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“Tiedan!”
Mrs. Huang called the child of a relative of the Old Su family and handed him a piece of red paper, “Here, take it to the Su family, and say that it’s a gift from me to them as their aunt. Don’t they want to write their own couplets? If they don’t have paper, then they won’t be able to write one. So don’t blame me, their aunt, for not being able to afford giving them a piece of paper!”
Was this a matter of whether you could afford to give a piece of paper or not?
You were really so evil ah!
She obviously knew that Su Pangya couldn’t write a couplet at all. But she just kept trying to show off her prestige. Even insisted on sending her a piece of paper?
Now, she wouldn’t be able to say ‘I want to write, but I don’t have a paper’ as an excuse.
The villagers clicked their tongue in their hearts, but they didn’t say anything. They were still waiting to ask Chen Xiucai’s* couplets!
*Xiucai (秀才) : is a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations in China and obtained the qualification for admission to academic institution in ancient China.
“Dameizi*, listen to my advice, let’s just forget it.” Mrs. Fang said.
*Dameizi (性ćŠč歐) : is usually used to address married women who are younger than oneself.
Mrs. Huang smiled and said, “I really don’t mean anything else. Even if she can’t write it, it’s also good to cut and use it as a window paper-cuts, isn’t it?”\n-Window paper-cuts / Chuang hua / çȘ—花, They are often glued to the exterior of windows. Normally they are used on festivals such as Chinese New Year, weddings and childbirth. As cut-paper artwork is considered to symbolize luck and happiness.
Speaking of this matter, Mrs. Fang couldn’t persuade her anymore. So, she could only let Tiedan send the red paper to Su family’s house.
Unexpectedly, after a while, the ten-year-old Niudan came back while holding the red paper and said, “Pangya said that she didn’t want it, she already has her own.”
Just now she said that she would write the couplets herself, but the villagers didn’t believe it. And after that she said she had a red paper, the villagers were in disbelief.
Mrs. Huang said, “Sigh, forget it, forget it.  After all, I’m her aunt, why should I be angry with a little girl? Hao ge’er*, you go write a couplet, and send it to Daya.”
*(Name) + ge’er (ć“„ć„ż) / jie’er (槐愿) : In the past, the elders using this to call the younger generation affectionately.
She didn’t want to give the couplets, but she wanted to see whether Su Daya was bluffing or not. Mrs. Huang was going to fight with Su Pangya to the end this time!
Su Jinniang, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, “Daya can’t write, but she has a husband.”
Mrs. Huang sneered, “You mean the one who followed the Li family to learn farming? That’s just a pillow with an embroidered case*, he is good looking but useless!”
*A pillow with an embroidered case : an analogy is a person with a nice appearance but no intellectual ability.
“He is literate.” Su Jinniang paused and explained, “I have seen him read letters for Daya.”
Mrs. Huang said disdainfully, “Who knows if he’s reading blindly? If he’s really literate, then will he still go to learn how to farm?”
Mrs. Zhou, who lived next door to the Old Su family’s house, agreed, “Yeah, if he really has that ability, how can he be the live-in son-in-law for Su Pangya?”
This time, it was indeed impossible for the villagers to refute it.
Although they acknowledge Wei Ting’s handsome appearance, it was only limited to his appearance. As for his ability, he was definitely not comparable to Chen Xiucai’s.
Su Jinniang frowned and silently went to her own room.
——
At the Su family’s home.
The three little ones went to find Father Su, they wanted to poop.
Su Ergou poured the water from the bucket into the water tank and continued to fetch water from the village entrance.
Su Xiaoxiao then knocked on the door of Wei Ting’s room.
“Come in.” Wei Ting said.
Su Xiaoxiao entered with a big smile on her face.
Wei Ting was wiping the dagger at the bedside.
The dagger was snatched from him by Father Su when he was tied back then. It was only later that it was returned to him.
Su Xiaoxiao looked at the blade that was shining with cold light, and she almost instinctively felt a murderous aura.
This dagger was very sharp ah!
From the very beginning, these two people were suspicious and didn’t trust each other. As a result, Wei Ting didn’t bother to pretend to be harmless in front of her.
Wei Ting continued to wipe the dagger and said, “What are you doing here?”
Su Xiaoxiao said, “Don’t worry, I’m not looking for you to pound peanuts.”
Today is the little new year*, I will give you a day off!