After the door closed, Su Yufen leaned weakly against the headboard, completely losing interest in her needlework.
Su Yufen knew in her heart that this was a big deal.
Knowing his father's temper, if he knew that Su Mingfu had taken a fancy to the widow next door, he would definitely cause a huge uproar.
She looked out the window and could just see a corner of the neighboring yard.
A blue figure is hanging clothes out to dry, her movements light and graceful.
Su Yufen's brows furrowed even more.
...
Su Jianguo slept very soundly until evening, when Wang Xiulan gently nudged his shoulder, waking him from his dream.
"Honey, it's time to eat."
Wang Xiulan's voice was somewhat cautious.
"I slept all afternoon, I probably won't be able to sleep tonight."
Su Jianguo rubbed his eyes. It was already dark outside the window, and the sounds of children playing could be heard from the courtyard.
He stretched and felt refreshed; the sleep had swept away all the fatigue of the past few days.
"What time is it?"
He asked in a hoarse voice.
It's almost six o'clock.
Wang Xiulan handed her a glass of warm water.
"Dinner is all ready, just waiting for you to get up and eat."
Su Jianguo took the water glass and drank it all in one gulp. The warm water slid down his throat, quenching his thirst.
He stood up, stretched his stiff limbs, and followed Wang Xiulan into the main room.
Inside the main room, the food was already laid out.
Su Yufen was busy serving rice to the two children, while Su Mingfu sat in the corner, his eyes darting around, his fingers tapping incessantly on the table.
Su Yuzhen impatiently fiddled with her braids, glancing out the door every now and then.
"dad."
When Su Yufen saw her father come in, she quickly greeted him.
"Please sit here, the food has been served."
Su Jianguo nodded and sat down in the main seat.
He looked around, his gaze lingering on Su Mingfu for a moment.
The third brother seemed a bit absent-minded today; he didn't even greet him when he came in.
"Mingfu."
Su Jianguo spoke up.
How many days off does school have?
Su Mingfu seemed startled, abruptly raising his head with a flickering gaze.
"Huh? Oh... Leave it for three days, Dad."
Su Jianguo frowned. Why was this child so absent-minded today?
But he didn't ask any more questions, he just nodded.
"Okay, rest well at home and don't go running around."
"Okay, Dad."
Su Mingfu lowered his head, his voice almost inaudible.
Wang Xiulan served the last dish, and the family began to eat.
At the dinner table, Su Yufen glanced at her father several times, then at her younger brother, her brows furrowed.
She picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it in Su Jianguo's bowl, hesitating whether to speak or not.
Su Yufen bit her lip.
She secretly observed her younger brother and noticed that Su Mingfu hardly touched his chopsticks, mechanically picking at the rice in his bowl, his eyes occasionally drifting towards the window.
It faces the neighbor's yard directly from there.
"Third Brother, why aren't you eating your vegetables?"
Su Yuzhen suddenly spoke, her voice tinged with sarcasm.
"Is something on your mind?"
Su Mingfu's face flushed red. He hurriedly picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling something indistinctly.
"N-no, I'm just...not very hungry."
Su Jianguo looked up at his son, but didn't notice anything unusual, so he continued eating.
He was preoccupied with what he would be busy with after the vegetables came to market in a few days, completely oblivious to the strange atmosphere at the dinner table.
Su Yufen's heart felt like it was being fried in oil.
She wanted to tell her father about her brother's unusual behavior, but she was also afraid that her brother would be punished as a result.
She knew her father's temper; if he knew Su Mingfu had designs on the widow next door, he would definitely break his legs.
But if I don't tell my father, things will get even worse and harder to handle...
"I'm done eating."
Su Mingfu suddenly put down his chopsticks and bowl, his voice trembling slightly.
"I...I'm going back to my room to read."
Before his father could respond, he hurriedly got up and left the table, his steps faltering so much that he almost tripped over the threshold.
Su Jianguo then noticed his son's unusual behavior and frowned as he asked.
"What's wrong with the third brother today?"
Wang Xiulan shook her head.
"I don't know, I was fine this afternoon, and then suddenly..."
"dad."
Su Yufen finally couldn't help but speak up.
"I have something I want to tell you."
Su Jianguo put down his chopsticks and looked at his eldest daughter.
"What's up?"
Su Yufen opened her mouth, but swallowed the words back.
She glanced at her mother and sister and whispered.
"I'll talk to you privately after we finish eating."
Su Jianguo nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
He figured it was probably something to do with his daughter's family, so he continued eating.
Silence returned to the dinner table, broken only by the clinking of bowls and chopsticks.
...
at the same time.
The scene in the neighboring yard was quite different.
Xiaomei sat on a small stool, slowly eating her dinner.
Compared to the lavish meals at the Su family's house, hers remained remarkably simple.
Grandma Zhou sat opposite her, her eyes darting around, glancing occasionally at the courtyard wall between the two houses.
"How about it?"
"Grandma Zhou asked in a low voice."
Did you see Su Jianguo today?
Xiaomei pouted and stirred the thin porridge in her bowl.
"I didn't see the older ones, but I did see the younger ones."
"Small?"
Grandma Zhou's eyes lit up.
"His son?"
"Yes, the one named Su Mingfu."
Xiaomei's lips curled into a cold smile.
"He's so dull-witted, clearly a novice. I was just borrowing some salt, and his eyes were practically glued to me."
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