Daily Life of Raising Kids and Running a Stall - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Old Man Qiu

When Su Yunting’s consciousness returned again, the first thing he noticed was the brightness of the light. His body felt warm and cozy—he knew he was out in the courtyard basking in the sun.

Then came the smell of blood in the air, followed by Qiu Yuruo’s voice: “Forgot I need to wait a bit before bringing your brother out. The smell is awful!”

Su Jingshu giggled. “It’s fine. As long as there’s chicken soup, my brother won’t mind.”

Qiu Yuruo, plucking the feathers from the freshly scalded chicken, replied, “Soup’s not as nutritious as meat. I’ll pull off the meat from the drumstick, chop it up, and make porridge for your brother.”

Su Jingshu had never heard of such a theory before and immediately asked about the difference between soup and meat.

As the fishy smell gradually dissipated, and the quiet chatter of the two sisters-in-law filled the air, Su Yunting felt, for the first time, a rare sense of lazy contentment under the warm sun.

Another set of footsteps approached.

Qiu Yuruo called into the house, “Little sister, come out and help your second brother move the table. Bring your calligraphy tray, you two can practice together.”

The younger girl responded energetically and scampered out of the house.

Now there were two sets of footsteps beside Su Yunting.

Qiu Yuruo finished plucking the chicken and rinsed it twice with water. She set aside a drumstick, then chopped the rest into pieces.

Just as she finished, Third Uncle Qiu arrived on an ox cart with Old Man Qiu.

After returning to the village two days ago, Third Uncle Qiu had endured a round of scolding from the old woman before speaking privately with the old man. Today, he’d successfully brought the old patriarch along to Sujia Village.

Though Old Man Qiu was still unwilling in his heart, the past two days had made him face reality—once a family splits, there’s no going back.

Even if the third son had thrown a fit and refused to keep supporting his elder brother’s education, he hadn’t disavowed the family. The old man was still owed some basic filial respect.

Old Man Qiu had two reasons for coming today: First, to discuss with his granddaughter her plan to set up a noodle stall. Second, he wanted to have a talk with the Su family’s patriarch. According to Third Uncle Qiu, that old man from the Su family had been especially ruthless to the eldest branch. Old Man Qiu, as the in-law, felt it was necessary to have a word.

Upon arriving at the Su home, everyone—except the bedridden Su Yunting—treated them with overwhelming enthusiasm.

The three Su siblings, following Qiu Yuruo’s prior instructions, brought stools and poured tea, greeting Old Man Qiu with more warmth than his actual grandsons ever had.

Such high-standard hospitality revived the old man’s flagging spirits.

Qiu Yuruo beamed. “I knew you’d be coming today, so I killed a chicken early in the morning. I’ll stew it for you in a bit.”

Old Man Qiu scowled. “Killing a chicken just for me? I’m not some outsider!”

Qiu Yuruo pulled a stool next to him. “I wouldn’t even bother making chicken for an outsider.”

That reply pleased the old man greatly, and his mood improved. He asked about the noodle stall.

Qiu Yuruo started by explaining the family’s financial state. “There’s only ten mu of land left. Forget paying for Yunting’s treatment, even feeding the family is a struggle.

“You know how my cooking is, Grandpa. I won’t say it’s better than a restaurant chef’s, but it’s definitely tastier than what the usual street vendors make.

“This house is right by the main road. There’s already a small market in Shuangmiao Village down the way. But Yunting can’t be left alone, so I can’t go that far. I figured I’d set up a little stall at our village entrance, close enough that I’ll hear anything if the family calls.”

Old Man Qiu nodded repeatedly. He hadn’t thought about her setting up a stall before because life hadn’t been hard back home. But now that she was married off, he appreciated that she was relying on her own hands rather than coming home to beg.

He expressed his full support and even promised to help if needed.

Qiu Yuruo continued, “I already got the clan elder’s permission yesterday. Now we just need to build a small awning and get a pushcart.”

Old Man Qiu waved it off. “Don’t worry. Your third uncle and I will handle it.”

Qiu Yuruo smiled, then said softly, “When I was still at home, sometimes I felt like you didn’t care much about me. But now that I’ve married out and met other people, I realize even if you didn’t favor me much, you still treated me a hundred times better than some others ever would.”

Her words made Old Man Qiu puff up with pride. In his mind, he had indeed done his duty toward his late second son’s only daughter. He had fed her, clothed her, and kept her safe until adulthood. As for making her marry in place of Lin’er; well, their horoscopes matched. It wasn’t like he was throwing her into a pit of fire.

Now that she had seen the world and come to understand, he felt gratified.

Then he remembered her reference to “other people.”

And he didn’t need to guess who she meant.

He looked at her. “What’s that Old Man Su done now?”

Qiu Yuruo recounted the entire episode from the day before: how she tried to reconcile, brought meat sauce as a goodwill gesture, and ended up being publicly rebuffed and forced into signing a document severing ties.

When she finished, Old Man Qiu slammed the table. “That old bastard! He’s wasted decades of food!”

Third Uncle Qiu chimed in, “That man is unbelievable. Our girl tried to reconcile and brought him food, and he rejected her and made her sign a break-off document? If it weren’t for the age gap, I’d go curse him myself.”

Old Man Qiu stood up. “You’ve got a generation between you. But me? I’m the same age as him!”

He flung his sleeve and stormed off.

From being praised for his honor to being criticized for playing favorites, the emotional whiplash had left Old Man Qiu fuming these past two days. Now that he had a chance to vent, he wasn’t going to let it pass.

Qiu Yuruo and Third Uncle Qiu exchanged a glance and followed him out.

Old Man Qiu still remembered where Su’s old man lived. Back when Old Man Su came to pressure him into the marriage, Old Man Qiu had tracked down Old Man Su’s village elder.

He didn’t even wait until he was at Old Man Su’s doorstep to start yelling. The moment he stepped onto the main street, he began shouting insults.

The village’s crops weren’t yet ready for harvest, and with little farm work, most of the villagers were at home cleaning tools.

Hearing shouting, they all poured out to watch the spectacle.

By the time he reached Old Man Su’s gate, most of the village was trailing behind him.

Normally, if an outsider was publicly berating someone from the village, the villagers would step in. But everyone knew the truth—Old Man Su had acted shamelessly, and no one wanted to defend him.

Old Man Qiu didn’t resort to low-level insults either. He was furious but articulate:

• • He denounced Su for being faithless, breaking a promise after forcing his granddaughter to marry in.

• • He condemned him for being unfilial, casting off a sick grandson and refusing responsibility.

He cursed him all the way to his gate, then stood there yelling for a good long while.

Qiu Yuruo’s job was to stop her grandfather before the village elder intervened. Third Uncle Qiu’s job was to prevent Old Man Su’s people from physically retaliating.

Luckily, the villagers all agreed that Old Man Su had behaved terribly. No one dared raise a hand—because if Old Man Qiu really did take his granddaughter back, who would care for Su Yunting and the other three siblings? Old Man Su wouldn’t lift a finger. Whoever helped him would end up shouldering that burden.

So no one stopped Old Man Qiu as he raged on.

Inside, Old Man Su and his second son cowered, too ashamed to come out.

When Qiu Yuruo heard that the village elder had arrived, she stepped forward to persuade Old Man Qiu to stop.

His anger spent and his throat sore, he agreed.

The village elder had been informed much earlier but had waited. He knew Old Man Su was in the wrong. If he’d stepped in too early, Old Man Qiu might have taken his granddaughter back then and there.

He now invited Old Man Qiu to his house to talk.

Old Man Qiu declined. “Village Elder, back when Old Man Su came to beg me for this marriage, he promised my girl wouldn’t be mistreated. I kept my word and gave him my granddaughter. And now he slams the door on her and leaves her to care for his broken family on her own…”

He repeated Qiu Yuruo’s hardships and the injustices done.

Even the village elder had to just keep nodding and agreeing.

Old Man Qiu finally added, “Given what Old Man Su’s done, I have every right to take my granddaughter home. Your village has no right to keep her.”

And he was right, no one could object.

Behind Qiu Yuruo, Su Yunche’s heart clenched.

These last few days had been the lightest in years. Everything at home had been managed. He no longer had to worry about anything. Even his brother had someone looking after him.

These had been the best days since Su Yunting fell unconscious.

But now, Old Man Qiu was going to take Sister-in-law away.

Logically, Su Yunche knew—if she left, she could easily remarry into a better family and live a far easier life.

But selfishly, he didn’t want her to leave at all!

Just then, Old Man Qiu added, “Still, no matter what, my granddaughter is a married woman. Apart from that shameless Old Man Su, everyone else here, including the village elder and clan members has treated her well.”

Su Yunche finally breathed a small sigh of relief.

The village elder immediately jumped in, “Don’t worry, Old Man Qiu. Even if Yunting is ill, he’s still a scholar. If the family needs help, we won’t turn a blind eye.”

Old Man Qiu nodded humbly, thanked him, and even bowed to those gathered.

Who wouldn’t call such a man righteous?

And just like that, Old Man Qiu’s reputation in Sujia Village skyrocketed.

On the way home, Qiu Yuruo kept praising him. Back at home, she had to cook, so she gave Yunche a glance.

Understanding immediately, Su Yunche picked up where she left off, lavishing praise on Old Man Qiu.

Surrounded by his brother’s admiration and Old Man Qiu’s hearty laughter, Su Yunting slowly drifted off to sleep.

Translator’s Note:-
Hello all, sorry for the long long wait. Thank you for you patience! I have completed the translation of this novel. If you want to read all the chapters in one go, you can purchase them on my Ko-fi page, Click Here (as some of my readers were asking if I had an advance chapter thing).

As for those on the site, I will post regularly from now on. Schedule will be 5 chapters per week i.e I will upload them at once on saturday or sunday. They all will be FREE on the site.