Chapter 3: The Family
June 19
Show less
After a brief hesitation, his mother nodded, "Alright. Your second sister recently had surgery and could use the nourishment."
The statement wasn't actually incorrect. Su He was aware that his second sister, Su Rong, required additional care following her recent hospital stay. Yet, he couldn't dispel an uneasy feeling that lingered within him. This sensation wasn't his own, but rather belonged to the original occupant of his current body. The issue stemmed from the favoritism within the Su family, where their mother showed a clear preference for her daughters.
This favoritism might have something to do with the overall situation in the Su family, which placed a high value on male descendants. This particular Su family was not Su He's immediate family, but his paternal grandparents'. They held strongly patriarchal views. Oddly enough, Su He's father, Su Zhaohua, didn't receive favor from his grandparents either.
Conversely, Su He's maternal grandparents, while not openly biased, also subtly favored male children. Perhaps due to the unfair treatment she experienced, after her marriage, Ye Chuanxiu, Su He's mother, chose to lavish extra affection on her three daughters. Consequently, in the Su family, the three sisters received more attention and love, and their father, Su Zhaohua, also deeply cherished his daughters.
In modern times, this wasn't rare. However, in the 1970s, it was quite odd. Shaking his head, Su He decided not to focus on these issues. With all he'd learned and been through in his new life, he didn't care about getting more attention anymore.
Just as he was about to clean the fish, barking filled the air. Someone was coming! A black mixed-breed dog, Heizi, ran out of the house and circled Su He a few times.
"Heizi! Let's clean the fish together. You can have all the insides!"
This dog, named Heizi, was just a mutt, but it was formidable at guarding the house. Due to the Su family's poverty, Heizi often didn't get enough to eat and resorted to catching rats around the house. People often say, "A dog meddling in the rat's business!" but in the Su family, it was a necessity. If Heizi didn't catch rats, he would starve to death. This way, at least the clothes and grains in the house were safe from being eaten by rats.
Carrying Xiao Nanhua, Su He went to the well to clean the fish, accompanied by Heizi and Heixing. Nearby was his maternal grandfather's house. Since Su Zhaohua wasn't favored in the Su family, after the birth of his second daughter, he was forced to separate from the main family. During the split, they didn't receive any utensils or pots, only about twenty catties of grain.
At that time, Su Zhaohua, Ye Chuanxiu, and their two daughters had nowhere to live. In desperation, they returned to Nanzhu Village and had been living there ever since. His grandparents had a well that had been passed down for many years, with water that was warm in winter and cool in summer.
Heixing wandered off to eat leaves from a nearby poplar tree, still not completely full. Su He, with Heizi following, arrived at the well, naturally trailed by Xiao Nanhua. Su He knew that until the fish was cooked, this little tagalong wouldn't leave his side.
Upon arrival, they saw Grandma Sun Meixiang washing something.
"Grandma, let me fetch some water for you!"
As he spoke, Su He stepped forward, took the bucket from his grandmother's hand, and began to draw water. Sun Meixiang paused briefly before agreeing, "Alright!"
Su He put the fish down and started drawing water. However, he couldn't shake off the feeling that his grandmother was looking at him strangely. After filling the bucket, he set it down and asked, "Grandma, is there something on me today?"
Why was she looking at him so strangely?
He looked down at his clothes. They were the same patched clothes he always wore.
Sun Meixiang waved her hand dismissively, not speaking, and lowered her head to continue her washing. Perhaps because Ye Chuanxiu favored her daughters, Sun Meixiang doted on Su He even more. Yet, today's situation felt off.
Su He didn't press further. If his grandmother didn't want to say, he wouldn't ask. Still, he felt something was amiss, but couldn't pinpoint when it started.
Returning home to fetch a knife and plate, Su He skillfully cleaned the fish. Rural children, especially boys, often lacked snacks and would forage for food in the mountains and rivers. Cleaning fish was not a difficult task for him. Besides, in his previous life, Su He was a foodie who had learned quite a bit of culinary skills. His knife skills, for instance, were exceptional.
Quickly cleaning the fish and removing the guts, he set them aside, "Heizi, these are for you!"
Sun Meixiang, seeing this harmonious scene, laughed, "You are the only one who likes does it like this. Otherwise, Heizi might not have survived!"
With the family struggling to feed themselves, how could they possibly keep a dog well-fed? Heizi survived by frequently catching mice. This urgency reminded Su He to check out the mysterious warehouse he had seen earlier. Having experienced reincarnation, he was no longer surprised by other fantastical events. Nonetheless, he methodically cleaned the fish.
{Damn, it feels like the whole family are either going to sell him or send him away to mine a mountain.}
Su He chuckled, "They treat me very well too!"
After tidying up the fish, Su He said to his grandmother, "I'll go cook the fish now and bring a bowl over for you and grandpa later."
Sun Meixiang nodded, not refusing, knowing that Su He would insist. The child's heartfelt gesture warmed her heart, though a hint of gloom remained.
She pondered, "Should I mention what I accidentally overheard? If I do, life for Chuanxiu's family might become unbearable. But if I don't, it would be unfair to Su He. Why should only one child suffer out of so many?"
After much hesitation, Sun Meixiang decided to keep silent.
Su He, carrying Xiao Nanhua, returned to the kitchen. Household chores were second nature to the siblings, except for the second sister, Su Rong. Su Rong, having a bit of a privileged attitude, focused solely on her studies with the aim of leaving the countryside. With the support of her mother, Ye Chuanxiu, Su Rong never did housework, considering it a waste of her time. This attitude also affected their fifth brother, Su Yucheng.
Previously, Su He had a strong opinion about Su Rong and Su Yucheng not contributing to household chores. "Why should everyone do chores except the two of you?", but just opinions, buried deep within.
Perhaps as the youngest son, Su Yucheng was pampered by their parents, so it didn't matter if he did housework or not.
Shaking his head, Su He mused, "This family can be quite the headache!"
{Getting a little confused! This family favors daughter but now it says that the youngest son which is fifth in line is favored means that the sixth daughter is not favored as much??}
Deciding not to dwell on it, Su He cut the fish, boiled water, and started cooking. Without oil, boiling fish soup was the only option.
Su Rong (2nd Sister), Su Zhaohua (MC father), Heixing, Heizi (Dog), Sun Meixiang (Mother’s father), Su Yucheng (5th brother).
Chapter 3: The Family
June 19
Show less
After a brief hesitation, his mother nodded, "Alright. Your second sister recently had surgery and could use the nourishment."
The statement wasn't actually incorrect. Su He was aware that his second sister, Su Rong, required additional care following her recent hospital stay. Yet, he couldn't dispel an uneasy feeling that lingered within him. This sensation wasn't his own, but rather belonged to the original occupant of his current body. The issue stemmed from the favoritism within the Su family, where their mother showed a clear preference for her daughters.
This favoritism might have something to do with the overall situation in the Su family, which placed a high value on male descendants. This particular Su family was not Su He's immediate family, but his paternal grandparents'. They held strongly patriarchal views. Oddly enough, Su He's father, Su Zhaohua, didn't receive favor from his grandparents either.
Conversely, Su He's maternal grandparents, while not openly biased, also subtly favored male children. Perhaps due to the unfair treatment she experienced, after her marriage, Ye Chuanxiu, Su He's mother, chose to lavish extra affection on her three daughters. Consequently, in the Su family, the three sisters received more attention and love, and their father, Su Zhaohua, also deeply cherished his daughters.
In modern times, this wasn't rare. However, in the 1970s, it was quite odd. Shaking his head, Su He decided not to focus on these issues. With all he'd learned and been through in his new life, he didn't care about getting more attention anymore.
Just as he was about to clean the fish, barking filled the air. Someone was coming! A black mixed-breed dog, Heizi, ran out of the house and circled Su He a few times.
"Heizi! Let's clean the fish together. You can have all the insides!"
This dog, named Heizi, was just a mutt, but it was formidable at guarding the house. Due to the Su family's poverty, Heizi often didn't get enough to eat and resorted to catching rats around the house. People often say, "A dog meddling in the rat's business!" but in the Su family, it was a necessity. If Heizi didn't catch rats, he would starve to death. This way, at least the clothes and grains in the house were safe from being eaten by rats.
Carrying Xiao Nanhua, Su He went to the well to clean the fish, accompanied by Heizi and Heixing. Nearby was his maternal grandfather's house. Since Su Zhaohua wasn't favored in the Su family, after the birth of his second daughter, he was forced to separate from the main family. During the split, they didn't receive any utensils or pots, only about twenty catties of grain.
At that time, Su Zhaohua, Ye Chuanxiu, and their two daughters had nowhere to live. In desperation, they returned to Nanzhu Village and had been living there ever since. His grandparents had a well that had been passed down for many years, with water that was warm in winter and cool in summer.
Heixing wandered off to eat leaves from a nearby poplar tree, still not completely full. Su He, with Heizi following, arrived at the well, naturally trailed by Xiao Nanhua. Su He knew that until the fish was cooked, this little tagalong wouldn't leave his side.
Upon arrival, they saw Grandma Sun Meixiang washing something.
"Grandma, let me fetch some water for you!"
As he spoke, Su He stepped forward, took the bucket from his grandmother's hand, and began to draw water. Sun Meixiang paused briefly before agreeing, "Alright!"
Su He put the fish down and started drawing water. However, he couldn't shake off the feeling that his grandmother was looking at him strangely. After filling the bucket, he set it down and asked, "Grandma, is there something on me today?"
Why was she looking at him so strangely?
He looked down at his clothes. They were the same patched clothes he always wore.
Sun Meixiang waved her hand dismissively, not speaking, and lowered her head to continue her washing. Perhaps because Ye Chuanxiu favored her daughters, Sun Meixiang doted on Su He even more. Yet, today's situation felt off.
Su He didn't press further. If his grandmother didn't want to say, he wouldn't ask. Still, he felt something was amiss, but couldn't pinpoint when it started.
Returning home to fetch a knife and plate, Su He skillfully cleaned the fish. Rural children, especially boys, often lacked snacks and would forage for food in the mountains and rivers. Cleaning fish was not a difficult task for him. Besides, in his previous life, Su He was a foodie who had learned quite a bit of culinary skills. His knife skills, for instance, were exceptional.
Quickly cleaning the fish and removing the guts, he set them aside, "Heizi, these are for you!"
Sun Meixiang, seeing this harmonious scene, laughed, "You are the only one who likes does it like this. Otherwise, Heizi might not have survived!"
With the family struggling to feed themselves, how could they possibly keep a dog well-fed? Heizi survived by frequently catching mice. This urgency reminded Su He to check out the mysterious warehouse he had seen earlier. Having experienced reincarnation, he was no longer surprised by other fantastical events. Nonetheless, he methodically cleaned the fish.
{Damn, it feels like the whole family are either going to sell him or send him away to mine a mountain.}
Su He chuckled, "They treat me very well too!"
After tidying up the fish, Su He said to his grandmother, "I'll go cook the fish now and bring a bowl over for you and grandpa later."
Sun Meixiang nodded, not refusing, knowing that Su He would insist. The child's heartfelt gesture warmed her heart, though a hint of gloom remained.
She pondered, "Should I mention what I accidentally overheard? If I do, life for Chuanxiu's family might become unbearable. But if I don't, it would be unfair to Su He. Why should only one child suffer out of so many?"
After much hesitation, Sun Meixiang decided to keep silent.
Su He, carrying Xiao Nanhua, returned to the kitchen. Household chores were second nature to the siblings, except for the second sister, Su Rong. Su Rong, having a bit of a privileged attitude, focused solely on her studies with the aim of leaving the countryside. With the support of her mother, Ye Chuanxiu, Su Rong never did housework, considering it a waste of her time. This attitude also affected their fifth brother, Su Yucheng.
Previously, Su He had a strong opinion about Su Rong and Su Yucheng not contributing to household chores. "Why should everyone do chores except the two of you?", but just opinions, buried deep within.
Perhaps as the youngest son, Su Yucheng was pampered by their parents, so it didn't matter if he did housework or not.
Shaking his head, Su He mused, "This family can be quite the headache!"
{Getting a little confused! This family favors daughter but now it says that the youngest son which is fifth in line is favored means that the sixth daughter is not favored as much??}
Deciding not to dwell on it, Su He cut the fish, boiled water, and started cooking. Without oil, boiling fish soup was the only option.
Su Rong (2nd Sister), Su Zhaohua (MC father), Heixing, Heizi (Dog), Sun Meixiang (Mother’s father), Su Yucheng (5th brother).
