Xu Maoyuan, who had remained silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "Huaiyi, get up first…"
"Uncle?" Xu Huaiyi hesitated, glancing from one person to another with an expression of utter confusion, appearing every bit the weak and incompetent man.
But now, everyone else in the room felt they had been too naive before.
"Get up and speak!" Xu Maoyuan said sternly, his tone slightly firmer. "You haven't done anything wrong. Why are you kneeling? A man's knees are worth gold—stand up!"
"Yes, I'll listen to you, Uncle…" This time, Xu Huaiyi stood up promptly, his gaze somewhat dazed yet revealing a hint of simple honesty. Upon closer inspection, his eyes were clear and untroubled.
Xu Maoyuan sighed. "What you just said should stay within these four walls. Don't let it spread outside. It won't do you or our Xu family any good…"
Xu Huaiyi looked aggrieved. "I didn't want to say it either, but if I didn't speak up, what if Mother misunderstood me as unfilial?"
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhao nearly choked on her breath. "You… you…"
Xu Maoshan shot her a heavy glance, saying nothing, yet it was enough to make Granny Zhao lower her head. Perhaps holding back too hard, her hands trembled uncontrollably.
Xu Huaiyi sneered inwardly, pretending not to notice.
Xu Maoyuan slapped the table, making a decisive statement. "Who dares say you're unfilial? You've already done so much for this family… What more could you possibly do to show filial piety?"
These words were directed at Xu Maoshan and Granny Zhao. Back when the proposal to have Xu Huaiyi become a live-in son-in-law for the Gu Family was raised, he had disagreed. The Xu family wasn't desperate—why should a family member make such a sacrifice?
It was too shameful, an outright disgrace to their ancestors.
But by the time he tried to stop it, the greed-driven agreement had already been finalized.
Now, by bringing up old grievances, he could finally vent his anger.
"Uncle…" Xu Huaiyi's emotions surged instantly, his eyes reddening as if moved to the point of choking up. "Thank you. With your words, I can die in peace."
Xu Maoyuan immediately scolded him with displeasure. "What nonsense are you talking? What's all this about dying? Such ill-omened talk!"
Xu Huaiyi quickly followed suit, spitting a few times. "You're right. I must live well. I still have to fulfill my father-in-law's wishes, take care of my wife, and raise my daughter."
Xu Maoyuan nodded, asking with some concern, "How is your wife's health? Has she improved after taking Doctor Jiao's medicine?"
Finally, the question he had been waiting for. Xu Huaiyi sighed with worry. "It's still uncertain. At the moment, it seems… Ah, Doctor Jiao said we'll have to wait and see after she finishes those few doses. Even if she recovers, she won't be able to work in the future. She'll need medicine to sustain her, otherwise… Ah, I'm at my wit's end now. I've already sold the last of her dowry, and I have no real skills to earn much money. Will we just have to rely on fate from now on? Ah, if that day ever comes, I won't be able to live either. I'll have to die to atone to my father-in-law…"
With a series of long sighs, his meaning couldn't have been clearer.
He needed money!
Without money, they were forcing the third branch of the family to their deaths.
The room fell into silence.
Wang Suyun clutched her heart, secretly signaling to her husband.
But Xu Hairen didn't notice. He was completely absorbed in his own complicated emotions, unable to understand how things had developed this way. Initially, they had called the third brother in to settle accounts—how had it all become so muddled?
Xu Maoyuan waited for a while, but still no one spoke up. His heart sank, and he directly confronted Xu Maoshan, asking, "What do you have to say about this?"
Xu Maoshan looked troubled, letting out a long sigh. "Elder Brother, what can I say? The family's silver… well, it's managed by his mother. You can ask her how much can be spared…"
Before Xu Maoyuan could even open his mouth, Granny Zhao shrieked hoarsely, "Nothing! Not a single copper! The family has long been scraping the bottom of the barrel. We're so poor we only eat one meal a day, just waiting to starve to death. Where would we get silver for medical treatment?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Huaiyi immediately put on an expression of shock and disbelief. "Not a single copper left? Then what about Fifth Brother's studies? I heard that just registering for the imperial examination costs over ten taels of silver, and the monthly tuition is two taels. Not to mention brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones—where is all that supposed to come from? Does this mean Fifth Brother has to come home and farm?"
Granny Zhao was so furious she could have bitten him. "How dare you curse your brother…"
Xu Huaiyi replied innocently, "No, I was just asking out of curiosity. You said yourself there isn't a single copper left in the house. Forget about the money for my wife's medicine—where will the silver for Fifth Brother's studies come from?"
Granny Zhao spat. "What is your wife compared to your Fifth Brother? Your Fifth Brother is the reincarnation of the Literary Star from heaven, while your wife is just a worthless life…"
"Shut up!" Xu Maoshan shouted at her, then turned to explain to Xu Maoyuan, whose face was livid with anger. "Elder Brother, she's ignorant and short-sighted. Don't take it to heart…"
Xu Maoyuan slammed his hand on the kang table. "Fine, I won't take it to heart. I'm only asking you—what exactly are you going to do about this? Don't try to brush me off with excuses. I know exactly how much wealth you have. Not everyone in our village is blind—there are sharp-eyed and clear-minded people watching. You live in a large tiled house, and Huaiyu is still studying in town…"
After pausing to catch his breath, he spoke earnestly, "Even if you don't care about Huaiyi and his wife, or your late in-laws, or even the reputation of our Xu family, don't you at least think about Huaiyu? He's a scholar. What do scholars value most? If people find out that his studies cost his sister-in-law her life, even if he were the reincarnation of the Literary Star, it wouldn't matter!"
Xu Maoshan's expression finally changed. This threat had struck a nerve.
Seeing this, Wang Suyun grew anxious and forcefully nudged Xu Hairen. Xu Hairen finally snapped out of it and, for once, came up with a clever idea. "Uncle, you've forgotten something. Huaiyi… Huaiyi is now part of the Gu Family. He has nothing to do with the Xu family anymore. He's just staying with the Xu family temporarily…"
Xu Maoyuan was stunned.
But Granny Zhao excitedly cried out, "That's right! The eldest is right. This little beast became part of the Gu Family two years ago. Whether his wife lives or dies, whether she needs medicine or not—that's the Gu Family's business! Why should the Xu family's silver be used? There's no such logic in the world! Everyone in the village knows the Gu Family and the Xu family are two separate households. It's written in black and white on the deed. No matter how you argue it, they're two separate families. Since they're two separate families, why should his wife's life or death tarnish our Huaiyu's reputation?"
After this frenzied outburst, Granny Zhao felt a sense of satisfaction. She looked at Xu Huaiyi with undisguised malice and glee. She had never liked this son—never…
Xu Maoshan also felt relieved, though he still put on a deeply conflicted expression. "Elder Brother, look at this… what a mess this has become. Sigh, it's all because I didn't manage things properly…"
Xu Maoyuan asked Xu Huaiyi with a stiff expression, "Do you have anything else to say?"
What was there to say? He was so overjoyed he wanted to go outside and set off firecrackers in celebration!
He hadn’t planned for much, but unexpectedly, things had worked out perfectly—he had actually succeeded!
What a clever fellow he was!
Suppressing his excitement, Xu Huaiyi put on an expression of utter despair, as if nothing mattered anymore. "I have nothing to say. Elder Brother is right, and everything Mother said is true. I never had a choice."
His only path was to leave this family.