CH 22

TL Update – My schedule will be packed from next week onwards, so chapter releases will be reverted to 2 chapters a week (tentatively wed/sat)

“This cake tastes amazing, Aunt! It is delicious and has a crispy texture to it. Can I save this piece for dad?”

Within a couple of bites, Su Yan had finished a piece of cake. With a silly grin on his face and a hint of bashfulness, he asked his aunt with the other piece in his hand.

He knew that his father was feeling unwell, and thought that cake might help his father feel better.

“Those are for you to eat, Xiao Yan. There are still more over here at aunt’s side. We can bring them to your father after you have finished eating yours, alright?” Su Jin affectionately patted the head of her straightforward and honest nephew. The little cubs of the Su family were very sensible.

The strong smell of medicine wafted out when the door was opened, but the atmosphere in the room was no longer gloomy like it was in the past. Lu Shi had illuminated the room with a lighted candle. Su Dalang positioned himself upright with his back resting against the frame of the bed. When he saw Su Jin and the others entering the room, he swiftly set aside the wooden block he was holding.

“Eldest brother, are you feeling better? Does your leg still hurt?”

Doctor Mo truly lived up to his reputation as an experienced doctor in the town. In a matter of days after her eldest brother began receiving treatment from him, there was a noticeable improvement in her brother’s complexion. His leg was now secured with sturdy splints for better support.

“The pain has subsided. I should be able to walk again soon.”

Su Dalang displayed a sincere and hearty grin on his face. Initially, he had believed that his leg would be permanently disabled and he had given up all hopes. Never in his wildest dream did he expect that it could be treated. He held immense gratitude towards his younger sister. Although the edges of his mouth twitched, he struggled to convey his feelings as he was clumsy with words. Instead, he handed the sculpture he was holding over to Su Jin.

“Did you carve this for me?”

“Yeah, I had nothing else to do in my free time, so I worked on it.”

“Thank you, big brother. This is amazing, it looks like me! I love it! Big brother, you have a talent for this.”

The miniature sculpture bore a slight resemblance to Su Jin. While the base material used may not have been of top-notch quality, the figurine was greatly enhanced through thorough polishing works and additional finishing touches. Su Jin valued it highly.

Su Dalang felt embarrassed by her praise and tried to deny it with a wave of his hand.

He did not consider it to be a talent. This was a skill he had acquired in the past from the local carpenter to keep himself occupied when he had nothing to do since he didn’t enjoy having conversations. There was nothing praiseworthy about that.

Despite demeaning himself, Su Dalang did feel elated when he saw Su Jin’s positive reactions to his work. He scratched his head in embarrassment. All that mattered to him was her feelings.

At an opportune moment, Su Yan managed to squeeze into the conversation. He gazed at his father with sparkly eyes and exclaimed, “Father! Aunt has brought amazing food for you. You will feel better after eating it.”

He reminisced on the aftertaste. The cake was absolutely tasty. Such a yummy cake must had cost a lot.

“Good boy…” Su Dalang tenderly caressed his son’s face and could not bear to disappoint him. “Dad will recover soon.”

The few little cubs gathered around the bed and engaged in a lively conversation for a while.

A shout came from outside the room. “Dinner is ready…”

“We will be there in a moment…”

It was already evening. The scene of the table served with meat and white rice, accompanied by the joyful faces of the children exclaiming in excitement and the radiant afterglow of the sunset beaming upon the courtyard of this little farmhouse, created a heart-warming image that lifted the spirit of everyone who witnessed it.

Several days had gone by….

Su Jin firmly clutched the title deed in her hand, and relished in the sense of achieving a significant milestone as she surveyed the piece of land that now belonged to her.

The boundary of the land at the foot of the mountain beside Shangxi Village encompassed a wide area. Not only were there many risks inherent just by being situated at the mountain base, it was also a daunting task to extract the countless number of rock fragments prevalent across the region due to the extensive tools and skilled manpower required for it. Objectively speaking, no one in their right mind would ever consider it a wise decision to build their home in this area.

On the other hand, this turned out to be favourable for Su Jin. A problem that could be solved with money could not be said to be a problem for her. She could easily employ more workers to clear up the land. Her primary objective was to secure ample space with beautiful scenery.

Su Jin had yet to disclose this to her mother. It was a wonderful opportunity to seek her mother’s assistance to hire some labourers. It’s time to develop some land!

Qin Shi stared blankly at the title deed in Su Jin’s hand. Her brain had not processed the current situation. Did this vast expanse of land belong to them now?

“You are giving mum a heart attack every alternate day! A huge plot of land like this… how much money did you spend for it? This land is undeveloped and inhibited. Why did you spend money buying this piece of land? Wouldn’t it be better if you have consulted other people beforehand?”

“Mom, do you recall the visitor I had during the autumn harvest? Instead of receiving silver as remuneration for fulfilling her request, she granted me this land. You can rest assured. It was a fair exchange. Since she was willing to give this land as compensation, it naturally meant that the task I undertook had that much value. There is no need for concern. For now, I need your assistance to hire people to aid in the development of the land. I intend to construct a manor here and set aside portions of the land for agriculture.”

She would soon be able to cultivate her own chillies! Subsequently, Su Jin had planned to search for other types of spices to grow in her fields.

After Su Jin had reassured her, Qin Shi never questioned her again. She was fine with it as long as Su Jin was aware of her own actions.

“This would require a substantial amount of manpower. I should pay a visit to your uncle’s house tomorrow and check if they are available to help…”

Qin Shi pondered over the available options. When it came to work, the top candidates that immediately came across her mind were her siblings and nephews, all of whom were exceptional and diligent workers.

“In that case, I shall accompany mom on the trip. When grandma came over the last time, she had not brought back any wild boar meat with her. This time, we ought to bring some meat as gifts for the visit.”

While she was there, Su Jin intended to explore the nearby mountains to look for chillies, and bring some back to cultivate on her own plot of land once her manor was complete. It was a flawless strategy-

When Qin Shi heard of her daughter’s words, she felt somewhat saddened. Her precious Xiao Jin had truly grown up and became more sensible since her return. She was now capable of her own independent thoughts. In the past, Su Jin showed no interest in visiting her grandmother’s house at all, let alone contemplating the idea of bringing gifts to them.

“Okay, as you wish. We should depart early tomorrow morning.”

The following day, Su Jin let out a yawn as her mother dragged her out of bed.

Lately, she had been experiencing persistent fatigue. Despite having gone to bed early last night, it did nothing to alleviate her weariness.

She freshened herself up by splashing some cold water and went on to finish a bowl of rice porridge. After she was done with her meal, she headed out to fetch the horse carriage.

The horse appeared to have put on some extra pounds ever since Su Jin brought it back home. The three children had taken good care of it and ensured that the horse had been eating well. Su Jin did not have to concern herself with the condition of the horse at all.

She got onto the carriage with Qin Shi, who was noticeably in a good mood, and set off in the direction of Shang Yang village.

The villages were located not too far apart from each other, and they both fell under the purview of the same municipal authority.

They started off with making a trip to the marketplace. It was livelier than usual since the bazaar extension that runs once every ten days, was open for business. Su Jin parked her carriage at an appropriate location and proceeded directly to the butcher’s stall.

In no time, she had already purchased ten catties of fatty meat, several sacks of sugar and some fabric material for her grandmother. Su Jin went all out on a shopping spree, while Qin Shi tagged along, silently enduring her feelings of slight conflict on Su Jin’s spending habits.

Over the past few years, she had often relied on the assistance from her mother and elder brothers for support. Being generous with gifts to show them gratitude would be the natural course of action.

It was almost noon when they arrived at Shang Yang village. Su Jin trailed behind her mother who exchanged pleasantries with the locals along the way.

“It’s been a while, Xiang Lian. On your way to your parent’s home? They have not gone to the fields today, so they should be at home.”

“How do you do, third uncle? Yup, I have come to pay a visit to my parents.”

“You have grown up well as a filial daughter. This carriage looks magnificent too… Xiang Lian must be doing well.”

“I am undeserving of that flattery… All of this… happened by coincidence.”

Su Jin maintained a smile on her face while being in zen mode as she watched her mother converse with the passers-by.

“Knock knock…”

“Who is it? Please hold on for a moment.” A middle-aged woman answered the door while still clutching onto a wooden basin in her hand.

When she realized that the identity of the visitor was Qin Shi, she gave her an intense glare. What is the motive of her younger sister-in-law’s visit today? Did she intend to squeeze the life out of this household?

“Second sister-in-law…”

Her second elder brother’s wife, Fang Shi, did not respond to Qin Shi. With a hint of annoyance, she turned her head and shouted into the home, “Dad, mom, sister-in-law has come over to visit.”

Zhang Shi rushed out immediately when she heard that. “Why have you come home now? Did anything happen? Or is there some problem regarding Dalang? ”

Noticing the anxiety in her mother’s eyes, Qin Shi quickly soothed her. “Nothing happened, Mom. Everything is good. I brought Xiao Jin over today for a casual visit, and also to discuss something with all of you.”

“What is the matter, just be straightforward. Don’t beat around the bush.”

“Are my older brothers at home now? What about my nephews?”

“Your father brought them out to the back of the house to dig a dyke. I am not sure where your nephews went, but it is almost time for lunch, so they should appear soon…”

As she finished her words, old man Qin emerged from the rear of the house with a hoe covered in mud. As soon as he caught sight of his daughter, his lips curled up and he quickly patted the soil off his clothes.

Old man Qin had three sons and five grandsons. Qin Xianglian is the only daughter in the family, and he cherished her.

“Welcome home, Xianglian. Have you had your meal? I will get your third sister-in-law to prepare something… Oh? Is that your young lassie?”

Without uttering a word, he took a good look at Su Jin before turning his head towards the kitchen and shouted, “Hey, third daughter-in-law, prepare more dishes for lunch! Also, fetch some eggs from the back of the house and add them to the spread.”

A soft, muffled sound of acknowledgement emanated from the kitchen.

“Yes, Dad. This is my daughter, Su Jin. I brought her along today to pay a visit, and to discuss some matters with my brothers.”

The quick-witted Su Jin quickly stepped forward and greeted her grandfather.

TL Corner: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you liked my translation and wish to support me, you could leave a comment below or in novelupdates, or send me a Ko-Fi. Thank you!