Chapter 202

Of course they won’t be asked to do the work of grafting Polygonum multiflorum.

But with the flood just receded, the fields and lands were a mess, full of dirty and heavy work.

Fan Qian had seen the aftermath of the flood; there was no way he would try it.

Moreover, his own fields were already overwhelming, how could he spare the effort to work for his younger brother, even with meals provided!

Fan Jin’s gaze shifted from his silent elder brother to his mother, speaking indifferently, “Mother, if you envy my father-in-law’s family living with us and wish to do the same, it’s possible.

Shuiqing doesn’t want to cook for more than ten people. If you come over, unlike my father-in-law’s family who work the fields and mountains, you only need to cook three meals a day, no hard labor involved.”

Fan Jin’s mother’s drooping eyelids lifted suddenly.

She was there to enjoy life, to be served as an old madam, not to cook meals for more than ten people every day!

Three meals a day? Normally, they only ate three meals during busy farming seasons. Her youngest son’s household seemed busier than those times. Cooking meals for such a large group would mean preparing several pots of vegetables each time. Wouldn’t it exhaust her?

No way.

And besides, how could a mother-in-law cook while the daughter-in-law rests?

“We lack labor. If you cook, Shuiqing can help in the fields and mountains.

If you feel embarrassed and insist on comparing yourself with my father-in-law’s family and want to work the fields, I can agree to that too, but Shuiqing will still have to cook.

What do you think, Mother?” Fan Jin asked, respectfully seeking her opinion.

Fan Jin’s mother: …What could she say?

Did she have a choice?

Compared to working the fields, cooking seemed indeed lighter. She could only choose to cook…

Fan Jin seemed to remember something and continued, “By the way, Zhaodi is still at my house. Her leg is injured, she can’t walk, and she needs to be taken care of in bed. Shuiqing hasn’t minded helping her with daily necessities;

Mother, you are her grandmother, closer than Shuiqing, her aunt. If you come over and take over Shuiqing’s duties, you can certainly do better.

If not, Brother and Sister-in-law can bring her back to take care of her.”

Hearing this, Fan Jin’s mother felt a chill in her heart.

Her youngest son made it sound easy, but she knew better.

Taking care of someone bedridden involved more than just feeding them. There were also the unpleasant tasks of dealing with waste. The former was manageable, but the latter would certainly disgust her.

Especially since Shuiqing had been doing it before, if she came over, she couldn’t avoid taking over.

She had thought a few maids would serve her, but now it seemed everyone in her youngest son’s household had to work! No one could rest.

Forget about being served; she would end up laboring like a servant!

Hearing the last sentence, Fan Jin’s mother’s eyes brightened, and she nodded repeatedly, “Yes, bring her back!”

Sun Jinhua immediately protested, hoarsely saying, “No way!”

Currently, it was Shuiqing taking care of Zhaodi, handling everything without complaint. If brought back, Zhaodi would hate her if she, her own mother, refused to do the same.

She wasn’t willing to take care of her daughter, dealing with all the filth!

Fan Qian also got anxious.

His initial plan was to reduce the number of people eating at home by sending his mother over.

Now his mother would be gone, but his daughter would return.

According to his brother, his mother could work, but his daughter needed to rest and required someone to take care of her. How was this beneficial?

“No, no, Zhaodi’s leg is injured, she can’t be moved easily, or it might get worse.”

When Fan Jin’s mother heard that both her eldest son and daughter-in-law disagreed, she was clearly displeased.

What was this? They obviously wanted her, an old lady, to take care of their daughter as a nanny.

If she went there, she would have to cook and take care of her granddaughter. Was this to enjoy life or to work?

Uncle Huang was getting impatient. He didn’t care if his younger sister had to work or not.

Women should work, after all.

Just cooking meals every day was not considered work.

Moreover, his nephew’s household was prosperous precisely because they were diligent and hardworking. If his younger sister didn’t work, how would they have anything to support them and help their natal family?

He looked at Fan Jin and commanded, “Since it’s decided that your mother will stay with you, you are responsible for her old age care, and you must listen to her. Filial piety is paramount!”

Second Uncle Huang followed up, “Without your mother, you wouldn’t be here. Your life is a gift from her. Once she moves in, if anyone dares to disobey her, you must stand up for her and support her, understand?”

“If your wife misbehaves, a good beating will make her obedient. If one beating isn’t enough, then beat her more. Beat her until she listens. Wives can be replaced, but you only have one mother. You must ensure your mother is cared for and respected for raising you with so much hardship!”

The two uncles had already decided that their sister would live with her youngest son. Every word they said was a warning.

They felt that despite the earlier problems with their nephew’s wife and her father, things were back on track with Fan Jin, as they had expected.

Fan Jin waited until they finished speaking. He saw his mother sitting up straight, ready to move to his house, and his elder brother and sister-in-law looking pleased. Then he finally spoke, “As a son, it is my duty to care for and be filial to my parents.”

Fan Qian and Sun Jinhua’s smiles widened.

They felt everything was going smoothly, as if heaven itself was helping them.

Fan Qian was about to praise his brother for being considerate.

After all, kind words cost nothing and there was no harm in saying a few.

Sun Jinhua thought it was a done deal, with no possibility of change.

Her mother-in-law would live at her brother-in-law’s house for the next several years or decades.

Fan Jin then shifted his tone and said solemnly, “However, when we divided the family property, didn’t Mother’s share come with her? Shouldn’t it also be transferred to me?”

Fan Qian and Sun Jinhua felt a jolt in their hearts.

Uncle Huang and Second Uncle Huang only knew that the family was divided, with the sister living with the elder son and the younger son living separately. They didn’t know that the sister had her own share.

They looked at Fan Jin.

Fan Jin calmly explained, “The family’s fields and forests were divided into three parts: one for Brother, one for me, and one for Mother. Whoever takes care of Mother gets her share;

This includes the fields, money, and household belongings.

Most importantly, the three-room brick house we currently live in was given to Mother, as it was difficult to divide. The agreement was that Mother would live with the son who takes care of her, while the others would move out and live separately.

This was clearly written on paper, signed and fingerprinted by all three parties, and reviewed by the village elder and recorded at the county office. Now, it’s simple, Brother’s family just needs to move out as agreed.”

Fan Qian was stunned, his mind buzzing like a beehive, feeling utterly confused.

He grasped the last part about the house and asked frantically, “Move out? Where would our whole family go? We have nowhere else to live!”

“We had no place to live either when we first moved out. Brother, you know this.

However we managed then, Brother, you can manage now.”