly disappointed.

Hehua didn’t look like her at all—she was more like her grandmother. Hehua was lazy, greedy, and very domineering.

Li Xiu had tried to teach her, even scolded her, but Hehua was protected by her mother-in-law and had the second sister-in-law speaking up for her, so in the end, it was Li Xiu who felt like an outsider.

In order not to make Hehua resent her as a mother, Li Xiu had eventually let her be.

After all, she was her daughter, and no matter how disappointed she was, she still loved her. Over the years, their relationship had actually been fairly good.

But everything changed two years ago when Hehua caused her to miscarry, and then refused to admit her mistake. Since then, their relationship had been strained.

However, it didn’t seem like Hehua cared much about it.

She had her grandmother’s love, her second aunt’s affection, and as for her sickly mother, what use was she?

So, when Dahai suggested Hehua should help, Li Xiu didn’t take it seriously.

“Dahai, the doctor gave me two prescriptions. I think they must be expensive. What if Mother doesn’t give me the money?”

“How could that be?”

Dahai looked at her with certainty.

“This is a matter of life and death, not some small issue. Do you think your life isn’t worth that little bit of silver?”

He gave his wife a reassuring look before heading to his parents’ room.

His parents hadn’t gone to bed yet, and when they heard the knocking, they invited him in.

They all lived in the same courtyard, and Dahai didn’t bother to make his voice softer when he knocked, so the second couple also heard the noise.

“Dahai, Big Brother went to Dad and Mom’s room!”  

“Let him go. What’s all the fuss about?”  

Lian Dayou lay motionless on the bed, not even opening his eyes, making He Xiaocui so angry she could almost grind her teeth.  

She really wanted to go over and scratch him hard, but she didn’t dare.

Because her husband wasn’t exactly known for his good temper, and he had often hit her in the past, which scared her. If it wasn’t for their son being born later, she didn’t know how much more she’d have been beaten.

So now, she just had to stew in her own anger.

“Dayou, you don’t know, but Big Sister-in-law went to see the doctor today. When she came back, she looked awful—she’ll definitely need to spend money.”

“Spending money is no big deal. It’s not like I earned it,” Dayou said dismissively.

He didn’t care at all about his wife’s words. He had food, drink, a roof over his head, a son, a daughter, and a wife to take care of him—he was living comfortably.

All the money in the house came from Big Brother’s fishing, and the small amount he earned at the dock was gone by the end of the day, spent on a little drinking.

If Big Sister-in-law got sick and needed to spend money, it wasn’t his money she was spending, so what was there to talk about?

“Dayou! We haven’t split the family yet. The money from Dad and Mom’s side is also ours! You should think about it, not just yourself—our son, Xiao Shan, will be looking for a wife in a couple of years!”

She thought mentioning their son would move her husband, but Dayou only lazily opened his eyes and said, “If he wants a wife, he can earn his own money. I’m no good for helping him.”

He Xiaocui: !!!

How could there be such a man!?

She had spent years wanting a son, always sulking about not having one, but now that they had a son, he didn’t care at all.

She couldn’t understand Dayou’s mindset, and frankly, many people of that time would have found it hard to understand him.

Dayou wanted a son, but he just didn’t want others to say he had no heirs. He wasn’t really someone who cared about having a son. He had never really raised him, because whether he raised him or not, the son would still take care of him in his old age.

He just wanted to live comfortably.

He didn’t want to deal with his children or take care of his parents. If it weren’t for the fact that not marrying a wife would attract gossip, he wouldn’t even want to get married.

Look at her now, how annoying.

Dayou’s dismissive gaze stung He Xiaocui’s heart. She couldn’t stay any longer, so she angrily stormed out of the room and went to eavesdrop outside her in-laws’ room.

She didn’t hear anything for a while and thought everyone must have gone to Big Brother’s room. Just as she was about to move to another spot, she heard her mother-in-law’s discontented voice.

“Big Brother, your wife’s condition isn’t something that happened overnight. It’s just that she didn’t recover properly after the miscarriage. It’ll get better with time. There’s no need to spend so much money on medicine.”

“Mother, I didn’t come here to discuss with you. I came to get money.”

Dahai’s eyes were still red, his face serious and imposing.

The old couple exchanged glances, and the old man silently nodded.

The old man wasn’t foolish. Big Brother was strong and healthy, and their eldest grandson could take over the work on the boat. They were the main earners in the family.

They couldn’t rely on the second son, who would probably starve to death after the split. The eldest son had to be supported.

So, if the daughter-in-law needed medicine, they would buy it. Otherwise, they might lose Big Brother’s loyalty.

“Give him two taels of silver.”

Dahai frowned and stopped his reluctant mother.

“No, give him three taels. If there’s any left, I’ll bring it back to you.”

With three taels from his parents and two more from his own savings, the money should be enough to buy the medicine. He also wanted to buy the things Dr. Yin had recommended.

Pig liver and red dates—of course, the more money the better.

The old man thought for a moment and agreed to give two taels, not caring about the extra one, though it pained him. He nodded in agreement.

When Dahai got the money, he finally smiled.

“Father, Mother, I won’t say thank you for our family. From now on, I will work even harder and make more money. Xiu Niang will also be filial to you.”

The old man smiled. What he wanted most was for his son’s family to be filial.

“By the way, Dr. Yin said Xiu Niang’s illness is serious, and she can’t do any of the housework. She needs to lie in bed and rest. She also has to eat well and cannot even touch any cold water. Normally, I’m on the boat and can’t take care of her, so I’m asking Mother to help watch over her.”

“What?! Not do any work? And you want me, as the mother-in-law, to take care of her?!”

The old woman, who had been holding in her anger, could no longer contain it.

Dahai quickly interrupted his mother to calm her down.

“Who said you have to take care of her? Hehua is here. She can handle simple things like fetching water. Mother, you just need to keep an eye on her and make sure no one bothers her while she’s resting.”

The “someone” outside the wall, who overheard this, turned green with envy.

“Mother, think about it. We’ve spent all this money, so of course we want Xiu Niang to get better soon, right?”

The old woman sat silently, her face stern, no longer speaking.

A son is beyond his mother’s control—that was something she now truly understood.

The old couple remained silent, clearly having no objections. Meanwhile, outside the wall, He Xiaocui was absolutely livid.

Three taels of silver just like that, handed to Big Sister-in-law!

From now on, she could lie in bed all day and not do any work!

And she’d be served with delicious food and drink every day!

Who did she think she was? A rich man’s wife?

This was outrageous!