"Qingqing, didn't you promise to give us five hundred yuan this morning? How could you go back on your word by the end of the day?" Yu Xiaohua's expression was extremely displeased. She had come specifically to get the money to shut Tie Mu up. Who would have thought that Jiang Qingqing, who had agreed to lend her money that morning, would retract her promise just now.
Jiang Qingqing wanted to explain, but Zhang Liunian sat beside her, protecting her, and said, "It's not that Qingqing went back on her word, it's that I don't agree. We'll discuss this when little sister gets here."
Yu Xiaohua was a little intimidated by her younger son and dared not speak her mind, though she was angry.
Not long after, Zhang Xiaomei arrived. They all sat at the same table, and Zhang Liunian finally spoke, "I heard Qingqing mention that you wanted to borrow money to shut Tie Mu up.
It was I who told her not to give you the money. Don't blame Qingqing. I don't agree because I don't think what you're doing is appropriate. People's hearts are greedy. If you give it to her once, who's to say she won't ask for it a second or third time..."
Zhang Wenxue and his wife were stunned by his words. Greed, yes. If Tie Mu got the money, she might very well ask them for it again.
Before, their only thought was to shut Tie Mu up, and they hadn't considered this. Their vision had been obscured, and they hadn't fully grasped the implications.
Now, reminded by their younger son, they finally realized that they really couldn't give the money.
Wait, that wasn't right. It was this younger son who had told them to shut Tie Mu up, and then they hadn't spoken up, nor had they thought of these things. So, in the end, it was their younger son who had led them into this trap.
Thinking of this, Zhang Wenxue felt a bit displeased and turned his head away, not wanting to look at his younger son.
Yu Xiaohua hadn't realized that it was her younger son who had initially told them to shut Tie Mu up. She opened her mouth and asked, "If we don't give her money, are you suggesting that our second son will have to bear the reputation of his parents forcing his sister to death?"
"You can find other ways," Zhang Liunian wanted his parents to stop interfering in his little sister's affairs, so he deliberately led them down this path.
"What other ways?" Yu Xiaohua followed his lead and pressed.
"Naturally, not giving it."
"..." What kind of way was that? If they didn't give it, would they still have any reputation? Wouldn't their second son be implicated? Yu Xiaohua rolled her eyes and reminded him, "If we don't give it, she'll just spread rumors everywhere."
"Her mouth is her own. Can you control what she says?"
"..." The words were true, but they couldn't ignore it when they thought of their second son?
Zhang Wenxue couldn't watch any longer and looked directly at his younger son, "Just say what you want to say, don't beat around the bush." Don't think he didn't see that this kid was deliberately being evasive just now, being slippery.
Zhang Liunian was not embarrassed, "We can reach an agreement. As long as little sister doesn't say you forced her, and only Tie Mu speaks, no one will believe her. However, you also have to agree to something for us."
The words of an bystander are not credible. The words of a participant are the most powerful.
Zhang Wenxue immediately understood his son's intention and realized, "Are you trying to use this matter to exchange for us not interfering with little sister and the mute's affairs?"
"That's right. At the time, only our family and Tie Mu were present. As long as we don't say you forced your daughter to death, no one will believe Tie Mu, no matter how elaborate her story is."
So they didn't need to give the money. Why hadn't they thought of this before?
Zhang Wenxue and his wife looked at each other simultaneously, realizing that they were not as clever as their son.
"We will reach a consensus, and you will no longer try to send little sister back to the Tie family, nor will you interfere with who she marries. Let her make her own decisions about her life for once, alright?"
"..."
Alright? Their eldest son was also getting divorced. What couldn't they agree to now?
It was just that their younger son was doing this much for their daughter, which truly surprised them.
Why hadn't they realized their younger son and daughter had such a good relationship before!
It seemed they had misjudged him.
"Alright, we agree," Zhang Wenxue said, expressing his consent.
"Let's put it in writing," Zhang Liunian said, pulling out a piece of paper and quickly writing. He was afraid his parents would just say it and not follow through, which made Zhang Wenxue and his wife feel uneasy.
Alas! How had things come to this? They were a family, yet they lacked even the most basic trust.
"Third child, we are family. Your actions make me feel upset," Zhang Wenxue blurted out.
They were a family. Although the love they gave their youngest son was limited, it wasn't as if they didn't love him at all.
"When Mom said she wanted to exchange my formula for little sister's freedom this afternoon, I felt upset too."
"..." Yu Xiaohua, who was inexplicably brought into the conversation, was angered and refused to speak.
Zhang Wenxue was silent for a while, then looked at his younger daughter, Zhang Xiaomei, and apologized solemnly, "Xiaomei, Dad and Mom's considerations might have been inappropriate at the time, causing you distress. Dad apologizes to you."
He had figured it out. Their son was getting divorced, and their daughter wanted to get married. These were no longer things they could control.
He didn't plan to interfere anymore. He only hoped it wouldn't affect their second son's career.
Zhang Xiaomei did not expect to hear her father's apology and broke down, tears streaming down her face.
She had always been the most obedient child in the family since she was little. Whoever her parents told her to marry, she would marry. But who would have thought that so many things would happen later.
In the past, no one had saved her. Now, she had her third brother and sister-in-law, who genuinely loved her, and she had a man she wanted to marry. She wanted to live her life anew.
Zhang Wenxue's heart ached as he watched his younger daughter cry. They had been a bit biased, but they weren't the kind of people who wanted to force their children to death.
Sending her back to the Tie family had indeed only considered their second son without thinking about their daughter. He admitted it was favoritism.
But he really hadn't wanted his daughter to die. He also didn't know she would get so emotional. He had made a mistake, he shouldn't have done that.
He hoped there would still be a chance for them to make amends.
"Do you still want to help second brother get my formula now?" Zhang Liunian asked, without waiting for them to get sentimental.
His words choked Zhang Wenxue into silence.
Did they still want their youngest son's formula? Did they still want to prevent their youngest son from being self-employed?
No, he didn't want to manage anything now. He wanted to retire and enjoy his old age. No, he wanted to take care of his three eldest grandchildren.
"From now on, unless you need our help, I've decided not to disturb your lives anymore," Zhang Wenxue shook his head and chuckled, his smile filled with bitterness.
He remembered when they first returned to the village, they had been full of ambition, vowing to clear away anything that threatened their second son's progress.
Little did they know, they couldn't do anything.
Yu Xiaohua disagreed somewhat upon hearing this, but when she met her younger son's gaze, she couldn't say anything. She could only weakly say, "You are brothers. If your second brother is doing well, you will be doing well too."
She meant that they were doing this for everyone's good.
Zhang Liunian smiled, "Hasn't second brother ever told you that being self-employed, apart from sounding less respectable, does not harm his career prospects?"
"..."
He really hadn't told them that. He had only said that compensation could be given for the formula.
"If you're thinking so much about him, why doesn't he tell you these things clearly?"
This question stumped the parents.
Zhang Liunian didn't care that they couldn't answer. What he cared about was that the matter between his little sister and the mute was finally settled, and no one could stop it.