Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Chapter 113 Invitation

Zhang Guizhi shut her mouth sheepishly, looking unconvinced.

Wang Ximei was furious, her voice rising several octaves, "He really has forgotten his mother after getting married! Eat, eat, eat! A reincarnation of a starving ghost!"

Xu Dahai threw down his chopsticks and took all the seafood back inside.

This move truly left Wang Ximei and her husband, as well as the third wife, completely astonished.

Zhang Guizhi, still not full, couldn't help but complain to Wang Ximei, "Mom! What are you doing for no reason! Everyone else hasn't eaten yet!"

Zhang Guizhi's husband, Xu Dachuan, nodded in agreement, "Every day is tiring enough. Second sister-in-law cooked delicious food to treat everyone without spending your money. Why are you criticizing her?"

Wang Ximei glared angrily and retorted righteously, "What's wrong? She didn't even think of sharing a single thing with your eldest brother. She doesn't treat us like family at all. What's wrong with me, as a mother-in-law, scolding my daughter-in-law? Do you think you can defy the heavens?"

Xu Dachuan and his wife immediately shut up.

The room in the second bedroom.

Xu Dahai put a large chopstick of fish into Lin Ying's bowl. "Let's eat! After we finish eating, we'll work hard tomorrow and try to move into the new house before the children start school. From now on, you can be in charge of your own life. We won't put up with this humiliation."

He hadn't thought much about it before, but ever since Lin Ying accused his family of favoritism in front of her relatives, Xu Dahai realized how outrageous his parents were, and now he's starting to have more thoughts about it.

Lin Ying was pleased with Xu Dahai's protection and her attitude towards him improved considerably. "I'll listen to you!"

The next day, Wang Ximei heard from relatives in the village that Xu Dahai had paid back all the money he had borrowed. When she ran to the new house, she saw that the construction workers had already started working. She immediately grabbed Xu Dahai and yelled at him, "Where did you get the money to build the house? I'm telling you, second son, if you dare to do anything immoral, I will disown you as my son!"

She didn't believe Xu Dahai could have amassed such a large sum of money in such a short time, and she had reason to suspect that Xu Dahai was lending money at exorbitant interest rates.

Xu Dahai's passionate heart cooled completely because of Wang Ximei's words, and his face darkened. He gave Wang Ximei a deep look and said, "Fine! Let's separate the family now, so that you won't be implicated if something goes wrong."

Wang Ximei clutched her chest in anger, "You...you bastard!"

After arguing for a while, Wang Ximei ran away in a hurry, shouting everywhere that Xu Dahai was a loan shark.

The whole family of Xu Dahai's older brother, Xu Datian, was frightened out. Everyone took turns trying to persuade Xu Dahai, but he remained unmoved.

Wang Ximei cried uncontrollably, "Divide the family! Divide the family now! I'd rather this troublesome son be dead, I don't want him anymore!"

At Wang Ximei's insistence, Xu Dahai's family went to the village secretary to finalize the division of their household property.

Wang Ximei was afraid of being implicated by Xu Dahai, so she asked Xu Dahai to write a statement severing ties with her. She said that Xu Dahai's affairs would have nothing to do with her and her husband, nor with his other brothers. However, Xu Dahai would have to share the burden of supporting her and her husband's old age with his other brothers, and they would give him money every month according to the normal standard. Xu Dahai was not responsible for anything else.

Lin Ying was furious when she learned of this outcome, but she forced herself to swallow it.

When the house was almost finished being built, the division of the family and the severing of ties were also settled.

Wang Ximei had been worried about debt collectors coming to her door, but now that these things were settled, she was completely at ease and had the energy to yell at Xu Dahai and his wife again.

As a result, Xu Dahai and his wife had already built their new house and moved all the furniture in, ready to move in at any time.

After seeing the new house, Wang Ximei was extremely jealous. Like a sour grapes, she would pour cold water on the villagers' praise of the new house, saying that the debt collectors would be coming soon and that Xu Dahai and his wife's glory wouldn't last long.

Xu Dahai and Lin Ying naturally heard these rumors, but the couple didn't take them to heart at all. When their child was about to start school, the couple went to Nanyu to pick up their child and invited Lin Qin's family to their housewarming party.

The couple had just arrived at the Nanxi River when they saw their two sons collecting snails there.

Xu Dahai rushed over, asking, "What are you doing?"

Xu Jian and Xu Kang turned around and were overjoyed to see their parents had arrived.

Xu Jian shouted back, "We're collecting snails! We can sell them for money!"

The couple exchanged a glance, and Xu Dahai forced himself to stay calm. He looked around and saw that there was only one fishing boat nearby, and no one else was there. "Weren't you at your aunt's house? What are you doing here playing in the water?"

Xu Kang weakly explained, "My younger cousins ​​went to class, and we were bored on the island, so my aunt took us to collect snails and duck eggs. She just went back to cook and asked my grandfather to look after us."

The couple followed the direction their child was pointing and saw the kind-looking old man rowing the boat.

Xu Dahai's anger subsided instantly. He chatted with the old man for a few minutes, and the family of four boarded the boat to Nanyu.

On the boat, the two children each told Lin Ying and her husband everything about their lives during this time.

“During the day, we would set traps, collect snails, and gather duck eggs. The next day, my uncle would help us take them to the market to sell. We’ve saved up a lot of money during this time!”

Xu Dahai patted his two sons' heads happily, "Good job, good job! You both know how to work hard to earn money, you're doing great!"

These days, kids are tough; if they don't do chores, they'll cause trouble. Xu Dahai and his wife didn't feel sorry for their child at all; they just felt that their son had become sensible after being away for a few days. As for how much money he made, that didn't matter.

The fishing boat arrived at Nanyu Island.

The family of four thanked the old man and went up to knock on the door.

After a while, Lin Qin came to open the door. She was very happy to see Lin Ying and her husband. "I just finished making dinner. You two eat first."

Lin Ying said with a smile, "I came here to pick up my child, and I'd like to invite you to my housewarming party."

Lin Qin was overjoyed, "The house is finished?"

Lin Ying nodded hurriedly, "Luckily, with your and Dad's support, everything is settled, and we're just waiting to move in."

Lin Ying then told Lin Qin about the messy things that happened in the Xu family, which made Lin Qin very angry.

“It’s better to break off with in-laws like that, so you don’t have to be the ones to suffer the consequences if something happens in the future. It’s good that you’re here. I’ve been looking at houses in the city recently and I’ve found two old houses on Zhongshan Road that I like. They’re ordinary residential houses, but they can be converted. The front can be converted into shops and the back can be used for living. You know the alleyways. The front looks small, but the back is actually quite nice. It’s a two-story house with living space and a courtyard.”

The house prices there are around 4,300 to 4,500. I plan to negotiate a lower price and buy them all.

I've discussed this with my dad. He'll give me another 3,000 next year so we can buy these two houses now, just in case prices go up and it's not worth it. Besides, this is a rare opportunity.

Lin Ying was stunned, and swallowed hard. "Wouldn't that mean Dad has revealed all his secrets?"

Lin Qin nodded, "More or less! But it's only for a year. Next year, when he earns money, he can save it all and won't have to worry about us anymore."

(End of this chapter)