Chapter 6: Farce
5 days ago
Su He turned around to see Su Yucheng yelling, “All the meat is gone! What am I supposed to eat?” A porcelain bowl lay smashed on the floor.
Su Hu and another colleague stood awkwardly, holding chopsticks. Seeing the situation, Su Hu quickly said, “Sister-in-law, I’ve finished eating. I’ll head back to the forest now!” The other colleague did the same and hurried away.
Ye Chuanxiu walked up to Su Yucheng and smacked him several times on the butt.
Su He could tell that she wasn’t hitting him very hard. Usually, Ye Chuanxiu wouldn’t hit Su Yucheng since he was the youngest son. But today, with Su Zhaohua injured and needing to go to the hospital to prevent infection, and other incidents happening, she was already on edge. Now, seeing Su Yucheng chase away the guests, she couldn't tolerate it anymore.
However, even in her anger, Ye Chuanxiu didn’t hit Su Yucheng with much force, just a few light smacks. But Su Yucheng wouldn’t have it. He threw himself on the floor, rolling around in a tantrum. Su He frowned, realizing this had happened many times before. Usually, it ended with Ye Chuanxiu giving Su Yucheng some candy.
As usual, his eldest sister Su Mei tried to coax Su Yucheng, but he refused to get up without candy or fish. Meanwhile, Su Rong was in the room, enjoying her food. From his angle, Su He could see Su Rong leisurely eating fish with rice soup.
Xiao Nanhua stood at the door, looking frightened.
Ye Chuanxiu’s love was mostly given to her three older daughters and the youngest son, leaving Xiao Nanhua with little affection. Su He sighed, walked over, and picked up Xiao Nanhua, carrying her to the kitchen. “Xiao Nanhua, you eat first,” he said. Since she hadn’t finished her fish soup earlier, Su He scooped some rice into it, making fish soup with rice for her. But Xiao Nanhua offered, “Brother, I’ll share half with you. You haven’t eaten yet!”
{Little bulb of light in this dark land.}
Su He felt a warm sensation in his heart and waved her off. “It’s okay. I’ll just have rice with hot water.” He remembered eating this as a child, though it tasted awful.
At that moment, Su He heard Su Rong loudly complaining, “He spilled the fish soup. What does that have to do with me? Mom, you can’t be this biased! I didn’t even have enough fish soup!”
Su He rolled his eyes, feeling at a loss for words.
His eldest sister had a soft temperament, like a traditional lady, likely due to being scared by their grandparents. The second sister was somewhat better but selfish, disdainful of others despite her education. The third sister quietly took care of herself, secretly taking food during meals to eat alone. As for his fifth brother, he was just a spoiled child. In those times, even eggs were a luxury, yet he was there spilling fish soup!
If it were Su He, he would have given a big slap!
Su Zhaohua’s scolding finally ended the argument. This family, truly, was hard to describe. Poor and disunited, it was no wonder they were kicked out by their grandparents. Their parents’ inability to be fair was their biggest issue.
After a while, Ye Chuanxiu came into the kitchen, seeing Su He with a bowl of rice in hot water but said nothing. She took out some hidden stashes, quickly frying an egg and some vegetables, and served them outside, not letting Su He and Xiao Nanhua have any. It was clear she promised Su Yucheng an egg to appease him.
If it were up to Su He, he’d let him cry. Indulging him would only spoil him further. But what could he do if his mother acted this way? He didn’t want to comment much for now since he still wasn’t fully familiar with the family.
“Xiao Nanhua, there are some vegetables in the pot!” she called out, making Su He pause.
Checking, he realized they were left for them. At least his mother didn’t completely neglect him. He felt some relief, knowing she wasn’t entirely against him, though her affection for him was less than for his siblings.
After eating, Su He washed their bowls and put Xiao Nanhua down for a nap, then returned to his room. His room had two beds: a regular one for Su Yucheng and a smaller bamboo bed for him. Why it was that way, Su He chose not to comment.
After a short rest, Su Yucheng came in, slamming the door loudly. Su He frowned, “Can’t you be gentler?”
Su Yucheng snapped back, “It’s none of your business!”
Su He’s anger flared, nearly making him hit Su Yucheng. Instead, he decided to leave the house.
Only three hours had passed since his arrival, and he was already exhausted. Needing some peace, he headed to the back hill, where he had built a small treehouse. Climbing up, he found solace in his private space.
He took out some hidden coins he had saved from hunting and fishing, totaling three yuan and fifty-seven yuan. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Among his belongings were a homemade slingshot with strong elastic made from Water buffalo tendon, and a fishing rod made from bamboo and nylon. Checking his skills with the slingshot, he found he was still good.
“This might be a useful skill for earning money if the warehouse doesn’t come through,” he thought, setting it down.
He picked up the fishing rod, planning to go fishing when he had the time.
Sitting on the tree trunk, he contemplated how to access the warehouse in his mind. “Should I just think about it?”
Chapter 6: Farce
5 days ago
Su He turned around to see Su Yucheng yelling, “All the meat is gone! What am I supposed to eat?” A porcelain bowl lay smashed on the floor.
Su Hu and another colleague stood awkwardly, holding chopsticks. Seeing the situation, Su Hu quickly said, “Sister-in-law, I’ve finished eating. I’ll head back to the forest now!” The other colleague did the same and hurried away.
Ye Chuanxiu walked up to Su Yucheng and smacked him several times on the butt.
Su He could tell that she wasn’t hitting him very hard. Usually, Ye Chuanxiu wouldn’t hit Su Yucheng since he was the youngest son. But today, with Su Zhaohua injured and needing to go to the hospital to prevent infection, and other incidents happening, she was already on edge. Now, seeing Su Yucheng chase away the guests, she couldn't tolerate it anymore.
However, even in her anger, Ye Chuanxiu didn’t hit Su Yucheng with much force, just a few light smacks. But Su Yucheng wouldn’t have it. He threw himself on the floor, rolling around in a tantrum. Su He frowned, realizing this had happened many times before. Usually, it ended with Ye Chuanxiu giving Su Yucheng some candy.
As usual, his eldest sister Su Mei tried to coax Su Yucheng, but he refused to get up without candy or fish. Meanwhile, Su Rong was in the room, enjoying her food. From his angle, Su He could see Su Rong leisurely eating fish with rice soup.
Xiao Nanhua stood at the door, looking frightened.
Ye Chuanxiu’s love was mostly given to her three older daughters and the youngest son, leaving Xiao Nanhua with little affection. Su He sighed, walked over, and picked up Xiao Nanhua, carrying her to the kitchen. “Xiao Nanhua, you eat first,” he said. Since she hadn’t finished her fish soup earlier, Su He scooped some rice into it, making fish soup with rice for her. But Xiao Nanhua offered, “Brother, I’ll share half with you. You haven’t eaten yet!”
{Little bulb of light in this dark land.}
Su He felt a warm sensation in his heart and waved her off. “It’s okay. I’ll just have rice with hot water.” He remembered eating this as a child, though it tasted awful.
At that moment, Su He heard Su Rong loudly complaining, “He spilled the fish soup. What does that have to do with me? Mom, you can’t be this biased! I didn’t even have enough fish soup!”
Su He rolled his eyes, feeling at a loss for words.
His eldest sister had a soft temperament, like a traditional lady, likely due to being scared by their grandparents. The second sister was somewhat better but selfish, disdainful of others despite her education. The third sister quietly took care of herself, secretly taking food during meals to eat alone. As for his fifth brother, he was just a spoiled child. In those times, even eggs were a luxury, yet he was there spilling fish soup!
If it were Su He, he would have given a big slap!
Su Zhaohua’s scolding finally ended the argument. This family, truly, was hard to describe. Poor and disunited, it was no wonder they were kicked out by their grandparents. Their parents’ inability to be fair was their biggest issue.
After a while, Ye Chuanxiu came into the kitchen, seeing Su He with a bowl of rice in hot water but said nothing. She took out some hidden stashes, quickly frying an egg and some vegetables, and served them outside, not letting Su He and Xiao Nanhua have any. It was clear she promised Su Yucheng an egg to appease him.
If it were up to Su He, he’d let him cry. Indulging him would only spoil him further. But what could he do if his mother acted this way? He didn’t want to comment much for now since he still wasn’t fully familiar with the family.
“Xiao Nanhua, there are some vegetables in the pot!” she called out, making Su He pause.
Checking, he realized they were left for them. At least his mother didn’t completely neglect him. He felt some relief, knowing she wasn’t entirely against him, though her affection for him was less than for his siblings.
After eating, Su He washed their bowls and put Xiao Nanhua down for a nap, then returned to his room. His room had two beds: a regular one for Su Yucheng and a smaller bamboo bed for him. Why it was that way, Su He chose not to comment.
After a short rest, Su Yucheng came in, slamming the door loudly. Su He frowned, “Can’t you be gentler?”
Su Yucheng snapped back, “It’s none of your business!”
Su He’s anger flared, nearly making him hit Su Yucheng. Instead, he decided to leave the house.
Only three hours had passed since his arrival, and he was already exhausted. Needing some peace, he headed to the back hill, where he had built a small treehouse. Climbing up, he found solace in his private space.
He took out some hidden coins he had saved from hunting and fishing, totaling three yuan and fifty-seven yuan. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Among his belongings were a homemade slingshot with strong elastic made from Water buffalo tendon, and a fishing rod made from bamboo and nylon. Checking his skills with the slingshot, he found he was still good.
“This might be a useful skill for earning money if the warehouse doesn’t come through,” he thought, setting it down.
He picked up the fishing rod, planning to go fishing when he had the time.
Sitting on the tree trunk, he contemplated how to access the warehouse in his mind. “Should I just think about it?”
