Ang Lee and Carpenter Zhao stood in the vegetable field and chatted. They had just chatted for a while when many men and women came from both sides of Carpenter Zhao's house. There were more than twenty people, and all of them looked very enthusiastic. Behind them, more people were rushing over.
However, when Carpenter Zhao saw these people, his expression did not look too good. He even frowned slightly, as if these people were here to collect debts.
What surprised Ang Lee even more was that when these people arrived, the old lady in the courtyard seemed to have suddenly become a few decades younger. She actually hurried out of the courtyard with a walking stick. She held the small hand of a little boy and called out obediently. Then, she changed to another little boy and continued to call out. It was obvious that these people who rushed over were Carpenter Zhao's relatives.
This old lady was quite interesting. Ang Lee personally came over to deliver the New Year goods, but she was indifferent. Her children and grandchildren could see each other every day, but she actually rushed out in a hurry. It was really inappropriate.
"Mother dotes on these little great-grandchildren. I've embarrassed Assistant Minister Li."
Carpenter Zhao also felt very awkward. When his mother refused to come out earlier, he even helped to cover up the lie, saying that his mother was old and it was inconvenient for her to move around. But now, his mother actually rushed out in a hurry to see her little great-grandchildren. This was a slap to his face, and at the same time, she did not give Ang Lee any face. Fortunately, he understood that Ang Lee was not a person who cared too much about his face. If it was any other official, he would probably have been angry.
"It's fine, it's fine. It's normal for elders to dote on their juniors."
Ang Lee smiled faintly and did not take it to heart. However, it could be seen that this old lady valued the young girls. There were more than ten little children running over, but the old lady only doted on the boys and ignored the girls.
This made Ang Lee feel that the great poet Bai Juyi's Song of Everlasting Regret was wrong. "Thus the world's parents' hearts were not reborn into boys or girls." It was said that after Yang Yuhuan was favored, the Yang family was like the sun in the sky. This caused parents in the world to not attach importance to having a son, and hoped that they would have a daughter.
However, Ang Lee felt that this was just an expression of Mr. White's emotions. It was not the real situation. Perhaps, when Mr. White was traveling among the people, he might have heard such voices. Some people would say that it was useless to give birth to a boy. The Yang family, which had given birth to a girl, was already at the peak of its power. Although Mr. White would not take it seriously, it was also an expression of his. Or rather, at that time, there were indeed some people who wanted to give birth to a girl, but they wanted to have both a son and a daughter, not just a girl. This was not wrong. The idea of carrying on the family line was very serious in this era. No one could escape from the influence of carrying on the family line.
Even in an era where women's rights prevailed, the idea of favoring boys over girls was still very serious. Many people still hoped that their children would be boys. Over time, it led to a serious imbalance in the ratio of men to women in a country. Moreover, it would become more and more serious, causing serious damage to the stability of the society.
In the Tang dynasty, favoring boys over girls was not the worst. At least, now that there was Yang Yuhuan, the status of women in the hearts of the people more or less increased. However, no matter what, girls could not be compared to boys. This could be seen from the behavior of the old woman in front of him.
However, not only did this old woman favor boys over girls, but she was also a little biased. When this large group of people just arrived, the old woman was very distressed. She distributed the New Year goods sent by Ang Lee to these children and grandchildren without asking Carpenter Zhao. Although Carpenter Zhao's expression was a little distressed, he did not dare to say a word. He was even unwilling to go over. At first glance, it was obvious that he was a filial son, a filial son who listened to his mother's words. It was impossible for him to disobey his mother.
At first glance, it was obvious that Carpenter Zhao's wife was a person who did not have her own opinions. When she saw her mother-in-law giving away the New Year goods, she was unwilling to say a word except for looking a little unwilling.
"Grandmother is so generous. She has given it away. Are we still going to celebrate the New Year?"
Carpenter Zhao's daughter-in-law glared at the old woman in disgust. She was not convinced in her heart.
When the old woman heard that, she was immediately unhappy. She said angrily, "Why are you giving it away? These are my children and grandchildren. They are all my sweethearts. I am happy to give it to them."
"The second, third, and fourth branches are all your children and grandchildren. Aren't my Dalang and the others also your children and grandchildren? You are always biased and give them all the good things. But these are all earned by Father! Now, so many of us are squeezed into one courtyard. We don't even have the money to build an additional room. Their families are living better than us. This is unfair. "
Carpenter Zhao's daughter-in-law was not someone to be trifled with. She immediately rebutted.
"Look at which family this uneducated thing is from. How can she talk back to her elders?"
"Mother, please don't lower yourself to the same level as this uneducated person."
"Mother, please don't be angry and harm your health."
"Dalang, look after your daughter-in-law. Look at how angry your grandmother is."
This rebuttal was too much. Before the old woman could get angry, her sons had already jumped up and stood up for their biased mother.
As for Carpenter Zhao's daughter-in-law, no one helped her. Although her mother-in-law and husband were of the same mind as her, they were too weak to stand up for her.
"They are all eating our family's food and taking our family's money. How can they live like this?"
Carpenter Zhao's daughter-in-law was also heartbroken. She glared at her husband angrily.
"Listen to that. This old woman is not dead yet? Are you cursing me to death? "
The old woman pointed at her granddaughter-in-law angrily.
Because in the old woman's eyes, as long as she was alive, her four sons were a family. All the assets of her eldest son could be given to the other sons. She even felt that even if she was dead, her eldest son should take care of his brothers. After all, she knew that her eldest son was promising and could earn more money. As for her other sons, they were just ordinary old farmers. They could not be compared at all. It was only right for a promising son to take care of his useless brothers.
"Dalang, why aren't you taking your daughter-in-law away? Look at how angry your grandmother is."
"Mother, please don't be angry. It's not worth it to be angry with a junior."
"Mother, don't worry. With us brothers around, no one can give Mother a hard time."
The sons were full of energy to support their old mother.
"Sons are the best. Sons are the best. A woman like this who has no respect for her elders should be divorced."
The old woman seemed to have been dissatisfied with her granddaughter-in-law for a long time.
"Mother, my second son hasn't gotten a wife yet. It wasn't easy for him to get a wife. How can he divorce her just like that? "
Carpenter Zhao's daughter-in-law was unhappy. She had a lot of complaints about her old mother. She was also very anxious that her second son had not gotten a wife yet. Therefore, she would never agree to her eldest son divorcing his wife.
"What's the use of marrying a woman who has no respect for her elders? You've only given birth to a young wife after so many years. Look at the second, third, and fourth branches. They already have several grandchildren. You don't even have one."
The old woman scolded very angrily.
"Mother, there's still a long way to go. We'll have another child eventually. If we still can't give birth to a grandson in a few years, we'll get Dalang a concubine. "
Carpenter Zhao's wife was also angry and said very reasonably.
When she heard that her husband was going to get a concubine, Carpenter Zhao's granddaughter-in-law was unhappy. She quickly complained, "Mother, it's not that I can't give birth. It's just that the house is too cramped. Now that there are three people in a house, the children are always making a fuss. If we have another child, we won't be able to stay. I don't dare to stop Dalang from getting a concubine, but if he does get a concubine back, where will she stay? She can't possibly stay in the Gong Room, right? "
"If we divorce a vicious woman like you, we'll naturally have a place to stay. An outsider like you has no right to interfere in our Zhao family's affairs."
"Of all virtues, filial piety is the most important. It's better to divorce a daughter-in-law who doesn't respect her elders."
"Dalang is just spoiling his wife too much. Women can't be spoiled. If they're not punished for three days, they'll go overboard."
Carpenter Zhao's brothers said with righteous looks on their faces.
"Some people complain that the house isn't spacious enough. When I'm dead, the house will naturally be spacious. Just wait until I'm dead."
The old woman added fuel to the fire.
"Mother, you can't take things too hard! Our sons are still counting on you. "
"Mother, calm down, calm down."
"Dalang, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and take your wife away."
Carpenter Zhao's sons all had filial expressions on their faces, as if there was no one more filial than them in the world. They even started to wipe away their tears.
"Don't talk so much! Let's go back and talk. "
Carpenter Zhao's eldest son couldn't take it anymore and pulled his wife back.
"Let's go back and talk, let's go back and talk. It's always like this. Look at what kind of life we're living. After being married for so many years, our life is getting worse day by day. Other families have houses and courtyards one after another, but what about our family? We've always had the same few houses. No matter how much Father earns, it's not enough to share with the uncles. "
For some reason, Carpenter Zhao's daughter-in-law didn't seem to have any intention of giving in this time.
"Woman, how can you say that? Big Brother helps us poor brothers because he's benevolent. We've always been grateful for Big Brother's benevolence. Who in the surrounding villages doesn't talk about Big Brother's benevolence?"
"He's just taking some food occasionally. Didn't Erlang have a meal at our house a few days ago? Your daughter even ate our radishes a few days ago. How is that not counted? "
"Second Brother, Third Brother, why are you arguing with a woman? Can she turn the world upside down? Big Brother's benevolence is well-known in the surrounding villages. Big Brother won't be instigated by a woman like her and ignore us."
Carpenter Zhao's brothers praised their big brother while scolding Carpenter Zhao's daughter-in-law.
Hearing his brothers praising him, Carpenter Zhao could only smile bitterly. What else could he say?
Ang Lee was blocked by the fence, so Carpenter Zhao's brothers couldn't see him clearly. As for Yan Ruyu, she had already hidden in the car to avoid some awkwardness.
Besides, other than Carpenter Zhao, the rest of the people didn't know Ang Lee's identity. Or rather, they didn't even know how high the rank of assistant minister was.
"Carpenter Zhao! These brothers of yours, relying on your mother's care, are sure to take advantage of you! "
Ang Lee said softly.
"I've embarrassed myself in front of Assistant Minister Li. I'm the eldest son in the family, and I have no choice! My father passed away early, and my mother raised the four of us since we were young. She suffered a lot, and it wasn't easy. Although my mother is biased, I can't be unfilial. She gave birth to me, and as long as my mother is happy, I don't mind suffering a little. "
Carpenter Zhao sighed as he recalled the hardships his mother had gone through.
Ang Lee also sighed in his heart. He could tell that Carpenter Zhao was really filial, and he was also a very conscientious person. He was filial to his mother for a reason. Other than being his mother's son, it was also because his father had passed away early, and it wasn't easy for his mother to raise him and his brothers. He didn't want to see his mother suffer her entire life and not be able to enjoy her life in peace. He was even more unwilling to disobey his mother.
"Carpenter Zhao is really a filial son! It doesn't matter if you suffer, but you can't let your children and grandchildren suffer with you! When I came over from Blacksmith Li's house, they have four courtyards, thirty-six rooms, and a house full of children and grandchildren! Before they left, there were even a few matchmakers who went to their house to find a wife for their thirteen-year-old son. The matchmakers were on the verge of fighting. That scene … "
Ang Lee purposely made up the story of the matchmakers to provoke Carpenter Zhao and make him think about his son and grandchildren. After all, if Ang Lee guessed correctly, the reason why Carpenter Zhao's second son didn't get married was largely due to his filial piety. No family would be willing to push their daughter into a fire pit.
As expected, when Carpenter Zhao heard that Blacksmith Li's thirteen-year-old son was targeted by matchmakers, his expression changed. His second son was already nineteen years old. According to the customs of the later generations, he was still a child. He was the flower of the motherland, but in the era of the Tang dynasty, nineteen years old wasn't considered young. He was considered a young man, and could even be described as a leftover man.
"Assistant Minister Li, I've made a fool of myself. It's all because I didn't manage my family well. My house is too messy, and I can't even entertain you properly. It's all my fault …"
Carpenter Zhao's heart ached. He was worried that his son couldn't get married, and at the same time, he felt that he didn't entertain him well enough. If he had the same conditions as Blacksmith Li's family, Ang Lee would definitely have let him stay.
"It's fine, it's fine. I don't have anything important to do, so I'll just take it as an observation. Perhaps I can help you a little and have a heart-to-heart talk with you. However, with so many people gathered here, it's hard to calm down."
Ang Lee said with a smile.
Carpenter Zhao said gratefully, "Assistant Minister Li, I'm very grateful for your kindness."
After that, he walked towards a large group of people and put on the aura of a big brother. He said loudly, "Are you done? Don't you think you've embarrassed yourselves enough? Go back, everyone, go, go, go!"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
