12dz Chapter 29 The Second and Third Wives Argue Over Dividing the House
Chapter 29 The Second and Third Wives Argue Over Dividing the House
Shen Qingchuan looked up at the roof, feeling conflicted. On one hand, he couldn't bring himself to kick his father and stepmother's whole family out, but on the other hand, he felt sorry for his mother for not being able to get back the house and sixteen acres of fertile land she left behind, which led to the complete disappearance of the Lin family from Guihua Village.
He planned to discuss with his wife the possibility of having two more sons, one surnamed Shen and the other Lin, so that his mother and maternal grandfather's family line wouldn't end there.
After a long while, he finally made up his mind.
“Shuisheng, let’s build a house with blue bricks and tiles. I didn’t get the Lin family’s house back for my mother. She must be very disappointed in me down there. We can’t go back to our old ways as we get older. We can earn more money when we run out of money, but if we lose our ambition, we’re really gone.”
Shuisheng smiled and comforted her, "A tree dies when transplanted, but a person thrives. You and your sister-in-law are so capable. After you move out, you'll have your own income, and life will definitely get better and better. The house is small, just two small rooms. It won't cost much to build a brick and tile house. I'll not only build it beautifully for you, but I'll also save money for you. Don't worry."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Shuisheng."
"Hey, we're all brothers, why talk about hardship? If you don't build me a house, I won't have any work to do."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
They weren't blood brothers, but he was much more humane than my half-brother.
No sooner had the decision been made to build a brick and tile house than Shuisheng helped demolish two half-collapsed thatched houses.
Shen Qingchuan hadn't actually broken two ribs, so he couldn't lie down at all. Shui Sheng helped him build a house, and he insisted on being there to keep him company.
When Shen Xiaotang saw her mother picking beans in the yard, she quickly moved the winnowing basket aside.
“Mom, we’ve already separated the family, and we didn’t get the tofu-making business. Why are you still keeping it? Uncle Shuisheng went to demolish the house, and Dad insisted on going with him. Let’s go see if there’s anything we can help with. We can’t let Uncle Shuisheng do it all by himself and break his heart.”
“Yes, yes, why didn’t you think of that, Mom? We have to go help. We’ll treat your Uncle Shuisheng to another meal at noon. We can’t let Uncle Shuisheng suffer alone.”
Xiaoyu, with her short legs, said obediently, "Sister, I'll go help too."
"Okay, let's go together."
Liu put down her things, picked up a set of farm tools, carried hot water, and the three of them went together to the old house at the west end of the village.
When they arrived at the location, Shuisheng had already demolished most of the half-collapsed old house. The old house was a dilapidated thatched hut, very simple, and had been abandoned for decades due to wind and sun. Nothing that was demolished was usable.
Looking at the overgrown weeds in the yard, some of which had grown as thick as a calf, Shen Qingchuan was at a loss.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have broken my ribs. If I had, I could have done something with it somewhere else."
Shuisheng glanced around and whispered, "Brother Qingchuan, don't talk nonsense, lest it cause trouble if word gets out. Don't worry, these two houses are enough for me. You and your wife have been working from dawn till dusk for so many years, so take a good rest these days. There will be plenty of work to do later."
Liu put down her farm tools and quickly said, "Shuisheng is right, I'll take care of these things in the yard."
So she first helped Shuisheng clear away the overturned mud bricks and dark thatch, while Shuisheng dug the foundation and she cleared the weeds in the yard.
Xiao Tang led Xiao Yu, carrying weeds and throwing them out bit by bit, while her father anxiously circled the yard.
After working all morning, Shuisheng quickly dug the foundation of a house, and Liu also cleaned up most of the yard. Seeing that it was almost noon, she put down her work and prepared to go home to cook.
"Mom, let me do the cooking. You and Uncle Shuisheng can have some water and rest."
"You and Yu'er have been working all morning, you must be tired, so let your mother..."
"Mom, I'm only doing light work, it's not tiring. It's settled then. I'll bring it to you once it's done."
After saying that, she took her sister's hand and ran out of the old house to go home.
Shen family.
When Sun was suddenly given so much wealth by her stepson, she was so angry that she couldn't sleep all night, couldn't eat, and was filled with resentment.
"Where are you all? It's noon and no one has cooked. Are you all waiting for me to feed you?"
The second wife, Song, put down her needlework, reluctantly opened the door, and went out.
"Mother, calm down. I have to go to town to deliver the embroidery the day after tomorrow. I still have a lot of things to finish. If I don't hurry, I'm afraid I won't be able to deliver them."
Sun flung her sleeves and snorted, "You lazy woman, stop making excuses. No matter what, you sisters-in-law have to take turns cooking."
The third wife opened the door, and Zhao said with some dissatisfaction, "Mother, now you only have the two of us daughters-in-law left. My eldest sister-in-law has separated from us, so there are no other sisters-in-law left. It's just my second sister-in-law and me taking turns cooking. We both have chores to do, how can we manage like this?"
If I had known the eldest son's family would split up so quickly, I would have thrown a tantrum or pretended to be pitiful, but I would have done everything in my power to adopt that wretched girl, Xiao Tang.
Now things are even worse; not only is there no one to help her with the work, but there's also one less person to take turns cooking.
Sun was so angry she almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. "Is it because I'm making you two take turns cooking that you're being taken advantage of? It's always been the eldest son's family who does the cooking. Didn't that good-for-nothing Xiaotang start cooking when she was four? Why are you two the only ones complaining?"
Song and Zhao felt extremely wronged, thinking that the whole family relied on the daughter-in-law to do everything. They were also women, so why could the mother-in-law do nothing?
The two men, feeling resentful, exchanged a glance and began to unite against a common enemy.
Song pouted and said, "Mother, my sister-in-law and I have to do embroidery and weaving to earn money. You are still young and cook well. You have nothing to do all day, so why don't you do the cooking from now on?"
What the hell?
My daughter-in-law has been with us for several years now, and you expect her, as the mother-in-law, to cook?
"That's right, Mother, Second Sister-in-law is right. No matter how much or how little she does, it's all for our family..."
Sun's already gloomy face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and she immediately roared.
"Shut up!"
"You two lazy women, what kind of daydreams are you having? How dare you ask your mother-in-law to cook? You really dare to say that? Believe me or not, I'll have my second and third sons divorce you!"
Song snorted coldly, "My eldest brother is making a fuss about dividing the family property. I'm afraid he can't wait to move out. In the future, our whole family will have to rely on the two of us women to do everything, from eating and drinking to cleaning up after us. Wouldn't that be exhausting? If you're not going to help with anything, you might as well divide the family property as soon as possible. Then we can each do our own thing and eat our own food. It will save us from having to do so much work and still suffer such humiliation."
Upon hearing this, Madam Sun flew into a rage. "Fine! So you're all being lazy and trying to get your hands dirty. You've got the idea of dividing the family property, haven't you? You're dreaming! Your father and I are still alive. Let's see which of you four brothers dares to divide the family property again. If anyone dares to mention it again, I'll smash my head against your door and die."
After saying that, she squatted down on the ground, slapped her thigh, and started crying.
"God, please open your eyes! What sins did I commit in my past life to end up with such heartless people who are too lazy to even have maggots and make me do everything myself..."
Mr. Shen was leading his son and grandson back from school when he heard his wife crying from afar, so he quickly went inside.
"Mom, what's wrong? What happened at home?"