Chapter 50: Everyone is Staring at Her Purse

Chapter 50: Everyone is Staring at Her Purse

Uncle Guai drove the ox cart directly to the doorstep. Having eaten two large meat buns from Shen Meng today, he was brimming with boundless energy. Not only did he help carry the children down one by one, but he also carried all the groceries bought from the market into the main hall.

"Zhenping's wife, I'll be heading back then. Haha, if you go to the county town again, just give me a call!"

Shen Meng hurriedly grabbed a handful of candies from a bag and stuffed them into Uncle Guai's hand.

"Uncle Guai, please take these home to entertain the children. I'll have to trouble you again next time. Jinghao is due to give birth in a few months; if we need to go to the county town then, we'll still have to rely on you."

"Oh my, I can't take this much! Just two pieces will do." With so many candies, even someone as thick-skinned as him felt a bit embarrassed.

"Just take them. You've worked hard all day; go back and rest early!"

Uncle Guai chuckled and stuffed the candies into his pocket. After saying goodbye to the children and Xie Jinghao, he drove off with the ox cart. Once Shen Meng had finished tidying up the things, she had Lu Mingyang lead his younger siblings to wash their hands before letting them run out to play.

"Jinghao, let me walk you back. I don't want you to have to deal with any unpleasant words."

"It's fine, sister-in-law. I thought about it a lot last night, and I think you're right. I need to toughen up. Even if it's not for myself, I have to do it for Xiaogang and the baby in my womb. You've worked hard all day, go rest!"

Shen Meng looked at her for a moment, then gathered the items and medicine she had brought for her, wrapped them up, and placed them on her shoulder.

"Xiaogang, go home with your mother. Come over for dinner tomorrow; your eldest aunt will stew pig trotters for you all to eat."

"Wow~ Okay! Thank you, Auntie! You're so good!"

Having spent a lot of time with his older siblings, Xiaogang, much like Xiaokai, had learned a few flattering words from Lu Mingliang. His little mouth was as sweet as honey, and the compliments flowed easily.

"What a sweet mouth! Be good now. Tonight, your aunt will have Brother Mingyang bring you something delicious."

Xie Jinghao smiled, took Xiaogang's hand, and led the child home.

The atmosphere in the Lu household was unpleasant and awkward. When Xie Jinghao entered the courtyard, the entire family's gaze fell upon her.

In truth, she was a bit puzzled. It was only mid-afternoon; why were the Zhou family members skipping work again? Weren't they afraid they wouldn't get much grain or meat during the year-end distribution?

Wu Xianglan felt a bit guilty and embarrassed when she looked at her. Normally, she maintained the airs of a sister-in-law, and their relationship wasn't bad, but yesterday, she had upset her to the point of causing a threat to the pregnancy. She had only been greedy for food; she hadn't truly intended to harm Xie Jinghao.

After a moment of hesitation, she forced a stiff smile and said, "Jinghao, you went to the hospital? What did the doctor say? Why did you bring back such a large bag of medicine? Is it serious?"

She was a mother herself; if something actually happened to Xie Jinghao's child because of her, she would suffer from nightmares every night!

Xie Jinghao's eyes blinked for a moment. She pursed her lips and looked at her with a hint of sadness.

"The doctor said the baby is injured. I might need a C-section when it's time to give birth. My body still hurts, so I'm going to my room first."

Wu Xianglan's face turned pale as she watched Xie Jinghao's retreating figure. At that moment, Lu Jiahe let out a cold snort.

"Wu Xianglan, let me tell you, if something happens to my sister-in-law's child and Jiasheng makes a scene, I won't take your side."

Wu Xianglan didn't dare talk back. She turned to glance at Zhou Jiaojiao as if seeking help, but the latter didn't even look at her, acting as if it had nothing to do with her.

Lu Jiahe cursed at Wu Xianglan. He had already taught her a lesson last night. This woman was always embarrassing him. If a woman was disobedient, a beating would suffice, but no matter what, she couldn't be allowed to damage the bond between him and his brothers.

He was feeling very anxious. He had stayed home all day and hadn't worked, meaning he had lost a whole day's worth of work points. By the end of the year, his share of the grain would definitely be much less. He was feeling the pressure.

"Mother, if Eldest Brother wants to split the household, then let him. We already gave her the grain and money last time; just go to her house and tell her. Since we're already eating separately, how is it any different from a formal split? But the private plots cannot go to Shen Meng. That woman is lazy; can she even farm properly?"

Liu Sanjin's heart was bleeding. If they split the household, her family would lose a lot of income. Not only would the gifts from village cadres and county officials during festivals go to the eldest branch, but she wouldn't be able to touch the remittances or goods sent from the military either. From then on, she would only be able to rely on Zhenping's three yuan monthly pension, and life would become very tight. How could she feel at peace with that?

"Mother, Jiaxuan's matter is urgent. The commune official earns seven yuan a month—that's a lucrative position, and many people with connections are eyeing it. There's only one spot for one person. If he doesn't get it this time, who knows how long he'll have to wait. Mother, even if the household splits, Eldest Brother and his wife are still your son and daughter-in-law. If something happens in the family, they won't just abandon us."

Early in the morning, Lu Jiaxuan had been whispering with Liu Sanjin about the importance of this. He was also very nervous; if his mother refused to split the household, his dream of becoming an official would shatter.

"Mother, life is long. We brothers can still show you filial piety."

Seeing the fourth brother and his wife constantly egging his mother on to split the household, Lu Jiahe thought for a moment and then chimed in.

"Mother, it's not easy for Fourth Brother to get such a good opportunity, so just split the household. I'll say it again: the private plots cannot be split off. If you insist on splitting, you must provide some compensation to the second and third branches. You can't let the eldest branch and the fourth branch take all the benefits!"

Lu Jiahe usually didn't care about such things, but for some reason, he seemed extremely agitated today.

Liu Sanjin had already made up her mind to split the household, but she hadn't expected that at this very moment, her second son—who usually only knew how to work—would come to her asking for benefits.

"Second son, what did you say?"

"Mother, don't look at me like that. I'm just the one who does the heavy lifting in the family. I don't have Third Brother's skills, Fourth Brother's education, or Eldest Brother's capability. I just want to work for my work points and have enough to eat. But Mother, in the future, if you live with Eldest Brother or Fourth Brother, won't our branch starve? If you could just let a little slip through the cracks of your fingers—just a little bit—so Xianglan can make new shoes for the children, would that be alright?"

Wu Xianglan's eyes lit up. Her resentment toward Lu Jiahe vanished without a trace. Although this man wasn't particularly attentive, he was calculating and knew how to look out for his wife and children.

After Lu Jiahe made his proposal, the main hall fell silent. The Lu family's money had always been held in Liu Sanjin's hands. Now that the eldest branch was about to be split off, everyone in the family was staring at her purse. How could she not be furious?