Chapter 204 - 204 Recognition
204 Recognition
The coachman looked around.
What was the situation?
Were they followed?
Su Mo said coldly, “Don’t make me say it a second time.”
At the other end of the alley, two men in luxurious clothes pushed each other and forced themselves to walk over.
The coachman took a look and was instantly dumbfounded. “Second Young Master? Third Young Master? It’s you?”
The two of them got into the carriage.
Su Qi chuckled. “Brother, when did you discover us?”
Su Mo said, “You exposed yourself before you left the ancestral residence. Do you think you hid very well?”
Su Yu said, “I knew we would be discovered. Why don’t we just take Big Brother’s carriage? The servants’ carriage is suffocating!”
Su Qi chuckled. “Why didn’t you say so just now?”
Su Yu curled her lips and said, “You didn’t give me a chance to say it!”
These two younger brothers were only a year apart and loved to bicker more than the fourth and fifth siblings.
Su Mo said, “Alright, stop arguing.”
The two of them shut up.
Su Yu moved closer to Su Mo and asked, “Brother, is what Father said true? Do we really have to bring Su Cheng back?”
Su Mo frowned. “The two of you were eavesdropping again!”
Su Yu decisively pushed the blame to Su Qi. “It’s what Second Brother wants to hear!”
Su Qi exploded. “You were the one who pulled me along!”
Su Mo said sternly, “If you argue again, I’ll throw the two of you down!”
Su Mo was respectful and honest in front of Su Yuan, but in front of his younger brothers, he was a strict elder brother.
The two of them stopped arguing and stabbed each other with their eyes.
The reason why Su Mo let his two younger brothers secretly follow him was mainly that he was worried that if he did not oversee them, the two of them would accidentally say something they should not say in front of Qin Yun.
“Are you going back to the prefecture now?” he asked.
The two of them shook their heads.
Su Mo reminded, “You can follow me to the Su family, but you’re not allowed to speak nonsense, especially not to reveal the purpose of our trip. Before everything is investigated, I don’t want to cause unnecessary misunderstandings.”
Su Qi patted his chest. “Brother, don’t worry. I definitely won’t reveal anything!”
Su Yu said, “Me too!”
Su Mo knew his two younger brothers’ personalities the best. They were clearly not young anymore, but they were not as calm as his fourth and fifth brothers.
It was better to leave them under his watch than for them to go out and cause trouble.
When the carriage arrived at the village road near Apricot Flower Village, a peddler carrying a burden blocked their path.
The peddler looked around, put down his burden, and bowed to the carriage. “Eldest Young Master.”
Su Qi lifted the curtain and said in surprise, “It’s Big Brother’s men?”
Ever since Su Yuan mentioned Su Cheng to Su Mo, Su Mo had sent his trusted aide over overnight to investigate the situation of the Su family.
It was difficult to obtain objective information if he asked directly. Therefore, this person disguised himself as a peddler and wandered around Apricot Flower Village and the neighboring villages for three days.
The Su family was famous in the surrounding villages, but they did not have a good reputation. They were the three big bullies who made people tremble in fear.
The big bully, Su Cheng, traveled the world with a butcher knife.
The fat bully, Su Daya, was lazy and promiscuous. First, she took a fancy to her cousin, Scholar Chen, and then “married” He Tongsheng from the neighboring village. However, He Tongsheng escaped on the day of the wedding, and the Su family somehow found a husband.
The villagers called him Wei Xiaolang. It was said that he was very handsome.
Finally, it was the little bully, Su Ergou. He was also a hooligan and had fought with others since he was young.
The infamy of the three of them was really innumerable.
Su Yu’s expression was indescribable. “No way, Big Brother. What kind of family did Grandpa ask us to bring back?”
Su Mo also frowned.
The information he found was obviously different from what his father had brought back. In his father’s eyes, the Little Su family was a warm-hearted, kind, and helpful country family. Which was the real Little Su family?
Su Mo asked about Su Cheng again.
This time, it was not much different from what his father said—the year the six-year-old Su Cheng fled from the disaster, he followed the refugees and landed near Willow Village. He suffered a lot and almost starved to death, died of illness, and was beaten to death by the refugees. In the end, he lived in Willow Village and became a cowherd.
That was a nice way of putting it. To put it bluntly, he was a beggar.
His jade pendant was picked up by the Su family. The Su family knew that it was his, but they did not return it to him. Instead, they sold it for a large sum of silver and used 10% of it to buy food to help the refugees in the village. From this, they captured the hearts of the entire village.
As the true owner of the jade pendant, Su Cheng had been despised as a bully for many years.
Su Mo was calmer than Su Yuan.
Perhaps he was more hard-hearted and did not have much pity for the common people.
He admitted that Su Cheng had led a miserable life, but before finding out the truth, he could look at Su Cheng’s experience more calmly.
“How tragic!”
Su Qi thumped his chest.
Su Mo couldn’t take it anymore. “You’re not a child anymore!”
Su Qi: “Oh.”
“There’s more… ”
The peddler hesitated.
Su Mo said, “Speak.”
The peddler had a complicated expression. “The Su family has changed a lot since Su Daya’s wedding.”
“Oh?” Su Mo was interested.
The peddler continued, “Fatty Su’s engagement was broken off by He Tongsheng. After that, she seemed to have changed into a different person. Not only was she industrious, but she also stopped extorting money. She didn’t extort herself or let her family extort. She brought her brother to town to do business.”
“Was she selling snacks?” Su Qi asked.
“Yes, Second Young Master,” the peddler said.
“Who taught her?” Su Yu asked.
The peddler said, “Reporting to Third Young Master, I didn’t find out either. It’s as if Eldest Miss Su has gained many skills out of thin air. She was even taken in as a disciple by Doctor Fu. I dare to guess that her skills were taught by Doctor Fu and Old Madam Fu.”
From the complete timeline, Su Xiaoxiao did business first before getting to know Physician Fu. However, when some logic did not make sense, people would often organize and process a set of memories according to their understanding.
The peddler continued, “There’s another saying. Her little husband is quite capable. There were some who suggested that her abilities were taught by her husband.”
Su Qi asked, “Is her husband really very handsome? Is he even more handsome than me?”
The peddler said awkwardly, “Uh… I didn’t see him.”
After that, the peddler reported the Chen family’s matter.
Su Yu said indignantly, “The Chen family is really shameless! What’s that Scholar Chen’s name? Such a refined scum had better not enter the capital to take the exam. Otherwise, I’ll kill him!”
If not for the Su family, he would not have acknowledged them in his heart. However, as a good man, he looked down on the Chen family!
Su Mo spent a lot of effort resisting the urge to throw his two noisy brothers out of the carriage.
Su Mo understood most of it and gestured for the peddler to leave. Next, he wanted to personally meet the Su family.
The carriage drove into Apricot Flower Village and headed straight for the Su family.
The villagers were no longer surprised that the Su family had a visit from someone. However, when three handsome men got out of the carriage, it immediately caused a commotion in the village.
Su Mo looked at his two younger brothers solemnly. “I’m warning you for the last time. Don’t cause trouble for me. Don’t speak and shut your mouths!”
The two of them made a gesture to close their mouths.
Don’t worry, Big Brother!
They would keep their mouths shut!
The door was open.
The men did business and went to the fields. Su Yu’niang brought her daughter and the three little ones to the Li family.
Su Xiaoxiao was drawing the renovation design of the shop in the central room.
“Excuse me…”
Su Mo was about to ask if Madam Su was around.
There she was.
Su Xiaoxiao had never met them in the prefecture capital, but the little fat girl’s characteristics were too obvious, so it was difficult not to recognize her.
“You are…” Su Xiaoxiao looked at Su Mo and the other two strangely.
Su Mo said, “I’m Su Yuan’s son. My father passed by here a few days ago and suddenly fell ill. It’s all thanks to Su…”
The little fat girl was lively. Her big eyes were calm and clear. There was a hint of childishness between her eyebrows. For some reason, he could not call her Madam Su.
Su Xiaoxiao blinked. “Oh, Old Master Su’s family. Are you all his sons?”
Su Mo said politely, “Yes, my name is Su Mo. They’re my second brother and third brother.”
Su Qi and Su Yu crossed their arms and each had a cold expression.
Su Xiaoxiao nodded. “Why are you looking for me?”
“We…” Su Mo paused.
Her father was right. This girl was indeed different. She looked childish, but her eyes were calm, making one feel that she was not easy to deceive.
Su Qi said, “We’re not here to gather information!”
Su Yu said, “That’s right! I’m not here to bring you back to the capital! Even if you have our Marquis Zhenbei’s jade pendant in your hands, it doesn’t mean anything! My grandfather just wants to bring you back to investigate! If you’re fake, we won’t acknowledge you!”
Su Xiaoxiao was speechless.
Su Mo was even more dumbfounded.