Chapter 87: Chapter 86 in the Noise

Siya eyed her family members timidly, letting them question and talk as they pleased, unable to comprehend why the bundle was missing, yet too scared to speak.

“Enough, what’s all this fuss? Isn’t it embarrassing? Since it’s gone, and the candies and snacks are all eaten, what’s the point in causing a commotion?”

As Hongji’s father sat in the courtyard smoking his bamboo pipe, he simply couldn’t bear listening any longer. It was normal for the kids to have eaten the snacks brought by the guests; the most important items were in their room.

“Old man, Mrs. Li brought back a large bundle. Er Niu and San Niu saw it with their own eyes–she brought back good stuff but didn’t confiscate it; it’s really infuriating.”

The thought of the contents of that large bundle likely being very valuable made Mrs. Lai regret not keeping a closer eye on Mrs. Li; such a pity.

As Mrs. Lai thought about the large bundle her heart ached, and her eyes revealed her dissatisfaction and greed.

“Mom, I didn’t even see the large bundle. If it really existed, you see, the room has been turned upside down by you all. If there were anything of value, it would have been found by now, not to mention Mrs. Li’s monthly salary and reward money, along with gifts from the employer, are all with you. Even if Mrs. Li did bring back something, perhaps it was meant for the kids,” Hongji said.

Hongji’s longstanding filial piety grew cold little by little amidst his mother’s ruckus.

“Hongji, isn’t it right to confiscate the money Mrs. Li earned? Don’t food and necessities cost money?” Mrs. Lai, feeling entirely justified, searched the room with a face full of insatiable greed, wanting even more.

“Old woman, since Hongji already said there’s nothing left, just stop talking about it. We haven’t even finished the wooden Bodhisattva commission from today; let’s go work, Hongji,” his father said.

Hongji nodded at his father’s words and pulled his two sisters and mother out of the room.

Ye Shuying clung to her son and was unwilling to leave. Realizing there was truly nothing in her elder brother’s room, she shifted her focus to her mother.

“Mom, you brought back so many gifts; you should share some with your daughter, shouldn’t you? You don’t even share food with your grandson; are you even a grandmother?” she argued.

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The request from her eldest daughter for gifts only intensified Mrs. Lai’s heartache–those gifts were hers, and she desired even more.

“Big Sister, you are already married. Besides, you received a dowry when you got married. We two haven’t gotten anything from Mom; it’s not your turn, you married woman,” Ye Shuzhen refused to let her older sister have a share.

“Yeah, I’m about to get married and need a dowry. Naturally, Mom should give the good stuff to me first. What are you doing causing trouble here, Big Sister? You should be giving me gifts for my wedding,” she added.

Ye Shuzhi had long held a grudge against Ye Shuying, who always seemed to cause trouble for her maternal family.

“Hmph, even if I am a married daughter, I’m still her daughter, and I’m holding her male grandchild. It is expected for her, as a grandmother, to share some gifts,” Ye Shuying retorted while holding her son, unwilling to leave as her sisters continued to assail her.

Mrs. Lai stood at the bedroom door, steadfastly unwilling to distribute any of the gifts she obtained to her eldest and the other two daughters, no matter what the eldest daughter said.

Hongji and his father, working in the thatched shed, heard the incessant quarreling and pushing.

Father and son ignored them, unwilling to be distracted and unable to work properly; there was too much turmoil in the family, and both were becoming intolerant.

Daya, along with a few sisters, came to their father’s side, choosing to act deaf and not interfere in adult affairs.

Ye Shuying continued to argue here, holding her son, but alone she couldn’t overcome her mother and two sisters and ultimately gained nothing from the conflict.

It made her very angry, and as her eyes shifted, she saw her father and elder brother carving the wooden Bodhisattva, another idea crossed her mind.

Others bought the wooden Bodhisattva with money, but her brother and father could carve one or more for her without charge. This would also count as a contribution from her parental home.

“Elder brother, I will come and pick up the wooden Bodhisattva you are carving tonight.”

Shuying had her eyes set on the wooden Bodhisattva carved by Hongji, and this remark stirred Mrs. Lai to scold her daughter.

Hongji and his father stopped their work, and everyone in the courtyard looked at Shuying.

“Shuying, the items your brother and father are making are for sale. Someone has already paid a deposit, how can you just come and take it? Will you pay for it? Even if you pay, you would have to wait in line. Someone has already paid for today’s pieces, so they must be delivered.”

“Shuying, listen to your mother. Our family works for wages. Didn’t you see your second sister’s dowry was made by others?” Hongji’s father was not foolish and had already guessed his eldest daughter’s intentions.

“Mom, I am your daughter, that’s my dad, that’s my elder brother, naturally, I have a share in what they make! Coming to my parental home to take things and still needing to pay for them is indeed a joke.”

Shuying, with an air of entitlement, made everyone at her parental home look at her as if she was delusional.

“Big Sister, you are already married off, water thrown out. Why keep seeking advantages from your parental home? Have you seen me or Second Sister doing that? We can’t even gain such advantages at home. You are far too entitled,” Shuzhen mocked.

“Shuying, you should leave! You don’t usually come home, and we don’t blame you for that, but it’s not right to start problems the moment you do.”

Mrs. Lai now felt that her eldest daughter was here to collect debts, and if she demanded repayments, the daughter would grow to resent her.

“I don’t care; whatever you carve today, I will come to take tonight. If you don’t give them to me, I will just stay and not leave.”

Shuying chose to act shamelessly; she wanted to stay and watch her brother and father work, waiting for them to finish so she could take the items.

“Keep dreaming, and if you continue to cause trouble, I will throw you out.”

Mrs. Lai felt as if her daughter was digging out her heart with her actions, the salable goods being her heart, and her daughter could not just rip it away.

“I am not afraid if you hit me, Mother. If you dare to hit me, I’ll really disown you. Anyway, you must give me the wooden Bodhisattva you make today, since you don’t give me my share of gifts. In the future, any toys father and brother make should also be shared with me because I have no other income to make money from.”

“Pff, if you won’t acknowledge us, all the better. It relieves us from helping you with your matters. It will be like my husband and I never had you as a daughter.”

Mrs. Lai, confronted by a daughter acting shamelessly for a bit of money, was ready to sever their relationship.

“You… well, my dear mother, I will just sit here and see if you actually throw me out.”

Shuying held her son, glaring fiercely at her mother, and then at her father and elder brother, her eyes devoid of familial affection and more like those of an enemy.

“Mom, I want something to eat… wuwu, Grandma, I want something to eat.”

Shuying’s son struggled in her arms, demanding Mrs. Lai’s attention.

Previously, Mrs. Lai had adored this grandson, but now, softened by his struggling, pleading look, she sighed internally, pained at heart, perceiving her daughter as someone here to collect a debt.