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Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Provocation
Si Xiaohui felt a sense of injustice, her face drawn out as long as a teapot spout.
She had thought that their mother wanted to talk to her older brother about her problems. As it turned out, it was about her second brother’s business. True enough, daughters were not as valued as sons. Even though they said they loved her, in reality, they still favored boys over girls.
After listening to Lin Fengying’s words, Si Chen fell silent for a while before he spoke up, "I’ll talk it over with Tong Yao."
Si Chen didn’t oppose helping his little brother, but this wasn’t just about a yuan or two. Discussing it with his wife was a basic respect for their marriage.
If he were a woman, he would also hope that his partner would discuss everything with him, instead of making unilateral decisions.
"..." Lin Fengying was taken aback, surprised at Si Chen’s response. She had assumed that her eldest son would not refuse her request. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before nodding, "Alright...If Yaoyao disagrees, it’s fine. You two shouldn’t fight over this."
"We won’t." Si Chen shook his head. From what he had gathered about Tong Yao during this period, she might be a bit spoiled, but she was not unreasonable.
"That’s good." Suddenly, Lin Fengying felt a bitter taste in her mouth. She had intended to ask her eldest son to help introduce a job for her daughter, but now she found herself unable to say the words.
The kitchen suddenly fell silent, and no one spoke up.
"Are the dumplings all wrapped?" Si Boyi returned carrying a basin of vegetables, sweat beading on his forehead. He scooped some water from the kitchen into a washbasin, squatted down to wash his face, then said, "Brother, why don’t you go chat with Yaoyao in the hall? I’ll roll out the dough."
The kitchen was small and couldn’t accommodate so many people. Si Boyi was traditional and always felt awkward being alone with Tong Yao in the hall.
"Okay." As if understanding Boyi’s thoughts, Si Chen washed his hands and left the kitchen.
As soon as he left, Si Xiaohui grumbled under her breath, "Look at that! For all these years we’ve raised a son, it ended up being for someone else’s benefit. They say that when a son marries, it’s like gaining a daughter. But in our case, we’ve lost a son entirely."
"Enough with your nonsense." Lin Fengying quietly scolded her, but her heart felt as if it had been pierced with a thorn.
"What happened?" Si Boyi was puzzled, not understanding the comments about losing a son and gaining a daughter. "What happened earlier? Xiaohui, what do you mean by all this?"
Si Xiaohui responded with irritation, "Why don’t you ask Mom to explain? I’m not going to say anything and risk you all blaming me for being a gossip."
"Stop stirring things up, Xiaohui. Your older brother lives in the city, and expenses there are high. Life isn’t easy for him." These words were for Xiaohui, but also for herself – as if this reminder could ease her own conscience slightly.
Si Xiaohui was not keen to let the matter rest, so she added more fuel to the fire, "Are you saying I’m making trouble? Just now, older brother was clearly implying that he’s reluctant to help support Boyi’s marriage."
When Si Boyi understood what was going on, his face changed. "Mom, how could you ask big brother to support me in getting married? I’ve told you, I’m not in a hurry. If she doesn’t like us, we won’t force her. We shouldn’t morally blackmail big brother. He’s married now and has his own family to support. Life isn’t easy for him in the city. We can’t add burden to him."
Even though big brother went to college, it didn’t cost their family a penny; it was all paid for by the Tong Family. Given that they married off their daughter to him, he shouldn’t face any hardships.
After Tong Yao had been with them for half a month, Si Boyi realized something. There were expenses in supporting a beautiful wife and the cost of keeping a city wife was more than looking after two rural wives. So he simply didn’t have the luck or the ability to find such a wife and burden his big brother.
Si Xiaohui interrupted, "Mom, see? You offended your eldest son, and now your second son isn’t happy with you either."
Lin Fengying felt even worse after her second son’s words. Did she really do wrong?
She was just looking out for Boyi, hoping he could start a family. After her death, when she saw her husband in the underworld, she would have face when meeting him. But why didn’t her children understand her?
Seeing that Lin Fengying was silent, Si Boyi glanced over and noticed the redness around her eyes. He realized that he might have been a bit harsh with his words, and said guiltily, "Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blame you. I just don’t want to trouble big brother."
"Mom, I’m sorry, I’m thoughtless too." Seeing that Lin Fengying was about to cry, Si Xiaohui felt guilty. She didn’t mean to stir up family dynamics on purpose, she was just envious of Tong Yao.
Her aim was merely to target Tong Yao, she hadn’t intended to hurt her family.
After their father’s death, her mother raised the three of them by herself and it hadn’t been easy. Now that they’ve grown up, how could they still act as thoughtless as when they were young?
Si Xiaohui deeply regretted the words she said earlier. If Boyi really took her words to heart and started having issues with his older brother, would they still be a complete family?
The thought of the family splitting up scared her.
"It’s okay, you are all good children, mom knows that. Let’s wrap the dumplings now!" Her eldest son had finally come home for a visit and Lin Fengying didn’t want any disputes. Over the years, her eldest son had made numerous sacrifices for the family too.
If the older brother was willing to help the younger one, it was out of fraternity. If he didn’t, that was alright too.
Moreover, the oldest son didn’t say that he wasn’t willing to help. It would be best if a decision was reached after discussing with his wife, but even if they couldn’t reach an agreement, it wasn’t a big deal. If she ruins her eldest son’s marital happiness in order to help her younger son, she would find it hard to forgive herself.
Thinking that way, Lin Fengying felt more at ease.
...
Tong Yao was sitting in the hall, engrossed in gossip about the village from Xiao, to the point that she didn’t even notice when Si Chen entered the room.
In Si Chen’s eyes, Tong Yao appeared to be daydreaming. He rolled up his pant legs, bent over and sat opposite Tong Yao, casually striking up a conversation. "Xiaohui wants us to help her find a job in the city. What’s your take?"
He had a pleasant voice and was calm when he spoke. Talking to him was like listening to someone playing the flute with its melodious sound - it was a form of enjoyment.
"Sure!" Tong Yao agreed readily, without giving it much thought, "What kind of job does she want?"
Anyhow, Si Xiaohui wouldn’t have much time to hang around her if she got a job in the city. So she figured, why not? It wouldn’t affect her.
Si Chen responded, "Anything indoors would be fine. She’s not picky."
"If she can control her temper and listen to me, she might as well help me sell milk tea. I’ll pay her thirty yuan a month with room and board included." Business at the milk tea shop was expanding, and He Fang, who was raising a child, couldn’t handle it alone. Even though Si Xiaohui was opposed to her, she was after all Si Chen’s sister, and would stand up for her own family when facing outsiders.
Moreover, Si Xiaohui wasn’t lazy. Helping sell milk tea would actually suit her quite well.
