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Xiao Bao pouted and looked at Su Jiu, snorting, “Don’t think I don’t know you’re trying to trick me with your bad ideas. I won’t listen to you.” After saying that, he squirmed out of Su Jiu’s arms and grabbed the silent Zhang Zhilin, running away.
“Who is that child…”
“He’s Grandpa Gu’s grandson, but they don’t have much of a relationship anymore,” Su Yu explained briefly.
After hearing Su Yu’s explanation, Su Jiu nodded in understanding. So, that was the situation. The Gu family was truly delusional.
“Are you going back for the Empress Dowager’s birthday?” Su Jiu asked Su Yu.
Su Yu shook his head, “I’m not an official. I don’t need to attend the birthday banquet. Why would I go back? But Grandpa, are you planning to go?”
Su Xi made a sound of agreement, “Indeed, I have to go. After we harvest the melons tomorrow, I’ll return with Su Jiu.”
Although he had been here for a while now, he still didn’t want to leave. The days here were so comfortable; why should he go back and face those two infuriating faces?
“Xiao Yu, aren’t you planning to go back?” Su Jiu asked Su Yu.
Su Yu looked displeased at Su Jiu. “Brother, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to side with those two?” If that was the case, he wouldn’t hesitate to drive him away.
Seeing Su Yu getting angry, Su Jiu quickly shook his head. “Of course not! I’m your brother, not your enemy. Why would I want to make things difficult for you?”
“That’s good. Let me tell you, before I take Xiao He and Xiao Bao back, you must not tell anyone in the family about this, including Grandpa and Sister. Nobody from Grandpa’s side or Sister’s side should know,” Su Yu said, worried that too many people knowing about this might lead to unnecessary disputes, especially with Yang Shanshan and her husband.
“Don’t worry, little brother. You know what kind of person your brother is. If there’s something you don’t want to reveal, I will definitely keep it confidential,” Su Jiu assured him. Over the years, it had always been like this, and he had become accustomed to it.
Su Yu nodded in satisfaction. “That’s good.”
“After this, you need to go back to your sister’s place,” Su Jiu said, his gaze turning slightly cold when he mentioned his sister.
Su Yu looked at Su Jiu, silently inquiring about his intentions. What did he mean by that?
“Since your sister gave birth to Ling’er, she hasn’t had any more children. Her mother-in-law has been expressing dissatisfaction recently and wants Feng Zhen to take a concubine,” Su Jiu explained, his voice filled with irritation.
Su Yu narrowed his eyes. “Concubine? What’s Feng Zhen’s attitude towards this?”
Su Jiu shook his head. “It’s hard to tell his attitude right now. But you know the temperament of Feng’s old lady, right? She’s the type who resorts to crying, tantrums, and even threats. Feng Zhen is filial, so there’s a possibility he might agree to take a concubine.”
“If he dares to do that, I’ll overturn the Feng family. What guarantees did he give when he begged to marry my sister? Our Su family’s legitimate daughters should not share a husband with others. This is non-negotiable,” Su Yu said without reservation.
“I have a similar perspective as yours. By the way, there’s one more thing you need to be aware of: they’ve written a letter to Grandfather. They probably intend for Grandfather Yang Xiong to mediate between us,” Su Yu shared, not only heeding Su Xi’s advice but also taking into account Grandfather Yang Xiong’s words.
“It doesn’t matter who they bring in; it won’t change a thing,” Su Yu stated firmly. He had no intention of compromising; he stood by his decisions regardless of others’ interference.
“I just wanted to inform you in advance so that you won’t be caught off guard,” Su Jiu said, well aware of his brother’s stubborn nature.
Su Yu responded with a mere grunt, displaying his disdain for the actions of Yang Shanshan and her husband. He found it pathetic that they were too cowardly to confront him directly and instead sought help from Grandfather. “They’ve made their own mistakes, yet they still have the audacity to trouble Grandfather. Frankly, I have no respect for them,” Su Yu said without mincing words.
Although Su Jiu remained silent, his thoughts were in line with Su Yu’s.
If they intended to apologize and repair their relationship with Su Yu, they needed to show sincerity instead of involving various individuals. What was the use of finding so many people if, in the end, Su Yu still wouldn’t accept their apology?
Su Yu had been following Grandfather’s advice, and in matters concerning principles, even Grandfather wouldn’t interfere with Su Yu’s decisions. Grandfather was unaware of the past events; if he were to find out how they had treated Su Yu over the years, he wouldn’t support them. He might even scold them severely.
Seeing the brothers deep in conversation, Wang Jinhe prepared to leave. However, Su Yu quickly reached out and stopped her, asking, “Where are you going?”
“What? You two are talking, I’ll go prepare dinner,” she replied.
“Alright.”
Su Jiu looked at his brother’s clingy behavior with a disdainful expression. “How can Xiao he tolerate your clinginess?”
“A person without a wife has no right to talk to me about this. Wait until you have a wife, then you can discuss it with me,” Su Yu said, poking fun at his brother.
Su Jiu’s mouth twitched as he watched Su Yu. It seemed like this annoying kid found every opportunity to bother him. How could this girl fall for him? What stroke of luck had this brat encountered?
“Are there any other fruits here?” Su Jiu changed the topic abruptly.
“We just received a batch of peaches today, but they might spoil before you take them back. It’s not suitable,” Su Yu replied, shaking his head.
“These peaches can be sold in nearby cities, but if we send them to the capital, they’ll probably spoil before they arrive.”
“In that case, forget the peaches. Watermelon will do,” Su Yu decided.
“Sure, want to take a stroll nearby?” Su Yu asked. “Xiao Bao, do you want to come with us?” he added, looking at Xiao Bao who was playing with Zhang Zhilin nearby.
Xiao Bao looked at Zhang Zhilin and asked, “Big brother, do you want to go?”
“Okay,” Zhang Zhilin nodded. He could tell that Xiao Bao wanted to go, so he agreed.
Upon seeing Zhang Zhilin’s nod, Xiao Bao smiled happily. “Big brother is the best!” he exclaimed.
The two followed Su Yu and Su Jiu out of the house. Su Jiu glanced at the vegetables planted around and asked, “Are these all grown by your younger siblings?”
“Yes, they are. They’ve also planted some strawberries, which should be ready to eat by the end of the year. Next year, they plan to grow some other fruits. We can send them to the capital as well. If people here consume these vegetables and fruits regularly, it can benefit their health,” Su Yu explained after giving it some thought.
Upon hearing this, Su Jiu’s expression turned serious. “Are you serious about this?” he asked.
“Yes, Grandfather has been here for almost a month now. Since he came, all his minor ailments seem to have disappeared. Haven’t you noticed how spirited he is these days?” Su Yu looked at Su Jiu and inquired.
Su Jiu nodded. “Indeed, Grandfather’s spirits have improved significantly, and even his hair doesn’t look as white anymore.”
“That’s right. When you go back, you can inform them about it. They might consider offering these to the Empress Dowager,” Su Yu suggested.