Although a bit unfamiliar, they were still family after all. Li Yao treated He Shiyou very well, letting Da Zhuang arrange a guest room for him, meaning he should stay for a few days since it was rare for him to come.
Seeing Li Yao was quite easy to talk to, He Shiyou naturally did not stand on ceremony and settled down to stay, waiting for He Xiaoya to talk to Li Yao about her two elder brothers.
But after waiting for two days without any movement, He Shiyou was very unhappy.
That day, after Li Yao went out, he called He Xiaoya from the room.
"Did you talk about what I told you to?"
"No."
"You didn't say it?" He Shiyou's face instantly became very ugly. "You're my daughter, now you don't even listen to me anymore?"
"I already said, if you want it said, say it yourself." He Xiaoya said.
"You... you're deliberately trying to anger me to death, aren't you?" He Shiyou suddenly raised his voice and said loudly, "I raised you with great difficulty, feeding you, clothing you, taking care of you. Now that you've married well, you don't even look at me as your father anymore, right?"
"That's right, you raised me up," He Xiaoya said, "But ever since I married into the Wang family, have you still treated me as your daughter? At my wedding, it was the village aunties who sent me over. You must have felt that I married into this ravine and brought you shame!"
"On the day Da Zhuang and I returned home after the wedding... you had closed the gates tightly, making us wait outside until after noon before opening the door."
"Not a bite of food, not a drop of water, not even a stool to sit on. You made Da Zhuang and I sit on the rocks in the yard..."
"Luckily Da Zhuang is a kind fool. After getting money, he still hauled a cart of gifts to give you."
"Yet you've been here three days, and haven't even glanced at your granddaughter once!"
"Is this how you act as a father?"
He Xiaoya was uneducated and ineloquent, she just honestly poured out the words that had been pent up in her heart.
But He Shiyou just coldly laughed and said, "Don't forget, you've only given birth to a daughter for the Wang family!"
"So what of it?"
"What do you mean so what? The Wangs are so wealthy now, who knows if they'll divorce you one day to find a new wife who can bear sons! When that time comes, don't come crying back to us, begging us to support you!"
He Xiaoya almost wanted to laugh.
Why did every father and mother feel that a married out daughter must rely on her natal family for support, otherwise she'd be bullied terribly by her in-laws? That she couldn't get by otherwise?
That might be true for others, but certainly not He Xiaoya.
Her mother-in-law, Da Zhuang, and several younger brothers all treated her very well, even better than her own birth parents and siblings.
"I don't need anyone to support me." He Xiaoya said. "Even if I did, it would be my mother-in-law and Da Zhuang supporting me. Don't trouble yourself over it."
As soon as He Shiyou heard this, he was so angry that his whiskers shot up. "I... I really raised you for nothing!"
"How could you have raised me for nothing?" He Xiaoya said. "During the new year and festivals, Da Zhuang and I still give you gifts and pay our respects, and we give more than anyone else too."
If you feel you raised me for nothing, it's because you're too greedy.
He Xiaoya didn't say this last sentence, because saying it would sever their father-daughter relationship.
He Shiyou had nothing left to say. He glared fiercely at He Xiaoya, his expression extremely ugly.
This wench who married into the Wang family, he couldn't control her anymore after she left!
"What's going on with you two?" Just then Li Yao came in from outside and asked, "Glowering at each other, what happened?"
In fact she had been listening outside the entire time, and heard their conversation very clearly.
In her heart she also felt He Xiaoya's approach was right.
Giving out was mutual, even as parents one had to remember this point.
Not even putting in superficial effort yet wanting to freeload, there was no such good thing in the world.
"Oh, nothing," He Shiyou quickly put on a smile and said ingratiatingly, "Just now Xiaoya was telling me she felt her two elder brothers were just farming at home every year, not earning much money at all, and suggested they come work at your family's workshops. I felt this would be troubling for my relative, so I didn't agree. She's still upset with me over it."
Both Li Yao and He Xiaoya twitched their mouths at the same time. He Xiaoya wished she could dig a hole and burrow inside - how could her father be so shameless?
"This is wonderful news!" Li Yao saw through it but didn't point it out, instead saying with a laugh, "As it happens, the workshops are still short on people. They can come over starting tomorrow."
He Xiaoya hurriedly said, "Mother, you can't!"
"Why not? Didn't you suggest it?" Li Yao asked. "Besides, they're your own elder brothers. We definitely should take care of them a little. You're doing the right thing."
"I didn't..."
"Ahem!"
He Shiyou coughed twice, cutting He Xiaoya off.
How could he let He Xiaoya ruin such a good opportunity?
"Since my relative has said so, I will humbly accept." He said. "I just don't know what work they'll do."
"Tending the furnaces," Li Yao said. "Very simple, just responsible every day for continuously adding coal to several large furnaces. The pay is 1000 wen a month."
Tending furnaces?
Only 1000 wen a month?
He Shiyou felt his face go numb.
Over the last couple days he had discreetly looked into this - those craftsmen in the workshops made at least 20-30 taels a month!
Even just managing things a little earned 30-50 taels.
If he could make one of his sons the general manager of a workshop, it'd be at least 50 taels to start!
He had thought that with this family connection, he could at least get his sons a managerial position.
Who knew he'd be told to tend furnaces?
That job meant dealing with black coal everyday from dawn to dusk. Coming out, at least half a pound of black ash had to be washed off!
"Relative, are there any other places short on people?"
"Well, there is one other," Li Yao said. "The soap workshop's current general manager is my mother-in-law, but she's getting on in years and unable to handle many matters anymore. I was preparing to let her retire home to peacefully enjoy her remaining years."
Hearing there was an opening for general manager, He Shiyou's eyes lit up.
Wasn't this exactly what he wanted?
Although there was only one opening, it was still better than tending furnaces!
"Then relative, what do you think of letting Xiaoya's eldest brother take that position?"
"That's good," Li Yao said. "What's eldest nephew's name?"
"Oh, his name is He Liang."
"Has he passed the county exams as a scholar?"
Huh?
He Shiyou thought he must have misheard.
It was just a managerial role, why was there a need to pass the county exams?
"My relative doesn't know," Li Yao said, "But the managers of all our family workshops must be educated. Even if the first appointments didn't have education, now they're also studying under my husband at night. In future, the general managers must be scholars."
He Shiyou: ......
"Mother," Here He Xiaoya had already understood Li Yao's intent, and added, "My two elder brothers never went to school."
"Oh, that's a bit difficult then." Li Yao said. "The rules were only set at end of last year, they definitely can't be broken. Relative, how about letting your two worthy nephews tend the furnaces instead?"
He Shiyou: ......
He understood now too.
This whole time his relative had just been leading him around by the nose for fun!
