Chapter 21: This man is so manly
“This isn't like the past when our mum was sick and needed someone to take care of her. Right now, mum's already gone and left us. Isn't it about time for your wife to report her ability to work in the factory too?” Xia Guodong stated his piece.
Lin Yue raised her head, staring coldly at Xia Guodong, “Big brother, these words coming out of your mouth… I don’t like it. It's not as if I have never been to the factory before. But everytime I go, you guys mock me. Mock me for being clumsy, for being silly, and mock me for not knowing how to do anything at all.”
Xia Guodong narrowed his eyebrows, staring at her in disdain, “We“ve never maligned you in the slightest. You being fat, you being clumsy, aren“t all of these facts? As for whether you're stupid or not, that's a matter of opinion.”
Lin Yue laughed coldly, “Yes, so just because I’m fat, does that mean I should go die? Have I ever eaten a single grain of your family's rice before? On the contrary, back when your grandmother departed from our world, the remaining rice left at my home – didn’t you also take that away?”
Lin Yue continued, “As for our leftover rations, didn’t you abduct them away to your house, I haven't even seen a single grain of rice at all.”
Lin Yue scoffed, “Not even giving me a single bite of rations, yet you still expect me to work, on what basis?”
Lin Yue originally had a personality that wasn’t used to taking losses, so how could she let herself be toyed with by someone like Xia Guodong?
Xia Guodong remained silent. In his stead, Lin Yue’s sister-in-law who was packing away in the kitchen emerged at the sound of her voice.
“Third sister-in-law, what you're saying is wrong. When his grandmother had passed away, everyone pitched in to help with the funeral arrangements, which had cost a lot of money. That money needs to be repaid,” She shrewdly continued, “Sister-in-law, you, as an outsider, naturally don“t have to repay anything. But we, as family members, do. The remaining rations were left behind by his grandmother, and we're taking them back to repay the favours we owe. That's only fair.”
Lin Yue rolled her eyes and looked at Xia Qingshan, “Do you understand now? This is what your family is like. They want your children and me to die of hunger. From how I see it, why not we divorce, and you can let your eldest brother take care of Dong Tian while your second brother can help you take care of Xiu’er,” she continued without stopping a beat, “As for yourself, you can look for a new bride, and then give birth to another child, giving rise to a new cause for celebration.”
“Hey, third sister-in-law! Are you even speaking like how a human would right now? They are your husband's children, why should my husband and the second sister-in-law have to take care of them?” the eldest sister-in-law erupted in anger.
Lin Yue laughed sardonically, “Yet the food for our house has all been taken by you.”
"You’re not just greedy; I'm afraid you’ll look too ugly while eating. I'm trying to protect you. With the child in your hands, you''ll have a legitimate reason to divide up the rations and demand food expenses from the third sibling. Isn't that great?" Lin Yue sarcastically said.
"You, you're talking nonsense!" the eldest daughter-in-law roared in anger.
“Pa!” Yue Qingshan slammed his hand on the table, “Enough, everyone shut up!”
Lin Yue pursed her lips and remained silent. However, Xiu Yun, the eldest daughter-in-law, was not one to be easily silenced. She angrily turned her head and glared at Xia Qingshan, ready to unleash her fury on her younger brother-in-law.
But when her eyes met Xia Qingshan's gaze, which was as cold as a deep pool, her entire body trembled instantly.
An inexplicable chill ran down her spine, sending shivers down her back.
Despite Xia Qingshan“s status as an ordinary farmer, Xiu Yun felt a sense of coldness, as if she had been transported to the depths of hell.
Xiu Yun swallowed her saliva with difficulty, “I'll go boil the water.”
Soon, the second brother and his wife arrived. Before the eldest sister-in-law even placed the kettle on the stove, the second sister-in-law had entered.
“I heard that the third son has returned,“ the loud voice of the second daughter-in-law could be heard even before she came in.
“Oh, the second sister-in-law is here! Why hasn’t the second brother come over?“ Xia Qingshan casually asked upon seeing her.
“He's at the doorway, he ran into Lai Zi from the East, so he stopped to talk at the doorway for a little bit,“ the second daughter-in-law replied with a smile.
Upon entering the house, she first handed the IOU over to Xia Qingshan.
“This is the IOU your mother signed for you while she was alive. When you marry, this money naturally should come from you.“
Xia Qingshan took the IOU and glanced at it, then turned to look at the eldest brother, Xia Guodong.
Before Xia Guodong could say anything, the eldest daughter-in-law took hold of the IOU.
Xia Qingshan glanced indifferently at their theatrics, “Is there anything else?“
“No, that's it,“ the eldest daughter-in-law replied awkwardly.
At this moment, the second brother, Xia Guoliang, also entered from outside. He nodded at Xia Qingshan, sat down without a word, and saw the freshly brewed tea in the white porcelain jar in front of him. Without hesitation, he picked it up and drank most of the tea in the jar.
Lin Yue, on the other hand, recalled the scene of the eldest brother picking at his toes as soon as he entered the room. Her lips twitched, and she quickly turned her head away.
Mainly because it was a bit hard to hold back the laughter.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Xia Qingshan took out money from his pocket and cleared all the IOUs.
The two daughters-in-law received the money, looking very pleased.
Xia Qingshan tore up the IOUs and said, “No matter how the debt was signed, Mother has always been with me, taking care of the two children. It“s only fair that I repay her debts.“
The eldest and second brothers remained silent. The eldest brother had picked up his pipe at some point and was puffing on it.
The second brother was about to say something but seeing everyone silent, he remained silent too.
Lin Yue, on the other hand, watched coldly from the side, wanting to see how far Xia Qingshan would back down.
Seeing everyone silent, Xia Qingshan continued coldly, “If you owe money, you must repay it, that“s only fair. But what about owing food? Big brother, regardless of the fact that mother“s funeral has been completed, you shouldn’t have taken all the leftover grain. Are you trying to starve Lin Yue and her children to death? “
Xia Qingshan questioned, “And as for the subsequent grain? Why did you claim it for them but keep it for yourself to eat? “
As Xia Qingshan changed the subject, Xia Guodong“s face turned red immediately, and he hurriedly defended himself, “What are you talking about? I“ve already said that was what everyone brought when Mother was handling things, it has to be repaid.“
Xia Qingshan sneered, “Whether you repay it, it’s either today or tomorrow. Why? Have they lost their parents, just got married, or had children? You're in such a rush to repay.“
“Even if you have to repay it, it should be you who does it. Or is it that my mother isn’t your mother, so you don't have to pay for it?“ (T/L: XQS is being sarcastic - is it because we have different mothers, so only I have to pay for it? When in actuality they share the same mother and by right should also share the debt lol)
“When Lin Yue first came, she didn’t know anyone in this village. I brought back my two children, but not a single one of them had a full moon ceremony. But as for the both of you, you had weddings, full moon ceremonies, and have never missed one. So, tell me, who really owes a favour?“ Xia Qingshan questioned.
The eldest brother was rendered speechless, and the one who could usually speak the most – the eldest sister-in-law – was unexpectedly silent at this moment.
Even when the men's eyes looked over, the eldest daughter-in-law pretended not to see.
There was no way around it, Xia Qingshan’s glare from before was terrifying, she still couldn’t recover from it.
Xia Qingshan continued in a cold voice, “Big brother, you don't need to argue. Otherwise, we’ll invite the village chief and the village head, and if it's really unclear, we might as well split up.“
Upon hearing the word “split up,“ the eldest brother immediately became furious.
“Bullshit, what are you talking about? Mother just died, and the moment you're back, you want to split up the family. What, can this family accommodate you anymore? Didn't we just take the grain, let’s not even talk about how it was originally ours, even if it wasn’t, can’t I come to your doorstep if I'm hungry?“ The eldest brother continued, “You're actually making this big of a fuss over such little grain.“
T/L: Bro their thick-skinned-ness is driving me loco
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