jdhmnovel Chapter 446: How could her brother become like this?
Chapter 446: How could her brother become like this?
At the beginning of the year, Xie Cuilian received a letter from her hometown saying that her mother was seriously ill and was about to die, so she asked for leave and returned to Xiejia Village to visit her mother.
Xie's mother was lying on the hospital bed, skinny and emaciated, unable to speak clearly, but she still subconsciously distributed the canned food and pastries that Xie Cuilian brought back to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but she was reluctant to eat a single bite herself.
Xie Cuilian felt very uncomfortable at the time, and quietly asked Old Man Xie whether her mother had never eaten the food she had sent back home.
Old man Xie answered truthfully: "Your mother ate, but not much. Life in the countryside is hard and it's hard to buy good food. With several grandchildren and great-grandchildren standing in front of us, how could we eat alone? Everyone gets a little bit, and that's it."
Xie Cuilian saw the helplessness in her father's eyes and asked quietly, "Brother and the others are not nice to you and mom, right?"
Old man Xie smiled bitterly and said, "No, don't think too much. They work hard in the fields every day, so it's normal for them to get angry.
Your mother and I are old and cannot earn work points. We can only do housework and take care of the children at home. Compared with other elderly people in the village, we are already enjoying a good life as we are not hungry.
Your mother won't last for many more days, and my time is coming soon too. Don't send anything home anymore. Your eldest brother and his family can support themselves."
Although Old Man Xie did not specify some words, Xie Cuilian had already guessed them, and she burst into tears of sadness.
How could her brother become like this?
When Old Man Xie saw Xie Cuilian crying, his eavesdropping daughter-in-law was called away by her children, so she consoled her, "Don't cry, it's not good for your three brothers to see it.
The family has become like this because of poverty!
You may not earn much money in the countryside in a year, but a whole family's food, clothing, housing and transportation all require money, especially when your nephews and nieces grow up and are about to start their own families, there will be more places to spend money.
They used to be very filial. For a few years, your mother and I were envied by the villagers. Later, our family was short of money, and they had no other way to make money, so they inevitably felt irritated and their tempers worsened.
Your mother and I are useless. We can't give them a good life like those capable parents. It's normal to be nagged a few times. We don't take it to heart. If you hear other people gossiping, don't believe it. Those are people who want to stir up trouble in our family and say it deliberately for you to hear. "
Xie Cuilian: "It's already this late, and you're still speaking for them."
Old Man Xie: "I didn't help them. Dad said the truth. They were my children. No matter what they become, it's my fault. I didn't teach them well. I have no reason to blame them.
You are a married woman, you have done enough for the family over the years, live your own life in the future, don't worry about us, everything is determined by fate, let your elder brother and the others fight for it."
As the child grows up, his heart becomes crueler.
The food and money that his daughter had sent back in recent years were all taken away by his three sons and daughters-in-law under various names. Old man Xie didn't think it was a big deal, after all, the food went into the stomachs of his family and the money stayed in the family, so it didn't benefit outsiders.
But they shouldn't shirk responsibility and refuse to pay for their spouse's illness when they are sick, saying that it is a minor illness and there is no need to go to the hospital and that they can be fine after resting at home for a few days.
He also talked about how difficult the family was and that money should not be spent on things that were not right, and that this led to his wife becoming what she is today.
Old Man Xie never thought that his three sons would become like this.
He also regretted not keeping some money for himself. He believed his sons and daughters-in-law who would take care of him in his old age and gave away all his savings.
Now that they have turned into jackals, don't blame me for cutting off their retreat...
Xie Cuilian felt sorry for her parents and wanted to take her mother to the city for medical treatment, but was stopped by Old Man Xie.
Old Man Xie: "Your mother was coughing up blood a few days ago. We asked the doctor from the brigade clinic to see her, but he said she couldn't be cured, so we shouldn't bring her to the city.
If your mother goes to the city, your brother and sister-in-law will also make a fuss about going there, and you will all be in trouble. Just let her rest at home for a few days. Your mother and I know how filial you are, and we won't blame you."
After hearing this, Xie Cuilian felt even more upset.
After Old Man Xie comforted her again, she felt better.
The three brothers of the Xie family and their wives took turns to persuade Xie Cuilian, hoping that she would bring Xie's mother to the city for treatment.
Xie Cuilian was informed by Old Man Xie in advance and did not agree.
Xie Jinhai and others accused Xie Cuilin of being unfilial and said that if outsiders knew about this, her reputation would be ruined.
Xie Cuilian looked at her brother who was becoming more and more unfamiliar to her, and said coldly: "My parents have three sons, when did filial piety fall on their daughter who has been married for more than 20 years?
If you don't know how much food, daily necessities and money I have sent home over the years, I have kept a record. As long as I take out the account book, I don't think anyone would accuse me of being unfilial.
But you, how do you show your filial piety by staying by your parents' side?
The things and money I sent back home were for my parents, not for you. Do you need me to tell you how much you have embezzled?
If you hadn't treated my parents so harshly, would my mother have become so ill?"
The Xie brothers blushed and kept their heads down in silence.
The eldest and second sisters-in-law of the Xie family hurried out to smooth things over, saying that they did not treat Xie's father and mother harshly, but that the old people themselves were reluctant to eat and drink, and did not want to go to the hospital for treatment because they were afraid of wasting money.
Xie Cuilian didn't want to argue with them, so she went to Xie's mother's room, wiped her body, and washed the clothes and bedding that smelled bad and hadn't been washed for a long time...
On the third day after Xie Cuilian returned to Xiejia Village, her mother passed away.
After attending the funeral, she returned to the city.
Before leaving, the eldest and second sisters-in-law of the Xie family held her and kept talking about how difficult life was at home. They hoped that she would have a chance to help her brothers and preferably find jobs for her nephews.
Xie Cuilian said that her own children did not have jobs, so how could she afford to find jobs for others?
After Zhou Xiao graduated from high school, Zhou Jiahua used his connections to get her a job in the steel plant's information room.
Zhou Qinghao is about to graduate from high school, but he still hasn't found a job.
If she can't get him a backdoor, Xie Cuilian plans to apply for early retirement in two years and give her job to Zhou Qinghao to prevent him from going to the countryside and changing his urban household registration to a rural one.
Xie Cuilian couldn't even take care of her own children, so how could she have the time to take care of other people's children?
Besides, those people are not worthy of her help.
After Xie Cuilian returned to the city, she no longer sent anything back home.
Xie Jinhai and others sent her letters asking the reason, but she did not reply.
It was not until July when Xie Cuilian received the news that Old Man Xie had passed away that she returned to Xiejia Village.
During the coffining, Xie Cuilian discovered a scar on her father's forehead. She asked Xie Jinhai and others who did it.
Xie Jinhai and his friends did not dare to tell Xie Cuilian that they had a dispute over money and accidentally pushed old man Xie who came to mediate, causing him to fall.
Several people told Xie Cuilian the story they had discussed in advance, saying that old man Xie got up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet and accidentally slipped and fell.
Xie Cuilian didn't believe what they said and wanted to find evidence from her neighbors. Everyone said they didn't know how Old Man Xie was injured. They only heard that he fell and then had a stroke, and died within two days.
Xie Cuilian couldn't find any evidence and had no way to ask the police to arrest anyone. After attending Old Man Xie's funeral, she returned to the city in anger.
From then on, she completely severed her relationship with her brothers. When Zhou Qinghong got married, he naturally did not inform them...