Chapter 26: An Unmerited Calamity, Su Jin Dares Not Speak Out in Her Anger

Once they were full, Su Yu led his family away, accompanying the village chief. He used the pretext of ensuring the chief didn't have too much to drink as a reason to escort him, leaving his uncle seething with nowhere to vent his frustration.

After seeing the chief off, Su Dayong, who had followed along, burst into laughter. "Little Yu, I never realized you could be so wicked. I truly didn't expect you to perform so well!"

Su Yu offered a sheepish smile, but Su Sheng interrupted, unimpressed. "What's 'well' about it? It would be one thing for you to make a scene on your own, but you dragged Dayong and Xiaotong into it too. Had I known you would offend Uncle's family like this, I certainly wouldn't have agreed to bring anyone else along. Our own family would have been enough."

Su Sheng hadn't wanted to implicate his third uncle, but without Dayong and Xiaotong there today, their intentions would have been far too obvious, and he would have been fighting a losing battle. He had no other choice.

"Brother Sheng, don't blame the third one. Besides, we aren't outsiders. Grandmother is biased, and Grandfather doesn't care about anything—we’ve known that behind closed doors for a long time, so there’s nothing to hide. I think Little Yu did the right thing; it was quite satisfying."

"Sigh... stop praising him. He’s already sold you out, and you’re still counting the money for him."

Su Sheng wasn't truly resentful of Su Yu; he also felt it was satisfying. However, he found the transformation in his younger brother to be drastic. He spoke this way deliberately to keep Su Yu’s temper in check, hoping to prevent any irreparable fallout with their grandfather, which would only make things harder for their father.

"Enough, let’s go home. Brother Dayong, go fetch Huzi so we can divide the goods."

"Er... it’s quite late now. Why don't we wait until tomorrow?"

Su Yu realized he was right and didn't insist. The duck eggs were already divided, and everyone had taken a duck home; the rest could wait until morning.

They said their goodbyes and headed home. Su Yu carried the little girl, Su Jin ran ahead, and Su Sheng walked by Su Yu’s side as they made their way back.

"Don't be so aggressive and overbearing in the future. I barely recognized you back there. If word gets out, it will ruin your reputation. How will you ever find a wife?"

Su Sheng’s words finally made Su Yu realize why he had spoken that way in front of Dayong. It was out of concern for his marriage prospects. It was true; if the villagers thought of him as a shrew who cursed at elders and children alike, it would certainly affect his chances of finding a match. A brother is always a brother, thinking of him in everything.

"I know. Let’s get home. We have to sell the green sheep meat first thing tomorrow, so we need to prepare it."

When Su Yu arrived home, his parents were eating the stewed duck. He had prepared it for them before leaving, one for each household, just so they could have a good meal. The duck belonging to Su Yu had also been stewed before he left. By the time he returned, his father had already finished cleaning the green sheep.

"You're back? Have you eaten? If not, I'll have your mother warm up some food for you."

Su Father didn't ask how things went at the grandfather’s house; perhaps he pretended not to care, only asking with concern if he had eaten.

"Dad, we ate. We had stewed pig's head with cabbage. It was delicious."

Su Jin spoke bluntly and immediately. The youngest sister was already exhausted and was being carried in Su Yu’s arms. Su Yu didn't answer his father; the fourth brother's reply was enough. He carried his sister to her room, tucked her in, and then walked back out.

"Brother, why don't you clean the sheep offal? Boil the heart and liver. I’ll clean the large intestines and boil them for Heizi’s dinner."

Su Sheng nodded and took the sheep’s heart and liver into the kitchen. Su Yu found two bricks and a battered iron basin, cleaned the sheep intestines, chopped them with an axe, placed them in the basin, and set it on the bricks. He lit a fire underneath, cooking dinner for Heizi in the open air. Such food couldn't go in the kitchen, nor could they use the regular cooking pot, so they used the dog’s basin. He let it boil thoroughly and cool down before serving.

His haul consisted of two wild rabbits, one pheasant, six wild ducks, one swan, and six duck eggs. Dayong had two wild ducks and ten pounds of duck eggs. Each of them had taken a duck home, and Su Yu had eaten his own share, leaving five ducks left. He needed to sell them to divide the money, as they had split the ten pounds of duck eggs into three equal shares.

Dayong had said he didn't want his share, as he had just been tagging along for fun. He felt awkward taking money, but even if he didn't want it, Su Yu couldn't just keep it; he would find a way to buy him something else instead.

By now, there were five ducks, one pheasant, two rabbits, and a five-pound swan left. The rabbits were left unskinned, as they needed to be sold whole.

The brothers were busy for a while. Su Sheng finished braising the sheep heart, liver, and stomach, and Su Yu finished Heizi’s meal. He took the basin down and mixed in some wheat bran; the heat was enough to cook the bran instantly. It also cooled the food down, and after a short wait, Heizi began to feast. To encourage it to eat, Su Yu had added salt. Salt was a luxury, but in this era, it was still affordable, and since hunting dogs were precious, he felt it was worth it.

"Alright, that’s done. Go to bed. You have to head into town tomorrow, so get some rest."

Su Sheng went into the room. Since Su Yu could bring back game, Su Sheng no longer insisted he work the fields, and the rest of the family stopped complaining about him being idle. In times when meat was scarce, the family was very satisfied with the protein Su Yu brought home.

Being a hunter in the village was nothing out of the ordinary, and as long as they were cautious, it wasn't too dangerous for the two of them.

Time flew by, and another day passed.

"Third Brother, wake up! Brother Huzi is here for you."

The little girl climbed onto the bed and sat on Su Yu to wake him. Su Yu pulled her into his arms and began tickling her, making her giggle. Huzi had already walked in and saw the siblings playing.

Su Yu reluctantly sat up and began to dress. "Why are you up so early? We aren't going to the morning market. Did you eat?"

Huzi scratched his head, looking honest and simple. "I ate. Had some duck last night. It was so delicious." Even now, Huzi was still savoring the memory.

In the Su household, Su Yu and Su Jin were definitely the last to wake up. Su Jin had just been disturbed, glanced at Huzi, and pulled the covers over her head to continue sleeping.

"Fine, stop making me hungry. Help me get a basin of water so I can wash up and head out with you."

With that, he gave the fourth brother a swat and said angrily, "Get up! I’m heading out. If you don't get up, who’s going to watch the little sister?"

The fourth brother felt wronged, thinking that the little sister always played by herself anyway. She could go play with Su Qianqian; did she really need guarding in the village? It was obvious the Third Brother was just annoyed at being woken up and was taking it out on him.

Though he knew the truth, he didn't dare complain. As the saying went, those who eat another's food must swallow their pride. Su Yu wasn't exactly gentle with his own brothers—he would actually kick them. The fourth brother dressed reluctantly, grumbling under his breath, but he didn't dare say a word out loud.