Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 592 - 582 Have a Good Talk (Part Two)

"Just because he has a salary, does he deserve to die, does having a salary mean you can treat him so unfairly, Dad? Hongjun is also your son, yet when you divided the property, just because your son earned money, you made him leave with nothing. Do you think that’s a reason?" Shen Yunfang looked at Old Li and asked.

"Dad, do you still remember the surprised look on the village chief’s face when he found out how our family was divided? Anyway, I still remember it very clearly. People were laughing at you, laughing at our Li Family," Yunfang didn’t hold back at all.

Old Li’s face burned with shame, but he couldn’t utter a word in defense. Deep down he knew that the way he divided the property was unfair, but at that time, he thought that since his second son was well off, he wouldn’t starve even if he received less. If his eldest and youngest sons got more, they would have less financial pressure in the future. He did have the heart of a kind father, but that heart was certainly biased and he hadn’t considered whether this would hurt his second son’s feelings.

"And another thing, even if my husband and I left with nothing when the property was divided, in the end, we were still asked to contribute a hundred yuan a year for elderly support. Dad, let me ask you, during all the years you worked in the production team, did you save a hundred yuan in a year for the family? Let’s not talk about other places, now let’s go back to Taoshu Village and ask around, see which family expects their son to pay a hundred yuan a year for elderly support? Dad, you are the first one to do this," Yunfang’s words were openly mocking Old Li. To put it unpleasantly, this old man was living off his own son’s blood.

"The second brother earns more..." Li Hongxing, seeing that his father couldn’t say a word, was also anxious and blurted out this excuse.

"Yes, your second brother earns more, but have you considered how much he spends in a month? Hongjun, in the army, was making just over forty yuan a month. You might think that he earns over forty yuan a month, so if he saves for three months, that should be enough. But have you thought about it, can we survive without eating or drinking? He also has a wife to support, children to raise. It’s different outside than back home, where everything costs money. Hongjun trains every day, and the ration he gets is never enough, so what should he do? He has to buy expensive grains in the city with money. At the end of the month, if Li Hongjun can save even ten yuan from his salary, that’s considered good," Yunfang wasn’t telling lies; she was simply describing the situation of an ordinary family. If she couldn’t earn money, their family would be in this exact situation.

Li Hongxing looked at his younger brother, visibly moved, not realizing how tough his days had been, "Second brother, why didn’t you talk about this when you came home?"

"What’s the use of talking about it when I go back? How many of you can put yourself in our shoes and consider our difficulties? Let’s not talk about this anymore. Now that I’m married to Li Hongjun, I’ve accepted my fate. Hongjun’s salary will support the Li Family, and I’ll take care of our own little family," Yunfang said with great grievance.

"It’s not... not that bad, not like that," Li Hongxing didn’t know what else to say.

Yunfang ignored him and continued to speak to Old Li, "Dad, our Hongjun is a filial son. Over the years, even when we were in difficulty, we never failed to pay the annual elderly support on time, right?" freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Old Li nodded with difficulty.

Yunfang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "It’s good that you admit that, Dad. Over the years, even if we suffered, we never dared to neglect our filial duties. But Dad, people should know to be content, right? Money doesn’t grow on trees for anyone. How can you make your second son bear it all?"

Old Man Li wanted to say he hadn’t done anything, but he couldn’t speak.

"To put it bluntly, when the Li Family three sons divided the family property, who should give how much to the parents was already decided. Even if it was unfair, it was unfair to my family, and for Eldest Brother and Li Hongqi, they had already taken advantage of it. Despite that, my mother and Li Hongqi were still dissatisfied. After the family was divided, why did they still keep meddling and asking for money?" Shen Yunfang’s voice turned cold and hard as she went on about her grievances, "It was agreed that my family would provide for the elder care expenses, and Dad and Mom would be taken care of by Li Hongqi. Hongjun has been in the military for so many years, sending quite a bit of money home every month, and I didn’t get a cent of that money when we divided the family assets. I didn’t want it either; I considered it as savings for Li Hongqi’s future marriage. But why did Li Hongqi say he had no money to buy a house when he got married? Where did all the money Hongjun sent home over the years go?"

Old Man Li was at a loss for words. Where did the money go? It all went to the youngest, of course. When they had him attend university, they took out two hundred dollars. After several years of studying, every time he came back, he asked for money. Finally, upon graduating and being assigned to work in the county, he complained about the inconvenience of not having a bicycle, so Granny bought him a brand-new one. After that, every month his own salary wasn’t enough, and Granny would subsidize him more or less. That’s how the family’s money was gradually gone.

How could Shen Yunfang not know where the money had gone? It must have been all tricked away by Qiu Shuping’s biased behavior.

"The money Hongjun gave to you, Dad and Mom, was yours to spend, and we, as your children, can’t control how you spend it. But the Li Family’s three brothers have already separated; we are three separate families now. Li Hongqi, a man in his twenties, with parents still healthy and alive, how could he reach his hands out for money to marry and buy a house from his brother and sister-in-law? I remember when we divided the family assets, didn’t you, Dad, and Mom, assign two rooms just for Li Hongqi? Aren’t two rooms enough for the couple to live in? And when they ask us for money, they immediately demand three hundred dollars. They really have the nerve to ask," Shen Yunfang said accusingly.

This time, Old Man Li and Li Hongxing were silent, shamed by their daughter-in-law’s words.

"Let me also talk about what they did when they came to the Capital this time," Shen Yunfang finished talking about the past; now it was time to discuss the present. She rattled off everything about how she was beaten up, slandered, and how they made a ruckus on her campus.

"Not only did they beat me, but they also accused me of fooling around with someone else. I really don’t know how I’m supposed to be a Li Family daughter-in-law. Should I be honest and live my life quietly, or should I actually have an affair outside and satisfy you?" Shen Yunfang turned to look at her own husband Li Hongjun as she spoke these words. It was also a question for him; being a Li daughter-in-law was tough. Even living a decent life and keeping to herself, the mother-in-law was not satisfied. She seemed eager to push her into infidelity.

"Your mother didn’t mean it," Old Man Li could only offer such a meaningless explanation.

"I’m not concerned right now whether Mom meant it or not, I just want to ask you, Dad, should I, as his sister-in-law, give money to Li Hongqi for his big mouth asking for a house? Now they’ve all been arrested for fraud, is it my problem as a daughter-in-law?" Shen Yunfang asked gently.

Before 7:30, Old Man Li and Li Hongxing had been shamed by Shen Yunfang’s words and found an excuse to leave. But before leaving, Old Man Li couldn’t help but tell Li Hongjun, "Hongjun, no matter what, that’s your mother, that’s your brother. If you can, you should help them out. If your brother really gets convicted, his job is done for, and it wasn’t easy for our family to raise him all these years."

After everyone had left, Shen Yunfang snorted, "Your father and your mother really are a pair, their favoritism extends to the skies."