In spring, at dusk, there were two people fishing by the river outside the small mountain village.
“Where are you from?” Su Lingchuan stared at the water and asked Jiang Mao.
“My permanent residence is in Cangzhou, and I often go to the capital city to stay.” Jiang Mao answered as he casted his fishing net.
Cangzhou, the feudal fiefdom of Yue w.a.n.g, was also a border with neighboring countries.
“Who"s in the family?”
“There"s only one mother in the family.”
It"s a rare harmony for the two people, where one asked and one answered.
However, Su Lingchuan did not ask him what he was doing to make a living. He thought that he needn"t ask as he had tasted Jiang Mao"s craftsmanship.
“Eh―”Jiang Mao noticed that there was movement in the water and pulled up abruptly. He saw that it was a big fish.
The fish was so big that Su Lingchuan came up to help.
It"s getting dark, and they couldn"t stay out for too long. Jiang Mao took a fish and tied it up with a straw rope and handed it to Su Lingchuan. “Spring warm fleshy fish, uncle should have a taste of it.”
Su Lingchuan still wanted to refuse, but Jiang Mao hastily said, “It is a very small regard, not worth much.”
Su Lingchuan sighed. Such a person was hard to refuse. He could understand that his normally incompetent son would rather be beaten than let go of this man.
The next morning, Su Family put the fish on the table.
Madam Su had planned to prepare it, but Su Qingbai could not trust his mother"s craftsmanship, so he simply robbed her work.
“I can prepare the fish, Jiang… I"ve seen it several times while he"s doing it.” Su Qingbai looked at his family and laughed.
Upon hearing that he hardly shied away from mentioning that cook over and over again, Su Lingchuan sat there fuming, so annoyed.
“It"s done, give it a taste.”
Four people sat around the table. Su Qingbai sat down and ladled each of their bowls. Finally, he served himself.
Su Lingchuan knocked on his hand. “Go call Su Huai.”
…
It"s still a spring day, but the willow leaves in the small mountain village had elongated and the green had become darker, not the same as the soft buds before.
On the main road of the village in a small mountain village, under a row of willows, a youth walked forward, at times slowly and then quickly.
It was unknown how long it took for the youth to lose patience as he watched a grandpa with a big yellow dog surpa.s.sed them. He suddenly turned to the person who followed him. “Shall we hurry up a bit?”
The person who followed him stunned. He with a height of a little stool merely stopped and poked there, somewhat blank, apparently not quite understanding what the youth meant.
The youth, Su Qingbai looked helplessly at the other"s muddleheaded appearance after he finished saying. Without any other option, he gently bent down. “Otherwise, Dad carries you away, alright? Grandpa is still waiting for us.”
The little person opposite, Su Caicai stamped his feet on the ground, disagreed. He wanted to walk by himself.
Su Qingbai was impatient and asked him no more. He carried the person and walked away. “So stubborn, wasn"t it just wearing a pair of embroidered little flowers shoes? Your Dad, I used to wear it so much.”
Madam Su couldn"t make clothes, but who knew how many time she spent doing embroidery. Some days ago, she asked her new friends to make shoes for her grandson. Madam Su also had some leisure in those days and easily added a few flowers on top.
Su Qingbai didn"t quite understand his mother"s aesthetics; white soles, green upper, embroidered with several red flowers. Still, Su Caicai liked it so much that he stamped his feet whenever he walked.
Carrying Su Caicai under his armpit, Su Qingbai came to the field.
A few days ago, the Sun family wrote that they would come to the border town to see them. Who knew if they had to wait for a month, but they waited for spring ploughing instead of waiting for the Sun family.
Actually, it was normal. After all, it took several months for their family to move to the border town. Jiang Mao also spent a month on the fastest horse"s speed. It"s estimated that it would take a while for the Sun family to come.
This morning, Su Lingchuan prepared the seeds early and pulled them into the field on the cart. Su Qingbai had to take care of Su Caicai, so he came a little late. Unfortunately, the boy had too many things to do and he had insisted to walk by himself or else he would whine.
As the sun rose, no matter how he whined, Su Qingbai picked him up and went away.
At the end of this row of willows was where Jiang Mao lived. Jiang Mao sat under the tree and handled his business. When he saw two people hurrying by, he hurried to call them.
Su Qingbai had long ago got tired of Su Caicai, and thought he had much to do.
“Here you are.” Su Qingbai threw Su Caicai to him. “Look after him today. I have to go busy with spring sowing.”
Arranging Su Caicai"s hair, Jiang Mao asked him, “Spring sowing?”
Jiang Mao grew corn with his old parents in his previous life, but not this early. He remembered that he always planted corn after the wheat harvest, when it was almost summer.
But when he thought that Su Qingbai"s family didn"t seem to grow wheat and the climate here was different from his previous home, he simply understood.
“So…” Jiang Mao thought for a moment and said, “You look after Caicai, I"ll go do it.”
“No!” Su Qingbai quickly refused, “Coaxing your son is much more tiresome than spring sowing.”
Jiang Mao dropped a smile.
Su Qingbai couldn"t understand where was the smiling point of his remark, looked at him inexplicably.
Jiang Mao approached him and kissed him gently. “It"s the first time I heard you say Caicai is my son.” After that, Jiang Mao kissed the little fatty in his arms again.
That"s right, it"s a little fatty. Originally, he was just a little fatter than the children near the mountain village, but since Jiang Mao, this other Dad came, Su Caicai had succeeded in becoming a real fatty.
Su Qingbai blushed and gave him an untimely cold glare. “Careful not to be seen, pay attention next time.”
“En en!” Jiang Mao nodded without thinking, as if he were obedient to Su Qingbai"s words.
Su Qingbai was even angrier when he saw him like this. They had been together for almost a year, had he not understood Jiang Mao?
Every time he said something, Jiang Mao agreed, but what"s the reality? He said one thing and did another thing behind.
Looking very teacher-like, with a gentle and n.o.ble character, but actually his words were utter nonsense.
However, Su Qingbai could not do anything about him, knowing that should the man tell a lie, he would not change it.
“I"m leaving.”
“Oh!” Jiang Mao thought for a moment and asked, “By the way, what would you like for lunch today?”
Su Qingbai stopped to think and said, “Something light, sour, Hmm… Anyway, don"t make it too greasy.”
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> Chapter 46
When Su Qingbai came to the field, he found Su Qingtong was there.
Su Family"s field was large, and after the property was divided, the two older brothers" fields were adjacent to his.
Su Qingbai felt a little unexpected, but he went up and greeted.
Su Qingtong naively answered him. He came early, worked fast and had done a lot.
Su Qingbai returned to his field and grabbed the hoe in Su Lingchuan"s hand. “Dad, I"ll dig the pit. You can fill the ground at the back.”
Madam Su threw corn seeds into the holes, filling it with Su Lingchuan.
In this way, the morning pa.s.sed quickly.
Jiang Mao came very early. He came before the other people came. He was carrying lunch box in one hand and Su Caicai in the other.
With Jiang Mao first time being Dad and with such a small son, he was unavoidably spoiling him. He led him for a few steps and then carried him for a while. Both father and son came to the field together.
As soon as they arrived, Su Caicai shouted “Dad~” in his tender voice.
Su Caicai"s voice was neither too loud nor too low. Su Qingbai heard it well.
“Qingbai―” Jiang Mao called Su Qingbai from the distant and walked over with Su Caicai in his arms.
Su Qingbai grinned at the sight of his man and son coming. He threw the hoe aside and went to welcome them.
Madam Su watched her son ran past in a somewhat inexplicable way. Su Lingchuan looked at her and sighed without explaining it to her.
Madam Su had heard about Jiang Si, who was very warm and nice. He treated the three men in her home meal while she was away, and even helped they took care of Caicai several times. She heard that he was a young youth. She was a little regretful that this person had moved in not too long ago, but she as a housewife never had the chance to meet him and thanked him in person.
In front of Jiang Mao, Su Qingbai turned casual as he took his lunch box and said, “You"re here.” Then he opened the lid of the wooden box and said, “Let me see what you made.”
“Dad~” His Dad did not notice him for the first time; Su Caicai was unhappy and called him with his mouth pouted.
Only then Su Qingbai looked over, and the unreliable father perfunctorily said, “Is Caicai being a good boy today?”
Su Caicai turned cheerful immediately and struggled to get down from Jiang Mao"s arms and ran to Su Qingbai for hug.
“Uncle, aunt.” Handing Su Caicai over to Su Qingbai, Jiang Mao greeted Su Lingchuan and Madam Su with a smile.
Madam Su looked at Jiang Mao"s face. After seeing Jiang Mao"s face, she was somewhat distracted. She turned to Su Lingchuan and asked, “This…” How is he looked so similar to Caicai?
Looking at the image of the man, her son and grandson enjoying each other, Madam Su couldn"t resist thinking too much.
Su Lingchuan sighed at her helplessly, and Madam Su understood that, after years of being together.
No one could accept their son"s finding a man to live with. Madam Su was no exception. She felt a little emotional and wanted to say something, but saw Su Lingchuan looked gently towards the three people.
Madam Su was amazed. Did her husband know that? And he was not very conflicted?
Pressing the shock in her heart, accustomed to "her husband, her world", she still followed up.
“Dad, Niang, sit down.” Su Qingbai pulled the gra.s.s along the roadside and laid a thin straw mat.
Su Lingchuan quite naturally talked to Jiang Mao, during which Madam Su watched Jiang Mao with unblinking eyes.
“Ah~” Su Caicai had eaten at home. When he came here, before everyone had eaten, he stretched out his claws and took a few bites. After eating, he pouted at Jiang Mao.
Jiang Mao smiled and took him into his arms, wiped his mouth, and then took the water that had been prepared earlier and fed it to his mouth.
Sitting on Jiang Mao"s lap, Su Caicai held the canteen and drank.
Madam Su took it all in and her heart became more complicated.
Su Qingbai opened the big box, took out the dishes one by one, placed them on the gra.s.s, and then handed a bowl to each person.
Su Qingbai had touched Su Caicai"s belly, especially bulging. Supposedly Jiang Mao had fed him, but he still intentionally asked him, “Caicai, have you eaten yet?”
Su Caicai looked at Su Qingbai and shook his head, which meant that he hadn"t eaten yet, holding out his little paw, asking Su Qingbai for a bowl.
Jiang Mao pulled back his little hand. “Obviously ate a lot before we came.”
Su Caicai had eaten a lot, but he was such a person; gluttonous. As long as he saw others eat, whether he had eaten or not, he was hungry.
Jiang Mao was afraid he would have bad stomach, and somewhat helplessly said, “Shall we help Daddy work the land? You can help too.”
Su Qingbai looked at the father and son with interest.
Giving Su Caicai a small basket with little corn seeds left, Jiang Mao dug a hole and instructed him to throw the corn seeds in it.
Su Caicai thought about it, squatted down, and then dumped the basket into the hole, where he poured a handful of corn seeds into it, which Jiang Mao couldn"t stop even if he wanted to. Su Qingbai saw and angrily said, “Su Caicai, your naughty loosen. Do you want me to tighten it for you?”
“Caicai is still small, Qingbai. Don"t bicker with children.” This was Su Qingtong. He had planted a row and returned.
“Er-Ge?” Su Qingbai was going to call him, “I"m just about to call you. You put your tool aside and come over for meal.”
“Hmm, coming.” Su Qingtong nodded, put the hoe on the ground, and came over. As he walked, he looked at Jiang Mao, amusing Su Caicai to giggle. He saw the person"s appearance without saying anything.
Su Qingtong had a moment of amazement when he saw the dishes in front of him. They were plain and light, and however savory and plain yet not made by his mother"s craftsmanship. Su Qingtong looked at Jiang Mao again.
Su Qingbai handed him a pair of chopsticks, and Su Qingtong took them and sat on the ground.
Four people ate.
“Qingbai, that man is…” Su Qingtong was a very direct person. While eating, he asked Su Qingbai. Su Qingbai looked up at Su Qingtong. “He"s the other Dad of Caicai.”
Madam Su heard it, and it was unknown why her eyes turned red. “That"s a man. A man with a man, can he be good?”
Su Qingbai saw it, soothed Madam Su"s back and said, “Niang, don"t be like this, he… is very good.”
Su Lingchuan was the only one who didn"t speak, but the meaning was obvious; no objection.
Because they talked for a while, the meal took longer.
Just after they finished eating, Su Ersao arrived late with a basket covered with coa.r.s.e cloth.
At this moment, Su Qingtong already went down the field.
Su Ersao stood on the crop ridge and shouted, “Husband, I"ve brought you food.”
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> Chapter 47