Chapter 139 We Don't Have Money
Su Jiuyue turned to look at Wu Xiyuan for fear that he heard it. But he didn't have any response, and she was relieved.
Jiang Chunxi's brother care for Su Jiuyue very much since she was very young. She had no brother, so she envied Jiang Chunxi a lot for he had brothers to protect her.
But she onlyregarded him as her brother.
"Come on, stop talking that. I'll go home. See you later."
But Jiang Chunxi pled, "I'll go with you."
Su Jiuyue saw her younger brother and sisters playing the snow in the yard as soon as she entered the gate. But there was nobody watching them.
She frowned at once. Children were easy to catch a cold. Why didn't her parents care for them?
There came a cough in the room when she was thinking of it. It was followed by his dad's voice, "Cough all day long. How annoyed!"
Su Jiuyue's frown deepened. Jiang Chunxi knew it would embarrass Su Jiuyue in the situation if she continued staying here. She immediately said, "Come to my house later and let's have a chat. My mum also misses you."
Su Jiuyue understood why she left. She replied, "Ok. See you later."
After seeing off Jiang Chunxi, Su Jiuyue's younger brother and sisters saw her. They ran to their sister happily and held her leg.
Su Jiuyue touched their cold faces one by one. She frowned, "Is mum ill?"
Liuyue was the elder of them. It was her who helped to take care of her brother and sister after Su Jiuyue got married.
Their mum was ill several days ago. She took them out to play so that their mum could have a good rest.
She explained, "It snowed heavily a few days ago and mum caught a cold. I cooked ginger soup for her but she didn't feel well."
"Why didn't you buy some medicine for her?"
Liuyue shook her head, "We don't have money."
Su Jiuyue gave her mum five taels of silver when she came back two months ago. It was enough to support them for a year or so. How come they didn't have money to buy medicine?
Su Jiuyue was puzzled, and the kids couldn't explain it clearly. So, she decided to ask her parents by herself.
"Dad, mum, I'm back."
Her mum was sobbing in bed, and she wiped her tears immediately when hearing Su Jiuyue.
Su Daniu, sitting on a stool beside her, turned around and replied deeply, "You are back."
Su Jiuyue responded to him and put things she brought on the table.
"My mother-in-law asked Xiyuan and me to bring you some food since the Spring Festival is coming."
Her mum was about to get out of the brick bed when hearing Xiyuan was here. Su Jiuyue stopped her, "Mum, stay there. I ask him to wait for me outside."
Su Daniu understood it was not reasonable to make him wait alone. He stood up, "I'll talk to Xiyuan."
There left Su Jiuyue and her mum. She moved to the brick bed and touched her mum's forehead, "Mum, how did you catch a cold? Why don't you take some medicine? The Spring Festival is coming. What if you get worse?"
Seeing concern on her face, her mum forced a smile, "I'm not that weak, and I'll feel well soon."
Su Jiuyue said, "But Liuyue said you've been ill for many days."
"She's talking nonsense. It's not long, and I feel better today... " she coughed again.
Su Jiuyue patted her back, "Feel better? But you're still coughing. Let me feel the pulse for you."
She pushed up her mum's sleeve and put her fingers naturally on her pulse.
She was angrier when feeling the pulse. "You are seriously ill. Why don't you buy some medicine? How much will it cost? What shall the kids do if there's something wrong with you?"
Her mum couldn't help but cried, "We don't have any money."
Su Jiuyue raised her eyebrows and glared at her mum, "You run out of money so soon? What did you do?"
Her mum felt guilty and sad. Her tears were coming out, "It's my fault... I asked your dad to buy fifty catties of flour with some of the money. And I locked the rest in the closet."
She added, "Your uncle came here that day. He said he wanted to set up a stall and sold tofu in Niutou Town to make a living. But he was short of money to buy the equipment for making tofu, and he pled for lending him some money. He promised to share out profits when he earned money. However, Niutou Town was unexpectedly in turmoil, and all the equipment was destroyed..."
Su Jiuyue also felt guilty when her mum mentioned it. She should have told her parents things about the town when it began to be in turmoil. She had never thought her family would be influenced by the turbulence.
"It's my fault. Your dad also blamed me. But what should I do? The money has gone. Fortunately, we have some flour now or I will feel more sorry for the kids."
Su Jiuyue sighed inwardly when her mum was crying sadly. She took out her handkerchief from her waist and wiped tears for her mum.
"Mum, don't cry. We can earn money as long as we are healthy. No one can forecast the disaster."
Su Jiuyue had earned two taels of silver by embroidering handkerchiefs. Her mother-in-law also gave her allowance regularly, so she had saved some money. She totally had two hundred coppers with herself.
She took out a pouch from her waist and put it on the table, "Mum, this is the pocket money given by my mother-in-law. I also saved some by embroidering handkerchiefs. Buy some medicine with it. To cure the illness is the most important thing right now, otherwise, no one looks after the kids. I'll also persuade my dad not to be anxious."
Looking at the pouch on the table, her mum stopped crying, "Why does your mother-in-law give you so much allowance? Take it back. You've given too much."
Su Jiuyue knew what her mum was like. She was pretending to refuse.
Su Jiuyue continued, "I don't need money. Just keep it. If you feel sorry, you can send some gifts to my mother-in-law when life becomes better. Relatives are reciprocal."
Her mum coughed again. Su Jiuyue raised to get her a cup of hot water, but the teapot was cold.
The rage almost welled up within her. Her mum was terribly ill, but her dad didn't boil water for her.