Chapter 27: A Father’s Tears

Su Dahai had been standing by the field ridge at the entrance of the county for over an hour, feeding mosquitoes the whole time. Several red bumps had already appeared on his body.

But no matter how long he waited, no one showed up. He started to grow worried, glancing repeatedly in the direction where Li Xiangbei and Shen Dongxu had disappeared.

Li Xiangbei, pushing the handcart, turned the corner and spotted his future father-in-law looking anxiously in their direction. He quickened his pace and walked over.

Su Dahai approached with a furrowed brow, his eyes full of concern: “What took you so long? Where’s your mother-in-law and your uncle?” As he spoke, he skillfully re-hitched the cart back onto the ox.

Li Xiangbei held up a cloth bag and explained, “Mom, Uncle Dongxu, and Yueyue are eating at the state-run restaurant. I packed up two meals for us to eat here.”

Su Dahai nodded. “We’ll be asking your uncle to help move more furniture later. A meal is the least we can do.”

Li Xiangbei wasn’t much good at hitching carts, so he placed the meal boxes on the ox cart and waited until Su Dahai had everything secured. Then he opened the boxes.

“Dad, I’m low on meat ration tickets, so I just bought dumplings and steamed buns. Next month, I’ll save up and buy you some braised pork.”

Su Dahai appreciated Li Xiangbei’s sincerity and waved his hand. “Buy what? The braised pork Yueyue makes tastes better than anything from the restaurant!”

Li Xiangbei chuckled. “Alright, Dad.” He pulled out a pair of chopsticks from the bag and handed them over.

Su Dahai took the chopsticks, and the two of them quickly dug in.

Men eat fast—within five minutes, they had polished off everything.

Li Xiangbei packed the boxes and chopsticks back into the bag.

When Su Dahai took out his cigarettes, Li Xiangbei quickly struck a match and lit one for him.

Su Dahai took a puff and casually offered the cigarette case to Li Xiangbei, who quickly declined. “Dad, I don’t smoke. Yueyue doesn’t like the smell.”

Su Dahai had noticed the pack of cigarettes in Li Xiangbei’s pocket earlier and couldn’t help but laugh. “You don’t smoke? Then why carry smokes and matches?”

Li Xiangbei opened his satchel, revealing it was stuffed with different cigarette packs.

Su Dahai was shocked. “Why are you carrying so many?”

Li Xiangbei explained with a smile, “In my job, I deal with a lot of people. There’s a whole art to it. The first rule is knowing how to match people with the right cigarette.”

Su Dahai gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. “Not bad. Not bad.”

He took another drag and sighed. “My daughter just graduated, hasn’t met many men. I told her there’s no rush to get married. But she’s set on you—dead set. Xiangbei, you better not let her down.”

Li Xiangbei immediately sat up straight and solemnly promised, “Don’t worry, Dad! I swear—I’ll treat Yueyue like a treasure for the rest of my life. I’ll never let her down.”

There was a glimmer of comfort in Su Dahai’s eyes as he gave a heavy nod. “I believe you, Xiangbei.”

Li Xiangbei grinned like a fool.

The evening sun painted the sky in orange hues. The two men sat on the ox cart, chatting like family.

Li Xiangbei shared a bit about his two elder brothers and their wives. Since the two families would be in close contact in the future, he figured it was better to give his in-laws a “heads-up.”

Su Dahai didn’t mind. They’d be moving out after marriage anyway. What really mattered was Xiangbei’s character and attitude. As they chatted, they kept glancing toward the corner of the street.

Suddenly, Li Xiangbei’s eyes lit up. “Dad, Mom, Uncle Dongxu, and Yueyue are coming. I’ll go meet them.”

He jogged off toward them.

After a brief exchange, Su Yue glanced at her watch. It was already 6:30. “Oh no! It’s getting late! Dad, Mom, Uncle, you should head back now.” She handed the key to Li Xiangbei’s house to her father.

“Sorry to trouble you and Uncle,” she said.

Shen Qiuxia laughed. “We’re happy to help. It’s no trouble at all. Let’s head back, it’s getting dark.” She hopped up onto the ox cart with practiced ease.

As a farmer, Su Dahai was a pro at driving the cart. He gave the whip a light crack—snap!—and the ox began its steady journey back toward the commune.

Shen Dongxu and his sister had always been close, chattering all the way.

After about ten minutes, Dongxu suddenly noticed that his brother-in-law hadn’t said a word the entire trip.

Just as the siblings got into a minor disagreement, Dongxu turned to Su Dahai. “Brother-in-law, you be the judge—who was right in our argument?”

Su Dahai’s voice was hoarse and dull. “Your sister was right.”

The odd tone gave Dongxu pause—Was he crying?

Curious, Dongxu scrambled to the front of the cart—and was stunned to see Su Dahai with tears streaming down his face.

“Brother-in-law, what’s wrong?” Dongxu asked in surprise.

Su Dahai quickly turned his head and tried to act casual. “Nothing, just the wind. Got sand in my eyes.”

Shen Qiuxia chuckled. “Look at you! She’s not even married off yet and you’re already bawling.”

“Exactly!” Su Dahai slapped his thigh in frustration. “That brat kept calling me ‘Dad,’ and I got confused for a moment—felt like she was already gone.”

Dongxu burst out laughing. “But she’s not married yet! Who told him to go calling you that already? Calling people ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’ isn’t something to be done lightly!”

The more Su Dahai thought about it, the more upset he got. Thinking about the daughter he had treasured all his life now becoming someone else’s wife, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He burst into loud sobs: “My baby girl! I was afraid she’d melt in my mouth, afraid she’d fall from my hands…”

Smack! Shen Qiuxia slapped him on the back. “What are you yelling for? People might think something bad happened! If you’re gonna cry, cry quieter.”

Chastised, Su Dahai could only sob in muffled hiccups.

As they reached the bend between the commune and Hekou village, Su Dahai pulled the cart to a stop.

Dongxu smiled. “Sis, brother-in-law, the cart’s fast. I’ll drive you home.”

Shen Qiuxia replied, “No need. We’re almost there. You better return the ox—it’s borrowed.”

Just then, Su Dahai remembered something and pointed at a bag on the cart. “Oh right, that bag of mung bean cakes—your future son-in-law asked you to take it back for the kids.”

With that, he turned and walked off without another word.

Qiuxia rolled her eyes at her husband’s back and turned to Dongxu. “You go now too.”

Dongxu was still a little worried. “Sis, comfort him a bit.”

Qiuxia sighed. “You think I’m not upset? Just go—your wife and kid are waiting.”

Dongxu nodded, gave the ox a flick, and slowly drove off.

When Qiuxia turned around, she saw Su Dahai standing ahead, shoulders trembling—still crying.

She sighed and walked up to him.

Before she could say a word, her own tears welled up, and the two of them just hugged each other and cried.

“Who’s out there? Crying like that in the dark?” someone yelled nearby.

The couple didn’t even have time to wipe their tears—they quickly scurried home.