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Wang Clan's eyes turned dark with anger. She wanted to shout but didn't know what to say. The Bai Family presented her with two options: either take her daughter back or pay money. Of course, she couldn't take her daughter back; a woman who had been divorced wouldn't be able to remarry well. But giving money to Silver felt like a knife stabbing her heart.
Auspicious rushed to Wang Clan's side and wailed, as she certainly didn't want to be sent back.
"Enough! Stop howling! Just give the money!" Wang Clan was dizzy from Auspicious's shaking and glared at her fiercely. However, she felt pity; after all, it was flesh that had fallen from her body. Seeing her hair disheveled and her face injured, she didn't want to scold her anymore.
Upon hearing this, Li Family shouted, "Mother! We can't give this Silver! It's Aunt's fault for causing trouble; that's her retribution. She is the daughter of the Xie Family, not my daughter! Don't think you can take my Silver for her!"
"Nonsense! What do you mean 'your Silver'? The family hasn't split yet; this Silver belongs to the household! Since Auspicious is the daughter of the Xie Family, she can spend the Xie Family's money! Who are you, a mere Daughter-in-law, to dictate anything? Go stand aside!" Wang Clan scolded Li Family. In this household, she had always been in charge; even Xie Shengcai listened to her. She could do whatever she wanted, and it was not up to a Daughter-in-law to shout at her like that.
Li Family retorted, "Mother, that's not how it works. The family may not have split, but when the Fourth Household separated, they also mentioned what we were entitled to. We were waiting for our share when the family splits; that money is ours that we earned through hard work! How can we give it to Auspicious? If you want to give something, use your own private funds; I don't believe you don't have any!"
Despite usually flattering Wang Clan, Li Family was now unwilling to let go of what was rightfully hers just because of their relationship. If this Silver went to Auspicious, it would be wasted, and in the end, she would end up like Xie Youshun, losing everything. She would be foolish not to oppose this.
Not only was Li Family unhappy, but everyone from the Xie Family was also displeased. Thirty taels of Silver, giving it to Auspicious would be like giving it away for free; she certainly wouldn't return it.
Xie Youhe said, "Mother, you must have some private Silver, right? Don't hide it now; just think of us and take it out." He thought that if Wang Clan brought out her private funds, then they could also get some for themselves without having to use their own.
Wang Clan cursed at Xie Youhe. Yes, she had private funds, but she was reluctant to part with them. She wouldn't touch her own money when there was public money available.
Xie Youkang and the Fang Family remained silent. They were the first wives and would definitely not be treated poorly in the future since the elder would live with them. Even if all the public funds were given to Auspicious, as Xie Youtai said, the old lady still had private funds; they could get those later.
Neither did Xie Youtai nor the Zi Clan speak up; they all loathed Auspicious, but they knew that speaking out at this moment would be useless.
At this moment, Xiao Lihua, taking advantage of the distraction, tugged on Xie Youshun, pulling him back. She was worried he might speak out too boldly. The family had just received fifty taels of Silver, giving ten taels to her maternal family and another ten taels to the family of Wang Dashan. That left exactly thirty taels. If it weren't for having just received the money today, she would have suspected this was a scheme against them!
Xie Youshun gently held Xiao Lihua's hand and smiled at her.
Xiao Lihua sighed in relief. It wasn't that she was stingy; if this Aunt were a good person, she would definitely help. But this Auspicious had it coming. Not to mention their past conflicts, just the fact that she caused others to have miscarriages was enough for her not to help.
"Hey! You all should say something. Are you really planning to let Silver go to waste? What will you use to build a house when it's time to divide the family? Are you counting on Auspicious to pay it back? Or are you relying on Parents to cover it? If this can't build a house, how will you manage later? Or do you want to keep living together without dividing the family? That's fine by me; I’ll continue living here, but don’t expect me to contribute any money to the communal fund anymore! This house is also part ours!"
Li Family saw that no one was supporting her except for the men in the family and got anxious, speaking loudly, knowing she wouldn't lose out.
Fang Family became anxious upon hearing this. They were the First Wife, and it had long been agreed that this house belonged to them; how could it be given to someone else?
"Dad, say something." Fang Family didn't want to confront her mother-in-law directly and called out to Xie Shengcai. Although this Father-in-law usually kept quiet, he could still speak up at critical moments.
Li Family glanced at Fang Family and said, "Your Father-in-law is naturally on my side; just take the money from the communal fund."
Fang Family cursed inwardly but remained silent since she still had her private savings in mind.
Xie Shengcai raised his eyes and said, "This Silver must be paid back."
Auspicious immediately stopped crying and smiled, knowing she wouldn't be divorced. She straightened her back again, thinking with such a maternal family, once she had another son, Bai Family would have to bow down to her. She repeatedly thanked Parents.
Li Family was dumbfounded. She noticed Ruyi standing nearby and said, "Ruyi, among those thirty-some taels of Silver at home, there’s your dowry. Your sister is about to take your dowry! Aren't you going to say anything?"
Ruyi softly replied, "I have a good relationship with my sister; what's wrong with giving her half of my dowry? Besides, I know Parents won't let me lose out."
Auspicious immediately went over and took Ruyi's hand, starting to speak affectionately. Ruyi also held her hand in comfort, and the two shared a deep sisterly bond.
Li Family let out a cry and sat down on the ground, weeping, "Why is my life so bitter! I married into such a family! All my hard-earned money is being used to wipe someone else's backside! Oh my heavens! This is going to drive me to death! Aunt, you took thirty taels, and my sister-in-law will have to take this amount again later! All this Silver is coming from us, the elder brother and sister-in-law; it's outrageous! What girl is worth this much money! Hongya! Mother, go sell yourself! See if you can fetch thirty taels for your aunt!"
Li Family's daughter Hongya went over to comfort her mother, but was grabbed by Li Family, who pulled her up and started dragging her outside. Upon hearing that she was to be sold, Hongya immediately began to cry.
The family members rushed over to block the door or pull Li Family, while Zi Clan pulled Hongya aside.
Li Family sat back down on the ground and cried loudly again.
The Xie Family was in chaos, even more lively than a funeral.
Xiao Lihua watched and thought that when Li Family caused a scene, it was truly remarkable. As long as it wasn't directed at her, watching her argue with others was quite enjoyable. With such a person around, it seemed unlikely that they would be able to squeeze any more Silver from her sons. She felt more at ease.
At this moment, Xie Youhe, a grown man, also began to cry, pleading with Parents not to force them into selling their children. His words hinted that the Wang Clan had private funds; if they didn’t share with them, at least they shouldn’t keep squeezing them. If this continued, they would all end up selling themselves into servitude, letting Auspicious take the Silver back to the Bai Family.
"Enough!"
At this point, Xie Shengcai shouted. He felt he had lost all face in his lifetime. Since he rarely got angry, his loud shout silenced the room. However, it seemed that Xie Shengcai's courage had also been exhausted with that shout; he turned to the people from the Bai Family and said, "We will pay this Silver, but not today. You all should go back first."
Auspicious called out "Father," but since Xie Shengcai wouldn’t look at her, she could only tug at her clothes, thinking that as long as they were going to pay it, it would be fine. After all, the Bai Family would definitely want the Silver, and she could just stay at her maternal home for a few days.
After watching the commotion and seeing that the Xie Family was also in disarray, Zhang, feeling somewhat better about not having grandchildren anymore, decided it was pointless to stay longer and said she would come back in a couple of days before leaving with her two sons. Outside the door of the Xie Family, many people stood watching; they walked tall and proud, making sure everyone knew that the Xie Family had fallen on hard times this time.
With only their own family left inside, Xie Shengcai looked solemnly at his family and said, "In any case, we cannot let Auspicious be divorced. If she is divorced, it will affect you all as well. Therefore, this Silver must be paid. Whether you are willing or not, you must comply. If Fourth Son can get by, so can you all. If it really doesn’t work out, we can delay splitting up for a few years until we save enough money."
"I think that's feasible!"
The Wang Clan said that she actually did not want to split the family. She had gotten used to being in charge all these years; if they split, who would she command? If they didn’t split, she could continue to maintain her authority.
The Li Family had already torn their relationship with the in-laws. At this moment, they loudly opposed it. She did not want Silver to be given to Auspicious and then continue to serve her in-laws like a servant. Splitting the family would be great; she still wanted to be in charge. The eldest and second families were also unwilling. The eldest family was worried that the house would be divided, while the second family wanted to live a carefree life.
The Li Family said, “Mother, you have private savings; don’t think we don’t know. I heard you tell Ruyi that you would give her your private savings as a dowry! You have so many children, not just her! You make us, your sons and daughters-in-law, spend money for the eldest daughter and put your private savings on the line for the youngest daughter. Daughters are treasures, but sons are not worthless! Mother, if you don’t give us money, don’t expect us to give you any either. Is that clear?”
“Nonsense! I don’t have any private savings!” the Wang Clan said angrily, thinking about how this stubborn woman from the Li Family was truly asking for trouble.
“Father, do you think you have private savings? There are deities watching over us; don’t lie!” the Li Family looked at Xie Shengcai.
Xie Shengcai hesitated and remained silent, which was almost an admission.
At this moment, others in the household began to speak up, saying that the Wang Clan could not show favoritism.
The Wang Clan was truly at a loss. No matter how much she loved her daughter, she still had to rely on her sons for support. Offending four people at once was not acceptable. In the end, she only admitted to having fifteen taels of Silver and said that the other fifteen taels had to come from her sons.
At this time, Xie Shengcai said, “Fourth Son doesn’t need to contribute; when he left initially, he didn’t take a single coin and has already given Ruyi ten taels. He doesn’t need to pay these five taels. If you want him to pay, then all thirty taels will come from you! Don’t think that five taels of Silver is too little; if you don’t contribute, then don’t split the family at all. This much I can manage.”
Xie Youshun looked at his father and thought that his father still cared for him. Xiao Lihua thought that although this Father-in-law was soft-hearted and hadn’t been able to help when they faced difficulties in Stone and Wood before, at least he spoke fairly in this matter.
The Wang Clan shot a glare at Xie Shengcai but didn’t say anything further. Xie Youtai and Zi Clan also felt that this was fair. However, First Wife and Third Household were unhappy but did not want to pay all thirty taels nor did they want to avoid splitting the family, so they could only remain silent.
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