After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 1024 Complaints
Haitang filled half of the tea bowl in front of her cousin Fang. This was the second time she had filled the tea bowl for Fang.

Fang smiled lovingly at Haitang, picked up the tea bowl and took two big sips. Only then did she feel that her throat, which had been talking for a long time, was slightly moistened.

She had just told her second aunt Ma what Hai Baozhu had said in front of her and her daughter today, as well as Aunt Qiu's words and actions. She also mentioned how the mother and son had always cared about her. She felt touched and helpless.

She sighed and said to Ma: "Second aunt, you also know that Baozhu is not my biological child. Although I have been supporting them, there is always a gap in my heart. Baozhu is still the one I value the most. I just don't want to see the Hai family's eldest branch die out. I have protected them for many years because of the kindness of my uncle and aunt in raising them. I only want to keep Baozhu by my side and never thought of letting Baozhu be in my arms. He has his own mother, and the mother-son relationship is good. When he has a good future, he should be filial to his biological mother. There is really no need to have any entanglement with me, a notorious woman. Since I married into the Jiang family, I am no longer his legal mother. It is a good thing that the child knows how to repay kindness, but I really don't want to deal with people in the clan anymore. But how can I say this clearly? Baozhu is very filial, and his aunt also respects me sincerely. I don't have the heart to make them sad..."

Ma understood. Baozhu probably worshipped a good teacher, studied etiquette since childhood, and developed a decent and polite character. He was always thinking about being filial to his mother and loving his brothers and sisters. He never thought that his stepmother didn't want to have too much contact with him, let alone leave her biological daughter and be served and respected by him, a concubine's son. Although this is his duty as a concubine's son, it is not what Fang wants. But Fang couldn't say such impolite words, and she didn't want to hurt the filial son's heart. Moreover, Fang also considered that when her daughter Baozhu got married in the future, there would be no reason for her to continue living with her mother. She would have to rely on the concubine's son for her old age, so she endured it and refused to tell Baozhu.

But now, the son-in-law Qiao Fu has no elders in his family, so he personally invited his mother-in-law to live with him and his wife. Fang's retirement care is no longer a problem, and she no longer needs to rely on Hai Baozhu for anything...

Hai Baozhu is sincere, but Fang has suffered so much injustice for so many years, and she should enjoy the rest of her life. She should live the way she wants, and there is no reason to force herself to live with the illegitimate son. Hai Baozhu and Aunt Qiu are kind and polite, but the problem is that the Hai family is not easy to deal with. Hai Baozhu cannot cut off ties with the family. If Fang continues to associate with him, she will inevitably suffer from the Hai family again in the future...

Ma understood this and couldn't help complaining, "It's all those useless people in the family who are causing trouble! When the Jiang family was powerful in the past, they didn't dare to say anything and forced you, a weak woman, to stand up and resist. You even sacrificed yourself to protect the Hai family. Why didn't they despise you at that time? Instead, they begged you for protection everywhere and begged you to give them more money every year to support their families. Now that the Jiang family has fallen, they are shaking. They really don't know what they are talking about! They are just bullying you and your son because you are respectful and decent people who follow the rules, so they are so shameless and put on airs!"

If no one from the Hai family had caused trouble, Fang would have been able to return to the Hai family after leaving the Jiang family, and continue to be the mistress of the family and take charge of the household. Hai Baozhu also had the reputation of a scholar, and returned to the family to support the family. As long as he could pass the exam in the future, the Hai family would have a sign of prosperity again. Fang had a place to live, no worries about retirement, and could manage the family business in an orderly manner; Hai Baozhu also had her natal family to rely on, and her marriage went smoothly; Hai Baozhu no longer had to study alone, and could become a respectable official son; the widows and the poor in the family could continue to rely on the eldest branch, and the whole family could live without worries. In this way, everyone was happy, and their second branch returned to the capital, and they also had help behind them.

Unlike now, the family lives in three different places, they are not united, and there are endless resentments every day. How can it be the atmosphere of a big family? ! Fang's mother and daughter were forced to leave their hometown, Hai Baozhu was alienated from the family, and even the orphans in the family had to suffer. Who benefited? !

Ma was very dissatisfied with the Hai clan, and simply slammed the table: "What are you afraid of? You have your mother and your second uncle to support you! Baozhu is filial and willing to spend all his wealth to send his eldest sister to marry, you just need to take it! If you hadn't protected Baozhu and his mother, the grass on their graves would have been so high. He gave you all the good things out of filial piety, and you deserve them. You just need to accept the silver and things, and prepare a good dowry for Baozhu. Even if you don't show it, putting it at the bottom of the box will also be Baozhu's confidence. Qiao's brother Fu is capable and has a good future. When he becomes successful in the future, he will take care of his brother-in-law more for the sake of the dowry. They support each other, and you, Baozhu, and Aunt Qiu can live a better life!"

Fang never expected that even her second aunt would support Hai Baozhu's approach. She said helplessly, "Second aunt, the silver is fine. The clan sends it every year, but you can't take the pair of antique bottles. The whole clan knows about that thing. The Jiang family wanted it back then, but I didn't let them touch it. If the clan knew that Baozhu took them out, I'm afraid even son-in-law Qiao wouldn't be at peace!" Ma couldn't help rolling her eyes, "What good stuff? It's just a pair of bottles!"

Haitang was a little curious: "Grandma, where did those bottles come from? Are they valuable?"

"It is indeed worth a few silver coins, but that's all." Ma is well-informed and doesn't think much of the collection of the Shanghai eldest family. "That was presented to the Hai family by subordinates when the ancestor was still an official in the northern garrison. They are said to be antiques from hundreds of years ago, and they were made in an official kiln, with exquisite craftsmanship. The inscriptions on them are also of a noble origin. If they were sold in pairs, they would be worth at least three thousand taels..."

"Five thousand." Fang said hurriedly, "Some years ago, someone offered five thousand. The Jiang family was tempted and tried many ways to get information from me. Three thousand was the old price more than thirty years ago. At that time, my uncle thought it was too little and refused to sell it to the wealthy businessman who came to buy it. My second aunt also knew that the family was in trouble at that time and urgently needed money. But my uncle would rather sell the family's land and let my aunt sell the Beijing shop she brought as a dowry, but he was reluctant to sell the pair of bottles..."

"Things handed down from our ancestors are public property. If he dares to sell them without asking my mother-in-law and our master, he can forget about staying in the position of clan leader!" Ma sneered, "Although your uncle is a fool, he is not stupid enough to hand over the position of clan leader to our master. He was very wary of us at that time. If we hadn't passed away early, I'm afraid he would have hired someone to kill us!"

Fang couldn't pick up the conversation, so she had to pretend she didn't hear it and continued the previous topic: "A few years ago, the Jiang family also wanted to get the pair of bottles, intending to use it as a gift to curry favor with the nobles in the capital, so they instigated the clansmen to come to me. I hid the bottles in advance and said that someone from the Jiang family had stolen the things, so that they could suspect each other. But because of this, the Hai family knew that the pair of bottles was worth five thousand taels of silver, thinking that even if the Hai family lost their land and property, they still had confidence and would be able to revive the family business sooner or later..."

Perhaps it was for this reason that the Hai family members did not take her contribution in protecting the Hai family's assets seriously...

Ma was wealthy, and antiques worth five thousand taels were nothing special to her: "If you find it troublesome, then just return the bottles to Baozhu. It's useless for Baozhu to keep a pair of bottles that are not used for eating or drinking."

Fang smiled bitterly: "But Baozhu seems to be determined to give the bottle to Baozhu as a dowry. How can I stop him?"

It's New Year's Eve, I wish you all a happy new year!