Call Me Daddy

20 taels of silver wasn’t a small amount, even for a wealthy family like the Wang family. For an ordinary farming household, it was enough to last for a year or 2.

When the old accounts were reviewed in the future, some might even use this money to defend Li Shi. After all, despite her harsh treatment of her stepson, she did spend money on his medical care.

But when Su Aobai changed the context and provided several comparisons, this large sum of money seemed less significant.

He claimed to have no copper coins on him, but where had all the hard-earned money he had made over the years gone?

Frankly, out of the dozens of acres of work on the Su family’s land, a small portion was done by other family members, but the majority was done by Second Su and the old yellow ox.

Many tasks the old yellow ox couldn’t handle, so Second Su had definitely worked more than the ox.

He had been working since he was old enough to understand. At 12, he did hard labor equivalent to that of many adult men. Now, at 26, he had worked for the Su family for 14 years, handling the dirty and grueling tasks. And what had he received in return? A barely full stomach, old clothes worn by Old Su and the others, and even the shoes he wore were mended by his late wife, now patched with dozens of holes. His daughter was currently sewing them, and the original color of the fabric was no longer recognizable.

Over the years, Su Youniu had earned much more than 20 taels for the Su family.

Not to mention the odd jobs he took in town or nearby villages during the off-season. He was honest and straightforward, never hiding his earnings. Every time he returned, he handed over all the copper coins he had earned to Li Shi. The money he brought home was enough to cover several treatments for his leg injury.

At this moment, the 20 taels of silver he felt pressured to make up for, despite his leg injury, meant little to the other members of the Su family.

Just a few books for Fourth Su and a decent set of writing materials.

Were these things really more important than Su Youniu’s leg or his future?

How biased could the Su family be to make this simple man feel such thoughts?

It was Su Kuishan’s fault; it was Li Shi’s fault!

There were biased parents in the village, but none were quite like Su Kuishan and his wife. After all, a stepmother is still a stepmother, not from one’s own flesh, and would never truly feel the same compassion.

Of course, good stepmothers do exist, but Li Shi was definitely not one of them.

“You’re so honest, Youniu. You really are too honest.”

Faced with such a foolish and honest Su Aobai, Ma Shi almost couldn’t bear to use him.

But then she thought, wasn’t she actually giving Su Youniu a chance to survive by doing this?

“I can’t stand by and watch Li Shi bully you. Although I’m not the Su family’s matriarch, I am the Village Chief’s wife here in Shili Village. I can’t let someone like Li Shi appear in our village. What would people think of us if word gets out? They might think all the women in our village are as harsh as Li Shi!”

Ma Shi declared passionately in front of the other women.

“Consider it my meddling. I’m going to handle this for Su Youniu.”

Saying that, she sent a few people to the fields to fetch her husband and the male members of the Su family. She also sent a few others to notify the respected elders in the village, particularly the elders from the Su family’s clan.

Su Aobai seemed confused about what Ma Shi was planning. He looked at her with a bewildered expression as she arranged everything and then, with the help of two strong women, was led back in the direction he had come from.

“Aunt, I still need to work…” Su Aobai said with a sense of grievance, noting that they were going the wrong way.

“Don’t say anything. I’ll take care of it for you!”

Ignoring Su Aobai’s confusion, the group of women marched confidently toward the Su family home.

***

Li Shi watched with satisfaction as the limping Su Aobai headed toward the fields.

She had known that the fool couldn’t handle her constant scolding and would obediently go to work in the fields.

Although Su Aobai was limping, he could still do some work, she thought. However, the more she considered it, the more dissatisfied she became. No matter how hard he worked, he could never be as effective as he used to be.

Not only that, but after the 20 taels of medicine were used up, who knew if there would be more expenses? Right now, Su Aobai was like a hot potato that Li Shi wished she could throw away as soon as possible.

“Grandma, where’s my Father?”

When Er Niang and her cousin returned from cutting pigweed, the first thing they did was go to check on her father. However, he was missing from the kang where he should have been lying. They searched the front and back courtyards but couldn’t find him.

“Where could he have gone? Of course, he’s gone to work. Is it not enough that I support you, this idle eater? Now I also have to support your father?”

Li Shi snapped at her granddaughter, who always wore a sorrowful face. Despite being her granddaughter, her constant mournful expression had drained any goodwill Li Shi might have had.

“My Father’s leg isn’t healed yet.” Er Niang was anxious.

She had been the one applying medicine and changing the bandages for Su Aobai, so she knew better than anyone how serious the injury was. The doctor had said that if it wasn’t properly treated, the leg would definitely be lost. Under such circumstances, how could he be working in the fields?

“How dare you raise your voice at me, you jinx? You ungrateful little wench, do you think we can afford to support you? If I had the chance, I’d sell you to a brothel. Just look at your shamelessness. Where would you get the most money if sold? Since you’re so filial, I’ll use the money from selling you to pay for your father’s treatment!”

As if cursing wasn’t enough, Li Shi angrily pinched Er Niang several times.

“Su Li Shi! You’re so bold!” This exclamation was just in time for Ma Shi and the others to overhear.

“There’s no family in our Shili Village that sells their children. Your son is still a scholar. Do you think I won’t immediately ask my son to write a letter to the county magistrate? I’ll make sure he inquires whether a scholar who tolerates their own mother selling their niece still has the character of an educated person!”

Ma Shi spoke with righteous indignation. She had known Li Shi was harsh before but had not realized she was so malicious.

In times of disaster, there were families that, in desperate situations, sold their children. However, those with any conscience would try to sell their children to good families as servants. Although brothel money was substantial, was that really a place for people to go?

Li Shi’s suggestion to sell her granddaughter to a brothel, whether said in anger or not, showed her cruel nature.

Su Aobai looked as if he never imagined that his stepmother could speak so wickedly about her own granddaughter.

His face turned pale. After a long moment of trembling lips, he finally managed to call out a weak, “Mother…”

He only had one daughter. How could she be sold to a brothel?

Li Shi was startled by Ma Shi’s sudden arrival. Turning around to see Ma Shi and her group, including Su Aobai surrounded by them, her heart skipped a beat.

How did I provoke them? Had this good-for-nothing caused trouble outside?

Of course, Li Shi hadn’t forgotten Ma Shi’s earlier words and quickly began to explain.

“This child is just being disobedient. I was only trying to scare her. Our family isn’t on the verge of starving; how could we sell a child?”

However, she felt somewhat disdainful. Her son was a highly successful scholar, far better than Ma Shi’s son. Besides, she had a granddaughter who was a great blessing, so she didn’t think Ma Shi was all that impressive.

For now, she decided to endure it. Once her son passed the imperial examinations, she would make sure Ma Shi got her comeuppance.

Ma Shi, being as perceptive as she was, saw through the hidden resentment and hostility in Li Shi’s eyes.

“Whether it was just idle talk or not, you know in your own heart.” Ma Shi huffed, refusing to waste any more words. She waited for everyone who needed to arrive before she would have a thorough discussion with Li Shi.

“Second son, what’s going on? Why did you run outside and avoid resting your injury? Did you do something wrong to upset this aunt?” Li Shi, feeling humiliated by Ma Shi’s public reprimand, redirected her anger at Su Aobai.

“Grandmother, didn’t you tell my Father to go work in the fields?”

Unexpectedly, it wasn’t Su Aobai who spoke first but the thin, small Er Niang standing beside him. She immediately spoke up as soon as Li Shi had finished.

Er Niang realized that the village chief’s wife seemed to have come to their home to intervene on behalf of her father.

She wasn’t sure if offending her step-grandmother at this time was the right choice, but Er Niang thought that since their lives had already become so difficult, how much worse could things get?

Su Aobai stood with his mouth open, looking at his daughter, who was lowering her head, nervously clenching her fists, her thin little body swaying slightly. He felt a mix of emotions.

“What nonsense are you talking about! When did I ever tell your father to go work in the fields? You disobedient little wretch, I’ll tear your mouth apart!” Li Shi exploded in anger, moving to hit Er Niang, but was stopped by the other women.

***

At this moment, Ma Shi’s messenger returned with not only the people she had called for but also a number of villagers who had no work to do and wanted to see the commotion.

Seeing her husband had arrived, Ma Shi felt more assured.

“This woman from the Su family is forcing her son, who hasn’t even recovered from his leg injury, to work in the fields. She’s trying to cripple him! Not only that, she’s also dissatisfied with the money spent on his treatment and wants to sell his daughter to a brothel. This is no longer just a family matter. Su Kuishan can’t control his wife, and she’s ruining the reputation of the entire village. Don’t you think you should do something about it?” Ma Shi was addressing her husband.

“Everyone knows what kind of person Su Youniu is and how much work he has done for his family over the years. They have seen how much money he has earned. Everyone has also heard the gossip about how he got his leg injured. Now, with Li Shi mistreating him like this, anyone with a conscience can’t stand by!”

This was directed at the more respected elders in the village and the Su family’s relatives.

“How have I treated him?!”

Li Shi genuinely didn’t know about the gossip circulating in the village. When Ma Shi’s accusations came, Li Shi, who was already in high spirits, exploded in anger.

“Is it you, you brat, who’s been talking bad about me? I always knew you weren’t as honest as you pretended to be.” With that, Li Shi bared her teeth and lunged at Su Aobai.

Ma Shi pushed her away, protecting Su Aobai like a mother hen shielding her chicks.

“What could he possibly say about you? On the contrary, he hasn’t said a single bad word about you; he’s been covering for you all along. What fault does he have? He’s just a child who’s been quietly suffering from your abuse!”

As she spoke, Ma Shi was moved herself.

Su Aobai, protected by her, shivered and lowered his head.

He’s still just a child at heart… This might be something only people from the modern world would understand.

Others thought he was trembling from the harm inflicted by Li Shi. When Ma Shi previously said he was still a child, people were somewhat resistant, but seeing him so quietly suffering without fighting back, enduring his pain alone, people finally realized he was just a child.

What adult with any backbone would let a stepmother bully them like this?

At this moment, everyone disregarded the notion of filial piety. Seeing Su Aobai stand up to Li Shi’s oppression was a scenario they were eager to witness.