Liu Changhe yearned for the day he could save enough silver to buy a house and a shop in town, to start a small business, rather than spending his life toiling in the soil. He envied those men who could send their sons to study, envisioning a future where his own son could gain a skill, even if not for the imperial examinations, and could work as an accountant in a wealthy household instead of relying on him.
He was different from most men. Every piece of silver he earned went to Zhou Xue'e. He felt he spent less time at home; she was there, caring for his parents, his unmarried younger brother, and their two children. Their needs for money were many, and giving it to her for their expenses was more convenient.
One day, a good friend told him about a lucrative business opportunity. To join, they needed to pool their money. Liu Changhe was very optimistic about the venture. Thinking he had earned at least fifty taels of silver over the past few years, he immediately agreed to participate.
That afternoon, he returned home excitedly to ask Zhou Xue'e for the money. To his surprise, her face turned pale upon hearing his request. He assumed she was frightened, thinking fifty taels was too much. He quickly explained, "We've investigated this business, and it's viable. Once we make this deal and earn enough, we can move to town. Perhaps in a few years, I can even buy you a young maid."
The more he spoke, the more Zhou Xue'e lowered her head. Liu Changhe sensed something was wrong.
"What exactly is going on?" he asked, looking at her intently.
"I... I... the silver... the silver..." she stammered for a long time, unable to articulate anything clearly. Liu Changhe's heart suddenly lurched. He rushed to where she kept their savings and searched for a long time, but found nothing.
"Where did you hide the silver?" Liu Changhe asked, his voice trembling.
"Speak! Why aren't you saying anything? Where did you hide the silver?" Liu Changhe felt a sense of shattered hope and almost roared his question.
Such a loud voice naturally attracted other members of the Liu family. When they entered and saw the situation, Liu's mother, knowing her son wasn't one to make baseless accusations, quickly stepped forward to inquire. Liu Changhe didn't try to conceal anything and explained the matter. Liu's mother was also shocked, never imagining her daughter-in-law had lost fifty to sixty taels of silver. But that didn't seem right; such a large sum couldn't just be lost. Who had she given it to, or lent it to? She suddenly remembered Zhou family's frequent visits recently.
"Did you lend the silver to your parents' family?" Liu's mother asked, trying to calm herself.
Zhou Xue'e only cried, offering no response. Her silence, in the eyes of the mother and son, was an admission.
"What happened to your parents' family?" Liu Changhe suddenly felt a pang of guilt, realizing he had gotten angry without knowing the full truth, and felt a little uneasy.
"I heard that the Zhou family has become quite wealthy recently. They've been buying silk, feasting on rich foods. Could that money all be ours? I also heard that the Zhou family had set their sights on the scholar's daughter. The scholar was preparing for his imperial examinations and lacked travel expenses. He had announced that whoever could offer thirty taels of betrothal gifts would marry his daughter. I heard he recently became engaged to the Zhou family. Could that money also be ours?" Though the Zhou family was in a neighboring village, due to their in-laws relationship, Liu's mother had heard some things. Sudan Novel Network
Liu's mother had initially thought it was good if the Zhou family was prospering, believing that if her in-laws had money, they would bother them less. She still remembered vividly how the Zhou family used to come begging for their help a few years ago. She believed that if they had money, they wouldn't bother Zhou Xue'e, and the Liu family's life would be smoother. But she never imagined that all this money was earned through her son's hard work.
"You're insane! That silver was what I saved up over so many years! How many times have I told you, we want to buy a house in town, we want to send our son to school. You gave all the silver to the Zhou family! Have you considered us at all?" Liu Changhe looked at her in disbelief. They had been married for so many years. Although the Zhou family often visited, Liu Changhe had always sent them away. Their lives had been peaceful. He couldn't understand why his wife would give all their savings to them. Yes, in his eyes, it was a gift. What difference was there between lending and giving if it was never returned?
"But I couldn't just stand by and watch my younger brothers fail to get married! My parents even knelt before me, what else could I do?" Zhou Xue'e also felt wronged when speaking of this. Initially, she had disagreed when her parents came to her, but she couldn't withstand their tears, their tantrums, or their kneeling before her. Even now, thinking back, she was still shocked. People who had once been so proud had softened their hearts and knelt before her, showing how desperate they were. Regardless, they were her biological parents; she couldn't refuse to help.
"Your parents knelt before you, and you agreed? Did you think about us? How will we live? You are part of the Liu family now, not the Zhou family. Do you think your brothers, with their character, will return the money if it's in their hands? Zhou Xue'e, you need to understand, this silver is what I, Liu Changhe, earned. You have no right to dispose of it." Liu Changhe looked at her with disappointment. At that moment, he regretted how, after meeting her a few times in the neighboring village and seeing her hardworking and weary figure, he had felt a surge of pity and couldn't help but pay more attention to her. Later, seeing no one else married her, and the betrothal gift was within his means, he even pleaded with his reluctant mother to propose.
At that time, his mother disliked Zhou Xue'e's parents, finding them too greedy and treating their daughter like a commodity, fearing endless trouble in the future.
What did Liu Changhe say then? He said he was confident that she would be devoted to him, and that they would live a harmonious and happy life as a family behind closed doors. But now, he felt utterly proven wrong. Some people, no matter how good you are to them, will not consider your feelings and will only think of their own parents and brothers.
From then on, Liu Changhe, who had once been extremely considerate of her, never gave her another copper coin. All his earnings were handed over to his own mother. Zhou Xue'e was heartbroken every time, but she dared not argue, for the disappointed look in the Liu family's eyes from the last incident was still vivid in her memory. And so much time had passed. She could feel that Liu Changhe had lost all hope in her. Even when they met at home, he refused to speak to her, his only concern being their two children.
She didn't know how many times she cried at night. But after the last incident, even Liu's mother was not on her side. The day before yesterday, Liu Changhe, in a rare gesture, bought her a bolt of cloth to make clothes. She caressed it with immense fondness, only for her mother, who had come calling again, to see it.