Chapter 164 - 156: The Second Branch Wants to Separate the Family
Chapter 164: Chapter 156: The Second Branch Wants to Separate the Family
Old Mrs. Bai shot Bai Erzhu a cold, sideways glance and snapped, "Siding with an outsider, are you? An ungrateful wolf who bites the hand that feeds it."
Ms. Zhang knew her mother-in-law was cursing her, and her own temper flared. "I suppose you’re right, Mother-in-law. After all, my surname is Zhang, not Bai. You consider yourselves the ’insiders,’ and I’m just an ’outsider.’ Since that’s the case, I have even less reason to borrow rice and oil from my brother to support all of you, only to be branded an ungrateful wolf for my trouble." ’Hmph—I’m not Zhao Lan. I won’t just let you walk all over me without fighting back.’
"Rebelling! You’re rebelling! You’re getting more and more outrageous! Do you have no respect for me, your mother-in-law?" Old Mrs. Bai shrieked, her triangular eyes glaring viciously at Ms. Zhang.
Ms. Zhang glared right back at her. "If my mother-in-law had any respect for me as her daughter-in-law, then her daughter-in-law would naturally have respect for her."
What was the difference between her saying that and saying nothing at all?
The normally timid Bai Fugui pushed his way to the front and faced Old Mrs. Bai. "Grandma, please stop picking on my mother. Ever since she came back, she’s been busy from morning till night, spinning like a top. She does all the housework by herself, with no one to even lend a hand. It’s only been three days, and she’s already grown thin from exhaustion. Can’t you spare a little sympathy for her?"
Ms. Zhang’s eyes reddened, and she was deeply moved. Not only had her husband—who was usually so obedient to his mother—sided with her today, but even her timid son had spoken out in her defense. She felt that her suffering these past few days had not been in vain.
Old Mrs. Bai jabbed her finger at the second branch of the family, her lips trembling with rage. "Fine, just fine! All of you! Ganging up to provoke me, is that it? Are you trying to anger me to death so you can take over this family?"
Ms. Zhang scoffed. "Who even wants to be in charge of this family? If I’m going to be in charge of a household, it will be my own."
Bai Erzhu understood what Ms. Zhang was implying. He’d been doing a lot of thinking himself these past few days. ’My wife is right,’ he thought. ’Mother dotes on the first branch of the family. She can’t bear to see them work, and she saves all the best food and resources for them. Especially Bai Xiaofeng—who knows how much money is spent on him every year, all from the family’s shared account. It’s anyone’s guess if he’ll ever become a high official, and even if he does, with a selfish and cruel personality like his, our second branch will never get to share in his glory.’
He made up his mind. Seizing the opportunity presented by his wife’s words, he said, "Mother, since you hold our second branch in such low regard, why don’t we just split the family? We can each live our own lives, mind our own business, and finally have some peace and quiet."
The moment Liu heard this, she panicked. She hurriedly grabbed Old Mrs. Bai’s sleeve and shook her head emphatically.
’Bai Erzhu wasn’t Zhao Lan. Zhao Lan was a widow, so forcing her to leave with nothing when the family was divided could be justified. But Bai Erzhu and Dazhu were brothers, born of the same mother. If they really split the family, setting aside the house and furniture, the land itself would have to be divided equally. If that happened, the family’s income would be instantly cut in half! What would happen to Xiao Feng’s education? What about arranging a marriage for Da Bao?’
How could Old Mrs. Bai not understand the look in Liu’s eyes? She knew exactly what Liu was worried about—because it was the very same thing that worried her.
She let out a heavy snort and roared, "I’m not dead yet! You want to split the family? You’ll just have to wait. We can talk about it after I’m dead."
Seeing there was no hope of getting rice and grain out of Ms. Zhang, Old Mrs. Bai turned to Liu. "Go to your parents’ home and borrow a bushel of rice to tide us over. We’ll pay them back after the harvest."