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墨書 Inktalez
Xiao Lihua watched as the house was built day by day, her smile growing brighter. In her previous life, she had endured so much hardship and suffering to have a house that truly belonged to her, only to end up with such a conclusion. Now, in this world, not only did she have a house, but she would also live a warm and happy life with her husband and children in it. Such a life was worth more than gold.
Since the builders were from the Village, they only provided food and paid wages. Xie Youshun and Xie Youtai discussed it and decided on the same wage for everyone. Both were straightforward men, and their pay was not low; skilled workers earned thirty wen a day, while those with lesser skills earned twenty-five wen.
Xie Youhe also hired people to help at home, but they only offered twenty-five wen for skilled labor and twenty wen for unskilled labor. At first, the workers at Xie Youhe's house were unaware of this, but when they found out, they became unhappy. Their skills were no worse than those working for Xie Youtai and Xie Youshun, yet they were suddenly earning five wen less, which made them feel resentful.
In the eyes of rural people, five wen was still money; no one wanted to work hard all day for less than others. If they went into town to find work and earned less, that could be understood, but when building a house for brothers from the same village, it felt unfair. So one worker at Xie Youhe's house quit in anger, and soon all the others followed suit.
"Second Brother! Fourth Brother! Look at the good job you’ve done! Now I have to spend even more money unnecessarily! You have money in your hands; how can you not think about me? I don’t earn as much as you do, and now I’m being dragged down by you! Do you think this is fair to me?" Xie Youhe angrily stormed over to Xie Youshun's house.
Xie Youtai and Xie Youshun were talking together when they heard Xie Youhe's accusations and frowned.
Xie Youshun said, "Third Brother, we are willing to pay more to have the Villagers help us. If you don’t want to pay that amount, what does it have to do with us? You didn’t consult us about the wages beforehand; you can’t blame us."
Xie Youhe replied, "How do you know what I discussed with Second Brother? In your heart, I’m just not as good as Second Brother, right? When it comes to making big money, you act like this even over small matters! I took care of you when you were little! Dad always said we should support each other; did you just ignore that?"
"I only remember how you used to steal my food when we were kids and hit me," Xie Youshun looked at Third Brother and said.
Xie Youhe's face turned red; he had indeed done such things when they were younger. However, later on, Xie Youshun suddenly grew taller and stronger than him after seemingly taking some magic pill. He could no longer bully him and didn’t expect Xie Youshun to bring this up now.
Xie Youhe rubbed his hands together and said, "It’s normal for brothers to have these kinds of issues; we still remain close despite any fights or quarrels. But Fourth Brother, you treat Second Brother better than me; you’re helping him get rich without including me. Now that both of you have money in hand while I don’t, you should think about me too."
Xie Youtai frowned and said, "What do you want? We’ve already agreed on the wages; they can’t be reduced."
Xie Youhe said, "Then Second Brother and Fourth Brother, please help me out a bit. Just look at how grand your First Wife is compared to my house; that place has drained my savings dry! My nieces and nephews might not even have enough to eat now. I originally planned to save some money on labor costs for food, but with this fuss from you two, I can’t save anything anymore. Even a little bit from your fingers would be enough for us."
Xie Youtai and Xie Youshun frowned together; they simply did not believe that Xie Youhe had no money. He wouldn't be able to build such a large house if he were broke. Besides, these two were clever enough to survive; no one would starve them.
At that moment, Xiao Lihua walked over and said, "Third Brother, are you so poor that you can't even afford to eat? Then how come I heard that your family’s Shuanzi was boasting about having a big silver ingot at home?"
"He's talking nonsense! You believe a kid's words? That little brat is just bragging! Just wait until I get home; I'll teach him a lesson!" Xie Youhe immediately replied, cursing his son in his heart. He thought it was ridiculous for the boy to say something like that, which ruined his attempt to complain about being poor.
"Third Brother, you can't wrong Shuanzi. They actually took that silver ingot out for others to see; several kids have seen it, and they even bit into it! If you don't believe me, go back and check if there are any bite marks on that silver ingot," Xiao Lihua said with a smile. "Although Shackles can be a bit mischievous, you shouldn't wrong them."
"What did you say? That kid took out the Silver!"
Xie Youhe's expression changed, and he trembled with anger. He thought that the little brat actually dared to steal Silver without fearing the consequences. That was a big ingot worth five taels!
Xie Youtai shouted, "Old Three! How dare you lie to us! If you come crying poor again in the future, we won't believe you! You should know better!"
After saying this, Xie Youtai turned around and left.
Xie Youhe gaped; he realized he had let the truth slip out. Looking at Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua, seeing their cold expressions, he knew it was too late to say anything else. He mumbled a few words and then turned to run. He needed to check on the Silver at home; if it was really missing, he would truly have something to cry about.
Xiao Lihua shook her head and said to Xie Youshun, "Next time he comes asking for money, we can use this against him."
Xie Youshun nodded and said, "One silver ingot; I wonder where Second Brother got it from."
"Maybe he went to see Ruyi? It seems Ruyi is doing quite well. But if she's doing well, why would she give away so much Silver all at once? If she gave it to him, she would have given some to Parents and Big Brother as well. When you have time, let them know about this and see what their reaction is."
Xiao Lihua said to Xie Youshun that she wanted to see Xie Youhe's reaction to know that the matter regarding Silver was very confidential in their family. If everyone in the Xie Family knew about it, then what was there to hide? Unless it was something only they had. Even if Ruyi had some spare money, shouldn't it be given to Parents? Why give it to Xie Youhe and the others? There was only one reason: to have them help with something, or they had done something for Ruyi. Ruyi was now with the Gao Family; what could they help Ruyi with?
Thinking about the Gao Family and Ruyi, Xiao Lihua felt the need to be cautious.
Xie Youshun wasn't foolish either. Hearing his wife say this, he understood a bit more. He nodded, thinking of finding an opportunity to probe Parents and his elder brother.
Xie Youhe ran back home. Their new house was not yet built, so they were still living in the old house. Once inside, he remembered that all the money at home was entrusted to Li Family for safekeeping. She managed it so well that even he wasn't clear about it. He hurriedly ran out again, thinking of checking with Li Family to see if the money was still there.
"Third Brother, why are you in such a hurry?" Fang Family asked as they were in the yard and saw him rushing.
"Nothing, Sister-in-law, you carry on," Xie Youhe replied while walking, running like the wind.
"What are you running around like a headless chicken for? As if Silver is lost," Fang Family muttered, lightly huffing. She felt somewhat uncomfortable because, apart from her, the other three brothers had all moved into new houses that were no worse than the old one. Not only did she live in the old house, but she also had to live with her in-laws and those pesky Auspicious couple who wouldn't leave!
"What did you just say about Silver being lost?"
"Oh my! You scared me!"
Fang Family nearly jumped when she heard Auspicious suddenly speak from behind her. She patted her chest in fright and felt even more irritated with Auspicious, thinking how annoying they were, appearing out of nowhere like a ghost; they would scare her to death one day!
The author has something to say: Here’s a small update of two thousand words to prove I’m still alive. I’ll continue working on Chapter Two, but it will be quite late; check back tomorrow.
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