This chapter is telling the birth place of SU TONGPO and his family. In 1936, a baby boy named SU TONGPO was born as the eldest son of his family in Meishan Sichuan. Concerning his familiy, his interesting and gererous grandfather and his talent brother attractied me a lot. So it is easy to imagine he has been influnced invisibly by them more or less.

words

1.It was a fairly well-to-do family, owning lands and perhaps richer than the average fmiddle-class family.       

fairly: 副词，相当的，公平的，简直；more than a little, but much less than very.

Her English is fairly well.

well-to-do: 富裕的

When you already well-to-do enough, it is easy for sb to start thinking something not relate to money.

2. Su Tungpo's father, Su Shun, was a reticent man, and as far as his political ambitions werre concerned......

reticent:沉默的，有保留的，谨慎的

I'm not a reticent person.