Call Me Daddy

“Dad, you’re back!”

Seeing Su Aobai return, Er Niang actively approached him and took the bamboo basket from his back. This surprised Su Aobai somewhat. He understood that the estrangement between him and his daughter over the years couldn’t be resolved overnight. He had already prepared himself for a long-term struggle.

What he didn’t know was that last night, as he was gathering spiritual energy from all directions, some of the excess spiritual energy had gathered onto Er Niang, who was only a curtain away from him.

In this world, spiritual energy was extremely rare, and ordinary people weren’t suited for cultivation. Su Aobai could barely practice the cultivation techniques with his current body due to his extraordinary soul power, also known as mental power.

Therefore, Su Aobai had to give up the idea of teaching his daughter cultivation. However, what he didn’t know was that although ordinary people couldn’t cultivate, spending a long time in an environment rich in spiritual energy would gradually awaken their body’s potential, improving their physical qualities beyond the ordinary.

His process of mobilizing spiritual energy was actually a way of increasing the concentration of spiritual energy in his surroundings. Because Er Niang was sleeping very close to him, she inadvertently benefited from this. The wave of spiritual energy last night initially purified her mortal body and slightly enhanced her senses. Thus, when they had spoken just now not far from the small house, Er Niang had actually heard everything while standing in the courtyard.

This also revealed Su Youwen’s intentions.

If Su Youwen had genuinely wanted to apologize to his second brother, he could have chosen to wait near the small house. The distance between this house and the fields was considerable, and ordinary people wouldn’t be able to overhear their conversation.

But Su Youwen deliberately chose a location some distance away from the small courtyard, right on the small path in the fields, to intercept Su Aobai. Rather than apologizing on behalf of the Li family, it was more like he intended for those working in the fields to hear it.

The village wasn’t without clever people. Even if they didn’t see through it at first, after Su Aobai’s subtle hint, they would surely understand Su Youwen’s scheme after thinking it over.

“Today’s harvest is quite good.”

Although he didn’t know the reason for his daughter’s sudden closeness, everything was moving in a positive direction, so Su Aobai naturally accepted it with pleasure.

He took the bamboo basket off his back, with most of his weight supported by his cane, and handed the basket to his daughter.

“Can you guess what treasure Dad found today?”

The basket was filled with herbs that had already been exchanged for several prescriptions, along with a bit of silver. It wasn’t very heavy, and for someone like Er Niang, who was accustomed to farm work, it could be lifted with one hand.

Therefore, Su Aobai didn’t say anything about feeling sorry for her or telling her not to carry it. That would have seemed too insincere and distant.

He simply handed the basket to his daughter and then naturally took her other hand, leading her toward the house.

The little girl’s hand was very small. Her fingers, which should have been delicate, were covered in thick calluses, feeling rough to the touch and almost as coarse as Su Aobai’s own hands.

Originally, Er Niang instinctively wanted to pull away because she had never been this close to her father before. However, her attention was quickly diverted by Su Aobai’s earlier words.

Of course, it was also possible that she subconsciously didn’t want to let go of her father’s hand.

“What treasure?”

Er Niang looked down at the basket and saw only a few packets of herbs wrapped in yellow paper and a cloth bundle with only a corner visible at the bottom.

“I’ll show you when we get to the room.”

Su Aobai led her back to the bedroom and mysteriously asked her to close all the doors and windows. His expression piqued Er Niang’s curiosity. The little girl finally showed some liveliness appropriate for her age, hopping like a little rabbit to close the windows tightly and shut the bedroom door.

“Dad, what is it exactly?”

She quickly climbed onto the bed, moved close to her father, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Guess.”

Seeing her like this, Su Aobai couldn’t help but tease her. The child was so well-behaved; children at her age should be chasing chickens and dogs.

“Is it jujube? Mountain hawthorn? August melon?”

Er Niang listed several wild fruits found on the mountain at this time of year, and her tongue couldn’t help but lick her lips as she spoke.

Su Aobai thought he should buy some treats for his daughter. The pampered girls had them, so his daughter should have them too.

“I can’t guess.”

After several wrong guesses, Er Niang’s little mouth almost pouted.

“Open it yourself and see.”

He nudged the basket forward, indicating that she should look for herself. Unable to hold back her curiosity, Er Niang immediately reached for the bottom package. It was quite heavy and felt a bit awkward in her hands. Was it stones?

She quickly unwrapped the cloth and was amazed to find several pieces of silver inside.

Silver, silver!

What tree on the mountain grows silver?

For a moment, Er Niang’s little mind was a bit dazed, and all she could imagine was a tree full of silver pieces. If you shook it, all the silver would fall down.

In her fantasy, another figure appeared in the scene; her father, holding the bamboo basket high and catching all the falling silver under the tree.

As she imagined, Er Niang delighted in her own thoughts.

“Today, Dad found a ginseng root at the foot of the mountain and exchanged it for these pieces of silver. My dear daughter, whatever you want now, Dad can fulfill it. I’ll buy you anything you desire.” Su Aobai said grandly.

So it was ginseng!

The fantasy was shattered, and Er Niang felt a bit disappointed. If only there were a tree that grew silver, they would have more money to pay for her father’s medical treatment.

But she quickly realized; Ginseng! It was actually ginseng!

Er Niang knew that her cousin from the third uncle’s family often had some miraculous opportunities, and finding ginseng on the mountain was one of them. Her step-grandmother kept this a secret from her cousin, fearing that the silver earned from selling the ginseng would become communal property.

However, it was difficult to hide these matters from someone who had always worked at home, so Er Niang knew that ginseng was a very valuable medicinal herb.

She didn’t care if people laughed at her. She had once secretly searched for ginseng while cutting pigweed, but unfortunately, she found nothing. Later, she realized that ginseng was rare, and she was just an ordinary person, while her cousin was indeed as fortunate as her step-grandmother had said.

Even though she was envious, she wouldn’t dare to provoke her cousin. In Er Niang’s mind, someone with bad luck like herself would only make things worse by offending someone blessed by heaven.

But now, her father had found a treasure too!

***

“How much silver is this? Can it do many, many things?”

Er Niang, with her thin arms, held the pile of silver pieces. Since she had never handled silver before, she had no clear idea of how much it was worth or what it could do. However, she knew that silver was more valuable than copper coins, so it must be a lot of money.

The little girl was excited, and her thin, yellowish face was now flushed with joy.

Under her father’s encouraging gaze, the little girl gathered her courage and, with a shy voice, outlined her plans.

“With this silver, Dad can go to the county to find a doctor with better skills to treat your leg.”

She wasn’t sure if there was enough silver.

“Dad and Doctor Li have already agreed that he will go up the mountain every day to collect herbs and exchange them for prepared prescriptions. As for Dad’s leg, it’s the same no matter who looks at it.”

Su Aobai thought to himself; How could there be such a well-behaved little girl in the world? When he asked her what she wanted to do with the silver, she immediately thought of his injured leg.

Despite the original owner’s coldness toward her, and seeing her being bullied by the old hag Li Shi at home, once he said a few words that made her believe that her “Dad” always loved her, she not only believed it but also took him as the most important person to protect.

As a father being protected by his daughter, Su Aobai was naturally touched. However, thinking about how easily his daughter could be deceived made him uneasy. Such a naive and giving little girl would easily be misled in the future.

In the end, she was still so starved for affection that even a little bit of love made her willing to give everything.

“Dad’s leg will definitely get better.”

She looked up with a very determined tone.

“I’ll also go with Dad to collect herbs in the future and exchange them with Grandpa Li for better medicine. But I don’t know what herbs look like. Dad, teach me, and after learning a few times, I’ll surely remember.”

She knew many wild edible plants and mushrooms, and she believed that with a few more lessons, she could also learn to recognize medicinal herbs.

“Alright, Dad will teach you.” Su Aobai patted her yellowing hair. Indeed, my own child is the most well-behaved and adorable in the world.

But since he could get the medicine for his injury from Doctor Li, what else could the silver be used for?

“Daddy, can we buy this house from Grandpa Village Head? We could also fix the stove and the roof. We could buy a calf, and when the calf grows up, I’ll grow up too…”

Then she could take the calf to the fields. Even if her father’s leg injury didn’t fully heal, there would be someone to tend to the three acres of land, and they wouldn’t starve.

The little girl counted on her fingers, carefully considering the uses of the silver.

She still hadn’t mentioned what she wanted for herself.

“Everything you mentioned will eventually be possible. I’m asking what you want. Sweet and sour candied hawthorns? Hot meat buns? Beautiful new clothes, or a red hair ribbon and silk flowers?”

Su Aobai mentioned things that Er Niang had once envied.

Every time Fu Bao was taken to the town, her uncle and his wife would buy her various treats. The girls at home wore old clothes handed down from adults, but Fu Bao always had a new outfit every season.

As for the red hair ribbons, her eldest uncle had bought them for her aunt and cousin when he went to town. They were bright red and stood out in black hair, looking as pretty as flowers from a distance.

Such red ribbons were actually not expensive; 3 copper coins could buy a long piece. Yet, even for such a cheap item, Er Niang had never owned one. Once her hair grew a bit, she either used grass rope or sticks to tie it.

Silk flowers were even more out of reach. The exquisite hairpins that looked as lifelike as real flowers were owned only by Fu Bao and her Yuan Niang.