Chapter 197: The Great Wisdom of Old Madam Su
When Old Madam Su saw that the crowd had scattered, she “ran” to the front gate with her daughter Su Yufen’s “assistance” to keep chatting.
Zhao Cui’er and Su Yongguo, on the other hand, were the odd ones out in the Su family—they had no interest in showing off at all.
Zhao Cui’er looked at Su He with a heart full of concern. “Su He, you look thinner to me. Don’t overwork yourself! If the job’s too much, just quit a few of them. Don’t wear yourself out.”
Su He felt warmth rise in her chest. “Mom, you must be mistaken. I’ve been eating and sleeping well—I’ve actually gained weight! Don’t worry, I know my limits and won’t overdo it.”
Zhao Cui’er gave a few more reminders before she started cooking.
Su Yongguo tended the fire, Zhao Cui’er handled the cooking, and Su He’s younger aunt Su Yufen also came in to help.
Su He had bought some meat from the supply co-op on her way back, so soon the house was filled with delicious smells.
When the food was ready, Su He went to the gate to call Old Man Su, Old Madam Su, and Su Xiaoman in for the meal.
Old Man and Old Madam Su were still reluctant to leave the attention, but Su Xiaoman darted into the house like a rabbit—no matter how fun bragging was, it couldn’t beat a good meal!
At the table, Old Man Su tried to pour wine for Xiao Li, but Su He stopped him.
“Grandpa, Master Li has to drive. He needs to stay sharp—drinking could cause trouble.”
Then she smiled at Xiao Li and said, “Master Li, I’ll treat you to a proper drink at a restaurant next time you have a day off.”
Drunk driving wasn’t really a concern in this era, so Su He had to phrase it delicately.
Xiao Li smiled and exchanged a few polite words. Even without her explanation, he wouldn’t dare disagree with her!
After the meal, Su He told Zhao Cui’er, “Mom, please pack a few clothes for Xiaoman. I’m taking her to the county to stay for a few days.”
Su Xiaoman’s eyes lit up like lanterns.
She’d thought her sister was just talking big when she mentioned taking her to the county for summer break. She didn’t think it was actually going to happen!
The little girl hugged Su He’s arm tightly, practically glued to her side.
Zhao Cui’er began giving instructions. “When you get to the county, don’t run around, be careful of kidnappers!”
“Listen to your sister and don’t make her mad.”
“Don’t argue with Jinbao. You’re the older one—let him win sometimes.”
“If you see Tiezhu, remember to call him ‘big brother’ and don’t say anything that’ll upset him.”
…
Su Xiaoman let the words go in one ear and out the other. As far as she was concerned, as long as she stayed sweet with her sister, the rest could take a backseat!
Zhao Cui’er also picked a bunch of vegetables from the garden for Su He to take back to the county.
Then their neighbor Old Madam Liu trotted over with a basket of string beans. She took Old Madam Su’s hand and said, “Old sister, I don’t have anything fancy at home, just some beans for you to stew with meat. Old Sister Zhao still needs some time to recover, right?”
Old Madam Su thought, You just want to know how long I’ll be staying in the county, don’t you? You probably wish I’d never come back to the village!
She straightened the corner of her flawless dress. “Probably another two or three months. But taking a car back doesn’t take much time. I’ll come back often to visit. With the means we have now, we can’t just waste them, can we?”
Old Madam Liu was so sour inside, she felt more pickled than a vat of winter cabbage!
When she saw Su Xiaoman holding a little bundle, she said jealously, “Erya, you’re going to the county too? You’ve finally got some time off. Shouldn’t you stay home and help your parents?”
Su Xiaoman tossed the bundle onto her back and snapped, “What’s it to you? My sister wants me to go!”
She glared at Old Madam Liu while she spoke.
So you’ve got a mouth, huh? If you ruin this trip to the county for me, I’ll make your life miserable! I’ll scare your chickens with stones every day so they won’t lay eggs!
Old Madam Su shot Su Xiaoman a glare. “Is that how you talk to Old Madam Liu? This girl—completely spoiled by me! Little sister, don’t take it to heart. She’s just a child.”
Then she added proudly, “Anyway, there’s not much work at home. Our family doesn’t rely on work points to get by. If the kid wants to help out, she can. If not, she can play. What can I say—I spoil the kids. But if you look at our village, my grandkids are the most blessed…”
Old Madam Liu couldn’t take it anymore. “Old sister, it’s getting late. You should head off now!”
Please, just go already! If I listen to any more of this, I’ll turn into a fermented cabbage spirit!
Old Madam Su was secretly delighted. Even though she’d stumbled on her first step back to the village, she’d more than made up for it afterward!
If I could come back every ten days or so, that’d be perfect!
I just love watching Old Madam Liu hate me but not dare to offend me!
Old Madam Su and Su Xiaoman got into the car, Su He took the front passenger seat, rolled down the window, and waved goodbye.
Old Madam Su: …
Granddaughter, why didn’t you tell me earlier the car window could be rolled down?!
If I’d known, I wouldn’t have gotten out—and I wouldn’t have taken that fall either!
Su Xiaoman was wide-eyed with curiosity. She said to Su He, “Sis, wouldn’t it be great if cars like this were like the minibuses—buy a ticket and you can ride one? I bet loads of people would want to!”
Su He laughed. “Maybe someday that’ll really happen.”
Wasn’t that basically what taxis would become in the future?
To be fair, this little girl had a sharp business sense. She might just make a great right-hand woman one day.
After they left Huangxi Village, they stopped by Xu Family Village to pick up Old Madam Zhao.
Even before they arrived, Old Madam Su said, “Su He, I bet your grandma’s already tearing up again. Only I can fix that problem of hers. Give me another two months with her, and that crying habit will be gone for good!”
“When dealing with someone like her, you can’t go soft. Once she knows crying won’t work, she’ll stop.”
Su He thought, She might not be educated, but some of the things she says really are full of wisdom.
Sure enough, when they arrived at the Zhao family home, Old Madam Zhao’s eyes were a little red—but she was already much better than before.
Old Man Zhao handed over a big basket of vegetables and a scoop full of eggs, insisting Su He take them.
Su He felt bad for the old man and, before they left, secretly left behind some money and ration tickets on the kang bed.
By the time Old Man Zhao found them, the car was already far down the road.
Back in the car, Old Madam Su started bragging to Old Madam Zhao about her glorious visit to Huangxi Village, her spittle flying everywhere and hitting Old Mamda Zhao in the face.
Whatever sadness Old Madam Zhao had felt about leaving home had now completely vanished.
As Old Madam Su kept talking, she brought up Su Xiaoman.
She turned to Old Madam Zhao and said, “In-law, Su He took Erya to the county to stay for a few days but didn’t take your Goudan along. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Because if you do, then you’re just being silly!”
“Su Xiaoman’s Su He’s own little sister—same father, same mother!”
“Jinbao and Goudan are more distant. No matter what, it’s not the same!”
“Besides, there’s only so much space at home. Adding another kid would be too much.”
“Su He’s done a lot for your Zhao family. She helped find Goudan, stood up to that nasty Zhang woman, and don’t forget she helped treat your leg. If you’re still thinking about petty things, that’s just being ungrateful!”
Some things Su He couldn’t say herself, so as the grandmother, she had to say them for her.
