"Then what about Father's situation? If Mother had treated Father better when he was sick, would he have divorced you? As long as Father was still here, Second Brother-in-law would still provide us with some resources every year to show his filial piety. Now, Father has gone to live a leisurely life with Second Brother-in-law's family. What about our family?" Madam Li looked at the table of food that could be fed to the pigs and sadly sighed.
Madam Zhang instantly pulled a long face and she slapped her chopsticks on the small table on the kang bed. She stared viciously at Madam Li with her slanted eyes and said nothing. Madam Li's blood froze from her stare and her gaze became dodgy, not knowing where to look. Yu Dashan slightly pulled on the sleeve of his wife and signaled for her to quit plucking at the tiger's fur. He knew his mother regretted not treating Old Yu well at that time he was sick and for being so heartless. But, what was the use of being regretful? It already was too late.
Yu Bo set down his chopsticks and blamed himself, "One shall not travel far away when one's parents are still alive. As their child, when the parents are sick, I should have come to take care of them no matter what. However, when father was seriously ill, I was in the prefectural city and unable to be filial at their side..."
Madam Zhang's expression suddenly changed again. She glared at Madam Li and comforted her son, "Xiaobo, it's not your fault! Mother didn't tell you in fear that it would delay your studies. You aren't your father's only son. Dashan and Dashan's wife, what were you doing then? Did you guys make a single meal for your father, or carry water and wash his clothes once? You guys say I mistreated your father, but what did you do? If you had helped, would your father have become that ill?
When someone was wrong, they were always trying to push their mistakes onto others. Yu Bo had given Madam Zhang the best reason to s.h.i.+rk her responsibilities!
Yu Dashan opened his mouth yet he didn't know what to say. Madam Li, on the other hand, grumbled, "I'm his daughter-in-law. How can I go into my father-in-law's room? Besides, doesn't he have a biological son? If Mother had called Dahai over to help the moment father got sick, would things turn out the way it did? Although Second Brother-in-law has separated from the family, he couldn't have ignored his father, right?"
Madam Zhang coldly snorted and said, "People just don't know when to be grateful. Dashan, since you were a child, everything that you ate and used belonged to the Yu Family. Right now, your wife is saying you aren't a biological offspring of the Yu Family, and thus you're unwilling to take care of the elderly. Aren't you afraid that others will call you an ungrateful and vicious person when you go out? Dashan, a virtuous wife won't cause so much trouble for her husband. You need to take charge and discipline your wife!"
'How am I not virtuous? No matter how bad I am, I am still better than you, the old hag who is ruthless to her own husband! It's not me who got divorced by my own husband!' Madam Li thought. In Madam Li's point of view, although her mother-in-law said that she had a peaceful separation, in actuality, she was just cast off by her husband. It was just that Father-in-law was kindhearted. He pitied his son who was studying afar, so he left all his wealth to Madam Zhang.
Yu Bo spoke at this time, "Mother, let's not talk about this during the New Year's. Besides, what use is it to argue about who should take the blame now? Mother, don't be reluctant to spend the money. When spring comes and I pa.s.s the county-level exams, our family's situation will improve."
After pa.s.sing the county-level exams, scholars could be exempt from taxes. Therefore, those with farmland would put their lands under the name of the scholar in order to avoid taxes. The scholar would also get some benefits from this. However, in Dongshan Village, there were fewer fields and more mountains. Most of the villagers depended on the sea for food. Even if Yu Bo were to pa.s.s the county-level exams, his plans may not come true.
Madam Zhang's family's New Year Eve dinner was so upsetting that they all eventually left. At midnight, there were no dumplings to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. The family didn't even stay up for New Year's Eve and went to bed early to avoid being hungry in the middle of the night.
