Chapter 424: Truly Owing Him

After hearing this, Fu's mother sighed, re-counted the things to be taken tomorrow, and said, "I truly owe him."

Seeing her unhappy, Fu's father said, "Enough. The fourth one is settled; we can't manage them for much longer anyway."

Fu's mother, having packed the things and just about to get into bed, asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Fu's father put down the book in his hands and said, "The eldest told me upon returning from his business trip that he applied for housing at his workplace."

Before he could finish, Fu's mother cut in, "When did that happen?"

Fu's father helped her prop the pillow up higher so she could lean against the headboard and said, "He applied before his business trip, but with so many factory workers waiting for housing allocation now, I'm afraid there's still a long wait."

Fu's mother, who wouldn't have reached the position of Trade Union Director at the Sugar Factory without some intelligence, understood at once that the household would likely be split soon: "I understand what you mean. I'm not worried about the others, but what about the second son and his wife?"

Fu's father naturally understood his wife's meaning: "Next time I see him, I'll give him a heads-up so he can prepare himself mentally. Although someone in the family must go to the countryside, his job was arranged back then; she insisted on going to the countryside herself, so no one is to blame for this."

"These past few years, the family has been thinking of his difficult life in the countryside and has been subsidizing him with ten yuan a month. The siblings probably have no complaints, but I'm afraid the daughters-in-law are uncomfortable."

Fu's mother leaned sideways, resting against her husband's shoulder, and said, "Stop beating around the bush. Tell me your plan."

Fu's father put his arm around her and pulled her into his embrace: "Here's what I'm thinking. After Fu Yan Cheng gets married, why don't we simply split the household? That way, whether their lives go well or poorly will depend on their own abilities, and you can worry less. What do you think?"

"It's still the same question: the others are manageable, but what about the second son and his wife? Will we continue to send them money every month?"

"If we don't send it, the second daughter-in-law will probably make a huge scene. But if we keep sending it, the other families won't say anything out loud, but they'll surely be unhappy inside. It might be fine for now, but sooner or later it could explode."

Fu's father thought of the second daughter-in-law's expression and grew cold: "By all rights, after the family accommodated them all these years, they should be grateful. But the second daughter-in-law is insatiable in taking advantage, and over time, she dragged the second son into the ditch with her."

"Normally, ignoring them after the split would be fine, but they are still our children. Even if the second son is a rascal, he's still our son. If he lives unhappily, we'll feel bad."

"To ensure peace for everyone in the future, I'm thinking of making some moves these days to find a job for the second son. If that fails, we can even buy him one. In any case, we'll transfer him back before the split, and then his wife and child can return to Huicheng with him."

"As for afterward, it will depend on his own abilities, so we won't have unrest later on."

Fu's father didn't need to explain in detail; she now understood. The reason the second son hadn't been transferred back earlier was first because it was his choice, then because policies tightened and every family had to send someone to the countryside, and also because jobs were genuinely hard to arrange. Of course, there was also a genuine desire to teach the second son a lesson, since it was his own choice.

"But things are different now. Even if we use connections to transfer him back, no one can find fault."

"After all, the second son has been in the countryside for seven years, and our own daughter has already gone to the countryside. Even if someone wants to make trouble, at worst everyone will just be unhappy."

"However, doing this means our own daughter will likely have to suffer. Returning to Huicheng through a job transfer is probably impossible now, unless she comes back to get married."