“You, you, you… Hmph!”
Jiang Erzhu was so angry at what his wife said that he puffed out his cheeks and glared, but there was nothing he could do about it.
In the kitchen, Shu An saw that her sister-in-law had started preparing dinner, so she pulled a tin of cold cream out of her pocket and immediately held it out in front of her.
“Ta-da! Sister-in-law, this is for you!”
“Oh my, what’s this? Cold cream? No, no, you take it back. I’m already this old. This stuff looks good on you young girls. I’m past the age for using things like this. It would just be a waste.”
“Not at all, Sister-in-law! How old are you, really? You can use this on your face or your hands. I specifically bought it for you! Here, I’m putting it in your pocket.”
As she spoke, she stuffed it into Chen Hong’s pocket.
Chen Hong’s hands were busy working, so she couldn’t free them to stop her. She could only purse her lips and say, “Then… thank you, little sister-in-law.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Look, when I first married into this family, you were always the one helping me. Whenever I wanted to eat something, you’d make it for me. This is nothing compared to that.” Shu An was speaking the truth.
Perhaps because she was young, and because their mother-in-law wasn’t exactly reliable, her sister-in-law had practically treated her like a daughter. She was almost like an older sister who was also a mother, treating Shu An much like a child.
Hearing this, Chen Hong felt incredibly warm inside. This was exactly why she liked getting along with this sister-in-law.
Shu An never let anyone suffer a loss when dealing with her. Even if Chen Hong thought something was merely a small favor, Shu An would always find a way to repay her so that she wouldn’t feel she had given without receiving anything in return.
The smashed cucumbers, rice noodles, and homemade chili sauce made for an especially refreshing meal in the scorching summer heat.
During dinner, Jiang Erzhu kept his mouth shut and did nothing but slurp down his food.
Seeing him like this, Shu An couldn’t help thinking, Honestly, you’re the best talker when it comes to criticizing others. Why don’t you eat a little less when it’s time to eat?
After dinner, before the table had even been cleared, Jiang Erzhu spoke up.
“Second daughter-in-law.”
“Hmm? What is it?” Shu An looked at her father-in-law in confusion. Why was he calling her?
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. The money that my second son sent home this month—aren’t you supposed to hand it over to us?” Seeing her reaction, Jiang Erzhu immediately became anxious.
“Oh, that?”
Shu An responded with an “oh,” then suddenly changed her tone as she thought of something.
“He did send money this month, but I’m not planning to give it to you.”
“What? You’re not handing it over? What, are you planning to swallow all the money my second son sends us? You, you, you… you’re unfilial!”
When Jiang Erzhu heard this, it was as if he had been struck by five thunderbolts.
“Don’t get so worked up. And don’t go throwing accusations at me. I said I’m not giving it to you. I never said I wouldn’t give it to our family. Here’s what I’m thinking.”
“We buy all the oil, salt, sauces, vinegar, and other household necessities through Mom anyway. So I’m planning to give this month’s money to Mom and let her keep it. After all, you and Mom are husband and wife. Whether you or she holds the money, isn’t it all the same?”
“No! No! You can’t give it to your mother-in-law! Your mother-in-law spends money recklessly. She has no sense of restraint. If the money is put in her hands, she’ll spend it all within half a month!”
The moment Jiang Erzhu heard that the money would be handed to his wife, he immediately shook his head. There was no way he would agree to that.
“Hey, Jiang Erzhu! Why can’t I manage the money? You’ve been handling all the household money since we got married. Isn’t it about time I got a turn?”
“Second daughter-in-law is right. I’m the one who buys the household necessities like oil, salt, sauces, and vinegar. Why do I have to ask you for money every time I need to buy something? Isn’t Second Son my son too? Then I have every right to manage the money!”
The moment Feng Aidi heard this, she immediately jumped in.
“Exactly, exactly!” Shu An added fuel to the fire from the side. “Other families usually have the wife manage the household finances. But in our family, Dad, you’ve been in charge of the money for more than twenty years. Isn’t it Mom’s turn now?”
“We all work together, so why should all the money be kept by you while Mom doesn’t get to touch any of it? Right, Mom?”
“Exactly! Exactly! Second daughter-in-law is right! We both work, so why shouldn’t I be allowed to handle the money?”
After hearing Shu An, Feng Aidi felt that this made perfect sense.
“Second daughter-in-law, hurry up and give me the money. Let me manage it. You’re right. I’m the one who buys things for the household, so the money should be in my hands too!”
“No!” Jiang Erzhu panicked when he saw this. “You can’t manage this money! I already told you, you can’t handle it. You’re illiterate. How are you going to manage the money?”
“I’m illiterate? If I’m illiterate, then who bought all the things in this household? Just because I can’t read doesn’t mean I can’t ask questions! I’m not stupid! No, Second daughter-in-law, give me the money. I’ll manage it!”
The two of them immediately started arguing.
Shu An watched the spectacle from the side. When she saw that they were about to start physically fighting, she quickly called out to stop them.
“Stop! Wait! How about this? We’ll make the decision by majority vote.”
“After all, this money is for Mom and Dad, and it’s meant to be used for our entire family. So every member of the household should have a say. Let’s be democratic. Majority rules. How about that?”
“No!”
“Fine!”
“Shut up. Second daughter-in-law is right. Majority rules. Why shouldn’t we?”
Feng Aidi had someone backing her up today, so she suddenly stood much straighter.
“All right. Then let’s do this. Everyone who agrees that Dad should manage the money, raise your hand.”
“Whoosh!”
Jiang Erzhu immediately raised his hand.
He then looked around. Seeing that no one else had raised theirs, he immediately glared at Jiang Tian.
Seeing his father’s expression, Jiang Tian had no choice but to raise his hand as well.
“Good. Two votes. Now, everyone who supports Mom managing the money, raise your hand.”
“Whoosh!”
Feng Aidi instantly raised her hand. She even turned to the two grandsons beside her and called out, “Jiang Nan, Jiang Bei, whose side are you on?”
Jiang Nan heard his grandmother and instinctively looked toward his aunt.
Shu An slowly raised her hand.
The two brothers exchanged a glance. The moment they saw their aunt’s raised hand, they immediately raised theirs as well.
Chen Hong also raised her hand.
Although her mother-in-law could indeed be annoying at times, she had contributed much more to the family than her father-in-law. She was simply fond of nagging, whereas her father-in-law was a real miser.
When she saw her husband still standing there motionless, she immediately pinched him.
“Hiss~”
Jiang Tian couldn’t help sucking in a breath from the pinch. Under his wife’s pointed gaze, he also raised his hand.
“Eldest Son!”
Seeing Jiang Tian do this, Jiang Erzhu shouted angrily.
“All right. Six votes to two. Majority rules. So this month, the money belongs to Mom to manage.”
“Here, Mom. Take a look. I’m giving you the money. Count it and make sure it’s all there.”
As she spoke, Shu An pulled the money from her pocket and handed it to Feng Aidi.
Feng Aidi happily accepted it and immediately began counting. She couldn’t read, but she certainly knew how to count money.
“That’s right, that’s right! It’s exactly this amount! Second daughter-in-law, what do you want to eat tomorrow? Mom will make it for you!”
Now that the money was in her hands, even her tone of voice had completely changed.