Flaunting

The six of them returned to the village.

A large group of villagers surrounded the village entrance. This scene shocked Liu Ping, who thought that something big had happened in the village.

He was about to jump off the ox cart and ask someone when the villagers swarmed around him.

Su Ergou rubbed his sleepy eyes.

Hmm? What was going on? Was there a fight?

Aunt Wu asked, “Fatty, I heard that you went to town to buy a horse. Where is the horse you bought?

Su Xiaoxiao wondered,” Eh? When did I say that?”

She turned to look at Su Ergou.

Su Ergou shook his head like a rattle drum; his cheeks were trembling!

She looked at the three little ones.

The three little ones also shook their heads!

They had failed to show off!

She looked at Liu Ping again!

Liu Ping was shocked. “No, no. I went to borrow Old Li’s ox cart and only said that I wanted to go to town. I didn’t say what it was for!”

At this moment, Father Su walked over with his hands behind his back.

“Make way, make way, make way,” he said in a commanding tone.

The villagers made way.

When Father Su saw Su Xiaoxiao beside the ox cart, he instantly smiled happily.

He hadn’t seen her fat daughter for a day. He really missed her!

He raised his eyebrows and said, “Daughter! Where’s the horse you bought? Show it to broaden the horizons of the villagers!”

Su Xiaoxiao was dumbfounded.

The matter had to start with Father Su and Wei Ting returning home after picking vegetables. Su Xiaoxiao brought her brother and the three little ones out while Madam Wu marinated the salted eggs in the backyard.

When Father Su asked where his daughter went, Madam Wu’s original words were, “Daya wanted to buy livestock and went to the horse market in the neighboring town with Liu Ping. Ergou and the children also went.”

What Father Su heard was: My daughter... wants to buy... a horse.

He chose to filter the rest of the words!

Such an important joyous occasion naturally had to be shown off. It seemed there was a reason why the children at home liked to show off. She had found the source. Su Xiaoxiao didn’t know what to say.

“Aiya! Whose donkey is this? It can’t be yours, right, Fatty? Didn’t you go to buy a horse? Did you get tricked?”

It was Madam Zhou.

“Don’t tell me Fatty can’t even tell a horse from a donkey?”

“I can’t say for sure... Fatty used to...”

“Ahem!”

Old Master Su cleared his throat heavily. Only then did everyone remember that they were facing the three tyrants of the Su family. Recently, the three tyrants of the Su family rarely came out to extort money, making them relax their vigilance gradually.

The villagers stopped talking, but their eyes were still filled with surprise.

Father Su quickly walked to Su Xiaoxiao’s side and asked in a low voice, “Daughter, did you really treat a donkey as a horse?”

Su Xiaoxiao said frankly, “No, I know it’s a donkey.”

Father Su was stunned. “Weren’t you going to buy a horse? Why did you buy a donkey?”

“Horse? Yes, there is one.” Su Xiaoxiao said.

Old Master Su’s eyes lit up!

He raised his chin proudly at the villagers. “Did you hear that? My daughter said it! She bought a horse!”

With that, he looked at Su Xiaoxiao. “Daughter, where’s the horse?”

Su Xiaoxiao said, “Here.”

Father Su asked, “Where?”

The villagers also craned their necks and kept looking behind the ox cart.

Su Xiaoxiao looked at the three cute little ones and reached out to gently remove the big blanket that they were surrounding.

Under the blanket was a dying foal. Its eyes seemed to be unable to focus.

Father Su was dumbfounded!

Indeed, it confirmed a saying: You will be struck by lightning if you act tough!

Madam Zhou was amused. “This is a newborn horse calf, right? Aiyo, Fat Lass, why did you buy this to play with? You can’t keep it alive!”

Aunt Wu also shook her head and sighed. “Yes, it looks like it’s about to collapse.”

The daughter-in-law of the Sun family said, “Fatty, after all this time, you’re still a fool! This is at least 10 taels of silver!”

Su Ergou said, “10 taels! Who are you looking down on? My sister spent 40 taels!”

“With forty taels... You bought a little horse calf that can’t be kept alive?” Madam Zhou was about to faint from laughter.

She was doing business, delivering babies, and treating illnesses. The villagers were all saying that Fatty Su was capable, but looking at her today, she was clearly still that stupid girl who knew nothing!

The villagers had similar thoughts as Madam Zhou. They also felt that Fatty Su had wasted her money.

The Su family, which had been holding their heads high in the morning, had once again become the laughingstock of the village.

Madam Wu walked over silently and secretly pinched Liu Ping. She said in a low voice, “How did you help Daya choose a horse? Why did you choose a horse calf?”

Liu Ping cried out in his heart that he had been wronged. He had tried to persuade her, but Daya insisted on buying it. There was nothing he could do, right?

After all, he had no say over Daya.

Su Xiaoxiao said to Madam Zhou, “Aunt Zhou, don’t worry. I promise to fatten it up!”

Just because others couldn’t raise a young horse didn’t mean that she couldn’t either!

If she didn’t even have this bit of confidence, how could she have paid for it?

“Alright, alright, disperse, disperse!” Father Su dispersed the villagers.

The villagers left, but none of them believed that Su Xiaoxiao could raise the horse calf.

—

After Madam Zhou returned, the first thing she did was gossip about Fatty Su’s stupid actions to Madam Fang and her daughters.

A few women sat in Su Yuniang’s room.

Su Yuniang was feeding the child.

After recuperating according to Fatty Su’s prescription for a few days, her vitality had recovered a lot, and she had milk, but not much.

During the day, she would carry it to Old Li’s house and ask Madam Zhao to help feed it a few times. At night, she would feed it herself.

Su Jinniang said, “In this weather, foals can’t be raised alive. Unfortunately, that’s 40 taels of silver.”

Although she said it was a pity, her tone was clearly gloating.

“She’s only been in business for a month and she’s already earning forty taels...” Madam Fang’s focus was not on the horse.

It was rare for Su Yuniang not to speak up for Fatty Su because even she thought that Fatty Su had made a loss.

Adult horses were expensive, easily costing 70 to 80 taels of silver. This was only an ordinary breed. Good horses were hard to come by.

It seemed cheap to buy a horse for 40 taels, but it was a foal that could not be raised.

Madam Zhou could not hide her mockery and added insult to injury. “She said that she wanted to buy it to pull the goods! I think she probably lost all her capital! A girl should stay at home! Who’s like her, who shows her face all day long and even learns to do business like a man? Now, she’s lost everything!”

Su Yuniang frowned.

“Mom,” she said. “I’m not feeling well. I want to sleep.”

Mdm Fang said, “Ah, okay. Then we’ll go out first.”

—

Liu Ping drove the ox cart to Su Xiaoxiao’s house.

Old Li and the village head also came over.

The two of them did not watch the commotion at the village entrance mainly because they cared about Su Xiaoxiao. However, now that there was no one else around, there were some things that they had to say.

“Daya, why did you buy a foal?” The village head asked.

The three little ones raised their heads and looked at Su Xiaoxiao.