Chapter 1019: Chapter 1019: Haggling Over Every Ounce_1 Chapter 1019: Chapter 1019: Haggling Over Every Ounce_1 Such heartfelt maternal love left both of them confused once more. They blurted out how Qiao Xiaomai had given them two hundred taels of New Year’s money today to show that they did not lack money.

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Shufen continued to wipe away tears, beginning to recount the hardships at home.

With thirty acres of land and no livestock to speak of, she alone had to manage all the household and farming work.

Qiao Xiaobao was young, and she had always coddled him as her precious treasure. This eleven-year-old boy not only failed to help her but often made matters worse. If it weren’t for her feelings for these two sisters and Qiao Xiaobao, she would have packed up and returned to her parental home to remarry long ago.

Hearing this, the sisters felt a pang of heartache and could not help shedding tears along with her.

For a while, the only sounds in the room were the sobs of the three of them.

It was only after some time that Zhao Shufen spoke up again, asking the sisters for their New Year’s money, citing the tough times at home. She wanted to send Qiao Xiaobao to school and to hire laborers for farming, imploring the sisters to take pity on her.

Zhao Shufen cried bitterly, her usual fierceness gone, replaced by sheer vulnerability. She became an absolute figure of pity.

In such a situation, the sisters, in a daze, immediately agreed. They then walked back to the manor, took out two banknotes, and hurried back to the village to hand them to Zhao Shufen.

With the silver in hand, Zhao Shufen did not turn hostile; her gaze was not short-sighted. She could tell that Qiao Xiaomai was good to the sisters. Naturally, she would want to keep the sisters close so that she could continue to receive silver each year.

Zhao Shufen had planned well. However, once the sisters left the village, the heat in their brains cooled by the cold wind.

They had agreed in the morning that this silver was to be saved strictly for their dowries. How had they become so impulsive to give it all away…

Upon reflecting on Qiao Xiaomai’s words that morning, the two grew fearful.

Zhao Shufen, their own mother,…clearly wasn’t as reliable as Qiao Xiaomai, their cousin. In the future, they could rely on this cousin, not their mother…

Once they fully grasped this truth, the sisters knelt down, begging Qiao Xiaomai for forgiveness.

After hearing the whole story, Qiao Xiaomai raised an eyebrow, “What is there for me to forgive? I gave this time; next time, I won’t. However, the amount of silver I give you each year is fixed. If you choose to supplement our mother’s needs, I won’t make up for that portion.”

See, this is the correct way to ask for money.

The Tong Family really ought to learn from Zhao Shufen.

Coming up to her with disdain while also wanting to ask for money, do they really think she’s stupid?

With this thought, she turned to look at Tong Sanlang standing beside her.

Tong Sanlang understood what she meant, and he felt somewhat helpless. His relatives’ foolishness really wasn’t his responsibility…

He couldn’t possibly go educate his family on the proper way to ask for money.

“Alright, stop kneeling, get up. You learn a lesson by suffering a loss,” he finally spoke to the sisters.

They were honest and hadn’t blindly fallen for the act of maternal love that Zhao Shufen had spun. This indicated there was hope for them yet.

Qiao Changshun, sitting to the side, watched all this unfold. He hesitated before speaking up, “Yesterday, when I was giving out salary bonuses, I gave Dalang twenty taels…”

Since their families were related by marriage, he felt uncomfortable and ended up giving more.

But seeing how Qiao Xiaomai was acting now, something seemed off…

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Qiao Xiaomai instantly turned to face him, “Why did you give it to him?”

“Our families are related by marriage, and he’s a junior. It’s also the New Year…” Qiao Changshun said, rubbing his hands in explanation.

“Then you give me twenty taels of silver, and for the twenty you gave him, you pay out of your own pocket,” Qiao Xiaomai demanded, holding out her hand immediately.

“Well…the affairs in the Capital City must be written about slowly. The events of the New Year are also indispensable. It’s not like I can just skip over them carelessly.”