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Chapter 576: Chapter 566 Have a Good Talk (Part 2)
"Ever since we got married, there hasn’t been a break from the drama in your family. When I said we should divide the family property upon marriage, your family disagreed, fine, I endured it. But just a few days after I married into your family, under the instigation of your eldest sister-in-law, your mother insisted on dividing the family property without even consulting me, the new daughter-in-law. Okay, I endured that too. Division of property, it is then, something I actually looked forward to. But how did your family divide it? You and I, we left with absolutely nothing. If I remember correctly, the allowances you earned from serving in the military were also sent to your mother every month, where has all that money gone, who spent it, and why is it that when the Li Family finally divided the property, there was no mention of you, the second son who sent money home? Also, when it comes to taking care of the elderly, your elder brother is responsible for the food, your younger brother for the caregiving, and you for paying the bills. It sounds fair, but it doesn’t stand up to scrutiny," Shen Yunfang took a deep breath.
She had kept these grievances to herself for a long time, and any woman would struggle to be so open-minded, any woman would care about these things.
"Your parents’ yearly food supply would be more than enough with three hundred kilos, right? Let’s say it’s all flour, how much would three hundred kilos of flour cost? Fifty yuan at most. Your brother is in charge of taking care of the elderly, and that’s something for many years in the future, meaning he currently doesn’t have to contribute anything. Even if your parents do get sick or suffer a disaster later on, they wouldn’t have your brother pay alone, it would still be the three brothers together, and our household would bear the brunt, I can already imagine it. Here we are, expected to pay a hundred yuan, I’ve never heard of anyone paying so much for elderly care before, the Li Family is truly one of a kind. Fine, as long as we can live a peaceful life, I’ll accept it. I’ve never thought running out of money was a problem, as long as we are good together, why can’t we earn and spend the money back?"
"After we moved back to Gaijiatun, your mother and your sister came to leech off us again, claiming they wanted to help with the autumn harvest and stayed over, which ended up with me, pregnant, having to serve them food and drink. And that wasn’t the end of it; they then had the audacity to demand three hundred yuan as if I were Li Family’s personal minting machine."
"Although I was unhappy at that time, I ended up giving your mother fifty yuan after some consideration. I thought that as a sister-in-law, I’d done quite well. Later, Dashuan’s wife even told me I shouldn’t have given the money, saying that since your brother left with your parents during the division, it should be them paying, not me. I remember we lightly skimmed over the topic at the time, forcing a smile and acting like I didn’t mind. But did I really not mind? I minded, how could I not? But I did it anyway, for what?" Shen Yunfang said, her voice rising uncontrollably in her agitation.
Li Hongjun, enduring the pain in his body, reached out with his right hand and grabbed his wife’s trembling hand, holding it tightly, knowing he owed her an apology.
Shen Yunfang sensed Li Hongjun’s emotions and his guilt; suddenly, she didn’t want to say the rest—it felt pointless. She knew well that talking about these unhappy things wouldn’t help with anything in the future; it would just be venting, making Hongjun suffer along with her.
"Forget it, let’s not talk about it, it’s late, let’s go to bed, you need to rest." After saying this, she stood up somewhat dispirited and prepared to lie down on her own bed. After talking about these unhappy matters, she felt unsettled and needed to calm down.
"No, wife, don’t go, sit by my side." Li Hongjun held onto her hand, refusing to let go, wincing as the pain from his wound made his face pale further. "Please, continue. Whatever you’re dissatisfied with, just say it. Bottling it up is not good for your health, and besides, talking about it means we can work on it together. We’re in this for the long haul, and I don’t want you to keep these things to yourself."
Shen Yunfang sat back down—since he wanted to listen, she would speak.
"Fine, then I’ll continue."
"I gave your mom fifty yuan, and when she and your sister left, they even stole my quilt and blanket. I won’t dwell on that now, though. It’s laughable when I think about it, and I feel embarrassed just mentioning it. Let’s focus on the money matter. I felt that as a sister-in-law, giving fifty yuan for your brother’s college tuition was already quite generous. Yet, your family was still dissatisfied. Regardless, your mom has always been prejudiced against me. It’s ridiculous that the very person who actually received the money still harbors resentment towards me. Can you believe it? Your brother’s character is simply beyond belief." Shen Yunfang was utterly infuriated whenever she mentioned Li Hongqi.
"I was heavily pregnant, and your brother, because he thought the money I gave was too little, went to the Revolutionary Committee to take revenge by reporting and falsely accusing me. Tell me, does such a person even have any humanity? It was only because you happened to have a comrade who could speak up for us that I was rescued from danger. It was a close call, but if you hadn’t had such a comrade, what would have become of me? Me and the child could have very well ended up dead. Do you think I shouldn’t hold a grudge, that I shouldn’t be resentful?"
Li Hongjun’s response was to just hold his wife’s hand tightly.
"But I still endured it because he is your brother. If I pursued it any further, it would have been troubling for you. Later, I followed the army, thinking I would be far from your family and I wouldn’t have to deal with your family’s messy affairs anymore, nor endure the anger from your family members. But who could have imagined that your parents would go so far as to borrow money from the military district’s family quarters? How could they think? Wasn’t Gaijiatun big enough for them to lose face? It seems they had to disgrace themselves further afield. Your mom borrowed two hundred yuan in one go without considering how we would repay it. With your monthly salary of just a few dozen yuan, how would our family manage to eat, drink, or wear clothes? Did she even consider that? In her heart, she only ever cared about Li Hongqi, her one son."
"I’m telling you, I truly felt wronged at that time, but there was nothing I could do. I had already prepared myself to pay back the money if your brother also proved shameless. Thankfully, your brother still cared about his face in public. Pressured by me and with no other options, he sent the money back in the mail."
"After all this, your parents completely held a grudge against me. For a long time, I heard nothing from them and I’ll tell you the truth, I was actually glad about it. It would have been better if they had just forgotten about us forever. But the peace didn’t last long. Eventually, when I was about to go to the Capital to study, they resorted to dirty tricks and deceived you into going back."
"Regardless, moving to the Capital allowed me to live peacefully for several years. I know this time your mom and your brother are plotting something big. They even had the nerve to blame me for Li Hongqi’s wife’s three miscarriages. It’s ridiculous; I haven’t even met her face-to-face. How could they have the gall to make up such an excuse? As I mentioned before, the moment your mom saw me, she slapped me. But I didn’t indulge her. If the old ones can’t be hit, what about the younger ones? Your mom and brother kept causing repeated disturbances at our school, seeking out the principal and whatnot. Aren’t they just trying to make my life difficult? Hmph, I’ve seen through them now. The kind-hearted are bullied, the good-natured are ridden over. I have money, plenty of it, but I just won’t give it to them."
"In the end, they got caught because of their own insatiable greed." Shen Yunfang concluded.
