readytorunbook Chapter 18 Did the boss secretly save up some money?
Chapter 18 Did the boss secretly save up some money?
call!
Why didn't Dad finish what he wanted to say all at once? He startled her for no reason. When he denied it just now, she mistakenly thought that it was the first time he had seen his secret stash of money and that he was reluctant to spend it!
It turned out that her father felt sorry for her because he saw that she only bought things for her mother and younger sister.
"Then I'll buy an extra skewer of candied hawthorns and some more cut cakes. Xiaoyu and I will eat the candied hawthorns, and Dad and Mom will eat the cut cakes together, how about that?"
Shen Qingchuan was touched, and he forced a smile on his honest face. "I'm a big man, I don't like sweets. It's fine for you three to eat them. I'm already very happy that Tang'er is thinking of me."
His daughter was only six years old. She risked her life to go into the mountains to pick turmeric, and after selling it, she wanted to give the money to him for safekeeping. She also remembered to buy food for the family. Looking at himself, he had lived for more than 20 years. He started working in the fields when he was just a few years old, and later took on all the dirty, tiring and hard work at home. Yet his father never thought of leaving him a single penny. He was the eldest son, that's true, but he also had a wife and daughter!
Over the years, what he heard most often was, "Why should family members bother with so much?" But now his daughter has brought him to his senses.
A family should understand, care for, and love each other, not expect someone to give without ever speaking up!
Shen Qingchuan felt terrible inside, but he forced himself to act as if nothing was wrong. He took his daughter to buy five coins' worth of cut cake and one coin's worth of candied hawthorns. He bought two skewers.
Shen Xiaotang put the candied hawthorn berries and the remaining 1 jin of turmeric into a bamboo basket and covered it with coarse linen.
"Dad, when you get back, put the carrying pole at the door of our house, and when no one is around, quietly take the things back inside. Don't let them see you."
"Tang'er is so thoughtful, Father will remember that."
If that whole family of leeches knew she and her father had some secret stash of money, who knows what kind of trouble they would cause.
After buying their things, the father and daughter hurried out of the town and headed home.
The path from Guihua Village to Qinghe Town, though not a mountain path, is a rugged dirt road. Shen Xiaotang is only six years old now, and her small body is gradually becoming exhausted from traveling more than ten miles back and forth. She has developed blisters on her feet and is walking slower and slower.
Upon noticing this, Shen Qingchuan immediately stopped, put down the carrying pole, and squatted down.
"Tang'er, come on up, Daddy will carry you back."
Shen Xiaotang quickly waved her hand, "Dad, it's okay, I can manage."
“Sure, sure, Dad’s an adult. I walk this road every day. I can carry you, or even a bag of grain. Come on up, or your stepmother will nag you again if we go back late.”
So, Shen Xiaotang obediently climbed onto her father's broad back, and Shen Qingchuan picked up the carrying pole and quickened his pace.
Shen family.
Sun got up early in the morning and searched everywhere but couldn't find her second granddaughter. A surge of anger welled up inside her.
When Liu returned home with her youngest daughter after cutting pig feed, she was greeted by her mother-in-law's roar as soon as she entered the door.
"Eldest sister, where is Xiao Tangye? Doesn't he know what time it is? Why hasn't he made breakfast yet?"
Startled by her mother-in-law's roar, Liu immediately gave a meek and submissive reply.
"Mother, Xiaotang went to town with his father."
"What?"
"Did they go to town?"
"What's she doing in town instead of cooking at home? Is the eldest son just bored? He can go to town alone and come back sooner. Wouldn't taking a girl with him slow him down?"
Sun asked three questions in a row, and alarm bells went off in his mind. He immediately suspected that his eldest son had shoved some money into his pocket.
Liu was afraid that her mother-in-law would suspect that they had a secret stash of money, so she immediately answered.
"Xiao Tang has never been to town before and has always wanted to see what it looks like. Besides, didn't Dad decide yesterday that the three families would take turns cooking? Yesterday it was the second sister-in-law's turn, so today it's the third sister-in-law's turn, right?"
"It is true that it belongs to the third son's family, but..."
Sun looked suspicious and somewhat disbelieving, her sharp eyes full of inquiry.
Seeing that her mother-in-law didn't believe her, Liu couldn't find a suitable reason to explain herself.
The timid Xiaoyu stammered, "Grandma... Daddy really... really took my sister to... to see the town. I'm still young. Daddy said to wait... wait until I grow up, then... then take me. I also want to see... see what the town is like."
As soon as Mrs. Sun heard her granddaughter stammering, her patience ran out, and she immediately waved her hand impatiently.
"Alright, you're so young, what are you going to do in town? It's free to just look around, what's so interesting about that!"
Thanks to her strict household management, the eldest son's family has never had a penny of private savings over the years. Looking at Liu Shi and her granddaughter, their clothes are patched upon patched, and they don't even have money to buy cloth to make new clothes. I doubt they have any money to buy food for that wretched girl either.
Forget it, there's no point in going!
So she turned around and walked towards the third room, banging on the door.
"Third son's wife, it's your turn to cook today, why aren't you up yet?"
Hearing the knocking on the door, Zhao reluctantly got out of bed, dressed, and went out.
"You're all so lazy! How did I end up with such a bunch of lazy wives? You spoil them rotten!" Sun Shi grumbled as she went back to her room to take a nap after hearing the commotion.
……
By the time Shen Xiaotang and her father returned home, it was almost noon. All the men in the family had gone to school, while the second and third branches of the family had closed their doors and were doing their own things.
As soon as the father and daughter entered the courtyard, Mrs. Sun ran out of the house.
She lay on the couch for a long time, thinking it over and over, but she was still a little uneasy. Although the eldest son was always honest and obedient, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't be instigated by that lazy old woman, Liu. What if the eldest son's family had the idea of hiding money in secret and she didn't even notice? Wouldn't that be incredibly stupid?
She had to keep a tight rein on the family, and no matter how the eldest sons behaved, she couldn't completely trust them.
"Boss, why did you bring Xiaotang with you when you were carrying eggs and tofu to town? You usually come back early, but look how long you've taken today. When are you finally getting home?"
When his stepmother questioned him, the honest and simple-minded Shen Qingchuan's palms were sweating profusely.
No one knew about his trip to town with his daughter to sell turmeric except for his eldest son's family. But he, who had never lied since childhood, felt extremely guilty whenever he met his stepmother.
“Mother, Xiaotang has never been to town before. Yesterday I spent the whole day weeding in the fields, just to get more work done so I could take her to see what town is like today.”
Shen Xiaotang was quick-witted and articulate, and immediately said, "Grandma, it's all my fault for being small and walking slowly. I got blisters on my feet and was late, which made Dad come back late. Please don't be angry."
Looking up, she saw a hint of guilt on her father's face. She grabbed his large, strong hand to encourage him.
Sure enough, once his daughter grabbed his hand, Shen Qingchuan suddenly felt no longer guilty.
The turmeric was picked by my daughter in the mountains, and the money was also negotiated by my daughter. My daughter risked her life to earn the money, so why should she have to hand it over, while they can only hear a whim?
Sun snorted coldly with a gloomy face, "Hmph, you're not allowed to go next time!" But her eyes kept glancing at the bamboo basket that the eldest son was carrying.