Xinyan glanced over at the wall: One thousand yuan in the early eighties was the equivalent of over a hundred thousand in later years, and they really had the nerve to ask for it.
On the other side of the wall, He Jinxuanâs face also turned cold. "Never mind that all my working capital is tied up in the trucks in the transport team right nowâeven if I had the money, I wouldnât be such a sucker."
Mother He hadnât expected Third to reject her outright. "Your Second Brother only lost the money because he didnât have experience and got taken advantage of. Isnât he just trying to fight one more round now? Once he makes money, heâll definitely pay you back first thing.
Brothers are supposed to help each other. You canât be eating meat while they canât even afford the broth, or people will laugh at us."
This time Xinyan really couldnât hold back. She spoke straight over the courtyard wall. "Mom, we eat meat because we earned it with our own ability. Who knows what we went through to get here?
As an elder, you shouldnât be morally blackmailing Jinxuan. At the end of the day, you and Dad are the parents of those brothers, and heâs just a brother."
The meaning couldnât have been clearer. Not only Mother He, even the couple from Second Branch had their faces turning green, then red.
Gao Yumei still wanted to struggle on. "Third Sister-in-law, thatâs too hurtful to Momâs feelings."
Xinyan walked out of Fifthâs place and went straight into her own yard. "Even if youâre shearing wool, you canât just grab one sheep and strip it bare. I really have to wonder if He Jinxuan is actually your own son.
Back then, just so your other sons and daughters could survive, you gave him away. He came back without holding that against you, and now you turn around and lecture him about brotherly love? Youâve really got a set of tricks."
Next door, Guo Yueyue heard what Third Sister-in-law said and also felt she had a point. Second Branch had long been eyeing the little bit of money she and her husband had, but she had never agreed.
After that, Second Sister-in-law often came to her spouting sour, snide remarks. It all boiled down to them not caring about sibling ties, clearly having the means but refusing to help.
But who doesnât need money to run a household? Thereâs only that little bit at home. If you lend it out, how is your own family supposed to live?
Why should they take borrowed money and live it up, while everyone else has to tighten their belts?
Ever since Second Branch came back from Beijing, what they ate and used was way better than anyone elseâs. Now with one sentenceâ"the moneyâs lost"âthey want Third Branch to cough up more, even saying theyâll pay back double once they earn it. Isnât that just an IOU with no due date?
What if they keep losing? How will they pay it back? With what?
Once those words came out, the people in Big Branchâs courtyard couldnât listen anymore either.
Mr. He cleared his throat lightly. "Thirdâs wife, you canât just say things like that."
Xinyan got even angrier. "Oh, so Dad, youâve been listening over there this whole time. What, was this the plan? If Second Branch canât get the money, you send Mom on, and you, as the father, come out last as the grand finale?"
As soon as she said that, the He Family panicked.
As the Big Brother, He Jiefang was the first to speak up. "Jinxuan, Sister-in-law, we really didnât get involved in this, and we had no idea this would happen today."
Mr. He now walked over from Big Branchâs yard. "Thirdâs wife, youâve misunderstood. I only came out into the courtyard when I heard the commotion over here and wanted to find out what was going on."
Xinyan gave a cold laugh. "As an elder, shouldnât you step out right away and say something fair? Do you have to wait until thereâs a rift between your sons and daughters to be happy?
If I hadnât stepped up and said what I did, were you planning to just keep standing there eavesdropping?
And to think we wanted to come back for a family New Year, to come back and see you. We really poured our hearts out for nothing. Looks like youâd already started calculating before we even came back. Itâs really ridiculous and pathetic."
Mother He saw that her third daughter-in-law wasnât giving her any face. "Itâs New Yearâs. Are you trying to tear this family apart?"
Xinyan rolled her eyes straight at her. Before she could speak, He Jinxuan stepped in front of her protectively. "Donât you go dumping this shit-pot on my wife. You know exactly whatâs in your own hearts."
After he finished, he turned to Mr. He, who was standing at the main gate. "You really have no bottom line, time and time again. What do you take me for? When Second Brother and Second Sister borrowed money back then, they wrote an IOU and gave guarantees. This bottomless pit, I canât fill it, and I wonât.
The one thousand yuan they borrowed before is no small amount. Even after youâve pushed things this far today, I still wonât force you to pay it back right this minute. But it has to be paid back before the end of the year. We may be brothers, but you canât just keep tossing me around and scheming against me alone."
He Jian Country panicked. He knew that if he couldnât get money out of Third today, it would be hard for him to ever turn things around. Counting on Big Brother and Fifth was impossible, and seeing Thirdâs attitude, it seemed they wouldnât come back unless absolutely necessary from now on. "Jinxuan, how did this turn into us scheming against you? Iâm only speaking up because I really have no other way. Canât you be a little more understanding of us?"