Crossing the Unknown Country

Su He's mother and her aunt walked into the house together. Su He's grandmother and grandfather were sitting at the table. When they saw Su He's mother come in, they asked quickly, "Second wife, is Niuniu really well? She's such a little girl, and she's obviously lost weight after having a fever for a few days. I said I'd go over to see her after dinner!"

Su He Niang said happily, "Okay! I haven't been idle in the fields this afternoon. I picked some wild vegetables and asked me to bring you some to eat."

Her aunt smiled and said, "Mom, look how filial your child is. She still remembers you! Our Niuniu is more sensible than the boy."

The old lady smiled and said, "No wonder old people say that every time a child gets sick, he becomes smarter. Such a little kid knows to send me wild vegetables. He has really grown up."

The old lady asked Su He Niang to eat with her, but Su He Niang quickly waved her hand and said that she had already eaten, and asked them to eat first while she sat for a while and then went back.

There are six people in Su He's family, including grandpa, grandma, uncle, aunt, eldest son Su Pei, second son Su Che, and two boys. The two families only have a little girl, Su He. Whatever the family lacks is a treasure, and Su He is now the treasure of both families.

This family is not from this village and is considered outsiders in this village. Most people in this village are surnamed Li, and the village chief is also elected by the Li family.

Later, Su He learned that their family had moved here from their great-grandfather's generation. Their family used to be officials, but were later harmed by villains and had to resign from their posts and move far away to live in seclusion in this remote mountain village. They hid there until Su He's generation was born.

Although Grandpa Su Renxiang is an old farmer, he can read and write, and is not an ordinary citizen who knows nothing. Grandma Su Laotai can't read a single word, but she is a reasonable old woman. There are two sons in the family. The eldest is Su He's uncle Su Chengxuan, and his aunt Wang Hongmei. The second son is Su He's father Su Chenghan and his mother Qin Ruxue. There are five children below, Su Pei, Su Che, Su Feng, Su Run, and Su He. It is also God's care that this girl is also called Su He, and she does not need to change her name. The children in the family are all educated at the age of three. All children have to learn to read, but they don't go to school. Their father takes time to teach them at home. Sometimes their grandfather will help teach the children. Although this family is getting poorer and poorer, they have not fallen behind in education.

The family was poor because my great-grandfather and great-grandmother were not used to it when they first arrived here, and they fell ill. They spent a lot of money on medical treatment in those years, and their poor health left a root of illness, and they both passed away in their fifties. Fortunately, my grandfather was married at that time and could live independently. In this way, he raised two children step by step with the remaining fields, married them and had children, but the family was getting more and more difficult. They kept in mind the family motto and did not take up official positions. They lived a stable life here and were careful not to let villains track them down. For the safety of his family, my grandfather was at ease in this kind of field.

Grandpa Su He later realized that the villain had probably forgotten about them, but his family was poor and couldn't leave the village. Without money, it was difficult to move around. He didn't want his family to go to town to work as servants, so he could only live a stable life in the countryside. The family can still survive by farming. The grandchildren are still young. The oldest, Su Pei, is only eleven years old, and the youngest, Su He, is just five years old.

This family is still suitable for living in seclusion here. Grandpa Su He and his uncle's family are better off. Su He's family is relatively poor because the children are too young. But most of the families in the countryside are like this. In two years, when the children are older and can work, the family will gradually get better.

When Su He knew this, he lamented that the ancients were pedantic. They had reached this point, and the first thing to do was to live a better life, and they still followed the teachings of their ancestors. At least they could have opened a primary school and collected some tuition fees, so that their family would not be so poor. This is the difference between ancient and modern people, and ideological confinement and education cannot change much.