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

Zhang Guizhi was shocked. "Leave? Where are we going?"

Xu Dachuan said impatiently, "I'm fine with going anywhere, as long as I don't have to suffer this humiliation here."

Zhang Guizhi was reluctant, but when she met Xu Dachuan's murderous gaze, she immediately cowered and scrambled back into the house to pack her things, crying as she did so.

A moment later, her eldest daughter, Xu Xian, also came in. "Mom, let me help you."

Xu Xian is two years younger than Xu Jian. Girls in the Xu family are not well-liked. Fortunately, only the third branch of the family has girls. Wang Ximei is neither good nor bad to her youngest son, so she doesn't target her three granddaughters. However, they don't get any good things, and they are always made to do chores.

Zhang Guizhi pitifully grabbed her hand, "Your father is really senile. Where can we go if we leave now?"

Xu Xian's expression was calm, but her eyes were very firm. "It's fine to go anywhere. It's rare for Dad to be so tough. If we don't leave now, it will be even harder to leave later. Grandma has always disliked Dad for not having a son. She has been planning to make our family earn money to help my cousin get married. Mom, are you really willing to accept this?"

Xu Xian's words hit Zhang Guizhi where it hurt. Without even thinking, she shook her head and said, "I'm not willing to accept it!"

Xu Xian breathed a sigh of relief. "If you're not willing to accept it, then rebel. If you don't dare to rebel, then listen to your father and leave first. Once you're free from Grandma's control, you'll be able to make your own decisions in the future. It's better than being controlled by Grandma and your uncle's family for the rest of your life!"

Wang Ximei's physique suggests she can live a long life; Zhang Guizhi, living here, will never have a chance to improve her situation.

Zhang Guizhi was stunned for a moment, carefully considered her daughter's words, and finally made up her mind.

Seeing how quickly she moved, Xu Xian knew she had figured it out, so she went back to her room to pack her and her two younger sisters' things.

When Xu Dashan saw that his younger brother's family was serious, he immediately became anxious. "Third brother, what are you doing! Mom was just upset and said a few words to you. Why are you taking it so seriously?"

Xu Dachuan angrily kicked the door, "She can point at me and curse whenever she's unhappy, but can't I just give her attitude whenever I'm unhappy! I've been eating and living at her place all these years, but my wife and daughter have also taken good care of her!"
Look at this yard, all the chores inside and outside the house, what wasn't done by them? With Mom's lazy and greedy nature, how could she do it? Now it's her fault for being unhappy, and the rest of the family has to be scolded like dogs!

Even a clay figure has some temper; she thinks I'm dead!

And, big brother, don't just stand there and talk like you don't know what's going on. If you were in my shoes, I bet you'd have lost your temper by now! But then again, Mom's always been biased. With my second brother and me taking the fall, it's impossible for you to get it!

Xu Dashan's face flushed with anger. "Third brother! One thing is one thing! What do you mean by dragging me into this? What? Am I wrong for trying to break up a fight?"

"Yes! You're wrong! Go and talk to her if you dare! Anyone with eyes can see who started this! So what if I don't tolerate it? Let me tell you! I won't tolerate it today, and I won't tolerate it in the future!" Xu Dachuan roared hysterically.

Old Xu, who had been acting like he was invisible all along, finally lost his temper. He rushed forward in a fit of rage, took off his shoes, and started hitting Xu Dachuan with them. "Who are you? Explain yourself! Even though your second son had two sons, he didn't dare to be this arrogant. You've given birth to three money-losing babies and you still dare to make such a scene. Who gave you the audacity?"

If you loved me, then move on; if you don't, then get out! I don't need your son, and you think you're so great?

Xu Dachuan didn't dodge, and just took the beating from Old Man Xu several times.

Xu Dashan's expression changed; he had a feeling something bad was about to happen.

The next second, Xu Dachuan silently went back into the house, picked up the luggage Zhang Guizhi had packed, strode out of the room, and headed straight for the room where his three daughters lived, carrying a large bag in each hand. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Guizhi, are you done? The children and I are going out first."

When he passed by Xu Dashan, Xu Dachuan didn't even give him a second glance.

Zhang Guizhi then carried two large bags, along with a straw mat and a quilt on her back, and struggled to catch up with the man and child.

In the blink of an eye, only three people remained in the noisy old house.

Xu Dashan slapped his thigh hard. "Dad, Mom! What are you trying to do? Why did you force our third son away?"

Wang Ximei snorted dismissively, "Why are you worrying so much! Don't you know what kind of person Lao San is? Can he support his wife and children without this family? He's just throwing a tantrum, doing this on purpose to show us. I bet he'll just go stay at his in-laws' house for a few days, and when he can't wait any longer, he'll slink back home!"

"Let's not talk about that useless stuff. Guizhi said that her second son's son, Xu Jian, also got into university, and a university in the capital. Is that true?"

Xu Dashan's face turned pale. He really didn't know about this. Ever since he and Wang Fengying were laid off, they had been trying to find connections and make connections to get into other factories. Recently, they finally heard that a new food processing plant had opened in their town, and they were determined to get in. They had put all their energy into it and hadn't paid any attention to what was going on in the village.

Wang Ximei let out a frustrated sigh, looking at Xu Dashan with some disappointment in her eyes. "Back then, your father and I poured all our savings into A-Jie's future, and your wife even transferred her household registration to the city."

After all that effort, A-Jie only got a junior college diploma. I don't know what kind of company he can work for after graduation, or whether he can make enough money to cover all the losses. Let me tell you, our family really has no savings left.

Your father and I are getting old, and we don't have the energy to help you anymore. We can't count on that ungrateful second son, so we can only ask our third son and his wife for help.

Old Xu spoke slowly with a stern face, "The third son's family has three daughters. When they get married, just ask for more dowry. Why worry about it?"

Wang Ximei thought the same thing, otherwise she would have panicked long ago.

Xu Dashan also felt that his parents made sense, and thought that he would wait a few days until Xu Dachuan calmed down before trying to persuade him to come back.

Each member of the family had their own thoughts.

At this time, Xu Dachuan had already taken his wife and daughter to the only guesthouse in town.

He checked into a room using his identification.

After entering the room and putting their things down, Zhang Guizhi finally couldn't help but ask, "Dachuan, where are you taking us? We're not going back to my parents' house, are we?"

Her family home wasn't in Pingxi Town, but in another town. It took more than an hour by bus, and it cost three and a half yuan for one person. It would cost more than ten yuan for the whole family to travel there. Zhang Guizhi felt a pang of heartache just thinking about it.

More importantly, her family also favored sons over daughters, so it was impossible for them to stay there permanently.

Xu Dachuan sat cross-legged on the bed, smiling nonchalantly. "Don't worry, we're not going to your parents' house. I've made up my mind, our whole family is going to Guangdong Province. I've heard it's very prosperous there now, with many factories hiring. We can go there to work or start a small business, anything is better than staying here and wasting our lives." (End of Chapter)