With her lips slightly raised up, Su Muge managed to smile, but there was no such emotion in her eyes. It was such a pity that her emotion was ignored by those people because they were overwhelmed by the things she possibly had brought back.
“I left all the things in town. I’ll bring them to grandma when I go back.”
Now that they had got the answer, the Zhao families dispersed after a few more casual words with Su Muge.
Zhao Ming offered to accommodate her by letting her share a bedroom with his eldest daughter but was refused. He was told that she had to take care of Zhang.
“Do you know what good stuff has your little sister brought us? Dalang is going to make a proposal, and a gift from the city will be perfect with dignity.” Wang went back to her room, and the greed on her face was too obvious to cover.
Zhao Shun was sitting aside, and those words reminded him of that dirty yet delicate face of Su Muge.
“Mom, a wild girl from the neighboring village will never be qualified to compete with my cousin.”
The unintentional words from Zhao Shun’s mouth made the room quite all of a sudden.
Her eyes brightened with excitement, Wang took a look at Zhao De.
“Our son is right on this! Those wild girls from villages will never become anything like the daughter born in a family of public officials. Since Su Muge is your younger sister’s daughter, why not marry her and strengthen the ties between our two families?”
Zhao De had been managing someone’s business in town, and thus he was usually more considerate than the wife.
“Will my brother-in-law be okay with this? After all, this is marriage, so my sister doesn’t have her say on such important matters.”
“Where has your wit gone? We’ll grab this chance and get her married to our son. By the time she and Dalang have…Won’t her parents agree?”
“Mom, can…can I really marry my cousin?” Upon hearing the words from his mom, a flush overspread Zhao Shun’s dusky face.
“Why not? She’s not a fairy living in the heavens! Darling, you should hurry up now. Perhaps your second younger brother is also into this.”
Wang’s words made Zhao De silenced.
Su Muge, on the other hand, had not even a clue on those people’s ideas.
Zhang used to have a strong body, and thereby soon came back to herself at the night of the surgery. She was a bit confused when finding herself back in the previous room.
“Dear child, what…what did you give to those bastards?” Zhang thought she was carried back only because Su Muge had exchanged something with Wang and the others.
With a bowl of egg porridge in hand, Su Muge came forward to her with a smile, “Don’t worry, grandma. I did nothing.”
“But, but how can they…” Curious about what happened, though, Zhang felt extremely ashamed for she had raised up her own sons to become such bastards.
“Grandma, you must have someone look after you. The wound won’t be healed in a short time even at the best. But thinking of uncle or his family taking care of you…Anyway, I’ve just figured out a way so that they couldn’t mistreat you. Would you like to hear it, grandma?”
Su Muhe had looked over all three sons of Zhang’s and decided that except for the third one, an honest and good-natured farmer, the others were all scumbags with one thing in common, namely greed. As long as taking good advantage of this, they could be well handled.
Zhang gave her no response. Su Muge was patient in that being treated like this by her sons, Zhang must have no hope for living longer with her desperate heart.
“Grandma, you haven’t seen my mom for years, and she also missed you very much. Not until your wound heals and you feel well can you go to the city to visit me and mom, right?”
The mention of Zhao immediately brought some glow to Zhang’s face.
“Your mom…How has she been these years?”
“It’s hard to describe as simply as good or bad, but it’s enough for her to live on her life with no worries about food and clothing.”
Zhang was clever and experienced enough to get her point quickly, and knew that Su Lun married another woman from the family of a public official, whose life could not be rivaled with those from a village!
“Don’t you want to visit my mom and her newly born son?”
They are her most beloved daughter and her grandson at birth. How could she resist them?
Su Muge was waiting for her answer and said no more words. It was important that Zhang should convince herself of this first.
The two were in silence for quite some time.
“Fine, grandma will listen to you this time!” Without much time spent together, Zhang could still tell that there were great differences between her daughter and granddaughter in their personalities.
Su Muge replied to her with a heartfelt smile. “Sure.” She reached up to Zhang’s ear and whispered something.
Zhang listened quietly. Despite the bitterness gathering in the eyes, her mind became firmer.
Su Muge looked after Zhang by her side for three days and would keep a few more days because the stitches needed to be taken out from the wound. She would have preferred to go back earlier.
“Cousin, this, this is for you.”
Zhaoshun put an oiled paper package in Su Muge’s arms and rushed away before she could react. She was then collecting medicine in the yard.
Seeing Zhao Erlang, Zhao Shun’s younger brother, passing by, she gave him the package without taking a look at it.
“It’s from your elder brother.” She then turned around and entered the room.
Somewhat simple and honest, Zhao Erlang opened the oiled paper package and found a braised pettitoe with brown source in it. He started eating delightfully without much thinking.
Zhao Dalang ran all the way back to his room where Wang was enjoying her fruits.
“Mom, why doesn’t my cousin wash her face clean?” He had never seen the real look of Su Muge.
“Why bothered by this? When she becomes your wife, you can take a look at her face anytime you want.”
Zhao Dalang laughed at his mother’s words. “Then, when can she be my wife?”
“What’s your rush? She won’t disappear!”
Actually, Wang was a little worried and intranquil herself. She was eager to know what on earth Su Muge had brought these days, and plan to take possession first. She wouldn’t allow the stuff of her future daughter-in-law to slip into the other two families.
On the fifth night, the Zhao family could not wait anymore since Su Muge had not brought the supposed things yet.
Zhao Ming found a chance and spoke at the table.
“Hey niece, where, where did you keep the things you brought us? I can help you with that. I can use a bullock cart to get them all back, saving your people from sending it here.”
Putting her chopsticks down, Su Muge smiled at the others, and said “Thank you, uncle. Just leave it to me. I’ll go back the day after tomorrow, and tell them to bring all the stuff here.”
“Great! No, I mean, why do you go back so early? Why not stay for a few more days with us…”
“My mom has just given birth to my brother. No one is taking care of her back at home, and I’m worried about them.”
Zhao Dalang started to panic. Who would be his wife if Su Muge went back!
Su Muge ignored their conspiracy and went directly back to Zhang’s room after dinner.
After a few days’ nursing by her granddaughter, Zhang gradually built up her health, more energized.
“Grandma, the stitches can be taken from your wound tomorrow, and I’m going back the day after that.”
Zhang took over Su Muge’s hands in hers. “Thank you, my good girl. Grandma encumbered you.”
“Don’t say that, grandma. We are family.”
Zhang’s eyes was filled with joy. “You are indeed a nice girl.”
Contrary to the warmth and comfort here, people in the main room were restless.
“Dad, mom, did you hear that! My cousin is going back home!”
Wang glared at Zhao Dalang, who had been walking up and down the room after dinner and then turned to Zhao De.
“Darling, our son is right. The girl is leaving, and we cannot let her leave like this.” She was not dumb. How could she get back Su Muge to be her daughter-in-law once she left!
Zhao De kept silent in his chair, with Wang and Zhao Dalang looking at him with eager eyes.
Zhao De raised his eyes overwhelmed by intrigues and plots and lowered his voice. “What’s done cannot be undone. Let’s make her marry Dalang! Then the Su family cannot deny!
“Great! Once the girl becomes Dalang’s wife physically, the Su family will compromise!”
Zhao Dalang’s face flushed red all over upon his parents’ conversation, and he hemmed and hawed with no words coming out of his mouth.
“Darling, what should we do?”
“Come here, you two, and do as I said.”
With three heads circled up, there were whispers and mutters.
…
Early the next morning, Su Muge finished taking out the stitches for Zhang and re-applied some medicine to the wound. When the wound healed, Zhang would be as healthy as before.
“Grandma, you can try to walk on the floor seven days later. It will be good for your recovery.”
“Sure, sure. How fortunate for me to have a granddaughter like you! Otherwise…” All sorts of feelings were welling up in her mind. How could she expect that it was her granddaughter from as far as Shunyang prefecture that came and saved her life!
“Dear grandma, please, do not talk as if I were an outsider! The most urgent thing now for you is to take care of yourself and recover as soon as possible!”
“Yes, of course.”
She fed Zhang with the medicine and was about to go to the rural barefoot doctor to fetch some more for the rest of Zhang’s therapy.
Just as she stepped out of the room, some big, weird red satin went into her eyes. It was hanged over the few main rooms and the living room.
“Sister, are you preparing for Dalang’s wedding? I haven’t even heard of his engagement with any girl.” Sun, the second aunt, started to mock at the red satin over the door.
“Pah!” Wang spit out the melon seed shells in her mouth at Sun. “There’s so much you don’t know!”
Turned aside and saw Su Muge, who was going out of the yard, Wang was somehow unpleasant about this girl, being imagined as her daughter-in-law. “Hey niece, you are going to the doctor again? You don’t have to buy so much medicine back as a waste. Your grandma is in perfect health…”
Su Muge quickly walked out of the yard without looking at Wang, pretending that she did not hear her words.
“Hey, I haven’t finished my words! How rude are you!” Wang spit two more times, annoyed.
Sun laughed with more sarcasm at the scene. “Well, well! Sister, did you see yourself? That was the way of instructing one’s own daughter-in-law!”
But not as usual, Wang didn’t retort this time. Sun didn’t notice any difference there, and she didn’t want to bother. She went away herself to look for some chit chat.
Having arrived at the place of the rural barefoot doctor, Su Muge was then told that the doctor went to the mountain for herbs, and wouldn’t be back in a few days.
She couldn’t wait that long, and who knew what kind of trick An would prepare for her.
In this way, she had to go to the town for the medicine.
Before she entered the yard gate, Zhao Dalang came out with a bullock cart.
“Cou…Cousin.”
Su Muge never liked Zhao Dalang, because there was always a hint of lust and coveting in his look.
“Cousin.” Su Muge entered the yard after the emotionless greeting.
“Cousin, I’m going shopping in town. Do, do you have anything to buy?”
Having paused for a moment, Su Muge turned her head and looked at him. “You are leaving for the town?”
Zhao Dalang nodded with a smile, as he felt delighted that Su Muge looked at him. “Sure, sure.”
Lips tightened, Su Muge reminded that she heard a lot about this village recently, and knew that the Zhao family was quite decent in the village, depending on that silver worth ten liang sent by her mother every year, though.
Except for the village head, the Zhao family was the only one that owned bulls. Now that time had passed for other transportation tools, without Zhao Dalang’s bullock cart, there would be no other way except for walking. But a round-trip like that would waste her time till late at night.
“I need to buy some medicine in town. I’ll go with you.”
Hearing of this, the weird smile on Zhao Dalang’s face almost betrayed him, yet Su Muge missed such an expression while she was fetching her things in the room.
