When Liang Xiu spoke, she scanned the faces of the Liang family's sons.
She saw no trace of the affection and tenderness a sibling should have for their sister in their expressions!
Eldest Brother Liang and the others certainly knew their sister hadn't had an easy life over the years.
However, their parents had said that sons were the ones who would carry on the family line, the ones who would support the household in the future, and were therefore precious.
Liang Xiu was just a girl, how could she compare to them?
Liang Xiu had no intention of conversing with her brothers; she went straight for the elders of the Liang family.
Her brothers, to put it bluntly, were merely relatives to her.
But what she couldn't understand was why her parents treated her this way.
"Is this how you are as parents? Ask yourselves, think carefully, how difficult your lives have been."
Liang Xiu's eyes were filled with deep pain!
"If anyone's life has been difficult, I think it's truly difficult being your daughter."
As she said this, Liang Xiu was on the verge of tears.
Her life had been truly hard in those years.
So much so that for many years to come, whenever she thought about it, she felt heartbroken.
Since marrying into the Su family, she had tried her best to avoid thinking about those past events.
Her life only began to get better after she married into the Su family.
Perhaps she had endured all her suffering in the first seventeen or eighteen years.
Although she was sold to the Su family by her parents for seventy yuan, her in-laws were good people, and her husband was considerate, which made her feel that life had prospects.
Even so, her dear parents still refused to let go of their schemes, intent on having her move all of the Su family's belongings back to the Liang household.
Because she refused, she had endured countless scoldings and grievances over the years.
"Back then, weren't all children's lives lived like that?"
Old Madam Liang, unwilling to admit fault, could only offer a flimsy excuse.
After all, children in every household weren't treated as particularly precious; it wasn't just Liang Xiu whose life was like that.
"My three elder brothers did not live like that!" Liang Xiu retorted without hesitation.
Even if one couldn't serve water perfectly level, one shouldn't at least pour it upside down.
The disparity in treatment was too great.
"Who told you to be a girl?" Old Madam Liang argued righteously, showing no sign of admitting she was wrong.
"What's wrong with being a girl? Aren't girls born to you? Are girls supposed to be inferior?" Liang Xiu was in extreme pain.
"That's a strange thing to say. I also have a daughter, and my daughter is about the same age as Xiu'er, but I never tormented my daughter like this." Old Madam Su immediately stepped forward to defend her daughter-in-law.
Among her daughters-in-law, only the third daughter-in-law had bad luck, encountering such parents and such a group of useless brothers.
She wondered how these people planned to burden the third branch in the future.
If this commotion today could truly resolve things and lead to a complete separation, it would be a good thing!
Other families in the village with daughters of similar ages also chimed in, strongly supporting Grandma Su's words.
They also favored their sons, as they would rely on their sons for old age support, but not to this extent.
"You people, hmph, I don't believe any of you can treat your daughters as treasures!" Old Madam Liang retorted.
She truly couldn't believe such people existed in the world.
Su Changjiu's wife, however, let out a snicker.
Her laugh confused everyone.
Was what she said so funny?
"I say, as elders, do you have any heart or not? Look at how the Su family treats Little Sweet, and you'll know if there are people in this world who treasure their daughters."
The Su family truly treasured Little Sweet!
From childhood to adulthood, she was held in their mouths for fear she would melt, and held in their hands for fear she would fall.
Pausing for a moment, Su Changjiu's wife continued to smile gently, "Not to mention Little Sweet, even the Su family tries their best to pamper and protect Little Sweet's aunt."
Old Madam Liang listened with disdain. She had long heard about how the old Su family doted on Su Xiaotian.
Over the years, she had always felt that the old Su family was foolish, that their brains weren't working properly, to be so good to a mere girl.
Su Changjiu's wife, perhaps sensing Old Madam Liang's disbelief, spoke again.
"Never mind this family, even in our own home, while we don't excessively favor our daughter, she has everything she needs. Our daughter is a good student and likes to study, so we sent her to school!"
At this point, Old Madam Liang felt that the people of Nanling Village had lost their minds.
Sending a girl to school, when the girl would eventually belong to another family!
Even if the daughter became successful, it wouldn't bring glory to their own family's reputation; it would be for someone else's!
"You send a good-for-nothing to school, have you all lost your marbles?" Old Madam Liang, without realizing it, voiced her true thoughts.
Upon hearing this, Su Changjiu's wife became thoroughly angry. How could she say such a thing!
"I've said so much just to tell you not to always think of women as good-for-nothings. If women are good-for-nothings, aren't you yourself a good-for-nothing?"
Su Changjiu's wife, as expected of the village chief's wife, spoke logically and coherently.
"However, five yuan a month is a bit little, and two hundred yuan in total is also a bit little!"
Old Madam Liang decided not to argue about these trivial matters anymore and directly brought up the money.
"Liang Xiu has already calculated the accounts. This amount of money is not small. How can you still be unsatisfied when you can receive so much in elder care money?"
Su Changjiu's wife had certainly understood the underlying issue in Liang Xiu's words.
Liang Xiu had spoken tactfully, but in reality, Liang Xiu's brothers were counting on the elders to get money from their sister to live on. Who would give them five yuan a month?
After all the calculations, all they could get their hands on was the five yuan Liang Xiu gave.
But Su Changjiu's wife would not remind them of this.
These elders were disrespectful in their old age and did not deserve respect.
If she were to say it, Liang Xiu shouldn't have to give them a single cent.
"Exactly, five yuan a month is like free money. Where else can you find such a good deal?"
"With this five yuan, you should just accept it. If I were Liang Xiu, I wouldn't give you a cent!"
"I've seen shameless people, but I've never seen anyone this shameless!"
"Asking money from a married daughter to live on, what are they thinking?"
"These sons are just for show, aren't they? They talk about supporting the household, but such people, the house would collapse!"
...
The crowd chattered incessantly, each person practically lecturing the Liang family.
Looking at the scene, Old Madam Liang and her husband probably realized that they could only get this much today.
Both of them were pragmatic people. After exchanging a glance, they agreed.
"Then it's five yuan a month, but you have to give it to us in advance. Give us a year's worth at once, no, give us three years' worth. Otherwise, if you run off, where will I find you!"
Old Madam Liang thought that she couldn't leave empty-handed. Whatever she could get, she would get. After all, even if she took it this time, she could always ask again later.
If all else failed, after some time, she would directly find them in the capital.
As Old Madam Liang's eyes darted around, Liang Xiu understood perfectly.
It seemed her mother was even worse than she had imagined!
She said calmly, "Since it's for elder care, there needs to be a written agreement."