EBE Chapter 7 Separating the Family On the Spot
Chapter 7 Separating the Family On the Spot
As she spoke, Li got up, rolled up her sleeves, and rushed to Cheng Ruoan.
"Cheng family! What exactly are you up to?!"
Li was a typical woman from Southwest China. She was not tall, but she was not thin. The Si family was doing well, and after giving birth, she became even more plump and radiant, looking like a cannonball as she rushed over.
Si Shaoheng had already helped Cheng Ruoan to the other side of the courtyard.
That was a side room opposite the kitchen, which was originally the storeroom where the old Si family stored grain and other items.
Because there was still a half-person-high wall that hadn't collapsed, Si Shaoheng used it as a makeshift shelter for the two children.
The original idea was to keep this place away from the Zhao family so that Cheng Ruo'an would be spared from being nagged by them.
But unexpectedly, when Li returned, she still wanted to drag Cheng Ruoan to the center of the war.
As the shells approached, Si Shaoheng immediately stood up.
"Second sister-in-law, what do you want to do?"
His eyes held a warning.
Li was stunned and could only turn around and call out to her husband, "I... Si Erlang! Say something!"
She was afraid of Si Sanlang before.
This was her mother-in-law's lifeline, and this younger brother-in-law was a scholar; he always looked at them, these people begging for food in the fields, with a hint of contempt in his eyes.
"Third brother, what are you doing? Let the women in the family talk about their own affairs. Why are you, a grown man, getting in the middle?" Si Erlang walked over with a smile and placed his youngest son next to Si Xin and Si Nian.
"My eldest brother and fourth brother said you're going to lead us to escape. Come and tell me the specifics."
Si Erlang reached out to pull Si Shaoheng, but couldn't budge him.
Si Shaoheng brushed his hand away, his face expressionless: "Second sister-in-law wants to talk about the power to manage the household. This was my decision to have Mother give it to Ruo'an, so it's not just a matter between women."
"Alright then, you all go ahead and say it." Si Erlang was still smiling.
But Cheng Ruoan knew that her second brother-in-law was already angry with Si Shaoheng.
Si Erlang looked similar to him, with a pointed chin and phoenix eyes. He was very stingy and always greeted people with a smile but stabbed them in the back.
Of the original owner's husband's three brothers, only this Si Erlang was shameless enough to cheat her, a mere woman.
Cheng Ruoan didn't want Si Shaoheng to clash with his second brother, so he limped to his feet and blocked Si Shaoheng behind him.
"Go and call back your eldest brother and sister-in-law, as well as your fourth brother and sister-in-law."
Si Shaoheng: "Okay. Don't let anyone bully you."
His gaze swept over Erlang and Li Shi.
"Don't worry." Cheng Ruoan glared at the second couple and then called out to Zhao Shi, "Mother, come over here and let's check the accounts. The whole family will be here soon, and we'll clear things up."
Zhao snorted coldly, but still walked over while clutching the purse at her waist.
Soon, Si Shaoheng called for the return of the first and fourth wives.
This was the first time Cheng Ruoan had seen the Si family so neatly arranged. Including her, there were a total of eighteen people. The oldest was Zhao Shi, who was forty-six years old this year, and the youngest was Si Niu from the fourth son's family, who was only two years old.
The eldest son's family consisted of six people. Si Dalang and his wife, Xia, had many children, two sons and two daughters.
The second wife's family consisted of four people, including Si Erlang and Li Shi, who had two sons.
The third wife, Si Shaoheng, and Cheng Ruoan have a son and a daughter, making a total of four people.
Sifang Silang and Linshi have been married for less than two years and now have only one daughter.
The adults sat around in the center of the courtyard, while the older children went to rummage through the ruins, and the younger ones were held in their mothers' arms.
"The escape route and schedule are as I just explained. If you have any further questions, ask me after I've explained the situation to you."
After Si Shaoheng finished speaking, he gave Zhao a look and then sat back down next to Cheng Ruoan.
With Si Shaoheng present, Zhao Shi, though annoyed, didn't say much.
In front of the whole family, she turned the money bag upside down, and the silver ingots and loose silver coins inside fell onto the muddy ground without making a sound.
"This is all the silver we have in the house, twenty-seven taels. After that, the third wife, Cheng, will be in charge of the household, so I'll hand the money over to her. From now on, don't you dare yell 'Mother, money!' at me the moment you open your mouth!"
Si Dalang nodded seriously, indicating that he agreed with Zhao's words.
His wife, Xia, was furious to see her husband like this, but she didn't show it on her face. She just held Si Daya's hand even tighter.
"Mother, here."
Three-year-old Si Daya stared longingly at Xia Shi.
Xia smiled, but her eyes held a fierce warning.
Si Daya: ...
I dared not speak, and trembled with fear.
Si Silang and Lin Shi exchanged a glance, said nothing, and played with Si Niu, which could be considered as tacit agreement.
Only the two women from the second wife's family changed their expressions. Si Erlang nudged Li Shi with his elbow, and Li Shi jumped up.
"Twenty-seven taels?! How could there only be twenty-seven taels! Mother, this Zhonggong silver is not right!"
A few days ago, when she and Erlang went to borrow money from their mother-in-law, they found that their mother-in-law still had two silver notes!
The smallest denomination silver note issued in the Great Xia Dynasty was fifty taels.
It's only been a few days, and Zhonggong only has twenty-seven taels left?
Zhao glared at her: "The autumn harvest didn't come through, so how can the family have any extra income?"
"The eldest son of the first branch of the family, Da Hu, fell ill, and his medical treatment cost five taels of silver. Your second son, Er Hai, is about to begin his studies, and he's paid eight taels for a year's tuition. The roofs of the main room and the fourth son's room are leaking, and the bricks and tiles that were just repaired cost six taels and seven mace. Isn't all of that silver?"
After saying that, she suddenly realized, "Wait a minute, second son's wife, are you implying that I've hidden Zhonggong's silver?"
“I didn’t…” Li Shi met her mother-in-law’s gaze and immediately wilted. “But didn’t we have two silver notes before?”
Zhao clenched her fists and gritted her teeth: "That's my dowry money!"
"Pfft!" Cheng Ruoan couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at, Cheng!" Li vented her anger on Cheng Ruoan, but would Cheng Ruoan tolerate her?
Cheng Ruoan chuckled: "I just think you're really funny, Second Sister-in-law. It's one thing to keep an eye on your sister-in-law's dowry, but now that everyone's in trouble, you're even eyeing your mother-in-law's dowry."
My mother-in-law insists on giving me the power to manage the household, but you always make it sound like I stole it from her.
I don't know what label you're going to give for this kind of behavior.
Li was both angry and surprised.
When her sister-in-law told her that Cheng Ruoan had survived a brush with death, she didn't quite believe it. But now, after being rebuked and left speechless, she realized that her sister-in-law was being conservative.
Has the Cheng family finally established themselves?
She's practically possessed by a war god; if someone glares at her, they'll be chased and yelled at for miles!
Si Erlang pulled Li Shi, who was red-faced and furious with anger, and quickly changed the subject to the main point.
"Alright, regardless of whether you're old, tired, or don't want to run the household anymore, your eldest brother and sister-in-law are still alive. The power to manage the household should not fall into the hands of your third brother's wife."
The eldest son's wife and the fourth son's wife exchanged glances.
That makes sense.
But what can I do when my mother favors her third son?
Riding the wave of his advantage, Si Erlang continued, "Furthermore, the idea of fleeing is only Sanlang's perspective. Shouldn't we ask the opinions of the rest of us?"
Si Shaoheng knew exactly what he was thinking and asked calmly, "So, what does Second Brother mean?"
“My third sister-in-law’s position in this household is neither legitimate nor proper, and neither your second sister-in-law nor I want to leave.”
Cheng Ruoan laughed in exasperation: "Second brother, why don't you just say you want to split up the family right here and now? Why all this nonsense?"