Chapter 33: Xu Xiaoya Pays a Visit, and Mother Su Instantly Becomes All Smiles

The next day, Su Yu woke up early—not because he couldn't sleep, but because a slight shift in his posture triggered a sharp pain in his waist that jolted him awake.

With no other choice, he got up, had his younger brother, Fourth, bring him a basin of water, and began to wash up.

"Third Brother, Fourth Brother, Mother says it’s time for breakfast."

"Alright, I heard you. We’ll be right there."

"Third Brother, what’s wrong with your waist? Did you pull a muscle?"

"Stop blathering. Just rub some safflower oil on it for me. Don't go spreading this around, you hear?"

Su Yu fished the bottle of safflower oil from under his pillow and handed it to Fourth. Su Jin took it, poured some into his palms, rubbed them together, and lifted Su Yu’s shirt to start massaging his back.

"Third Brother, there’s a bruise on your back. This looks like it was caused by a club, right?"

Fourth wasn't a stranger to brawls; he knew exactly how such marks were made. Seeing his brother’s evasive behavior and his request for secrecy, he figured it out in an instant.

"An educated youth named Xu ran into some thugs in town yesterday. We stepped in to help and got blindsided. There were five of them against the two of us. Do you really think your brother would be injured otherwise? I could have taken them all on by myself."

Fourth curled his lip. He didn't believe a word of it, but he understood the gist: it was a classic case of a hero saving a damsel in distress.

"Hiss... watch it! You trying to get revenge on me?"

"Can't handle a little pressure? How were you so brave when you were rushing in to play the hero? Heh."

Su Yu couldn't be bothered to argue. If Fourth weren't still useful to him, he would have kicked him across the room by now.

Before long, Su Yu acted as if nothing were wrong and walked into the main room to sit down for breakfast.

"I heard from your mother that you brought back forty catties of cornmeal last night. Where did you get it?" His father asked, staring at him with a stern expression.

"Uh... I sold the venison and traded for it at the black market."

"You're only this old, and you're already daring to step foot in the black market? Don't go there again. If you have to, I’ll go. What if you get caught? How will you ever find a wife if you have a record?"

Hearing his father start to lecture, Su Yu quickly surrendered.

"I know, I know. I’ll try my best not to go again, okay?"

Su Father knew it was his own lack of ability that left his children hungry, which forced his third son to risk the black market and hunt in the mountains to make ends meet. He didn't chide him too harshly; after all, his own meager earnings went entirely to his mother, leaving little for the rest of the household.

"Did you give some to Huzi? Don't let him help for nothing."

"Don't worry, Dad. We’ve been friends since we were kids; I wouldn't let Huzi take a loss."

After the family finished breakfast, Su Yu endured the pain and returned to his room, lying face down on the bed to recuperate.

The situation was similar at Huzi’s house, though the narrative differed slightly. According to Huzi, they were entirely innocent victims who only suffered because they were trying to rescue the female educated youth. His mother scolded him for being thick-headed, pointing out that Su Yu was at least trying to impress a beauty, while Huzi just suffered for nothing.

However, Huzi’s father didn't blame him. As a man, he understood that helping a villager in trouble was the right thing to do; they were just unlucky. Fortunately, after having the village doctor, Li Youcai, examine his arm, it was confirmed that no bones were broken.

"Enough, stop nagging him. If we see a village girl in trouble, are we supposed to just walk away? Wouldn't the whole village point fingers at us?" Huzi’s father defended him. "I think Su Yu acted well. He not only paid for the medicine but also gave you forty catties of cornmeal. What more do you want? You know what your son is capable of; he couldn't have earned that much on his own."

The couple bickered, while Huzi watched from his bed, enjoying the show. The atmosphere in their home was tense but harmonious.

However, once the workday began, the news spread like wildfire.

"Xiaoya, Xiaoya! Auntie Cuihua says Su Yu got hurt fighting for you? Didn't you say there wasn't a fight yesterday?"

"Injured? How did he get hurt?"

The female educated youths chattered away, gossiping while weeding the fields. Through various inquiries, they eventually pieced together the whole story: the thugs had followed them and ambushed the two men after dark.

Neither family dared to mention the black market. Su Yu’s mother hadn't even known he was hurt until she heard it from others, and since he had acted so normally at breakfast, she hadn't been overly worried—she was used to her eldest son getting into scraps.

The gossip reached a fever pitch. It was said that Su Yu had a back injury and Huzi’s arm had been broken. The stories grew more exaggerated with every retelling.

Su Yu was fine at home, but the educated youth, Xu Xiaoya, had a miserable day. She was teased relentlessly by the village women, who joked about her charm and reminisced about their own youth.

"Xiaoya, after we finish work, should we bring something to visit Su Yu and Huzi?" suggested another girl who had been with her in town. Even though she wasn't the main focus, they were both involved in the incident.

"Oh, let me think about it."

Xu Xiaoya was introverted and disliked dealing with strangers, especially since the rumors implied a romantic connection. Yet, she felt guilty that they had been hurt on her account.

"Don't worry about what people say. We’re just visiting the wounded. Friends do that all the time."

Xiaoya nodded. Her friend was right; it would be heartless not to go.

By noon, the two girls arrived at Su Yu’s house. His mother, already aware of the situation, had checked his back and confirmed it was just a bruise. She welcomed the girls warmly, showing no sign of the "tiger mother" persona she was known for.

"Auntie, it’s nothing valuable, just some purslane we dried ourselves. You can use it to make dumplings," Xiaoya said, handing over the gift.

"Oh, thank you, dear. Come in, come in."

After some polite small talk, they were led to Su Yu’s room.