Chapter 30 : A Typical Egoist

“Xiao Yi, you dare to hit my daughter, I will fight you!”

Liu’s mother, who had been hiding in the room, rushed out and started punching and kicking Xiao Yi.

When Liu Jiang saw his mother attacking him, he followed suit.

“You dare to hit my sister? Wait and see how I deal with you!” He rolled up his sleeves and punched Xiao Yi in the face. Xiao Yi didn’t fight back, knowing he was in the wrong.

However, the brothers of the Xiao family couldn’t stand watching Xiao Yi being beaten, so they stepped forward to stop the fight.

Liu, having been slapped, was like someone had pressed the mute button on her. She just stood there crying, helplessly.

By the time she reacted, someone bumped into her in the chaos. She staggered and nearly fell, but it was Mother Xiao who threw down the broom and supported her.

Perhaps Mother Xiao and Jiang Sui didn’t understand how the Liu family knew about this. Could it be that they saw it in the county that day?

But even if they had seen it, they shouldn’t know the details so clearly. It’s impossible for Jishantang to be so easily understood. Would they really reveal everything if someone asked?

However, the most urgent thing now was to stabilize the situation. Otherwise, in broad daylight, even though the Xiao family lives in a remote area and not many people usually pass in front of their yard, what if someone still sees and laughs at them?

So…

“That’s enough, stop it!” Father Xiao shouted, and the people in the yard quieted down and looked at him.

Father Xiao stood under the eaves, his face dark, with his hands behind his back.

The eldest and second eldest brothers pulled Liu Jiang away, but the third eldest brother was still standing there, with a bruise on his cheekbone from a punch.

Liu’s mother, tired from hitting her son-in-law, ran over breathlessly to support her daughter and pushed Mother Xiao away.

Mother Xiao was too tired to argue with her, but there were some things she had to make clear

“You just said that I took Jiang Sui to the county town yesterday. It’s true. We did go there to sell Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng. Since you all know about it, there’s no need for me to hide it.”

“But I have to make it clear, there is no such thing as favoritism, because the money from selling Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng has nothing to do with us except for Jiang Sui. She found and picked the Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng, and Lanlan and Hechuan can testify to this. If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t even know what Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng are. I just accompanied her to the county town. Since she picked it, the money is hers, and no one has the right to ask for it, least of all you, who didn’t contribute anything. Do you still want to share in it?”

At this point, Zhou, who had been silent in the corner, raised her head, first looking at Mother Xiao and then at Jiang Sui.

Jiang Sui noticed her gaze and exchanged glances with her. Zhou just looked at her, pursed her lips, and then lowered her head. It was hard to tell what emotion was in her eyes, but there was no greed.

On the other hand, Liu wasn’t convinced after hearing this and retorted

“Mom, what you’re saying isn’t right. Don’t you always say we’re one family and shouldn’t have different opinions?”

Since Jiang Sui is already the daughter-in-law of the Xiao family, she and we are a family. If we are a family, why should we hide the money we earn? Let’s spend it together. On weekdays, the three brothers take care of the fourth brother. Even if he has no merit, he still works hard. What’s wrong with helping his brothers?”

She sounded confident and righteous, but if it were her, she probably wouldn’t even tell Mother Xiao, let alone help her brother.

It was just jealousy over the benefits.

Jiang Sui also understood that her third sister-in-law, Liu, was a typical egoist selfish and self-interested, always rushing to grab any benefits. But it was absolutely impossible for her to take the initiative to contribute. If there was any difficulty at home, Liu would be the first to distance herself.

Now, she was saying that the money could be spent wherever the family needed it, but right now, she just didn’t want the Liu family to get away with it.

“You say that so lightly. Before you say it, why don’t you ask yourself, if you were in this situation and got this money, would you think of sharing it with everyone? If you can’t do it yourself, why ask others to do it?” Xiao Lanlan couldn’t stand it any longer, so she had to speak up for fairness.

Liu felt guilty after hearing this because, if it were her, she definitely wouldn’t share it. Why would she give the money away when she could keep it for herself?

But the problem was that her family needed money now, so she had to find a way to get it.

“My mother just wants to ask you to lend some money to my brother to marry a wife. It’s not like she won’t pay it back. Why are you so stingy? And why are you hiding it?” Liu still spoke confidently.

But everyone who has lent money knows that the one who lends it is the grandson, and the one who pays it back is the uncle. Especially in this kind of in-law relationship, once the money is lent out, it’s difficult to get it back.

Because it’s hard to ask for it back, and even if you do, they may not respond.

“That’s right. It’s not like we won’t pay it back, Hechuan’s wife. I think you’re a well-behaved and sensible girl. You must understand my difficulties. As long as you’re willing to lend me money, we will definitely pay you back, okay?” Liu’s mother took the opportunity to look at Jiang Sui for a long time. Seeing how young and silent she was, Liu thought she should be easy to control.

Anyway, she would have the final say on when the loan would be repaid, since it was borrowed. Her daughter is still pregnant with the Xiao family’s child.

Seeing this, Mother Xiao thought, this is bad, the blame is being directed at Suisui. How will she handle it?

Just as she was thinking about speaking up for her, she saw Jiang Sui laugh and say: “Of course, I am willing to lend you this money.”

When these words came out, not only did Liu Jiang laugh, feeling that his plan had succeeded, but Liu’s mother couldn’t help but laugh too.

She immediately let go of her daughter and walked towards Jiang Sui with a flattering look on her face:

“I knew you were a good kid, sensible.”

Jiang Sui smiled sweetly, with two deep dimples, but Xiao Lanlan beside her was very anxious and pulled her sleeve to stop her

“No, Fourth Sister-in-law, if we lend you this money, it would be like throwing meat buns at a dog!”

“Hey, little girl, you really don’t need to be taught. Who do you think is a dog? You’re just a virgin girl, why don’t you stay in your room? Why are you coming out to join the fun?” When Liu’s mother heard Xiao Lanlan say this, she was afraid she would mess up her plan.

Jiang Sui understood but knew her limits, so she patted Xiao Lanlan’s hand to comfort her.

Seeing Jiang Sui’s reassuring look, Xiao Lanlan felt less worried, although she still had some concerns.

Jiang Sui continued:

“Aunt Liu, how much money do you want to borrow?”

When Liu’s mother heard this, she stretched out her hands, counted, and finally said:

“I calculated that the betrothal gift, plus the red cloth, the money for making the boxes and cabinets, and the money for the wedding banquet all together, ten taels of silver should be enough.”

Ten taels?

She’s asking for too much. Why doesn’t she ask for even more? Is she marrying a daughter-in-law, or does she want the Xiao family to help her find one?

If she doesn’t spend all the ten taels, there will be some left, and she could live comfortably. What a good calculation!