The sound of He Shi's voice startled Song Yue Mei, who was embroidering at home. Hearing that Hong Yun and her husband were receiving nearly an ounce of silver a month in wages, and that their own family's fields could still be cultivated and they lived in a new, red-brick house, Song Yue Mei felt a surge of anger. She recalled how, a while back, she had offered to work for her second uncle's family, but her second aunt had merely claimed that Hong Yun and her husband were only helping out and hadn't mentioned any monthly pay.

Song Yue Mei carefully retraced that day's events, confirming that Huang Shi had deliberately misled her—in truth, the second uncle's family simply didn't want her and her husband working there. Song Yue Mei thought that while she couldn't do much, her mother-in-law certainly could. Furthermore, her mother-in-law was not as easily placated as she was. Without needing to show her own hand, she could certainly instigate her mother-in-law to stir up trouble.

Song Yue Mei walked out, picking up where He Shi left off, saying, "Exactly, Mother. I also think the second uncle's family is being far too biased. Now that they have money, it’s only right they should lend us a hand. We aren't asking for handouts now; we just want to work for them, and they pay us so little. And..."

She deliberately stopped short. He Shi pressed her, "And what? Tell me."

"And I visited the second uncle's house a while back. I saw that our family has too many people and not enough land. Qing Shan and I wanted to work for them to supplement our income, but Second Aunt didn't agree either. She even deliberately claimed she'd invited Auntie First and her husband, and they weren't accepting wages. I felt it wasn't appropriate for me, as a junior, to press the issue, so I just came back without saying more," Song Yue Mei said, deliberately affecting a pitiable air.

Hearing this, He Shi's temper flared even hotter. She felt that Er Niu's family was truly shameless. Her own husband worked for them from dawn till dusk, and even on rest days, he still made sure to deliver fish fodder to their fishpond daily, yet they only gave him three hundred dà qián a month.

Meanwhile, Da Jiang was no longer paying attention to their conversation. His mind raced, trying to figure out how to cover up the truth. If he admitted he was making six hundred dà qián a month, this woman would surely hatch some new scheme, and he was afraid she wouldn't offer a single coin toward any debt. But if he said it was only three hundred dà qián, she would definitely go and confront his brother. Da Jiang wished he could slap himself for ever letting the information slip.

Seeing Da Jiang remain silent, He Shi pushed him, "Say something! Didn't you always claim your second brother's family treated you so well? Praised them for this and that? Now that it comes to money, let's see if you still say they're good."

Da Jiang, jostled, still didn't speak, staring blankly, his mind spinning on how to placate his wife and stop her from causing a scene at his younger brother's house. Seeing Da Jiang ignore her, He Shi stopped talking and started walking toward the door. Da Jiang grabbed her, "Where are you going? You're not planning to go make trouble at your second brother's place, are you?"

He Shi declared, "I am going to talk to Er Lao's family. How can they be so unfair to us? They often send things to the third family, and we get nothing. Now they are treating Hong Yun's family so well, yet they refuse to lift us up. Hong Yun is a married daughter, and he still helps her, but he ignores us. I want to see what explanation they have for me."

Da Jiang saw He Shi’s words becoming increasingly outrageous and couldn't hold back any longer. He said in a low, angry voice, "You are forbidden to go! And you have the nerve to say such things? Do you even know how much we owe Er Lao's family? I'll tell you the truth: I don't make three hundred dà qián a month; I make six hundred dà qián. The rest is what I insist on repaying Er Lao's family myself. At first, they refused to take it, but I forced them. I was the one who told you not to know about it."

This revelation stunned both He Shi and Song Yue Mei. Song Yue Mei had never known that their household was in debt to the second uncle's family. She had married in later, and no one had told her anything about the debt—how much it was, or why it existed. She knew nothing.

He Shi, for her part, was shocked that Da Jiang had kept this from her, even hiding it from Er Niu's family. What did they take her for? Did the affairs of this household truly not concern her anymore?

Song Yue Mei was the first to regain her composure, asking, "Father, this debt you mentioned to Second Uncle's family—when did that happen? I've never heard you or Qing Shan mention it. What exactly is going on?"

He Shi snapped back irritably, "That was before you married in. It’s not for you to manage. You weren't even part of this family then. Why are you asking so many questions?"

Song Yue Mei paused, then smiled, "That's true. It really has nothing to do with me. Since I didn't use that money, it naturally isn't my business to manage."

Song Yue Mei's implication was clear: she would have nothing to do with that money. She hadn't used it, and she wouldn't repay it. She would let these two elders sort out their own troubles. She couldn't be bothered. In the end, no one would come looking to her for the money. She would safeguard her own earnings and certainly wouldn't offer any of it up.

He Shi understood the meaning behind Song Yue Mei's words, but for the moment, she didn't want to argue with her. First, she needed to clarify these matters. She turned toward Da Jiang and asked, "If that's the case, you've been paying back money to Er Niu's family for several months now? And Da Sheng also earns six hundred dà qián a month?"

Da Jiang nodded, unaware of why He Shi was asking. Hearing about the repayment truly angered He Shi, but based on his statement, Da Jiang earning six hundred dà qián a month brought a flicker of joy. Her entire mindset had shifted. She no longer wanted to confront Er Niu. If she could also work for Er Niu's family, she could earn an ounce of silver a month, just like Hong Yun and her husband. That would be twelve ounces a year—far better than running a shop in town. Running a shop carried risks, but this job did not.

For now, she certainly couldn't cause a scene. She needed a way to get Er Niu's family to agree to let her work. She turned to Da Jiang and said, "Tell me, can I work too? Four hundred dà qián a month isn't bad. I can do everything Hong Yun and the third daughter-in-law can do. If I work, I’ll certainly be more diligent than they are. Look at their frail bodies; what can they really manage? Maybe the two of them together aren't worth half of me. Da Jiang, can you speak to Er Niu? He’s always treated you well; if you ask, he’ll surely agree."

Song Yue Mei sneered from the side. Her mother-in-law was truly quick to change her tune. Just a moment ago, she was railing about how bad the second uncle's family was; now, they were wonderful again. In the end, it was all about money, wasn't it? She could say anything and do anything for a bit of coin.

Da Jiang heard He Shi’s proposal and immediately cut in, "Er Niu's family already has enough help. You don't need to cause any more trouble. If things escalate and I lose my job, you won't even get those six hundred dà qián. I won't beg Er Niu for you. Also, remember the promissory note you signed for Qing Shan's wedding; you are responsible for repaying that money. The three liǎng of silver you owe—I will give you three hundred wén monthly for you to pay off that debt. If Er Niu comes asking for the money later, I won't be involved."

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