After transmigrating,The Female Supporting Character Became Darling of The Five

Chapter 4: Guan Guan Also Wants to Integrate into This Family

The atmosphere was awkward, and Su Guan felt even more so. She hadn't expected her fourth brother to dislike her so much, embarrassing her in public. But it was okay; she had thick skin. As long as she didn't feel embarrassed, it was others who should feel that way.

"Su Yun, Guan Guan is talking to you. You shouldn't be so unreasonable to her!" Su Jing, the eldest brother, stepped in to mediate.

Now, Yue Yue had become a young lady of a wealthy family, her status worlds apart from the Su family. They couldn't hope to match her. Madam Gu had said that since things had come to this point, there was no use in blaming anyone. However, she wouldn't offer any help or benefits to their family because of their connection with Yue Yue. He couldn't forget her arrogant demeanor.

He still saw Yue Yue as his sister, but she was about to leave their impoverished home for a better life, and he was genuinely happy for her.

Madam Gu didn't like them associating with her, so they naturally had to be sensible about it.

But Su Yun, a firecracker, wouldn't listen. He forcefully suppressed his emotions and suddenly stood up:

"I'm not like you, big brother, able to so easily let go of more than a decade of sibling affection, to forget Yue Yue so quickly!"

He got up and ran out of the house, his anger unmistakable.

Su Guan mentally noted to herself that this fourth brother was going to be the toughest to deal with.

"Guan Guan..." Su Jing saw her dejected look and wanted to comfort her but didn't know how to start. Mother Su seemed at a loss, and Father Su remained silent.

"The food has gone cold. I'll go heat it up!"

"I'll help you with the fire!"

The couple escaped from this disaster scene. Su Jing then pulled Su Guan to sit down:

"It's okay, Guan Guan. Your fourth brother will accept you!"

Hearing this, Su Guan gave him a smile:

"Yeah, I know!"

Now, there was only the last brother, the fifth one, left. The atmosphere at the dining table was delicate, with everyone lost in their thoughts. Su Guan greeted her fifth brother, Su Yi:

"Fifth Brother!"

Su Yi was the only one who showed her a smile. He seemed gentle and easy to get along with, uncompetitive and unassertive. But in reality, he was the most meticulous and adept at understanding people's hearts.

He and Su Yun were the epitome of the contrasting personalities often found in twins, one active and the other calm.

"Sister Guan Guan!"

Mother Su reheated the dishes and served them again. The Su family was indeed very poor. Normally, meat was seldom seen on their table because the children had to study. Father Su hoped they would become successful and not remain illiterate. So, from a young age, they were all sent to school. This put a lot of financial pressure on the family. Even Gu Yue got the opportunity to study, standing out in a school mostly filled with boys.

In ancient times, there was a belief that it was virtuous for women to be uneducated, a notion deeply ingrained in rural areas.

Of the five brothers, only Su Jing had a talent for studying. He loved reading and was obsessed with it, determined to take the imperial examination. His dream was to become an official, firstly to benefit the people and secondly to provide a better life for his family.

At sixteen, he passed the examination for scholarly honor. Three years ago, he could have taken the imperial examination, but he missed it because Gu Yue fell ill and all the family's money went to her treatment.

Next spring would be the time for the next imperial examination, and his opportunity was coming. He couldn't afford another mishap.

As a recognized scholar, he could collect three dou of rice and three qian of silver, equivalent to thirty wen, every month. In this dynasty, scholars were highly valued, but his academy's annual fee was five liang of silver, and it took him a year and five months to save enough. After passing the examination, he was admitted to the academy. Living in the county for his studies, he earned some living expenses by writing letters for people during his free time. He brought home the three dou of rice every month. If there was a shortfall in the academy fee, his parents would cover the difference.

( "dou" (斗) is a traditional Chinese unit of volume used primarily for grains and liquids.)

On the table, there was a meat dish that Father Su had bought early in the morning, along with a small crucian carp. He wanted to prepare a decent meal to welcome his daughter home.

Apart from these two dishes, there was also a large bowl of wild vegetable pancakes and a pot of boiled sweet potatoes, and nothing else. Only she had rice, while the others had rice soup.

"Guan Guan, we're poor and don't have much to offer. I hope you won't mind," Father Su said, somewhat embarrassed in front of his elegantly dressed daughter.

"I don't mind at all!" Su Guan shook her head, picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks, and put it in her mouth. Everyone watched her, curious if the young lady accustomed to delicacies could adapt to such plain food.

To their surprise, Su Guan nodded approvingly:

"It's delicious. Dad, Mom, brothers, you should eat too!"

Seeing her lack of disdain, everyone sighed in relief, initially worried that their new sister would be difficult to please. They found her to be quite amiable.

Everyone started eating, each taking a sweet potato or a wild vegetable pancake. However, no one reached for the meat dishes, leaving Su Guan feeling somewhat conflicted.

"Mom and Dad, you work so hard, you should eat meat to replenish your nutrition. I don't like meat that much, and I can't finish it all by myself!"

She proactively picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and placed it in the bowls of her parents.

"Guan Guan, we won't eat it, you eat. We bought it for you!"

Usually, it was hard to have meat even during festivals. Sometimes, the third brother would bring back preys from the mountains, like wild chickens or rabbits, but they never ate it themselves, choosing instead to sell it for money.

"Brothers, you eat too!"

Su Guan looked at her brothers, but they remained silent, chewing on their sweet potatoes and wild vegetable pancakes without responding. In fact, they had swallowed hard several times at the sight of the meat.

"Guan Guan sister, you eat it, don't worry about us!" the fifth brother, Su Yi, said to her with a smile.

"Yes, Guan Guan, they will help themselves if they want to eat. Don't worry about them!"

Su Jing glanced at his younger brothers, his look serving as a warning to be polite to their new sister. As the eldest brother, his authority was well-respected, and his brothers always listened to him.

Su Guan pursed her lips and then put down her chopsticks:

"Since nobody else is eating, then I won't eat either. I know I'm not very close to Dad, Mom, and my brothers since my return was sudden, but I want to be a part of this family too!"

She spoke with such a pitiful tone, her little face filled with sadness, it was heart-wrenching to see!

"Don't be upset, Guan Guan, we'll eat!"

Su Jing was the first to reach out with his chopsticks, followed by the other three. Once they tasted the meat, they couldn't help but go for a second piece.

Seeing this, Su Guan smiled again. She got up, took the bowl that originally belonged to her fourth brother, Su Yun, and added some meat to it with clean chopsticks.

"Fourth brother hasn't eaten yet, let's save some for him!"

The new sister was very sensible, without any airs of a young lady, and did not show any disdain. They had thought she would be like Madam Gu, arrogant and disdainful, as she raised her as her daughter. But it turned out they were wrong in their assumptions.