C18 There Is also a Chicken!

Hearing him mention dividing the family made Mrs. Zhao furious. "You dare bring up splitting the family? Let me tell you..."

Zhao Pengcheng cut her off. "When we divided the family, the Production Brigade witnessed it. It was all clearly written in black and white: I give you ten dollars, ten pounds of grain, and a pound of meat every month. I moved out separately, and you can't meddle in my affairs anymore. Not just you, but my brother, my sister-in-law, and everyone else signed it too. The Production Brigade has a copy. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Mrs. Zhao was so angry she nearly jumped up. "Forget it? You ungrateful wretch! I raised you for nothing. If I'd known, I should have drowned you in the toilet as a baby. I'm your mother; if I don't care about you, who will? I'm telling you, I won't agree to you marrying that troublemaker. You must divorce her, do you hear me? If you don't, don't call me 'Mom' anymore."

"Nine dollars, nine pounds, nine ounces."

Mrs. Zhao was momentarily stunned. "What do you mean? Didn't you hear me say to divorce that woman?"

"Eight dollars, eight pounds, eight ounces."

Mrs. Zhao hadn't caught on yet, but her two daughters-in-law were already panicking.

Ten dollars a month adds up to a hundred and twenty dollars a year, along with a hundred and twenty pounds of grain and twelve pounds of meat. In these times, how many families can earn that much in a year?

Anyway, since the younger brother manages his own life without needing their help, whatever they give to their mother-in-law ends up benefiting them in the end, right?

They originally heard that the new wife was moving things from their house and thought they might seize the chance to take some things for themselves. But seeing the situation now, forget about gaining anything extra—they might not even get what was promised.

Just as Mrs. Zhao was about to jump in and say something, the two daughters-in-law quickly grabbed her arms, one on each side, and even covered her mouth.

Mrs. Zhao was shocked that her daughters-in-law dared to defy her, and she was so angry her face turned red and her eyes bulged: "Mmm mmm..."

The eldest daughter-in-law forced a smile and said, "Oh, Pengcheng, we're just concerned about you, really, no other intentions. Whoever you want to marry is your choice. As sisters-in-law, it's not our place to meddle in your affairs."

The second daughter-in-law chimed in, "Yeah, exactly. We just heard you got a new wife and wanted to see what she looks like, nothing more."

Mrs. Zhao struggled even more: "Mmm mmm mmm..."

Zhao Pengcheng remained indifferent to their antics and chatter: "Seven dollars, seven pounds, seven ounces."

The two daughters-in-law were in a panic, practically dragging Mrs. Zhao toward the door, not even caring that one of her shoes had fallen off. Once they were outside, the eldest daughter-in-law hesitated and turned back, "What about our iron pot and the chicken...?"

Zhao Pengcheng looked at them, "Si..."

Before he could finish, both the eldest and second daughter-in-law interrupted, "Forget it! Consider them a gift! We just wanted to let you know."

With that, they whisked Mrs. Zhao away in a flash.

Zhao Pengcheng watched the three of them disappear into the distance, sighing, unsure of what to say. How did he end up with a mother like this?

The four kids crept back from the wall, especially Zhao Zhibing, who looked anxious, "What about our pot? They didn't take it, did they?"

Zhao Zhihong, holding her little brother's hand, chimed in brightly, "And the chicken!"