I was forced to start the second round because I was raised in poverty

Chapter 255 Family Meeting
Su Cheng heard the noise from the bedroom: "Dad, you're up?"

"Uh-huh."

Su Tianyan rubbed his head, his eyes were still a little blurry, and his right shoulder felt extremely heavy, as if it were weighed down by a heavy load, making it difficult to even lift it.

He first went to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water to force himself to wake up, and then he saw the two steaming bowls of rice on the dining table.

"You did it?"

"Uh-huh."

Not bad.

Su Tianyan felt somewhat gratified.

Now he knows to make breakfast for his father.

Even though it's just a mess of egg whites, it's better than nothing.

Besides, he always told Su Cheng that he had been drinking this.

"Dad, I didn't hear the boiler making any noise when you washed your face. Did you use cold water?"

"Hmm, cold water."

"It's so cold, isn't it chilly to wash your hands and face with cold water?"

"Isn't this saving some gas? Gas is so expensive these days..."

Su Tianyan started his theory of saving money and being frugal again.

Su Cheng felt that this was simply a case of forcing oneself to endure hardship when there was none.

If you don't use gas and don't burn gas, why would you install a wall-mounted boiler?

Are you just going to leave it there to look at?

Just like those parents who have installed air conditioning but never turn it on.

The most outrageous thing is the way people like to turn the air conditioner on and off repeatedly.

In the summer, when it gets hot, turn it on, then turn it off when you feel cool, and turn it on again when it gets hot again.

They thought this would save electricity, but it's actually less energy-efficient than leaving it on all the time.

After the two finished their meal, Su Cheng took the initiative to clear the dishes.

Around 5:50, not even 6:00, the father and son rode their tricycle to a customer's house to do some work.

Unlike summer, it's still pitch black in the morning at this time of year, and it doesn't get any brighter until around seven or eight o'clock.

"Don't sit in the back, it's cold there. Sit in the front."

Su Tianyan directed Su Cheng to sit next to him in the driver's seat of the tricycle. There was a windshield in front of them, but no one in the cargo bed.

"Dad, will this be okay? Won't it affect your cycling?"

"No, I've been riding tricycles for years. Just don't touch my arm later."

Su Cheng: ???
He had seen this way of riding tricycles before, mostly by middle-aged and elderly couples.

The man was riding a tricycle, and his wife sat timidly beside him.

The roads in the county town are wide in the early morning, and there are almost no vehicles on the streets. Occasionally, you can see a young woman leading a group of sanitation workers together, using her mobile phone to make the sanitation workers line up one by one to scan their faces and clock in.

Su Cheng's gaze didn't linger for long, but remained fixed on the road ahead.

He was genuinely afraid that Old Deng would drive him into a ditch.

"Hey Dad, it's a red light!"

"So what? There's no car."

Su Cheng:?
He was a little scared riding in Old Deng's car: "What if another car suddenly darts out from behind us?"

"There are no cars around at this hour. Why waste your time? It's so cold outside, are you going to freeze?"

"Besides, what's the point of having eyes?"

Su Cheng stopped speaking.

md.

Row.

Go ahead and try.

Su Cheng tied her life to Lao Deng's.

He's still young. If the accident wasn't serious, he'll recover after some rest. It only takes about 100 days to fully recover from a broken bone.

That might not be the case for middle-aged and elderly people.

They may not seem like much normally, but if they fall and get hurt, all sorts of problems might come out, one after another.

Regrettably.

Old Deng was both skilled and lucky at riding his tricycle. Although he ran several red lights along the way, neither of them was hit by a car.

We arrived at the client's house.

The two turned the lights up to their brightest, and Su Cheng immediately checked whether her handwriting had been touched.

Fortunately.

No.

After a brief preparation, the two began to get to work.

Soon.

Su Cheng noticed something was wrong.

"Hey Dad, why did you smear the horse's head?"

"Ah."

"Why was it erased? Was it not up to standard?"

"The client has changed their mind; they no longer want the Eight Horses painting and want a different style."

What style?

"Now, when customers ask for poems, poems are displayed on every wall."

"What about mine? Should I just leave it as well?" Su Cheng wondered. He had just finished two standard characters yesterday, and he should be able to finish the remaining two today.

Old Deng said he changed his style, will he make him erase it again?
"Keep that one; just keep using it."

"oh oh."

Su Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Su Cheng quickly realized the problem.

The painting of eight horses must be pieced together by hand.

The poems have templates; you just need to find a horizontal line and paste them all on. It's simpler and less effort than a jigsaw puzzle.

So Old Deng just wanted to relax!
He probably knew he couldn't complete the Eight Horses painting because it would be too physically demanding.

Su Cheng had previously predicted that Old Deng would definitely back down within three days, and he was still guessing what reason Old Deng would use to leave.

Sick? Busy with something else? Or is it some kind of business?
To Su Cheng's surprise, Lao Deng still wanted to continue working, but he did an even simpler job, one that was much simpler than Su Cheng's job: simply piecing together the materials according to a template.

The two started working before dawn and continued until noon.

It took Su Cheng so long to spell out the third character, while Lao Deng had already composed several poems.

When drinking water and resting.

Su Cheng looked at the wall her father had painted again.

The more I look at this poem, the more something seems off.

What a loving mother's thread in her hand, what a traveler's clothes on his back; before his departure, she sews them carefully, fearing his long absence; who can say that a blade of grass can repay the warmth of spring's sunshine...?

Why is Meng Jiao's "Song of the Wanderer" here?
Su Cheng memorized this text when she was in elementary school. It uses the detail of a mother sewing clothes to express the theme of the difficulty in repaying the kindness of parents. It has become a representative work of filial piety poetry, and every elementary school student has to be able to recite it.

Besides this poem, there is also Bai Juyi's "A Poem on Swallows for Old Man Liu".

When you were a fledgling, flying high and leaving your mother behind, what your parents thought then, you should know today.

Using the fable of swallows leaving their nests, the poem serves as a reminder to children not to forget the nurturing grace of their parents, and also echoes the line from the Book of Songs, "Alas, my parents, who bore me with such toil."

Besides these two poems, there is another one called "Ink Xuan Tu": Delicious food becomes less and less frequent, news becomes less and less frequent. I raise my head to look at the clouds and forests, ashamed to hear the wise birds' words. Even lambs kneel down. If people are not filial to their parents, they are not even as good as grass and trees.

The poem expresses the guilt felt by a traveler for failing to fulfill his filial duties, using the wise bird as a foil to highlight the duty of children to repay their parents' kindness.

The natural phenomenon of animals feeding their parents is used to emphasize that filial piety is the foundation of being human.

The last song, "Old Deng," was placed directly above the video wall:

When your parents call, respond promptly; when your parents command, act diligently.

Provide what your parents like to the best of your ability; carefully avoid what your parents dislike.

What the hell is this poem?!
Why are they all about filial piety?

Su Cheng couldn't hold back any longer.
"Dad, I have a feeling that our client must be a very filial son."

"How to say?"

What else can I say? These are all poems that teach people to be filial, so aren't they the epitome of filial piety?

“I feel that these poems don’t quite match the phrase I’m trying to spell out, ‘Great virtue carries all things.’ I should be spelling out ‘Filial piety is the first of all virtues.’”

Su Tianyan frowned upon hearing this, then immediately agreed: "Hey, you're right. I'll call the client and ask him if he wants to make the changes."

Su Cheng: ???
Still asking?

Can't you tell I'm being sarcastic?
Two minutes later.

Su Tianyan returned and told Su Cheng some good news: "The client said it can be changed to 'Filial piety is the most important of all virtues'." Su Cheng: ???
I grass!

Really changed!
"Then I'll spell this word..."

"Don't worry, I just told the customer that we're almost finished assembling it, and he said he'd give us extra money so you can assemble it again."

What kind of customer is this?!
Are you sure it's not that Old Deng bought the house himself and is the registered owner?
Su Cheng could accept the "Eight Horses in a Piece" and "Great Virtue Carries All Things" images because they aligned with the aesthetic preferences of middle-aged men in the county town. These images were either "The highest good is like water," "Tranquility leads to far-reaching goals," or "Great virtue carries all things."

But what normal person would put so many poems about filial piety in their house?!
Is this one of Old Deng's methods of indoctrination?
By having him do chores, we can then teach him about filial piety.

Su Cheng has seen through it all.

However, Su Cheng did not show any negative emotions; instead, she went along with Lao Deng's wishes.

Okay, I like to teach.

Then Su Cheng can just pretend that she has already been reformed, and she will get through this hurdle, right?
If he resists, then he'll have to wait and see. He'll have to work on this poetry for the next few days, going from one place to another, and he won't even get paid.

in the afternoon.

Su Cheng removed the nearly completed "厚德载物" (hou de zai wu) and began to "seriously" assemble "百善孝为先" (bai shan xiao wei xian).

It's approaching evening.

While the father and son were drinking water and resting, Su Tianyan's phone received a call.

He pressed the answer button, and Su Cheng listened intently.

"Hello? Tianyan."

Su Tianyan recognized the number but didn't know whose voice it was, so he asked, "Who is this?"

"I."

"Oh, big brother, I'm working right now, what's up?" Su Tianyan looked at Su Cheng beside him.

When will you be finished with your work?

"Almost done, we're about to wrap up."

"Hey, could you come to the restaurant tonight? We need to discuss Mom's birthday celebration."

"Row."

Su Tianyan readily agreed.

"Dad, who is this?"

"Your eldest uncle."

"What are you doing?"

“We’re inviting you to dinner to discuss your grandmother’s birthday celebration.” Su Tianyan dusted himself off. “Alright, that’s enough for today. We’ll come back tomorrow. Let’s go home and change our clothes.”

Su Cheng didn't quite understand: "Does this need to be discussed? Shouldn't we just give gifts when we arrive?"

"How to prepare, how to plan, and which guests to invite are things that we, as children, must discuss."

Why should I discuss this with you?

"How dare you talk like that? No matter what, I'm still your maternal grandmother's son-in-law. A son-in-law is like half a son. If you don't consult me, who do you consult?"

Su Cheng: ???
A son-in-law and half a son.

This is true.

But aren't you the son-in-law of a neighboring daughter?

It's the same whether you're here or not.

Is there anything to discuss?
"Should I go too?"

"Go ahead, go see your uncle and aunt, and your aunt and uncle."

Su Cheng felt inexplicably nervous.

The father and son returned home, took a shower, changed their clothes, and cleaned themselves up very thoroughly.

As they were leaving, Su Cheng asked Lao Deng which car he was driving.

They now have three options:

Three-wheeled vehicles, elderly people's cars, and the Volkswagen Magotan left behind by Ye Li.

This put Su Tianyan in a dilemma: "Let me think... let's drive Xiao Li's car."

Ok?
Su Cheng discovered the blind spot.

According to Su Tianyan's character, driving a three-wheeled motorcycle and a leisure vehicle is his preferred choice.

However, it is unusual that Lao Deng chose Ye Li's Magotan this time.

Su Cheng didn't say much, let Lao Deng sit in the passenger seat, and drove to the agreed restaurant.

On the road.

Su Cheng had been thinking about this question.

Did Old Deng choose the Magotan on his own initiative?
This shouldn't be!
What does he mean?
Su Tianyan's words interrupted Su Cheng's thoughts: "If you're not asked to speak later, don't speak. I'll do the talking."

"Row."

Su Cheng's memory of her mother's relatives wasn't vague, but rather that she had absolutely no memory of them.

Su Cheng was certain that these relatives were not professional actors hired by Lao Deng.

Because it's meaningless and unnecessary.

Professional actors face the risk of exposure.

The perfect lie is telling the truth.

An uncle is a real uncle, a true uncle.

My aunt is my real aunt, my dear aunt.

No matter how much Su Cheng investigated, it was all true.

Why did Old Deng specifically tell him not to talk nonsense?

It's highly likely that he wants to put on an even more solid persona in front of these relatives.

These relatives hadn't been in contact for a long time, and they had a basic impression of Lao Deng.

As long as Su Cheng doesn't speak recklessly, whatever Lao Deng says will be the truth, and the situation will be firmly in Lao Deng's hands, developing in the direction he wants.

Upon arriving at the agreed-upon restaurant, Su Cheng silently followed behind Su Tianyan.

"elder brother."

Su Tianyan called out to a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties at the restaurant entrance.

The middle-aged man looked around and then spotted Su Tianyan and Su Cheng.

"Hey, Tianyan, you're here?"

"Ah."

The two greeted each other normally.

Soon, Tian Yong noticed Su Cheng behind Su Tianyan: "Little Cheng is here too?"

Su Cheng didn't even know who the man was, so she could only chuckle and reply, "Ah, right~"

"You've grown so tall! Do you still recognize me?"

Su Cheng:......

He really doesn't recognize him.

But I have some recollection of it.

Old Deng calls him brother, so he must be his uncle, right?

"uncle?"

Su Tianyan explained from the side, "By the way, this is your eldest uncle."

"It's been so many years since I last saw Xiaocheng, you still remember me, not bad, not bad."

"With our close relationship, how could Xiao Cheng forget you?" Su Tianyan said politely, looking at Su Cheng, "Isn't that right, Xiao Cheng?"

Su Cheng nodded in agreement.

Tian Yong smiled with satisfaction.

Su Cheng's memories of Tian Yong gradually became clearer.

He remembered that his uncle was a tofu seller, and the tofu pudding sold in breakfast shops in several villages and towns around the county town all came from him.

They earn more than the average person, but they also work harder than the average person.

Tian Yong led the two to the private room.

There were two men and three women sitting in the private room, all around the same age as Lao Deng.

"Hey, look who's here!"

All five of them turned to look at the door.

When they saw Su Tianyan, their expressions didn't change much, but when they scanned Su Cheng, their eyes twitched involuntarily.

"Is this Xiaocheng?"

"You've grown so much!"

"You know what, Xiao Cheng really does look like his mother."

(End of this chapter)