CHAPTER 232: CHAPTER 232: WHY DID YOU CALL ME UNCLE?

After Mrs. Duan and her daughter left, Su Jingchen shot Yu Xiaolian a meaningful glance.

"Was that fun?"

"It was... alright!" For some reason, Yu Xiaolian felt a bit anxious being stared at by Su Jingchen.

Feeling somewhat guilty, Yu Xiaolian explained, "I was just worried they’d cling to you relentlessly, so I wanted to... help you."

Su Jingchen chuckled, "Why are you so nervous?"

"I’m not! When did I say I was nervous?" Yu Xiaolian stubbornly retorted.

Then she turned her face away, refusing to look at Su Jingchen.

"Alright everyone, pack up your belongings, we’re setting off. The elderly and children can ride in the carriage, and the rest of us will walk.

If anyone gets tired or feels unwell, speak up. Those in the carriage can swap places with those walking.

Sitting too long in the carriage is tiring, and walking too long is also tiring. We’ll switch every hour."

As soon as Yu Xiaolian finished speaking, everyone started bustling around, packing their bags and rolling up their luggage.

Su Jingchen felt it necessary to explain things to the Sun Family, otherwise they’d be too wary to approach him.

"I don’t have tuberculosis. I was pretending to cough earlier. I had no choice, so don’t take it to heart."

Sun Daji’s wife slapped her thigh, "I knew it! I’ve seen you journeying up and down; you’re in great health."

Su Jingchen smiled. Just once during the journey, he had picked wild fruits for the Sun Family using Qinggong. Sun Daji’s wife saw it, and exaggerated that he could climb to the heavens.

The fruit wasn’t much and grew at the top of trees where others hadn’t picked them. Su Jingchen had leveraged the trunk to jump up.

It’s really not extraordinary; anyone who’s trained in martial arts for a few years can mostly do it.

But Sun Daji’s wife always likes to exaggerate. The tree is clearly over ten feet tall, yet she describes it as over thirty.

She even solemnly claimed that when she looked up at Su Jingchen atop the tree, he was just a blurry black dot.

Tell me, how high could that be?

In Sun Daji’s wife’s eyes, climbing a tree is akin to ascending to heaven.

So, ascending and descending, no problem.

After spending so much time together on the journey, Su Jingchen has grown accustomed to Sun Daji’s wife’s exaggerated speech. He went from explaining seriously at first to now just letting her talk.

Su Jingchen asked Sun Daji, "Uncle, can you drive a carriage?"

Sun Daji scratched his head, feeling something was off, but replied anyway, "I’ve driven an ox cart before."

He had borrowed the wealthy family in their village’s ox cart a few times. A horse carriage should work similarly, all with commands like ’drive’, ’whoa’, and ’here’.

Su Jingchen said, "Then Uncle Daji will drive one carriage. Xiaolian and I will each drive one. Hang any bedding and other items you can on the back of the carriage or place them inside to save carrying weight."

When Su Jingchen called again, Sun Daji suddenly realized and asked, a bit dopey, "Brother Su, why are you calling me Uncle?"

Throughout the journey, Scholar Su always called him elder brother!

Su Jingchen, keeping his face straight, replied calmly, "I was mistaken before. Xiaolian and I are of the same generation. She calls you Uncle; I call you elder brother. Then wouldn’t Xiaolian have to call me... Uncle?

I think Xiaolian definitely wouldn’t be willing, right, Yu Xiaolian?"

Yu Xiaolian: "..."

Where’s that bookish fellow who always addressed her as ’Miss Yu’? Is this cunning and black-bellied character the result of some transformation?

Now he’s casually calling her by her full name; guess they’ve gotten pretty familiar?

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and hitch the carriage, let’s go!"

The three carriages, roughly seated eight to nine people each, adding the driver, could have around ten.

For the carriage with smaller kids, more could fit; with larger kids, fewer.

Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Sun, along with Fifth Uncle Sun, rode in the carriage driven by Sun Daji, positioned in the middle.

Su Jingchen’s carriage led with all children under ten inside.

Yu Xiaolian’s carriage followed behind. Besides a few girls about her age, there was also Sun Mantao’s pregnant wife.

Those who didn’t get a seat, walked: about twenty men and young adults.

Getting through the southern city gate was easy, didn’t even require checking road permits.

The group smoothly exited the city gate, with smiles on everyone’s face.

Both those riding and walking were happy.

Those riding, excited for never having ridden a horse carriage.

Those walking, pleased not to carry iron pots or large loads, happy.

Just that every usable spot on the carriage was hung with items causing constant jingling and clattering as it moved, each sound distinct.

In the front carriage, Fifth Uncle Sun chatted with Fourth Uncle Sun about when the drought in the Northern Land might ease and when they might return home.

Yes, they were still thinking about going home.

Though Upper River Bay was poor, their home was there, and their house and land were there.

They had spent a lifetime saving up; how could they just throw it all away?

Right now, they had no choice but to seek refuge with relatives, but relying on relatives has its limits. Eventually, they have to return home.

Fourth Uncle Sun said, "Just wondering if after things settle, will Fangzi and their partner return to Yangcheng?"

Fifth Uncle Sun said, "Return for what? The Yu Family pushed them to such an extent? To avoid them, Fangzi and their partner definitely won’t go back."

That’s right, in Fifth Uncle Sun’s eyes, Yu Changhe and Sun Chunfang walked this far, just to avoid the Yu Family’s entanglement.

They have no idea that in the coming years, Great Liang will grow increasingly chaotic, and aside from Prince Jin’s domain remaining relatively safe, other places will become increasingly tumultuous, plagued by incessant fires and desperate livelihoods.

Yu Xiaolian was intently driving the carriage when Sun Manyu lifted the curtain, poking her head out, "Xiaolian, how did you... how did you meet Scholar Su?"

Yu Xiaolian turned to take a glance and seeing it was Sun Manyu, she immediately recalled how Sun Manyu was blushing intensely and shyly acting when Su Jingchen remarked about her being his fiancée at the city gate. Plus, last night, Sun Manyu had deliberately set up ’bed’ for Su Jingchen. Yu Xiaolian understood a bit of Sun Manyu’s curiosity about Su Jingchen.

Yu Xiaolian pretended to think and replied, "We met through his brother. At that time, Su Jingyue came to our village, and I took him home."

"His brother is called Su Jingyue? Both brothers have such nice names!" Sun Manyu’s eyes sparkled with stars, her voice tinged with excitement.

"So, how many people does Scholar Su’s family have? Any siblings?" Sun Manyu asked again.

All Sun Manyu knew was that Su Jingchen was heading to Yu State to find his brother, but nothing else.

Even that Su Jingchen’s brother lived with Yu Xiaolian’s family; they only learned after Yu Xiaolian arrived. Su Jingchen never mentioned anything about knowing the Yu Family to them.

Su Jingchen only said he was going to Yu State to find relatives, coincidentally traveling the same route as them, never touching on his acquaintance with the Yu Family.

Later, when Fifth Uncle Sun found things odd and pressed him, Su Jingchen finally said he was friends with Yu Xiaolian, helping them on behalf of Yu Xiaolian, putting Fifth Uncle Sun’s mind at ease a bit.

Otherwise, Fifth Uncle Sun would’ve suspected that Scholar Su was secretly working to lead them astray, because why else would a stranger help them into the city, and buy them food with no gain in sight?

Even though they helped Su Jingchen when he fell from his horse initially, Fifth Uncle Sun felt such grand repayment was too unusual.

Later knowing Su Jingchen’s close friendship with Yu Xiaolian, Fifth Uncle Sun finally felt assured.

He wasn’t afraid of anything except that Su Jingchen might lead their family into unfamiliar territory, the men becoming laborers and the women becoming whatnot, so he stayed vigilant.

But only Fifth Uncle Sun and Fourth Uncle Sun along with some older fellows knew of this matter; girls like Sun Manyu weren’t aware.

As for Sun Manyu, throughout the journey, she had only said a few words to Su Jingchen, and that was it.