Understanding this exchange 「……苦労が絶えないな」「なんかその言われ方ヤダ」


What's confusing me in the below exchange is:

  * What he means by 苦労が絶えない in this context
  * The usage of 言われ方. I often see 言い方 but I don't think I've seen 言われ方 before. 

For context, the 妹 is worried about her friends who did badly in the exams
before the summer holidays (and instead of studying to improve, they instead
focus on having fun).

> 「わたしはあの二人が心配で心配で……」
>
> 「まぁ、遊びたい盛りだというのはわかるが」
>
> 「お兄ちゃん、芹夏ちゃんにまで甘くなっちゃうの？」
>
> 「いや、余所様の家の教育にまで口を出しちゃいけないんじゃなかろうか」
>
> 「そうかもしれないけど……芹夏ちゃんのご両親、すごーく放任だし……」
>
> **「……苦労が絶えないな」**
>
> **「なんかその言われ方ヤダ」**




I don't have much context so I have to be liberally speculate, but here is my
guess.

The brother says to the sister (the person worrying) 苦労が絶えないな meaning that
problems keep coming up for the sister. This is a standard phrase to use for
this meaning.

The sister responds saying なんかその言われ方ヤダ. "なんかヤダ" is a set phrase you can use to
express mild annoyance at things, and it's pretty much exclusively used for
humour. なんか signifies you are not saying the thing you are referring is
unreasonable or wrong, it's just that there is something unpleasant about it
but you can't put your finger on it.

言われ方 means "the way something is spoken about", in this case how the brother
speaks about his sister.

Now onto why the sister says that: 苦労が絶えない is usually used for older people
who have more problems (children, money, health that sort of things). So if
you say 苦労が絶えないな to a young person it makes them feel old.

I'm guessing this is what the sister is going for (it's a self-deprecating
humour).

