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Chapter 535: Chapter 525 All Brothers of the Same Mother
"In-laws, our hearts are the same, we parents also want our children to be well. But the reality of our family’s situation is laid out before us, with two kids getting married and Xiaolan’s several hospital stays, we old folks have even pulled out our coffin funds, there’s just no money at home for now, how about this, you give us some time to save up, and we’ll definitely buy a house for the children in the county, what do you say?" Old Mr. Li had no choice but to shamelessly negotiate with his in-laws.
Qiu Shuping stood by quietly without speaking, because she knew the family indeed had no money left, not a single cent; without money in hand, she felt completely powerless, hoping wholeheartedly that her husband could persuade the in-laws. She was not fond of her daughter-in-law Xiaolan, yet she was worried about her son’s job, her son’s future.
"That won’t do. If you’re going to save up for two more years, when will that be? My daughter is already twenty-two, in a few more years she’ll be an old maid, and maybe by then, she won’t even be able to have children, right? Besides, aren’t you two anxious to hold a grandchild?" Mother Zheng couldn’t allow them to delay for so long. The doctor had said that her daughter’s health was in such a state that she might really not be able to have children in the future. Since she might not have children of her own, then they must make sure her daughter gets more money in her hands. Who knows what the husband might turn out to be in the future, so having money is the most useful thing.
Old Mr. Li opened his mouth but didn’t utter a word. How could he admit in front of the in-laws that he didn’t need grandchildren, that he wasn’t in a hurry for them?
"Big Brother, don’t feel troubled. I heard from Xiaolan that Hongqi has an older brother in the military, who seems to be doing quite well, and now both he and his wife are in the Capital?" Father Zheng wore an innocent smile as he voiced the most shameless suggestion, "It seems that your second son is in good shape. They’re brothers born of the same mother; Hongqi is having troubles now, but I believe that as long as you parents intervene, your second son should be willing to lend Hongqi a hand."
"This, this won’t do, this won’t do." Old Mr. Li’s first reaction was an outright denial. Hongjun was his and his wife’s responsibility; they couldn’t go asking for favors just because Hongjun was doing well. Besides, every year Hongjun contributed a hundred yuan for their allowance. As a soldier, his income was fixed, and he had two children of his own to raise—how could they trouble their second son?
Moreover, when the second daughter-in-law visited last year, his wife had mentioned this issue, and the second daughter-in-law did not even respond—what did that imply? He couldn’t, just to cater to the younger son, interfere with the elder one’s life. If this caused conflict between the second son and his wife, what kind of mess would that become?
"Our family has long been separated. The second son and his wife have moved out and live on their own. Now that Hongqi is in trouble, we can’t reach out to his older brother." Old Mr. Li could only use the separation as an excuse to deflect.
"Big brother, you are wrong to think this way. Even though your family has divided, the younger one is still your son. You raised him, so he has the duty to respect and support you, right? Besides, buying a house for Hongqi and his wife isn’t just for them. After purchasing a house, you and the wife can also go live there. So, if you really think about it, having your second son show some filial piety to both of you is entirely reasonable." Father Zheng was clearly aware of the Li Family’s situation and had prepared his strategy in advance, "Big brother, think carefully whether what I’m saying makes sense. My daughter Xiaolan has married into your family for two years, respecting the elders, caring for her husband. She hasn’t fallen short in any aspect. It was you who promised to buy a house in the county, but until now, we haven’t seen even a shadow of the house. We are not unreasonable people; we didn’t make a fuss when you didn’t buy it before, but with the current situation, my daughter’s health has been ruined by your family. Is it excessive to ask you to fulfil your initial promise? It isn’t, right? How you manage the house is none of my concern. But I’ve laid my cards on the table—now that my daughter’s health is like this, she and Hongqi are tied to the same fate. If my daughter is doing well, then your son definitely won’t be far behind. If my daughter is not doing well..." Ending his sentence with an ominous hum, he left the threat unspoken, but everyone present understood his meaning.
Father Zheng was Li Hongqi’s direct superior. If he wanted to, making life difficult for Li Hongqi, even making it impossible for him to work, would be a matter of a single word. But if he was pleased, promoting Li Hongqi wouldn’t be difficult either.
"Dad..." Li Hongqi looked at his father with a face full of pleading.
"Old man, what our in-law said does make some sense. I said before that Hongqi is after all Hongjun’s own younger brother. If Hongjun is capable, why can’t he give Hongqi a helping hand? It’s all because of that second daughter-in-law blocking the way. Otherwise, we would have bought a house in the county earlier, and we wouldn’t have all these problems now. And I would have three more grandchildren," Qiu Shuping also switched sides at the last moment, shoving all the blame onto the second daughter-in-law.
"Right, I’ve heard Hongqi mention this too. In-law, no offense, but as the saying goes, ’a good marriage depends on marrying a virtuous wife.’ Your second son might be doing well, but marrying a wife like that is trouble for you two elders. I’m not one to brag about my own daughter, but she has been supremely filial since she was a child, never once going against us. You really can’t tell good from bad until you put them side by side. Now that you have compared, you can see for yourselves which daughter-in-law would be better to take care of you in old age," said Zheng Guilin’s mother. On the surface, she was shamelessly praising her own daughter, but if you listened closely, there were hidden messages in her words.
You two elders need to think this through, which son you’ll live with in the future. If it’s with the younger son, then isn’t the quality of your lives in the hands of my daughter? If you don’t show some favoritism now, don’t expect her to take care of you when you’re old, because that door will be closed.
Afterward, not only did Zheng Guilin’s parents keep making insinuating remarks at Old Li, but Li Hongqi and Qiu Shuping were also urging, one playing the pitiful card to win over their father’s sympathy, and the other offering seemingly reasonable advice, but all just twisted logic.
Old Li wasn’t exactly the clearest-headed person to begin with, otherwise, he wouldn’t have let his household become such a mess. Now, listening to each of them, his heart began to waver.
With so many people watching, he eventually had to agree to ask his second son for some money, so they could buy a house for the younger son in the county and let the couple settle down first.
Once the Li family of three left, Zheng Guilin finally broke the silence and asked, "Mom, Dad, is this really okay?"
"How could it not be okay? Even if it isn’t, it has to be. Xiaolan, let me tell you, your current health condition is all because of the Li Family. I can talk to them so calmly only because of you. But you have to keep the fact that you can’t have children to yourself, understood? Only the three of us should know, you can’t let Hongqi find out, got it?" said Zheng Guilin’s mother as she sat by her daughter’s bedside to instruct her. When Xiaolan had her miscarriage, none of the Li family were present; only Zheng Guilin’s mother was there at the hospital. The doctor only told the two of them about Xiaolan’s condition, and of course, what Zheng Guilin’s mother later told the Li family was a revised version. She had also made sure the doctor stayed quiet, so for now, the Li family didn’t know that Xiaolan couldn’t have children anymore.
"But such a big matter, can we really not tell Hongqi? What if I can’t have children in the future..." Zheng Guilin didn’t know what to do. She could only cry, she was so afraid that if Hongqi learned she couldn’t have children, he might leave her.
"We’ll worry about the future when it comes," her mother said firmly. "And listen to me, from now on, you can’t keep this soft temperament in the Li Family. You have to understand, you may never have a child by your side in this lifetime. If you want to have a good life and not get on Li Hongqi’s bad side, then you have to figure out a way to take over the household’s purse strings. As long as you control the money, I don’t believe he can do anything even if he finds out—without money, how can he think of finding someone else to marry? Without money, how can he even think of having children? Who will provide for them?" 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
Zheng Guilin’s mother’s goal was clear. Since her daughter’s health had been ruined because of the Li Family, they were obliged to support her daughter for life. As long as Li Hongqi was still under her family’s control, even if the Li Family wasn’t satisfied, they had to grin and bear it. She needed to carefully teach her naive daughter that talk of love and affection can’t fill your stomach. With her condition, the most important thing was to take everything into her own hands.
