Chapter 73: Such a Daughter

Wang Juan took off her apron and headed to her in-laws’ house. However, after walking a short distance, she felt that something was amiss. She turned to her second brother’s house, only to find that the couple hadn’t returned, leaving only a few children at home.

She then turned towards her in-laws’ house. As she entered the gate, she heard a commotion inside. It seemed that her second brother and his wife were there. She didn’t rush in but paused for a moment in the courtyard to listen to the cause of the argument. After hearing a few sentences, she understood the situation. Wang Mei was planning to move to the city with her husband. Their mother wanted her brothers to give their share of the family property to Wang Mei in advance, so she could settle down in the city.

Wang Juan didn’t go in but called out, “Third Brother, Zhang Lan isn’t feeling well. The children have all come to our house. Hurry back and check on her.”

Wang Zhenhe, who was sitting inside, quickly came out. He had wanted to leave earlier, but with his two older brothers present, he didn’t feel comfortable. This time, his sister-in-law had finally rescued him.

He walked into the courtyard and gestured to Wang Juan. “Sister-in-law, you came at just the right time. I’ll go back first. You and your husband should hurry home.”

After speaking, he ran back home.

Dealing with his troublesome eldest sister was giving him a headache. He had remained silent about the matter today, just watching his second sister-in-law argue. Sitting in that kind of household, he felt a bit mentally exhausted. It was important to go home and check on his wife.

When he arrived home, he saw his wife and the others sitting on the heated brick bed, looking happy. He realized that his eldest sister had tricked him into coming back. Even so, he felt grateful.

“Dad, why did you come back so late? We’re all hungry. If you hadn’t come back, I would have starved,” Mingyuan complained.

Wang Zhenhe patted his son’s head. “Mingyuan, I’m back now. Let’s have dinner quickly. I’m hungry too.”

During dinner, Wang Zhenhe mentioned the purpose of his eldest sister’s visit to his wife and children.

Wang Qian was curious about her father’s attitude. “Dad, what did you say?”

Wang Zhenhe took a bite of the pancake and said, “I didn’t say a word. Our family is short of money. They can do as they please. Besides, why did your eldest sister suddenly remember the matter of the family property? Why didn’t they come to see us when we had the housewarming ceremony?”

Wang Zhenhe didn’t say much more.

According to her analysis, Wang Mei had disregarded her brother this time and the last time. Wang Zhenhe wasn’t a fool, and it was false to say that he wasn’t hurt. He just kept it to himself.

“By the way, Sister-in-law also went there and is arguing. I don’t know what the outcome will be. Let’s see how other families handle this. If necessary, we can buy her some bowls and chopsticks,” he added.

Zhang Lan smiled and asked, “Aren’t you afraid of your mother scolding you again?”

Wang Zhenhe paused and continued eating. “Let her scold. She’s been scolding for so many years. I can’t please her anyway. If she’s not tired of scolding, then let her. Our family still owes hundreds of debts. Who can help me repay them?”

Wang Zhenhe was truly overwhelmed by the family’s debts this time. He had no extra energy to care about trivial matters.

This was the first time Zhang Lan had heard a man complain in front of the family. Her smile grew, and she began to help her husband with the food.

“Wife, eat more. Your health isn’t good. You need to nourish yourself. The fish today is really delicious. Did you catch them?” he asked.

Wang Zhenhe, after eating for a while, finally remembered to ask.

“Dad, I caught them at the reservoir.”

He patted his daughter’s little face. “Yes, our Qianqian is really capable.”

Later that night, after everyone had fallen asleep, mother and daughter entered the spatial storage to weed. Wang Qian saw the grapevines had started to grow tall and felt worried. “Mom, do we have a trellis? Do we need to build one for the grapevines?”

“Qianqian, I’ll bring some poles for you tomorrow, and we can build a trellis together. Maybe we’ll be able to eat grapes by the Mid-Autumn Festival,” she said.

After finishing their work, they used the spare water from the spatial storage to wash up before going back to sleep.

The next day, while at work, Zhang Lan heard from Wang Juan about the events of the previous day. “Sister-in-law, after Zhenhe left, you wouldn’t know, but Second Sister-in-law scolded Wang Mei severely. She even dragged our mother-in-law into it, criticizing her for raising such a worthless person,” Wang Juan said, imitating Han Cui’s tone. Zhang Lan watched and smiled. Wang Juan’s imitation was so accurate; her tone and expression were spot on.

“Sister-in-law, what happened next?” Zhang Lan wanted to know the final outcome.

Wang Juan smiled and said, “It was all talk. Who has that much money to help her settle down? Even if it was only as a housewarming, she should have given you your share first. Besides, she didn’t come when we had the housewarming ceremony. How dare she come back and bring this up? She’s so audacious. Why should we keep giving without receiving anything in return?”

Zhang Lan hadn’t expected things to turn out this way, but it was for the best. They wouldn’t have to get involved, and it would save them money.

“Did eldest sister leave?”

 Wang Juan shook her head. “Who knows? If she doesn’t get any money, how can she leave? I don’t care. We don’t plan to give her any money. The children need to go to school and eat. Everything costs money. I don’t have the spare cash to worry about her. Besides, do you know how much our mother-in-law asked for yesterday? She demanded twenty yuan. It’s outrageous, even worse than a landlord,” she said, gritting her teeth.

“Ah,” Zhang Lan sighed. “Our family owes hundreds of debts. We can’t afford to give her that money.” Zhang Lan was indirectly expressing her stance.

That day, everyone was weeding in the fields, so they didn’t waste time talking. A nearby person overheard the conversation between the sisters-in-law and joined in. “I’m telling you, your mother-in-law is something. She should be on her son’s side, but she always sides with her daughters. Look at your sister-in-law, Wang Mei. I doubt she’ll fare any better in the city. I’ve heard from my relatives that she’s lazy. The yard is full of chicken manure, and she never bothers to clean it up. You can’t even step into her house. She’s always visiting others, wasting all her time gossiping,” the person said.

Rural people place great importance on household hygiene. You can be poor and live in poor conditions, but cleanliness must be maintained. If the house isn’t clean, it’s a sign that the woman of the house isn’t diligent, and she will be ridiculed.

The women around them started discussing the rumors about Wang Mei. The sisters-in-law just smiled at each other and didn’t join in the discussion, but they listened intently.

Sitting on the heated brick bed at her parents’ house, Wang Mei didn’t expect to become the subject of ridicule among the women in the village. She felt dissatisfied after failing to get the money she wanted and was considering trying to persuade her mother to give her some. However, Zhu Qiyu was firm and wouldn’t budge. The family’s money couldn’t be easily spent, not even by the eldest daughter. There were still two younger siblings who hadn’t settled down, and she couldn’t afford to be so generous.

“Wang Mei, your mother has already spoken up for you. Your three brothers haven’t said a word. Maybe it’s better for you to move out for now. We still have children at home,” Zhu Qiyu said.

Wang Mei was unhappy with her brothers’ behavior and complained, “Mom, look at the sons you’ve raised. They won’t even give a little money. How can you expect them to support you in the future?”

Zhu Qiyu took off her apron and dusted herself off before entering the house. “If they don’t support me in the future, you will,” she said.

Wang Mei sensed that something was off and quickly said, “Mom, they are your sons. You raised them from childhood, so they should support you in your old age. It’s only right. We have the upper hand in this matter. I will definitely support you when the time comes.”

Zhu Qiyu couldn’t hide her disappointment with her eldest daughter. She even dare to interrupt her. She sighed inwardly. She was increasingly unable to understand these children.

When Wang Deshan returned home for dinner and saw his eldest daughter still at home, he quickly sent her back. He felt that she wasn’t acting like a responsible mother by neglecting her own children.

“Dad, give me some money. Consider it a loan. The money at home isn’t enough for our expenses in the city. We need to buy food. You can’t just watch us starve, can you?” Wang Mei pleaded.

Wang Mei was still persistent. She could only turn to her father.

“You have only yourself to blame.If only that husband of yours isn’t so soft. If you don’t believe me, try it. If you were in someone else’s house, you’d be beaten eight hundred times a day. With your lazy and greedy ways, I don’t know how I ended up with a daughter like you. Wife, give her ten yuan and send her back,” Wang Deshan said, exasperated. Although Zhu Qiyu wasn’t pleased, she reluctantly took out ten yuan from the cabinet. “Mei, finish your meal and then go back,” she said.

Although ten yuan was not the amount Wang Mei had hoped for, it was better than nothing. With ten yuan, she could still buy quite a few things.

After finishing her meal, Wang Mei was sent on her way by her mother.

It wasn’t until mealtime that Zhang Lan learned that the troublemaker had left. However, she still felt that something was amiss. Wang Mei always had a purpose when she visited, and her mother-in-law always supported her. Could it be that they let it go just because of Han Cui’s complaints? Zhang Lan couldn’t quite understand her mother-in-law’s actions.

Before moving out, Wang Mei made a final trip to her parents’ house. She wanted to show off her future status as a city dweller and also brought some useless items from her home to give to her mother.

At noon, Wang Zhenhe and his brothers were called over to have a meal with Wang Mei, which was considered a gesture of goodwill towards her husband’s family. This time, Wang Mei’s husband, Huang Youcai, also joined them.