Chapter 17: He is not a masochist

On the way home, he made a special trip to a bookstore, bought several books according to the list provided by Su Shi, and spent thirteen taels of silver.

In this day and age, books are too expensive; reading is excessively costly, even bordering on luxury.

Back then, when his eldest sister Chen Xiaolan was struggling to make a living at her in-laws', she still insisted on sending him to a private school; the bitterness and grievances in that were beyond words. He realized once again that he owed his eldest sister too much.

He simply bought a set of jewelry as well: gold earrings, gold bracelets, a gold necklace, and a gold ring. Additionally, he bought a few catties of pig head meat and carried a pot of wine to the Su family.

He gave the wine and meat to Su Pozi.

Su Pozi's face, which had originally been long, rarely showed a smile, and she even asked him to stay for dinner.

He certainly would not eat.

If he were to eat dinner, Su Pozi would nag for several days, and his eldest sister's ears would not know a moment of peace.

Chen Xiaolan, however, did not approve.

The siblings spoke in private, "You bought the wine and food, so you should stay for dinner. Don't be polite with her. The more polite you are, the more she will take advantage."

"Sister, you know my temper; I have no patience for socializing. Next time, next time I will definitely stay. Sister, don't be busy for a moment; look at this. Your younger brother has money now and specifically prepared this for you."

Chen Guanlou took out the gold jewelry he had prepared and smiled smugly.

"Oh my!" Seeing this pile of jewelry, Chen Xiaolan was immediately anxious and angry. She first glanced outside the door to ensure her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law were not peeking, then hurriedly closed the doors and windows, lowering her voice, "Where did you get the money? What are you doing? You must not mess around!"

"Sister, the source of this money is upright and honest; you don't need to worry about me. In the Heavenly Prison, besides a fixed salary every month, there are bonuses. The bonuses are the main part. I live alone and have no expenses; after a few months, I saved some money, and thinking that my eldest sister doesn't even have a decent piece of jewelry, I prepared a set for you."

After hearing his explanation, Chen Xiaolan finally felt relieved. As long as the money came from a proper source, it was fine.

Looking at the gleaming gold jewelry, she was both happy and heartbroken. Touching her bare neck and wrists, she gave a bitter smile, "Even if you give me these, I can't wear them out. If I wear gold and silver while my mother-in-law doesn't have a single decent piece of jewelry, the gossip of the neighbors alone could drown me. I'm afraid these pieces won't be safe in my hands."

"Don't tell me Su Pozi would dare to snatch jewelry given by her daughter-in-law's maiden family?" Chen Guanlou glared, looking fierce.

Chen Xiaolan sighed, "She wouldn't snatch them, but with her words, she could torment a person to death."

Chen Guanlou was furious, "If she wants to wear them, let her go ask Su Dacheng; why is she eyeing her daughter-in-law's private savings? Sister, don't be afraid; wear them boldly."

"No. I can't bring trouble upon myself, and even less can I bring trouble upon you. Take these pieces back; consider them as part of the dowry in the future."

"No way! These are gifts for you; how can I take them back? At worst, you can hide them away and keep them at the bottom of the chest. The two brothers of my brother-in-law will eventually divide the family property. Besides, eldest sister, you also need to save some private money. You raised me for so many years; now it is my turn, your younger brother, to support you. Don't be afraid."

Chen Xiaolan revealed a satisfied smile, "With these words from you, the suffering of these years was not in vain. Fine, I will listen to you; I'll keep the jewelry at the bottom of the chest."

"Wait a moment!"

Seeing Chen Xiaolan putting the jewelry away, Chen Guanlou suddenly remembered something.

"Just in case, I will mark each piece of jewelry with a special sign."

Chen Xiaolan was clearly stunned, "This..." She originally wanted to say her brother was being small-minded. But then she thought, her brother doing this was also for her sake, fearing she would be put in a difficult position at the Su family and worrying about embarrassing scenes, so he made preparations in advance. No matter what, she could not say her brother was wrong.

Chen Guanlou took out the dagger he carried with him and carefully carved a "√" shape on the back of the jewelry, looking a bit like the Nike logo. This was the mark exclusive to his eldest sister's jewelry.

"Now it's done; jewelry with this mark belongs only to my eldest sister in this world. If anyone talks nonsense in the future, this will be the evidence."

Chen Xiaolan felt very comforted, "You are quite thoughtful."

"Better safe than sorry."

The siblings gathered and talked for a long time.

Taking advantage of the fact that it was not yet mealtime, Chen Guanlou proposed to leave.

Su Pozi asked him to stay for dinner, but he firmly declined and left cleanly and decisively.

Su Pozi was satisfied now; there was wine and food in the evening, and she didn't need to add another pair of chopsticks.

Chen Xiaolan had gained face, so Su Pozi aimed her fire at her eldest daughter-in-law, scolding without stopping.

Every three to five days, Chen Guanlou would go to consult Su Shi. Each time, Su Shi would patiently answer, followed by a round of nagging and preaching.

As time went on, he did not prepare gifts every time he went.

Sometimes he went in a hurry and only brought a few pieces of malt candy for Su Shi's two children. The children were satisfied, but Su Shi's wife was not.

Once or twice without gifts, Su Shi's wife could tolerate it. When the number of times became slightly more frequent, Su Shi's wife had complaints.

This day, Chen Guanlou went to consult Su Shi as usual and bought a few sesame cakes on the way.

Looking at the sesame cakes, Su Shi's wife took them with a slightly cold attitude and said, "It's hard for you to be so thoughtful. There is lunch for today, but I'm afraid the Master will dislike the lack of wine and meat. He doesn't think about how many mouths there are in this family to feed; the little tuition he earns is barely enough to eat his fill, yet he still wants wine and meat at every meal; he's dreaming."

Chen Guanlou:...

So awkward.

"It's all my fault; I came in a hurry and missed the meat stall. I'll go buy a few catties of meat right now; I must let the Master eat and drink well."

Su Shi's wife seemed to have learned face-changing; she immediately smiled like a flower, "Why do you need to run a trip yourself? Let the two little ones go to the intersection and buy a catty on credit."

"No need to buy on credit; wouldn't buying on credit lose the Master's face?" Chen Guanlou counted out five mace of silver on the spot and gave it to Su Shi's wife, who was satisfied and finally let him go.

Chen Guanlou thought to himself that he could not come to Su Shi's place anymore in the future. Every time he came, he would be disliked by Su Shi's wife. He is not a masochist.

There are so many learned people in the world.

Su Shi's wife got the money and went to the intersection herself to buy two catties of meat. However, she only cooked one catty and put the remaining catty in the cupboard, intending to eat it in the evening.

Logically speaking, Su Shi earned quite a bit. However, Su Shi's wife was never satisfied and had always lived stingily, with a petty style.

She and her previous husband had a son and a daughter. Both children were already grown. The daughter was simple; a simple dowry could send her off. The difficulty was the eldest son's marriage; starting a family required a sum of money. After starting a family, one had to consider moving out to establish a career independently, which was another sum of money. The house they lived in now was passed down from Su Shi's ancestors, so there was no way it would be the eldest son's turn to be the head of the household.

She and Su Shi also had a son and a daughter. Both children were still young. Su Shi was so old; what if he were gone one day, the children were still young, and the eldest son hadn't established himself yet? What would she, a woman, do then? She couldn't marry a third or fourth time.

She was stingy, wasn't it all for this family! ===== CHAPTER 18 =====