"What's wrong? You don't want to learn?" Su Lao San asked anxiously.
"It's not urgent to learn. You have to go to the county town tomorrow, so let's not learn tonight, shall we? Get some rest early tonight." Liang Xiu chuckled, seeing her husband's anxious look.
She was just worried about her man having to walk a long way and carry things back tomorrow, how did it turn into not wanting to learn?
Su Lao San thought about it and felt it made sense.
His mother had already given him the coupons and money. He had grain coupons, meat coupons, and everything.
Not counting the package, just the money and coupons, he would have to buy a lot of things back tomorrow, which was a lot of pressure.
"Why didn't Mom let Big Brother and Second Brother go with you? Work is important, but it's not like they'd miss just one day." Liang Xiu, still concerned about her husband, added.
"Mom must have her reasons for doing this," Su Lao San said, a little unnaturally.
Others didn't know, but he did. He had so much money and coupons in his hand. When his mother gave them to him, she had repeatedly told him not to let anyone else in the family know. When he brought back the purchased items, he was to say they were sent by mail.
This showed that even his eldest and second brothers didn't know that Mom had grain and coupons. Mom trusted him the most, so even if he had to work a little harder, it was worth it.
"That's true. Although Mom can be a bit biased sometimes, she's usually quite sensible in her actions," Liang Xiu said with a smile.
Her in-laws, apart from doting on Little Sweetheart, treated their other grandchildren equally. Even among their three sons, they were fair and didn't favor one son over others like some families might, trying to squeeze the others dry. It was precisely for this reason that even though they doted on Su Xiao Tian a little more, no one in the family objected. Otherwise, there would have been an uproar long ago.
The other two branches were also discussing the trip to the county town tomorrow.
Wang Xiang Hua said to her husband, "Why did Mom let Third Brother go to the county town? You're the eldest brother, it would be more appropriate for you to go."
Su Lao Da smiled honestly and said, "It's not a good thing. It's probably because there are too many things, and I can't carry them. You know, Third Brother is strong!"
Wang Xiang Hua thought about it and agreed. Third Brother was the youngest and strongest of the three brothers. Usually, Third Brother did most of the heavy lifting for the family.
"That's true. I just feel that if people send some things out of consideration for our father's past connections, they might not send much," Wang Xiang Hua said. "If they could really send something good, our children could also eat something good."
"Although Mom and Dad favor Xiao Tian, she's the only girl in our family. You can't have any other ideas!" Su Lao Da immediately said, fearing his wife might have thoughts.
As a mother, who wouldn't dote on her own child? But the family's conditions were really not good.
"I'm not someone who complains. I know what Dad and Mom are like," Wang Xiang Hua said casually. "Mom just favors Xiao Tian, and she's the only girl in the family. There's nothing wrong with that. Actually, I find Xiao Tian adorable too. Sometimes I even wish Xiao Tian was our daughter."
Hearing his wife's words, Su Lao Da's lips curved into a smile. "How about we try harder and have another little girl?"
Hearing Su Lao Da's words, even though they were an old couple, Wang Xiang Hua's face turned red, and she lightly punched Su Lao Da with a clenched fist. "You're so improper!"
"If I were proper, how could I have had these children?" Su Lao Da said, pulling his wife into his arms.
The conversation in the second branch was similar to the first branch, and it was resolved in just a few words.
The next morning, Su Lao San got up early.
From Hong Xin Brigade to the county town, there was only one bus. This bus did not pass through Hong Xin Brigade. One had to walk to the town first to catch the bus to the county town.
Su Lao San kicked a dry biscuit, filled a gourd with water, and set off with big strides. The sky was still early, which made Liang Xiu feel a little distressed. But she also hoped that her husband could bring back more food.
When it was daylight, the whole family got up for breakfast. The breakfast was good, not the watery congee of the past; it was much thicker. After eating, those who needed to work went to work, those who needed to go to school went to school, and everyone did what they were supposed to do.
Su Xiao Tian also went to the village primary school. There weren't many students in the village primary school; five grades, with only over thirty students in total. Su Xiao Tian was in the first grade. The first grade had the most students, with twelve in total: nine boys and only three girls. Su Xiao Tian, at seven years old, was the youngest in the class, while the oldest was ten.
There were two teachers at the school, a male teacher named Wu Yan and a female teacher named Li Xiuhong. Both were educated youths from the early years and had been in the village for five or six years. They had been teaching at the primary school for five or six years. Compared to teachers in other villages, Wu Yan and Li Xiuhong were considered dedicated and cared about their students' studies.
Su Xiao Tian's teacher was Li Xiuhong, who was very fond of the soft and sweet little girl. When Su Xiao Tian was absent from school for a week, Li Xiuhong specifically asked if she was all better and, while other students weren't paying attention, slipped Su Xiao Tian a piece of candy.
During class, Su Xiao Tian appeared to be listening attentively, but in reality, she was engrossed in reading system books. After all, this simple knowledge was too boring for her. She might as well focus on reading. Her father was going to the city this time, and he must have taken all the family's coupons and money with him. She had to study hard and earn money.
Only Grandma Su, although working in the field, was feeling uneasy, fearing that her son might cause trouble today. She didn't even listen to the gossip that village women loved to talk about. After all, for a family like theirs to buy so many things at once would attract attention, and they might even be targeted and gossiped about. That's how people are; when everyone is poor, it's nothing. But if someone suddenly becomes rich, there will be many people who are displeased.
Fortunately, Su Lao San returned safely in the afternoon. When Su Lao San returned, he was out of breath, covered in sweat, his face flushed, it was unclear if it was from the sun or from exertion. The large basket he was carrying was full, and it was evident that the basket was very heavy. Besides Su Lao San, the Su Shou Wen brothers, who returned with him, were also carrying quite a bit of stuff.
As it turned out, after Su Lao San got off the bus, he found that there were too many things to buy this time, and he couldn't carry them all by himself. He went directly to the school entrance to wait for the three brothers to return. The three young men, with their considerable strength, indeed helped a lot. When the uncle and nephews returned, the brigade members had not yet finished work. Su Lao San was also worried about being seen by the brigade members and causing trouble, so he deliberately took a detour along a small path. If anyone saw him returning with so many things, he wouldn't know how to explain.
But Su Lao San didn't know, when he returned with the large basket of things, he was still seen.