Chapter 58: Such a Son Is a Blessing and Fortune!

A morning drizzle drove away the early summer heat, making the weather much cooler.

In the courtyard, the vines of the grape plants climbed and twisted around the iron wires on the trellis, thick and luxuriant. Among them hung clusters of plump purple grapes still wet with dewdrops. Sunlight streaming through the gaps between the leaves made them sparkle crystal clear, utterly mouth-watering.

Under the grape trellis, the red-brick ground held occasional small puddles with leftover rainwater, glistening brightly.

Beside a short, brownish-red square table, Su Chunfeng sat half-reclining on an old bamboo lounger. He was wearing a white vest and black shorts, one leg crossed over the other. He held an English book in his hands, reading intently. From time to time, he reached to the large white bowl on the table, picked up a grape, tossed it into his mouth, chewed gently, and savored it fully.

His younger brother, Su Chunyu, was slumped over the edge of the table, looking miserable as he worked on his summer homework.

Unbeknownst to when, in Su Chunyu’s mind, his older brother had turned into a demon even scarier than their father.

“You’ll start middle school after summer break. How can you manage without a solid foundation?” Su Chunfeng glanced at his brother’s gloomy face and scolded. “I got into Dongwangzhuang Township Middle School based on my grades. And you? I had to go there myself, pull connections, and spend over a hundred bucks of the family’s money just to get you in!”

“Does it really matter which school I go to?” Xiao Yu muttered. “It’s far from home. What if someone bullies me? Ugh…”

Su Chunfeng glared at him. “If you don’t study hard, I’ll find people to beat you up at school every single day!”

“Are you even my brother?” Xiao Yu looked up at him, pitiful and nearly in tears.

“If your grades are good, I guarantee no one will dare bully you at Dongwangzhuang Township Middle School!” Su Chunfeng snorted. The corner of his eye caught two small heads peeking sneakily into the courtyard from the gate. An expression caught between amusement and exasperation crossed his face. He waved his hand. “Your little friends are here. Grab a bunch of grapes and go play outside.”

“Thanks, Bro!” Xiao Yu exclaimed excitedly. He slammed his book shut, snatched up a large cluster of grapes, jumped up, and dashed out.

“Remember to be back early for lunch! And you still have two hours of homework this afternoon! Got it?”

“Got it!”

His reply hung in the air as Xiao Yu was already running off with his friends.

Su Chunfeng shook his head with a smile—under his strict guidance, his brother’s grades had improved a lot in the past year. For the entrance to middle school this year, he only fell short by three points to get into Dongwangzhuang Township Middle School on merit. Left with no choice, Su Chunfeng specially bought two bottles of liquor and a pack of cigarettes and went to beg his homeroom teacher, Li Jichun, for a spot. Luckily, due to his own excellent grades and the great impression he made on Li Jichun, the small gifts were enough to secure his teacher’s agreement.

Even so, Su Chunfeng got an earful from Li Jichun.

The reason? Su Chunfeng wouldn’t be taking the vocational school (technical secondary) route. Even if he qualified for a free vocational place, he wouldn’t go. He insisted on going to high school. To Li Jichun, this was a terrible waste of resources and talent. After all, a free vocational student could graduate quickly without paying tuition and start earning money straight away. Why go for high school? Plus, a student qualifying for a free vocational place meant honor for the teacher.

As soon as his brother left, Su Chunfeng switched on the small Walkman on the table. Soon, music with a distinctly classical air played, followed by a clear, ethereal voice singing:

Immortal mountains rise beyond the seas of clouds,

Peaked ranges stretch like jade belts touching the sky.

They say beyond the world, celestial fairies dwell.

Heavenly immortals need not envy us on earth;

We mortals work hard for our living.

Through hardship, we forge a joyful land.

With a will, we strive and find strength,

No whining about the pains we face;

Only by breaking sweat and shedding blood,

Can we laugh over wins and losses with pride.

To leave a little more warmth in the world,

Shine even just one point of light,

Offer even just one point of heat.

Set worries aside, and don’t be troubled any more!

Focus your efforts on making things real.

Day by day, live joyfully through each happy year.

Palaces of jade and halls of immortals, piled high with gold,

Yet our worldly lives beneath the heavens, aren’t that far behind…

…

On the elevated porch, Chen Xiulan, washing clothes, lifted her arm to wipe sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. Her smiling face was filled with happiness—how could any parent not feel blessed to have such a child? Listening to the song’s graceful melody, she felt this real life was better than that of immortals.

Just as Su Chunfeng became immersed in the song, memories of the past, and contentment with this life, his father’s robust voice came from the courtyard gate: “Xiao Feng?”

“Yeah.” Su Chunfeng reached over and switched off the Walkman. He stood up, looking pleasantly surprised. “Dad, you’re back!” He hurried over to help his father carry bags and parcels inside. “So you don’t have to leave again this time? How was the harvest this year?”

“Mhm,” Su Cheng smiled. “Better than last year.”

Chen Xiulan also quickly stood up. “Put the dirty clothes outside. I’ll wash them all later and hang them out… Man, you go take a bath first and change your clothes.”

“Alright.”

About two and a half meters high, spanning between the west room and the main house’s porch, stretched an iron wire supporting a cloth curtain, creating a simple open-air shower room. A large plastic water bag sat on the roof, connected by a pipe fitted with a shower head that hung down. On sunny summer days, the water inside warmed up enough for showers.

It was very simple.

Yet, at the time, this setup was uncommon in village homes. Su Chunfeng had improvised it after returning home, bored after taking his high school entrance exam. It brought much convenience to the family.

Nearly two weeks before Su Chunfeng’s exam, Su Cheng had driven the combine harvester away to find work.

So Su Cheng knew nothing about that serious group brawl Su Chunfeng got involved in at school. Worried for days, Chen Xiulan hadn’t told her husband, fearing it would distress him while he was busy away from home. Besides, communication was inconvenient back then.

After his bath, Su Cheng sat at the table under the grape trellis. He sipped the tea his son had made and lit a cigarette. “So, how’d the exam go?” he asked casually.

“Waiting for the notification letter,” Su Chunfeng replied with a smile.

“Yeah.” Su Cheng didn’t press; he knew his son’s grades meant entry into County No.1 High School was guaranteed. He took a deep drag of his cigarette. “While loading the truck at the feed factory today, I heard Li Sheng and his son, Zhichao, talking. They said a few days before the entrance exam, you and He Zhichao got into a huge fight at school that almost killed someone? True?”

Looking like he’d been caught misbehaving, Su Chunfeng hung his head and whispered, “Yes.”

Su Cheng had already heard the detailed account of what happened from Li Sheng and Li Zhichao at the feed factory. After asking some basic questions, he nodded. “It’s over now. I can’t scold you for any past mistakes. But you need to be careful. Don’t act rash or impulsive when you’re away studying somewhere else. This time, luckily no one died… but if someone had died, could you have handled that responsibility?”

“Dad, I know I was wrong,” Su Chunfeng said obediently.

“Actually, it wasn’t entirely wrong,” Su Cheng felt a mix of amusement and helplessness. To call this son of his simple? Yet he’d done this heroic thing—fought against injustice like a man from the ancient legends! And according to Li Zhishao’s son, Li Zhichao, Xiao Feng had dared to take on eight or nine toughs from outside school alone—truly brave! But to say he was a violent troublemaker? Not really. Both outside and at home, Xiao Feng was famously known as a quiet, sensible kid.

While he and Chen Xiulan believed in teaching their kids not to stir up trouble, they were also like most parents—they didn’t want their children to be timid pushovers who let themselves be bullied.

So Su Chunfeng’s obedient attitude just now left Su Cheng at a bit of a loss.

Encourage him to fight?

Absolutely not the way.

Still, Su Cheng felt incredibly pleased with his eldest son — look at the home. While he, as the head of the household, was away working to earn money, his son Su Chunfeng helped his mother with farm chores, took care of household tidiness, guided his little brother’s studies, arranged connections so his brother could attend Dongwangzhuang Township Middle School, and even figured out how to build this shower setup… Everything an adult should be handling, this fifteen-or sixteen-year-old boy did it all instead. Truly easing the parents’ burden and the envy of the neighbors.

After chatting for a while, Su Chunfeng brought up, “Dad, I figure in at most two years, the combine harvester business won’t be as easy. See, this year two more machines joined in our village alone, and several joined in neighboring villages. For sure people will own even more soon, so competition will be brutal. So… I think you should consider switching to something else now.”

“Yes,” Su Cheng nodded, clearly agreeing and impressed. “Xiao Feng, do you have any ideas?”

Su Chunfeng pretended to think for a moment. “Well… A few days back, when Third Maternal Grandfather came over and we were talking, he mentioned stuff about the coal mines over in Xishan County… I think our family could take out a loan now, ask Third Maternal Grandfather to help get all the permits sorted, and we could set up a small coal mine over there…”

“A coal mine?” Su Cheng looked stunned. Had his son just suggested jumping straight into a big operation? The kid was bold!

“The investment is a bit large… probably tough without a hundred thousand or so,” Su Chunfeng pursed his lips.

Honestly, he wasn’t exactly an expert. But from his past life memories, the coal bosses over in Jinyuan Province became filthy rich. So when he was talking casually with Third Grandpa Chen Xian and coal came up, his interest sparked. But thinking it over now… the investment seemed huge. Given his family’s current situation… even getting a loan seemed impossible. This day and age? Loan a colossal hundred thousand from the village credit union? Even if possible, based on their small assets, what made them credible enough for the credit cooperative to take the risk?

Thinking that, Su Chunfeng tried another angle. “…Actually, buying a big truck to do freight hauling seems pretty solid right now. Look at Zhichao’s family’s feed factory—they find it hard to hire trucks even for their private deliveries.”

Su Cheng listened, blinking in mild shock. This son… he acted like he spent all day worrying over such things? And he seemed to know a lot, as if he’d studied the options seriously.

Just as Su Cheng started to speak, someone shouted outside the gate: “Is Su Chunfeng home?”

“He’s here!” Su Chunfeng called back. He recognized the voice—it was Zhang Lifei.

“Su Chunfeng! Congratulations! Your acceptance letter!” came the joyful yell. Then Zhang Lifei, hair tied back in a ponytail and wearing a pink embroidered sundress, flew into the yard like a happy little bird, waving a white admissions envelope. But in her excitement, she hadn’t noticed Su Chunfeng’s parents sitting in the courtyard first. Blushing instantly, she paused, gave a shy little smile, then stepped forward politely with a slight bow. “Hello, Uncle and Auntie.”