Chapter 9: Deep in the Center of Gossip
Su Wan had a good memory; having followed the small path on the right to return last night, she was still able to find her way back by relying on that recollection.
The Su family’s courtyard was located at the very end of the village, built at the foot of a mountain. They didn’t have many neighbors nearby. In front of their house was a large plot of vegetable land. It had originally been wasteland, but it was later cleared and reclaimed by the villagers to grow vegetables. Su Wan didn’t know which part belonged to her family.
Above the vegetable plots was a large field ridge. After crossing it, she arrived at the opposite side, where the houses began to cluster together. They were lined up side-by-side, almost all of them similar courtyards to the Su family’s—only some were larger, some smaller, and there were very few houses built of blue bricks and tiles.
At this hour, most people had already gone out to work in the fields. The village was only filled with groups of young children chasing and playing with each other; anyone over the age of eight had already gone off to work. The most frequent sounds were the crowing of chickens and the barking of dogs, while cicadas chirped in the white poplar trees along the road. In the distance, there were endless green mountains, some high, some low, lush and vibrant.
This was the most primitive pastoral scenery—fresh air and the fragrance of soil.
As soon as she reached this area, there were many winding paths crisscrossing one another. Su Wan lost her way; she had overestimated herself.
A shepherd boy of seven or eight years old walked toward her, driving seven or eight sheep as he prepared to head up the mountain. He held a long whip made of straw for herding.
The sheep bleated as they walked, leaving a trail of “black sugar pearls” (sheep droppings) along the path.
Su Wan stopped him to ask for directions:
“Little brother, could you please tell me where the village well is?”
It was the first time the shepherd boy had seen such a fair-skinned young lady. Her smile was too beautiful, and her voice when speaking to him was so soft that his ears turned a bit red.
He lowered his head, not daring to look at her, and pointed in a direction:
“Go straight along this path, take a turn, and you’ll be there!”
“Thank you!”
Having received her answer, Su Wan continued on, hugging her clay water jar. The boy watched her back, wondering to himself: When did such a beautiful big sister arrive in the village? How come he never knew?
There was a large tree next to the well, its lush branches and leaves shading the well below. Clear spring water gushed out from the gaps in the rocks. The villagers had dug a square-shaped basin here, and the entire village came here to fetch water to drink. They cherished this spring dearly and never threw trash into it.
If they needed to wash clothes or vegetables, there was a river not far away.
Several elderly people were sitting under the tree to escape the heat. Since their family members had all gone to work, these elders gathered here to gossip. Su Wan walked over feeling rather uncomfortable. Facing the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, some were already pointing and whispering to each other.
“Look, that’s the real daughter born to the old Su family. She spent over a dozen years as a wealthy young lady in the house of the wealthy Mr. Gu!”
“Then is Su Yue now a young lady in the Gu family?”
“Of course! She’s the biological one. Mrs. Gu stormed over to the Su house that day to pick her up, and every word she said was full of contempt for the Su family, calling them poverty-stricken. Now, you can’t call her Su Yue anymore; you have to call her Miss Gu!”
“Just because they have a bit of money, they look down on country folk. But the Su family was already poor to begin with, sending all those sons to study—tell me, isn’t that just asking for trouble? Some families can’t even produce a son, but look at Mrs. Su—every birth was right on target. Some starve to death while others have more than they can handle. When she first married into the old Su family, she was so thin she didn’t even have two taels of meat on her; you’d think she couldn’t give birth to sons. But look at her now!”
The old women were sour in their remarks, but the fact that Mother Su had given birth to five sons was indeed a legend in the village. Many who couldn’t have sons were incredibly envious!
When Su Wan drew closer, they all stretched their necks to look at her. Su Wan gave an awkward, smiling face.
“Tsk, tsk, look at that appearance; she’s much better-looking than Su Yue. I said back then that Su Yue didn’t look like a biological child. That nose, those eyes, those eyebrows—not a single place looked like the Su family. Look, I was right; this one looks like the biological one at a glance!”
“That’s for sure. The Su family doesn’t know what kind of merit they accumulated to have children born one more handsome than the last. The key is that their children are all diligent. Oh, never mind that, she has the surname Gu now, why are we still calling her Su Yue?”
They didn’t avoid Su Wan at all with their whispers. Su Wan placed her water jar in the corner of the shallow pit. There was a deep pit nearby, but this was a shallow one that submerged the body of the jar, leaving only the mouth exposed. The water was very cool, and it felt incredibly comfortable to put her hand into it.
At this moment, someone took the initiative to strike up a conversation:
“Girl, are you the biological daughter that Su Qingshan’s family just brought back?”
“Yes, Grandma!” Su Wan turned to look at the old woman who had walked over and crouched beside her; she looked like someone who loved to gossip.
“Oh my, this little look is so upright. Which girl in this village has such a good appearance as you? Your smile is as sweet as if you’ve eaten honey. A child raised by a wealthy family is really delicate. Look at these tender hands; so easy to like!”
She grabbed Su Wan’s hand, looking and touching it, her face filled with countless wrinkles.
Su Wan withdrew her hand from the old woman’s grip, still smiling awkwardly.
“What is your name?”
Just then, several other older women gathered around, surrounding Su Wan—she was deep in the center of the gossip.
“Su Wan!”
“What a lovely name. Su Wan, your family really knows how to choose names; it’s much better than those ‘flowers’ and ‘grasses’ in our village!” The older woman nodded, savoring the name.
“Their whole family is literate, of course they know how to pick names!”
“Su family girl, what’s in that jar of yours? You even specifically brought it here to keep it cool?”
Everyone’s attention shifted to the small jar Su Wan had brought.
“My brothers went to work. It’s hot, so I’m keeping some herbal tea cold for them to drink!” Su Wan answered honestly.
“You are such a thoughtful girl, much more diligent than that lazy Su Yue. You’ve only just returned and you already know how to care for your brothers. Su Qingshan is really lucky!”
Several older women and grandmothers took turns praising her, making her sound like a saint. There were a few old grandfathers sitting under the tree; they didn’t like to gossip, but they were all grinning as they listened.
Su Wan stood up and hurried to leave:
“Grandpas and grandmas, I’m heading back first!”
She squeezed out of the crowd and quickened her pace toward home. Those gazes followed her until she disappeared from sight, and then they all found their own places to whisper to each other again.
“Do you think that Gu Yue has any conscience? Now that she’s flown up to the branches to become a phoenix, will she know how to help her foster parents?”
“She probably will. The Su family’s good days are likely coming. Whatever the Gu family leaks out will be enough for their family to live without worry for a lifetime. Besides, Su Wan had a relationship with Mrs. Gu for over ten years; surely she didn’t come back with nothing, right?”
“I don’t think so. I went to watch the excitement that day, and that Mrs. Gu was looking down on the Su family in every word she spoke. She said they shouldn’t think about relying on their relationship with her daughter to try and get benefits from the Gu family, saying that ‘no one owes anyone anything’ and that they shouldn’t associate in the future. She was terrified of being burdened by these poor relatives. And look at Su Wan’s outfit—does she look like she brought back any silver? I’m afraid she was kicked out by Mrs. Gu!” one older woman pointed out these details with sharp precision.
The others heard this and clicked their tongues, secretly cursing Mrs. Gu for being cold-hearted, stingy, and mean.
