Morning. The main hall.
The Su family was all eating breakfast.
"Xiaochen, when are you going to bring a wife home? Look at Li Fei from the courtyard... he's a year younger than you, and he's already married. I hear they've even got a baby on the way."
"While your grandma is still around, you'd better work hard and let me hold a great-grandchild."
Su Chen, who was eating sweet rice balls, paused. He forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace. "Grandma, I'm only twenty-four this year. This is the prime time to build my career. I want to wait another couple of years before finding a wife."
"Another two years? In two years, you'll be twenty-six, and by traditional counting, you'll be twenty-seven! People who aren't married by twenty-six or twenty-seven are considered failures. Your grandma doesn't want to hear gossip from the busybodies in the courtyard!"
Su Zhuyun, who had been eating quietly, made the rare gesture of putting down his chopsticks. He knew Su Chen had opportunities in Shanghai and didn't want his son's future to be held back by the older generation's desire for a great-grandchild.
"Mom, don't worry about Xiaochen's affairs. He has his own plans."
Hearing this, Grandma glanced at Su Zhuyun and sighed softly. "I'm getting old. Nobody listens to me anymore."
Everyone lowered their heads and continued eating their breakfast, pretending they hadn't heard. Seeing this, Grandma could only drop the subject.
After breakfast, the various families began to pack their things, preparing to head for home.
After all, the birthday banquet was over. Everyone had to return to their normal lives. It was back to the office for some and back to the grind for others; everyone had their own business to attend to.
"Grandma, we're leaving now! I'll come back to see you when I have time!" Su Qingya said coquettishly, hugging her grandmother's arm.
"Alright. My granddaughter is so considerate, unlike some people who I don't even see twice a year!"
Hearing these barbed words, Su Chen scratched his head in embarrassment.
Seeing Su Chen's awkward look, Su Qingya burst out laughing.
Perhaps Su Qingya's laughter was infectious, because there wasn't much sadness in the goodbyes to their grandparents.
As the car slowly pulled out of the courtyard, Su Chen could see his grandparents in the rearview mirror, standing in the yard and watching them go in silence.
"Dad, why don't we bring Grandpa and Grandma to the city with us?" Su Chen said, turning to Su Zhuyun, who was driving.
"You think I haven't tried? I talked to your grandparents about this a long time ago. They refused. They aren't even willing to come stay for a short while. They say they're not used to city life and find it more interesting to take care of their land in the countryside."
"They've spent their whole lives with their faces to the dirt and their backs to the sky, toiling the land. Their roots are planted firmly in this soil. It's impossible to get them to take it easy. If you really care, just go back and visit them more often!"
Su Chen nodded at his father's words. He rested his hand on the car window and quietly watched the scenery outside.
"Xiaochen, when are you planning to go see your maternal grandma?" Chen Shufen, sitting in the back seat, suddenly asked.
"Ah... we'll see. Either tomorrow or the day after. Right now, I just want to go home and rest for a day."
"Let's go tomorrow. I'll go with you."
"Alright."
'His happiest childhood memories... were of going to his maternal grandma's house.'
'Back then, the Su family was poor, so his parents rarely bought him any snacks. What he looked forward to most was the New Year, because visiting his grandma for the holiday meant not only receiving red envelopes but also getting to eat lots of treats.'
'But every time, his mom, Chen Shufen, would take the red envelopes for various reasons, euphemistically calling it "safekeeping" and promising to give the money back to him when he was older.'
'At the time, Su Chen was naive enough to believe her. Thinking back on it now still made him feel a little sad.'
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"Seriously, Mom? How much stuff did you buy? The trunk is almost full!"
Looking at the massive pile of various nutritional supplements and canned fruits in the trunk, you'd think they had just robbed a supermarket.
"We rarely get to go back, so what's wrong with buying a few things? Shouldn't I?" Chen Shufen said, raising an eyebrow and looking at Su Chen with a hint of menace.
Seeing the murderous glint in his mom's eyes, Su Chen quickly surrendered. "You should! Of course, you should!"
"Hmph. I'm just doing this to save face for you Su family."
In the past, Su Chen might not have understood the meaning behind Chen Shufen's words. But after some recent lessons from his deceptively wise father, Su Chen had learned to think more laterally about things.
The Chen family used to be relatively wealthy and quite influential in the local area. However, after certain events and the passing of his maternal grandfather, the Chen family began to decline.
As a daughter who had married into another family, the number of gifts Chen Shufen brought back to her maiden home reflected her current living situation. If she only showed up with a box or two of fruit, any discerning person would know that she was having a hard time.
But now? Not only were they driving back in a car, but they also had a trunk full of gifts. If the neighbors saw this, they would only say that Chen Shufen had married well and that the Su family was thriving.
"Alright, let's go. It's getting late."
Chen Shufen's family home was about thirty kilometers from the city. It was in the same general direction as Su Chen's paternal hometown, just on the opposite side of the river.
Baixi Village—a small village on the banks of the Yangtze River.
Chen Changjie, Su Chen's second maternal uncle, was standing on a black-canopied boat, haggling with the boat's owner.
"Old Wu, we're old acquaintances. This isn't right. You promised me two big river fish, so how come there's only one left?"
"Old Chen, I couldn't help it," Old Wu said, pulling out a cigarette and offering one to Chen Changjie.
"My wife's younger brother just got his job position confirmed, you see? He wanted to treat his boss to a casual meal and asked me to get him a river fish. Besides, the one I saved for you isn't small! It's a good four and a half pounds. It'll definitely be enough for you all to eat. If it's really not enough, I'll throw in a river perch!"
Chen Changjie glanced at the catch in the fish hold and nodded reluctantly. "Fine. Bag them all up for me!"
Old Wu gave a hearty laugh, weighed them briefly, and put both fish straight into oxygenated bags.
"The river fish is four and a half pounds, the river perch is two and a half. Just give me five hundred, and we'll call it even. My bad this time, brother."
A sharp glint flashed in Chen Changjie's eyes when he heard this. That price would save him at least two hundred yuan.
He didn't dawdle. He pulled a wad of cash directly from his pocket—it had quite a few fifties and twenties in it.
He counted out five hundred yuan, handed it to the boat owner, Old Wu, said a quick goodbye, and got off the boat carrying the two bags of fish.
Once he was back on the main road, Chen Changjie burst out laughing. "I can't believe I snagged such a bargain today. I really hit the jackpot."
"Second Uncle, what are you so happy about?"
Chen Changjie, who had been focused on walking, jumped in fright when a voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
He turned around and saw that the person who had just spoken was Su Chen.
"You little rascal, it's you! You scared me just now! Where's your mom? She called and said you were all coming back together. Why don't I see her?"
Chen Changjie craned his neck and looked around. Other than a car parked a short distance away, he didn't see Chen Shufen in the roadside supermarket either.
"There, in the car over there. Come on, Second Uncle. We can drive back."
"In the car?" Chen Changjie looked at the Volkswagen SUV with a flash of surprise in his eyes, but he still picked up his pace and followed.