Chapter 24: Peddler Sun Becomes the Biggest Winner

Sun’s youngest sister set out from her husband’s home early in the morning and walked for three hours to reach Sun Village, bringing with her a chicken, a duck, and some dried bamboo shoots. Sun Bomin and his second brother slaughtered the poultry, while Madam Su and the second sister-in-law prepared braised chicken, duck stewed with bamboo shoots, steamed grass carp, and a side of seasonal vegetables.

Seeing such a spread, Zhou Miaomiao drooled and said, "Wow, the food at my eldest uncle’s house is so fragrant! Mother, I want to live at Uncle’s house."

She was clearly a greedy little girl, which explained why she was so round-faced and plump—much sturdier than the typical village child.

Sun Bomin laughed heartily. "Alright, Miaomiao can stay here with her eldest uncle and not go back to the Zhou house."

This drew laughter from everyone; no one took a child's words seriously. Just as lunch was ready, the third uncle, third aunt, and their son, Sun Dingguang, arrived right on time.

The third uncle was always quick to make himself at home. Seeing the large fish, he exclaimed, "Big Sister, is this that big fish from the village chief’s place? I’ve been craving it for ages!"

Zhou Erlang and the youngest sister greeted the third brother and his wife, while Zhou Dabao and his sister greeted their third uncle and aunt.

Sun’s eldest sister rolled her eyes at her third brother and scolded with a smile, "Where were you earlier? I didn’t see you working, but you’re certainly the most diligent when it comes to eating."

The third uncle didn't mind his sister’s teasing and just chuckled. The third aunt didn't mind either, thinking that she simply followed the lead of the head of the household; if anything was wrong, it was his fault. Guang-ge, however, felt embarrassed and sat down hesitantly next to his second and third cousins.

Having long since digested their breakfast, the family didn't bother with small talk, focusing instead on the feast before them. Sun Shan, who always ate slowly, sat next to He Shuyu, taking a measured sip of water before picking up his chopsticks.

Yu-ge placed a piece of chicken in Sun Shan’s bowl and laughed, "Shanzi, by the time you finish one bite, I’ll have finished a whole bowl! If you don’t start eating faster, the food will be gone."

Sun Shan shook his head. "I’m not worried, I still have plenty in my bowl." Indeed, his bowl was already piled high, thanks to his uncle-in-law, Mr. He, who kept refilling it.

Sun’s second uncle chuckled, "Big Brother, I don’t know who Shanzi takes after, but he eats so slowly, one bite at a time. It’s quite refined." He glanced at his own two sons, who were wolfing down their food like starving ghosts.

Sun Bomin took a bite of greens and nodded. "I don’t know either. He’s so slow and dawdling; if he went to a banquet, he’d definitely go hungry."

Mr. He disagreed, telling Sun Shan, "Eating slowly is good. It’s easier on the stomach and good for your health."

Yu-ge patted Sun Shan’s head and joked, "Heh, I know who Shanzi takes after! He’s like my big brother and my father. My big brother eats so slowly that he’s always the last one left at the table."

This sent everyone into fits of laughter. From the women’s table, the eldest sister added, "Jin-ge says all his classmates at the academy eat slowly, so he’s picked up the habit too."

That only made the laughter louder.

After the meal, everyone felt satisfied. The three sisters-in-law cleared the table and headed to the kitchen to wash up. Gu Yu served hot tea to the group. The boys gathered to play, while Yu-ge took Zhou Dabao and Zhou Miaomiao to look at the fish caught that morning.

The three Sun brothers prepared to slaughter more poultry, as the eldest sister intended to invite the village chief’s family for dinner that evening. Sun Shan’s grandfather had no biological brothers; he had an older sister who married into a neighboring town, but she died in childbirth, and the Sun family had lost contact with her descendants. Consequently, the village chief’s family, who shared a great-grandfather with the Suns, were their closest kin.

The eldest sister retrieved two rolls of fabric from the inner room—one a floral pink print—and called the Zhou siblings over. Measuring it against Miaomiao, she said, "Youngest sister, this pink fabric should be enough to make a full outfit for Miaomiao."

The youngest sister beamed, touching and smelling the fabric with joy. "Big Sister is so thoughtful, buying fabric specifically for the girl."

Miaomiao was delighted; pink fabric was rare, and she usually wore drab gray clothes. "Thank you, Great Aunt! I love my new clothes," she said sweetly.

The eldest sister stroked her small braids affectionately. "As long as you like it. Here, this is a New Year’s gift from your Great Aunt and Uncle. Take it." She handed another envelope to Zhou Dabao. "Dabao, you take this too."

The siblings looked at their mother, and upon receiving her nod, they happily accepted the gifts and thanked her. The eldest sister then handed two taels of silver to her youngest sister. "Your brother-in-law and I didn't buy much, so take this for the New Year."

The youngest sister didn't stand on ceremony, accepting it with a radiant smile. "Hehe, thank you, Big Sister, I’ll take it!"

The eldest sister took out another tael and pointed to the fabric. "This one tael is for you to buy cotton for winter clothes. Keep yourselves warm."

Zhou Erlang tried to refuse, feeling embarrassed, "Big Sister, the fabric is more than enough; we can buy the cotton ourselves."

Sun Chunlan waved him off. "Take it. My brothers all received the same, and you are no different. Just take it."

Sun Chunjiao happily accepted, beaming. "Big Sister always dotes on me the most." She then turned to Mr. He and said, "Thank you, Brother-in-law."

Mr. He waved his hand. "Chunlan and I live far away, so I must trouble you both to look after Mother." The couple quickly agreed.

When the third aunt came in to serve tea and heard this, she curled her lip, wanting to roll her eyes. Look after their mother? More like looking for handouts from her. They visited even when it wasn't a holiday, always bringing a pound of mediocre pastries, only to leave with chickens or ducks. They would shut themselves in with the old woman, surely asking for money. She had never seen such shameless people, constantly coming back to their maiden home to sponge off them.

After setting down the tea, the third aunt left, feeling sullen. Even though the eldest brother was the one losing out, it was still Sun family wealth being wasted on the Zhou family.

The youngest sister and Zhou Erlang put their things away, sharing a knowing look of delight. The two rolls of fabric were more than enough for their own clothes; they could easily spare a scrap to give to their in-laws to save on filial gifts. And the pink floral fabric for Miaomiao was rare even in the county seat—she would surely be the prettiest girl in the village. Weighing the three taels of silver in her hand, the youngest sister thought, "This covers half a year of Dabao’s school fees! And if we’re ever truly short, we can just come back and borrow from Mother."

The couple was clearly on the same wavelength, covering their mouths to giggle.

Since Sun Chunlan was visiting her ancestral home, she had to pay her respects to all relatives within three generations. She had left the gifts from the provincial capital for her immediate family, buying separate gifts for the relatives while passing through Huangyang County: a piece of meat, a pack of cakes, and a pack of candy, along with 50 coins for the elders and 5–10 coins for the children.

She led Mr. He and Yu-ge on these visits. The relatives in Sun Village were polite, offering tea and inviting them to stay for meals, but the eldest sister always declined, citing the need to visit the next household; a single cup of tea was enough.

Upon returning, Yu-ge opened the red envelopes he had received—they contained only one or two coins each. He didn't mind; he took the money and led his many cousins to the peddler’s cart to buy snacks. In the end, the peddler was the biggest winner, as every coin Yu-ge had earned went straight into his pockets.