When they arrived at Sun’s mother’s house, the two of them were already sweating profusely, and Sun’s mother, Grandma Sun, was fanning them with a bamboo fan, asking why they had come.
Before Sun could speak, Sun’s sister-in-law, Xu, who lived in the west room, came over fanning herself, speaking in a sarcastic tone, "What else would make them come? Surely, it’s to borrow money!"
Grandma Sun’s smile faltered as she hurriedly asked Sun, "What happened? Did you encounter some difficulty again?"
Xu interrupted Sun once more, "If you’re here to borrow money, let me advise you to give up. Since Brother-in-law’s leg got crippled, we’ve lent you money several times already. There’s a saying on lending twice, but not thrice. If you want to borrow money, pay back the previous loans first!"
Sun got angry as Xu kept interrupting her. "I do owe you money, true, but I’m here to repay today. However, with such an attitude, I won’t repay you!"
"Oh, oh..." Xu fanned herself, raising her voice, "They say the debtor is the master while the creditor is the servant. I never felt that before, but today I’ve seen it clearly!"
Sun said angrily, "When your brother-in-law worked as a government official, I supported you every month, why don’t you account for how much you owe me? Tell me, have I supported you more than I owe you?"
"A brave man doesn’t talk about past deeds. My brother-in-law’s days as an official are over, why bring it up?
I admit you helped our family then, but since Feng is your brother, if you don’t help him, who will? ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0veI.Fiɾe.net
If you ask me, brother-in-law made two silver coins a month then. If you had been smarter and handed one over to your mother’s family every month, you wouldn’t be struggling now!"
Sun wanted to retort Xu further, but her mother held her hand, Grandma Sun shook her head, signaling Sun not to argue with Xu.
Sun took out the prepared two and a half silver coins, handing one and a half to Grandma Sun, and placing the other one beside Xu on the bed.
Seeing Sun was truly here to repay, Xu assumed Sun had found some way to get rich and immediately plastered a smile on her face, calling Sun elder sister.
"Elder sister, have you struck it rich? Did brother-in-law return to being a government official?"
Sun turned her face away, ignoring Xu, "Take the money and leave quickly, I want to speak with my mother!"
Xu grabbed one silver coin, staring at the one and a half in front of Grandma Sun, hesitated for a moment, but resisted the urge to reach for it.
As long as her sister-in-law had become wealthy, she wouldn’t worry about spending silver in the future.
Once Xu left, Sun took another silver coin and placed it in her mother’s hand, "Mom, when I leave, Xu will surely come asking you for the one and a half silver coins here. I know you’ll certainly give it to her, but you should always keep some for yourself. This silver coin is my filial gift to you, hide it away secretly so Xu won’t see!"
Grandma Sun lost her husband early, struggling to raise a son and daughter, only to tire herself into illness, unable to do heavy labor daily.
Feeling she lost her working capacity prematurely, Grandma Sun felt guilty toward Sun Fengshou and Xu, so she handed household authority over to Xu early. The last time Sun borrowed one and a half silver coins from her, it was actually Sun secretly giving them to her before.
Grandma Sun pushed the silver coin back, "I don’t want it. Your husband’s leg is crippled; you’ll need money more in the future. Has there been any sign from your belly recently?"
Sun shook her head, "No, but Changhe’s leg has improved recently. Walking is much smoother than before."
Grandma Sun spoke earnestly, "You should hurry and think about the child’s matter. Since you have money, go to a good medicinal hall in town for a proper checkup."
Sun nodded, "I understand, I’ll go after some time."
Sun held her mother’s hand, pushing the silver coin back, "Mom, keep it for yourself. Where has Fengshou gone?"
Grandma Sun sighed, "What else would he be doing? Fishing again. Oh, there are still a few fish in the tank outside, don’t forget to take some when you leave."
Sun shook her head, "No need. Let Fengshou sell them instead. Where is Little Tiger?"
"That mischievous boy, who knows where he went?"
Sun said, "I haven’t seen him in a while, I really miss him!"
Without a child of her own, Sun long considered Little Tiger, her brother’s son, as her own. In the past, each visit Sun always brought treats and candies for this little nephew, but in today’s hurried visit, she hadn’t prepared any.
To Sun’s surprise, when she was about to leave, Xu actually brought two fish threaded with waterweed, insisting Sun take them.
Sun knew that her gold-focused sister-in-law, seeing her possessing money, was currying favor again as before.
Sun initially refused but couldn’t resist persuasion from both Xu and Grandma Sun, finally leaving with the fish alongside Yu Xiaolian.
After Sun left, Xu quickly inquired Grandma Sun about how Sun suddenly had money.
Grandma Sun took out the one and a half silver coins, "Didn’t you say some time ago you had no money to enroll Little Tiger in school? Use this money for that, it’s good that the child is willing to learn, better than rolling in the mud all day."
Xu hadn’t expected Grandma Sun to be so reasonable. Before she even asked, it was handed over willingly, and she smiled broadly while accepting the silver.
"Thank you, Mom. I’ll head east in the village, get Fengshou a pot of spirits. He’s been longing for some."
Carrying the money joyfully, Xu departed. Watching Xu leave, Grandma Sun then took out the silver coin from her sleeve, carefully tucked it under the blanket.
On the way back, Yu Xiaolian plucked a large sunflower leaf from the field beside the road, putting it over her head to shield from the sun.
Sun carried two fish, walking behind her, suddenly calling out to Yu Xiaolian, "I know it was you who gave me the silver. Where did you get it? Did you steal it from your grandmother?"
After all, some days ago, Yu Xiaolian got locked in the vegetable cellar, and now the silver hidden there was missing, making Yu Xiaolian the prime suspect.
Yu Xiaolian suddenly halted, realizing her supposedly flawless plan had been seen through by Sun long before.
At the moment, she had no choice but to speak honestly, "Mom...I did take my grandmother’s silver. I got scared by a rat and ran recklessly, stepping into the jar my grandmother hid the money in. If you blame someone, blame her for burying the jar too shallow."
Sun stared at Yu Xiaolian, "Then why didn’t your uncle find the silver when he searched the rice bag? I clearly saw him shove his whole hand into the rice. Our family has only half a bag of rice, how could he not have felt it?"
Yu Xiaolian hadn’t expected Sun to be so astute, causing her to feel somewhat panicked.
A lie often requires a hundred others to cover it, should she tell Sun the truth now?