Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 11917

Since all her in-laws had come, she, as the mother-in-law, felt she had to be generous and couldn't keep her daughters-in-law doing housework at home.

So all the work of washing pots and pans fell on her shoulders, and she was exhausted!

"Everyone says it's good to have a son, but I think it's useless. Getting married costs money, like building a house and paying a dowry. After the wedding, you have to help entertain your in-laws and be their slave for life!"

Si Xi's mother muttered for a while, then noticed that Si Xi's father had his back to her the whole time, busy squatting there smoking.

Sixi's mother was furious. She slammed her chopsticks into the water, turned around, and said angrily, "Father, say something! When will this ever end? You promised that if I had many sons and many wives, I, as the mother-in-law, could enjoy a peaceful life. Where is my peace of mind?"

Si Xi's father didn't take Si Xi's mother's complaints seriously, because housework was a woman's job.

Either the mother-in-law or the daughter-in-law takes the role; no matter how it's rotated, it's never his turn.

"Why are you complaining so much? Of course, there are many advantages to having a son. Don't you see how hard it is for our family to do heavy work during the busy farming season? Several grown men are working like harvesters!"

"Look at the way we're cutting firewood. Our family has gathered more firewood than everyone else. And look at the nonsense you're spouting in the village. Who dares to stand up to you?"

"Isn't it all because we have four sons? With four sons by our side, when we go out, lined up in a row, who would dare to bully us?"

"Hmph, I used to believe what you said, but I don't believe it anymore!" Sixi's mother snorted coldly, directly contradicting her.

"Four sons, and we still got bullied by the Yang family, didn't we? Did we give in?"

"Hey, you damned woman, what nonsense are you spouting?" Sixi's father jumped up from the ground like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and swung his pipe to hit the woman on the head.

Si Xi's mother was so frightened that she covered her head and backed away, pressing her body against the stove, not daring to speak.

In the end, instead of landing on Sixi's mother's head, Sixi's father's pipe slammed heavily onto the stove behind her.

He warned Sixi's mother with a look of annoyance, "If you don't want to bring us any more trouble, shut your mouth and don't mention the past again!"

"If you don't want to mention it, then don't! This whole 'don't talk about it' thing is terrifying!"

"Sigh, instead of wasting time gossiping and complaining, we should be thinking about Sixi's wedding!" Sixi's father turned around and sighed heavily.

Sixi's mother also straightened up, rubbing her back, "What's there to think about? Didn't you father and sons already discuss it? These past few days you've been working on cleaning up the two old houses your parents left behind. Aren't you going to build a new house after the New Year?"

When the topic of building a new house came up, Sixi's mother's tone was filled with displeasure.

Because half of the foundation for those two new houses belonged to the eldest brother's family, since the old folks had clearly stated that the foundation was reserved for the two brothers.

However, both brothers chose other places to start their own businesses. After the old couple passed away, the old house remained empty and abandoned. Neither of them could go back to live there, since they each had their own houses.

The old house had been abandoned for over ten years, with half of the walls collapsed, yet no one stepped forward to suggest repairs. But when the family wanted to use the foundation to build a house for Sixi, well, the eldest brother's family all suddenly spoke up.

The eldest son's family owned half of the foundation of the old house. With no other option, Sixi's family had to exchange a piece of fertile land with his uncle's family to obtain the right to use that land.

"Besides building the house, there's a whole host of other things to do." Sixi's father's voice interrupted Sixi's mother's thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Sixi's mother asked instinctively.

Sixi's father said, "The New Year is just a month or so away, so we need to prepare New Year's gifts for our four daughters-in-law, right?"

"Also, the wedding is in the second month of the lunar calendar after the New Year, so we need to prepare the bride price, right?"

The bride price was based on the current standards of the surrounding villages and the wedding arrangements of the previous three sons, with a minimum of 4 taels of silver.

They might even need to prepare 6 taels of silver, because the fourth daughter-in-law's family is the Yang family. If the bride price is too low, it won't look good, and the villagers will gossip behind their backs, saying that their family is marrying above their station.

Actually, their family didn't really care about marrying up, but they had no choice. Old Yang's family used all sorts of tricks to force their daughter into marrying their son.

But their son, unfortunately, was a disappointment. He didn't share the same mindset as his parents and insisted on marrying her no matter what.

"Hey, thinking about it now, what you said earlier wasn't entirely unreasonable!" Sixi's father suddenly lost his confidence because of the heavy expenses.

"Having a son is rarely useful; most of the time, it's just a damn waste of money!"

The couple was feeling frustrated, wondering where to find the money for the bride price. Just as they were trying to scrape together the money, someone arrived at the gate of their courtyard.

"Father Sixi, Mother Sixi, are you inside?"

Upon hearing this, the two people in the kitchen exclaimed, "Isn't this the matchmaker?"

What brings you here at this hour? Are you perhaps asking for more betrothal gifts or making other demands?

The thought of the grand displays of the Yang and Luo families sent a chill down Sixi's spine.

But he still managed a smile and greeted him in the courtyard, "Brother, what brings your esteemed feet to my house?"

The matchmaker smiled and waved her hand, "It's not about the price. I'm just here to pass on a message to your in-laws."

Geek!

Sixi's parents exchanged a knowing glance. Just what they feared had come to pass; sure enough, something had happened again at the Yang family's place!

"Brother, please come inside and sit down to talk."

Suppressing his anxiety and displeasure, Sixi's father beckoned the matchmaker to the main room, while simultaneously signaling to Sixi's mother with his eyes that she shouldn't worry and should quickly go and make tea to entertain the guests.

Inside the main room, just as the matchmaker sat down, Sixi's father handed over his pipe and tobacco pouch.

Si Xi's mother, who was standing nearby, also brewed some tea and placed it on the table, asking with a smile, "What are your instructions, in-laws?"

The matchmaker took a puff of her cigarette, exhaled a smoke ring, and said, "It's not really about giving orders. We're all in-laws, so we can discuss things together."

"Both things are good things."

"Oh?" Si Xi's father and mother both raised their eyebrows. What kind of good news is this?

"Brother, please tell us one by one, we're listening!"

"Very good, very good." The matchmaker nodded. "The first good thing is that your in-laws said that it wasn't easy for you to raise the children. Now that they're grown up and have their own families, your mission is complete. Now it's time to enjoy life and let them support you! You shouldn't be working like slaves for them anymore!"

Before the matchmaker could even finish those opening words, Sixi's mother's eyes welled up with tears. "At least she's said something sensible..." she muttered softly.

These past two days, all the relatives have come to visit, and the daughters-in-law have taken the opportunity to slack off. She can't say anything in front of the daughters-in-law's families, so she's been particularly tired these past few days, taking care of the food, drink, and daily needs of dozens of people all by herself, with no one to help her share the burden.

Once Sixi got married, her mission was truly accomplished, but would she really be able to enjoy a life of leisure afterward?
Not necessarily!

After the fourth daughter-in-law entered the house, wouldn't she have to wash an extra pair of dishes and chopsticks?
“Your in-laws said they hope that once Xiu Hong enters the family, you can separate Si Xi and Xiu Hong and let them live separately, so they can start their own household and not eat from the same pot as you. That way, you can have an easier time.”

"What? Separate the family? They're already trying to get us to separate before we've even entered the house?" Si Xi's mother hadn't even processed her feelings when she heard the matchmaker's words and immediately flew into a rage.

"Was this Yang Yongjin's idea or Cao Bamei's? Who do they think they are?" Sixi Niang shouted angrily, her anger beyond words.

Although washing dishes and cleaning pots for her son, daughter-in-law, grandchildren, and other relatives is a very tiring task for her!
But no matter how hard or tiring it was, she was still doing things for her children and grandchildren, and she had a lively and bustling family.

Why should she be bossing them around and telling them to separate the family property before she's even married into the family?

"You tiger woman, why are you yelling so loudly? Let the matchmaker finish speaking first!" Si Xi's father, being a man, didn't lose his temper like a woman.

"What else is there to say? They're already urging us to split up the family!" Sixi's mother slapped her thigh and continued to wail, "Even if I suffer to death, I don't want to split up the family! We've worked so hard to raise these brats, and now we're just going to be left out and neglected?"

Si Xi Niang's way of thinking is probably the common mindset of the older generation in the surrounding villages.

Although he complains every day, saying this person is annoying and that person is lazy, and that the whole family is like this and that.

But when it really came time to separate the family, the feelings of resistance and loss were indescribable.

Old Yang and Tan were the best example back then; when they were together, they were always finding fault with everyone in each household.

Once the family has actually separated and the children are no longer in your way, well, it feels lonely again, and you'll often find yourself reminiscing about when the children were little...

So even though Sixi's father scolded her, she was still indignant and condemned Yang Yongjin and Cao Bamei for meddling!

This made the matchmaker a little embarrassed. She sat there smoking, not saying a word, waiting for Sixi's mother to vent her emotions before continuing.

Sixi's father walked over and shoved Sixi's mother's shoulder, making her stumble: "Everything can be discussed. The in-laws must have their reasons for saying this. Don't yell and scream. Let the matchmaker finish speaking!"

“Matchmaker, please continue. What else did my father-in-law and the others say?” Sixi’s father sat back down and continued to ask.

The matchmaker put down her pipe, no longer looking at Sixi's mother who was standing at the door gritting her teeth, but staring only at Sixi's father in front of her, and said: "Your in-laws said that dividing the family property is not about leaving you lonely and losing your son and daughter-in-law."

"Separating the family is partly to lighten your burden, and partly to give the younger generation a good opportunity to become independent, grow, and develop!"

"Otherwise, they'll always live under their parents' wings, lacking any sense of responsibility."

Si Xi's father smiled ingratiatingly, agreeing with what she said, but he did not approve of the idea of ​​separating the family after marriage.

"Furthermore, even if the family separates, Sisi and Xiuhong will not be shortchanged on the filial piety and support money owed to you two!" the matchmaker added.

"How much will you give me?" Sixi's mother suddenly asked sarcastically, though she was just asking casually.

However, the matchmaker said, "According to the number of people, regardless of how much the other brothers give, the fourth branch of the family will give each of you 100 catties of rice, 50 catties of flour, and two sets of clothes for each season every year. There will also be gifts and red envelopes as a sign of respect during festivals!"

Oh my? So many?

Sixi's mother stopped making a fuss, tilted her head, and started counting on her fingers.

If they were to receive this ration, she and Sixi's father would only need to grow some vegetables and raise a few chickens, ducks, and geese, and they could truly enjoy a life of leisure.

However, the other brats probably can't give that much!

But it doesn't matter. If the fourth branch of the family can give this much, and the other branches give half, she and Sixi's father can live a leisurely life in their later years!

"If that's really the case, then they've really been very kind to us." Si Xi's father also considered it in his mind and was quite satisfied with the result of the family division.

"However, some of the other sons might not agree to a division of the family property, so this matter of dividing the family property might not be resolved in a short time," Sixi's father said to the matchmaker.

The matchmaker said, "Your father-in-law said he didn't ask the other brothers to divide the family property; he just wants you to separate the fourth branch of the family!"

"what?"

"What?"

Sisi's parents were dumbfounded. They looked at each other, unable to react.

"Ha, I get it!" Sixi's mother suddenly chuckled strangely. "To put it bluntly, they're afraid that our whole family will try to divide up their daughter's dowry, so they're in a hurry to tell us to split up the family!"

Si Xi's father also fell silent, because Yang Yongjin's side only asked them to separate Si Xi out separately, wasn't that what they meant?

But Si Xi's father didn't show his displeasure like Si Xi's mother did, because he felt guilty.

The reason their family is now putting all their effort into building a wedding house for Sixi, and is even going so far as to beg and plead with relatives to borrow money for the bride price...

To put it bluntly, on the one hand, they were afraid of the power and methods of the Yang family, and had no choice but to do as they were told.

On the other hand, he was also determined to wait until Xiu Hong got married, then he would plead poverty with her and coax her into giving her dowry to fill the family's financial hole...

“Brother matchmaker, go back and tell my father-in-law to put his mind at ease. No matter how poor we are, we would never stoop to taking our daughter-in-law’s dowry!” said Sixi’s father.

The matchmaker smiled and shook her head: "No rush, no rush, I have a second thing to say."

"You said."

"Your father-in-law said that since you've separated your families, they understand that you've had a tough time, and they won't ask for a single penny of the bride price!"

"What?"

"what?"

This was already the umpteenth time today that Sixi's parents had exclaimed in unison.

"Did I hear that right? How can they not ask for a bride price? Do they want people to laugh at their daughter for being cheap?" Sixi's mother rushed to the table, and what she said was really unpleasant.

Even the matchmaker frowned: "Si Xi's mother, that's really unpleasant to say. Their daughter is pampered and spoiled; how could you describe her as cheap?"