CHAPTER 416: CHAPTER 0397 DIFFERENT TREATMENT FOR THE TWO BROTHERS (1)

Li Yuzhu and Yuanxiu pushed open the half-closed bamboo fence gate and walked into the courtyard.

The family’s situation was not too bad, as the bamboo fence was taller and denser than that of others.

In the courtyard, there were two brick houses, two wooden houses, and one mud-walled house with a chimney on it—this was the kitchen.

From the main room of the big brick house, the sound of yelling came through.

Yuanxiu and Li Yuzhu went over.

Inside the house, Liu Yanbai was kneeling on the ground, a woman sitting on the high-backed chair in front of him, pointing at him while scolding loudly, occasionally banging the rolling pin on the ground to intimidate with the other hand.

Beside the woman sat a chubby dark-skinned youth.

The chubby youth resembled Liu Yanbai very much, looking five or six years older than Liu Yanbo, possibly his brother.

"Liu Yanbai, why didn’t you go to school? The teacher asked us to check on you," Yuanxiu walked over and said loudly.

Liu Yanbai looked up in surprise, but soon, he lowered his head again, looking defeated.

The woman and the chubby youth both turned their eyes toward Li Yuzhu and Yuanxiu.

Li Yuzhu nodded to the woman, "We are from the academy, Aunt. Why didn’t Liu Yanbai go to school? His tuition is waived."

She reached out to pull Liu Yanbai, signaling him to get up.

But he refused to rise, still kneeling, "My mother is punishing me."

Li Yuzhu sighed and let him be.

The woman said blandly, "Oh, Er Dan is going to work, so he’s not going to school anymore. The teacher waived his tuition, but we still need money to buy paper and pens." She looked somewhat lukewarm.

Li Yuzhu said, "The school will cover the cost of paper and pens."

Liu Yanbai suddenly looked up at Li Yuzhu, his face filled with disbelief.

However, the woman still said, "If he goes to school, he can’t work to earn money, and the family must provide clothes for him to wear and food for him to eat. We’re not a wealthy family; we can’t afford to keep an idle person."

Yuanxiu asked, "Has Aunt Liu found a job for him?"

Lady Liu said, "The teacher’s family at the academy is hiring him as an assistant. Since he has found work, why go to school?"

The chubby youth sitting beside quickly interjected, "Mother, didn’t we agree? I’ll go for Er Dan. Er Dan is disabled; how can he do the job well as an assistant?"

"I know, I know, Da An, don’t worry. Sit down and stay silent." Lady Liu shot her eldest son a look.

The chubby youth stayed silent but looked anxious.

Li Yuzhu laughed, "I talked with Liu Yanbai yesterday about hiring him as an assistant at my shop, but first he must learn to read and write before coming, Lady Liu. Can he read and write?" She pointed at the chubby youth.

Lady Liu was taken aback, "Is the shop run by Miss Li?"

Li Yuzhu nodded, "Yes, the shop is mine, and my father doesn’t manage it; everything in the shop is decided by me."

After all this fuss, the real owner of the shop turned out to be the person asking for an assistant who could read and write.

The requirements were a bit high.

The chubby youth was timid, secretly reached out, and tugged at his mother’s sleeve.

Lady Liu pushed away his hand, smiled at Li Yuzhu, and said, "The shop is yours, Miss Li. Well, Miss, I understand you mean well, but why hire someone whose arm can’t do work. Here’s the thing, my eldest son is better than his disabled brother; take him instead. He’s big and strong, capable of doing the work of two people."

"Yes, yes, I am strong," the chubby youth immediately stood up, patting his chest.

Li Yuzhu continued to smile and shook her head, "But I only want Liu Yanbai. I’ve already agreed with him, how can I go back on my word?"

"Miss, he’s not as strong as his brother. You’ll lose out hiring him," Lady Liu said.

Li Yuzhu chuckled and said, "My shop doesn’t require moving things. Even if he can’t walk, it’s fine; I just need someone who is articulate and good with arithmetic. I think he’s quite suitable, and I don’t want to hire anyone else."

Lady Liu was disappointed, and she said, "Alright then, Miss, it’s his fortune that you favor him. But Miss, how much is the salary per month for the job?"

"During the apprenticeship period, it’s eight hundred coins a month, with room and board included. Once skilled, it’s twelve hundred coins a month," Li Yuzhu said.

She based it on the town’s standard.

In Eldest Young Master Chai’s shop, one of the store assistants there had the same salary.

The young assistant went there at twelve years old and worked in Eldest Young Master Chai’s shop for two years.

Lady Liu was tempted, eight hundred coins with room and board was much better than working on the farm.

In the field, scraping to harvest, a person barely earned that much a month, and after paying for food, not much was left. But as an assistant, one could net eight hundred coins.

"Miss, he’s capable of reading now. The teacher says he knows more characters than the other students. Although he writes with his left hand, it’s not bad," Lady Liu smiled and said, "You can take him now."

She originally wanted her second son to give up the task for her eldest son to go. Who would have thought they only wanted the second son?

What kind of vision does this girl have?

Someone healthy wasn’t chosen, but a "waste"?

Oh well, let the second son leave home early, so she doesn’t have to spend money to support a "waste".

Li Yuzhu said, "However, my shop won’t open until next month, and Liu Yanbai hasn’t finished his studies yet. At least let him finish learning arithmetic, then he’ll be a better assistant."

Lady Liu was displeased, "What? You want me to support him for another month?"

Li Yuzhu responded, "He is your son and still a minor. It’s your responsibility to support him!"

"Why should I support a waste?" Lady Liu sneered, "Over thirteen years, he hasn’t earned a single coin for the family! His older brother has chopped wood, but he hasn’t chopped a single stick! He can’t fetch water, chop wood, farm, or gather pigweed—a real waste!"

Li Yuzhu said, "He’s still young, once he learns skills, he will naturally earn money."

"Thirteen is not young! Other kids his age are earning money!" Lady Liu cast a sharp glance at Liu Yanbai, "Waste, at thirteen, you still can’t do anything!"

Li Yuzhu stated, "Lady Liu, he wasn’t like this when he was born, right?"

Lady Liu paused, "Well... I think he wasn’t."

Li Yuzhu coldly said, "He got sick later, which caused his right arm to stop growing. If you resent him, he should hate you back! It’s your lack of care in his infancy that resulted in his illness and fever, damaging his body and stunting his right arm’s growth irreparably. Now, you resent him, which is unreasonable!"

Liu Yanbai suddenly looked up at Li Yuzhu, "Miss Li, is it because of an illness that I’m like this?"

"Yes, your right hand is not entirely disabled, just weak. It happened because your body got infected with a virus during your childhood, and it wasn’t treated timely, allowing the virus to harm the marrow in your arm. Had it been treated promptly, you would have a normal arm," Li Yuzhu explained.

This revelation offered great comfort to Liu Yanbai’s self-abasing heart.

It turned out he was not born a cripple; he was not a natural oddity.

His condition was caused by a post-natal illness!

Liu Yanbai was filled with emotion and grievance, tears rolling down.

"It was also because he wasn’t favored by heaven that he fell sick. How come Da An didn’t fall ill?" Lady Liu wouldn’t listen to words suggesting she caused her second son’s disability.

"Regardless of circumstances, he is your son. How can you be so biased?" Li Yuzhu pronounced coldly.

Lady Liu was impatient, "Miss Li, if you want him to be an assistant, then take him now. My family is poor; we can’t afford to feed him anymore."

She walked into a side room, rummaged around noisily, and shortly came out with a pile of clothes, throwing them onto Liu Yanbai, "Take your clothes to change, earn money, and come back."

Liu Yanbai ignored her, carefully organizing the clothes one by one.

These clothes were oversized, worn out, with some even torn.

Compared to his brother, it was a completely different treatment.

His brother’s clothes, although made from coarse cloth, were clean, neat, and nearly new.

Li Yuzhu and Yuanxiu frowned at this.

Liu Yanbai got up from the ground, bowed to Lady Liu, shouldering his backpack, and holding the clothes, he walked out.

Li Yuzhu and Yuanxiu followed, without saying a word to Lady Liu.

Inside, Lady Liu cursed in anger, "Good riddance. Saves on the family’s food."

The chubby youth anxiously said, "Mother, is Er Dan really leaving? What about my job..."

"They don’t want you, so what can you do?" Lady Liu cursed in frustration.

The chubby youth sighed deeply several times.

Lady Liu patted his shoulder, "It’s alright, don’t be upset. I dare to bet that young girl will regret her choice and eventually will drive that useless Er Dan away. When that time comes, I’ll go and make sure she takes you instead."

The chubby youth finally beamed with a smile, "Mother, don’t forget."

"Don’t worry, at such good work, I won’t let it slip away to others. It will surely be yours," Lady Liu laughed.