GBP Chapter 991 Things are different now
Chapter 991 Things are different now
Little Fish, naturally outspoken in front of his own family, continued with some disappointment:
“I originally thought that my eldest grandfather’s and third grandfather’s families were the closest to our family, and that our family had done the most good for them over the years. So they naturally had no worries and could focus on nurturing their cousins. But when I went back this time, I was greatly disappointed. They were even worse than when we returned to our hometown to visit relatives. They didn’t listen to what you said at all, Dad.”
Zhang Ping'an frowned upon hearing this. "You mean, they usually tell lies in their letters?"
"Well, what else?" Little Fish felt disgusted by his cousins' lazy and irresponsible behavior of sponging off their parents.
Unable to contain himself, he began to complain: "They all only know that Father is a high-ranking official in the capital, and even the county magistrate has to show him deference. They are arrogant and fearless, walking on the street like crabs with eight legs, so domineering! They have no idea about the difficulties you face in the capital. I think they are no different from those lazy officials' sons in the capital, or even worse. At least officials' sons know how to read people's expressions, but they don't even have the basic sense of propriety!"
Hearing that his younger generation was so unambitious, Zhang Lao Er got angry and pressed, "Don't your eldest and second uncles care? This is outrageous!"
“That’s right. It seemed alright when we went back last time. How come it has changed so much in just a few years?” Xu agreed, feeling that these people were holding her son back and was very dissatisfied.
“If we don’t prune the saplings now, it’ll be too late. Besides my eldest uncle, there are also my second, third, and fourth uncles. Each of them has several concubines in their arms. During the few days I was there, the backyard was in chaos every day. They were too busy dealing with their own problems to have time to properly teach their cousins how to behave.” Xiaoyuer had a very bad impression of his uncles after returning home this time.
Although the eldest uncle was of the best character and had a quiet household, he spoiled his two youngest sons too much, which made them lack courage. In Xiaoyuer's opinion, they were not capable of great things and were not good enough to be of any use; they could only be said to be able to keep up with him.
None of the others were any good.
"What? They've been bringing people into their home again these past few years? How come we didn't know?" Xu's reaction was the strongest.
Her son is the most successful, carrying on the family line and still single, while those below him who benefit from his success know how to enjoy themselves and don't mistreat themselves. Isn't this a case of "switching sides"?
Thinking of this, Madam Xu was furious and slapped her thigh, shouting, "This is too much!"
Xiaoyuer deeply agreed and explained to everyone, "I only found out this time when I went back. Actually, several of my uncles had been keeping mistresses outside, but they didn't show it to everyone. In the past two years, seeing our family becoming more and more prosperous, and with them working in the county government and having some influence, they became bolder and brought their mistresses home. Like father, like son, and several of my cousins followed suit. I think apart from the two cousins from my eldest uncle's family who are slightly better, the others are no good."
Hearing this, Zhang Ping'an felt a pang of unease. After a pause, he asked, "Your cousin Chenyang and the others are like this too? I remember they used to be quite tactful in their dealings with others. It shouldn't be like this!"
“That’s all ancient history. People change. Things are different now. I think they’re getting too cocky. To use your usual words, Father, they’ve become arrogant. They’re fine most of the time, but if there’s any big event that we can rely on them for, forget it! You’re an official in the capital, far from the emperor’s reach, and you can’t control them.” At this moment, Xiaoyuer felt sorry for his father. He was really suffering for himself, but benefiting the clan.
If it were him, he would never do it this way. He wouldn't be Zhang Heming if he didn't toughen them up and make them bleed through!
"Oh, right," Xiaoyuer suddenly remembered something and looked at Madam Xu: "Grandma, you don't know, do you? Third Grandma suffered a stroke and became paralyzed two months ago. Now she can only eat, drink, and relieve herself in bed. Apart from the servants taking care of her, no one in the family visits her. Only Third Grandpa goes by occasionally. When I visited her, she cried when she saw me. It was so pitiful! I remember she used to be a very respectable person!"
"What? Your third grandmother is paralyzed? We didn't know until they wrote a letter about it," Xu replied, stunned for a moment.
At the same time, she sighed, "Your third grandmother was very vain when she was young. She was always the most competitive and ambitious among the three of us sisters-in-law. She always wanted to be number one in everything. Now she can't even take care of herself and has to be served. She must be feeling terrible. Your third uncle used to treat her so well when he was young. Now... sigh, he's become like this too. Fortunately, he still has servants."
"My third grandfather has become obsessed with listening to operas. Every morning after breakfast, he goes out with a birdcage. In addition, he is getting old and his health is not good. He can't take care of much anymore. People say that there are no filial sons at the bedside of a chronically ill patient. I think no one can help him at the bedside of a chronically ill patient."
“It’s only been a few years, how did the third brother’s family end up like this?” Zhang Lao Er shook his head and sighed.
Then she retorted, "But that's not quite right. If something happened to your grandma, our family definitely wouldn't treat her like this. They're just blinded by the good life they have now."
Little Fish astutely commented, "They're all stuck in small places, they're so ignorant. The only saving grace is that they at least have some principles; they haven't committed any crimes, like murder or arson, otherwise I would have dealt with them back then."
"Hey, don't, don't get your hands dirty. If they keep doing this, they'll suffer sooner or later," Xu quickly advised, as she was a believer in karma.
"How is your second great-uncle? Are they alright?"
Since her eldest brother-in-law Xu passed away a few years ago, Xu's resentment towards her only brother has lessened considerably. She no longer mentions the past disputes, since they are both quite old and how many more years can they live?
Xu Xiaojiu often sent letters to the capital, along with some local specialties. The items weren't valuable; the main purpose was to maintain their relationship. In fact, their relationship was better than it had been in Lin'an.
"My second great-uncle's family is doing alright, but they're getting old, and they're bound to have some health problems. My cousin said that my second great-uncle is now experiencing some vision and hearing loss, and he often forgets things, but he still has a good appetite and can eat two bowls of rice in one meal. My second great-aunt doesn't look so good; she's become so thin that she looks unrecognizable, and she's always talking nonsense. My cousins say that she often sharpens knives by the well at night. They saw a doctor, who said it was dissociative identity disorder, and now her family doesn't let her go out anymore; they lock her in the house, saying they're afraid she'll embarrass herself if she goes out and then run away again."
Madam Xu had always looked down on her sister-in-law. Knowing that her younger brother-in-law was doing alright, she didn't ask any more questions. In the end, she only said, "Your second great-aunt was a mean person when she was young and she wasn't good to her two daughters-in-law. Now that she's old, of course she's under the control of her daughters-in-law!"