Chapter 22: The One I Picked

Not only did Su Erhu not care, but none of the Su family members seemed to mind either.

"Brother Two, let me bite it!" Su Liuhu immediately volunteered, eyes sparkling with excitement, practically bouncing on his toes.

He’d bitten silver before—but never gold.

"Go away, go away! What are you thinking?" Old Man Su hurriedly waved him off.
But his heart was pounding like a drum.

A chunk this big of gold—how many eggs could you buy with that?

Wait—where the heck did this gold even come from?

"Daughter," Old Man Su turned quickly to Xiao Tangbao, "tell Daddy where you found this?"

Xiao Tangbao blinked her wide, innocent eyes, her voice soft and sweet as honey: "I picked it up."

Listen to that—clear as a bell. So crisp. So confident.

Back when she was learning to talk, he’d made sure she didn’t slur her words like other little babies. He’d rather she stay silent than speak with a lisp.
Sure, a baby’s mumbled speech is cute—but he preferred clarity. Clean speech. Sharp words.

Old Man Su leaned in. "Where exactly did you find it?"

Suddenly surrounded by a sea of eager stares, Xiao Tangbao felt the weight of the world on her tiny shoulders.

It was like if she said one word—*any* word—the whole family would charge out the door like a stampede.

"No... no..." She shook her head fiercely, trying to play dumb. Her tongue stumbled over syllables, her voice suddenly thick and unsure.

She couldn’t say anything. Not yet.

She blinked rapidly, her little face crumpling into a pout, eyes glistening like dewdrops.

It was like asking her was an act of cruelty.

"Come on now," Grandma Su scolded her husband gently, stepping in to save the day. "The girl’s barely three—how could she remember where she picked it up?"

She scooped Xiao Tangbao into her arms and settled her onto her lap, shielding her from the pressure.

Old Man Su realized he’d been too pushy. "It’s okay, sweetheart," he soothed. "You don’t have to remember. Daddy won’t ask anymore."

After all, the kid had never left the village, never wandered far from home. It had to be nearby.

The others nodded. Too young to know much, they figured. Probably wouldn’t make sense even if asked.

But Qian Yuemei just opened her mouth—then snapped it shut.

Her eyes drifted to Xiao Tangbao’s little cloth pouch.

Could there be more inside?

Or… something else?

For the first time, even Qian Yuemei had to admit—this little sister-in-law was *weirdly* lucky.

Just pull a rock out of the dirt, and it might be gold.

"Dad," Su Erhu whispered, voice trembling with suppressed excitement, "should we take it to town and check? See if it’s really gold?"

He spoke so quietly, as if afraid someone outside might overhear.

Everyone turned to Old Man Su, holding their breath.

Then—suddenly—a loud voice boomed from outside:

"Su Auntie! You home?"

Su Dahu jumped like a startled rabbit. His hand knocked against the chopsticks. The chopsticks clattered into the rice bowl.

*Clatter-clink!*

Su Erhu dropped everything, clutching the yellow lump like a live grenade, spinning in panic.

"Mama! Where do we hide it?!"

Nowhere felt safe. This was *gold*. Even if it wasn’t 100% confirmed.

Grandma Su calmly took the lump, tucked it deep into her chest, and said, voice steady: "Old Lady Zhao, go see who’s at the door."

"Y-yes… okay…" Zhao Chunhua stammered, legs shaking as she shuffled toward the door.

Turns out, it was just a neighbor woman—another young wife—borrowing a hoe.

Once she returned, the whole house exhaled in relief.

In the end, they decided: after breakfast, Old Man Su would take the lump to town for verification.

Xiao Tangbao stared at her father with wide, hopeful eyes. She patted her tiny chest, her voice high and sweet: "Daddy, I wanna go too!"

She’d never been to town before. And she *really* wanted to see what it looked like.