Hello, My 1979

Chapter 12

Su Zhaohua was taken aback and then shouted even louder, "What's wrong with your grandparents?"

No matter how they were, they were Su Zhaohua's parents. He had always been overly filial toward them, despite receiving less than his younger brothers and even less than several of his aunts.

Su He didn't want to make any judgments about that, but he certainly couldn't be as blindly obedient as Su Zhaohua. It was impossible for him to endure the same treatment and still be as submissive.

Su He stepped outside and saw his grandmother, Sun Meixiang, and his mother, Ye Chuanxiu, talking. Ye Chuanxiu was wiping her tears.

Su He wondered why it seemed like he was the one who was supposed to be consoling others when it felt like he was the one being wronged.

He picked up the bucket, ignoring the others. Little Pumpkin followed closely, worried and scared. It seemed like they needed each other's comfort.

Then, Su Mei walked out of the house holding a pillowcase. Ye Chuanxiu could do a bit of embroidery, a skill passed down from Sun Meixiang. Su Mei was starting to embroider her dowry, as there wasn't enough money to buy everything.

Su Mei thought, "Fourth Brother is right. He does the most and gets the least. As the eldest son, he's still just a child. If our parents and grandparents are like this, the family will only end up in chaos like before."

Despite her thoughts, Su Mei was too timid to speak up.

Su Rong, not at all concerned with what Su He said, came out. She had always known that to get what she wanted, she needed to fight for it, just like her aunt did. Although she didn't know why Fourth Brother suddenly rebelled, she assumed it was because Dad was injured. Otherwise, Fourth Brother would have been beaten into submission.

Su Rui, with a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, remembered how Fourth Brother had protected her from being beaten last year at their grandparents' house.

Meanwhile, Su Yu, with a grim face, moved toward her grandmother and mother. She heard Sun Meixiang telling Ye Chuanxiu, "You spoil Yu Cheng too much."

Su Yu was irritated by this criticism from her  grandmother. Sun Meixiang continued, "You don't realize how much you've wronged He'er. He's already passed the entrance exam for the fourth middle school, but you hid that from Mr. Li. You make him work to support his sisters and brother. How will you face him when he finds out?"

Ye Chuanxiu covered her face and began crying. Sun Meixiang hurried to comfort her, while Su Yu quietly slipped away, processing what she had heard.

Su Yu had just realized that Su He had indeed been accepted into the fourth middle school. What would happen if Su He knew? She resolved to keep Su He from attending school and to secure all resources for herself. She remembered advice from her uncles about securing her own interests.

Hearing her mother cry, Su Rong came out and impatiently said, "Mom, why are you crying? If you're upset, just drag Fourth Brother out and beat him. That should set him straight!"

Su He, nearby in the kitchen, scoffed at this. He thought about how this family's atmosphere was deteriorating, and questioned whether it was worth trying to change their attitudes. The poverty seemed to have bred such a toxic environment.

He knew that this attitude might be inherited. He wondered if the parents intended to pass on the unfair treatment they had suffered to their children.

Little Pumpkin clung to Su He's leg and asked, "Dodo, what's wrong?"

Seeing Little Pumpkin's concerned eyes warmed Su He's heart. He had an impulse to cry but felt a bit of relief after venting his frustrations. He knew this was the culmination of fifteen years of repressed emotions from his previous self.

He felt that after this emotional release, he could now focus on himself and Little Pumpkin. If the rest of the family were truly like their grandparents, he would just have to take care of them and not worry too much about the others.

He prepared the fish, and Blackie emerged to eat the entrails. Blackie nuzzled Su He's leg, comforting him. Su He stroked Blackie's head and felt a sense of relaxation.

No matter what, he still had Little Pumpkin, Blackie, and Black Star.

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           ♡ Momo: You also have me