Chapter 140 A Doting Sister
Seeing her mother coughing on the bed, mouth covered with a handkerchief, Su Jiuyue swallowed her words so as not to bring about more trouble.
"Mom, lie down please. The warm water is out. I'll heat some for you."
Su Jiuyue didn't try to stop Wu Xiyuan who was playing the beanbag game with Maomao and other kids.
Su Jiuyue felt cold in the room even for a while. There was only a heated bed without a burning stove. She believed those kids wouldn't feel cold after playing games.
Her father was sitting outside when Su Jiuyue went out.
She directly brushed past him, carrying a kettle into a kitchen.
Su Jiuyue was quite familiar with the work of heating water since she had been doing this for almost ten years.
Water being heated, Su Jiuyue then was about to get some firewood in the woodshed in order to light the stove. But she was angry at what she saw.
How could the room be called woodshed without much firewood left?
The firewood was only used to heat the bed. Besides, her young siblings slept on the same bed with parents. How could it be burned so fast?
Su Jiuyue had an urge to talk with her father!
She walked into the room and stood in front of Su Daniu who then looked up at her, "What's the matter? Is there anything you want to talk to me about?"
Su Jiuyue nodded and looked sideways at the inner room where her mother's restrained cough could still be heard.
Frowning, Su Jiuyue continued, "Dad, please come out with me. We need to talk."
If this happened the previous time, Su Daniu would definitely scold Su Jiuyue. However, he found her daughter had changed when she came back recently.
Subconsciously, he got up and followed her out of the door into the kitchen. Su Jiuyue closed the door and added two more pieces of firewood to the hearth.
Then she turned, leaned against the hearth and said, "Dad, why does our home nearly run out of firewood?"
Without looking at her, Su Daniu tried to palter, "Really? Isn't there a lot in there?"
Su Jiuyue shook her heading, thinking people are not the same and her parents' home had nobody to blame but themselves for their miserable life.
Her father didn't work hard so that he couldn't make much money while her mother was not good at household management and misspent the money no matter how much she had.
Worse still, when Su Jiuyue was sensible already, she remembered her uncle wouldn't come back empty-handed every time he came to her home.
It was said that "Poor then conduct oneself virtuously, rich then benefit the world."
However, her mother who was living a poor life still tried to help others and even told her it was necessary to get in touch with relatives.
Her uncle built a new house last year who was living in a much better life but he didn't choose to help her parents' home in return.
Her father's behavior was also unsatisfactory since he loafed around all the time except the busy farming season. Even the neighbor uncle Jiang asked him to work in the town, her father refused.
How could her parents' home get better under the circumstances Even if she could help sometimes, she couldn't support her parents' home with the money of her husband's family.
The more Su Jiuyue thought about it, the more she felt that it was serious. With a straight face, she preached to her father for the first time, "Dad, the house is so cold and mom is sick. My siblings are still young. How can you not even light a stove? The lunar new year is coming soon. Other families are very radiant with joy. But our home is in a totally different situation. Do you think it's right?"
Even if Su Jiuyue put it very politely, Su Daniu still felt his dignity as a father was offended.
He looked up at Su Jiuyue with wide eyes and scolded "Is that how you talk to your father? How dare you mind my business? You have got married. Live your own life. Stay away from our business."
Su Jiuyue was very indignant at the way she was treated as what she had done was out of kindness.
"Do you think I'm willing to mind your business? If we weren't related by blood, I wouldn't care. My husband's family is not poor and they go to the mountains to collect firewood diligently every day. But what about our home? Will the firewood fly into our home by itself when you do nothing except lie on the bed? Even Xiyuan knows the reason why birds are frozen to death is that they don't build their nests in the warm season. You are much older than him. How could you not understand it?"
Su Jiuyue's words seemed to cut him to the quick who yelled furiously, "I do nothing except lie on the bed? Why do I lie on the bed and do nothing? The money I've earned painstakingly is all taken by your mother who gives it all to her parent's home. Why do I have to continue to make money for others?"
"Didn't all the money you brought back this time was sent to her younger brother by her?"
"But mom said she just lent to uncle. When he earns money from selling tofu, he will share the dividends." Su Jiuyue frowned, gradually realizing something went wrong.
Su Daniu almost laughed with anger, "Sell tofu? He just gambled with the money! He lost it all!"
Su Jiuyue was so shocked that she covered her mouth with her hand, "Is that true?"
"Or else? Your uncle Jiang who went to the town before saw it with his own eyes! Your mother didn't believe it. She said I was lying and tried to slander her baby brother."
Su Jiuyue fell silent because she knew once the man started gambling, he wouldn't stop forever.
She thought she couldn't let her uncle be a burden to her family.
"Dad. If you earn money in the future, don't give it to mom. Just keep it for yourself and make sure you put it in the safe place."
Su Daniu was annoyed, "I did before. But your mom could even rummage the rat hole. It's impossible for me to find such a place!"
"If so, you could hide the money outside. You can hide the money in the pottery pot and bury it in the ground. You just need to remember the place where you bury it."
Su Daniu reacted with a thoughtful nod. Su Jiuyue continued, "Later I'll talk to her. Try to have less contact with uncles. And one more thing, when you go outside, remember to cry for the poor life before they talk. We could start the topic of borrowing money from them. They won't take advantage of us. Over time, they will never come here to borrow money."
When Su Jiuyue was expressing her opinion, the water boiled. Su Jiuyue went on while pouring out the hot water, "Maomao and other kids are still playing beanbag game outside! Light the stove first or they will get sick after they come back sweating."
The anger inside Su Daniu faded when he knew Su Jiuyue was on his side.
"Fine, on my way."
"Dad," Su Jiuyue called, "Not today. We need to collect some firewood on the mountains tomorrow, otherwise, we would have a miserable new year."
Su Daniu replied with a low voice, "Got it."
With that, he walked out of the kitchen while Su Jiuyue poured a glass of hot water for her mother and then asked Su Liuyue to get some medicine for dispelling wind-cold from the barefoot doctor.
Su Jiuyue herself was engaged in preparing lunch. She wondered how her family dealt with meals since her mother was gravely ill.