Jiang Yong's face was burning with anger. The lukewarm tone of his in-laws made him even more ashamed. He really blamed his youngest son for not living up to his expectations and causing the family to become alienated.
He saw that his several sons were exploiting his youngest son, but he did not say much. His youngest son had spent a lot of money on his studies and was doing more of what he was supposed to do. He thought that his youngest son and his wife knew it well and would not say anything even if they were wronged. Unexpectedly, they not only said it, but also told their in-laws. Not only did the couple come to his house in person to tell them, but what was even more shameful was that they encountered them mistreating their two children. Now that he was humiliated by his in-laws, he dared not look at them for a while.
Zhulan snorted and came in. Several sons of the Jiang family were in the hall. She glanced at them coldly and asked, "Where is my mother-in-law?"
Jiang Yong shuddered inwardly. His mother-in-law was very skilled in martial arts. Was she going to use force
No one said anything. Zhulan also knew to hide in the bedroom. She handed the man to Zhou Shuren and went straight to the bedroom. The eldest son of the Jiang family was frightened and was really afraid that his mother would be beaten. "Aunt, aunt."
Zhulan snorted and walked around, pushed the door and entered the bedroom. Not only was Jiang Wang in the bedroom, but several daughters-in-law were also there. It was really a complete group of people. Looking at the melon seeds on the ground, she no longer had to suppress her anger. "Oh, my mother-in-law is so free, eating melon seeds and chatting!"
Jiang Wangshi felt guilty, "My mother-in-law is here, please sit down."
Zhulan said sarcastically, "I don't have time to sit idle. I am worried about my two children. In the winter, no one lights a fire in the house for them. No one cares when they cry. As a grandmother, I feel so sad. People say seeing is believing. I didn't believe it before, but now I do. When I was getting married, the matchmaker praised my in-laws as the best mother-in-law in a million. But today, my mother-in-law has opened my eyes to what it means for elders to be unkind."
Jiang Wangshi was embarrassed to be scolded openly, but she had no reason to refute. She had to consider more grandchildren, so she couldn't help but explain, "I didn't notice it for a while."
Zhulan sneered, and the women of the Jiang family looked at them one by one, "You didn't notice it, but you didn't hear the child crying? It's understandable that the mother-in-law is deaf at her age, but they are also deaf at such a young age?"
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Jiang family dared to make trouble with her parents-in-law, but her parents-in-law were kind people. She didn't dare to make trouble with outsiders because no one would tolerate her, especially her brother's wife's mother, who was a well-known powerful person in the surrounding villages. She originally only dared to ridicule her brother's wife, but later her brother's wife and husband kept silent and finally gained the courage to fight. She ignored the fact that her brother's wife's family was not easy to mess with. This time she was calm and didn't dare to say a word even if she was scolded.
Zhulan didn't come here to use force today. She despised the women in the Jiang family for being bullies at home. She stated her purpose, "My mother-in-law doesn't love her sons and grandchildren, but I do. The children's clothes have been packed. This year, Jiang Sheng's family will spend the New Year at Zhou's house, so that Jiang Sheng's family won't stay and get in the way and continue to be bullied."
Jiang Wang felt like she was slapped in the face again. Her son and his family went to his mother-in-law's house to celebrate the New Year. The Jiang family lost face. "Mother-in-law, this is not good!"
Zhu Lan smiled, "You don't think that after torturing Jiang Sheng's family for half a year, the Jiang family still has some dignity in the village, right? It's better to tear off the fig leaf of covering up the truth."
Jiang Wangshi was so upset that she couldn't utter a word. Her youngest son was very thin and did most of the housework. There had been gossips about him in the village for a long time. The old couple knew it, but what could they do? It was their youngest son's fault. The more gossip they heard, the more they blamed him. Now that the mother-in-law came to their house, it was also the youngest son's family who brought her here. Her guilty conscience disappeared in an instant. After all, she was the mother.
Zhulan saw the changes in Jiang Wangshi, but didn't take it to heart. When she heard the noise outside the door, she turned around and came out. Zhou Shuren had already stood up. Zhulan asked, "Shall we go?"
Zhou Shuren, "Well, my in-laws agreed to split up after the New Year. We will split up after the seventh day of the New Year, and then we will come over."
Zhu Lan knew that Zhou Shuren was very strong in fighting, but she didn't expect that she would be so aggressive. She directly discussed the division of the family and said, "I'm going to hold the child."
"kindness."
The Jiang family was embarrassed today and no one came out to see them off. They didn't even care about etiquette. Zhulan sneered, put the children to rest, locked the door, got in the car and signaled the second brother to drive away.
After leaving Wangjia Village, Zhu Lan asked, "Why did Jiang Yong agree to split up the family?"
Zhou Shuren hugged his grandson tightly, "I didn't agree at first. When Jiang Yong saw us coming, he hoped that we could use the money to support Jiang Sheng to take the exam for the scholar, and that Jiang Sheng would benefit the family if he passed the exam. I said I would not support him and that he should not take advantage of me. I also directly stated the resentment of the Jiang family. If we don't divide the family, the brothers will become enemies. It's better to divide it early."
Zhulan patted her granddaughter, "It won't be so easy to split up the family!"
Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "I said that Jiang Sheng's study cost the family money. When Jiang Sheng divides the family and does not want the land, I will introduce Jiang Sheng to copy books. Half of the money earned from copying books will be given to my in-laws, and Jiang Sheng will save the rest for the examination. The Qin family was hesitant, but Jiang Sheng's brothers knew that the examination was difficult and had given up hope. They agreed to my proposal. No matter how cunning my in-laws were, they had no choice but to agree."
Seeing that the two children had fallen asleep, Zhulan was concerned that the second child was outside driving the car, so she whispered, "You didn't ask Jiang Sheng to copy the book you brought back, and then say that you were paying him for the work you introduced?"
Zhou Shuren said, "I'm not the one who paid. Today we got engaged. The clan leader looked at the books I brought back and felt embarrassed to take them for free, so he discussed with me and decided that the clan school would pay for the handwritten copies with pens, ink, and paper. I'll give five taels of silver for each copy. There will be four copies in total, which is enough for Jiang Sheng to copy for a year. I'll introduce some letter writing jobs. The money earned from writing letters can support the family, and the copyists can save half of it, ten taels, for the examination to be used as scholars."
Zhou Shuren did not lower his voice either. He could not hide the fact of copying books, nor did he want to hide it. Originally, he wanted to give the job of copying books to Rongchuan, but unfortunately plans could not keep up with changes.
Zhulan knew the value of the books she bought. "Handwritten copies are cheap now, it's the same as giving them away for free."
Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "Twenty taels is the most that the clan school can give. I was originally planning to give the manuscript away for free. Now that we have received the money and performed a favor, not only will the children of the clan school have a debt of gratitude, but the clan also owes me a favor, which must be repaid in the future."
Zhu Lan continued to pat her granddaughter and said, "It also solved Jiang Sheng's problem. Jiang Sheng is confident that he can earn money on his own and his psychological burden will be reduced. He will not push himself too hard, and his state of mind will improve, so he will do better in the exam. You have achieved multiple goals at one stroke."
Zhou Shuren changed his posture, "Well, this time when the family was divided, Jiang Sheng didn't occupy the land, which was equivalent to paying back part of the money he spent on studying, and he paid back another part by copying books. The money the Jiang family paid for his studies has basically been paid back. In the future, the brothers of the Jiang family will not be able to use the favor of paying for his studies to justify their actions. Xuemei and her husband will have fewer troubles in the future."
Zhulan calculated that the Jiang family had 16 acres of land and 10 acres of paddy fields. The four sons and the old couple of the Jiang family divided it into five parts. The paddy fields were divided into two acres each, and the paddy fields were worth ten taels per acre, which was twenty taels. The dry land was worth five taels per acre, and each family received one acre on average. Jiang Sheng did not occupy any land, which was equivalent to paying back 25 taels, plus the ten taels he paid back for copying books, a total of thirty-five taels. Jiang Sheng was not a bookworm, and he never stopped working. After adding and subtracting, he had indeed paid back almost all the money.
Zhu Lan curved her eyes. She said that Zhou Shuren was a dark person. How could he give the Jiang family such a big advantage? "You are really thoughtful."