Chapter 8: A Carriage Full of Gifts

Page (1/3)

Mrs. Su was delighted to see her eldest sister-in-law so fond of her son. The head of the household was right—her son's future was secure. As long as he obediently listened to his eldest aunt, she would surely help advance his prospects.

Sun Chunlan addressed the village chief and others, "Village Chief, we will head back now and chat later. By the way, Yuniang entrusted me with something for you. Once I organize it, I will bring it over."

Upon hearing news of the elderly daughter Yuniang, the village chief quickly asked, "Yuniang, is she well at the He family? How is Baoge?"

Chunlan gave an affirmative glance and smiled, "They are fine. Both mother and son are well. You need not worry."

Hearing this, the village chief finally felt at ease.

He told the villagers, "Everyone, disperse now. Don't block Chunlan’s way home."

The villagers of Sun Family Village exchanged glances and quietly scolded the little old village chief: “He only allows you to ask questions but forbids us from listening. Hmph!”

Sun Chunlan, holding Sun Shan, smiled politely, "Uncles, aunts, I will be heading back now. Let's chat again when we have time."

After greeting familiar faces, she followed Mrs. Huang back to the Sun residence.

Mrs. Su saw the eldest sister-in-law still holding Shan and hurried forward, "Eldest sister, Shan is heavy. Let him walk on his own."

Sun Chunlan shook her head with a smile, "I can still carry him now. In a few years, when I want to hold him, I won’t be able to."

Her words triggered hearty laughter from everyone.

He Shuyu pinched her little cousin’s cheek and joked, "Mama, cousin is still so skinny; he hasn’t gained much weight."

Sun Shan shot a glare at his second cousin, thinking, “I’m skinny? You're just as skinny yourself, hmph!”

He Guye ruffled Sun Shan’s head and agreed, "Shan really is thin. Is he not eating enough?"

Sun Bomin, leading the horse cart, laughed and explained, "He eats plenty; he just doesn’t gain weight."

The group chatted and laughed all the way back to the Sun family home.

Eldest sister Guyu hurried to the kitchen with her three younger sisters to boil water and brew tea.

Sun Bomin and He Guye unloaded the carriage, led the horse into the courtyard, and found some fodder to feed it.

Sun Chunlan set Sun Shan down and, along with her second son, took the gifts from the carriage to Mrs. Huang’s bedroom. These things couldn’t be left in the main hall, lest they be seen and taken by others.

Page (2/3)

Sun Chunlan and the others carried in a full carriage of gifts, dazzling Mrs. Su and her daughters.

Their hearts bloomed with joy; the eldest sister-in-law truly cared for her maternal family. Every time she returned, the gifts were abundant.

Sun Chunlan took out a pack of candies, placed it on the living room table, grabbed a handful, and put some into Sun Shan’s pocket. She peeled one candy and put it into his mouth, affectionately saying, "These are milk candies—so fragrant and sweet."

Sun Shan chewed and was filled with a milky aroma. It was so delicious he almost cried. The taste reminded him of White Rabbit candy; it had been a long time since he had enjoyed such rich sweets.

He nodded eagerly and stammered, "Eldest aunt, it’s delicious. I like it." With his mouth full, his words were a bit slurred.

Eldest aunt gently tapped her little nephew’s nose and said softly, "Eat slowly. There’s more inside." Then she stuffed his pockets full of candies.

Guyu brought over a teapot, having brewed tea. She poured it into cups and shyly said, "Eldest aunt, here’s some tea," then went to the eldest uncle and second cousin and poured them each a cup.

Eldest aunt took a hearty sip; the taste was like childhood memories. She smiled and asked, "Mama, was this tea picked from the mountain?"

Poor families who wanted tea could not afford to buy it and had to pick wild mountain tea and roast it themselves. Yet the flavor had its own unique charm.

Mrs. Huang also sipped and nodded, "Yes, this is this year’s spring tea—you like it. Take some home; there’s plenty."

Eldest aunt accepted graciously with a smile, "Thank you. Homegrown tea is fragrant indeed."

She turned to the four Sun sisters, "Guyu, you all have some candy. Help yourselves."

Guyu nodded with a flushed face, "Got it, eldest aunt."

Though they knew, none dared reach out to take any. Eldest aunt was very kind but carried an air of city refinement. The Sun sisters were somewhat intimidated, unlike the younger brothers who were more at ease.

Sun Chunlan noticed their hesitation, so she handed each sister two candies with a smile, "Eat these. These candies are different from before—they’re brought back from the capital. They taste quite good."

The Sun sisters, having only heard of the capital or the prefectural city, nodded shyly, took the candies, but didn’t eat them, instead putting them in their pockets.

Sun Bomin settled the eldest brother-in-law’s horse, then entered the main hall and went to the granary. From inside, he brought out some tangerines.

These were usually hidden in a big jar; only Mrs. Huang occasionally took a few out for Sun Shan. No one else dared to steal them.

He picked out a small basket and smiled, "Eldest sister, brother-in-law, Yuge, have some tangerines."

He Shuyu took the tangerines, thanked his uncle, peeled one, took a bite, and squinted his eyes, "Uncle, it’s so sweet."

Page (3/3)

He Guye took one, peeled it, and first handed it to his wife.

Then he picked another from the basket and continued peeling.

After a bite, he nodded approvingly, "This is my favorite flavor. Mama, our family’s tangerines are the best; you won’t find another like them in Guangnan Prefecture."

Mrs. Huang took the tangerine from her eldest daughter but didn’t eat it. She peeled it segment by segment and fed it to Yuge, asking, "Oldest son, keep all the tangerines from the jar for Chunlan to take home."

She then turned to He Guye, "This year is a poor tangerine harvest year, so there’s none to sell."

He Guye already knew this and smiled, "Planting tangerines, lychees, and longans is like this—one year’s a good harvest, the next is poor."

Eldest aunt still held Sun Shan. The little one was five but still very frail, possibly premature and smaller than his peers. She said to Mrs. Huang, "Mama, I’ll take the tangerines back. Grandfather, grandmother, and great-grandmother love this flavor most."

Not only did the family enjoy them, but others in the He family liked them too. Sweet, refreshing, and uniquely flavored, some must be reserved to give to the clan.

Mrs. Su, having just fed the livestock, came inside, found a seat, and glanced around. Seeing only the eldest sister, brother-in-law, and second son Yuge, she curiously asked, "Eldest sister, Jin’er, Sheng’er, Han’er—weren’t they coming?"

Eldest aunt took a bite of tangerine and smiled, "Jin’er is home studying. He’ll take the imperial student exam next year. As for Sheng’er and Han’er, they accompanied great-grandmother back to her natal home. Great-grandmother’s eldest brother is celebrating his birthday, and the two are representatives."

Here, “great-grandmother” refers to He Guye’s grandmother, Yuge’s great-grandmother.

Sun Bomin laughed, "Great-grandmother’s eldest brother must be quite old?"

He Guye responded, "He’s 81. Great-grandmother took the family’s great-grandson to share in the joy."

Sun Shan nodded upon hearing this. There was a custom here: bringing younger generations to celebrate the birthdays of elders could bring health to the young ones.

Thus, many families liked to bring little children to bow before elderly relatives.

Sun Shan was taken by Sun Bomin to attend the elders’ birthday banquet, even specially brought to bow.

Because of his frail body and the appearance that he might not survive, the scientifically minded Sun family parents tried all sorts of superstitious methods.

So far, it seemed effective. Sun Shan had passed the critical age of three and was now officially recorded in the clan genealogy, considered to have a firm footing in life.