Top Scholar

Chapter 21 Poor parents in the world
"Who?!" The clan elders couldn't hold back any longer. Su Daxiang pricked up his ears and asked, "You mean the Chen family?"

"No, it's the damned Cheng family," the old man corrected.

With a loud bang, the elders erupted in chaos, shouting, "Sixth Brother, are you kidding me?!"

"That's right! How could our Su family possibly marry into the Cheng family? Even if the matchmaker himself arranged it, it wouldn't work!" they all exclaimed angrily.
"Have you forgotten our Langquan Well? Have you forgotten why our situation has gotten worse and worse? Have you forgotten how you lost your official position?!"

"Of course I haven't forgotten! I was about to become a commander of a thousand households!" The old man slammed his hand on the table, sending bowls and chopsticks flying, and the clan elders fell silent...

"You're right, it was the matchmaker who tied the knot. I don't know what got into those two kids, they just wouldn't marry anyone but you, what can I do?!" The old man then spread his hands.

"What can't we do? Marriage is a major life event, decided by our parents!" His fourth brother, Su Dayou, said, his beard bristling and eyes wide. "You'd better grit your teeth, what can he do?"

"I'm gritting my teeth, those two kids are about to throw themselves into the Chishui River." The old man said with a dark face, "Have you heard the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai?"

After saying that, she even sang a line in a high-pitched voice: "Butterflies in my dreams, tears and blood on the flowers, fighting for life and death, to perish with the heavens..."

"Sixth Brother, don't speak. We're not guilty of such a crime..." Su Daji said with a wry smile, "Besides, this isn't 'The Butterfly Lovers,' it's 'The Story of Jiao Hong,' isn't it?"

"Look, here's another tragic example!" The old man became even more self-righteous after being pointed out for misattributing the blame.

"If the family insists on breaking up a couple, the result is that all the little kids end up like fluttering moths."

“They’re transforming into butterflies,” Su Daji said speechlessly.

"They're pretty much the same." The old man waved his hand dismissively and said decisively, "I raised a son to provide for me in my old age, not to turn him into a moth. So I have to keep him alive."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I've beaten him, cursed him, and even broken his legs. But that bastard is determined to hang himself on that tree. I have no choice but to beg you all to let him move that tree home."

"Sigh..." The elders sighed and looked at Su Daxiang.

The Su clan patriarch silently chewed on his betel leaf roll, remaining silent for a long time. This matter had a very bad influence; he would have rejected it on the spot if it were any other family, but not Su Dacheng.

At the time, Su Dacheng was an official in Lincheng and could have avoided participating in the brawl. However, he felt that his side lacked strength, so he had his father and son summoned back. As a result, Su Dacheng was imprisoned, dismissed from his post, and sent home, where he remained depressed and unhappy.

Because of what happened back then, he still feels indebted to Su Dacheng...

~~
Seeing that the old clan chief remained silent, the old man naturally understood his attitude. He slammed his hand on the table and pressed on while the iron was hot, saying, "This time, for the third son's wedding, you don't need to give a single penny as a gift. Just come and eat. If you don't want to come, I won't blame you at all!"

"Well..." The clansmen who had been firmly opposed just now... became less resolute upon hearing this.

People in the mountains don't have much money. The expenses for weddings and funerals are covered by money collected from the clan. Each donation is a significant burden for each family. Saving a little money makes things a little easier during the Lunar New Year.

Many people immediately thought this was a good idea, and said, "It's not about the money."

Upon hearing their words, the old clan chief knew they were all trying to save money. He then said, "Alas, things have come to this, what else can we do? We can't really push the child to the brink of despair, can we?"

"Thank you, elder brother!" The old man finally breathed a sigh of relief, quickly picked up the jar, poured a full bowl of strong liquor, and raised it to the clansmen, saying in a deep voice, "Thank you all for your understanding, brothers and nephews! I, Su Dacheng, apologize to you all!"

As he spoke, he tilted his head back, intending to gulp down a pound of baijiu in one go... The sorghum liquor of Erlangtan was no different from the high-proof baijiu of later generations.

"Old man, stop drinking, you can't take it..." The uncle, who had been huddled in the inner room like a quail, finally couldn't take it anymore and rushed out crying.

The old man shoved him aside and said sternly, "You little bastard, remember this—in the Wumeng Mountains, only those who stick together can survive! You can't do anything to harm your own people, or you'll pay the price!"

"If I were ten years younger, I would have come back with three cuts and six holes to atone for my sins. It's only because of my old bones and past contributions that everyone allowed me to settle this with a bowl of wine." After saying this, the old man gritted his teeth and downed the bowl of white wine without leaving a drop.

Then he threw down the wine bowl, his legs went weak, and he was about to collapse to the ground...

"Grandpa." Su Taisu quickly caught the old man with tears in his eyes.

"Be more careful, Yu Ma." Su Daxiang and the others sighed. Su Dacheng had done too well; the clansmen had no choice but to forgive him...

~
The old man used three methods simultaneously: appealing to emotions, waiving the cost of gifts, and even nearly drinking himself to death. In the end, he managed to barely appease the clansmen.

As for how much suffering Uncle Cheng endured, no one knows. Anyway, a few days later, a letter came saying that he had taken care of it.

Neither side could afford to delay, so to avoid any unforeseen complications, they completed all the procedures—proposing marriage, matching birth dates, betrothal, the grand ceremony, and choosing an auspicious date—in just half a month, setting the wedding date for the 20th of the eleventh lunar month.

At this time, only one month had passed since the old man and Cheng Pixian had secretly met...

The swiftness of the event stunned the people of both tribes who were unaware of the truth. Even the old clan chief, Su Daxiang, said, "Things have come to this point, is there any need to rush? Can we possibly back out now?"

The old man thought to himself that if he didn't hurry, the truth would come out, but on the surface he tried his best to save face, saying, "This matter is ultimately a disgrace to the clan. The longer it drags on, the angrier everyone will become. Let's just cut the Gordian knot and settle things once and for all, so that everyone won't feel guilty and angry!" "Ah, it's really not that serious... Sixth Brother, you're too proud." The old clan leader was filled with sympathy at this moment. His sixth brother, who was proud all his life, had to be stuck with such a troublesome son.

“This isn’t about being strong or not, it’s about that son of a bitch breaking the rules!” The old man, however, became even more concerned with his reputation, saying, “I’ve already decided that as soon as the wedding is over, I’ll kick them out so they won’t be an eyesore in front of everyone.”

"No, it's really not that serious. Once you're married, you can just live a good life. Why would you need to leave Erlangtan?" The clansmen who came to celebrate the wedding were also deeply moved, feeling that Uncle Liu was too considerate and took their feelings into account.

“That’s right, it’s a hundred miles from home, and it’s incredibly difficult.” They all tried to persuade the old man to change his mind.

"No need to persuade them anymore. I'm not just doing this for you two. They've both been spoiled by their families. Let them go out and experience some hardship so they'll know the world is vast and beautiful!" the old man said firmly.

After the old man's performance, his image in the clan became even more dignified than before the incident...

Many clansmen, who were originally harboring resentment and planning to make things difficult for the groom's family tomorrow and cause a ruckus in the bridal chamber that night, have now decided against it.

The young couple is already pitiful enough to be kicked out of their home after getting married; there's no need to rub salt into their wounds...

So the wedding the next day was peaceful and harmonious throughout, without a trace of hostility from the Su family's side.

The bride's brothers-in-law were stunned, and they were full of admiration for Grandpa Su's ability to control the situation... Their father was about to be cursed to death by the clan; someone had even thrown a dead chicken into his yard last night.

In the dead of winter, the bride wore a thick wedding dress and a red veil, and no one noticed anything unusual. In short, the day went smoothly...

After seeing off the last group of guests, the Su family finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As soon as Su Youcai and his two sons returned to their room, they all lay down, not wanting to move a finger. These past two days had exhausted them.

"I really admire Grandpa." Su Lu looked at the dark roof beams and murmured, "This operation was simply 'the Dragon King moving house—amazing!'"

"Of course, look at your grandfather, he hasn't cared about anything all these years, but his skills have always remained the same." Su Youcai sighed regretfully, "If it weren't for that incident, your grandfather could have been promoted to deputy commander, and our family's life would be much better than it is now."

"Such a capable grandfather, couldn't beat a mere scholar?" Su Lu asked, puzzled.

"Firstly, the other side had the advantage of timing; secondly, an individual's abilities are ultimately limited. In fact, the most important thing is the position each person is in..." Su Youcai said with deep feeling.

“Second Uncle is right. Why do we have to study? Isn’t it because the military households are in such a bad position?” Su Man’s voice suddenly rang out from outside the window. Today was his uncle’s wedding, so of course he came back.

The three men were startled by him. Su Youcai said with a wry smile, "Why doesn't Chun-ge come in and talk?"

"I'm afraid I'll be suffocated by the smoke." Su Man looked at the three of them, their feet emitting white smoke, and coughed, saying, "Qiu-ge'er, come to my room."

After saying that, he fled back into the house as if he were running away.

Su Lu picked up his toes and smelled them. Good heavens, they almost knocked him over. He quickly got out of bed, dragged out the basin for washing his face, feet, and clothes, poured in cold water, scrubbed them vigorously, and then went next door to report in his wooden clogs.

At this moment, Su Tai finally couldn't help but ask, "Old man, why is the Dragon King's move called 'powerful'?"

"You're still thinking about this?" Su Youcai chuckled. "Because the homonym for 'powerful' is 'leaving the sea'."

"Oh," Sutai said, suddenly realizing.

Su Youcai couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement: "Xia-ge'er, with your reaction, do you really think Qiu-ge'er can explain Mencius to you clearly?"

"Yes, Qiu-ge'er spoke very well." Su Tai said with admiration, "We've learned a lot of principles lately."

"Oh?" Su Youcai asked with interest.

Su Tai then explained the principles he had learned to his father one by one. Although he stumbled over his words and spoke incoherently, the general meaning was correct.

Su Youcai was shocked again after hearing this. He hadn't expected that Qiu Ge'er could actually teach Xia Ge'er. And Xia Ge'er could even tell him more stories...

At this moment, Su Tai finished reciting the passage "The King Looks Left and Right and Speaks of Other Things," and said softly, "Father, I've been thinking about this for several days, and I still think Mencius went too far..."

"Oh, how so?" Su Youcai asked with interest.

"Mencius, as a guest minister, insisted that the King of Qi admit his incompetence in governing the country and his unworthiness to be king. Isn't that going too far?" Su Tai said cautiously.

"If the King of Qi admits it, his kingdom will perish... right?"

(End of this chapter)