Call Me Daddy

Due to the shock caused by Su Aobai’s recent visit, Doctor Li had even equipped him with a set of herb-digging tools before he left.

These were delicate little items. Some precious herbs had to be harvested with these special tools. If they were picked with just hands or ordinary farming tools, their appearance could easily be damaged, and their value would be greatly reduced.

“Old man, why did you take Second Su to your precious pharmacy?”

Doctor Li, reminiscing about the scene he had just witnessed, shook his head and walked back to his bedroom. Before he could savor the moment, his old wife caught him.

“You wouldn’t know…”

Doctor Li was about to reveal a major secret he had just discovered when he recalled his wife’s big mouth. Last time, he had clearly instructed her not to spread any rumors, but before the next day, news of the poisoning incident involving Second Su had already spread far and wide.

This made Doctor Li seriously doubt his wife’s ability to keep secrets.

“Well, just know that the Su couple and all of us were mistaken.”

Doctor Li was reluctant to speak, but the more he withheld, the more it piqued Wang Jinhua’s curiosity.

“This time I promise not to tell anyone. Old man, since you have always complained about your sore shoulders, let me apply some medicinal oil and massage your shoulders.”

Wang Jinhua was so anxious that she almost started pulling her hair.

In the end, Doctor Li couldn’t resist his wife’s persistent pleas and told her about the recent events in the pharmacy, repeatedly reminding her.

“I’m only telling you this. Make sure you don’t spread it, alright?”

“Got it, got it.”

Wang Jinhua’s eyes widened in shock, but she did not forget to brush off her husband with a few words.

She had only shared the secret with Liu’s daughter-in-law, Zhu’s sister-in-law, Li’s widowed eldest sister, and the two daughters-in-law of the village head; about eighteen or nineteen people. They were all her good sisters. Last time, she had clearly told them not to spread the secret, but they had shown no regard for trust.

It didn’t matter; this time she would remind them again. If they forgot to keep it confidential, she would no longer share such interesting news with them in the future.

Yes, Wang Jinhua truly was “the most tight-lipped person.”

“I’m going out.”

Unable to stay put, Wang Jinhua grabbed the small cloth bag she used for carrying melon seeds and peanuts and headed for the door.

“What are you going to do?”

Doctor Li had an ominous feeling. He had been promised a shoulder massage from his virtuous wife.

“I have something to do.” Wang Jinhua waved her hand. She could not stay in the house for even a moment.

Doctor Li had already taken off his shirt and was lying on the bed. He had even taken out the medicinal oil he had chosen earlier. When he turned around to sit up, he only saw his wife’s retreating figure. One could only wonder where an elderly woman found such agility.

Doctor Li struggled to apply the medicinal oil to his own back and made a sorrowful wish that his wife had no mouth.

Even a man in his sixties had to be deceived; what kind of world was this!

***

Wang Jinhua had once again contributed a major piece of gossip to Shili Village. Unfortunately, unlike last time, very few people believed this rumor.

What was Second Su’s image?

Because of his years of working in the fields, his skin was a dark reddish hue, his physique was robust, and the calluses on his fingers could be used as files. Furthermore, his temperament was gloomy; he was as silent as a stone. What did smart people look like in everyone’s eyes?

It was probably like Su Youwen; refined and elegant, his demeanor revealed a grace and nobility different from the country folk. Although they looked down on Li Shi, they held great admiration for Su Youwen, who had passed the child scholar exam at such a young age and now had become a junior scholar.

Moreover, when Su Youwen was born, there was also the fortune-telling by the old Taoist priest.

However, speaking of that, someone suddenly raised a question.

What exactly did the old Taoist say when he came to the Su family asking for water?

“I see your family is radiant with red light. It is destined to have a talented person who will surely be extraordinarily wealthy in the future.”

At that time, Li Shi was in the midst of a difficult delivery, so everyone subconsciously thought the old Taoist was referring to the unborn child in Li Shi’s womb. When Li Shi gave birth to a boy a few hours later, it only strengthened their belief in their assumption.

But on closer thought, the old Taoist hadn’t actually said that the talented person was the child being born.

In fact, the one who would be extraordinarily wealthy in the future might not necessarily be Su Youwen. He merely used the prophecy to get the opportunity to study.

At that time, Su Youwen hadn’t yet been born, so how could the old Taoist know his fate? It was very possible that the old Taoist was referring to the other children who had already been born in the Su family.

If Wang Jinhua’s gossip was true, and Su Youniu was indeed a memorizing genius, then perhaps the old Taoist was actually referring to him.

Unfortunately, thinking about it now was pointless. Su Youniu’s leg was already crippled, his body was damaged, and his face was disfigured, preventing him from participating in the imperial examinations. With his age and the delay in his prospects, even if he had an amazing memory, his future was destined to be mediocre.

***

Xiao Lishi heard these rumors and quickly went home to inform her aunt, Li Shi.

Since the family division, her hard times had begun.

Previously, most of the household chores were handled by her sister-in-law Zhang and the two nieces from the first and second households. Xiao Lishi only had to do some light work, but now that the first and second households had been separated, all these tasks had fallen on her shoulders.

Li Shi was genuinely concerned about her niece daughter-in-law, and took the initiative to help share some of the burden. However, having lived a life of comfort for many years, she had become unfamiliar with some household chores that she had once managed with ease. During this period, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had caused quite a commotion, which had left the men in the family unable to eat or sleep well, causing them to become quite haggard.

Of course, the troubles weren’t confined to just these two.

Su Kuishan and Su Youliang were also trembling with fear over the 13 acres of land they had to tend. After a day’s work, they returned home so exhausted that they could barely lift their arms.

In the end, Li Shi couldn’t bear to see her husband and son suffering, so she hired two young workers to help with the autumn harvest. This indirectly confirmed that she must still have a good amount of money; otherwise, in a typical farming family, who would spend money on hiring help?

Since the family division, the anticipated happy days hadn’t materialized, and instead, troubles seemed to come one after another.

This might have triggered Li Shi’s menopausal symptoms. These days, she was like a barrel of gunpowder, exploding at the slightest provocation. Su Youliang and Xiao Lishi both hoped their daughter would return soon. Their daughter was the old lady’s heart and soul, and as long as Fu Bao was around, the old lady’s anger could be soothed by a single sweet, clear call of “Grandma.”

When Xiao Lishi relayed the gossip about the second brother to her mother-in-law, she intended it as a joke for her mother-in-law’s amusement.

Outsiders might not understand. After living under the same roof for so many years, how could Xiao Lishi not know what kind of person her second brother-in-law was?

If he truly possessed amazing memory and wisdom that people outside boasted about, why would he have foolishly allowed her aunt to bully him for so many years?

Praising Second Su’s intelligence was less convincing than praising the big yellow dog from the village that could catch mice.

“Nonsense!”

Li Shi exploded upon hearing the rumors. She didn’t find the gossip amusing. The comparison between that fool and her precious youngest son was an insult to her child.

It’s certainly Su Youniu, that clumsy and deceitful beast, who had invented such a shameless story to praise himself while slandering my youngest son.

Amazing memory, ha! That big fool didn’t deserve any such praise!

Li Shi was so furious that she put her hands on her hips and cursed loudly in the yard. She was cursing not only for the people from the eldest family who had yet to moved out but also for some nearby neighbors to hear.