The heavens set sail from the courtyard

Madam He called the He sisters to the courtyard. There was nothing important to discuss; they just wanted to talk about He Jiayi's debts.

Ouyang Bao's business failed, leaving him with over 100,000 yuan in debt, some of which was lent to He Jiayi by the He sisters.

With the passing of He Changsheng, arrangements have been made for his estate. The house will definitely be left to his elderly mother, Liu Xiaoling. However, the transfer of ownership will only take place after He Wenshi's death, when Liu Meixin will have someone to rely on in her old age.

He Changsheng left behind a sum of money before his death, not much, probably less than 10,000 yuan, which he used to pay off part of his third son He Jiayi's debts.

"Eldest son, second son, your father left behind eight thousand nine hundred yuan. His intention was to pay off what he owed you on behalf of the third son," He Wenshi said, exchanging a glance with Liu Meixin.
“I have discussed it with your mother and we want to respect Changsheng’s last wishes.”

He Jiali said in surprise, "Grandma, you should keep this money for your retirement! Anyway, Jiawen and I don't lack money, and we haven't been pressuring Lao San to pay it back."

He Jiawen nodded and said, "Yes! You and Mom should keep this money for emergencies."

He Wenshi shook her head and said, "Eldest son, don't think I don't know, you're about to be laid off! The family will definitely have to rely on Tang Weimin's salary from now on, it'll be tough."

He Jiali sighed, "Grandma, don't worry, even if I lose my job, I won't starve. I can always find another job."

He Wenshi said, "Don't you want to follow your father's last wishes?"

He Jiali was speechless upon hearing this and remained silent.

He Wenshi turned to the others and said, "I know that the second son borrowed 10,000, the fourth son borrowed 2,000, and the fifth son contributed 1,000. Only the sixth son was unemployed and had no money at the time, so I didn't count her."

Liu Meixin said, "Grandma and I have discussed it and decided to pay back the money owed to the eldest, fourth, and fifth children first. As for the second child, since your family is in the best financial situation, we will pay back part of it for now, and the third child can pay back the rest slowly in the future. Our family's financial situation is limited, and this is all we can do to help the third child."

He Jiayi said emotionally, "Grandma, Mom, actually Ouyang Bao and I can slowly pay off those debts."

He Wen sighed and said, "I know you two have the ability to pay off the debt, but when will it be over? These past two years, you've been working late into the night as a caregiver to earn money, and you've become haggard. Now, when you stand next to the second son, people think you're the older sister."

He Jiayi touched her face, feeling somewhat dejected.

Liu Meixin held He Jiayi's hand and said, "Pay off the debt as soon as possible, save some money and buy a house with Ouyang Bao. It's not a long-term solution to keep renting your second sister's house."

He Jiayi said emotionally, "Thank you, Mom!"

Liu Meixin then turned to the others and said, "Don't think we're favoring the third sister. She's really in a difficult situation. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, we'll help you too."

He Jiali said, "Mom, how could we possibly misunderstand you? We also hope that our third son can pay off his debts as soon as possible."

He Jiawen said, "We've all seen how hard the third sister has worked these past few years. We're all sisters, so it's only right that we help each other out. When one is in trouble, everyone should lend a hand!"

The He sisters all laughed. After a while, Madam He Wen spoke again: "I deliberately sent the sixth son away because there is something else I want to discuss with you."

The He sisters then looked at their grandmother.

"Sixth Sister is getting on in years, it's not good for her to stay single forever. Do any of you know anyone suitable? Could you introduce her to someone?" Liu Meixin said with a smile.
“I was afraid that Lao Liu would be too shy, so I deliberately sent her away.”

Fifth sister Liu Xiaoling laughed and said, "Mom, sixth sister isn't shy. This matter should be discussed in front of her."

He Wenshi smiled but didn't say anything. She was just using the excuse of introducing a potential partner to the sixth son. Her main concern was that the sixth son would get upset when it came time to divide the money, which would embarrass the He sisters.

“My hospital has quite a few male doctors of suitable age, but I’m afraid Lao Liu won’t be interested,” He Jiawen said with a smile.

"The doctor still doesn't want to see him? What are the conditions for the sixth brother?" the fourth brother, He Jia Huan, said speechlessly.

"I'll find a chance to ask her later. If she's willing to go on blind dates, I'll arrange it," He Jiawen said nonchalantly.

“There are more women than men in my workplace, but there are quite a few suitable women at Fang Tao’s Grain Bureau. I can ask around there,” He Jia Huan said.

"Alright, keep an eye out for them. If you find someone suitable, let Lao Liu have a look." Liu Meixin said with a smile, "Let's try to marry Lao Liu off as soon as possible."

Mrs. Ho sighed, "We need some happy events in the family to cheer us up."

After discussing the matter, everyone went home to rest.

When Wang Gang got off work that evening, He Jiawen told him about introducing a potential partner to Lao Liu and asked Wang Gang to help find one as well.

"I'm not getting involved in this, and you should take it easy too." Wang Gang refused directly without the slightest hesitation.

"What's wrong? Are you still angry because of what my mom said during the day?" He Jiawen asked.

“Of course not. I know Mom is in a bad mood, and it’s normal for her to be emotional.” Wang Gang frowned and said, “It’s just that your sixth sister is really troublesome. I really don’t want to get involved in her affairs, and I advise you not to interfere either.”

"I'll do whatever you say," He Jiawen nodded.

He Jiawen knew his sixth sister's character well and was afraid that if he didn't accept the introduction, he would offend his colleague instead.

Later, He Jiali and He Jiahuan introduced several men to Lao Liu, but she was not satisfied with any of them, and the blind dates were unsuccessful.

After a while, the He sisters realized that either their sixth son had high standards and looked down on ordinary men, or he already had someone else, so they stopped interfering.

Sure enough, not long after, He Jiaxi brought a man named Yan Hongyu home, saying he was a former high school classmate. Liu Meixin was quite satisfied with her future son-in-law, but not with her future in-laws.

The two families had not reached an agreement on the marriage. Later, He Jiaxi became pregnant out of wedlock, and Yan's mother became emboldened and made exorbitant demands, even asking Liu Meixin to provide a car as part of her dowry.

Liu Meixin was so angry that her liver hurt and she didn't eat all day.

Finally, He Wenshi stepped in and took He Jiaxi to the hospital to pretend to have an abortion. Yan Hongyu couldn't take it anymore and begged his mother to agree to the marriage. Only then did the two get married.

As the saying goes, "An elder in the family is a treasure," and "old ginger is spicier." With Madam He Wen around, the He family is unlikely to have any problems.

After He Jiaxi got married, she had a bad relationship with her mother-in-law and would go back to her parents' home every few days. Later, in order to avoid peace and quiet and to pass the time in her retirement, Liu Meixin went to the vegetable market to sell eight-treasure pickles.

Liu Meixin's Eight Treasure Pickles have a unique recipe, and their delicious taste quickly made them famous, resulting in unexpectedly good business and an additional source of income.

The next few years were peaceful, with almost nothing major happening in the Ho family, and the six sisters went their separate ways.

Wang Gang and his wife work while taking care of their child, and occasionally help their fourth son, He Jia Huan, take care of his son.

He Jiahuan works at a bank. Although her working hours are stable, her husband Fang Tao is a driver and is often away from home. Sometimes when He Jiahuan needs to work overtime, she sends her child to He Jiawen's place.

After Wang Gang was promoted to director at the hospital, his working hours became more stable, and he rarely had to work night shifts. In his spare time, it was easy for him to help take care of a child.

He Jiali was laid off at the end of 93. She was unemployed for two months after leaving her job and couldn't find work. Just then, her fifth sister, Liu Xiaoling, was going to open a clothing store in Huainan, so she asked her eldest sister to cooperate with her.

The two sisters borrowed 15,000 yuan from He Jiawen to open a shop. They were quite busy and happy. Although they couldn't make a fortune, they were able to make a living.

After Liu Xiaoling returned to Huainan, He Jiawen was worried that she would take her son Yangyang back with her, so Wang Gang specially invited his younger brother Tang Zhenmin and Liu Xiaoling to his home for dinner.

Seeing their biological son, Tang Jike, well-fed and healthy, raised by Wang Gang and He Jiawen, the two felt much more comforted.

Tang Zhenmin and Liu Xiaoling knew what He Jiawen was worried about, so they expressed their opinions at the dinner table.

"Second brother, second sister-in-law, don't worry. Since I gave my son to you for adoption, I will never regret it, nor will I ask for him back." Tang Zhenmin turned to look at Liu Xiaoling and said:
“Xiaoling and I have been through thick and thin and have realized how terrible we were before. We were definitely not qualified parents.”

Liu Xiaoling sighed, "Second sister, I'm very relieved to leave Yangyang in your care and brother-in-law's. It's better than having her with us." Wang Gang said, "Don't say that. People need to grow. You've all matured quite a bit now. Zhenmin has gone back to work at the hospital pharmacy, and Xiaoling and eldest sister's clothing store is doing quite well."

He Jiawen smiled and said, "This is what I'm thinking. Yangyang is still young and may not understand our relationship. I plan to tell him about his true background after he turns eighteen and takes the college entrance examination, so that he can make his own choice."

Please visit your son more often when you have time.

Tang Zhenmin shook his head and said, "Second sister-in-law, there's no need. Since the child has been adopted, he is your son."

As for the future, Xiaoling and I might have another child.

Wang Gang asked in astonishment, "You two are together again?"

Tang Zhenmin and Liu Xiaoling exchanged a glance and silently took each other's hands.

"Actually, we had already started over when we were in the south, but we just couldn't find a suitable opportunity to tell everyone."

He Jiawen said with a smile, "If you two can remarry, that would be wonderful. Your parents would be very happy."

Liu Xiaoling rolled her eyes at Tang Zhenmin and said, "He's still in the probationary period, so I'm not going to remarry him so easily."

He Jiawen frowned and said, "Fifth brother, that's enough, stop messing around!"

Tang Zhenmin smiled and said, "Second sister-in-law, don't worry! We know what we're doing."

Wang Gang picked up his glass and said, "This is finally good news. I'll tell Mom and Dad as soon as possible."

“I will,” Tang Zhenmin replied.

…………
In May 1994, Tang Zhenmin and Liu Xiaoling officially remarried and moved into the He family home.

Tang Zhenmin has essentially become a live-in son-in-law this time.

Old Tang and his wife were getting on in years and no longer wanted to worry about their youngest son, so they let him be.

After remarrying, Tang Zhenmin and Liu Xiaoling took care of He Wenshi and Liu Meixin together, which put the rest of the family at ease.

Apart from Ho Ka-hei.

Ever since she learned that Tang Zhenmin had become a live-in son-in-law, He Jiaxi knew that there was no hope of getting a house, and she was so angry that she rarely went back to her parents' home.

At the end of 94, the third sister, He Jiayi, and Ouyang Bao finally paid off their debts. With the help of their sisters, they took out a loan to buy a small house and finally had their own little home again.

After buying the house, Ouyang Bao was burdened with a mortgage and dared not start another business, so he settled down to work at Zhang Qiufang's appliance store.

After years of hard work, and with Wang Gang's constant guidance, Zhang Qiufang finally built her appliance store into a large and successful business, making it a well-known brand in Huainan.

In the past year, Zhang Qiufang has been planning to open an electronics store in the neighboring Jiangsu province, and has asked Ouyang Bao to be the pioneer.

He Jiayi fully supports her husband, saying that she will stay firmly at home and let him go out and explore with peace of mind.

With his wife's support, Ouyang Bao worked even harder, and Wang Gang believed that he would have a bright future ahead of him.

On the eve of the Spring Festival in 1996, Liu Meixin called her six daughters home again and took out 30,000 yuan.

When the neatly stacked 30,000 yuan was placed on the table, He Jiali and the others were stunned.

"Mom, how did you get so much money?" He Jiali asked curiously.

"Hehe, this is all the money your mom earned selling pickles over the past few years," Liu Meixin said cheerfully.

"Mom, you're amazing! You became a millionaire without making a sound," He Jiawen said with a smile.

The six He sisters were all very happy for their mother.

"Mom, why are you taking the money out?" Liu Xiaoling, the fifth child, asked in surprise.

Liu Meixin glanced at Lao Liu, He Jiaxi, and said, "Lao Liu is currently living with her mother-in-law, which is inconvenient. She wants to buy a house and move out. I'm planning to give her some financial assistance. I'd like to discuss it with you."

He Jiaxi said with a bitter face, "All the sisters have their own houses, but I don't. I'm still living in the old house with my mother-in-law."

The He sisters' expressions changed.

"Sixth Brother, how much more do you need to buy a house?" He Jiali asked.

"Yan Hongyu and I don't have much money on hand, we're still short quite a bit," He Jiaxi said embarrassedly.

He Jiawen frowned and said, "You must have enough for the down payment on the house!"

He Jiayi nodded and said, "Yes, it's very convenient to get a bank loan now. You can ask Lao Si to help you get one, just like me. You only need to make a down payment and then pay off the mortgage slowly every month."

He Jia Huan patted his chest and said, "I'll take care of Lao Liu's mortgage. I'll definitely give you the lowest interest rate."

He Jiaxi said with a bitter face, "I can't compare with my sisters. My eldest, second, and fourth brothers-in-law are all allocated houses by their work units, and my third brother-in-law can earn money and has no problem paying off the mortgage every month."

Fifth Sister runs a business and lives at home with her husband, so they don't have the hassle of owning a house.

Yan Hongyu and I are just ordinary workers; how could we afford a mortgage?

He Jiawen asked, "Sixth brother, how much money do you and Yan Hongyu actually have? It's such a big deal to buy a house, won't your mother-in-law contribute some?"

“My mother-in-law is a real tightwad, she’s never given a penny,” He Jiaxi complained. “Yan Hongyu was laid off and is planning to drive a taxi, so he might need to buy a car, but we really can’t afford it.”

The He sisters exchanged a glance, and Liu Xiaoling said, "Sixth sister, how about this? We sisters will pool our money and lend you a down payment. Mom doesn't earn money easily, so this 30,000 yuan should be left for her retirement."

“Yes! Mom works hard selling pickles at the market from dawn till dusk. It’s very tiring,” He Jiali said. “We should keep this money just in case.”

Liu Meixin said with a straight face, "I'm old and don't have much money to spend, so there's nothing wrong with buying a house for Lao Liu."

"Ahem!" He Wenshi, who hadn't spoken until now, coughed.

Everyone looked at Ho Man-shih.

"Grandma, what do you mean?" He Jiali asked.

“It’s fine for the family to help out when the sixth son wants to buy a house, but giving out 30,000 yuan at once is indeed a bit much,” He Wenshi said to Liu Meixin.
"If you ask me, we should lend 10,000 yuan first, and let the fourth brother take care of the mortgage. The sixth brother can pay it back slowly later."

“Mom, mortgage interest rates are very high. It’s not like we can’t afford it. With my 30,000 yuan, plus what the eldest and the others put together, it’s enough for the sixth son to buy a house outright,” Liu Meixin said.

Mrs. He's face darkened, and she asked, "How do you know how much the mortgage interest is? Did Sixth Brother tell you?"

He Jiaxi tensed up upon hearing this! (End of Chapter)