Chapter 585: Brotherly love and respectful younger siblings
Madam Tang knew that Ma Peng was arranging a position for her husband and was planning to get him a job at the Ministry of Revenue. She could hardly believe it and asked, "Husband, is it really true?"
Ma Yue was also quite happy, "Of course, it’s true."
Madam Tang, touching her belly which was already starting to show, said, "Husband, from now on, you’ll have to take care of both your daughter and me." Madam Tang had long been aware of Ma Yue’s shortcomings but didn’t dare to advise him too much when they were newly married; she feared that too much advising might backfire. However, after she became pregnant, she began to urge Ma Yue, not directly, but always using the child to guide him. Essentially, the core of her message was her hope that Ma Yue would set a good example for their son.
Ma Yue was different from Ma Linlin. After the age of five, he was mostly by Ma Chengteng’s side. Only being excessively pampered by Lady Family did not make him a bad person at heart. Madam Tang’s words made him realize his responsibilities. When a man starts feeling responsible, it means he has matured.
Zhuang Ruolan was also surprised; she had thought that Ma Peng disliked Lady Cheng and her three children and did not expect Ma Peng would help Ma Yue find a job.
Ma Peng nodded and said, "I really don’t like Lady Cheng, nor do I like those two." The "two" naturally referred to Ma Linlin and Ma Yue.
Zhuang Ruolan was bewildered, "Then why did you still help him find a job?" Securing such a position not only required money but also needed connections; such obligations meant needing to repay favors.
Ma Peng explained, "The matter with Linlin was also a wake-up call. If Ma Yue turned out to be just as ineffective, we would end up with the headaches. Rather than let that happen, it’s better to let him gain some hardships in an official post, so he might eventually hold up our household."
Zhuang Ruolan was still skeptical.
The proactive attempt by Ma Peng to secure a position for Ma Yue was also influenced by another matter. A colleague of Ma Peng had a younger brother, a real one, who indulged in all vices and frequently mixed with the lowest of society, constantly causing trouble, which always required the family to clean up. His colleague, during a drinking session, expressed regret that he hadn’t invested more effort in his brother earlier, which could have prevented such disposition, and now his entire family was unsettled.