Chapter Twenty-One: The Heart of Parents, Pitiful Throughout the World

"Who?!" The elders couldn't hold back any longer, and Su Daxiang perked up his ears to ask, "You mean the Chen family, right?"

"No, it's the damned Cheng family," the old man corrected.

A commotion erupted; the elders were thoroughly shaken, all shouting, "Sixth Brother, are you joking?!"

"Exactly, how could a member of the Su family possibly marry into the Cheng family? Even if the match were made by the god of marriage himself, it wouldn't work!" One after another, they vented their anger:

"Have you forgotten our Longquan Well? Forgotten why our fortunes keep worsening? Forgotten how you lost your official cap?"

"Of course I haven't forgotten! I was about to become a commander of a thousand!" The old man slammed the table, sending bowls and chopsticks flying, silencing the elders...

"You’re right. It was indeed the god of marriage who made the match. The two kids, who knows what got into their heads, insist on marrying each other, and I have no say in it!" He spread his hands helplessly.

"How can you say you have no say? Marriage is the parents’ decision!" His fourth brother, Su Dayou, huffed and glared. "Grit your teeth—what choice does he have?"

"If I grit my teeth, those two will throw themselves into the Chishui River." The old man’s face darkened. "Have you heard the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai?"

He even sang a bit in a falsetto: "Dreaming of butterflies by the pillow, tears of blood among the flowers, life and death intertwined, vanishing together with fate..."

"Sixth Brother, don’t start singing—we don’t deserve such misery..." Su Daji smiled bitterly. "And that’s not 'Liang Zhu,' it’s 'The Tale of Jiaohong,' isn’t it?"

"You see, another tragic example!" The old man, though caught mixing up names, became even more justified.

"If the family insists on breaking up lovers, the result is always a pair of children turning into fluttering moths."

"They turned into butterflies," Su Daji retorted, speechless.

"It’s all the same," the old man waved dismissively, resolute. "I raised my son to care for me in old age, not to turn him into a fluttering moth. So I must keep him alive."

He paused, then continued, "I’ve beaten him, scolded him, even broke his legs. But that stubborn fool insists on hanging himself from one tree, and I have no other way. All I can do now is beg you all to let him bring that tree home."

A sigh swept through the elders, all eyes turning to Su Daxiang.

The Su family patriarch chewed his betel leaf roll in silence. The situation was damaging; had it been any other family, he would have rejected it outright. But not Su Dacheng.

Back then, Su Dacheng was an official in Lincheng and could have avoided the conflict. He felt their side lacked strength, so he called the Su father and son back, leading to Dacheng’s imprisonment, dismissal, and melancholy. He still felt indebted to him for those events...

~

Seeing the patriarch’s silence, the old man understood his stance. He slapped the table and pressed his advantage: "For Third Brother’s wedding this time, you don’t need to contribute a single coin—just come for the meal, and if you don’t, I won’t hold it against you!"

"Well..." Those who had strongly opposed now wavered.

Mountain folk have little money; weddings and funerals rely on contributions from the clan, and every coin is a burden. Saving a sum means a more comfortable New Year.

Many suddenly felt this arrangement was fine, saying, "It’s not about the money."

The patriarch, hearing this, knew they all wanted to save money. He finally said, "Sigh, at this point, what else can we do? We can't really force the children onto a dead end, can we?"

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"Thank you, Big Brother!" The old man finally relaxed, hurriedly grabbed a jar, poured a bowl of strong liquor, and raised it to the clan, saying, "Thank you, brothers and nephews, for your understanding! Su Dacheng apologizes to you all!"

He tilted his head back, intending to swallow a whole pound of spirits in one go... The sorghum liquor from Erlangtan was no different from the strongest spirits of later times.

"Old man, stop drinking, you can’t handle it..." The little uncle, who had been hiding like a quail in the inner room, finally couldn’t bear it and rushed out, crying.

But the old man pushed him away, harshly saying, "Remember this, boy—in the Wumeng Mountains, only by sticking together can we survive! Never harm your own, and if you do, you must pay for it!"

"If I were ten years younger, I’d have paid for this with three blades and six holes. You all let me solve it with a bowl of liquor only because of my old bones and past contributions." He finished, gritting his teeth, draining the bowl dry.

Then he tossed the bowl aside and nearly collapsed...

"Grandpa." Su Tai and Su Lu hurriedly caught him through tears.

"Be smart, boys," Su Daxiang and the others sighed. Su Dacheng had handled things perfectly; the clansmen could only forgive him...

~

The old man used every strategy, played on emotions, waived the contributions, and nearly drank himself to death—he barely managed to appease the clan.

As for how much suffering Cheng Family’s master endured, nobody knew, but a letter soon arrived saying he had resolved things too.

Neither side could afford delays. To avoid complications, they completed all the formalities—proposal, matching birth charts, engagement, betrothal ceremony, choosing the date—in just half a month, setting the wedding for the twentieth day of the eleventh lunar month.

And only a month had passed since the old man and Cheng Pixian’s secret meeting...

Such swift action stunned those unaware in both clans. Even the patriarch Su Daxiang said, "Since it’s come to this, is there really a need to rush? Can we even go back on it?"

The old man thought, if we don’t hurry, we won’t be able to keep it hidden, but outwardly he maintained dignity: "I feel guilty for the clan—dragging it out only makes everyone angrier. Better to cut quick and clean, settle it all at once, so people’s tempers don’t flare."

"Sigh, it’s not so grave... Sixth Brother, you’re too proud." The patriarch was full of sympathy. His lifelong proud sixth brother, yet such a troublesome son.

"It’s not about pride—it’s that stubborn boy broke the rules!" The old man, even more concerned with his reputation, insisted, "I’ve decided—after the wedding, I’ll kick the couple out so they don’t embarrass us."

"No need for that, really. Once married, just live well—there’s no need to leave Erlangtan," the clansmen attending the help-wedding were touched, thinking Sixth Uncle was too considerate.

"Exactly—leaving home is hard." They all tried to persuade the old man.

"No need to persuade me—it’s not just for you. Those two have been spoiled; they need to go out, suffer a bit, and learn how big the world is, how beautiful the mountains and rivers!" the old man said firmly.

After his performance, his image in the clan became even more imposing than before this incident...

Many clansmen had planned to make things hard for the groom’s family the next day and cause trouble in the bridal chamber, but seeing the young couple being driven out after marriage seemed pitiful enough—no need to add salt to their wounds...

Thus, at the wedding the next day, the Su family side was harmonious throughout, not a hint of tension.

The bride’s brothers who came to escort her were amazed, utterly admiring the old man’s ability to control the crowd... Their own father was being cursed by his clan, with dead chickens thrown into his courtyard last night.

In the dead of winter, the bride wore thick weddin