Chapter 304: Chapter 304: Filial Support

When Mr. Lu was alive, Zhu Huanghua lived with him at the veterans’ sanatorium as his spouse.

Now that Mr. Lu was gone, if Zhu Huanghua had no children, the sanatorium would have continued to provide for her room and board.

But Zhu Huanghua had six sons. Lu the Second had passed away young, and the remaining five sons were still alive and well.

According to regulations, the responsibility for her future care now fell to her five children.

Caring for an 80-year-old was no easy task, especially since Zhu Huanghua had a strange temper and loved to cause trouble. None of them wanted to take on this mess.

Zeng Xiulan was the first to explain her family’s situation. "De Ping and I only have a 50-square-meter apartment. Our youngest son’s family of three is also living with us. It’s already crowded, so we really can’t spare any extra space for Mom."

The third son, Lu Defa, said, "Dai Mei has been paralyzed for several years, and I’ve been the one taking care of her. My own health is declining year by year, and Mom needs constant care, too. It’s just..."

The fourth son, Lu Deqiang, spoke up next. "Our situation is similar to Eldest Brother’s. We’re crammed into a small, dilapidated courtyard with three or four other families. We don’t even have space for a relative to stay over."

The fifth son, Lu Dehong, also chimed in. "All our situations are pretty much the same. Only the sixth brother’s family is better off. Their house is spacious."

This was the truth, and Lu Deyao couldn’t deny it.

If it were a stranger, it would be a different matter, but Zhu Huanghua was his own mother. As her son, he couldn’t just turn her away.

But Zhu Huanghua was always finding fault with An Hui. If she moved in, there was no telling how much An Hui would have to suffer in the future.

Lu Deyao was caught in a dilemma and remained silent for a moment.

Zeng Xiulan spoke up. "How about this? Mom can live with Deyao, and the four of us will split her living expenses. An Hui, you and Deyao have been in Rongcheng for so many years and rarely come back. We’ve been the ones looking after Mom and Dad all this time. Now that Dad is gone and Mom is alone, shouldn’t you two also step up and fulfill your filial duties as children?"

The accusation of being unfilial was a heavy one. If An Hui refused, she would be branded for it.

Jiang Moli sneered and turned to the placid-looking Zhu Huanghua. "See? What’s the use of having so many sons? When you’re old, they all despise you, kicking you out like a piece of trash."

Someone had actually called her trash?

Zhu Huanghua’s lips trembled with anger, and she nearly fainted on the spot.

The Lu brothers looked as if their last shred of dignity had been torn away, their faces flushing red and then turning pale.

Lu Deyao secretly shot An Hui a look. ’Don’t worry, our third son’s wife will sort this out for us.’

An Hui thought back with disgust, ’You rely on your daughter-in-law for everything. What’s the use of having you!’

Fan Wenfang and Xu Xiuzhen exchanged a smile. ’This is getting good.’

Lu Tingting clenched her fists, an excited fire burning in her eyes. ’Fight, fight! Get ’em!’

Lu Defa was the first to jump up, pointing at Jiang Moli in a rage. "The elders are talking! Is it your place to interrupt? Have you no manners?"

"Manners? Fine, let’s talk about manners. You uncles are all Grandma’s biological sons, right? The duty to support Grandma is shared equally among you, isn’t it? And don’t give me that nonsense about how you took care of Grandma and Grandpa more in the past. They lived in the veterans’ sanatorium with dedicated staff to attend to them. What care did they need from you?"

The brothers were speechless.

They had visited the sanatorium more often than Lu Deyao, but all they did was chat with the old couple. They hadn’t actually done any real caregiving.

"Mom, you know our family’s situation. If I had a spare room, I would take you in without a second thought and care for you until the end. Why don’t you choose for yourself? Tell us whose house you want to live in."

Seeing that reason wasn’t on his side, the fifth son, Lu Dehong, resorted to playing the sympathy card with Zhu Huanghua.

Among her sons, Zhu Huanghua’s favorite was the fifth, Lu Dehong.

The fifth son was a sweet-talker and seemed filial, always managing to cheer her up.

She couldn’t bear to cause trouble for her fifth son.

The first, third, and fourth sons all had their own difficulties, too.

Zhu Huanghua looked over each of her sons, her gaze finally landing on Lu Deyao.

’The sixth son is the most unfilial. He forgot his mother as soon as he got a wife!’

’And his wife is no good, either! She’s disrespectful and unfilial, and she brought in that sharp-tongued, obnoxious granddaughter-in-law just to spite me!’

’They think I’m a burden? Fine, I’ll go live at the sixth son’s house just to spite them. I’ve probably got a couple of years left, and I’ll use that time to properly deal with that mother-in-law and daughter-in-law pair.’

"I..."

Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Moli cut in. "Grandma, I’m truly disappointed for your sake. Back in the day, when you and Grandpa were so poor you couldn’t put food on the table, you never thought of abandoning your own starving sons. Now they’re all high-ranking officials with fat salaries, yet they can’t support one old woman. It’s fine. We’ll support you. After all, we’re not the kind of ungrateful wretches who would ignore their own mother’s well-being."

The fifth son, Lu Dehong, was furious. "Who are you calling an ungrateful wretch? Who the hell do you think you are!"

The third son, Lu Defa, said in a passive-aggressive tone, "Deyao, is there no one else in your family? You’re actually letting a snot-nosed brat call the shots?"

Before Lu Deyao could speak, Jiang Moli said directly, "That’s right, I am the one calling the shots. My parents-in-law are old and useless now. From now on, I’m in charge of this family."

The brothers all stared at her in disbelief.

Lu Deyao had three sons. Setting aside the eldest, who was adopted, there was still the second son. It shouldn’t be the third son’s turn to take charge.

Zeng Xiulan said, "Deyao, An Hui, say something! What’s the meaning of a junior member of the family jumping around and causing such a scene?"

Lu Deyao cleared his throat and said slowly, "We’re old. From now on, the third son and his wife will be in charge of family matters."

Fearing that Jiang Moli couldn’t handle so many people on her own, Lu Deyao decided to drag Lu Cheng into it as well.

Lu Cheng, however, wasn’t angry.

With him around, he naturally wouldn’t let his wife be bullied, not even by his own uncles.

Jiang Moli said bluntly, "Alright, enough with the nonsense. I have two care plans. First option: everyone chips in to send Grandma to a nursing home. Second option: each family takes care of Grandma for three months, on a rotating basis."

After speaking, she looked at the couple, Lu Deping and Zeng Xiulan. "Eldest Uncle, Eldest Aunt, I can understand your difficulties, so I’ve thought of a solution for you. Your house is occupied by my third cousin’s family, right? Simple. Just kick them out, and you’ll have a free room, won’t you?"

Although they had experienced Jiang Moli’s outrageousness before, the couple was still left dumbfounded by her proposed solution.

Lu Cheng clapped his hands. "You know, that’s actually a great idea!"

Zeng Xiulan was so angry she was seeing red. "Bullshit! Lu Wei has a whole family to support! Where do you expect them to live?"

Jiang Moli replied, "Eldest Aunt, let’s get something straight. Supporting Grandma is a legal obligation. My third cousin has been working for several years now, yet you’re still providing for him. No wonder you’ve raised such a good-for-nothing who can’t even solve a basic survival problem like finding a place for his own wife and child to live."

"Pfft."

Several of the cousins from the eldest branch of the family covered their mouths and snickered.

It’s often said that it’s not scarcity that breeds discontent, but inequality. They had all long harbored resentment over Zeng Xiulan’s favoritism toward her youngest son.

Now that Jiang Moli had called the youngest a good-for-nothing in public, it felt like she was indirectly venting their frustrations for them.

Lu Wei’s face was beet red with embarrassment, and his wife, Fang Meng, couldn’t hide her own mortification.

The couple’s disgust and aversion toward Jiang Moli reached a new peak.

[Disdain Value +2. 20,000 Yuan credited.]

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