North Family Letters

The estrangement between the six sisters

That farewell dinner, filled with arguments and silence, ended in an awkward silence. The food on the table had long since gone cold, and the leftovers reflected the weariness in everyone's eyes. No one touched their chopsticks anymore, and the air was filled with a sense of alienation more chilling than the winter wind.

The third sister carefully packed her share of money and valuable belongings into her bag. Though a trace of anger still lingered on her face, she forced a facade of innocence. She glanced at her silent sisters, pursed her lips, and ultimately refrained from offering any words of reassurance. Instead, she picked up her things, stood up, and hurried out the door, as if lingering any longer would engulf her in the oppressive atmosphere of the room.

Fourth Sister and Xiaoman watched her resolute back, their lips moving, a surge of grievance stuck in their throats, ultimately turning into a heavy sigh. They didn't argue further, but the thorn in their hearts had already been deeply embedded, each recollection bringing a bitter and chilling pain. Eldest Sister and Second Sister sat in their original seats, their fingertips gently stroking the hem of their clothes, staring at the empty doorway, their eyes filled with an overwhelming sorrow. Years of family ties had been shattered beyond recognition in this struggle over 100,000 yuan.

Life goes on, and neither sister wanted to completely sever their ties. A few days later, it happened to be market day in their hometown, or perhaps someone's child's birthday, so they inevitably ran into each other again. At first, it was a little awkward, and they kept their heads down, avoiding each other's gaze, afraid of bringing up the dispute from that day and causing new unpleasantness.

Someone spoke first, making a trivial, everyday remark, and the others chimed in, creating a facade of harmony. The third sister would smile and hand over a bunch of homegrown vegetables, her tone seemingly affectionate: "Fourth sister, Xiaoman, take these and eat them. They're all from our own garden." The smile looked sincere, but there was no trace of the usual intimacy in her eyes, only a hint of deliberate perfunctoriness.

Fourth Sister and Xiaoman stiffly accepted the gift, saying thank you, but they would never again hold her hand and chat about everyday matters, or talk about the trivialities of caring for their father, as they used to. They responded with smiles, but the smiles never reached their eyes; they knew in their hearts that the unreserved trust they once had had vanished with that argument.

The eldest and second eldest sisters remained taciturn, merely observing everyone with gentle eyes, occasionally offering a few words of agreement, never mentioning money or the past. They seemed to have let go of everything, yet every time they looked at their sisters, their eyes held a faint detachment, a calm acceptance born of seeing through people's hearts concealing an unspeakable disappointment. They no longer actively sought out each other for heart-to-heart talks, no longer consulted each other on matters as before, and even when sitting together, an invisible distance existed between them.

No one dared to mention their father's savings anymore, no one talked about the past of supporting him. All the unpleasantness was deliberately hidden in their hearts. On the surface, they were all amicable, and they would still get together for meals during holidays and congratulate each other. But everyone knew that some things had long since changed.

In the past, the six sisters would huddle together in one room, chattering incessantly, sharing the joys and sorrows of life, working together without a single grudge. But now, no matter how close they sit, their hearts are far apart. The third sister always feels that she has contributed the most and that it is only right for her to receive this money, never feeling that she has done anything wrong; the fourth sister and Xiaoman still hold a grudge, believing that the third sister exaggerated and monopolized the money, and the grievances in their hearts have never dissipated; the eldest and second sisters have become indifferent to the benefits, but their hearts have also grown cold, and they can no longer find the deep sisterly affection they once had.

This seemingly peaceful reconciliation was nothing more than a thin veil, easily pierced with a gentle touch. Daily greetings were polite but forced, and the atmosphere in their company was tense and reserved. No one wanted to break through this facade, yet none could truly let go. That 100,000 yuan in savings became an insurmountable obstacle in the six sisters' hearts, and the resulting estrangement, like a seed, quietly took root and sprouted within them.

In the days that followed, whenever there was even the slightest matter involving interests in the family, or whenever someone casually mentioned the father's belongings, this seemingly intact relationship would tremble slightly. The resentment, grievances, and sorrow that had been suppressed in their hearts could resurface at any time, putting this already fragile sibling bond to a deeper test.

The rift between the six sisters: greed tears apart family ties.

The superficial harmony lasted for no more than half a month before that thin veil of pretense was finally torn apart by the third sister's insatiable greed.

No one expected that she, who had taken 80,000 of the 100,000 savings, clutched all of her father's gold jewelry and personal valuables, and even his discharge medal and old bankbook, would still not give up.

First, she would cry to everyone she met, saying that she had taken care of their father for many years, worn out her health, and spent all their savings. The little money she had earned was not enough to make up for her sacrifices. Instead, she accused her fourth sister and Xiaoman of being cold-blooded and heartless, stealing their father's hard-earned money from her, and that her eldest and second sisters were indifferent and showed no sisterly affection. These words eventually reached the ears of her younger sisters, and the grievances she had been suppressing instantly turned into anger.

The fourth sister, furious, confronted her. The moment she mentioned the medical insurance reimbursement receipts, the third sister immediately launched into a tantrum, slamming her fist on the table and raising her voice. Her face, brimming with self-righteousness, concealed blatant selfishness: "Medical insurance reimbursement? Can that reimbursement money compensate for the hardship I endured caring for him day and night? For those six months Dad was bedridden, who cleaned him up? Who bathed him and fed him? Was it you? You only show your faces during holidays, buy a couple of pounds of fruit, and that's considered filial piety? And you have the nerve to argue with me about those measly medical expenses!"

She deliberately downplayed the issue, never mentioning that she had exaggerated her expenses and taken the lion's share, instead portraying herself as a wronged and miserable person, shifting all the blame onto her sisters. Xiaoman couldn't help but interject, saying that the remaining 20,000 yuan was already being split among the four sisters, which was already a concession to her. But Xiaoman's expression instantly changed, pointing her finger at Xiaoman and yelling, "Concession to me? That should all be mine! If it weren't for me, Dad would have been abandoned long ago. You only get a little because of me, and you still have the nerve to say I'm greedy?"

What's even more disheartening is that the old house their father left behind wasn't included in the divorce settlement and has remained vacant ever since. The six sisters had agreed to keep it as a memento, to occasionally return and pay their respects to their father. But the third sister secretly contacted a real estate agent to rent out the old house, pocketing all the rent. If the fourth sister hadn't accidentally stumbled upon the agent looking at the house, she would have kept this a complete secret.

After the affair was exposed, she showed no remorse whatsoever. Instead, she argued vehemently, "The house is just sitting empty anyway. I can rent it out to make some money. I've spent so much taking care of Dad, so this is just to make up for my losses. You're not even living here, so why are you stopping me?" She didn't see it as a memento left by her father at all. She only saw it as something that could be exchanged for money. In her eyes and heart, there was only real profit. She had no sibling affection or gratitude for her father whatsoever.

Upon hearing this, the eldest and second eldest sisters were utterly heartbroken. They had initially given up their share to avoid a falling out, but now they realized that their concessions were seen as weakness and vulnerability by their third sister, a guise to push her luck. The third sister showed no gratitude whatsoever; instead, she considered their sacrifice a matter of course, even gossiping privately that the eldest and second eldest sisters were wealthy and didn't care about such a small thing, and shouldn't have competed with her in the first place.

Her selfishness was ingrained in her bones. Throughout caring for her father, she meticulously calculated her returns, putting a price tag on every effort she made, exaggerating the value of even the smallest act of hard work. After receiving the money, she was not satisfied or grateful; instead, she became even more greedy, trying to squeeze every last drop of value out of her father. When questioned by her sisters, she twisted the truth, threw tantrums, and acted shamelessly, packaging her greed as filial piety and taking others' tolerance for granted.

Fourth Sister and Xiaoman couldn't take it anymore and had a huge fight with her, completely shattering their past relationship. Third Sister slammed the door and left, cursing and accusing them of being jealous of her money, saying she would never associate with them again. But then, she took her father's demobilization subsidy slip and went to the community to collect the money, completely forgetting that this subsidy was shared by all six sisters.

The six sisters, who once shared a bed and whispered secrets, and faced everything together, are now completely torn apart. The eldest and second eldest sisters have shut themselves away from home, no longer willing to participate in any family matters. When people mention their sisters, they simply shake their heads, their eyes filled with desolation. The fourth sister and Xiaoman feel nothing but disgust when they mention the third sister. They have deleted her contact information and cut off all ties, even deliberately avoiding meeting her at family celebrations. The third sister, on the other hand, lives a seemingly comfortable life, guarding her father's belongings and property, but she has no one to confide in. Occasionally, when she sees her neighbor sisters helping each other, a hint of bewilderment flashes in her eyes. But her stubbornness ultimately prevents her from admitting her mistakes.

The old house in our hometown was eventually locked up by my third sister, and no one ever stepped inside again. The weeds in the yard grew wildly, covering the roses that the sisters had planted together, and also covering those warm memories. During holidays, the house was no longer as lively as before. The six of us split into three groups, each living our own lives. No matter how loud the firecrackers were, they couldn't warm the coldness in our hearts.

As the children grew older, they would occasionally ask why they rarely saw their other aunts. The sisters would only give vague answers, not daring to let the children's innocence be tainted by the adult entanglements of interests and regrets in their family relationships. Occasionally, they would catch a glimpse of each other on the street and instinctively avoid each other, lacking the courage to greet each other or the confidence to mend their relationship.

That 100,000 yuan, that old house, all the calculated sacrifices and betrayed trust became a knot that the six sisters could never untie in their lives. Countless nights they recalled their childhood, how the family would squeeze into a small house, sharing a single steamed bun, mending each other's clothes, caring for one another when sick, and vowing to be loving sisters for life. But ultimately, they couldn't resist the greed of time and the lure of immediate gain, completely losing their most precious blood ties.

As time flowed by, wrinkles slowly crept onto the corners of their eyes. The joys and sorrows of life continued, but the sibling bond they had shared since childhood remained forever frozen on that evening of their farewell dinner, frozen at the moment their third sister slammed the door and left. It was gone forever. No one was a winner in this conflict; everyone lost. They lost family ties, they lost peace of mind, they lost the warmest support for the rest of their lives, leaving only a heart full of estrangement and regret, lingering with each passing year.