Chapter 380: Reborn in the Nineties: The Tyrant Flower Chapter 381 Inheritance

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

There weren't many things in the box, but they were stacked quite neatly.

On the very top lay a folded, half-worn military uniform, its collar and cuffs worn white. Maternal Grandfather had once been a soldier and participated in the Liberation War, but back then he served as a cook in the rear and earned no merit, so after Liberation he was demobilized and returned to his hometown.

Below that were a few thread-bound books with yellowed pages and curled edges, the paper fragile, seemingly primers like the *Three Character Classic* and *Hundred Family Surnames*. Not worth much money.

Further down was a small bundle carefully wrapped in red satin cloth.

In the corner were stuffed a few copper coins grown over with green rust, and a silver dollar with worn edges; at the very bottom pressed a stack of old stamps with dull colors and different patterns, bound with a rubber band.

Da Jiu's wife impatiently reached out to grab that red satin bundle: "This... this is definitely the good stuff!"

Chai Mi's eyes were quick and hands fast; she pressed down on the woman's hand with no little force: "Aunt, what's the rush? One by one."

With her hand pressed down, Da Jiu's wife shrank back a bit embarrassedly, muttering: "Just let me look..."

Under everyone's gaze, Su Renguo picked up the military uniform first, shook it open to look: "This is Father's... Father's uniform from when he was a young soldier, hasn't been worn in many years." He silently folded it and set it aside.

Next were those old books. Su Rentang flipped through them: "Sigh, all old books, paper's brittle, no use." He set them aside too.

Everyone's gazes focused again on the red satin bundle. Su Renguo carefully untied the cloth cord, peeling back the red satin layer by layer.

What emerged was not some gold, silver, or jade, but a blue-glazed coarse porcelain tea tray! The tray's edge had two small chips knocked off, the center painted with a crude magpie-on-plum-blossom design, the glaze murky and dull — one look and it was clearly nothing valuable, at most an old elder's used household item.

And a few IOUs...

"Just... just this?" Da Jiu's wife's voice was full of unbelieving disappointment, her ending tone even changing pitch: "A broken tea tray? Father kept it like a treasure?"

Wang Guizhi also deflated, muttering softly: "Thought it was something precious..."

Su Renguo picked up the tea tray, turned it over and over, weighed it in his hand, and gave a bitter laugh while shaking his head: "It's the tea tray Father used his whole life. When we were little he used this to pour water for us... not worth any money."

Last were those copper coins, silver dollar, and stack of stamps. The copper coins were heavily rusted, characters blurred. The silver dollar was genuine, but in the countryside it couldn't be exchanged for much. The stamps were even more colorful, all ordinary old stamps, no particularly valuable rarities.

The camphor wood box was empty.

Except for the newly discovered IOUs. But the debtors on those IOUs were probably long dead too; they were IOUs from a very, very long time ago — things like owing someone two catties of seed, or three sheng of millet.

The room fell into an awkward silence. The earlier anticipation, greed, and calculation now turned into huge disappointment and a trace of absurdity.

The "family fortune" they had longed for, the "treasure" infinitely magnified through the lens of poverty, turned out to be just some old objects carrying traces of time but with zero economic value.

Su Jin looked at the tea tray, tears falling again: "Father ah... you only left these mementos..." She picked up the tea tray and hugged it tight to her chest, as if embracing her father's last breath.

Su Wan's eyes also reddened; she silently picked up the old military uniform, stroking the patches on it.

Chai Mi's gaze swept over the wonderfully varied expressions on everyone's faces, finally landing on the empty camphor wood box.

"Seen clearly now? What Maternal Grandfather left behind wasn't gold, silver, or treasure — just these old things he used his whole life and couldn't bear to throw away. One piece of clothing, one tea tray, a few tattered books, a few copper coins."

"Maternal Grandfather lay on the kang for years; the family was cleaned out paying for his medicine, and still owed a mountain of debt. If he had mountains of gold and silver, could he bear to watch his children suffer poverty? Could he watch Aunt's family get swindled clean?"

"Are these things valuable? In your eyes, maybe not worth a penny. But to Maternal Grandfather, every piece was his sentiment, the days he lived! This sentiment is far more precious than the little money you're coveting!"

"The money for the funeral, I advanced. This is also what I spent for my Mother; no one needs to repay anything — just count it as my Mother's filial duty. These mementos Maternal Grandfather left, whoever wants them, take them. Aunt likes the tea tray, Mother takes this clothing, that counts as keeping a memory. Copper coins and stamps, Uncles divide them. The box is empty; hearts should be clear too."

"From now on, each family mind their own lives. Maternal Grandfather is gone; our Su Family should look forward."

Finished speaking, Chai Mi went to the courtyard to get some air.

Outside, the sky was high and distant; the new grave on the slope still gave off the scent of fresh earth. Life is like the land underfoot — barren, heavy, burying the previous generation's toil and worries, also waiting for the next generation to continue reclaiming, struggling, moving forward.

A person's life seems to be just the process from the foot of the mountain to the top.

One goes for decades, then the cycle repeats.

The air inside the room completely sank, even more deathly silent than when the coffin was just carried out. Under the dim yellow lamp light, every face looked as if coated in a layer of gray.

Da Jiu's wife's face cycled green and red, lips moving several times but she couldn't squeeze out a fart. The money Chai Mi advanced was real and solid; the "treasure" in the box was truly too shabby to show; no matter how thick her face, right now it felt like a layer had been publicly stripped off.

Second Aunt Wang Guizhi was even more bowed, staring at her own mud-stained shoe tips, no longer daring to mention "offsetting debts." Her petty schemes exposed, only embarrassment remained.

Da Jiu Su Renguo heaved a heavy sigh, as if expelling all the stale air from his lungs. He looked at the empty box, then at Third Sister Su Wan silently weeping while holding the old uniform, then at Eldest Sister Su Jin clutching the broken tea tray, crying with shoulders shuddering; his eyes also welled up. He squatted down, silently picked up those rusted copper coins and that old silver dollar, fished out the bundle of old stamps from the corner, and stuffed them all into an old cloth bag nearby.

"Rentang," his voice was terribly hoarse, carrying exhaustion, "You take the copper coins and silver dollar; the stamps... Second Brother-in-law likes those? Give them to Second Aunt's family. The books... no use anymore, burn them for Father later; down there he... might still want to read a couple lines." He paused, gaze sweeping over Da Jiu's wife and Wang Guizhi, carrying a warning, "The clothing and tea tray, as Chai Mi said — Third Sister and Eldest Sister take them. The box... empty is empty then."

Having spoken, as if using his last shred of strength, he coughed, dragging heavy steps to the kang edge and sat down, pulled out his dry tobacco pipe, hands shaking for half a day without managing to pack the tobacco.

Second Uncle Su Rentang silently took the cloth bag, weighed it — light as a feather, no weight. He glanced at Second Aunt Su Hui and her man; both shook their heads, saying nothing. Su Rentang tucked the bag into his bosom, muffled voice: "Alright, Big Brother. Father... is at peace now."

Su Jin hugged the tea tray, crying even harder, large tears smashing onto the coarse porcelain surface: "Father ah... you only left this water-drinking plaything... Daughter doesn't mind, Daughter will keep it for you... wu wu..."

Su Wan also buried her face in that half-old military uniform, sobbing suppressedly.

Second Aunt Su Hui walked over, put an arm around Su Wan's shoulders, red-eyed persuading: "Third Sister, don't cry, Father... Father suffers no more. We... we must look forward." Saying this, her own heart also felt empty. Look forward? With this ground full of chicken feathers and deflated money bags, how to look forward?

Chai Mi stood in the cold wind outside, took a deep breath. The mess from the banquet in the courtyard remained — leftover soup and rice, trampled paper ash, toppled wooden stools — set against the darkening sky, a scene of desolation and decline.

Actually, as everyone knows, Maternal Grandmother's home was very poor.

These years, Maternal Grandfather was paralyzed, Maternal Grandmother bedridden.

These two words are not the same word.

Paralyzed basically means can't do anything, just lie there. Bedridden, mostly can still move a bit, similar to hemiplegia.

Actually should be total paralysis and hemiplegia.

Maternal Grandfather belonged to total paralysis; that he lived to today was already very not easy.

Maternal Grandfather gone, Maternal Grandmother's health also very poor; how long she can live is also difficult.

Chai Mi thought a moment, then took out some more money, gave some to Maternal Grandmother, and finally took out five hundred yuan, went inside and stuffed it to Da Jiu's wife.

Chai Mi stuffed the five hundred yuan into Da Jiu's wife's hand. Da Jiu's wife pinching the money, fingers trembling, face alternating green and red: "Chai Mi, this... how can we still take your money..."

"Take it," Chai Mi's tone flat, "Maternal Grandfather gone, Maternal Grandmother still needs medicine. You serving the old person is not easy; count it as my Mother's filial duty."

Da Jiu Su Renguo squatting on the kang edge puffing hard on dry tobacco, choked into coughing, the pipe flaring and dying: "Girl, don't leave today. These days busy with funeral affairs, you haven't touched ground, haven't even eaten a proper hot meal." He shouted toward the kitchen with hoarse voice, "Roll some noodles, let the family eat a peaceful meal!"

Second Uncle Su Rentang murmured in agreement: "Exactly! It's dark, and the mountain path is hard to walk. Your mother hasn't stayed at my place yet after going back to her mother's family; tonight you three women stay at my place."

Just after Grandfather's passing, the few daughters still tacitly stayed behind; eating was secondary, but with Mother still around, they had to talk.

The dim yellow light bulb swayed beneath the low beams, barely illuminating the uneven, pitted dirt floor. From the kitchen came the "bang-bang" of a rolling pin striking the cutting board and the light crackling of firewood. Inside the room, the awkward silence had not fully dissipated, like an invisible layer of dust, heavily pressing down on everyone.

Su Renguo sat with his head down on the kang edge, "puff-puff" smoking dry tobacco, smoke swirling and blurring his face full of deep lines. Second Uncle Su Rentang squatted by the door threshold, unconsciously twisting an old cloth bag containing copper coins and silver dollars. Su Jin sat with red, swollen eyes, still tightly clutching the blue-glazed coarse porcelain tea tray in her arms, occasionally wiping away soundlessly falling tears with her sleeve. Su Wan folded the old military uniform neatly into a square, placing it on her pressed-together knees, her fingers lightly stroking the collar worn white. Eldest Sister's husband's wife clutched five brand-new hundred-yuan banknotes, her gaze shifting, her fingers unconsciously twisting the edge of the banknotes, making a slight "rustle-rustle" sound, as if wanting to return them to Chai Mi, yet unable to bear giving up that thick feel, her face alternating red and white.

"N... noodles... are ready." Second Aunt Su Hui carried in a large enamel basin, inside were steaming hand-pulled noodles, the broth somewhat cloudy, floating with a few scattered green onion pieces and oil droplets. She then turned and brought a small basin of pickled vegetable shreds and a bowl of homemade soybean sauce.

"E... everyone up on the kang, make do and eat something." Su Renguo tapped his pipe on the kang edge.

Everyone moved slowly. Eldest Sister's husband's wife seemed to have found an exit to avoid the awkwardness, immediately standing up: "I'll go get bowls and chopsticks!" Saying this, she quickly walked toward the cupboard, her movements carrying a deliberate briskness.

The bowls were chipped coarse porcelain bowls, the chopsticks were smooth bamboo chopsticks. Everyone sat around the kang table, the positions seeming somewhat cramped. Chai Mi sat next to her mother Su Wan, Su Jin sat on the other side clutching her father's relic. Eldest Sister's husband's wife distributed the bowls and chopsticks, her gaze deliberately avoiding Chai Mi.

Su Renguo picked up chopsticks, stirred in the basin, and lifted a chopsticks of noodles: "Eat, everyone is tired after a day." His voice was low, carrying a tired tail sound.

Everyone silently moved their chopsticks. Only the sound of slurping noodles remained in the room, the occasional light sound of chopsticks touching bowl edges, and Su Jin's suppressed, faint sobbing.

"... Elder Sister," Su Renguo looked up at Su Jin, his voice softening a bit, "put the tray... put it down, eat first. Father... Father's things, just keep them safe."

Su Jin seemed not to hear, instead hugging the tray tighter into her arms, tears dripping onto the tray's edge, staining a small patch dark.

"Eldest Sister..." Second Aunt Su Hui picked some pickled vegetables for Su Wan with chopsticks, trying to ease the atmosphere, "You eat too, don't just keep being sad. Father... Father has gone to enjoy blessings."

Su Wan also nodded, picking up a few noodles with chopsticks, but had no appetite, and put them down again. She looked at the military uniform in her arms, saying in a low voice: "Father wearing this set of clothes... when he was young, I still remember a bit..."

"What's there to remember," Second Uncle Su Rentang interjected gloomily, smearing sauce on the chopstick tip, "being a kitchen helper, didn't earn anything, just suffered." After saying this, he seemed to feel the words weren't pleasant, and again lowered his head to shovel noodles in big mouthfuls.

This made the atmosphere even stiffer. Eldest Sister's husband's wife was just lifting her bowl to drink soup; hearing this, she paused, and secretly glanced at Chai Mi. Chai Mi was lowering her head quietly eating noodles, as if she hadn't heard.

"Rentang!" Su Renguo glared at his younger brother, with reproach, "Say a few less words! Father... Father wasn't easy either."

"Wasn't easy," Chai Mi suddenly spoke, her voice calm, but clearly reaching everyone's ears, "Grandfather suffered his whole life, paralyzed on the kang these years, relying on others to serve him. The little bit left behind is his own heart's wish, having nothing to do with whether it's worth money or not." She put down her chopsticks, her gaze sweeping over everyone, "Eldest Sister's husband's wife, keep the money safe. Serving Grandmother medicine, spend what should be spent, don't be stingy. Not enough... we'll talk again."

Eldest Sister's husband's wife seemed to have listened, or perhaps not listened, and nodded.

Chai Mi said lightly, picking up chopsticks again, "After Grandfather's funeral is finished, the matter of money is closed. My mother wants to stay with Grandmother a bit more, staying two days."