coobybook Chapter 145 The Ungrateful and Unfilial Son
Chapter 145 The Ungrateful and Unfilial Son
Zheng Xiaoshuang was shocked. She didn't expect that as soon as she returned to her parents' home, her family would ask her to borrow money.
She asked tentatively.
"How much do you want to borrow?"
Seeing that there was a chance of borrowing money, Zheng's mother couldn't stop smiling.
"We've calculated this. If we simply clean up the house, ten taels of silver will be enough. We know it's not easy for you, so just give five taels!"
"What? Five taels? Where can we get that much silver at home?"
Zheng Xiaoshuang almost dropped his jaw in shock.
Although she and her mother-in-law have a stable income, the family was not well off before, and most of the money they earned in the past few months was used to pay off foreign debts.
There are some living expenses at home, so we simply don’t have that much money.
When Zheng's mother heard this, her face darkened.
"I worked so hard to raise you and found you a good husband. Now that your family is rich, you can't even borrow a little money from you. You're such an ungrateful person!"
Zheng Xiaoshuang hurried to explain.
"Mom, it's not like that."
Then, she gave the He family a general account of their situation, but the Zheng family didn't believe it at all.
Brother Zheng said, "Little sister, you and your mother-in-law only earn sixty coins a day, which is nearly two taels of silver a month. You've been working for several months, and you say your family doesn't even have five taels of silver. Who do you think would believe you?"
Mrs. Zheng was not very happy either.
"That's right, little sister. Your family treats you well. You can't be that ungrateful and unfilial son!"
Zheng Xiaoshuang felt disappointed when he saw his family's attitude.
She was telling the truth and didn't lie at all. So why didn't her family believe her and instead suspected that she didn't want to help them?
"Mom, big brother, big sister, we really don't have any money at home. You all know our previous situation. We have made some money now, but it's all used to pay off our previous debts! It's not that I don't want to lend you money, I really don't have any!"
Father Zheng, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke with a frown on his face.
"Alright! Xiaoshuang has only been married for two years and she's not in charge of the household anymore, so don't make things difficult for her."
Although this sentence was apparently meant to help Zheng Xiaoshuang, He Shitou felt very uncomfortable when he heard it.
He stood up and looked at the Zheng family seriously.
"Although Xiaoshuang isn't the head of the household, our whole family loves her and cherishes her. Mother wants to borrow five taels of silver, which is indeed a bit much for our family's current situation, but we should be able to find two taels. Don't worry, we'll go home soon and ask the family to collect the money and then send it to you. Is this okay with you?"
The Zheng family didn't expect that He Shitou, who was always taciturn, would speak.
I thought that if I couldn't get five taels of silver, it would be good to get two taels of silver.
They nominally borrowed money from Zheng Xiaoshuang, but had no intention of paying it back.
The Zheng family has always felt that when Zheng Xiaoshuang married He Shitou, the He family was poor and did not give much in the way of gifts, so they were at a loss by marrying Zheng Xiaoshuang to the He family.
Now that the He family is rich, they will naturally try every possible means to get more money as compensation for the betrothal gift they owed.
As for what Zheng's mother said about repairing the house, it was just an excuse.
Mother Zheng nodded with an embarrassed look on her face, "Since my son-in-law has said so, let's do it!"
Zheng Xiaoshuang didn't expect that He Shitou would agree to contribute the money, and he felt mixed emotions.
"Is this okay?"
He Shitou looked at Zheng Xiaoshuang lovingly, "It's OK, don't worry!"
The Zheng family felt more at ease when they heard He Shitou's promise.
He Shitou is an honest man and he will always do what he says, so they just sit at home and wait for the two taels of silver to arrive.
Mother Zheng put on a smiling face again.
"Look, my daughter, whom I raised with great difficulty, is now married and she only cares about her in-laws. She is not as caring as my good son-in-law! At the critical moment, you still have to rely on my son-in-law!"
He Shitou smiled innocently and said nothing more. The other members of the Zheng family also began to say flattering words to He Shitou.
Zheng Xiaoshuang was unsure.
She didn't want to stay at her parents' house any longer, so she exchanged a few words with her family, got up, took He Shitou's hand and left.
Seeing that the two were about to leave, the Zheng family had no intention of keeping them.
It would be better if they left. If they stayed, the Zheng family would have to prepare lunch for them.
After leaving the Zheng family, Zheng Xiaoshuang said apologetically, "It's all my fault. I've caused trouble for my family again."
He Shitou put his arm around Zheng Xiaoshuang's shoulders and said softly, "What are you talking about? You are my wife, we are a family. Now that your family is in trouble, it is only right for us to help!"
Zheng Xiaoshuang was so moved that his eyes turned red, "Stone..."
He Shitou saw that Zheng Xiaoshuang was about to cry, and quickly spoke out to stop her.
"Just remember that you are my everything and the person I care about the most. Don't think about anything else. No matter what problems we encounter, I will stand by you!"
"Thank you! I'm so lucky to marry you!"
He Shitou put a finger on Zheng Xiaoshuang's lips to stop her from speaking.
"You are wrong. It is my blessing to marry you!"
The two smiled at each other and walked towards Hejia Village together.
After returning home, He Shitou found Aunt Lin and He Dashan and told them that the Zheng family needed two taels of silver.
Aunt Lin and He Dashan looked at each other.
They had just paid off the silver they owed, and now their family really couldn't come up with two taels of silver.
But thinking about the small amount of betrothal gift they received when marrying Zheng Xiaoshuang, they always felt that they owed Zheng Xiaoshuang. Now that the Zheng family was in urgent need of money, they had to help.
Aunt Lin thought for a moment and said, "There's only less than one tael of silver left at home, but it's okay. I'll go borrow some more and I'm sure I can get two taels of silver together."
He Dashan also nodded and began to think about who to borrow money from.
After he had an idea, he stood up.
"For this kind of thing, I'll go borrow it. You guys wait at home, I'll be back soon."
With that, He Dashan left the house.
Zheng Xiaoshuang kept his head down and remained silent, like a child who had made a mistake.
The attentive Aunt Lin saw what Zheng Xiaoshuang was thinking and patted him gently on the shoulder.
"Don't be so depressed, be happy!"
"Mom, it's my fault. I've caused trouble for the family!"
"Hey, that's what I mean. We are a family. What's the problem? Don't feel burdened. When your father borrows money, you can send it to your parents first to avoid delaying their use of the money."
Zheng Xiaoshuang's eyes turned red again, and he was choked up and couldn't speak, so he could only nod vigorously.
Because the He family now has a stable income, it is relatively easy for He Dashan to borrow money from the village. In less than half an hour, He Dashan borrowed the money.
Adding the money at home, it was exactly two taels of silver.
Aunt Lin counted the silver several times and made sure the amount was correct, then put the money into a purse and handed the purse to Zheng Xiaoshuang.
Zheng Xiaoshuang no longer hesitated, took the purse, had lunch at home, and then went to her mother's house.