Chapter 103 — IAVD (QT) Chapter 103

After finishing lunch with Su Ling’er, Ji Xiu hurried back to Songtao Courtyard to read.

The first things he read were naturally the books and annotations he had brought back from the Yin family.

It had to be said that compared to those famous annotated editions circulating outside, these privately collected, family-inherited annotations were far more attentive and detailed.

Moreover, since both father and son of the Yin family were juren, the knowledge points they marked were more suitable for the provincial examination.

Ji Xiu immersed himself in the books, benefiting greatly. By drawing inferences from one instance, he unraveled many confusions and doubts hidden in the memories.

Time passed without notice.

By the afternoon, Ji Xiu had looked up at the water clock three times. Seeing that it was nearly the last moment, he reluctantly put down the book in his hands, carefully tidied everything away, and called for water to bathe, planning to go accompany Su Xiangyu and Su Ling’er for dinner afterward.

After bathing, a servant came in to report. “Son-in-law, the young madam asked someone to pass on a message, saying you don’t need to go to the main courtyard.”

“What?” Ji Xiu froze. The hand adjusting his sleeve stopped. Suddenly realizing what day it was, his brow furrowed slightly. “Both the young madam and the young miss have gone to Xinghua Courtyard?”

The two servants of Songtao Courtyard had followed Ji Xiu since entering the Su household. They were more loyal to Ji Xiu than to the Su family masters and answered without hesitation. “Yes.”

Ji Xiu did not say anything more. He sat back down in his chair, glanced at the water clock, and waved his hand. “Forget it. Have them set the meal. I’ll eat here in Songtao Courtyard today.”

The servant looked at Ji Xiu with sympathy, accepted the order, and soon brought in the dishes.

Ji Xiu looked at the table full of rich and delicious food but had little appetite.

Although it had only been a short month, he had grown accustomed to that lively and adorable little padded jacket. Suddenly, without her chatting and laughing by his side, even the air felt especially dull.

Ji Xiu listlessly picked up a few bites and ate slowly.

“Son-in-law!”

A servant hurried into the room, his expression somewhat unpleasant and worried. “Xinghua Courtyard sent someone to invite you to go dine together.”

Ji Xiu looked at the servant. After a flash of surprise, he readily put down his chopsticks and stood up.

“Then let’s go.”

He missed Su Ling’er and could just go see her.

As for the master of Xinghua Courtyard, Old Master Su and Madam Su, he had only seen them in memories and had never personally interacted with them. He was also somewhat curious.

The maid from Xinghua Courtyard who delivered the message waited at the door.

Seeing Ji Xiu come out, she glanced at him with a hint of disdain, turned around, and said, “Son-in-law, hurry and follow. The young miss is waiting for you.”

Ji Xiu glanced at her and calmly said, “Lead the way.”

If this were a normal century-old family, such a sentence would never come out of a maid’s mouth.

Ji Xiu was an elder, Su Ling’er a junior. It was always juniors who went to see elders. When had there ever been a rule of elders going to see juniors? Even if an elder truly needed to see a junior, at the very least, such wording could not be spoken outright.

But the Su family situation was different. Ji Xiu was a live-in son-in-law, while Su Ling’er was the only child of the third generation and very likely to inherit the Su family in the future.

With this identity reversal, Ji Xiu’s status in the Su family was indeed not as good as that of twelve-year-old Su Ling’er. Thus, situations like this maid’s attitude appeared.

Of course, the main reason was still that the entire Su household looked down on Ji Xiu, which was why the maid dared to say such words so directly.

Servants always followed the lead of their masters.

For a mere message-delivering maid to dare be so arrogant, without her masters Old Master Su and Madam Su taking the lead, Ji Xiu did not believe it.

Rather than getting angry with a maid, it was better to quickly meet Old Master Su and Madam Su.

Ji Xiu’s calm and detached attitude was like a basin of cold water, extinguishing the maid’s initial contempt and pride.

The maid frowned. As she led the way, she kept turning back to look at Ji Xiu, puzzled as to why he had not flared up and refused this time.

However, with things on her mind, she did not delay. The two soon passed through the arched flower gate, walked along the long corridor, and arrived outside Xinghua Courtyard.

The message maid’s status was low. She could only serve in the outer areas. Upon reaching this place, she could not go any further. Other maids came to lead Ji Xiu inside.

From Songtao Courtyard to seeing Su Ling’er, Ji Xiu passed through three groups of people guiding him.

Outer courtyard maids, second-rank maids, personal maids. By the time he entered the room, it was dazzling and overwhelming.

Ji Xiu could not help but marvel inwardly. Such a small Su family, merely a wealthy merchant household of less than a hundred years, yet Old Master Su and Madam Su’s pomp and bearing were almost on par with the Grandmother Jia in Dream of the Red Chamber.

But the more such people emphasized complicated etiquette and loved pomp and ceremony, the more rigid and arrogant they were.

It seemed they would be even harder to deal with than in the memories.

Ji Xiu prepared himself mentally and entered, clasping his hands in greeting. “Father-in-law, Mother-in-law.”

After lowering his hands and lifting his head, he looked at the people before him.

Old Master Su sat in the seat of honor. On his left sat Su Xiangyu and Su Ling’er in order, and on his right sat Madam Su.

Old Master Su’s health was poor. In his early years of traveling outside, he had suffered injuries. As he aged, old wounds relapsed. Before fifty, he was already burdened with chronic illness and could not rise from bed. Helpless, he handed the family business to Su Xiangyu and retired to Xinghua Courtyard to recuperate.

Six years had passed, and he looked even older. His face was lined with deep wrinkles, his hair and beard completely white. He looked like an octogenarian elder.

Beside him, Madam Su was well maintained and still looked relatively young, around forty.

After Old Master Su stepped down, Madam Su also moved to Xinghua Courtyard to take care of him. Though the couple was affectionate, judging by appearances alone, they looked like people of entirely different generations, not at all like husband and wife.

Ji Xiu greeted the two, then looked toward Su Xiangyu and Su Ling’er, about to smile.

Madam Su suddenly spoke, her tone calm and flat, interrupting him. “Ling’er refused to eat and insisted on seeing you, so we called you over. Sit down. Don’t waste time.”

The indifferent voice sounded as if she were addressing an unwelcome distant relative.

Ji Xiu raised an eyebrow, looked deeply at Madam Su, then sat down across from her with a composed posture. “I also miss Ling’er. Without seeing her, even eating feels tasteless. I was just about to come find her. This way, it works out nicely. Thank you, Mother-in-law, for your trouble.”

Madam Su lifted her eyelids and swept a glance at Ji Xiu. A trace of irritation flashed in her eyes, but she said nothing more and turned to look at Su Ling’er.

“Ling’er, the person you wanted is here. Eat properly now.”

Su Ling’er gripped the bowl and chopsticks in front of her, glanced eagerly at Ji Xiu, then glanced again at Madam Su watching her. Regret appeared on her face, as if she regretted making a fuss to bring Ji Xiu here.

If they were eating in her mother’s courtyard, with just the three of them, her mother would not mind the rules at all, and she could speak freely with her parents.

But here, at her grandfather’s and grandmother’s place, rules were rules and could not be violated.

Even if she threw a tantrum and brought her father here, she could not joke or talk with him and would even cause him to be disliked by her grandparents.

Do not think children cannot read the atmosphere. She saw it very clearly. This past month, the family had been disliking her father. She had thrown several tantrums before the people around her became more sensible, treating her father with much more respect and no longer angering her.

But the people of Xinghua Courtyard were even more excessive than the servants around her, each one liking to bully her father more than the last.

The key point was that Xinghua Courtyard housed her grandfather and grandmother. Even the servants before them held higher status than those of other courtyards. She could not scold or lose her temper.

Su Ling’er felt wronged.

This place was like a suffocating cage. Why did her mother still have to bring her here once every month? Her grandfather and grandmother did not like her at all.

She ate in silence, taking big mouthfuls, only wanting to finish quickly so she could hold her parents’ hands and leave this place.

Pa.

Suddenly, a teardrop fell onto the table.

Ji Xiu’s calm instantly vanished. He stood up and hurried to Su Ling’er’s side. “What’s wrong?”

He raised his hand to wipe her tears, his brow tightly knit. “You were fine just now. Why are you crying?”

Su Ling’er’s eyes were red. She could not control her emotions. “Father, wuwu, Ling’er doesn’t want to be here. Ling’er wants to go back to Mother’s courtyard to eat.”

Su Ling’er had a strong personality and did not like to cry.

But little girls would sometimes, over seemingly insignificant matters, suddenly become unbearably sad, tears falling uncontrollably.

She had not intended to cry in front of everyone, but once she did, she could no longer stop.

Proud Su Ling’er covered her red eyes and threw herself into Ji Xiu’s arms, hiding her face and sobbing as she pleaded, “Father, Ling’er wants to go back to Mother’s courtyard…”

Ji Xiu glanced at the aged Old Master Su and Madam Su, whose expression had slightly changed. He picked up Su Ling’er and, without hesitation, turned and walked out.

Su Xiangyu was startled and put down her chopsticks, standing up. “What are you doing!”

“Ling’er doesn’t want to stay here. Can’t you hear her?” Ji Xiu turned his head to look at her, his gaze making her feel unfamiliar.

Su Xiangyu froze. She looked at her parents, her expression conflicted. She bit her lip and bowed in salute. “Father, Mother, Ling’er is still young and ignorant. I’ll first send her back to the courtyard and then come back later to apologize.”

Madam Su’s expression darkened further, but before she could say anything, Ji Xiu had already left with Su Ling’er in his arms.

Seeing this, Su Xiangyu looked anxious and quickly followed, not even noticing that she had been about to speak.

Madam Su closed her mouth, looking at the suddenly mostly empty, and therefore especially desolate, round table. A trace of confusion showed in her eyes.

Old Master Su turned his head and stared at her for a long moment, then patted the back of her hand.

A wave of grievance surged in Madam Su’s heart. What kind of logic was this? Clearly a useless man, yet right before her eyes, he had taken away both her daughter and her little granddaughter.

……

Ji Xiu carried Su Ling’er out of Xinghua Courtyard. Once outside, Su Ling’er’s emotions gradually stabilized.

By the time they returned to the main courtyard, she felt a little embarrassed.

“Father, was I very embarrassing just now?” She lay on Ji Xiu’s shoulder and whispered into his ear. “Ling’er is twelve years old already, a big child, yet I cried in front of the servants.”

Ji Xiu comforted her wholeheartedly. “What kind of big child is twelve? Even if you were a hundred, you’d still be Father’s precious daughter. Crying in front of Father is not embarrassing at all. As for those servants, you are the master, holding their power of life and death. Are you afraid they would spread word of you crying?”

Su Ling’er muttered, “Why wouldn’t they? They even dare to talk about you…”

Ji Xiu froze for a moment, then smiled. “Don’t worry. We’re different.”

“How are we different?” Su Ling’er stubbornly pressed on. “Father, don’t listen to those ignorant servants’ nonsense. You are my father, a member of the Su family, not some outsider. When Ling’er becomes the family head in the future, whoever dares to talk about you, Ling’er will smash their mouth!”

Ji Xiu pretended to be startled. “Ling’er is so imposing?”

“Hehe!” Su Ling’er covered her face shyly but could not hide her pride. “Of course. In the future, Ling’er will be like Mother and lead the Su family to become even more powerful.”

The innocent and carefree promise of a child was undoubtedly the most touching.

Ji Xiu felt soft-hearted. Looking at Su Ling’er’s youthful face and her naive gaze, he rubbed her head.

Su Ling’er froze and touched her head. “This feeling is so strange.”

Ji Xiu smiled. Upon reaching the courtyard, he put her down.

Su Ling’er beamed, clinging to Ji Xiu and refusing to let go. “Father, you’ve already carried Ling’er, but you haven’t carried Ling’er on your back. Why don’t you carry me once and try…”

“Su Ling’er!”

Su Xiangyu, who entered a step later, spoke coldly with a warning.

Su Ling’er immediately wilted. She released her grip and walked to Su Xiangyu with a dejected face, admitting fault. “Mother, I was wrong. I will definitely honor and respect my elders properly in the future and absolutely won’t cause something like today again.”

She looked like a wilted lotus leaf, even her head drooping.

Ji Xiu could not bear it and opened his mouth to try to persuade.

“Shut up!”

Su Xiangyu seemed to know what he wanted to say and glared at him in advance. “It’s all because of you that Ling’er has become more and more unruly!”

When Ji Xiu did not interfere, she alone had taught Ling’er so well. Graceful, sensible, polite. Even if she was occasionally a bit spoiled, she tolerated it.

But once Ji Xiu got involved, in just one month, Su Ling’er changed drastically, as if she had become childish again, her personality even more laughable than when she was eight.

Su Xiangyu felt all her hard work had been ruined by Ji Xiu. One glare was not enough. She fiercely glared at him twice more and took the lead into the study.

Leaving behind a sentence.

“Su Ling’er, come in here!”

Su Ling’er froze, her face turning pale. She looked up at Ji Xiu for help.

Ji Xiu was puzzled and asked softly, “What’s wrong?”

“Mother is going to punish me to kneel. I don’t want to kneel. Every time it’s at least an hour. It hurts so much…” Cold sweat broke out on Su Ling’er’s forehead. Anxious like an ant on a hot pan, she clutched Ji Xiu’s sleeve helplessly. “Father, what do we do? What do we do?”

Ji Xiu’s brow tightened sharply. “She’s going to punish you to kneel for an hour?”

Su Ling’er pouted, nodded firmly.

“Go!”

Ji Xiu’s face darkened. He grabbed her arm. “We won’t mind her. Come with Father to Songtao Courtyard. We’ll come back after she calms down.”

He had never imagined that Su Xiangyu had the habit of corporal punishment.

If it were a boy with a sturdy body, he would not be so angry. But Su Ling’er was just a little girl, so frail and small. How could she be subjected to corporal punishment?

If Ji Xiu had not known, it would have been one thing. Now that he knew, he even felt a trace of resentment toward Su Xiangyu.

Under Ji Xiu’s firm insistence, Su Ling’er followed him away, anxious yet hopeful.

Su Xiangyu waited in the study for a quarter of an hour. Sensing something was wrong, she came out to look. The room was empty, not a single person in sight.

She felt the same confusion and grievance as Madam Su.

Where were they?

Su Xiangyu was not someone who would easily let matters go. Having managed the family business for many years, she had developed a meticulous and stubborn temperament. How could she tolerate Su Ling’er disobeying her orders and sneaking away?

“Where did the young miss go!”

Su Xiangyu angrily rushed out of the courtyard to ask the servants. Upon learning that she had been taken away by Ji Xiu, she was not surprised at all.

This man had repeatedly obstructed her discipline of Su Ling’er.

Taking Su Ling’er away was definitely something he would do.

“Light the lamps. Lead the way. To Songtao Courtyard!”

Su Xiangyu led the servants to Songtao Courtyard, where she and Ji Xiu erupted into a fierce argument.

Su Xiangyu demanded that Ji Xiu no longer interfere in her disciplining of Su Ling’er. Ji Xiu was also repulsed by her corporal punishment education. Neither yielded to the other. Even without shouting, their cold faces and sharp confrontation, step by step without retreat, had already frightened many servants.

“Ji Xiu!”

In the end, Su Xiangyu could not win the argument. She was so angry that her chest heaved, tears glistening in her eyes. “Do you think I want to treat Ling’er so harshly? She is my only daughter. Do you think I don’t want her to chase butterflies and pick flowers every day, living happily!”

Ji Xiu’s cold expression faltered. He raised his head to look at her.

Su Xiangyu was overwhelmed with grievance. Regardless of the servants present, she vented everything in one breath. “When I was young, I lived an even harder life than Ling’er, but I had no choice. I was the Su family’s only daughter. In the future, the Su family would rely on me to uphold the household. I could not retreat, could not be weak, could not cry. When facing mistakes, I had to pay a price so I would firmly remember them. I established my own household at twenty, but long before that, I had already studied accounting with Father for ten full years.”

“Now, Ling’er is my only daughter. She walks the same path I did. Whether it is hard or not, I understand best. But there is no choice. This is the road Su family daughters must walk. I don’t ask her to be like me. I only want her to be a bit more obedient and sensible. In this era, if we daughters want to accomplish something, we must always make sacrifices!”

As Su Xiangyu spoke emotionally, tears welled up and nearly fell.

She sniffed, harshly wiped them away with the back of her hand, and glared at Ji Xiu. “You cannot treat Ling’er as just a little girl. She is the future head of the Su family. She must learn to be a girl more manly than men.”

Ji Xiu fell silent.

Su Xiangyu looked truly disheveled. Guilt spread in his heart, mixed with helplessness and pity.

“Have them leave first.” He looked at the servants behind Su Xiangyu and dismissed them. Only then did he step forward, support Su Xiangyu’s hand, and say in a low voice, “I was wrong.”

Su Xiangyu’s momentum did not lessen. She glared at him fiercely.

Ji Xiu was helpless and lowered his voice to coax her.

Su Xiangyu felt unaccustomed. Even when their marital relationship had been good, Ji Xiu had never treated her like this.

She turned her head away. For some reason, she suddenly did not quite dare to look at Ji Xiu.

Ji Xiu did not notice and muttered softly, “But wanting Ling’er to shoulder the Su family and subjecting her to corporal punishment are two different matters, aren’t they?”

“What did you say?” Hearing him refute her, Su Xiangyu snapped her head back and glared again.

Ji Xiu sighed helplessly. “I’m speaking from the heart. Ling’er is already a big child and so well-behaved. Why can’t you talk to her properly about things? If she understands your good intentions, she will naturally strive to do well. If she doesn’t understand, then even if you punish her to kneel for one hour or two hours, what use is it?”

Su Xiangyu said coldly, “I have never punished Ling’er to kneel for two hours. If she really knelt that long, would she still be able to walk normally now?”

“Sigh, don’t change the subject.” Ji Xiu’s expression turned serious. “Su Xiangyu, listen to me. From now on, don’t punish Ling’er by making her kneel. Talk to her properly. She will understand.”

A trace of bitterness flashed in Su Xiangyu’s eyes. “Kneeling punishment is not a big deal. I knelt often when I was young, and didn’t I grow up just fine?”

Ji Xiu heard the sourness in her tone. He rubbed his nose, unsure how to persuade her.

It was like many parents in modern times.

They were born in an era with generally low education levels, where corporal punishment was commonplace.

In that era, physically punishing children was very normal and widespread. Regardless of gender, once a child made a mistake, parents would simply beat them severely and be done with it.

The children who were beaten grew up and became the next generation of parents. When conflicts arose with their own children and they could not argue them down, they habitually imposed the corporal punishment they themselves had endured, completely unaware of communication.

Just like in Su Xiangyu’s era, corporal punishment of children was also very normal and widespread.

Everyone was accustomed to this atmosphere. Heaven, earth, ruler, parents, teacher. Forget corporal punishment. Even if parents beat a child to death, they bore no responsibility at all.

The Su family was not that cruel, but corporal punishment followed the same logic. Su Xiangyu herself grew up being punished and did not think Su Ling’er would be unable to bear it.

When she was young, no parents taught her to solve problems through communication.

After growing up, she also did not believe communication would be more effective than corporal punishment.

Ji Xiu felt a heavy responsibility settle on him.

It seemed that the future atmosphere of the Su family would have to start changing from his generation onward.