Daily Life of Raising Kids and Running a Stall - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Reaching Her Goal

Second Uncle Su’s accusations were, of course, something Qiu Yuruo refused to acknowledge. In just a few exchanges, the two had already begun arguing.

Only then did Second Aunt realize that Qiu Yuruo had come here to take advantage, and she immediately joined the fray.

Seeing that Second Aunt had joined in, Su Yunche quickly followed Qiu Yuruo’s earlier instructions and opened the front gate.

Qiu Yuruo ran to the doorway, but didn’t go out. She stopped right at the entrance and shouted, “Second Uncle, you’re full of schemes yourself, so you love thinking everyone else is the same! I came to bring something for Grandfather to eat, and here you are being so suspicious!

“Grandfather didn’t just have one son. Even if my father-in-law has passed, our branch is still the eldest son’s line. By proper custom, Grandfather should be living with us!”

That was when Second Uncle Su and his wife fully realized that Qiu Yuruo wasn’t just here to coax the old man into giving her some things. She wanted his share of the family property!

Second Uncle Su became furious, and Second Aunt let out a shriek and lunged at Qiu Yuruo.

Qiu Yuruo had anticipated this from the start. That’s why she had waited at the doorway, so if Second Aunt did strike, she could escape quickly. The moment she saw her charging, she bolted outside.

Su Yunche ran with her, shouting as he went, “Second Aunt, what gives you the right to hit people?!”

Second Aunt roared, “So what if I hit you?! I’ll beat all you little evil stars to death!”

Qiu Yuruo ran while thinking: You admit that so easily? Have you even considered how your husband would feel about it?

A daughter-in-law who tried to beat up the niece-in-law from a split branch of the family, this incident eventually alarmed the clan elder.

It was right around lunchtime, yet no one went home to cook. Instead, they all crowded around to watch the clan elder question the parties involved.

When questioned, Qiu Yuruo repeated the same explanation she’d given Sister Dalan that she’d come over to bring food to Grandfather and express filial piety.

Second Uncle Su scoffed, “Stop pretending we’re all fools. You came over here with your little schemes, hoping to get the old man to buy things for you!”

Qiu Yuruo defended herself, “Yes, I had my thoughts, but not like what you’re saying. It wasn’t about getting Grandpa to buy stuff. I just feel like without an elder in the house, life feels uncertain. I just wanted to keep closer ties with our own family elders, is that a crime?”

Second Uncle Su gritted his teeth, “Oh sure, such noble words! But I know the truth. Your side has almost sold off all your land, and now you’ve set your eyes on Father’s share!”

Qiu Yuruo wouldn’t admit it, and just as the two were about to start bickering again, the clan elder raised a hand and said, “Enough. Stop arguing.”

His authority was not to be challenged. At his command, both immediately went silent.

Satisfied, the clan elder stroked his beard and continued mediating.

Qiu Yuruo’s request was that Old Man Su come live with their family.

Of course, Second Uncle Su couldn’t agree to that. If the old man lived with them, his property would naturally follow.

But Second Uncle Su wasn’t too worried—he turned and asked the old man directly to give his answer.

Old Man Su, although pleased that the eldest branch was fighting to care for him, had already done the heartless thing by driving them out. Now that he’d finally shaken off those burdens, there was no way he’d go back on it.

His refusal was swift and blunt.

Qiu Yuruo immediately looked disheartened and said, “Grandpa, we won’t use your money. It’s just that our home has no elder, and we feel uncertain living like that. You know I’ve already made plans to earn money, we wouldn’t let you suffer. For your grandson’s sake, since he’s still sick, can’t you help us feel a little more grounded?”

Had she not mentioned the sick grandson, she might’ve had a chance. But once she did, Old Man Su became even more determined. His former pride in his eldest grandson had turned into deep disappointment. A useless cripple that he didn’t care anymore.

With a cold expression, he said, “The family split long ago, before you even married in. From now on, there’s no need for you to come over. Let both families live their own lives. Don’t come bothering us anymore.”

Qiu Yuruo almost laughed out loud but forced it down, her face turning red with the effort. After a long pause, she finally composed herself and said indignantly, “You really are one of the coldest elders I’ve ever seen. You just don’t want the siblings on our side dragging you down, do you?”

“You want separate lives? Fine. Even if I have to beg with them on the streets, we won’t show up at your doorstep!”

Second Uncle Su was delighted, that was exactly what he wanted her to say.

Qiu Yuruo, as if fired up with youthful pride, declared, “Don’t worry, I’ll never come begging again. Since we’ve all spoken so clearly today, let’s make it official in front of the clan elder and the whole village. We’ll draw up a formal document. From now on, our two families are nothing more than distant clan members with each living separately and never interfering with the other!”

Second Uncle Su immediately said, “Agreed!”

And so, under the supervision of the clan elder and the scrutiny of the villagers, the two families signed what was essentially a formal severance agreement.

Both sides tucked away their copies of the agreement, secretly overjoyed.

…

That afternoon, Qiu Yuruo once again carried her basket and took Su Yunche out with her.

Her basket still held meat sauce, just in larger quantities this time.

First, they went to the clan elder’s home.

In traditional rural villages with dominant clans, the clan elder held immense authority, more than modern people could imagine.

If Qiu Yuruo wanted to set up a stall at the village entrance, she needed his approval. Without it, there’d be no way forward.

She gave his family two jars of meat sauce and explained her idea to sell noodles with meat sauce.

Since she was planning to earn a living to support her sickly family, the clan elder had no objections. In fact, he even encouraged her.

After thanking him, Qiu Yuruo took Su Yunche to visit Sister Su Huai and the other families who had traveled to Qingshi Town with them the other day.

They went to four or five homes in total, ending at Aunt Shuncai’s house at the end of their alley.

Like the others, Aunt Shuncai couldn’t refuse her and finally accepted the meat sauce.

As she walked Qiu Yuruo out, she whispered, “Don’t feel bad about cutting ties with that side of the family. Elders like that never help when you’re down, but they’re first to come mooching when things go well. It’s actually better to break things off cleanly now.”

Qiu Yuruo sighed, “I’ve never lived away from adults before. Suddenly having to be the head of the family, I felt lost. But don’t worry, Auntie, I’ve got my head on straight line now. I won’t bother with them again.”

Aunt Shuncai said, “Good. That’s the way. And if anything ever comes up, come to me. We’re not outsiders. Your Uncle Shuncai was very close to your father-in-law growing up, don’t be shy with us.”

Qiu Yuruo replied softly, “When we got married, Yunche told me you helped in the kitchen. I knew then that our families were truly close.”

Aunt Shuncai smiled warmly. After a few more words, Qiu Yuruo finally took her leave.

Back home, her two sisters-in-law ran out to greet her.

One asked, “Did the clan elder approve?”

The other asked, “Did they say the meat sauce was tasty?”

Qiu Yuruo set down her basket and first answered the second sister, “Yes, he approved. He even told us to work hard.”

Su Jingshu was relieved to hear the clan elder’s support.

Then Qiu Yuruo took her younger sister-in-law’s hand and said, “I delivered the sauce, but people don’t usually eat it right away. We’ll have to wait until next time we visit to hear what they think.”

Little Su Jingxuan said, “Big Sis-in-law, your meat sauce is delicious, they’ll definitely like it!”

Qiu Yuruo smiled. “I think so too.”

…

After a long day, she finally lay down in bed. First, she repositioned Su Yunting into a “大” (da) shaped posture, then curled up beside him and began recounting the day’s events.

When she got to the part about arguing with Grandfather and nearly laughing in his face, Su Yunting couldn’t help imagining her expression. That led to thoughts of her overall appearance.

He really, really wanted to see her.

Qiu Yuruo laughed to herself for a while, then said, “You guys really got unlucky, stuck with a grandfather like that. My old man may have his flaws, but at least he has some shame. Yours? That one’s tougher than a stone! Good thing I already found someone to handle him. When our life gets better, we won’t have to worry about him coming to mooch off us again.”

Su Yunting hadn’t regained consciousness when she spoke with Third Uncle Qiu in the afternoon, but he could guess who she meant.

If her marrying into the Su family was the first surprise, then the way she handled things afterward was the second and it delighted him.

In his past life, people often criticized him for being disrespectful to his elders.

But respect? Those people didn’t deserve it!

Even when his official rank was reduced because of them, he only regretted not punishing them harder!

Now, with the severance agreement Qiu Yuruo signed today, let’s see who still dares throw around moral superiority at him again.

After recounting the day’s highlights, Qiu Yuruo helped Su Yunting roll onto his side.

Looking at his jet-black hair fanning across his shoulder, and his elegant profile even in a sleeping position, she suddenly thought, he’d look amazing in a robe of pale moon-white.

She knew every piece of clothing in his wardrobe now was mostly greens and blues, plus one red for their wedding and one white for mourning his parents.

He didn’t own a moon-white outfit yet.

Thinking of clothing reminded her she only had two sets suitable for the season. Her autumn and winter clothes were too shabby to be seen in public.

Compared to her, Su Yunting wasn’t doing so badly.

She mentally calculated how much it would cost to get everyone outfitted for fall and winter. Even if her siblings-in-law didn’t need clothes, she still decided: everyone would get a new outfit for New Year’s.

Lying back down, she placed her hands under her head and whispered, “Life’s just about four things—food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Our house isn’t great, but it’s not the worst. I can cook better than most. That just leaves clothing and travel. We don’t need to go anywhere far, so that just leaves dressing well. If we can dress decently, then our life won’t be worse than anyone else’s.”

Listening to her words, Su Yunting found himself thinking: maybe their life really wouldn’t be worse than others’.

Qiu Yuruo dreamed a little more, then helped Su Yunting lie flat again.

“Time for bed. There’s more drama tomorrow so I can’t afford to oversleep.”

Hearing that, even Su Yunting found himself unexpectedly looking forward to the next day.

Cultural Notes:

• “大” (da) shaped posture: The Chinese character “大” resembles a person lying flat with arms and legs spread, a reference often used to describe someone positioned this way in bed.
• Meat Sauce: A savory condiment typically made of minced meat, soy sauce, and other spices, used over rice or noodles.