TGDS Chapter 82.2

The Good Dad System (Arc 11) Chapter 82.2: A Patriarchal Family (17)

Tang Zhaodi, as always, attentively inquired about her parents’ health. However, this year time was limited, and she had to leave soon. Her mother only said she had some private matters to discuss, leaving her father to entertain guests outside, and pulled her upstairs.

“Zhaodi, you’re so lucky now, living like a wealthy lady!” Tang’s mother was happy for her daughter, touching her hand. Knowing no one was at the door, she lowered her voice, “Look, I told you before that you wanted a son! I’ve heard people say that Songbai from our village, who went to work in another city, didn’t have a son, but had another one there. If you didn’t have Zihao, how could you
establish yourself in the Pei family?”

Tang Zhaodi didn’t speak, her smile fading slightly. She took out a red envelope from her pocket, containing a full two thousand yuan, a considerable sum in those days: “Mom, this is from Naochun and me for you and Dad.” Without expectation, there is no disappointment.

Tang’s mother skillfully collected the red envelope and placed it under the bed. “By the way, why didn’t you give red envelopes to your three nephews?” She was referring to her younger brother’s two daughters and one son. “You might not give red envelopes to others, but Xiaozhi is your eldest nephew, how could you not give one?” She skillfully collected red envelopes for her precious son. As for the one her daughter gave, she could tell the amount just by touching it; it wasn’t small.

“In recent years, my younger brother hasn’t given red envelopes to Xiaoping and Zihao either.” Tang Zhaodi stated the facts. Sometimes she found it amusing that her younger brother, who seemed lazy and uneducated, was very calculating when it came to these things. If she gave each child a hundred, totaling three hundred, her younger brother would surely manage to give each child fifty and return a hundred. In short, he would never lose out; the only ones who would lose out were his three older sisters.

“Well… that’s different. Your younger brother and his family are struggling financially.” Tang’s mother, whose shrewdness wasn’t new, blurted out.

“Is it difficult?” Tang Zhaodi looked around the room, a hint of sarcasm in her eyes. To put it bluntly, her parents were essentially supported by her and her two older sisters. During holidays, the three sisters not only provided money but also gifts, giving several times more than the two elderly people could live comfortably for a year. Furthermore, Tang’s mother was adept at extortion. Her brother’s wedding, her sister-in-law’s pregnancy, her nephew’s one-month celebration, her nephew’s college entrance exam… Basically, as long as she had an excuse, she could start fleecing them. If anyone dared to complain of poverty, she would skillfully launch into a tirade about how she had worked so hard to raise them all these years.

Tang’s mother was furious. She guessed her daughter was haggling over the 15,000 yuan. It was just 15,000 yuan, wasn’t it? Why bother arguing with her own brother? “Your father and I raised you all from infancy, and now you’re all grown up and have your own families. Even a little bit of money between your fingers is enough for your brother and sister-in-law to live on. How can you be so insensible?”

Tang Zhaodi was very good to her two older sisters. She even invited them, who had never left the county, to S City for a trip. The three of them had a good cry, sharing their grievances from the past few years and coming to a better understanding of many things. And so, she became the unfilial daughter in her mother’s eyes.

“Mom, if your sister-in-law’s family asked her to send money back home every few days, would you be willing?”

“She wouldn’t dare!” Tang’s mother glared at her, almost slamming her fist on the table.

“Have you ever thought about whether my sisters and I would be embarrassed every time we brought money home?” Her mother-in-law and husband didn’t blame her; instead, they often comforted her. They said she had contributed to the family, running the factory and managing her own salary, which was normal and she shouldn’t feel guilty. Of course, they also advised her to think more about herself and not to be foolish like before. But her two older sisters’ sons were almost in college, and with expenses increasing, her parents still wouldn’t stop, insisting on draining their savings.

“How can that be the same?” Tang’s mother stammered. “Besides, I’ve worked so hard to raise you all; isn’t it normal for you to give back to the family?”

“How can that be the same? Didn’t my sister-in-law’s parents raise her? Shouldn’t she give back?” Tang Zhaodi sighed. “Mom, have you ever thought about us? Yes, you and Dad raised me and my sisters; we should give back.”

Tang’s mother straightened her back, full of energy.

“But we should repay you, not our brother. We are your flesh and blood, not picked up from outside.”

Tang’s mother was extremely embarrassed. She turned her head away from her daughter: “Why are you saying all this? It’s annoying!”

“Mom, I have to go. I’m going back to S City after I finish these few days of work. I just wanted to come and see you, that’s all.” She paused. “In the future, we will still give you a red envelope every year, and if you are sick and need someone to take care of you, we will still come. This is the duty of children. There’s so much more I can’t do. My brother is my brother, and I am me. I have to take care of my own little family.”

Tang’s mother trembled with anger: “What little family? Your brother is your support! What if you are unwanted in the future? You’ll still have to rely on him! Besides, your brother is…”

“But he’s the only son in our family, our treasure. Is that what you’re going to say?” Tang Zhaodi chuckled. “Mom, there are so many families with only daughters in this world, and they’re doing just fine. You don’t necessarily need a son to make a living. For you, our brother is the most important, but some people also place me in an important position.”

She had a husband who always respected and encouraged her, a mother-in-law who cared for her, and children who loved her deeply. She still felt regretful for not receiving recognition from her parents, but life is never all about that.

“Mom, I’m leaving. Call me if anything happens.” Tang Zhaodi had already reached the door and didn’t intend to listen to her mother’s attempts to stop her. Even if she were stopped, she wouldn’t stay. “Mom, in your heart, your daughter is just a weed, but in other people’s hearts, a daughter can be a treasure.” Without looking back, she went straight downstairs, and the door closed, separating two worlds.

“Are you leaving?” Pei Naochun saw his wife come downstairs, picked up the child, and waited for her to nod before saying goodbye to the family and preparing to leave. The family of four reunited and walked away, gradually disappearing into the distance.

Tang Zhaodi quietly followed beside him. At Pei Zihao’s age, he was like a walking encyclopedia of questions, the kind who could squat down and ponder over a clod of dirt for a thousand years.

“Mom, here’s a red envelope for you, Grandpa gave it to you.” Pei Xiaoping came over and stuffed two red envelopes into her mother’s hands. The designs on them were slightly different; one said “Great Fortune and Prosperity,” and the other said “Wishing you wealth and prosperity.” “The ‘Great Fortune and Prosperity’ one is mine, and the ‘Wishing you wealth and prosperity’ one is for my little brother.” She could read and immediately said it. She was following a habit she had developed when she still lived in Pei Family Village—giving the red envelopes to her mother to keep until she grew up.

Taking advantage of their distraction, Tang Zhaodi casually opened the package and immediately saw the money inside. Her daughter’s bag contained fifty yuan, and her son’s bag contained a hundred yuan. She quickly took a hundred yuan note from her pocket, put it in, and stuffed the fifty yuan note back into her pocket. Then she gave it back to her daughter: “I won’t keep it for you this year. When we get home, you can put it back in your piggy banks yourselves.” She put her hands in her pockets and quietly looked ahead.

What she wasn’t used to wasn’t the rugged path, but the self-righteous yet incomprehensible ideas that permeated the entire Tang family.

In the past, she thought it was all right, and she felt right at home, complacent and self-satisfied. Now, after realizing that everything was wrong, she was also struggling in great pain.

“Dad, what are we having for dinner?” Pei Xiaoping suddenly asked, her eyes full of longing.

“Dad doesn’t know either, but it will definitely be delicious.”

Tang Zhaodi was very happy. Her daughter had finally gained the recognition and equality that she had always been unable to obtain, and she told herself that she had to continue to persevere and not be bound or controlled by her past ideas.

…

As night fell, the ancestral home was brightly lit, with large red lanterns hanging in front of the door. A tent had been erected in the courtyard, with six round tables in the center, red plastic stools beside them, and a giant heater whirring warm air, making the tent feel like spring.

“You’ve really gone to all this trouble for us today, Naochun,” Uncle Pei said slowly, his face beaming with a bright smile as he praised Pei Naochun. A while ago, they had arranged for a restaurant in the county town that specialized in banquets, and they had even booked the menu. The restaurant would come on the designated day, set up the tent, cook, and provide a complete service—even washing the dishes after the meal.

This was different from traditional customs—but ultimately, it was because money was scarce back then, and everyone preferred to do things themselves to cut costs. Besides, it allowed them to show off in the village; older people love to boast.

“No way! Everyone’s worked so hard during the New Year, let’s sit down and have a good meal together.” Pei Naochun smiled just as warmly.

Soon, almost everyone had arrived. Many children who had been playing with toys outside were called in by their parents, looking around curiously at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings.

The eldest cousin was in charge of the event, directing: “It’s agreed today that the women won’t be helping in the kitchen. They’ll sit at a separate table, yes, children at one table, women at another…”

“Let my mother and Zhao Di sit at the main table,” Pei Naochun said, a seemingly casual remark that had a startling effect.

“Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” The eldest cousin looked at his father with some confusion. This custom in the village had been maintained for at least several decades.

Outsiders might think it was just a matter of men and women sitting separately, but only those who were actually there understood that the village insisted on women not sitting at the table.