Xie Sui didn't want to talk to him; it was like playing a lute to a cow. His cousin was so engrossed in his books that he understood nothing of human affairs, yet he was arrogant and always wanted to put on a show.
"I'm sorry, Auntie, I shouldn't have said that. Thank you for your concern. Now that you've finished your concern, do you need anything?"
Xie Sui spoke politely, but his expression was infuriating, making Xie Chen seethe with anger. He was sarcastic and showed no respect.
Lin Wanwan stepped in to mediate. "Auntie, have you eaten? Please sit down and have something."
"No, you all eat. I'm not here to freeload."
Xie Sui wanted to roll his eyes. Even if you wanted to freeload, there wouldn't be food for you.
"Then what brings you here? Let's go to the main hall. Dad, Mom, please attend to Doudou, Dingding, and Du Shao at the table."
This treated Du Feiyang as if he were Doudou or Dingding. Du Feiyang felt something was off, but he was too busy eating chicken to recall.
Xie Sui poured them tea and told Lin Wanwan to rest, "You're pregnant, don't tire yourself out."
Auntie pouted. "Rural women, why so delicate? Aren't they still managing the household and working in the fields? And they still give birth to healthy children."
Xie Sui felt she was just there to provoke Lin Wanwan.
"Auntie, you're so angry. You can scold your own son and daughter as you please. This is my wife, and it's not your place to scold her.
If you have nothing else, I haven't finished my meal yet, so I won't entertain you."
He stood up to leave. He had been too lenient, and they had forgotten themselves. They never learned and always had to be confronted.
Auntie quickly said, "Don't go. I have something important to discuss. Your cousin mentioned a marriage proposal. The girl is the daughter of a cadre in the county town. Her conditions are good, and she's quite pretty..."
"Congratulations, and then?"
He wasn't going to lend money. Xie Sui was still borrowing money from villagers; they knew that.
"The girl has a condition: she wants to get married in the county town and wants a marital home."
"That's understandable. A girl from the county town wouldn't want to live in the village with you all. She wouldn't be used to it."
Xie Sui followed her line of reasoning, waiting for her to state her shameless demand.
As expected, Auntie said, "It's hard to find a house in the county town. After thinking about it, don't you have a courtyard?
Let your cousin get married there first. Once married, everything will be easier. Our Xie family doesn't have many adult males; it's just you and Chen. Your children are running around everywhere, and he's still unmarried. You must help your cousin!"
Xie Sui scoffed. "That's a strange thing to say. If a stranger heard it, they'd think your cousin was my son. He's getting married, and I'm providing the house. Auntie, you really have the nerve to say that.
However, since your family is in trouble, I can't just ignore it. How about this: I'll help your cousin rent a place. My courtyard is also rented, and he has a job, so he should be able to afford the rent."
Auntie said, "Renting a place costs money. Your courtyard is quite large, and it would be good for the family to live together and look after each other."
"No need. I can't afford to look after you. My courtyard is large so my parents and grandmother can live more comfortably, not for you to live in.
Don't say another word. I'm afraid I'll lose my temper and curse. Auntie, please see yourself out."
Auntie's face darkened. Xie Sui gestured for her to leave. Xie Chen felt embarrassed. "Xie Sui, if you're not going to help, fine, but you're kicking us out? Is this how you treat elders?"
Xie Sui's patience ran out. His eyes darkened. "Xie Chen, I used to think you were so engrossed in your studies that your brain was addled, and you didn't understand human affairs. I understood.
But today, I think you're not ignorant; you're selfish and pretend to be confused. You're willing to let your mother beg for help, yet you don't feel bad for her. Do you expect me to be filial?
Elders? The uncles and aunts in the village today all know I'm in trouble and have lent me money, more or less. You're my cousin and my aunt. How much are you willing to help me?"
Auntie retorted, "My family has no money. Your cousin needs to borrow money for his wedding, so we wanted to live with you? Fine, if you're unwilling, just say so. Why speak so harshly? You're so petty, no wonder you're losing money!"
"My temper..."
Xie Sui was about to curse when Lin Wanwan suddenly shouted, "Enough, Auntie. Let's go out and seek justice. We're also renting our home, and you're cursing us just because we're not letting cousin stay here!
Do you know that when doing business, people seek auspiciousness? Everyone says nice things. You come to our home and curse us, saying we deserve it, and then you expect us to treat you as an elder?
Now, get out. Don't force me to curse."
"You..."
Lin Wanwan grabbed a chicken feather duster, her eyes fierce. "Let's go and find the village chief to judge. You're bullying people!"
Xie Sui quickly tried to soothe her. "Don't be angry, don't get agitated. If our daughter learns your bad temper, we won't be angry. It's not worth it for people like this."
Lin Wanwan was still fuming. "You cursed us, saying we deserve to lose money. I can't swallow this!"
Seeing the situation turn sour, Auntie quickly left. Lin Wanwan chased after them, yelling, "Don't come to my house again. I don't have shameless relatives like you. Everyone, please judge, is there an elder like her?"
"Just shut up. If you can't do it, then you can't. Why are you kicking people out? You're so ignorant!"
Xie Sui was already looking for something to beat them with. Who gave them the audacity to come to his home and act so imperious?
Auntie quickly ran off, muttering unpleasantries.
Xie's father came out. "Can't you talk things over properly? Why are you resorting to violence?"
"Dad, don't interfere. From now on, we will have nothing to do with the affairs of Auntie's family. They are becoming more and more shameless. They're university students, did university teach them how to be shameless?"
Xie Sui explained their purpose. Xie's mother didn't seem surprised. "She mentioned it before and even looked at the courtyard. I thought it was just for the wedding night, so it wouldn't be a big deal."
"Mom, it's easy to invite a god, but hard to send one away. Even for one night, it's not acceptable. Can a wedding be done in a day?
The children in the family need to go to school. How can they study in such a chaotic environment?"