Chapter 32: Second Aunt Su

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Madam Su chatted with Second Aunt Su for a little longer before finally saying, “In a while, I’ll have Father call you over for dinner. Don’t refuse. There’s meat today. If you don’t eat it, outsiders will benefit. So what if people say a few things? At least what you eat will be yours.”

Second Aunt Su did not want to go, but since her elder sister had put it that way, she thought it made sense. She nodded and said, “I understand, Big Sister. We’ll come over later.”

Madam Su nodded. “We’re leaving now. Your brother-in-law is still waiting for us at the village entrance.”

With that, she took Sun Shan by the hand and walked out of the courtyard. Turning to her three nieces, she said, “Eldest, Second, Third, Auntie is going to your maternal grandfather’s house. Come over later too, all right?”

The three girls nodded and said goodbye to Madam Su and the others.

Madam Su carried Sun Shan on her back and, with her four daughters, hurried toward the village entrance.

When she saw Sun Bomin, she called, “Husband, we’re back.”

She then put Sun Shan into the cart and pushed it into the village.

Tiger Ridge Mountain Village was small, with fewer than twenty households. When some villagers saw Madam Su return, they greeted her with smiles.

“The eldest daughter of Third Brother Su is back!”

Madam Su and Sun Bomin nodded to everyone, calling out greetings to uncles, aunts, and older cousins along the way.

Before long, they arrived at her parents’ home.

It consisted of four mud-brick rooms with a large courtyard in front, where a few vegetables were growing.

Madam Su called out, “Father, Mother, I’m home!”

The courtyard was enclosed by a simple bamboo fence, and the gate was unlocked. Sun Bomin and Madam Su pushed the cart straight inside.

Sun Shan climbed down and followed everyone on foot.

Soon, an old woman came out of the house. She was Sun Shan’s maternal grandmother. Compared with Grandma Huang, she looked far more aged and frail. Her hair was completely white, and the wrinkles on her face were deep enough to trap mosquitoes.

Sun Shan and the others greeted her.

The old woman smiled and embraced Sun Shan affectionately. “You’ve come, my dear grandson-in-law. Shan, come inside and sit down.”

Madam Su did not see her father and quickly asked, “Where is Father?”

The old woman smiled. “He went up the mountain to dig winter bamboo shoots. He guessed you might come today, so he’ll probably bring some back for you to take home.”

The group soon entered the main room. At that moment, a young woman came out of the side room and said in a shrill voice, “Big Sister, Brother-in-law, you’re here!”

Then she called into the house, “Dagen, Ergen, come out quickly! Your aunt and uncle brought lots of things!”

A moment later, two little boys darted out of the main room.

The older one was Dagen. He was five years old, only a few months younger than Sun Shan. Seeing all the things spread across the floor, he wanted to rummage through them.

Grandmother Su struck his hand with a stick and scolded angrily, “Stop pawing through everything! Haven’t you been taught any manners?”

Su Dagen pouted, on the verge of tears.

The other boy, Su Ergen, was four. When he saw his brother being struck by Grandma, he took several steps back and hid beside the young woman.

Madam Su quickly tried to smooth things over. She pulled Dagen and Ergen toward her and said gently, “Dagen, Ergen, do you still remember your aunt?”

The two boys nodded and said that they did.

Madam Su took out a packet of sweets from the gifts and smiled. “Here, have some. Auntie brought them for you.”

The two boys immediately stopped crying and broke into smiles. They began stuffing themselves with sweets, heedless of the long strings of drool hanging from their mouths.

Sun Shan stared at them speechlessly. Their clothes were filthy, and they looked terribly unkempt.

The young woman was Madam Su’s younger brother’s wife, Little Liu. She was also the old woman’s paternal grandniece—a marriage between relatives, making the family ties even closer.

The old woman smiled. “Their aunt really dotes on her nephews. What a pair of little rascals.”

She glanced at Sun Shan, who was sitting upright and properly, and praised him. “Your uncle certainly knows how to raise a child. Just look at Cousin Shan—he’s far better behaved than the two of you.”

Sun Bomin replied modestly, “Not at all. Dagen and Ergen are lively and lovable boys. They’re sure to win anyone’s affection. Shan, on the other hand, is such a quiet child and hardly speaks.”

He thought to himself that it was fortunate Shan was not as filthy and ill-mannered as Dagen and Ergen. Anyone could see they had never been taught proper manners.

After they chatted for a while, voices came from outside the door.

Two men entered, one old and one young.

The white-haired old man was Sun Shan’s maternal grandfather. The other was Sun Shan’s maternal uncle.

Grandfather Su was delighted to see his son-in-law and grandson. Smiling, he said, “I guessed you might come today. I just went up the mountain and dug up several baskets of winter bamboo shoots. Take some home later for your mother-in-law.”

Sun Bomin hurried to his feet. When he saw the baskets of bamboo shoots, he said in surprise, “Father, you dug up so many? Why not take them to market and sell them? With the New Year approaching, plenty of people will buy them.”

Sun Shan’s maternal uncle hugged him, then set him down and said with a smile, “We dug up several baskets and took them to the county town to sell a few days ago. They sold out almost immediately. More have grown back over the past two days. Brother-in-law, take some home later.”

Sun Shan stared curiously at the winter bamboo shoots. They were large and plump, and simply looking at them made him happy.

Grandfather Su patted Sun Shan’s little head and asked with a smile, “Shan, do you like bamboo shoots?”

Sun Shan nodded rapidly and answered frankly, “I do. Winter bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork are the best.”

Su Dagen, who had just finished a sweet, ran over and shouted, “Who doesn’t like pork?”

Su Ergen came forward as well. He was more polite and said to Sun Shan, “Cousin, I like winter bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork too.”

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Everyone burst into laughter at the children’s conversation.

Madam Su took a five-pound slab of pork from the New Year gifts and said to Grandfather Su, “Father, put this meat away carefully.”

Then she pointed at a chicken and a duck in the courtyard. “Little Brother, keep an eye on the chicken and duck so they don’t run away.”

Grandfather Su saw the five pounds of pork his eldest daughter had brought—mostly fat, with only a little lean meat—and grinned so broadly that his teeth showed. Then he looked at the duck and the chicken.

Just this much meat was a rare luxury in Tiger Ridge Mountain Village.

With the pile of New Year gifts in the middle of the room, Grandfather Su widened his eyes and said, “Daughter, you brought far too much. You’re being overly generous.”

Sun Bomin smiled honestly. His father-in-law’s words were polite, but his hands were not slow; he accepted every single thing with delight.

Madam Su pointed to a sack of rice and said, “Mother, Father, this is a sack of grain. Put it away too.”

She then took out two sets of thick cotton-padded jackets and trousers.

Smiling, she said, “These are old clothes Shan personally asked his aunt for. He said they were meant especially for his maternal grandparents.”

Sun Shan quickly added, “Grandfather, Grandmother, these are old clothes brought back from the prefectural city. I hope you won’t mind them.”

Mind them? That was impossible.

Just look at the fabric. Just look at how thick they were. Goodness, they were so warm. They could have as many clothes like these as anyone was willing to give them.

The old woman was deeply moved. “Oh, what wonderful clothes! And they came from the prefectural city. I never imagined I would one day wear clothes from there. Our Shan is truly the most filial child in the world.”

Grandfather Su was equally excited. Thanks to his daughter, he would actually get to wear such fine clothes. He lovingly stroked the padded jacket and said with a smile, “Shan has a thoughtful heart.”

Little Liu stared covetously at the winter clothes, wishing with all her heart that they had been given to her instead.

Madam Su brought out two more sets of winter clothing. These were Sun Shan’s old clothes. They had a few patches, but were still perfectly wearable. She took Dagen and Ergen by the hand and held the clothes against them for comparison. They fit very well.

She said to her sister-in-law, “Little Sister, these are Shan’s old clothes. I’m giving them to Dagen and Ergen. I hope you won’t mind.”

Mind them? That was out of the question.

Little Liu swiftly took the clothes and put them on her sons. Smiling, she said, “Big Sister really dotes on her nephews. Dagen and Ergen love them.”

When the boys saw that they had new clothes to wear, they were delighted and said sweetly, “Thank you, Auntie.”

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