Chapter 83: Li Man’s Mind
"So how do you want to split things?" Eldest Li asked, looking with great interest at his third nephew, who was usually just Li Hua’s shadow.
"I’ll build my own house. I want a third of the vegetable plot and a thousand yuan. I don’t want anything else," Li Man said quickly. ’The family has over three thousand yuan. Mom and Dad are still young. If Second Brother and I each get a thousand, there will still be over a thousand left. The fourth and fifth brothers are still young. By the time they need money, Mom and Dad will have earned more. As for Li Xin, she’s just a girl. If there’s money for a dowry, great. If not, so be it.’
Li Xiu shot Li Man a look that wasn’t quite a smile. ’A thousand yuan. He sure has a big appetite. Isn’t he afraid of choking on it?’ When Li Xiu had split from the family, he’d only gotten 250 yuan. Of course, he was an exception, but even now, a little over 500 yuan was more than enough to build a house and get married. ’This guy is something else!’
All the men in the room stared at Li Man in shock. ’Is Second Brother Li’s third son an idiot?’ These days, any family with a thousand yuan or so was considered well-off. Although Li Xiu had earned the family a lot of money before he left, had Li Man forgotten he still had two younger brothers?
"Third Brother, where would the family get that much money? Besides, it doesn’t cost that much to build a house and get married," Ge Er Ya said, stunned.
"Mom, don’t lie to me. The family has over three thousand yuan. When Eldest Brother left, he only got 250 yuan, so the family’s money was barely touched," Li Man said with a smile. Seeing everyone’s astonished expressions, he was secretly pleased. He’d only eavesdropped on his mother counting their money because he was afraid she’d favor his second brother.
Li Xiu shook his head, speechless. ’I used to think he was clever and calculating, but now I see he’s just short-sighted and worthless. This kid is a complete write-off.’
"Third Brother, even if you’re right and the family has that much money, if you take a thousand and your second brother takes a thousand, what about your two younger brothers and your sister?" Second Brother Li asked his secretly gleeful third son with a bitter expression.
"Dad, there’s still a thousand left. You and Mom are still young, and the fourth and fifth brothers are little. By the time they need money, you’ll have earned more. Our sister is just a girl—if there’s money, give her a big dowry; if not, give her less. Isn’t that how it’s done in the village? Second Brother, what do you think?" Li Man saw his father wasn’t going to agree easily, so he tried to pull Li Hua to his side. ’If Second Brother sides with me, it’s pretty much a done deal. If not, it’s fine. Knowing him and his petty schemes, he’ll make sure he doesn’t lose out.’
Li Hua, who had been silent until now, looked around at everyone in the room, torn. In the end, the lure of money was too great. He looked at Ge Er Ya and said, "Mom, Third Brother was too blunt, but he’s not wrong, is he? Dad’s been recovering for so long, and his health is back. The fourth and fifth brothers are young. It’ll be almost ten years before they need money. You’ll have earned more by then."
Ge Er Ya looked at Li Hua, then at Li Man, then at her two youngest sons. It was too much to accept. She covered her face and began to sob. ’How did my sons turn out like this? First one, and now the other.’
Eldest Li watched the drama between the mother and her two sons and shook his head. ’To raise a son without teaching him is the father’s fault.’ He spoke directly to Second Brother Li, "Second Brother, are you just going to let them carry on like this? Aren’t you afraid of becoming the village laughingstock?"
Second Brother Li, who was clutching his head, looked up. The clan elders all wore complicated expressions, and the village officials were stone-faced. Then he looked at his eldest son. Suddenly, Second Brother Li felt a wave of despair. The naked ridicule in his eldest son’s eyes was a stark reflection of his failure as a father.
"I don’t agree. When your eldest brother split from the family last year, it wasn’t like this, and he’s the eldest son of the eldest son!" Second Brother Li said listlessly.
"Dad, you know he’s the eldest son of the eldest son, yet you practically made him leave with nothing. Are you trying to do the same to me now? I’m not as capable as Eldest Brother, so getting a little more is just looking out for me. Isn’t that what you said when you sent him away?" Li Man said nonchalantly. His eldest brother was capable, daring to risk his life by going into Daqing Mountain. He didn’t have that kind of courage.
Looking at his two sons, Second Brother Li took a drag from his cigarette and said, "Either I build you your houses and pay for your weddings, or I wash my hands of it and you each get 600 yuan. Take it or leave it."
’Sons like these... how could I expect them to be filial in the future?’ Second Brother Li glanced furtively at his two youngest sons beside him. ’I have to teach them properly. I can’t let them learn from their older brothers.’
Sitting on the edge of the kang bed, Li Xiu took in everyone’s expressions and thoughts. ’What a grand play this is. So much for loving parents and filial sons—it’s all a joke. The moment money is involved, everyone’s true nature comes out. And he’s still pinning his hopes on the two little ones? "The ones below follow the example of those above." After seeing all this, how can he still expect anything from them? Isn’t Father being a little too naive?’
"Your father has spoken. Do you agree or not?" Eldest Li was getting fed up. ’Sons who don’t act like sons, a father who doesn’t act like a father... this whole thing is a goddamn embarrassment.’
"Six hundred is too little! It’s not even enough to build a house!" Li Man grumbled. ’Dad is as stingy as ever, even with his own sons. He really does love money more than his own life!’
"Six hundred isn’t enough to build a house? What are you planning to build, a palace?" Second Brother Li asked, looking at his third son in astonishment.
"One like my eldest brother’s. I did the math—a house his size would cost seven or eight hundred yuan!" Li Man said. He had long been envious of his eldest brother’s house.
"You third brat, why don’t you just ask for the moon while you’re at it? A house like your eldest brother’s? You said it yourself, he only got 250 yuan when he left. The difference is, you don’t have his skills," a junior uncle from another branch of the clan snapped at Li Man. ’What a mess! Honestly, if it weren’t out of respect for Li Xiu, I wouldn’t bother with this branch of the family at all!’
"Fine. 700 yuan each, plus the vegetable plot," Ge Er Ya said decisively, wiping the tears from her face. ’If others won’t care for my sons, I will. Let them have it. It will all belong to the brothers sooner or later anyway.’
Watching this play unfold in the old house, Li Xiu let out a laugh. When he saw everyone looking at him, he smiled and said, "Since you’ve all come to an agreement, I’ll be heading home. My wife and child are waiting for me."
"Eldest Brother, you..."
"It’s fine, Dad. How you split things has nothing to do with me. On my way to my aunt’s place today, Li Man asked me to come to the old house, saying something was up. Since it’s the New Year, I was worried something had really happened, so I came to check. If I’d known it was about this, I wouldn’t have come. It’s freezing cold, it’s late at night, and I don’t feel right leaving my wife and child at home alone. Why did you even call me for this? It’s none of my business. Didn’t I say before? Don’t call me for anything happening at the old house, big or small."
Seeing the whole room staring at him, Li Xiu curled his lip. "Alright, don’t overthink it. I knew how much money you had when I left the family last year. Isn’t that money meant for you four sons? It has nothing to do with me. That’s all. I’m leaving. You all carry on."
Everyone in the room was stunned as they watched Li Xiu turn and leave without a moment’s hesitation. Eldest Li chuckled. ’Talk about judging a gentleman by a villain’s standards. My eldest nephew truly saw his parents and brothers for who they are. That’s why he was willing to leave with practically nothing just to split from the family, and why he built his house so far away from them. I always thought it was because the plot of land was big. Now I see the most important thing was its distance from the old house. The old house is in the Northwest of the village, and his new house is in the southeast—that’s the farthest you can get in this village!’