The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 34: Seniority Isn’t a Brick You Can Move at Will
"Xiao Feng, it was my fault in the past."
The genius young man Jingzhe clenched his fists. It was so humiliating; apologizing to this nephew, who always ranked at the bottom in academics, was more embarrassing than running naked in the sun.
Nie Xiaofeng never thought much of this young uncle, especially after finding out he wanted to trade his cousin Man Er for future prospects.
He and his mother were like coal—black-hearted.
"What do you want, Uncle?" Nie Xiaofeng exuded an aura that warned strangers to keep away.
Usually, Jingzhe and Nie Xiaofeng had no interactions in the private school, not even greeting each other when they met.
Nie Xiaofeng was tall and imposing, while Jingzhe had the frail image of a scholar. Standing in front of Nie Xiaofeng, Jingzhe felt somewhat crushed.
"I want to borrow fifty taels of silver from you."
Jingzhe bowed his head and spoke with difficulty.
"I can pay you interest!"
"I promise to pay it back within a year!"
"How will you pay it back?" Nie Xiaofeng interrupted Jingzhe.
"Oh, I know what Uncle will use to repay...," Nie Xiaofeng elongated his voice, "by selling Man Er. If one Zheng Family doesn’t work out, with Uncle’s skills, maybe you can latch onto the Li Family, Wang Family, or Zhang Family... There’s always someone looking to buy a wife. By then, you could sell Man Er for two hundred taels, and the money will be there, right?"
"To say the least, Uncle, your money-making skills are quite impressive, truly high returns. Even more profitable than my family’s porcelain shop, and our shop still requires costs, but your business of selling people requires none."
"You don’t even have to raise a daughter yourself; you can just sell someone else’s daughter. Tsk tsk tsk, Uncle’s plan is truly brilliant!"
"I just wonder, if the teachers at Wanliu Academy knew about Uncle’s actions, would they still praise you as a person of great talents?"
Nie Xiaofeng unleashed a torrent of ridicule on Jingzhe.
Partly to vent for Bai Shuang and Man Er, partly for his own satisfaction.
He’d long wanted to give Jingzhe a piece of his mind. If it weren’t for the fact that Jingzhe wore the title of uncle, and if hurting Jingzhe wouldn’t drag his mother into a reputation crisis, he would’ve punched this cheap uncle in the head already.
Jingzhe’s face turned red under Nie Xiaofeng’s barrage.
"Oh, the sun’s rising in the west today. Uncle, you can even blush? Amazing, amazing, tsk tsk tsk!"
Nie Xiaofeng continued wielding his sarcastic mastery.
Normally, Jingzhe always looked down his nose at him, and Nie Xiaofeng had longed for a face-off. Now that he had the chance, how could he let it slip?
Yesterday, he and his mother went to the Qinghe Bay Gu Family and found out why Jingzhe wanted to borrow fifty taels of silver.
Such a family disgrace could only have been produced by tongues like Widow Tong’s.
His eldest sister-in-law even mentioned that Widow Tong had reformed, but he thought anyone who could raise someone like Jingzhe, who would sell his niece for future prospects, could never redeem themselves.
God knows what evil schemes she was brewing, and only someone as kind-hearted as his eldest sister-in-law could be deceived.
What irritated him more was that, despite his efforts to stop her, his mother went and handed fifty taels to the Gu Family’s second branch.
In his opinion, they shouldn’t save Gu Yaozu. Widow Tong’s whole clan of bad bamboo should be wiped out.
"Uncle, with your great skills, why are you asking me for money? Don’t forget, the Nie and Gu families severed ties at our grandfather’s funeral. You once recited not to accept food from those who offer it disdainfully. If I lend you money, I’m afraid it will tarnish your noble character," Nie Xiaofeng said.
Jingzhe lifted his head, eyes red, and said to Nie Xiaofeng, "Why do you mock me? I’m still your uncle."
Jingzhe thought to himself, to speak to a nephew like Nie Xiaofeng, who only grew in stature but not in brains, was indeed condescending.
If he wasn’t at his wit’s end, who would willingly endure such humiliation?
He was still young and lacked self-restraint. With just a few stings from Nie Xiaofeng, he couldn’t hold up.
"Oh, now you acknowledge you’re an elder. Why didn’t you think of that when trying to sell Man Er? Why didn’t you think of being an elder when looking down on me? The title of an elder isn’t a brick you can use however you please."
"And now you’re borrowing money everywhere like a grandson. Don’t start flaunting your seniority with me."
Jingzhe borrowing money at the private school was already widespread, of course Nie Xiaofeng heard about it too.
Better if he can’t borrow any; now Jingzhe could see just how bad his reputation was.
But it didn’t matter anyway, as his eldest sister-in-law said the black-hearted widow wouldn’t let Jingzhe study anymore.
"Xiao Feng, you, you’re going too far."
"If you don’t want to lend, then don’t. There’s no need to say such hurtful things."
Jingzhe was infuriated by Nie Xiaofeng’s sarcasm.
"Just going to bully you, so what? Does the one borrowing money expect to be the boss? Even if you’re my uncle, it doesn’t matter."
Seeing that he had hit the right level of ridicule, Nie Xiaofeng lifted his foot and walked away, feeling refreshed.
Since this little uncle wouldn’t continue in private school, Nie Xiaofeng wasn’t afraid of offending him. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Watching Nie Xiaofeng’s departing back, Jingzhe was furious to the point of falling back, his eyes turning red.
At this moment, all he thought of was passing the scholar exams, succeeding in provincial exams, going to the capital to earn honors, and seeing if anyone dared to look down on him then.
Thinking of this, despair washed over him, for Tong Huaqiong had already stopped him from studying, and besides borrowing silver today at the private school, he also needed to bid farewell to his teacher.
The thought of leaving private school and tending humble farmlands, the ambitious genius youth Jingzhe broke into tears.
"Third brother, why are you crying?"
Dashu wandered around the private school and finally found Jingzhe under a bent locust tree in the backyard.
Jingzhe leaned against the tree, crying bitterly.
Dashu thought he might be contemplating suicide.
"Third brother, don’t think of doing anything foolish, going home to farm is just going home to farm."
Dashu stepped forward to support Jingzhe.
They were born of the same mother, after all, and he didn’t want anything to happen to Jingzhe.
Dashu’s attempts to console only made Jingzhe cry harder.
"Don’t act like you’re going through hell; Mother and Taohua are out in town selling pastries, would it really be such an inconvenience for you to farm?"
Dashu, a little irritated, thumped Jingzhe’s back twice.
He hadn’t studied, yet he lived just fine.
"Mother, I’m sorry, Mother."
Hearing Dashu mention Tong Huaqiong selling pastries in town, a wave of grief overtook Jingzhe.
His mother, a widow, raising them alone, wasn’t easy.
Yesterday, he saw his mother advertising vigorously across from the Crispy Food Garden, offering samples to passersby to sell the pastries.
His mother, who had never even left the village, started earning money for a living.
He once thought he was the family’s only hope, the one who could provide a good life for his mother.
Now, due to his greed, he owed silver to the Zheng Family, forcing his widowed mother to expose herself to sell pastries.
Thinking more about it only made him feel worse!
"Second brother, do you think all I’ve done to study was wrong?" The genius youth finally felt lost.
Dashu thought for a moment and said gruffly, "I don’t understand grand principles; I don’t know if what you did was right or wrong. I only know if Yaozu is sent away, we can’t be brothers anymore. These past days, I felt the whole emotional weight and pressure of when our sister-in-law was about to send Man Er away. I realize I was a total jerk before for encouraging you to marry into the Zheng Family."
Jingzhe looked up at Dashu.
This was his brother, whom he always underestimated, the lazy and gluttonous brother who could say something so insightful.
Did it mean Jingzhe really did wrong?
"I couldn’t raise the silver; how much was Second Brother able to get?" Jingzhe dared not meet Dashu’s eyes. If Yaozu truly got sent away, he feared his brother might just slit him on the spot.
"I came to find you to talk about this."
"Mother has already earned the fifty taels, and she’s willing to repay the Zheng Family."
Dashu patted Jingzhe’s shoulder.
"What, Mother earned fifty taels of silver?"
Jingzhe’s expression was one of utter shock.
