Chapter Thirteen: Slipping into the Grove

“Banana plant?” Su Tai walked over and touched the lush green leaves, each one taller and wider than himself. “Can you really write on this?”

“I’m not sure either, but there’s a story in the books called ‘Huai Su Writes on Banana Leaves,’” Su Lu said, pulling out a sickle from his basket. “It’s about a Tang dynasty monk named Huai Su who loved calligraphy but was too poor to afford paper, so he practiced writing on banana leaves. In the end, he became a master of cursive script.”

“What is a master of cursive script?” Su Tai asked, puzzled.

“It means someone whose cursive writing reaches a divine level,” Su Lu replied.

“So he wrote on banana leaves, and that’s why it’s called ‘cursive’?” Su Tai pressed.

“Well...” Su Lu couldn’t help but smile wryly. “The banana plant is indeed a type of grass, but ‘cursive script’ is a style of writing, not something written on grass.”

“I see. You’re getting smarter by the day, Autumn Brother.” Su Tai finally understood. He took the sickle from Su Lu, refusing to let him do the work. “Your hands are meant for writing. I’ll handle this.”

With swift motions, he cut several banana leaves, gripping the thick stems in one hand and pressing where the leaf joined the stem with the other. After twisting twice and pulling, he separated the stems with ease.

“Second Brother, is there anything you can’t do?” Su Lu watched in astonishment.

Su Tai efficiently stripped off all the leaf stems, then rolled up the leaves and stuffed them into the basket, grinning sheepishly. “I can’t read, you know.”

“So what? One day you’ll pass the martial examinations and have your moment of glory!” Su Lu said quickly.

Su Tai chuckled bitterly, hefting the heavy basket. “That costs even more money. It’s full now, let’s head home.”

“Alright.” Su Lu nodded. After wandering the mountain for so long, he was completely exhausted.

~~~

Going downhill was much easier than climbing up. The brothers talked and laughed, soon returning to the grove of arrow bamboo.

Crossing the bamboo grove, they reached the junction where they’d been before.

“I wonder if Uncle has gone home yet?” Su Lu’s curiosity remained unchecked.

“Shh.” Su Tai pressed a finger to his lips, signaling him to listen carefully.

Su Lu perked up his ears and, sure enough, faint crying could be heard from the nearby woods. He whispered, “Is Uncle crying?”

“It sounds like a woman,” Su Tai shook his head.

“Let’s take a look.” Now nothing could hold Su Lu back.

Su Tai hurried after him.

They walked east a few steps, and the crying grew clearer, coming from the dove tree grove ahead.

The brothers crouched low, softening their footsteps as they crept closer. At last, behind a thick dove tree, they saw their uncle’s back.

“Is Uncle really crying?” Su Tai was shocked.

“Let’s change our angle.” Su Lu, experienced in such matters, moved with Su Tai to another tree, from which they could see their uncle’s profile.

They could also see a petite figure, her head buried in his arms, shoulders trembling—clearly the one who was crying.

“It’s the woman crying,” Su Tai noted carefully. “But she’s wearing men’s clothes, so maybe she’s just a bit effeminate.”

Su Lu was speechless; it turned out Second Brother was even more gossipy than himself.

Unfortunately, to avoid being discovered, the brothers kept their distance and couldn’t hear what their uncle was saying.

Just then, the woman lifted her head, and the gossiping brothers confirmed she was a delicate, beautiful girl, though her eyelids were swollen and red from crying for a long time.

~~~

“Is it her?” Su Tai stared in shock, recognizing the girl’s face.

“Who is she?” Su Lu asked quickly.

“She’s the only daughter of Master Cheng, said to be the flower of Erlang Beach!” Su Tai continued, astonished. “How did she end up with Uncle?”

“So Uncle is a lump of cow dung, then?” Su Lu dug out some pine nuts from his basket, gathered while chopping pine wood. He handed half to Su Tai. “Don’t belittle our own family. Isn’t Uncle good enough for Miss Cheng?”

“It’s not about compatibility—our families are feuding,” Su Tai sighed as he cracked pine nuts. “This match won’t happen; Grandfather would never allow it.”

“The Chengs wouldn’t agree either.” Su Lu now understood why Uncle had been beaten that day. The Chengs had made their stance clear.

As they spoke, hurried footsteps sounded outside the grove along with angry shouting:

“This time, we won’t let that rascal off easy!”

“The Cheng family must be coming!” Su Lu whispered.

Su Tai nodded in agreement.

Uncle also heard the commotion and tried to pull Miss Cheng away, but in their panic, they ran straight into the group.

Su Lu and Su Tai both covered their faces in dismay. Love really does make people foolish...

It was Master Cheng, followed by his six sons and two grandsons, each one glaring fiercely at Uncle as if ready to devour him.

“Father,” Miss Cheng said timidly.

“Be quiet! You’ve disgraced the Cheng family!” Master Cheng’s eyes blazed, staring at their tightly held hands. “Let go!”

Miss Cheng tried to pull her hand back, but Uncle gripped it tighter, facing Master Cheng’s fury. “Come at me if you must, but don’t yell at Cui Cui!”

“I’ll shout at my own daughter; it’s none of your business!” Master Cheng was seething, pointing furiously at Uncle. “I warned you: if you keep pestering Cui Cui, I’ll break your legs!”

He shouted to his sons, “What are you waiting for? Go on, do it!”

“Are we really hitting him?” the eldest son whispered. Su Youma wasn’t much, but behind him was the tough, poor Su family of military households!

“Hit him!” Master Cheng raged. “If we don’t kill his hopes, Cui Cui will be ruined! She’s my only daughter!”

“Sigh...” The eldest Cheng son waved his hand, and his brothers rolled up their sleeves, ready to teach Uncle another lesson.

“Father, don’t hit him! If you must, hit me!” Cui Cui spread her arms to shield Uncle, tears streaming down her face. “I invited him out myself; I don’t want to marry into the He family!”

“We’ll deal with you at home! Pull her away!” Master Cheng ground his teeth.

~~~

Behind the tree where the gossiping brothers hid.

Seeing this, Su Tai was about to roll up his sleeves and rush out, but Su Lu grabbed him, whispering, “Don’t be rash, let me go out and argue with them first. If they start hitting me, you can step in.”

“Will they listen to you?” Su Tai looked at his thirteen-year-old brother.

“I’ll give it a try. You never know...” Su Lu smiled at Su Tai and stepped out from behind the tree, shouting, “Stop!”

The Chengs, in the midst of separating the star-crossed lovers, all jumped in surprise. When they saw it was a child, they grew angrier. “Get out of the way, or we’ll beat you too!”

“My second brother has gone back to call for help,” Su Lu said, addressing Master Cheng. “If you dare harm Uncle today, tomorrow everyone in Erlang Beach will hear about your daughter and my uncle being together—how will you explain it to the He family?”

“You—you’re shameless!” Master Cheng recognized him now: wasn’t this the brat who threw snakes at him last time? He trembled with rage. “After your family’s disgraceful deeds, you dare spread it around? Pathetic!”

“No matter, it’s not our family who’ll suffer,” Su Lu grinned, shrugging. “Besides, you’re a scholarly family—you care about reputation. We don’t.”

His brazen attitude made the Cheng sons furious, and they all rolled up their sleeves to beat him:

“I’ll thrash you, you rascal!”

“Shanbo loves Zhu Yingtai—my uncle and Miss Cheng are a perfect pair!” Su Lu shouted, pretending to run.

“Stop!” Master Cheng shouted, halting his sons, then yelled at Su Lu, “You too, be quiet!”

~~~

He knew that at this point, beating the boy was pointless. Besides, they couldn’t actually kill him...

“That’s more like it,” Su Lu said cheerfully. “Let’s talk it out. Fighting all the time only hurts your scholarly reputation.”

“My family’s reputation has already been ruined by your uncle!” Master Cheng felt like coughing up blood. Last time, he’d caught the two secretly meeting in the sorghum field and nearly died of anger.

He hadn’t really wanted to seize Su family land afterward, but hoped to force Uncle to break up with his daughter.

He brooded for a moment, then spoke gloomily, “I can let your uncle off, but he must swear to cut ties with my daughter!”

“No, it can’t be done!” Uncle suddenly shouted, startling birds from the trees.

“It must be done!” Master Cheng’s voice rose even higher.

Suddenly, Cui Cui turned pale and bent over, retching.

Uncle hurried to pat her back...

“Oh dear,” Su Lu spread his hands, wishing he hadn’t worked so hard.

“Did Auntie eat mushrooms?” Master Cheng’s grandson, too young to understand, asked.

But Master Cheng and his sons were stunned.

Once his daughter recovered, Master Cheng, dazed, asked, “You two...?”

“Yes.” Uncle nodded, pride in his voice. “Cui Cui came to tell me about it.”

“This is too much...” Master Cheng finally couldn’t bear it, his eyes rolled back as he fainted.

“Father! Father!” His sons hurried to support him, pinching his philtrum and slapping his cheeks until his spirit returned.

“Aiyo, aiyo...” But Master Cheng still couldn’t accept it, groaning incessantly.

“Why don’t we all go home today and discuss it later?” Su Lu suggested.

“Go home first...” Master Cheng agreed weakly, then said to his daughter, “You too, go home.”

“Cui Cui...” Uncle looked at his beloved, unwilling to let go.

“Don’t worry, he’s my father...” Miss Cheng gave him a reassuring look, gently pulled her hand free, and whispered, “It’ll be easier now that everything’s out in the open. I’ll work on my father, you work on yours...”

“Sigh.” Uncle finally released her hand reluctantly, watching as Cui Cui and the Chengs left.

Once the Chengs were gone, Su Tai emerged from hiding, carrying Su Lu’s basket.

“Second Brother, what took you so long? I thought you’d fallen asleep.” Su Lu took his basket.

“You said I went back to get help, so I had to keep up the act,” Su Tai explained slowly.

“Thanks to you both.” Uncle managed a bitter smile. “Help me keep this secret for now.”

“But isn’t my future aunt telling you to work on your father at home?” Su Lu suggested. “Better to rip the bandage off—why not confess today?”

“It’s not that easy,” Uncle sighed deeply. “Don’t you know the Su and Cheng families are bitter enemies?”

“I can’t quite remember.” Su Lu said, “Why not start from the beginning? It’d be good for us youngsters to learn about our family history.”

“Sigh, alright.” Uncle was eager to talk, so he began:

“It all started back when Emperor Hongwu pacified Yunnan…”

“That’s a long time ago,” Su Lu remarked.