Chapter 14 Full Moon, Exile
The Su family was once again in turmoil because of the fish that appeared out of nowhere.
The instigator, Tianbao, escaped from the noise by sleeping and ran to a quiet space.
This time she walked along the trickling stream.
The stream meanders and flows down along the terrain. From a distance, it looks like a natural ribbon. At every turn, there is a small pool of water with clear water and clean river sand and pebbles on the bottom.
Under the shimmering waves and in the mottled water shadows, schools of fish of various appearances and colors swim leisurely.
The big ones are as big as an adult's arm, and the small ones are as thin as a child's finger.
Tianbao didn’t know what kind of fish these were, he just knew they should be edible.
The fish she had just taken out, her father immediately took a basin of water to collect it after he came to his senses, which meant that she could continue to drink the fish soup.
Tianbao's small figure stood by the stream, tilting his head and looking at the happy fish in the water.
She has a lot of fish.
If I give all this to my mother, can she recover her health?
Winter represents withering and means rest and recuperation.
At this time of year, everything is desolate and quiet.
Dahuai Village was shrouded in ice and snow, and was particularly deserted.
But this year, the Su family at the end of the village became an exception.
As the poorest family in the village, the family has been so joyful recently that it seems like every day is New Year's Day. The laughter coming from the Su family's courtyard can be heard from far away.
There were also curious villagers who found excuses to come to the house and try to find out something, but they found out nothing.
The only gossip we got was that the Su family sent two fish to Doctor Shi in the village and the Chen family in the neighboring village.
At first glance, the Su family is still the same Su family, with a dilapidated small courtyard and simple household items. The Su family members are still dressed in coarse cloth as in previous years.
If you have to find a difference, it is probably that the Su family's spirit and energy are completely different.
From the old to the young, everyone in the Su family always has a smile on their face, clear eyes, and looks very energetic.
There is a kind of vitality emanating from the inside out.
Like a seed dropped into rotten soil, it is ready to sprout and break through the rotten soil and grow green shoots as soon as spring comes.
This kind of vigor and vitality is envied and jealous in the eyes of those who have lived in darkness for a long time and have their spines broken by reality.
The Su family is well versed in the art of keeping a low profile. They live their own lives behind closed doors, without revealing anything and without leaking a single word to the outside world.
Even the three youngsters of the Su family kept their mouths shut, and others couldn't get anything useful out of them.
Grandma said that anyone who talks nonsense will have no fish to eat in the future.
In order to get a bite of fish, the little guys closed their mouths tighter than clam shells.
Time passed quickly, and in December, the winter solstice, heavy snow began to fall from the sky again.
Sweet baby is one month old.
In a month, because there was enough food, the baby grew rapidly.
She is round and smooth, fair and tender, with delicate features on her small face, picturesque eyebrows and eyebrows, and a pair of big black eyes that are clear and expressive.
The Su family courtyard was as lively as New Year's Day.
Early in the morning, Old Lady Su boiled some hot water, placed a wooden basin filled with water next to the brazier, washed her granddaughter clean, and changed her into the small jacket specially sewn for her.
The cover of the jacket was made from the inner garments worn by the three older brothers. It was a dark blue cloth that had been washed until it was white, and it was clean and soft.
The middle layer of cotton is new. Su Da went to the town specifically to buy new cotton and stuffed a thick layer into the middle layer of the cover cloth, which is enough to keep warm.
The white and fragrant baby was freshly baked and was held in the grandmother's arms for everyone to see.
"Grandma, my sister is so white! How can she be so white? She's as white as frozen fat pork!"
"Yes, she's white and plump! When my sister was taking a shower just now, her hands and legs were covered with folds of flesh! I counted them, and there are three folds on her legs!"
"And her feet! I just poked my sister's feet, and she actually grabbed my hand! Her toes are just like fingers! That's amazing!"
The three kids gathered around grandma, jumping and shouting, and talking enthusiastically. They looked at their sister as curiously as if she were a monkey.
The adults listened to the children's innocent talk and laughed so hard that they bent over.
Tianbao had no expression on his face.
This was the first time in her two lifetimes that she was watched while taking a bath.
Everyone in the family saw her naked appearance.
She was so embarrassed and ashamed that she scratched people with her toes.
Tianbao's face was gloomy, and his eyes fell on his own little feet. His feet, wrapped in the little tiger shoes, curled up twice again.
…It seems like her toes can really grab people.
...It's quite fun.
Mrs. Su held her little granddaughter contentedly, unwilling to let go. "Today is Tianbao's full moon. We should have held a full moon banquet and invited relatives and neighbors over for a feast, making it a lively occasion. But our situation is not suitable for making a big fuss. I thought we should just celebrate at home to avoid unnecessary complications. What do you think?"
Su Da and Liu Yuelan had no objection, "We'll listen to mom."
Su Er and He Daxiang had even less objections. Their family had always been the poorest in the eyes of the villagers. The extravagant food and drink they had enjoyed over the past month had already attracted a lot of prying eyes. If they were to hold a full-moon banquet with great fanfare, it would arouse even more suspicion.
It’s better to keep a low profile.
Old man Su had been lying in bed for more than half a month and refused to lie down again. Now he sits beside his parents with the help of crutches, enjoying the happiness of family life with them.
He also agreed with his wife's idea. "As the saying goes, it's not the lack of wealth that's worrying, but the inequality of it. When everyone is poor, it's not a big deal. But when the poorest people, who have always been at the bottom of the pile, suddenly aren't as miserable as everyone imagined, and are even better off than they were, all kinds of inquiries will follow. The human heart is the most unpredictable... Let's do it this way."
Having made up their minds, the whole family began to prepare for the little sweet baby's full month celebration.
Liu Yuelan and He Daxiang kneaded the dough to make steamed buns, while Su Da and Su Er spontaneously went to the newly built kitchen to prepare the ingredients.
There were seven or eight big grass carps in the broken water tank in the kitchen.
It was the fish that their sweet baby threw out every day to slap daddy in the face. The little girl had so much fun playing with it that the family had so much meat and fish every day that there was more than enough to eat.
In the end, I saved up half a tank of water.
Everyone in the family, young and old, also gained weight.
When everyone in the Su family courtyard was having fun, someone knocked on the closed door.
Bang, bang, bang—
Strong and rough.
Su Da and Su Er looked at each other, and subconsciously hid the half-processed fish first, covered the broken water tank with a wooden curtain, and then went out to open the door.
The door opened, and outside were two middle-aged men, dressed in yamen uniforms, with swords hanging from their waists, looking murderous.
Not far behind the yamen runners were villagers who came to watch the fun and pointed at the Su family courtyard.
When Su Da saw the yamen runner's uniform, his heart skipped a beat. He smiled and asked carefully, "Two officers, what's the matter?"
A yamen runner glanced at him with a cold and stern look, "But the Su family of Dahuai Village? The former Tongzhengsi Councillor Su Liang is your relative?"
At this time, Mrs. Su was holding Tianbao, and Old Man Su also heard the noise and came out of the main room. When they saw the situation outside the door and keenly caught the word "front" from the mouth of the yamen runner, the couple were both startled.
Old Mrs. Su hugged her granddaughter tightly, her heart already chilled, a bad premonition spreading through her every limb.
Su Da paused for a long time before finally saying yes with difficulty.
Su Liang is the relative of his family who is an official in Beijing. Although the two families have no contact at all, their relationship is within the five degrees of kinship.
After receiving the response, the yamen runner pulled out a document with the imperial seal and read it out on the spot. "During his tenure as an official, former Tongzhengsi Councillor Su Liang formed a clique, made false statements and acted in a rebellious manner, and disregarded the imperial order. This is treasonous and reckless. He is sentenced to confiscation of property, exile of his entire family a thousand miles away, and lifetime banishment from officialdom. Nine generations of his clan are also implicated! Su Xiang's family, who are from Dahuai Village, Yuzhou, are implicated and exiled together!"
"The official document has been read aloud. Su Xiang and his family are now ordered to go to the town government office to be exiled and to the border of Yongzhou to answer for their crimes!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
