104. 104 Makes Mom happy
In December 1980, the Gregorian calendar had already entered 1981. Su Yu was about to enter her senior year of college, and she would probably be even busier next year. So she planned to go back home for the New Year this year. The main reason was that her father had been writing to her repeatedly recently, saying that he missed his grandson, that he was going to slaughter a sheep, and that her mother had saved up a lot of things. If she didn't go back, he would send them over.
“Baozhi, we’re going back home for the New Year this year. After we leave, you can stay at my house. Buy a load of coal, and it will keep you warm all winter,” Su Yu said to Er Ya, who had come to find her for dinner.
Er Ya, who was already used to the name, paused for a moment, scratched her head, and said, "I also want to go back and see him. I miss Xiao Hu a little." Even though she knew he wouldn't suffer, she was also worried that her older sister had been married off by her mother.
"Sure, as long as you don't mind the trouble of arguing. Anyway, your parents' mindset is hard to change. Even if you are their college student daughter, they will only say nice things to coax you."
Baozhi blushed and said reproachfully, "Aunt Su, what are you saying? I'm not confused. I don't plan to go home. I'm going back to the county first. My plan is to lure my sister and Xiaohu out, and the three of us will go to the provincial capital for a few days. Then they'll go back, and I'll come back here."
Looking at the young woman who finally had some flesh on her body and dared to look people in the eye when she spoke, Su Yu laughed and said, "It's good that you're not confused. If you go home and brag about it, I'll be disgusted. You have hope now, you've finally climbed out of the mud. Don't go back to the mud and show off, or you'll be dragged back in by the ankles. People like your parents, even if you become an official and make a fortune, even if you worship them and burn incense for them, they'll still think about their son deep down and will still take the opportunity to abuse you."
“I know I never plan to see them again in my life.”
Since they had decided to go back, they bought tickets in advance, otherwise the roads would be blocked by heavy snow. The four of them packed their bags and boarded the train. Once they were safely on board, they went straight to sleep.
"You've been staying up all night doing experiments again." Su Yu took a cotton coat out of her bag, threw it on him, and said, "Make sure you're covered up properly, don't catch a cold."
"I'm not cold. I run every day, so I'm in great shape. Even if I ride back in my dad's convertible and get windy, I won't catch a cold." Ping An rolled up the clothes in his hands and stuffed them behind his back while leaning against the wall.
"You're itching to argue, aren't you? You're so healthy, I've never seen you sleep without a blanket." She pulled out another cotton coat and threw it over his head. "Put this on, or you won't be sleeping." She glared at him.
"I told you I'm not cold, but you insist on making me sweat." He muttered to himself, obediently tucking his arms into his sleeves and pulling his hat over his face, asking in a muffled voice, "Mom, is this okay? Am I still cold?"
“Speak properly.” Su Yu kicked him, rubbed her arms, shrugged, and said, “You’ve given me goosebumps.”
Ping An smiled contentedly.
“Why hasn’t Ping An changed at all? He’s still making such a fuss.” Er Ya was also quite taken aback when she heard him call her “Mom.”
“Life’s been too smooth,” Xiao Yuan chimed in, glancing at the big guy next to him. “We’re getting younger and younger.”
“You’re just jealous. Go ahead and shout. I’ve set a good example for you, but you just won’t open your mouth. Don’t be envious of my close mother-son relationship with my mom.” Ping An muttered to himself, his face buried in his hat, his voice full of smugness.
Su Yu raised an eyebrow, leaned on the table, and looked at Xiao Yuan, saying, "Little son, are you going to call out or not? I promise I won't laugh at you."
"I'm not going to be all lovey-dovey." Xiao Yuan's ears turned red. The way he shouted those words together was enough to make him bite his tongue off. He didn't have Ping An's thick skin either; if he called Ping An, he would be laughed at.
"Tch, you really are a younger brother." Ping An lifted his hat and peeked at him through the gap.
He always loses in verbal battles, and fearing that this shamelessness might push him into doing something else, he kept his mouth shut and didn't say a word.
The train stopped in the county. Er Ya got off and covered herself up tightly. She gave Xiao Yuan a wink and then separated from the three of them. She walked out first and saw that Uncle Ning was followed by Er Bao in the distance. She took a detour and squeezed into the crowd to leave.
"My sister hasn't come back?" Erbao asked the three people, who stood on tiptoe to look into the station.
No one paid him any attention, so Su Yu handed her bag to Ning Jin, took his arm, and asked, "When did you get back?"
"It'll be a couple of days. Come on, let's go back. Dad has already brought the mutton. It was just cooked when I arrived, so it'll be ready for dinner when we get back." Ning Jin tossed his bag to his son and walked away with her empty-handed.
"Hey, I'm talking to you guys. Er Ya isn't back yet?" Er Bao grabbed Ping An and asked again.
Ping An grabbed his arm and gave him an over-the-shoulder throw. "Hey, you learned it well, it's pretty smooth." He glanced at the grimacing man on the ground. "What's wrong? Who's calling me 'hey'? How would I know if Er Ya is back or not? I've never seen her. It's really strange. What do you want from me?"
Whether it was his maternal grandfather writing to him or anyone asking, their consistent answer was that they had never seen Er Ya.
“Her high school teachers all said that Er Ya’s admission notice was sent to your mother’s school.”
"I didn't receive it, I don't know. Go find whoever told you." Ping An raised his fist and waved it at him. Seeing his cowering expression, he sneered and turned to leave.
“If you keep acting like that, it’s perfectly normal. Don’t act like a child and throw tantrums all the time,” Xiao Yuan said.
“You silly boy, you don’t understand. That’s not called being coquettish or silly. That’s making Mom happy.” He stretched and yawned, then raised his chin to indicate that he should look at the two people holding hands in front of him.
"You truly are your father's son." Xiao Yuan shuddered.
"You'll never find a wife." Ping An looked at him in shock. What kind of idiot was this? He really didn't seem like her mother's biological son.
As soon as they got off the bus in town, a child rushed over to Su Yu and asked sweetly, "Aunt Su, you're back for the New Year! Grandpa Su has been waiting for you for a long time."
Seeing that his eyes were wet, Su Yu pushed him to the back and said, "Find Xiao Yuan, he'll tell you."
"It's like a tunnel warfare operation," Ping An shook his head and smiled, picked up the bag from Xiao Yuan's hand, and followed the two people in front.
"Where's your older sister?" Xiao Yuan asked as he walked, pulling Xiao Hu along.
"At home, Brother Yuan, isn't my second sister back yet?"
“She’s back. She said she missed you and wanted to come back to see you. If you want to see her, I’ll send you and your eldest sister over tomorrow. But you two can’t tell anyone else. If you sneak out, your parents and your brother will find out, and your second sister won’t see you.”
“I won’t tell you. I’ll go to your house tomorrow morning after my parents go to work. Both my eldest and second child like to sleep in, so they won’t be awake yet.”
He spoke quite logically, and the time was already set, so Xiao Yuan didn't worry about it anymore and nodded in agreement.
The next day, he got into the car with Daya and Xiaohu, and after getting off, he took a roundabout way to deliver the car to Erya. He only returned home after watching the three of them get on the bus to the provincial capital.
When he got back, he saw Xiaohu's parents making a scene at his doorstep. He didn't go into the alley; instead, he went straight to the police station to report that they had threatened and intimidated his family.
When the police arrived, Xiao Hu's parents had no evidence to prove that Xiao Yuan had sent Daya and Xiao Hu away. No matter how much they pleaded, it was useless. Instead, they were scolded and had no choice but to go back feeling frustrated.
It's like they dug up the Su family's ancestral graves in their past life, and now they've been entangled with Su Yu, this plague god. Of their five children, three have been kidnapped.
"Your mother and I have moved to your third sister's house," Old Man Su said to his young daughter, who was chopping vegetables, as he sat by the stove tending the fire.
"When did this happen?" Su Yu asked.
“It’s been a while. Your aunt in our village, the one whose husband and son died, passed away at night when winter was just beginning. There was no one in the house. It was the neighbors who noticed that there was no smoke coming out of her kitchen for two days. They climbed over the wall to check and found that she was dead. After that, your third sister came and took your mother and me away.”
“That’s good too. You and Mom can take care of the chickens and ducks at my third sister’s house, sweep the yard, and light the fire when she cooks. She’ll feel at ease with my mom at home, knowing someone is watching the house.” Su Yu originally thought this matter needed to be discussed, but she didn’t expect that her third sister had already taken the person away, and it wasn’t mentioned in the letter.
"Yes, your third sister and brother-in-law are very grateful. When your mother and I stayed at their house, they never gave us a hard time and seemed quite welcoming." Old Su sighed. It's true that sons are not as good as sons-in-law. He only secretly subsidized his third son's family, giving them just enough to eat a little better and not much money. But his third son-in-law was grateful and told the old couple to stay there with peace of mind.
“Then you and Mom shouldn’t be stingy with money. Every now and then, take some money to buy a few pounds of meat and some snacks for Xiaoya. And don’t worry about sending me anything.” Su Yu turned to her father and said, “At your age, it would be a bit of a shame for me to ask you for things.”
“I’m happy to give it to you, and I still have to give it to you. You’ve been taking care of my medical treatment and medicine, and they all know that. I didn’t spend any of her money living at the third brother’s house. She farmed my land, and when I moved to her house, I didn’t need any more grain. She just looked after me. This is what a daughter should do.” He interrupted the youngest brother and said, “I’m not senile. If I give it to you, you should accept it. I don’t know how many more years I can give it to you, but as long as I’m alive, you’ll have your father. I’m happy if you accept things your father gives his daughter, even though you don’t need them.”
"And even if I give it to you, I won't forget the eldest, second, and third children. It's just a matter of how much, and they won't have any objections," the old man added.
"Alright then, I'll take whatever Dad gives me, even a pair of worn-out socks, I'll hide them in the closet," Su Yu said quipped.
"I don't have any torn socks, and I can't give them to you even if you want them."
*
After spending five days shopping in the provincial capital, the three agreed to meet again next winter. Er Ya took Da Ya to buy a new cotton-padded coat, but it was an old style. They also bought a pair of cotton shoes and several pairs of thick socks, and a set of stationery and a jar of milk candy for Xiao Hu. She planned to send the two of them back to the county by bus, and she would leave directly from the provincial capital.
"Er Ya, why don't you take us back? I'm worried we'll get lost." It was Da Ya's first time traveling so far, and she never expected to have to take a bus back alone. She was afraid that someone would kidnap her and Xiao Hu and sell them in the mountains.
“I remember the way. Take the bus to the station and get back to the county. I remember the way I came. I’ll take you back.” Xiao Hu patted his chest and said, taking his second sister’s hand. “Sister, go ahead. I remember the way. I won’t get lost. Remember to come back next winter.”
“Okay, they’ll definitely be back.” Er Ya pushed her older sister into the car and said to the driver, “Uncle, these two will get off when we reach the county. Please keep an eye on them.” She paid the fare, waved to the two of them, and got out of the car.
"Where's Er Ya?" Du Xiaojuan asked the two people who had returned.
"I took the train from the provincial capital," Daya confessed honestly.
"Where is she? I mean, at her university."
"I don't know, she didn't say. Xiao Hu asked her but she wouldn't say either. We just played in the provincial capital for a few days."
Du Xiaojuan looked at her youngest son, saw him nod, cursed him as a brat, snatched the clothes from Daya's hands, and said, "Damn it, I can't fit into them. The shoes are barely a good fit." She glared at her fiercely and took the shoes away.
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