Chapter 49.4

Translated by Aviana

With so many things happening one after the other, he simply didn’t have time to think of this issue. Furthermore, all the food at home is managed by He-shi, as such if she by herself didn’t mention the quantity, no one could know about it.

However, Yang laoyezi was also acutely aware of how many grains the family harvested this year, the taxes he paid, and how much they sold.

Now that he thought through again, there were truly not many grains left at home….

It is customary of Luoxia villagers to never hoard too many grains at home. Every year, after the fall harvest, once all the taxes are paid, keeping the ration stock sufficient for the entire family, they sell the rest of the grains.

Anyhow the price of the grains would remain the same all year round. They might as well sell them off early in exchange for silver. If the ration is not sufficient for the family, they could buy new food at that time again. However, such things happen very rarely. Usually, each family counts the number of people in the family and ensures that the food grains left would be sufficient.

Yang jia also follows a similar practice every year. But this year, circumstances were quite different. The silver they needed for Yang Xuezhnag’s matter was quite huge. As such, after paying the taxes, Yang laoyezi sold the greater part of the grains, with only little left.

At that time, he assumed Yang Xuezhang would qualify the xucai-qualifying exam. Moreover, there were also few sons at home, especially if lao’er could casually hunt an animal; it could be exchanged for a lot of silver. As such, when selling so many grains, he didn’t ponder that deeply, leading to the present unexpected situation!

Laosi’s exam was thwarted; all of the family’s silver was swindled. While hunting to earn silver for laosi, lao’er was seriously injured, and now his arm is also crippled…..

“There is no food…If there is no food, you can buy it with silver…” Yang laoyezi felt stifled; his face turned red and purpled as he spat out these words.

He-shi then asked with a tinge of eccentricity, “Alright, then give me the silver, I will buy it!” While saying so, she stretched her hand out to Yang laoyezi.

Silver? From where would Yang laoyezi have silver? Usually, all the silver was managed by He-shi.

But this time, He-shi’s wallet was also turned upside down. The eldest branch and third branch also don’t have any. Yang Tiezhu got injured while earning silver for Yang Xuezhang. The eldest branch and third branch each gave three taels of silver. He-shi also didn’t use any fewer tactics to try to squeeze the silver out of her.

Currently, the scenario Yang jia is facing is ——

There is no silver. There is no food until next year’s harvest. Only a little food is left, which would by no means be sufficient till next years’ harvest, proving the situation to be quite difficult.

Actually, He-shi still has a few silver taels—the ten taels she concealed last time. But she would absolutely not mention them. Because she had already decided to throw lao’er and his wife out.

She gave birth to this thought ever since she heard about Yang Tiezhu’s disability from Wang-shi a few days ago and began to meditate over it.

This idea had become even stronger and stronger after she came to know lao’er’s wife was expecting.

They already have to raise two wastes at the moment, among which one is even pregnant. They would need even more silver as time passes, and the food intake would also increase.

At the moment, Yang Tiezhu and Lin Qingwan in He-shi’s eyes were equivalent to wastes, and the child in her belly is equivalent to a debt collector.

Anyway, besides Yang Xuezhnag, He-shi deemed spending silver on everyone else as waste. Especially at this time, when the silver in He-shi’s hand is even scarce.

He-shi hadn’t faced such a predicament for quite a long time. These past few years, lao’er usually shows her filial piety. Even laoda and laosan hand over the silver to her. This was nonetheless the first time she had encountered this situation. There was neither food nor silver in her hand. The family’s income holder also became crippled.

老大 (lǎodà): an appellation used to address the eldest child of the family

However, He-shi seemed to have forgotten before Yang Tiezhu came back; to send Yang Xuezhang to school, the family would often face such a crisis, forced to tear down the east wall to repair the west wall, tightening their waistbands year after year. The family had to drink thin porridges every day, not even daring to eat dry foods. Adults and children alike, everyone used to starve, appearing pale and lean all the time…..

拆了 东墙补西墙 (chāi dōng qiáng bǔ xī qiáng): literally, tear down the east wall to repair the west wall. Meaning reinforcing one place at the expense of another/trying very hard to make ends meet.

紧裤腰带 ( 裤腰带过 ): literally, tighten one’s waistbands/belts. Meaning to live frugally.

Have to say, people tend to forget their roots easily. It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance; the reverse is not so easy…..

He-shi only knew that she absolutely couldn’t take the silver out this time unless the situation was irreparable with no way out.

She saved this silver to buy food grains in the future. But more importantly, He-shi wanted to use this silver to get Yang Xuezhang a wife.

Yang Xuezhang was already eighteen this year and would turn nineteen in the coming year, yet he could not pass the xucai-qualification exam. The matter of finding a wife for Yang Xuezhang had already become quite a major matter in He-shi’s heart.

But all these matters, she would never tell Yang laoyezi. Because she wanted to compel Yang laoyezi to kick that second branch full of wastes out of the family.

Yang laoyezi seemed unable to produce any words for a very long time. Glancing at his appearance, He-shi spat at him in his heart and got up from the kang.

“Alright, you seem to want to save your face, but this old lady doesn’t have any sense of shame. If you can’t say, this old lady will say ——”

Saying so, He-shi marched forward from the kang.

“Mother, what are you doing?” Yang Tiegen stopped He-shi.

Yang Tiegen’s heart was also in upheaval. They are is no silver nor food at home. Yet, there are so many mouths to feed. But nonetheless, regardless of all, he can’t allow his mother to do this.

Their family had already been quite harsh on the second brother. Now that the second brother had become disabled, mother even wants to drive the person out….

Even Yang Tiegen couldn’t but feel chilled in his heart, as if he was fallen deep into an ice cellar.

With a roll of her eyes, He-shi sent him a glare, “You dead boy, get out of my way!”

Yang Tiegen didn’t move. He-shi’s triangular eyes glared at him. With her chest puffed out, she continued to stride forward. This damn laosan, with this bit of his skills, he still wanted to obstruct her?!

Yang Tiegen quickly stepped back, fearing he would bump into his mother.

He-shi flicked him to the side, lifted the curtain of the main room, and marched towards the second branch’s room.

“Mother–” Yang Tiegen let out a frantic roar from behind. He turned around to glance at Yang laoyezi, “Father ——”

Yang laoyezi seemed to have stupefied as he remained motionless on the kang.

“Eldest Brother——”

Yang Tieshuan remained seated with his head turned away as if he hadn’t heard anything.

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