Chapter 420: Chapter 217 Clove Incident_2
"We’re hosting guests on the third day of the new year, Old Fourth, don’t arrange anything else that day," Old Master Lian mentioned the invitation for the gathering.
Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang naturally agreed.
In the farmsteads of Thirty Mile Camp, there’s a custom of hosting guests during the first month of the year. That means most families will choose a day to entertain relatives and friends.
After the matter of the invitation was settled, everyone dispersed, and Old Master Lian too left the house; he was going to visit some of his old brothers.
"Old Fourth, don’t rush off," Lady Zhou stopped Lian Shouxin and then waved her hand to send the others away, "You all go, I have something to say to Old Fourth."
Lian Manman and the others had no choice but to leave.
"What is it that Granny wants to tell Dad?" The kids wondered to themselves.
Lian Manman thought it better to eavesdrop, so she and Xiao Qi quietly slipped to the window sill beneath the Upper Room East Room to listen in on the commotion inside.
"...I’ve raised you with great difficulty; you fed on my milk for three years! As long as you live, you should never forget your roots, or else you’d be worse than a beast. I’m not asking you for anything, but Xiuxiu is your only younger sister, and you’re not without money; you adorn your wife and children with gold, so why don’t you think of buying something for your sister as well?... It doesn’t have to be much, just buy a pair of Golden Clove earrings like Zhizhi and Manman have for Xiuxiu, and I will have no grievances with you," Lady Zhou said.
"Granny wants Dad to buy Auntie a pair of Golden Clove earrings?" Surprised by what he heard, Xiao Qi exclaimed before quickly covering his mouth.
Lian Manman’s face turned red with anger.
"Who’s out there?" Lady Zhou, hearing Xiao Qi’s voice, asked from inside the room.
"Who is dressing in gold and silver, isn’t it just a pair of Golden Clove earrings? My sister and I have grown so much, and this is the first time we’ve had such things, bought with our own money no less. Isn’t Auntie dressed better than we are? When she gets herself new clothes and jewelry, why doesn’t she think about buying us one or two similar things?" After making her point, Lian Manman didn’t wait for Lady Zhou to react and immediately pulled Xiao Qi back to the West Wing Room.
Upon entering the room, Lian Manman took off her shoes, climbed onto the heated brick bed, and sat without speaking.
"What’s wrong with Manman, getting so worked up suddenly?" Lady Zhang had overheard Lian Manman speaking outside and could vaguely guess what had happened.
"Granny is asking Dad to buy Auntie a pair of Golden Clove earrings," Xiao Qi relayed what he had heard Lady Zhou say to Lady Zhang.
Lady Zhang touched the hairpin on her head.
"Maybe we shouldn’t have bought those things..." Lady Zhang sighed. Although she said this, having earned wealth through hard work and diligence, she might be frugal with herself but couldn’t resist wanting to buy nice things for her children. Especially for Lian Zhizhi and Lian Manman; they had never really lived comfortably with her, and the Golden Clove earrings were the first pieces of jewelry the family ever bought for the two of them.
"Why shouldn’t we have bought them?" Lian Manman couldn’t hold back, "We didn’t spend anyone else’s money."
And it was just a small pair of Golden Clove earrings; she and Lian Zhizhi had no other jewelry. Lian Xiuxiu’s clothes and jewelry were certainly much more abundant than theirs, but they didn’t envy her, let alone feel jealous. Yet others still couldn’t bear to see them with their modest Clove earrings!
"Ah, the first day of the new year, yesterday we finally had some peace, and today, half a day of quiet, now this..." Lady Zhang sighed.
"Mom, it’s not that we want to make trouble," Lian Manman said, "but always backing down leads to never-ending problems."
Lian Manman recalled a famous saying from The Great Ancestor of her previous lifetime’s dynasty: Struggle leads to unity, whereas appeasement leads to the demise of unity.
"Indeed, wise words," Lian Manman thought to herself, planning to write these two phrases into a couplet tomorrow and paste it in the most conspicuous spot in the house, to have the family recite it three times every morning and three times before bed.
"Sis, Dad still hasn’t come back. Do you think... will Dad agree? I heard Granny cursing..." Xiao Qi fiddled with his fingers.
"Your dad, he probably couldn’t withstand Granny’s scolding..." Lady Zhang speculated pessimistically.
"Hmph," Lian Manman clenched her fists, "when Dad gets back, none of you say anything, just listen to me."
...
After quite a while, the scolding from Lady Zhou in the Upper Room finally stopped, and Lian Shouxin returned to the West Wing Room with his head hanging low.
Seeing Lian Shouxin’s face, Lian Manman knew that he must have been scolded miserably. Her earlier retort to Lady Zhou must have been blamed on Lian Shouxin as well.
Everyone felt sympathy for Lian Shouxin, but since they had agreed on a plan with Lian Manman, no one spoke up first, leaving Lian Shouxin hanging there.
Lian Shouxin, seeing that no one paid him any mind, walked over to the edge of the heated brick bed and sat down.
"...A pair of Golden Cloves, I, I didn’t resist, I agreed with your granny," Lian Shouxin spoke hesitantly.
No one still paid any attention to Lian Shouxin.
"My children’s mother, Manman, during the New Year festivities, what could I have done if I didn’t agree? Xiuxiu is also quite grown up, she cried over this matter. She won’t be at home for much longer. Just this once, there will be no next time," Lian Shouxin added.
Still, no one paid any attention to Lian Shouxin, and everyone went about their business as usual.
"Buying the Golden Cloves for Xiuxiu, I’ll not use the family fund, I’ll use my own earnings," Lian Shouxin finally said.
"Fine," Lian Manman agreed, and turned to take the account book out, handing it to Lian Shouxin. "Dad, how much money do you have in your account?"
Lian Shouxin took the account book and looked it over, understanding only bits and pieces after a long while. It was usually the children who managed the accounts and handled the money; Lian Shouxin rarely looked at the account book as they seemed to do it so well.
"Manman, how much can I withdraw?"
"Dad, you have no money left in your account, you’ve already spent your earnings," Lian Manman said bluntly.
"Then, can I get an advance on my earnings for a few months?"
"Dad, your earnings are already advanced until this time next year. The shop’s lease is only for one year, and it’s uncertain if the shop will still be open by this time next year. By that account, Dad, you actually owe us money," Lian Manman stretched out her hand towards Lian Shouxin, "Dad, can you first settle the money you owe?"
****...***
(After reading a gossip post involving in-laws, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, husbands, elder sisters, and the like—three lives, no, including the daughter-in-law, it’s four. Feeling all sorts of conflicted, hence the late update, sorry.)
First, here’s an update, begging for your pinks. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)
