Chapter 219 The Moon is Brighter than My Hometown
When Su Lanzhang arrived at the door of his house and saw the iron lock, he remembered that he didn't have the key. For convenience, Su Zhaoshi had entrusted all the keys to his second uncle Su's family.
Fortunately, Uncle Su came running back quickly. Seeing them all waiting at the door, he smiled and said, "Look at me, I'm so happy I'm silly."
After saying that, he took out a key and opened the door. Aunt Bai also got out of the car at this time. When she entered the house, she could tell that the house had been carefully cleaned in recent days, and the tables, chairs and benches in the house were all clean.
At this time, Su Caozhang came over with a few men, all of whom were strong laborers in their early twenties. They rushed to work with the servants from the Gu family, and in a short while they had moved all the luggage in.
With Su Zhaoshi away, Aunt Bai, though still a little timid, had no choice but to come out and help out. She took out the candies and snacks she had brought back and divided them into bags, giving one to each person. "Thank you all for coming to help. The house is a mess. I'll have Lan Zhang come visit once we've settled things down."
Originally, a group of people came one after another and wanted to talk to Su Lanzhang, but after hearing this, they felt embarrassed and left one after another. In the end, only Uncle Su and his family were left.
Su Ci Zhang's family was in the county town. Su Cao Zhang's daughter-in-law Liu came. Liu looked petite, but she was very efficient at her work, in stark contrast to her mother-in-law Zhang who stood aside with her hands folded.
Aunt Bai saw that Zhang was a little scared. Mainly because she knew that she was not easy to get along with, she simply pulled Liu aside and said, "Don't bother. Just clean up the place casually. I will take care of the rest later."
Liu smiled shyly and said crisply, "It will be done soon. The bedding rolls in the room have just been aired and will be ready to use right away. The firewood is also ready. If you find anything missing, just let me know and I'll bring it over."
Aunt Bai quickly thanked her: "Thanks for your carefulness."
Uncle Su knocked on the eye bag pole and said with a smile, "I received the letter two months ago, so I asked Cao Zhang's wife to come and clean up. Later, she didn't show up, and I was worried that something had happened to you on the way."
Aunt Bai explained, "There was nothing wrong on the way, but before we set off, an elderly acquaintance in the capital passed away, and there was a lot of commotion at home, which delayed our departure."
Second Uncle Su asked a few more questions, mainly concerned about whether Su Fengzhang and Su Zhao were doing well in the capital.
When he heard that Su Fengzhang had been promoted again and was now a third-rank official, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Second Uncle Su beamed with joy, saying repeatedly, "Feng'er has always been smart since she was young. Now she's really promising. Our Su family's ancestral tombs are finally filled with glory. A third-rank official is so much higher than our county magistrate's."
Zhang was also shocked when she heard this. She secretly thought that Su Fengzhang was so lucky that he became a third-rank official after only being in the capital for a few years. At the same time, she resented that her family did not get any benefit from it.
She started to sound a bit sour as soon as she spoke: "Erlang is really something, why didn't he tell us about such good things as promotion and wealth earlier? Are you afraid that poor relatives like us will rush to ask for money?"
"What are you talking about? If you can't speak, just shut up. No one thinks you are dumb." Without waiting for Aunt Bai to speak, Uncle Su quit.
Su Caozhang also didn't like his mother's tone. He had a good relationship with Su Fengzhang and had always been concerned about his cousin. But he couldn't bear to see his mother being scolded in front of the younger generation, so he interrupted them.
"Sanlang, you must be tired after traveling all the way back. Pack up and rest first. I guess a lot of people will come to visit tomorrow."
When Uncle Su heard this, he also said, "Yes, take a rest first. I'll come and chat with you tomorrow."
Su Lanzhang shouted, "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Brother Cao Zhang, Sister-in-law, please wait a moment. My brother asked me to bring back a lot of things, including a letter specially written for Second Uncle."
When he heard that there was a letter for him, Uncle Su decided not to leave.
Su Lanzhang took out the things one by one and handed them to them one by one: "This is for Second Uncle, this is for Second Aunt, these are for Brother Ci Zhang's family, and these are for Brother Cao Zhang."
Most of these things were packed by Su Zhaoshi and Su Huihui, and nothing was left out from the elderly in the family and even the newborn babies. They were not expensive, but they were all good things that could not be bought in Hushan County.
When Second Aunt Su saw that there were things of her own, she quickly reached out to take them. Su Zhao knew her sister-in-law very well. No matter how much she looked down on Zhang in her heart, she was still willing to do her a favor for the sake of Second Uncle Su, so she prepared a gold bracelet for her. It looked quite heavy, and it was obvious that it was Zhang's taste.
Zhang really liked it when she saw it. If she hadn't been in front of others, she would have wanted to wear it directly and wouldn't have said anything sour.
However, Su Caozhang's wife Liu was a little surprised. She smiled and said, "There's also mine."
It's not just hers, but also the children born later. Liu has been married to the Su family for six years and has given birth to two sons and one daughter. None of them are left behind, which makes her feel very caring.
Uncle Su had no intention of looking at his gift. He just said, "Sanlang, why don't you just read it to me directly? You only know a few words in cursive script, so you might misunderstand the meaning when the time comes."
"Okay, then I'll read it to my second uncle." Su Lanzhang agreed with a smile.
Su Fengzhang's letter was not short, but it did not contain much meaning. He just missed his family and asked Uncle Su and his family to take care of their health. Apart from that, there were some things like ancestor worship, and he asked Uncle Su to take care of the clan members and not let them cause trouble.
Su Lanzhang finished reading quickly. Second Uncle Su nodded and said, "Erlang's worries are justified. You don't know that after he became an official in the capital, a few guys in the village used his name to get things done. That's fine, but the biggest worry is that if he causes trouble, they'll use his name to bully others."
Upon hearing this, Su Lanzhang asked worriedly, "Second Uncle, what should we do? My second brother is also walking on thin ice in the capital. He can't let his bright future be ruined by others."
Second Uncle Su snorted coldly and said, "I've talked to the clan leader. If they change their ways after listening, that would be great. If they insist on not changing, I'll expel them from the Su family. Let's see if they dare to be ghosts then."
Su Lanzhang was surprised to hear this. In his impression, Second Uncle Su was always a kind and gentle person. He didn't hold a very high status in the village. He was the kind of person who did things quietly and didn't talk much.
Who would have thought that at this moment, Su Caozhang, who he had always remembered as dull and honest, also said: "We need to be more strict and kill a chicken to scare the monkeys. Those people will know the limits. Otherwise, Erlang's reputation will be ruined."
Aunt Bai, who was listening from behind, said quickly, "Yes, that's how it should be. No wonder Erlang always says that he feels at ease knowing that you, my uncle, are watching over the family. It turns out that the old ones are the wisest."
Second Uncle Su was delighted to hear this and said with a smile, "That's nothing. Erlang is the phoenix of our Su family. It's been many years since someone like him appeared. Apart from anything else, nowadays, people from Yuexi Village are eager to be hired when they go out to work, and the government is happy to facilitate everything they do. They all do it because of his reputation."
Speaking of this, Second Uncle Su became interested and talked about what had happened in recent years one after another. Su Fengzhang was doing very well in the capital, and Yuexi Village was not much simpler either.
It wasn't until he saw Su Lanzhang couldn't help but yawn that Second Uncle Su smiled awkwardly and said, "Alright, let's save these for later. You guys get some rest. The village chief and clan leader will definitely be here tomorrow."
After Uncle Su and his family left, Aunt Bai couldn't help but sigh, "So these things happened in the village too. Luckily, your uncle was watching over it, otherwise there would have been a big mess."
Su Lanzhang listened and vaguely began to understand what his second brother had said. He originally thought that his second uncle was a good person, but he had no real ability. He never expected...
On the other side, Second Uncle Su and his family returned home in a lively atmosphere, carrying gifts. As soon as they entered the house, Second Uncle Su's face darkened. He glanced at Su Cizhang and said, "Take your wife back and clean up."
Su Caozhang glanced at his mother and saw that she had finally left with her wife. They had locked the children in the house for fear that they would cause trouble. Now that she had brought back so many things, it would make them happy to see them.
As soon as her son and daughter-in-law left, Zhang felt a little uncomfortable and muttered, "What are you doing?"
Second Uncle Su slammed the table and cursed, "You're asking me what you just said?"
Zhang twisted her body uncomfortably and said, "I, I just said it casually. Besides, it's only Aunt Bai and Su Lanzhang who came back, not Su Fengzhang."
Second Uncle Su wanted to hit her right in the heart and cursed, "Is that something you can just say? If Erlang hears it, he'll think we, his uncle and aunt, are dissatisfied with him."
Zhang was also a little angry and said, "Well, what I said was the truth. Their family has become very prosperous. The whole family, including a concubine, has gone to the capital to enjoy the luxury. We are better off. You are my uncle's, but you still stay in the village to farm."
Second Uncle Su sneered, "You still know that we are uncle and aunt, not biological parents. I've never heard of a nephew becoming an official and tying his uncle and aunt to his belt."
Zhang snorted coldly, "You've been so kind to him over the years and helped his family so much, but he hasn't been very filial to you."
Uncle Su spat at him and cursed, "Look at what you eat, use, and wear. Which one wasn't sent back by Erlang? Even our 100 acres of land belongs to Erlang."
Zhang subconsciously covered her bracelet and said stubbornly, "That land doesn't belong to us either."
Second Uncle Su sneered, "Yes, the land deed is not with me, but since you don't even ask for rent every year, it's like giving it to our family. Besides, your eldest son was able to enter the government as an official, but it was all because of Erlang's face."
Zhang knew all this in her heart. Wiping away her tears, she said, "I just can't accept it. Why can Aunt Bai, a concubine, go to the capital, and I have to..."
"She's lucky enough to be Sanlang Huihui's biological mother. Erlang is kind-hearted and willing to keep a concubine for his father!" Uncle Su felt that it was completely impossible to communicate with this woman.
Fortunately, apart from having a bad mouth, Zhang was timid and never dared to do anything naughty outside. Otherwise, even if his children had grown up, he would not have been so cruel as to divorce her.
Finally, Second Uncle Su sneered, "The son you gave birth to is not as good as the one born by your eldest sister-in-law. Isn't it your own fault that you didn't give birth to a good child?"
Zhang opened her mouth, but was unable to refute it.
Uncle Su knew that his wife had always been jealous of his eldest sister-in-law. When his eldest brother was alive, she envied her for being able to live in the county town. After his second brother passed away, she envied her for having a son who could go to school.
Now so many years have passed, and the sister-in-law is no longer envious of her. She has begun to envy and be jealous of Aunt Bai. However, she does not think that although Aunt Bai is a concubine, Erlang's family treats her as their own.
Don't give face to the monk, but give face to the Buddha. What's more, Aunt Bai has a pair of children. Lan Zhang is about to take the imperial examination. With Erlang's support, his future will not be too bad. How can this woman be so short-sighted?
Second Uncle Su continued, "If you want a phoenix coronet and a red robe, you might as well focus on your two wives giving birth to more sons. Anyway, we have money now, so we can send them all to school. Maybe one of them will have a promising future. If they are smart and can study, I will shamelessly let Erlang take care of his nephew."
When Zhang heard this, she didn't think it was ironic, but instead felt it made a lot of sense. She immediately thought about letting her two daughters-in-law have more children. After all, they could support them. The stupid ones could just stay at home and farm, and the smart ones could try their luck.
If Second Uncle Su knew that his casual remark had caused the wives to shift all their attention to the two daughters-in-law's bellies, I wonder if he would be happy or angry. But that is a matter for the future anyway.
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