The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 692 - 691: Settling Accounts

Song Chongjin used the remaining hot water to take a bath, and she washed her hair as well. It had mostly dried by the time she finished.

Seeing Wang Yongzhu come in with water still dripping from her hair, she hastily took a towel and, while helping her dry it, said with sympathy, "You’re too honest for your own good! Look how tired you are now!"

Wang Yongzhu sat comfortably, enjoying Song Chongjin’s service, and waved her hand dismissively, "If I’ve already taken ninety-nine steps, why not complete the journey with the final one? Otherwise, wouldn’t all the previous effort be wasted? What’s a little fatigue? I think Big Brother and the others will need to rest up for a good four or five days before they can get out of bed."

After burying Wang Laozhu, the strapping man that he was, because of observing mourning, couldn’t eat meat or rich foods and had been working around the clock. During the day, he had to arrange matters, and at night, he had to keep vigil, subsisting only on rice soup and thin gruel. In just a few days, he had become so thin it was unbearable, his clothes hanging loose on his body, making him seem unsteady as he walked.

If not for the help and support of his brothers, it is feared that after sending off Wang Laozhu, Wang Yongfu himself might have followed soon after.

Lady Lin was both distressed for her husband and thought him foolish, yet the expression of rage in Wang Yongfu’s eyes that day, as if he wished to murder someone, had scared her.

She hadn’t dared to stir up any trouble during the funeral.

Finally, when Wang Laozhu was laid to rest, Lady Lin hurriedly got Wang Yongfu and their children back to the room to lie down.

As soon as everyone’s heads touched the kang, they were out cold.

That night, the Wang Family’s main gates were tightly closed, not a wisp of smoke came out of the kitchen; they were all in deep slumber.

The funeral over, everyone had dispersed to their own homes, but Wang Yongzhen didn’t want to leave. However, she didn’t dare to stay and dawdled back to the Wang Family’s old house.

She was exhausted beyond measure, tired in body and heart, and scared. Once home, facing the cold stove, she was too lazy to start a fire. Wrapping herself in a quilt, she collapsed onto the kang and fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, she awoke shivering with cold. Fumbling about, she got the kang warmed up again, lit the oil lamp, and sat on the kang wrapped in her quilt.

Wang Yongzhen took out a piece of Wang Laozhu’s everyday clothing from the side. This followed the old custom where departed elders left something behind for their children to remember them by. fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

In wealthier families, they’d leave silver or, for women, jewelry and clothes.

It was essentially the last bit of the elder’s property to be divided equally among their children.

What property could Wang Laozhu have? Merely a few outfits, which were only provided after Wang Yongzhu had made a fortune dyeing fabric and made several sets for everyone at home.

Each child took a set, and Wang Yongzhen took an autumn outfit. Holding Wang Laozhu’s clothing, she fully realized at that moment—the father who had loved and selflessly doted on her for half her life was truly gone...

The Wang family took a few days to rest and recover before sitting down together as a household.

Now in mourning, they were definitely not supposed to go out. Besides, with the many intricacies of funeral arrangements, it was a good time for the family to sit down together and discuss what needed to be divided and who should inherit what.

Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin had married in haste before Wang Laozhu’s passing, something everyone already knew about.

First, Wang Yongfu offered an apology to Song Chongjin, saying that what was supposed to be the most joyful occasion in life had been marred by Wang Laozhu’s death, imposing hardship on them.

Naturally, Song Chongjin was full of gratitude, claiming that without the Wang Family, she would not have her present life, and that Wang Laozhu agreed to preside over her marriage to Yongzhu was already a great kindness, and so on...

After exchanging formalities and pleasantries, the conversation moved on to the matter at hand.

They first went over the funeral expenses, including the doctor’s fees and the cost of medicines, which amounted to around thirty taels of silver.

Not to mention the expenses of staying in the inn, as well as the travel costs along the way, which caused Lady Lin’s face to turn the color of earth.

The brothers’ hearts also tightened.

During the funeral, they hadn’t noticed in their fervor, always believing that they should give their late father the best. They had not taken good care of him while he was alive, so they wanted to make his departure grand and impressive.

That fervor was fine, but at the expense of everything else, it was just suffering; however, money was something they couldn’t afford to mess with.

The daughters-in-law, on the other hand, were more clear-headed, but seeing the attitude of their husbands, which suggested that to disagree would be to show filial impiety, who could speak out against it?

So, they pinched their noses and accepted it.

Now, when the accounts were tallied, Wang Yongfu and his brothers broke out in cold sweats, looking at each other with increasingly unsightly expressions on their faces.

Old Granny Zhang slowly said, "What’s there to feel pained about? Haven’t you heard people say? Your father had a grand funeral; there hasn’t been a busier death in ten miles around! We’re not talking about the past ten years, just the next ten years—if even I, an old woman, die, I couldn’t compare to your father! Now, who doesn’t say that the Wang Family is filial? With sons so dutiful, money spent like running water, those who don’t know might think the Wang Family owns mountains of gold and silver."

After these words, Wang Yongfu and his sons turned so red they couldn’t stand it, lowering their heads in embarrassed shame.

"Enough," she continued, "You all weren’t twisting your hands and hesitating when spending money, so why are you shrinking your necks now when it’s time to settle the accounts? I’m putting my word down here today; this money is being coughed up by your sister, who is now married. Since ancient times, there has never been a case where a father dies and the married daughter has to pay! If you aren’t afraid of being pointed at, I cannot afford to lose this face!"

Old Granny Zhang glanced coldly around the room.

The sons and daughters-in-law all lowered their heads, only Liu Xiaoqiao clenched her teeth, "Mother, naturally the money shouldn’t come from my little sister! According to custom, I am the youngest daughter-in-law, so I shouldn’t be the one to say this, but after all, this is a major matter. Father was a father to all of us! The expenses of the funeral should be shared between all our houses—"

"No—" Lady Lin screamed in opposition: "Father had already given everything to Laosan. Laosan has already received so many benefits, why should we share the costs when it comes time to pay? It should be Laosan’s House that pays for this, at most we could contribute a little as a gesture."

Wang Yonggui’s face had already turned ugly when he heard about the amount of silver spent. He never expected that so much silver would be used!

Now, even if he counted the money given by Wang Laozhu and the retained shares of the business, he would still have to supplement some. Why should he suffer a loss?

"Eldest sister, judging by the way you speak, is father just my own father?" Wang Yonggui said fiercely.

Just as a fight was about to break out, Song Chongjin spoke up, "Brothers and sisters-in-law, please hear me out. Money is an external possession, and besides, we are all one family. Even if bones are broken, the tendons are still connected, so there’s no need to ruin our peace over money. The brothers were simply too overwhelmed with grief at father’s passing, that they lost control for a moment. As for the silver, why not listen to my suggestion."

Everyone turned to look at Song Chongjin.

"Though the brothers can afford to bring out this silver now, if it were all taken out, what would happen to the business come spring? Therefore, this silver should not be touched! Yongzhu and I are not outsiders, so consider this silver a loan to the brothers. Once the brothers earn silver from the mountain goods business, they can slowly repay us—it’s all the same."

"This way, the brothers won’t be strapped for cash, and we won’t injure our goodwill. Mother, what do you think?"

As he spoke, he respectfully looked toward Old Granny Zhang.

Old Granny Zhang wasn’t really looking to watch her good-for-nothing sons struggle through a difficult life; she also knew that her daughter didn’t lack that bit of silver.

It was simply a way to remind her sons and daughters-in-law that they all owed something to their sister.

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