Chapter 4 Support Support
After leaving Chen's house, Uncle Su looked at his nephew, slapped his head, and didn't know what to say.
Su Fengzhang felt that his expression was not right, so he asked, "Second Uncle, what's wrong?"
Uncle Su chuckled, "Nothing much, it's just that when I heard you talking just now, I felt that Erlang has grown up."
Su Fengzhang paused for a moment. The original owner was a child spoiled by his parents and elder brother. He spoke and acted casually, with a sweet mouth and a soft personality, but not so aggressive.
"Dad and big brother are gone, so I have no choice but to grow up."
Upon hearing this, Second Uncle Su also fell silent. Su Dianli was not only the sky for his sister-in-law and nephew, but also the sky for their Su family.
Now that my elder brother and nephew are gone, Erlang has no choice but to grow up. Only when he gets well will my sister-in-law and her family have hope in the future.
Thinking of this, Second Uncle Su not only didn't find it strange, but was actually happy to see it happen: "It's good to grow up. The whole family will depend on you in the future. Just listening to you speak, it was like seeing my big brother again."
When mentioning the deceased Su Dianli, the two fell silent again and did not speak again until they returned to Yuexi Village.
Su Zhaoshi and Aunt Bai had been waiting at home for a long time. Ever since Second Uncle Su took Su Fengzhang out, they had been feeling uneasy.
Seeing the figure from afar, Aunt Bai took a few steps forward without caring about her status and shouted, "Erlang is back. Is everything going well?"
"It went smoothly." Second Uncle Su was the younger brother-in-law, so it was not convenient for him to go in to see his sister-in-law who was lying in bed. He said, "Thanks to Erlang's eloquence today, I won't go in. Erlang, please go home quickly so that my sister-in-law can rest assured."
Aunt Bai wanted to know what had happened immediately, but she still controlled her temper and went to Su Zhao's bedside.
Perhaps thinking that she still had a son to take care of, Su Zhaoshi looked a little better now. At least she was not as pale as yesterday, and she could even sit up and lean for a while.
Su Fengzhang knew that they were anxious, so he simplified the process and explained it again.
Hearing that the Chen family would not only return the betrothal gifts but also send people to the graves of the father and son to pay their respects, Su Zhao was moved to tears: "They should be allowed to kowtow before the master and Zong'er. If it weren't for them..."
A hint of surprise flashed across Aunt Bai's face. Everyone knew what kind of person their second uncle was, and Erlang was even more like a child. Aunt Bai was extremely worried about the two of them going out to do business this time, but there was nothing she could do.
I originally thought that the best outcome would be that the Chen family would not want to get involved and could get the betrothal gifts back.
Who knew that not only would the betrothal gifts be returned, but the Chen family would also go to pay homage. If nothing else, at least it would save face.
Su Zhaoshi had already grasped her son's hand: "My Feng'er has grown up and can support the family now."
The woman's tears fell on the back of her hand, so hot that they softened Su Fengzhang's heart.
"Mom, don't worry, I'm still at home." This was all he could say to comfort her.
"Okay, okay." Su Zhaoshi's spirits improved a little. "Fortunately, you are still here."
Aunt Bai was beside her and advised, "Madam, please stop crying. We still have a long life ahead of us. Erlang is still young after all, so you have to cheer up."
"You're right. I still have to protect several children." Su Zhaoshi thought so, and her drowsy mind became a little clearer.
"The Chen family is in a hurry to cancel the engagement. I estimate they will come to our house tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I'll have to trouble mother and Aunt Bai then." Su Fengzhang reminded that people should not be too idle. If they are idle, they tend to think too much, and thinking too much will easily make them sick.
After he said this, Su Zhaoshi and Aunt Bai really perked up, and Su Zhaoshi even took out the original betrothal gift list.
The Chen family was indeed very anxious. Early the next morning, they came with a group of people, carrying the betrothal gifts that had been sent over. Leading the group was Mr. Chen.
When the villagers heard the news, a group of young and old men came over, holding hoes in their hands and looking ready to take action at any time. Leading the way was Uncle Su's family.
Seeing this, Master Chen did not enter the house. He just said at the door: "My dear nephew, why don't you bring the betrothal gifts in first and have them counted? You take me to pay respects to Brother Su. After the worship is over, I believe the engagement letter can be returned."
The Chen family and the Su family made quite a commotion, and other people from Yuexi Village came out to watch the fun. When they found out that it was the Chen family who came to cancel the engagement, they started talking about it and said all kinds of things.
Compared with the Chen family, they naturally stood on the side of the Su family, and privately they often cursed the Chen family as inhuman and adding insult to injury.
But more than that, people lament the Su family’s miserable fate.
"With Boss Su and Su Zongzhang gone, leaving behind an orphan and a widow, how are they going to live in the future?"
"Isn't it? If Boss Su was still here, the Chen family wouldn't dare to bully us."
"When the Su family split up, the eldest Su family took two acres of land. What will so many people with so many mouths of food eat in the future?"
"Boss Su has been an official for so many years, there must be something urgent, right?"
"If you ask me, what's the point of keeping servants and concubines when things are like this? You can get a lot of money by selling them off."
Mr. Chen was thick-skinned and pretended not to hear their condemnation. After all, he wouldn't lose a piece of meat if he was scolded a few times.
What surprised him was that Su Fengzhang, who was standing beside him and leading the way, also looked calm. There was no humiliation or anger on his face. He didn't look like a fifteen-year-old child at all.
It was obvious that Su Laoer next to him looked embarrassed and angry at him, and wanted to bury his head, but the child was not afraid at all.
Maybe I shouldn’t have made things so awkward with the Su family, Mr. Chen thought to himself.
But he soon calmed down. What had been done was done. Two members of the Su family had died. There was no point in regretting it. He only hoped that his daughter could marry into a wealthy family and bring his Chen family a new fortune.
The worship in front of the grave went smoothly. Mr. Chen had no intention of making trouble at the grave and even shed two crocodile tears. If you didn't know, you would probably think that he and Su Dianli were really close friends.
When they returned to the Su family, Master Chen still did not come in. He only said, "My dear nephew, I am ashamed to face my sister-in-law. Why don't you go in and take out the engagement letter?"
"Erlang, go in and get it. By the way, ask your sister-in-law if anything is missing. I'll watch them here." Uncle Su said. Behind him were his two sons and brothers from the clan. They were all tall and strong, and it looked like a big show.
When Su Fengzhang walked in, he saw the courtyard was filled with things, all of which were betrothal gifts sent by the Su family.
Su Zhaoshi was still not feeling well and had moved a chair to sit in the corridor. Aunt Bai was comparing items with a list and when she saw him come in she said, "Erlang, this thing isn't right."
"What's wrong?" Could it be that the Chen family really dared to replace the original with the fake? That wouldn't be possible. If they made a big fuss, it would not do them any good.
"There are too many things." Aunt Bai reached out and picked up a small box. "It's fifty taels more than the betrothal gift we sent. I counted it twice and it's not wrong."
"Could it be that the Chen family feels guilty and wants to compensate the Su family?"
"Whoever wants their stinky silver, throw it out here." Su Zhao shouted angrily.
Aunt Bai was a little hesitant. With Master Su's death, the family's livelihood was cut off, and they didn't have much land in the village. Only this house could provide shelter. "Erlang, the Chen family broke off the engagement, so this money..."
"Mom is right, we can't take this money." Su Fengzhang took the small box, which contained five silver ingots.
"Let's not talk about the past grievances. There is absolutely no room for easing the relationship between the Su and Chen families. If that's the case, how can we accept this charity? If we accept it, it will only make our Su family look like we are greedy and forget our principles."
"My son is right. Are the lives of your father and your brother only worth fifty taels of silver?" Su Zhao said hatefully.
Su Fengzhang and Su Zhaoshi had different thoughts, but they both felt that they should not accept the silver. Accepting it would make people look down on them, and if the Chen family made a fuss about it, they would be in a passive position.
He walked out of the door carrying the small box. When Mr. Chen saw what was in his hand, his eyes changed.
Su Fengzhang said, "I know that Master Chen feels guilty, but I absolutely cannot accept this fifty taels of silver. Although my father and eldest brother are gone, the Su family still exists. As their son, I cannot tarnish their reputation."
Master Chen's face darkened, and he simply said, "My dear nephew, now that Brother Su is gone, you still have to observe three years of mourning. Your livelihood will surely be difficult in the future. Do you want to reconsider?"
"I've made up my mind." Su Fengzhang stuffed the small box and the engagement letter into his hands, "Master Chen, please go back."
"The young man is full of vigor and vitality, but he didn't listen to the advice of the old man and suffered the consequences." Master Chen snorted coldly. He originally wanted to make some compensation, but since the Su family didn't appreciate his kindness, he saved a lot of money.
Master Chen waved his hand and left with his men. Second Uncle Su was a little worried and whispered, "It's fifty taels of silver after all. You won't have a livelihood in the future. This..."
His eldest son Su Ci Zhang, who was standing next to him, quickly pulled him back to prevent him from saying something wrong.
"Second uncle, eldest cousin, second cousin, and all uncles, today is so grateful to you. If it weren't for your support, the Chen family would not have honestly returned the things."
Su Fengzhang pretended not to notice his uncle and cousin's lawsuit, and bowed, "Erlang thanks everyone here."
"Erlang, you don't have to be polite. We all have the surname Su, and we can't let you be bullied." In the past, Su Dianli had done a lot of things for his clansmen and villagers, so everyone was happy to support them.
Su Fengzhang had someone prepare a small profit margin long ago, and gave one to each family that came to support him, and of course some of them would refuse to give.
Su Fengzhang simply said, "It's the spring planting season now, and the uncles and aunts are not coming to help in the fields. This friendship is precious, but as a junior, I can't refuse. This small gift is not worth much, but it is my gratitude."
The others wanted to refuse, but Uncle Su asked his son to accept it. Once he took it, the others followed suit.
On the way back, Su Caozhang, the second son of the Su family, was unhappy and said to his father: "Dad, our uncle's family is having such a hard time right now, how can we still ask for their things?"
Before he finished speaking, Su Cizhang beside him slapped him on the head: "If you can think of something, can't our father think of it?"
"Uncle and Dalang are gone, but their whole family will have to live in the village from now on. Uncle has been away from home for many years and has had little contact with the villagers and the clan. Now everyone is willing to stand up because we share the same surname, Su."
"But if we don't interact with each other, the relationship will fade sooner or later. If their family has problems in the future, who would be willing to lend a hand for no reason?"
Finally, Su Cizhang added, "A few days ago, I was worried about Erlang's inexperience due to his youth, but I didn't expect that in just a few days, Erlang could hold on. He can think so carefully, so his future won't be too bad."
Su Caozhang finally understood what had just happened. He slapped his head, and his expression was very similar to that of his second uncle Su.
However, even though he figured it out, he still couldn't help but wonder in his heart how this spoiled Erlang of his family could become such a different person overnight. But thinking of the great changes in the Su family, no one doubted why Su Fengzhang had changed.
After all, if the eldest brother dies first and then the biological father dies, all kind-hearted people will change.
The author has something to say:
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I like the happy and cohesive village~~
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