Chapter 36: Deserving of the Title of a Good Official in the Eyes of the People

While Little Liu was busy, Lady Su took out two money pouches and said, "Father, Mother, this is a small token of respect from my husband and me."

Old Man Su and Old Lady Su’s eyes lit up, but with their son-in-law present, they felt compelled to decline.

"You two have it hard enough," Old Man Su said. "I cannot take this."

Old Lady Su added, "We have enough for our needs; you don't need to give us anything."

Knowing how the two elders were, Lady Su insisted, "Father, Mother, please take it. It’s only 300 coins each—it’s very little, so please don’t refuse."

Sun Bomin chimed in, "Father, Mother, please accept it. It only happens once a year; buy yourselves some meat to eat."

Old Man Su and Old Lady Su accepted with beaming smiles. Their eldest daughter and son-in-law were indeed generous to give 300 coins each. My, the Sun family truly was wealthy; having an eldest daughter married into the prefectural city certainly made a difference.

Sun Bomin instructed, "Father, Mother, keep the mountain goods you gather. Dry them and store them away; we will take them to the prefectural city to sell later."

The He family owned not only a seafood shop for delicacies like abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw but also a shop for common mountain goods. Whenever Sun Bomin went to sell citrus, he would bring along these mountain goods, providing the villagers with an opportunity to increase their income.

Old Man Su nodded. "Yes, we will store them carefully. We won't bring you anything that isn't of good quality. Over these years, thanks to you, our family has had a bit of income."

Sun Bomin waved his hands dismissively. "Father, don't say such things. We are all one family; helping each other is only right."

Lady Su then pulled over Da Gen and Er Gen, slipping them five coins each. Combined with Sun Bomin’s gift, they had ten coins. She then turned to the three younger sisters and handed them coins with a smile, saying, "Take these. They are from your Eldest Sister and Brother-in-law."

The three girls took the copper coins shyly. Only their eldest sister and brother-in-law ever gave them lucky money; their grandparents never did, let alone their father’s parents on the Xu side.

Da Gen and Er Gen were delighted. Ten coins were enough to buy a slingshot. Da Gen tilted his head and asked, "Eldest Sister, when will you come again?" If they came back tomorrow, he could get another ten coins.

Lady Su, assuming Da Gen was simply missing her, felt deeply touched by this beautiful misunderstanding and patted his round head. "We’ll come back whenever we have time."

After chatting for a while, around 1:00 PM, Sun Bomin said urgently, "Father, Mother, we must be going. The mountain paths are difficult to traverse, so we need to leave early."

Old Man Su nodded in understanding. "Hurry back. It’s not good to be out too late."

The group saw the Sun family off to the edge of the village, and Sun Shan waved goodbye to them one by one. Sun Shan only visited Huling Mountain Village once a year; due to his frail health, he rarely went out and left the Sun family village only a few times a year.

The journey back was just as arduous as the trip there. Sun Bomin placed Sun Shan on a cart, as the boy had short legs and struggled to walk for long distances.

Lady Su asked, "Children, how much lucky money did your grandparents and uncle give you?"

The fourth daughter, Han Lu, opened the red paper and said, "Grandfather and Grandmother gave two coins each, Little Uncle and Little Aunt gave one coin each, and Second Aunt gave two coins." In total, they had earned eight coins.

Xiao Man complained, "Little Uncle and Little Aunt are too stingy, only giving one coin." Even the Second Aunt, who was so poor and miserable, gave two.

Gu Yu tapped Xiao Man, signaling her not to speak carelessly. Whether it was a little or a lot, it was a gesture of kindness, and one should not speak ill of others behind their backs.

Lady Su snorted coldly, "Be lucky your Little Aunt gave you one coin at all; I thought she wouldn't give anything." Little Liu was both stingy and sharp-tongued; perhaps her conscience had finally pricked her today.

Sun Shan opened his red paper and widened his eyes. His grandparents had each given him five coins, his little uncle and aunt had given two each, and his second aunt had given five. Well, that was double what his older sisters had received.

When Lady Su and her sisters heard this, they didn't think anything of it. Li Xia laughed, "Little Aunt actually gave Shanzhi two coins; that’s rare." In the past, the little aunt wouldn't give lucky money to the sisters, but Shanzhi always received something, though it was usually only one coin.

Sun Bomin pushed the cart and asked, "Shanzhi, do you want Father to keep this for you?"

Sun Shan pretended not to hear and lay on the cart. Giving it to him for safekeeping was impossible—it would never happen in this lifetime.

After some time, they finally returned to the Sun village in the afternoon. When Madam Huang saw them, she asked with concern, "Was the journey smooth? Are the in-laws doing well?"

Lady Su quickly replied, "Mother, they are all doing very well."

Seeing her grandson jump off the cart, Madam Huang said nervously, "Shanzhi, come down slowly, be careful not to fall."

Sun Shan responded, "Grandmother, I'm fine. I have something for you." Without another word, he walked quickly into the bedroom and grabbed a wine bottle that Sun Bomin had used previously. He stuffed the peach branches he had brought from Huling Mountain Village into the bottle, arranged them neatly, and placed them on the dining table.

He pulled Madam Huang over and said, "Grandmother, these are peach blossoms. I cut them from Grandfather’s place for you. Cousin Yu said that if you display peach blossoms during the New Year, elders will live to be a hundred years old."

At first, Madam Huang didn't think much of the peach branches, but upon hearing her grandson’s explanation, she was deeply moved. She patted Sun Shan’s small head and said, "Oh, my dear grandson, the apple of my eye, Grandmother loves them very much."

Sun Bomin was also pleased by Sun Shan’s filial piety and said warmly, "Mother, you have to admit, in all the surrounding villages, you won't find a child more filial than Shanzhi."

Seeing how easily Shanzhi could please her mother-in-law, Lady Su was overjoyed. She knew that if the mother-in-law liked Shanzhi, she would treat the eldest branch of the family well. She was well aware that her mother-in-law’s private stash was full, and if Shanzhi kept her happy, there would naturally be many benefits.

On the twenty-ninth day of the lunar month, the younger Sun aunt came to her parents' home, bringing a chicken and several cookies and candies. When she left, she took a chicken and a duck back with her. Not to mention the third uncle’s objections, even the usually quiet second aunt thought it was outrageous, though Lady Su forced herself to act as if she didn't mind.

When she saw the lucky money given, she couldn't help but complain to Sun Bomin, "Your younger sister, oh, she only gave Shanzhi one coin. Your brother-in-law is the same—I’ve never seen anyone so stingy." The younger Sun aunt didn't favor boys over girls; she gave a flat rate of one coin to every niece and nephew.

Sun Bomin, lying under the quilt, said indifferently, "Da Bao is going to start school, and there’s no money at home. It’s normal to give a little; as a sister-in-law, don't fuss over it."

Hearing this, Lady Su became even angrier. Da Bao wasn't even in school yet, and she had only given him one coin herself. She wished she could kick some sense into Sun Bomin’s pig-headed brain.

Sun Shan didn't mind; he wasn't expecting much anyway. More importantly, he had the massive fortune of one tael given to him by the eldest Sun aunt—heh, he had completely outdone every other child in Sun village.

After the twenty-ninth passed, it was New Year's Eve. Everything that needed to be prepared had already been taken care of. Sun Shan had taken a stroll around Huangyang County. The county town was small and run-down, but quite tidy.

He heard that the magistrate of Huangyang County had been entrenched there for several years. While the economy hadn't exactly taken off, there had been progress in ensuring people's livelihoods. Bridges were built, roads were repaired, security was strengthened, and crimes were severely punished.

Sun Shan felt the magistrate had done his best. In such a poor and rugged place, development was difficult—not just in ancient times, but even in the modern era. Being able to achieve this much, he deserved to be called a good official by the common people.