Thinking of Xu Zifan's excuse for refusing her, and the hidden conflicts after their separation, Su Qianyun lowered her head and forced a smile. "Third brother... he may not be available. Besides, he has never liked doing these things, and we shouldn't ask him for them. Third brother has suffered a lot this time, and Father and Mother are very worried. He should be allowed to rest more when he has free time."
"You are so sensible. Where can you find such a good brother and sister-in-law? Some people don't know how to cherish what they have."
"Yes, your parents have suffered. Your third son is useless and can't lift anything. He's selfish and doesn't know how many more years your in-laws will have to work hard."
"He stays at home doing nothing, and he's not even willing to weave a few more straw hats. He's obviously selfish. Didn't he use studying as an excuse to be lazy the other day? It's better to separate from this kind of brother-in-law, so he won't be a burden to you."
"You need to be clear-headed and live your own life from now on. Don't let your in-laws' words make you go and help your brother-in-law."
Several women nearby crowded around and started talking all at once. Su Qianyun said awkwardly, "You can't say that. My parents always say that my third brother is promising. Maybe in a couple of years when he's older and more sensible, he'll be able to let my parents enjoy a better life."
A woman chuckled, "Do you even believe that yourself? What kind of future can he have? But your in-laws spoil him way too much. I didn't know they were so biased. They should just let them live their own lives; whether they live well or poorly is none of your business."
Another woman glanced at the smiles on Xu's father and mother's faces and shook her head, saying, "Your third son is too good at coaxing the elderly. He made them so happy with just two straw hats. It's a good thing you separated the family, otherwise your family and Xu Dalang's family would have had to support him for decades."
Su Qianyun paused for a moment, then sighed softly, "Sisters-in-law, please don't say anything more. Our parents don't like us separating from the family anyway. If they hear these words, they'll probably blame me."
"That's how old people are, they favor the youngest and rely on the eldest, the second child is the least favored. You must have suffered a lot of grievances these past few years, right? Okay, let's not talk about it anymore, we know what's going on. I just didn't expect that Uncle Xu and Aunt Xu, who usually seem so kind, would be so biased."
Su Qianyun lowered her head and silently continued working without saying a word. Her demeanor, however, led the other women to imagine even more conflicts within the Xu family, further worsening their impression of Xu Zifan and causing them to harbor a subtle dislike for Xu's father and mother. After all, they were all daughters-in-law, and no one likes an elderly person who shows favoritism towards others.
There were many people working in the fields, and when they got tired, they would sit together in groups of three or five to chat. The news of the Xu family's affair spread quickly, and everyone thought that Xu Zifan's poor performance was the reason for the family's split, and that Xu's parents' favoritism also played a role. Su Qianyun walked past them discreetly with her head down, showing no intention of complaining, which only made everyone sympathize with her more.
Su Qianyun lowered her head and slightly curled the corners of her lips. She didn't say a bad word; it was none of her business if they wanted to speculate. This kind of slow spread of rumors is the most damaging because no one will notice. By the time Xu's parents find out, the villagers' impression of the Xu family will already be fixed and won't be easily explained away. Besides, who will they explain it to? On the contrary, their second branch of the family will definitely have a better image in people's minds in the future. This invisible change will greatly benefit their future development, and today is a good start.
To show her inner turmoil, Su Qianyun hadn't rested, working tirelessly all morning with her lips tightly pressed together. Sweat streamed down her face, making her look as if she were suffering from the blame over the family division, yet silently enduring it all. Just as someone was about to tell her to take a break, Xu Zifan and Xiao Lian approached. Both were wearing straw hats; Xu Zifan was carrying one in his hand, and Xiao Lian had a basket slung over her arm. They were so surprised they forgot to call out. Xu Zifan had actually come to the fields?!
It was midday, and quite sunny. Many people were chatting and relaxing in the shade of the trees, and they all looked over when they saw Xu Zifan, the person they were talking about. Xu Zifan found his parents, walked over, and pointed to Xiaolian's basket, saying, "Dad, Mom, are you thirsty? Come and have some water. Xiaolian also roasted some sweet potatoes; let's eat some to tide us over."
With a beaming smile, Xu's mother opened the basket with Xiaolian and said with a laugh, "Why didn't you two stay at home? What did you do to make this trip? We're not hungry. We'll just come home to eat after we finish our work. Why bother?"
Xiaolian broke open a sweet potato and handed it to her, saying, "Mom, Third Brother said he gets hungry after only two meals a day. He should eat less sweet potato at noon and have dinner later so he won't be too hungry to sleep at night."
"How could I get hungry so easily?" Mrs. Xu smiled, took a bite of the sweet potato, and found it especially sweet. It wasn't that the sweet potato had suddenly become delicious, but rather that her children's thoughtfulness made her feel particularly comfortable. Mr. Xu felt the same way, but he wasn't good at expressing himself, so a nod was enough of his praise.
The women who were talking to Su Qianyun noticed that the two of them were only taking a small amount of things, clearly not enough for the brother and sister-in-law. They were dividing the family property so clearly right after the separation; it seemed they didn't have much respect for their brother and sister-in-law. One of the nosy women asked, "Xiaolian, didn't you roast sweet potatoes for your brother and sister-in-law? Is this family really so neatly divided?"
Su Qianyun's expression changed the moment she saw the straw hats in Xu Zifan's hands. When she heard the woman mocking Xu Zifan, she tried to smooth things over and make amends, but Xu Zifan didn't give her the chance.
"This isn't anything special, how could we send it to our eldest and second brothers' houses?" Xu Zifan first pointed out that they were no longer family, then looked at Xu Dalang and Xu Erlang and said, "Eldest and second brothers, I asked Xiaolian to roast these sweet potatoes for our parents. I didn't think much of it at the time. You don't mind, do you? I've spent a lot of money on medicine lately, and we're actually struggling financially after the family division. We have to carefully manage the food we receive, and I get hungry easily, so I'm always afraid there won't be enough to eat. It's really not..."
I'm deliberately creating distance between us.
Xu Dalang quickly waved his hand, "No problem, no problem, Third Brother, I'll bring you a bag of grain later, so you, your parents, and Xiaolian won't go hungry."
Before Xu Erlang could speak, Xu Zifan stood up and said with a smile, "My eldest brother is the best to me, and he's also very filial to our parents." He took four bamboo hats and walked towards Xu Erlang, saying, "Second brother, yesterday my sister-in-law said these bamboo hats were nice and asked me to make one for you. I happened to have some free time this morning, so I made one for you. You, your sister-in-law, your eldest brother, and your sister-in-law each have one. Try them out and see if they're comfortable."
Xu Erlang hesitated before taking the bamboo hat and said, "There's no rush. You need to take care of your health."
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "I noticed that my second sister-in-law seemed a little unhappy yesterday. I'm almost fully recovered, so weaving a few straw hats won't hurt. Eldest brother, second brother, I was ignorant before and did a lot of wrong things. As soon as I woke up, Father and Mother scolded me. It's all my fault for being a burden to you. From now on, after we separate the family, you should all live your lives well and don't worry about me. I won't cause you any more trouble. But Father said that even after we separate the family, we'll still be brothers. You're all my good brothers."
Su Qianyun, standing to the side, forced a smile and said, "Third brother, you've misunderstood. How could I be unhappy about something like this? I..."
"That's good. I misunderstood my second sister-in-law." Xu Zifan interrupted her and walked up to Xu Dalang, saying, "Brother, it's not easy for you to raise two children. You don't need to give us any more food. Parents and Xiaolian are with me, so don't worry. I'll find a way to earn money as soon as I feel better these next few days. I'll definitely take good care of parents and my sister."
Xu Dalang couldn't understand his convoluted explanation at all. He just felt that his younger brother was willing to be close to him again, so he hurriedly said with concern, "Third brother, don't be stubborn. Take a break for a while. Don't worry about our parents. When you have time, go to the dock to move goods."
Madam Cai gripped her straw hat tightly, her heart pounding in her chest. They'd finally separated the family; did this mean the eldest branch of the family would have to support the third branch?
Xu Zifan smiled, put the bamboo hat on Xu Dalang's head, and said, "Brother, don't worry. If I say I'm cured, then I'm cured. I know medicine; I've read a lot of books over the years. I've checked my pulse, and about 70-80% of my symptoms have disappeared. I'll be fine soon."
Xu Dalang was taken aback. "You can take a pulse?"
Xu Zifan nodded naturally, "Sure, if you ever have a headache or fever, just come to me. All these years of studying medicine haven't been for nothing. I'm much better at this than studying the Four Books and Five Classics. Of course, it would be best if you were all healthy." He glanced at the sun and said, "Brother, you guys go ahead with your work. I won't cause any more trouble here. I'm going back."
"Oh, then slow down." Xu Dalang nodded dazedly, a little confused. Before, his younger brother had been studying for the imperial examinations, but his sister-in-law had discovered he wasn't cut out for studying; he was only studying to avoid trouble. Now, his brother suddenly said he liked reading medical books and could even take pulses? Really?
Xu Erlang and Su Qianyun didn't get a chance to say a word before Xu Zifan turned around and waited for Xiaolian to pack up the basket. They couldn't very well chase after him to explain the "misunderstanding" from earlier. Besides, everyone's attention was diverted by Xu Zifan's ability to take pulses. Those nearby even asked him if he really knew how to treat illnesses and if he wanted to become a doctor in the future, leaving them even less room to speak. Su Qianyun could only hope that others would forget her current behavior. Xu Zifan politely greeted everyone, addressing each person by name first. He greeted everyone—uncle, aunt, sister-in-law, and so on—and his refined and courteous demeanor made a great impression on everyone.
Xu Zifan was tall and handsome, always clean and tidy, with striking good looks. Everyone who saw him felt he was completely different from these peasants; he was clearly educated, almost like a young master from a wealthy family in town. It was just a pity he was born into the wrong family, in this village, and no one knew how he would survive in the future.
After Xu Zifan and Xiaolian left, all six members of the Xu family wore light and nice bamboo hats, which made them very eye-catching. Someone couldn't help but ask, "How are these made? Teach me, so I can make one to wear too."
Xu's mother said apologetically, "This was something my third son came up with. He's spent a lot of money on medicine and he's feeling down. So he was thinking of selling this straw hat to earn some money to buy some food or something. If you want it, you can bring something to my house to exchange for it later."
"Never mind then, this one will do." The man replied, turned around and pursed his lips, thinking to himself that he wanted to sell a tattered straw hat to someone in the same village. Anyone could make one. He then decided to try making one himself.
That's what she thought, but there were also those who weren't good at weaving or didn't like weaving, who gathered around and asked Xu's mother how much the straw hats cost. Xu's father and mother were both a little surprised; they hadn't expected that Xu Zifan's visit to the fields would result in the sale of their straw hats.