Call Me Daddy

“Look quickly, isn’t that Second Brother Su from the Su family? He really is using a crutch now. His leg hasn’t healed properly; how did he end up going out into the fields?”

“Haven’t you heard? These days, that old shrew at his house has been scolding him day and night, berating him for living off others. Second Su is such a simple and honest person; you should know that by now. He must have been scolded so harshly that he would rather go work in the fields, even with that leg of his.”

Su Aobai was walking along the country road, leaning on a crutch. His injured leg was propped up high, and the pant leg of his right leg was rolled up to mid-thigh, exposing the calf wrapped in bandages.

Li Shi now regarded him as an eyesore and wouldn’t bother to prepare clean cotton cloth for him. Therefore, Su Aobai was currently using the two pieces of gauze left by Doctor Li. When one became dirty, he would switch to the other. The dirty one would be washed by Er Niang after all her work was done.

To ensure that the cleaned gauze would be dry in time for the next change, Er Niang would carefully place the wet cloth over the fire to dry.

However, no matter how meticulously cleaned, in the ancient times without soap or laundry detergent, those pieces of gauze, after several washes, had long lost their original color. Additionally, since the doctor had emphasized that the bandaging cloth had to be clean, otherwise the wound might become infected and more troublesome, Er Niang scrubbed with extra effort. After several washes, the cloth had become much thinner, and the originally fine texture had become loose.

At this moment, the gauze on Su Aobai’s leg couldn’t be wrapped securely at all. The ointment had already seeped through to the outer layer, and the still-unhealed wound continually oozed dark red blood with his movements.

Although it was covered with bandages, the patches of black and red made it look even more alarming.

Moreover, the skin above the bandage, at the top of the calf and around the knee, had already turned black and purple. Only in the middle of the thigh did the color gradually lighten, returning to a more normal skin tone.

The villagers, though not as skilled as Doctor Li, knew that healthy skin wouldn’t turn black and purple. Given the severity of the discoloration, it was likely that this leg had little chance of recovery.

But there was still a glimmer of hope, as it was said that Doctor Li had prescribed a remedy. The current priority was to rest and recuperate at home; why go out and work?

Despite the fact that the original owner only had a mediocre reputation in the village and many people laughed at him behind his back, calling him foolish for working like a mule for an unrelenting stepmother and his two stepbrothers, and even training his only daughter to become a maid for the Su family, there was no one who actually harbored a grudge against him.

Although he was ridiculed, there was also a sense of sympathy underlying it. Seeing that his life had become as bitter as if brewed in a pot of brine juice, and now with a leg injury that might render him a cripple for the rest of his life, those with a bit of empathy would shed a few tears for him.

***

“Hey, Su Youniu, where are you going?”

Halfway down the road, Su Aobai was stopped by a woman. He lowered his head, a flash of shrewdness passing through his eyes, and when he looked up again, his expression had turned to one of simple-mindedness.

The one who stopped him was the village chief’s wife. In this village, if anyone didn’t fear Scholar Su’s mother, Li Shi, it would certainly be the village chief’s wife, Ma Shi.

Her husband was the village chief, and although he didn’t hold an official position, he was the top authority in Shili Village. Every household needed to go through the village chief for applications related to building houses, reclaiming land, or even service.

Moreover, the village chief of Shili Village was surnamed Wang. Wang was a prominent surname in the village, and Village Chief Wang was also the patriarch of the Wang family. The only private school in the village was the Wang family’s school. However, due to Village Chief Wang, other surnames in the village also benefitted a bit.

In an era when clan consciousness was strong, Village Chief Wang’s status in Shili Village was unassailable, and his wife was also regarded as the foremost woman in the village.

Furthermore, Ma Shi’s own son was impressive. While Li Shi had one talented son, Ma Shi had two. Her eldest son had passed the provincial examination and was now working as an accountant in town. Her second son had passed the county examination to become a scholar a few years ago, and he was only a few years younger than Su Youwen. He had been teaching at the Wang family’s school all these years, educating the village children while diligently studying, waiting for the right moment to make another attempt at the examinations.

Originally, Ma Shi and Li Shi had nothing to do with each other, but after Li Shi’s son became a scholar and his pride soared, some shallow villagers privately praised him, saying that Su Youwen was more learned than her own son and might even surpass him in the future to become a higher-ranking scholar. Since it was just idle chatter, Li Shi unreservedly accepted the praise.

However, there are no walls that didn’t let wind through, and soon enough, these comments reached Ma Shi’s ears.

You can be pleased that your son became a scholar, but was it necessary to put down my son? As a mother herself, Ma Shi naturally cared about her own son. Thus, she began to hold a grudge against Li Shi.

However, Ma Shi hadn’t mentioned this to her husband because he would think that the women were being petty and wouldn’t let such gossip affect village affairs. Ma Shi could only suppress her anger and wait for the right opportunity to humiliate Li Shi thoroughly.

And by chance, Su Aobai, with his all-knowing memories, was aware of the hidden grudge between them.

From the moment he started acting in front of Doctor Li, Su Aobai had been plotting.

Doctor Li was tight-lipped, but no matter how secretive a man was, he would inevitably share a few things with his spouse. Conveniently, this tight-lipped man had the most talkative wife in the village.

Doctor Li’s wife was very close to Ma Shi.

Ma Shi was indeed a shrewd woman. While her husband looked down on the village gossipers, Ma Shi was more than happy to listen. Through the idle talk of these women, she often learned about the movements and changes in most of the village households. These trivial details could potentially affect her husband.

Therefore, she deliberately maintained a friendly relationship with Doctor Li’s wife. In this village, if Doctor Li’s wife knew something, Ma Shi was sure to know it too.

Just now, Su Aobai had deliberately chosen a small path that passed by the village chief’s house.

The Wang family was well-off, and at her age, Ma Shi, now a mother-in-law, didn’t need to work in the fields. During this time of day, she would sit in her yard mending clothes or making shoe soles for the men and children in her family.

The Wang family’s yard was particularly spacious, and since Ma Shi was generous, she would always prepare a large pot of inexpensive tea and some melon seeds and peanuts for guests. Thus, some of the village women who didn’t need to work in the fields loved to come to Ma Shi’s home to chat and do some trivial handwork.

They could get a little benefit, while Ma Shi could pass the time cheerfully with inexpensive things and win over these women. Both sides felt they had gained something.

At that moment, as Su Aobai slowly walked by on his crutch, there were already about a dozen women sitting in the yard. When they saw him pass by, they began discussing the latest gossip about Li Shi that had been circulating in the village.

As expected, Ma Shi stopped him.

***

When the village chief’s wife asked him where he was going, Su Aobai’s lips twitched slightly, his hands tightly gripping the rough crutch, and his face grew even paler.

After a long while, he finally responded in a hoarse voice.

“Just… just going to the fields to take a look.”

Ma Shi’s eyes immediately brightened, and the group of women in the yard followed her out, surrounding Su Aobai.

Most of Ma Shi’s close friends were women in their forties or fifties, while Su Aobai was only in his twenties, so despite being surrounded by a group of women, there was no awkwardness about gender.

“Why are you going to the fields with an injured leg?” Ma Shi raised her voice.

It was well known that Li Shi had been scolding him at home every day, and Su Aobai wasn’t a fool. Didn’t he want to take care of his injured leg? Yet now, with a hurt leg, he was going to the fields. Wasn’t it because Li Shi, his stepmother, was forcing him?

“I’m just… just going to the fields to take a look… There’s so much work in the fields now. Father, eldest brother, and third brother are working every day. I can’t help with anything at home and I’m spending so much money. I… I feel guilty. Actually, my injury isn’t that serious anymore. I can still work.”

As he spoke, Su Aobai lifted his injured leg, but whether he had pulled on an unhealed wound or not, dark red blood began seeping through. A thin layer of sweat broke out on his forehead, and the color drained from his lips, turning as pale as rice paper.

“Don’t move, don’t move. Look at your leg, it’s in such a state, and you’re still thinking about working.”

Ma Shi looked at the man in front of her with disdain. Even at such a time, he was still defending that vicious stepmother of his!

The other women present shared the same thoughts, feeling both anger and jealousy in their hearts.

Their own biological sons might not be as honest and filial as Su Aobai, yet Li Shi seemed to have such good fortune, receiving a stepson who, despite being endlessly tormented, remained devoted to her.

Little did they know, this was exactly the effect Su Aobai wanted.

If he were to say now that he couldn’t endure Li Shi’s scolding and thus had to work in the fields, people would sympathize with him but would also think him less purely filial, as he was exposing his stepmother’s faults in front of outsiders. This wasn’t consistent with his previously perceived honest nature.

Now, the more he hesitated to defend Li Shi, the more it stirred up people’s hostility towards her.

“I’m able to work. I can walk with this crutch, and I can help my Father and the others carry the harvested grain.” Su Aobai desperately tried to prove his worth.

“I can work; I don’t want to eat without working.”

“Is someone at home still scolding you for living off others?” Ma Shi shrewdly seized on his words.

“No, no, no one is saying that.”

Su Aobai urgently waved his hand, almost losing his balance while leaning on the crutch. His clumsy and simple image was deeply ingrained in people’s minds, making it hard for anyone to believe that such an honest man would undermine his stepmother.

“The family has spent so much money on my treatment, and I haven’t even a single copper coin. 20 taels of silver; enough to buy my younger brother several books and a good set of writing materials.”

His face was filled with guilt, as if the money spent on his leg injury made him a burden to the entire family. He felt he had to work extra hard to repay the money spent on him.