chsdbacks Chapter 8 Family Letters
Chapter 8 Family Letters
Su Changming, holding the letter in his hand, walked back, leaning against the wall, and this time lay down directly on the bed.
The "Ling" brand juicer was far too powerful. Given his current level of weakness, he estimated that he would need to stay in bed for at least a day before he could walk normally again.
No wonder that guy had that malicious smile on his face earlier.
Su Changming did not open the envelope immediately.
He held the letter up to his eyes and, by the light, gently stroked the slightly rough surface of the envelope with his fingertips.
If it were a family letter written by his grandfather, it would never use the ordinary envelopes found in post offices, but rather a special envelope custom-made by the Su family.
It is said that the emperor of the previous dynasty once bestowed a batch of extremely special leather upon the ancestors of the Su family.
This batch of leather is impervious to water and fire, and remains as supple as new even after a century. It has been made into various family heirlooms, and a small portion of it has been made into these envelopes specifically for internal family communication.
After confirming that there was no problem with the cover, Su Changming's gaze fell on the seal.
On the dark red sealing wax mark was a character "苏" that resembled an ancient seal script.
This seal was personally written by the grandfather of the Su family patriarch, a great Confucian scholar from a previous dynasty, and then engraved by a famous artist, making it unique.
Su Changming had seen this mark since he was a child, so he naturally wouldn't mistake it.
At this point, he could be fairly certain that the letter was indeed left by his grandfather, who lived far away in the old capital.
In other words, he really does have such a cheap future father-in-law?
Su Changming immediately recalled Ling's aloof attitude towards him earlier. If it really happened in the future... the scene was too beautiful to bear.
No, no!
That's impossible, Su Changming quickly banished this absurd idea from his mind.
Carefully peel off the sealing wax and pull out the thin sheet of letter paper.
Familiar handwriting came into view, the strokes vigorous and powerful, penetrating deeply, it was indeed the handwriting of his grandfather, Su Wenyuan.
Letter to my grandson Su Changming
Changming Wusun Qinglan:
I haven't received a letter from you in a long time, and I miss you dearly. I hear that you are studying diligently at school, and your teacher has repeatedly praised you, which makes your grandfather very happy...
The letter began with the old man's usual warm greetings, and his deep concern was evident in every word.
Then, the old man began to chat about everyday things.
The main topic of conversation focused on the little girl, Su Yan Yan.
Her second brother Su Changming's daughter just turned three this year. Although she is a girl, she is a complete little foodie.
The letter stated that the old man would always stare at the medicinal paste he brewed for health preservation for a long time, insisting on getting a taste.
As a result, every time he finished eating, he was so bitter that he stuck out his tongue and searched the whole yard for water.
But next time, they'll still eagerly come over, wanting to have another bite.
As Su Changming read the description in the letter, he couldn't help but chubby little face appear in his mind.
After chatting about everyday things, the old man brought up Su Changming's job again.
Before returning to China, Su Changming had sent a letter home across borders, informing his family that he had been hired as a professor at Nanyang Public School and would soon be returning to China to take up his post.
As a transmigrator who was born into the world, Su Changming has shown himself to be an almost monstrous genius since childhood.
While his peers were still learning to speak, he could already recite Tang and Song poems in their entirety.
After that, he skipped grades repeatedly during his schooling.
He graduated from a top school in the country at the age of fifteen, followed by three years of studying abroad.
Today, he is quite well-known in academic circles.
Many schools wanted to hire him.
After weighing all the options, he finally chose Nanyang Public School, which has a more advanced teaching philosophy and offers the highest salaries.
Upon learning that his beloved grandson would be working in Shenghai, the old man, deeply attached to his grandson, immediately arranged for someone to purchase a small villa there.
The letter ended with a detailed address of the small villa, located on the edge of the French Concession, less than two miles from Nanyang Public School.
It's not located on the main street, so it won't be too noisy, and it's also very convenient for commuting to work.
Clearly, the old man had considered all aspects.
"The key is also enclosed with this letter. Seeing this letter is like seeing you in person."
Su Changming quickly turned the envelope upside down, and sure enough, a string of silver-white metal keys slid out from inside.
He held the key in his hand, feeling the cold metallic touch, and was momentarily at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.
It turns out that the old man went through all this trouble, even using Yao Xian's connections, just to give himself a house!
Su Changming could only sigh in his heart, "No matter what era you're in, it's really good to be rich!"
But he also truly felt the deep love the old man had for him.
He put the keys away and took a deep breath.
No matter what, I can't let the old man down.
……
There are seven days left before I take up my post at Nanyang Public School.
Su Changming lay in the hotel for a whole day, ordering all three meals to be delivered to his room by the front desk.
This incident naturally drew a lot of teasing from Zhao Ziming and Chen Boran, who came to visit him, with their words implying that "young people should exercise restraint."
Su Changming had no way to explain his predicament and could only say that he had caught a cold.
Perhaps worried that coming out would further drain Su Changming's energy, Ling also unusually stayed put, remaining in that hazy consciousness space without showing herself.
When Su Changming occasionally tried to chat with her, she still maintained that aloof and indifferent attitude.
It wasn't until the next morning that he finally felt that he had recovered to about 70-80%.
He checked out of the hotel with his simple suitcase and hailed a rickshaw at the address written in the letter home.
Soon, the car stopped in front of a detached two-story villa.
Su Changming's first impression was that it was big.
This villa occupies an area of four or five hundred square meters and comes with a separate courtyard. In Shenghai, where land is extremely valuable, it can be described as a luxury residence.
Even if you were toiled like a cow or a horse your whole life, you couldn't earn a toilet like this.
Now, the entire building belongs to him alone.
All I can say is that being born into the right family is a skill.
Su Changming took out his key and opened the black iron gate.
The first thing that catches the eye is the old locust tree in the center of the yard, its neck a little crooked. A few withered yellow leaves still hang on its gnarled branches, rustling in the cold winter wind.
The beige wall paint is somewhat mottled, yet it exudes an elegant and sophisticated charm.
The windows on the first floor are fitted with white-painted blinds, while the second floor has a small terrace with wrought iron railings that are polished to a shine.
Su Changming slowly paced around the courtyard. As he walked, he suddenly felt a slight warmth rising from the golden mark on his chest.
Immediately afterwards, a pretty figure appeared in front of me.
"How about it? This will be our palace from now on," Su Changming said proudly.
Ling ignored his banter, but instead raised her head, her eyes deep, staring intently at the old locust tree.
"What's wrong?" Su Changming followed her gaze but didn't see anything.
"Playing tricks!"
The girl let out a cold snort, and the ancient longsword instantly appeared in her hand.
The next second, she flicked her wrist, and a sword aura, barely perceptible to the naked eye, shot out toward the top of the old locust tree!
"squeak--!!!"
A piercing and ear-piercing scream suddenly rang out.
A spray of dark red blood splattered in mid-air, and a creature covered in black fur and no bigger than a palm was cleaved in two by the sharp sword energy and fell from the tree.
"What is this?" Su Changming frowned and stepped forward.
Looking at the severed limbs of that creature, it looked like... a bat?
But that's not entirely true. This thing's claws and teeth look exceptionally long, and its body is covered in black hair. Even when it's split in two, its scarlet eyes still gleam with a cold, venomous light.
"Just a rat that can't stand the light of day."
Bell's tone was disdainful, and she seemed to have a strong aversion to such things.
"Is this one of the methods you mentioned?" Su Changming immediately became alert.
I remember that day, Ling only briefly introduced a few mainstream methods, and dismissed the rest as "heretical".
This must be one of them.
The girl offered no further explanation, simply sheathing her sword and coldly uttering two words:
"Nightborne".