Chapter 8: The More, the Better
Su Yongshi was afraid Su He wouldn’t go to the county, so he quickly shot a glance at Old Madam Su. “Mom, what Xiao He said isn’t unreasonable. Poor family or not, you should at least give her a little spending money for the road.”
Old Madam Su glared at him, but in the end, she still went back to the east room and came out with ten yuan, handing it to Su He.
Her heart ached. She had originally planned to save that ten yuan that would’ve gone toward the girl’s medical treatment, but now it was snatched back again.
Can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing the child. First, coax this girl into going on the blind date!
She gritted her teeth. “Damn girl, if the guy likes you, then fine. But if he doesn’t—just wait, I’ll skin you alive!”
Su He flashed her a grin, showing eight pearly white teeth. “Grandma, just wait and see!”
Old Madam Su looked at her and felt stifled, her face dropping as she went back to the east room.
Su Yongshi quickly followed after her.
Old Man Su, however, stayed behind. He tapped his old tobacco pipe, sat in silence for a while, then finally said, “Su He, a man’s character is more important than anything. When you meet him, observe carefully. Don’t just listen to your second uncle.”
Su He was a little surprised. This part wasn’t in the novel. Although Old Man Su was technically the head of the household, he usually existed like a shadow.
Was it because of that chopstick full of eggs?
Whatever the reason, this was well-meaning advice.
She quickly straightened her expression. “Grandpa, I understand.”
Only then did Old Man Su get up, hands behind his back, and walk out to digest dinner.
Zhao Cui’er pulled Su He into the west room and lowered her voice. “Su He, if you don’t want to go, I’ll go talk to your grandma. I really don’t think this marriage is reliable…”
Su He thought to herself, This mom of mine might be a little timid, but she’s not stupid.
In the book, Zhao Cui’er had said the exact same thing, but the original Su He insisted on going, and Zhao Cui’er couldn’t do anything about it.
The original Su He hadn’t wanted to go for the marriage either. She actually wanted to find an opportunity to send a letter to her childhood best friend Luo Xiaoling, to dig up information about that scumbag Qi Yuansheng and Shen Ruyi.
She had indeed sent the letter, and Luo Xiaoling even replied—with ten jin of ration tickets tucked in the envelope.
The original Su He was deeply moved, and from that point on, she kept corresponding with Luo Xiaoling.
What she didn’t know was that Luo Xiaoling had long pledged loyalty to Shen Ruyi, becoming her sharpest knife, slowly luring Su He deeper into the abyss.
Su He smiled. “Mom, I just want to take a walk in the county, clear my head. Besides, we eat wild veggie porridge every day—I’m starving. I can use the money Grandma gave me to buy some food.”
Zhao Cui’er looked relieved, but still worried. “If your grandma finds out…”
Su He said confidently, “Grandma loves me the most. She won’t scold me.”
Zhao Cui’er: Daughter, are you still feverish or what?
Seeing she couldn’t persuade her, Zhao Cui’er gave up, but still carefully reminded Su He to be cautious and not get taken advantage of.
In the book, Zhao Cui’er gave the same advice to the original Su He, but she was too impatient to listen and gave her mother a cold shoulder.
But Su He listened seriously this time. “Mom, I’ve taken it all to heart. Don’t worry.”
Zhao Cui’er was touched. Her daughter seemed much closer to her after that incident at the river.
Just then, the door creaked open and a small head poked in.
“That girl—hey, I finished washing the dishes! Don’t forget what you promised!”
Su Xiaoman finished her announcement and was about to dash off to play with her little buddies, but Su He caught her. “Finish your homework before you go out.”
Su Xiaoman pouted. “Only idiots do homework! The teacher doesn’t even check it. Why bother with that crap?!”
Su He sighed internally. In this era, education wasn’t taken seriously—especially in rural village schools, where kids were basically left to fend for themselves.
“If you don’t want to write it, fine. I was thinking of buying you some milk candy from the county, but I guess there’s no point wasting the money.”
Su Xiaoman’s eyes spun like gears. She darted back inside. “Who said I wasn’t doing it? I love homework the most!”
Zhao Cui’er couldn’t hold back a chuckle. That little girl didn’t listen to anyone—but her big sister knew exactly how to handle her.
Su Xiaoman pulled out her wrinkled books and notebooks from her bag and started writing furiously, her handwriting wild and chaotic.
Su He took a glance—looked more like ghost scribbles than actual characters!
Then Su He asked Su Xiaoman for two sheets of homework paper and wrote a letter to Luo Xiaoling, mainly to sell her sob story while subtly probing for info about Shen Ruyi and Qi Yuansheng.
At the end, she gently hinted: could her “needy” self get a little help? Ration tickets, oil coupons, yuan—the more, the better!
Shen Ruyi wanted to use Luo Xiaoling to trap her?
Heh. Let’s see who ends up catching who.
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Basic Chinese 1970s History Info: In 1970s China, a nationwide coupon system, called liang piao, was used to distribute scarce essential goods, such as food, fuel, cloth, and even large items like bicycles. These government-issued ration tickets were a key part of the planned economy, requiring citizens to use both money and coupons to purchase daily necessities, with specific coupons for different goods like grain or meat.
