Chapter 135: Thorns
I had thought that as soon as I made my proposal, Old Granny Zhang would agree.
But to my surprise, Old Granny Zhang let out a cold laugh, "Divide the family? Silly girl, dividing up the family now would just play into their hands. Right now, the medicines at Doctor Ma’s place for Eldest Brother will only need ginseng for a couple more days, and then we can stop. I’ve done the math; thirty taels of silver is all it takes to bring Eldest Brother back home. The compensation from the Li Family is also about to be in our hands—if we divide up the family now, wouldn’t fifty taels of that compensation end up being divided away? Even if Eldest Brother is disabled, his two sons can start working the fields. After raising them to this size, do you think they can just smoothly split away and go off to make money? They haven’t worked honestly for ten or eight years for me, to earn back double the silver I spent on their father, don’t even think about it! Did you think your mother’s silver is that easy to take?"
"Silly girl, your mother knows you worry for her! Rest assured, your mother isn’t old yet. These little bastard children think they can turn heaven and earth under their mother’s watch? Dream on! Don’t worry about these things; just stay with Laosan’s House and learn your embroidery well, save up for your dowry, and everything will be alright. I managed to get through your grandmother, that old witch. Now, you think I can’t contend with these wizened calves that crawled out of my own belly?"
As she spoke, she became more and more spirited.
Wang Yongzhu stared, dumbstruck. She felt she had underestimated Old Granny Zhang’s fighting spirit; her stance was that of someone ready to take on all who opposed her.
Swallowing hard, Wang Yongzhu felt her earlier worries were all for naught.
Seeing her daughter’s relieved expression, Old Granny Zhang couldn’t help but get teary-eyed, feeling a mixture of tenderness and sweetness in her heart. In her lifetime, she had endured hardship and fatigue, given birth and raised five children—yet now it seemed, the only one close to her heart and lungs was her daughter, whom she had not cherished in vain.
Watching Wang Yongzhu walk ahead, Old Granny Zhang’s thoughts returned to the sight of Eldest Brother she had seen earlier at the medical hall.
In just a few days, the Eldest Brother seemed to have aged, with evident white hair on his head, skin both dark and rough, and deep wrinkles between his brows.