Father Su told his two daughters that he was going to do odd jobs.

Now Qingyang was going to a private school, and he couldn’t let his married sister continue to bear the expenses of her brother’s tuition and other expenses.

It was the off-season, so Su Dahai thought about going to the neighboring county to do some odd jobs. He heard that the stone quarry in the neighboring county had been recruiting people. Although the work was hard and tiring, the wages were high, so he wanted to go and have a look.

Su Qingyu disagreed.

“Dad, the owners of the stone quarries all have backgrounds and employ so many thugs. Look at my gufu, he couldn’t get any compensation and almost had to pay compensation to the other party. It’s not easy to make money from the stone quarry.”

When Mother Su heard this, she nodded repeatedly.

“I have tried to persuade your father at home, but he said he would not go to your gufu’s quarry. Moreover, he does not carve stones, but only looks for some light work, and he insists that the wages are high.”

Mother Su wanted to persuade Father Su but was persuaded by him. After all, the wages in the stone quarry were still very high. Qingyang wanted to go to school, and if Qingyu paid for it, the Lu family would also speak up.

Su Qingliu also advised him to find another job in the town or county.

Su Qingyu saw that her father was silent and knew that he might have made up his mind. After thinking for a while, she said, “Dad, come and help me.” If her father heard that his daughter needed help, he probably wouldn’t go.

“Okay, what do you want Dad to do?”

“Dad, you see, four shops have opened up in this town at once, and they are all fighting over prices. I can hardly collect all the vegetables. But I still need a lot of vegetables right now. I think it’s better to grow and sell them myself than to be constrained by others. I have never visited the 15 acres of land at Bocheng’s maternal grandfather’s house. I want to go and see if I can spare a few acres to grow vegetables.”

Father Su was a little confused after hearing this: “Then they have all been rented out to others? Then Dad doesn’t have to farm the land anymore.”

“There’s no need for Dad to farm. Dad, come with me to take a look. We still need to sign a new deed after the transfer of ownership. If everyone is willing to grow vegetables, I’ll need Dad to help me run some errands. Bocheng’s grandparents’ home is a bit far from the town, and it’s remote. We’ve never gone there to harvest vegetables. Dad and Dahu went to the village last time and harvested a lot of rare vegetable seeds. Dad, you can help guide them on how to grow them then.”

“That’s fine. Dad is good at farming. But…”

Mother Su glanced at him and slapped him hard: “Your daughter asked you to help her with a little favor, and you are refusing! Are you thinking there won’t be any time to earn money!”

Su Qingyu realized she had missed the point. Her honest father still wanted to go out and do odd jobs to save up for his son’s education costs.

“Dad, I’m going to let Da Hu be responsible for picking fruits. He may have to go to a farther place. How about you help me with vegetables and poultry? When you make money, you and mom can keep half for yourselves and bring the other half back home. Grandpa and Grandma shouldn’t have any objections to this. This way you can also visit us more often.”

Mother Su’s eyes lit up: “How about Mother come to help you too?”

She had carried all the children for ten months and gave birth to them. Who wouldn’t want to have their own children under their noses? Now that even the two youngest children had left her, she missed them very much.

Father Su rolled his eyes at her and said, “Do you think Mom and Dad can let both of us come out?”

Mother Su was not convinced: “What about you? Will your stepmother let you out? Will she leave all the farm work to her two biological sons and daughters-in-law? Will she be willing?”

Su Qingliu frowned and glanced at Su Qingyu.

Su Qingyu was silent for a moment and said, “Didn’t Dad say that this period is the off-season for farming? You can help me with the odd jobs you have to do for the past one or two months, and then go back when the busy season comes. By then, the store may be in better shape, and Da Hu may be able to take care of it by himself, or he may bring Da Jiang with him as well.”

Su Dahai thought for a moment and said, “Okay, that’s fine. Dad will help you for a month or two.”

Mother Su reluctantly bid farewell to her husband and children and returned to Qiaotou Village, while Su Dahai stayed.

The next day, Su Qingyu took the clothes that had been prepared for the grandparents of the Lu family and given them to the Zhou family last time, and bought some food and daily necessities, preparing to go to the village.

When Lü Shengcai learned that she was going to Shanghe Village, he bought some things for her to take back and gave her two taels of silver to bring to the two elders. In front of Lü Shengcai, Wu Shi said a lot of polite words to show her filial piety, but once Lü Shengcai left, she did not express herself anymore.

Apart from caring about Lü Shengcai and the children she gave birth to, Wu Shi was indifferent to everyone else. Even her so-called friends who could talk to her were just friends for the sake of face.

Wu Shi treated Su Qingyu like an outsider, and Su Qingyu naturally didn’t do much for her except fulfill her duties.

The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has been difficult since ancient times, not to mention that they were not related.

Wu Shi didn’t care about the people in the old house of the Lu family in Shanghe Village at all, and she wouldn’t go back to the village even for the children she gave birth to. And Grandpa Bocheng and the Lu family wouldn’t come to the town unless there was something special.

Su Qingyu hired a carriage and went to Shanghe Village with her father.

Lü Bocheng’s maternal grandfather’s home was in Xiahe Village, and the two villages were adjacent to each other. Back then, Lü Bocheng’s mother also fell in love with Lü Shengcai because of the proximity and wasted her life.

Su Qingyu thought that if she was going to Xiahe Village, she had to go to Shanghe Village. Moreover, she had never been to Shanghe Village since she got married. Thinking that Lu Bocheng had been worried that if he died, no one would burn paper for his mother, she felt sad.

People at that time paid attention to the inheritance of incense and fire, and when she came, she was naturally no exception.

Shanghe Village and Xiahe Village were a little far from Fengting Town, and the place was a little remote, so it was not easy to go out. It was also because they were too poor that Lu Shengcai didn’t want to be trapped in the village and ran away to become a peddler.

Father Su accompanied her, looking through the things she had prepared in the carriage, and teaching her how to get along with her elders.

The father and daughter talked to each other and finally arrived at Shanghe Village.

It was Su Qing’an’s first time here, and she found the Lu family’s old house after asking the villagers.

As Father Su walked towards the village, he looked around and felt that this place was much poorer than their Qiaotou Village. None of the old people or children had good clothes. This place might be closer to the neighboring town, and most of the land was rocky and the soil was poorer.

The Lu family was very surprised by Su Qingyu’s arrival. When Old Lu and Grandma Lu heard their little grandson calling them, they didn’t believe it. After confirming it, they rolled up their trousers legs and trotted back home.

“Bocheng’s wife, why are you here?”

“Why are you here with your father? What happened? Where’s your father-in-law?”

Old Lu has been worried about his two grandsons since they were conscripted, and he was afraid of hearing bad news.

What was going on? Were they going to take Bocheng’s wife back to her parents’ home?

Old Lu felt a little uneasy. He clenched his five fingers into a fist and clenched it tightly. Grandma Lu didn’t understand what was going on, so she just pulled her granddaughter-in-law and greeted her in-laws.

Father Su smiled at Old Lu and said, “My dear, I have nothing else to do. I just came here with Qingyu to see you. My father-in-law is busy with business and has no time. I just happened to be free, so I came here with her to see you. Are we not welcome?”

Old Lu’s anxious heart suddenly settled down.

He smiled and rubbed his hands: “Why won’t we welcome you? We are looking forward to it. We are so happy that you can accompany our granddaughter-in-law to visit us.”

Then he asked Lu Bocheng’s aunt and uncle to take their granddaughter and granddaughter-in-law to kill chickens and pick vegetables to prepare lunch.

(End of this chapter)