57.057 She's great in every way, I like her.
Old Man Su didn't go home to rest as Su Yu had suggested. He's reached the age where he can't sleep at night after sleeping during the day. He's not afraid of the heat, so he went home and took out his big black dog, who is very afraid of the heat but also wanted to go out. The two of them went out along the alley and strolled around for a while. He took the black dog with its tongue sticking out to soak in the pond and met Er Ya, who was washing clothes.
"Grandpa Su, you brought Xiao Hei out for a bath again?"
"If you don't wash, you'll get fleas." He glanced at the girl. She must have fallen into the water and drowned before. Now, when she washes clothes, she stands on the two steps above the water's surface, preferring to do it several times rather than stand on the steps below the water.
"How are your grades?" he asked casually from the side.
"It's alright, but not as good as Xiaoyuan and Ping'an."
“They read a lot, and their mother teaches them. You do a lot of work. As long as you're better than most people, that's good enough.” The old man used his stick to push the big black dog, which was trying to get ashore, back into the water for another lap. He said, “Study hard. Don't listen to those fools who say studying is useless. If I hadn't been quick at using an abacus when I was a child, I wouldn't have even been on the list when they elected village chief.” Seeing that Er Ya was listening attentively, he told her about his generation with great interest, and at the end, he didn't forget to encourage her: “You're better off now than we were when we were kids. I never even used kerosene lamps when I was a child. Look at you, you already live in a house with light bulbs. Life is getting better every day. In another twenty or thirty years, who knows what changes will happen? Study hard. For poor people, only through education can they get out of poverty.”
“Your whole family is doing well. No one has ever said this to me before.” Er Ya stood up, took Xiao Hei’s leash, and pulled it onto the road, letting it shake its fur as much as it wanted.
“You’re still so young. Even if someone had told you before, you wouldn’t have understood. Now that someone is telling you, remember it well. There will be more people telling you in the future.” After the big black dog calmed down, Old Man Su took the leash and said, “I’ll take it back first. You go about your business.”
"I'm done washing up too, I'll go back with you."
As they walked back, Xiao Hei's fur was already half-dry. When Old Man Su led it into the house, it was reluctant. But Old Man Su wouldn't tolerate it. He picked up a stick leaning against the door and threatened, "Come in quickly, or I'll cripple your dog leg."
"Dad, did you take it out to play? I was wondering why I didn't see Xiao Hei in the doghouse." Ning Jin took the leash and walked into the house. Xiao Hei immediately wagged its tail and followed. Old Su was so angry that he hit the wall with a stick. "This dog has two faces? It thinks it can stand up to me because I'm old. It's a cowardly dog that bullies the weak and fears the strong."
"It has more than two faces. It's always enthusiastic towards Su Yu. Sometimes when I call it, it opens its eyes and glances at me, but doesn't move. But it's a completely different dog when it's with the two children. This dog is quite cunning." The most amazing thing is that it recognizes its relatives. When Su Yu's three older sisters come over, it doesn't make a sound. It even remembers when they visit once a year. It doesn't work with the neighbors who we see every day. Last year, when Wang Xiaoxia came over every day, it barked every day. Even bringing it food couldn't appease it.
“You’re back too. Your mother and I have been staying here for ten days now, and I’m planning to go back tomorrow,” Old Man Su suddenly said.
“Why do you suddenly want to go back? Stay a few more days. Su Yu and I have suffered these past few days. Tomorrow we’ll buy a chicken to stew and make something nourishing, and the day after tomorrow we’ll have chive pancakes and vermicelli soup with meat. You and my mom can stay a few more days. Besides, it’s no use telling me. You should tell your daughter. If she doesn’t agree, I’ll send you back. I’ll get a dirty look from her.” Ning Jin said with a smile.
If this weren't his son-in-law, Old Man Su would have scolded him for spoiling his wife too much, treating his father-in-law and mother-in-law like his own parents.
To avoid saying the wrong thing, Old Man Su changed the subject and asked about something else: "Did nothing happen on the road? You and Xiaoyu seem pretty relaxed, like nothing happened after a good night's sleep." He also said that when they knocked on the door last night, they spoke quite cheerfully. If it weren't for the sour smell on their bodies, you wouldn't have been able to tell that the two of them had survived being stuck in traffic eating fried dough twists.
"The landslide blocked the road, but everyone and everything was fine. We just spent a few more days on the road, but it didn't have any impact." Ning Jin didn't mention encountering robbers or complaining. In fact, judging from his demeanor, he didn't seem to be suffering.
Ultimately, it was because there was one more person on the road. She didn't complain or show any displeasure while sleeping in the open carriage; she picked an extra handful of wild onions during meals, adding a new flavor to the soups he was already tired of; she secretly boiled water in the wild to wash her bottom and underwear, and her sneaky actions made the lookout chuckle for ages; before leaving, she bought a big bag of fried dough twists from somewhere, which allowed the three of them to get through two days and one night without being able to light a fire. Even though they got blisters on their lips from eating them, they weren't annoyed and even complained that at least there was something good for them to eat, and they felt like they had become rich overnight.
Whenever he wanted to curse his bad luck, she always had a strange explanation. Ning Jin felt that Su Yu was the kind of person who could find a unique flavor even while sitting in the corner in winter, basking in the sun and catching fleas.
When conditions allow, she will clean her shoes even if they are slightly dirty; when conditions are poor, she can go seven or eight days without taking a bath and without complaining.
“Xiaoyu has a rather strong personality.” Old Su finally realized that his youngest daughter’s personality had changed at some point. “She is also bold in her actions. Don’t let her do whatever she wants. If you think something is wrong, point it out. There should be some restraint. Like this time when you went on a road trip with her, you two left and didn’t come back for more than ten days. The elderly and children at home were very worried and there was nothing they could do.”
“She has a good personality. I completely trust her. If she encounters anything while she’s out, I don’t need to worry about the family. She doesn’t need to change. She has a good job and takes good care of the family.” Ning Jin disagreed with his father-in-law’s opinion. As for driving a sports car with him, he wouldn’t mention it again, but taking her out this time was definitely worthwhile.
Su Yu needed him. At home, she was the boss who always had the final say, teaching the children, glaring at him, and ordering him around. Even when helping Er Ya, he was just a gofer. When she changed jobs, he only knew the outcome. He had once suspected that even if he died in a car accident on the road, Su Yu's life wouldn't change.
But this time he found that she would rely on him in unfamiliar environments. When he asked her what she thought about sleeping in the train car, she said "I'll listen to you." She couldn't sleep without him at night and needed him to take care of her. She needed him.
One was willing to give, and the other was willing to receive. He was willing to be completely controlled by Su Yu because of her abilities, so Old Man Su had nothing to say and didn't say anything more. He swallowed his pent-up feelings about Xiao Yu's in-laws; he couldn't expect his daughter to serve her in-laws well just because he was treated poorly by his daughter-in-law. Everyone has to be a little selfish. Besides, Xiao Yu was different from her sister-in-law. Xiao Yu ignored her in-laws but still fulfilled her filial duties according to her husband's wishes, while Mei Danan disliked her in-laws and even spoke ill of the two old folks in front of their children.
“You’re right. Xiaoyu’s personality suits you. You’re out driving, and she has to work. It’s better for her to be strong-willed so that no one can take advantage of her because she’s soft-hearted.” Old Man Su smiled and agreed with his son-in-law.
“I also think she’s a good match for me.” Ning Jin found that he always got along very well with his father-in-law, who always understood him very quickly.
When Su Yu returned in the evening, Old Man Su anxiously asked if the leaders at the orchard had given her any trouble.
"No, I just said I've been sick these past few days. My husband was driving his truck and got caught in a mudslide and can't come back. There are only two children at home, so I can't go to ask for leave." Her dark circles and chapped lips made her words very believable. Qiu Fuli even told her to stay home and rest for two more days, saying that the orchard was fine and there was nothing wrong except for picking fruit.
The next day, Su Yu put the chicken stew in a pot and told her mother to keep an eye on the fire. She then took her husband and two children, carrying shovels and buckets, and went out to plant trees.
Su Yu dug up all the new willow saplings that sprouted from the roots of the big willow tree and took them out of town to plant them by the river where the willow trees were planted last year. There were also three willow branches planted next to them, which Er Ya had casually planted in the spring and have now taken root and survived.
Thirteen small willow trees were planted at the designated intervals along the hillside. Su Yu then went to the wilderness to look for elm and locust trees. She accidentally discovered two Chinese coptis trees growing together. She dug one up and took it to another open space to plant it.
Elm, locust, and Chinese coptis trees are miscellaneous trees with high survival rates. As long as they don't get in anyone's way, no one will usually touch them. Moreover, elm seeds and locust flowers are edible and have nutritional value. If they are lucky enough not to be cut down by humans, they will still be protected decades later.
She remembered watching a video before. In a village in the countryside, there was a Chinese Coptis chinensis tree that was so thick that it would take two people to hug it. No one remembered how old it was or how it was supposed to be, but it was regarded as the ancestral tree of a clan in the village. Every time a young man of that surname got married, he would set up an altar and kneel down to kowtow, hoping that the tree she planted could also gain that status.
"Mom, are you still planting? We've already planted so many." Ping An threw down the small shovel and sat on the ground, not wanting to bury any more soil.
“Remember why your dad and I were stuck on the road and couldn’t get back? It was a mudslide. The soil on the mountain wasn’t held back by the tree roots. It just flowed down like water. The road was blocked in just two minutes. If your dad and I hadn’t been lucky, we would have been buried in the ground.” Su Yu continued digging the hole and said, “The more trees you plant today, the better your dad’s chances of surviving on the road, and the less likely other children will be fatherless.”
The words "child without a father" struck Xiao Yuan deeply. He had once been described as "child without a father" by adults and children alike. He handed the small shovel to Ping An and said, "Planting trees is saving your father. You're more pitiful than me now that you don't have a father."
Ningjin brought back water from fetching water and watered the newly planted trees, tacitly agreeing with Xiaoyuan's statement that "planting trees is saving your dad."
The four of them planted more than forty trees. Su Yu wondered if she should make a mark so that she wouldn't have trouble finding the trees when watering them later.
"No need, I remember everything. It took me months to grind these trees into the soil. Even if you forget, I won't forget."
Su Yu pursed her lips, knowing that "Trees All Over the Hill" was mocking her for promising to plant trees in March, and that it was almost June before the trees were finally planted.
"Hey, I'll come and plant trees whenever I have time. The road I take to the orchard is also suitable for planting trees, don't you think?"
"Tsk tsk, you humans only realize the need to save things when you see the situation deteriorate firsthand. Before, I was begging you to come to my aid, but you kept giving me the runaround and shamelessly asked me to continue giving you pointers." Finally getting a chance, Shu Manpo vented his pent-up frustrations.
She's the kind of person who wouldn't plant a tree on Arbor Day just for the sake of ceremony, so why would she voluntarily plant dozens of trees? Besides, whenever she's tempted to do something, there are always miscellaneous things to do, like sweeping the dirty ground or washing the water tank because it's covered in moss... so of course she'll put it off as long as possible.
"Yes, I know how despicable I was. I will correct my mistakes in the future and will never delay what I promised you."
The tree on the hill was satisfied. In order not to hurt its owner's feelings, it comforted him, saying, "To call you despicable is too harsh. You're just a bit lazy, like to play tricks, like to pretend to be dead, and have a thick skin."
"..."
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