RGL – Chapter 100

“Changrong, Cancang is getting wilder now that he’s in town. I’ve been thinking, the environment there is too poor. You live in the city, don’t you? I think it’d be better if you brought him to the city for school. I heard from Changgui that Minzi even got into the top city school. If Cancang goes, maybe he could get in too. He’s our family’s only heir, after all. What do you think?”

“Nothing to think about. He has a father and a mother. As his uncle, it’s not my place to take charge,” Su Changrong flatly refused.

Grandma Su immediately glared at him. “I knew it. You’ve got no sense of family. We’re all one family, but your brother’s circumstances aren’t as good as yours. Why can’t you look after Cancang a little more? He’s our only male descendant, after all. Don’t you know? I only found out later that Shao Yun can’t have children anymore. From now on, Changgui will only have that one daughter, Wenwen, and she’s not even being raised by their side. They’ve got no future. You and Qiufang can’t have kids anymore either. So isn’t our family’s future going to rely on Cancang?”

“Mom, if you’re going to talk like this, then there’s no point in continuing this conversation. I’m leaving.” Su Changrong stood up and walked out. Rely on Cancang? What, his own daughter didn’t count? His daughter might be a girl, but she was far more capable than Cancang. And besides, girls don’t go around hitting people.

Grandma Su was lying in bed and couldn’t move, so she couldn’t stop him.

They thought the matter was settled, but during dinner, Changfu brought up the topic of the house again.

“You and your wife have moved to the city anyway. The house is empty, and no one’s managing the shop. We’re moving to the city too—it’d be just right for us to help you run the shop. Last time I went to your store, it was your wife’s sister-in-law looking after it. Outsiders can’t be trusted like family can.”

Hearing this, Su Changrong’s face immediately darkened. “Who’s an outsider? My wife’s family are our family too. They’re doing a good job managing it. No need to replace them.”

If he really handed over the house and shop, he knew he’d never get them back.

Grandma Su, listening from her room, got so angry that she threw her bowl and chopsticks and started cursing toward the main hall.

During the New Year, Su Changrong was scolded for nothing and left on the spot.

After hearing what Su Changrong said, Sun Qiufang laughed, “When you go back next year, there’ll probably be something new again. Your mom has it all figured out—Cancang’s already turned out like this, and she wants us to raise him? If we did, they’d think it’s only natural for him to inherit everything from us. And Changfu, he’s got some nerve. Just because the house is empty, it should be his? I think he’s been influenced by Mom too—just because he has a son, he thinks he’s something special.”

Su Changrong said, “Probably because he knows Shao Yun and Changgui can’t have more kids, so Cancang is the only boy left. From the way Changfu talks, it sounds like he’s still thinking about having another one.”

“Another one? He can’t even take care of the one he has, and he wants another?” Sun Qiufang sneered. “Parents like that don’t raise good kids, no matter how many they have.”

“And they keep crying about how hard things are at home, yet still want more kids. How does that make sense? Cancang is already that age. If he doesn’t go to high school, he might get married early. Then it’ll be another round of expenses—for the wedding, for raising kids.”

Su Changrong was irritated too. He came from that household, so he couldn’t completely cut ties with them. But it really got on his nerves how the family kept thinking everything should go to the second brother’s side.

He and his wife had worked so hard to build up what they had. Why should everything go to the second brother just because he had a son? If Cancang were a promising, well-behaved kid, he wouldn’t mind helping as an uncle. But this kid had even hit his own grandma and led others to steal from their house—he didn’t have the patience to discipline someone else’s kid.

To Su Changrong, this whole mess was something he could brush off, but things back home weren’t over.

After her eldest grandson hurt her, Grandma Su had been heartbroken for a while. But in the end, she told herself: he’s her only grandson—how could she cut ties with him? So before long, she chose to forgive him. But she also knew that the way things were going, this child would only get worse. He might fall in with the wrong crowd. Thinking that the city had better influences and education—and remembering how Minzi, that useless girl back in the village, had changed completely after moving to the city—she figured Cancang might also thrive there. And after finishing school, he could even work in his uncle’s shop. Once Changrong got old, Cancang would help run things.

It was a nice thought, but her son had gotten tougher now. He walked out on her outright, which made Grandma Su furious.

That night after dinner, she brought it up with Grandpa Su. “Old man, our eldest still listens to you. You go talk to him.”

Grandpa Su puffed on a few hand-rolled cigarettes and frowned at her words. “Old woman, I think you should stop meddling. Let the kids handle their own affairs.”

“That won’t do. If I don’t, what’ll happen to Cancang? Changfu used to be promising, but now he’s not. Only Changrong can help now. Why can’t he support his brother and nephew? I heard both of the Sun family’s sons are living in the city now. Think about it—how did they get in? Isn’t it because of our Changrong? I said before that Sun Qiufang wasn’t any good. She only cares about her own family and doesn’t care about the Su family. I was right, wasn’t I?”

Grandpa Su knew about this too. Everyone in the surrounding villages knew that the Sun family had moved to the city. Even their widowed in-law was now living well there. She had two sons and a daughter, all doing well, and she was enjoying life. Meanwhile, he and his wife had raised three sons and a daughter, and they were still worrying about family affairs.

He was a little bitter too. He felt that his eldest son was being biased, always siding with outsiders. But there was nothing he could do—when push came to shove, they still had to rely on the eldest.

“You should stop meddling in this. Cancang has Changfu and Yulan to raise him. We’re getting old and can’t help much anymore. We should focus on our retirement.”

“You want to retire, go ahead. I don’t,” Grandma Su said with a scowl. Her wrinkled face scrunched up even more. “When I got sick this time, it was Yulan who took care of me. If I’m not doing it for their family, who else am I doing it for?”

“Didn’t Changrong give you money?”

“He has money, so it’s only right for him to give some. Sun Qiufang has never even brought me a single meal.”

“You old woman, why are you so unreasonable?” Grandpa Su sighed. “Anyway, just don’t interfere anymore. If you end up in the hospital again and need money, and Changrong gets angry and refuses to help, you’ll be the one lying there crying.”

“Even if I have to give up these old bones, I still have to think about my eldest grandson. I’ll find another chance to talk to Changrong.”

Grandpa Su turned over in bed. “I’m not going anyway.” Things were made clear last time. If something happens again, Changrong’s family won’t spend another cent. The other two families are unreliable too. If they pushed Changrong too hard and he really blew up, no one would benefit.

They couldn’t count on Changgui anymore. As for Changfu, he was supporting Cancan, and now there wasn’t much business at home—who knew how things would turn out in the future.

He couldn’t afford to act foolishly again.

Upstairs, Su Changgui and Shao Yun also weren’t asleep. The two lay back-to-back. Shao Yun was patting the child to sleep. Then she turned toward Su Changgui outside and said, “What was Mom trying to do today? Just speaking up for Changfu and not saying a word for us. Aren’t you her son too? In her eyes, it’s like only Changfu matters. If she could’ve helped us talk to big brother, maybe we wouldn’t have to pay so much back.”

Hearing her bring up the debt again, Su Changgui got irritated. “Can you not bring this up? Do you want everyone to know we borrowed money to buy a house?”

“I’m just discussing it with you. If we don’t manage our household carefully, what will we do in the future?”

Shao Yun pursed her lips, clearly unhappy. She wasn’t just thinking of herself—she also had to think about her son. Right now, she couldn’t save any money because of the debt. What would happen when Haohao grew up?

Su Changgui hated hearing things like “managing household carefully.”

Anyway, they had jobs now and money to spend—what was the point of constantly worrying about saving? Back when he was living with Gao Hong, the household ate well and dressed well, and they never lacked money. How had things become so tight with Shao Yun?

He used to think she was good at managing a household, but now she didn’t even compare to Gao Hong.

It was New Year’s Eve and the lights were still on. He stared at Shao Yun’s face and noticed the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, which made him uncomfortable. Gao Hong knew how to dress and present herself—her temper was just bad. Compared to her, Shao Yun really came up short.

None of the family’s internal thoughts were known to Sun Qiufang or Su Changrong.

After staying in the city until the third day of the new year, the couple returned to the county with their two kids.

After all, their house here was the one they bought themselves. To them, this place felt like their real home. The city, despite everything, still felt like it lacked a sense of belonging.

As soon as they got home, Li Meng and Grandma Sun came over to help clean the place up.

When Sun Qiufang and her family left, they had given a set of keys to Sun Hai’s family. So whenever Li Meng and Grandma Sun had time, they would help clean up. This time, cleaning wasn’t much trouble—they just wiped down the tables and windows.

Su Min, thinking about restocking her inventory, went to the factory in the afternoon to find Ye Yongfu.

The clothing factory hadn’t taken a break, as they were rushing to complete the spring collection.

When Su Min arrived, Ye Yongfu was walking around the workshop. When he saw her, he quickly led her to the office.

“It’s good you came. I was just wondering why you haven’t picked up stock for so long. Was the last batch not selling well? Why else would you not come?”

Speaking of this, Su Min felt a bit upset.

“My store got vandalized several times, which affected business. I only managed to clear out inventory at the end of the year. I’m here now to get a new batch of spring styles.”

“Your store got vandalized?” Ye Yongfu looked shocked. “Do you know who did it?”

Su Min shook her head. “I reported it to the police, but they couldn’t find anyone. They said it was probably outsiders. But I don’t think I offended anyone, and while my business was okay, it wasn’t good enough to cause envy. I just can’t figure out who would’ve done it.”

Ye Yongfu frowned in thought. “Could it have been him?”

Su Min looked puzzled. “Who?”

“Li Hua. After he left my place, he partnered with someone and opened his own clothing factory. I heard he found investors and even opened a new factory in the city. The style you redesigned for us sold like hotcakes—it practically became a national trend. His new releases didn’t sell well, and I think he lost a lot of money. It’s possible he did it.”

“That can’t be.” Su Min was suspicious but still doubted it. Just over that? To retaliate by vandalizing her store? And even her dad’s shop was threatened too. Li Hua had no reason to go that far.

Ye Yongfu sighed. “Life in the city is tough. You guys were doing fine in the county. If you opened your store here, business would definitely be better than in the city.”

Su Min shook her head. “That’s not my goal. I’m still in high school, and I’ll be going to college in a couple of years. I can’t just settle in the county.”

Hearing this, Ye Yongfu didn’t say anything more. He just replied, “If you run into trouble, just let me know. No matter what, I’ll help you out. And as for Li Hua, I’ll keep an eye on him. If anything happens, I’ll call you.”

Su Min smiled. “Thank you, Director Ye.”

“No need to be so polite. You’ve contributed a lot to the factory. Thanks to the styles you helped redesign, our factory—San Ye—has become famous nationwide. People everywhere know our name now, and that’s all thanks to you. I really hope we can keep working together in the future.”

Su Min smiled. “There’ll be a chance.” But right now, she truly did want to investigate who had vandalized her store.

After selecting a few clothing styles and picking up some samples, Su Min planned to go home and sketch out modifications.

“Didn’t expect to see you here too. Had we known, we would’ve come back earlier.”

Just as Su Min reached her front door, she heard Sun Qiufang’s cheerful voice from inside.

She felt puzzled. Who was here that made her mom speak so politely?

Curious, Su Min opened the door and entered. Just as she stepped in, she heard Sun Qiufang say with a smile, “Minzi, you’re back.”

She looked up—and was immediately surprised.

It was none other than Grandma Xue and Xue Mian who had come over.

Su Min glanced at Xue Mian, who also looked her way, his face beaming and eyes sparkling.

“Hello, Grandma Xue,” she quickly greeted with a smile before changing her shoes and entering the house.

Grandma Xue beamed. “Hello, what a well-mannered girl.” Then she said to Sun Qiufang, “You really know how to raise children. She’s such a good girl. Unlike our Mianmian, he’s so stubborn.”

Hearing that she was being modest, Sun Qiufang laughed. “Our Minzi seems obedient most of the time, but when she gets stubborn, not even ten oxen can drag her back. Kids these days are all like this—we all spoil them, don’t we?”

“Girls should be pampered.” Grandma Xue chuckled.

Xue Mian glanced at Su Min sitting beside him, clearly wanting to talk but feeling shy with the adults around.

Then Sun Qiufang said, “Minzi, why don’t you take Xue Mian out for a walk downstairs? I’ll keep the old lady company for a bit.”

Xue Mian was more than happy to. He stood up right away, greeted both his grandma and Sun Qiufang, and smiled at Su Min. “Let’s go. I haven’t been to the county in a while. Let’s take a walk.”

Su Min nodded, greeted them as well, and then led Xue Mian downstairs.

Once outside, Xue Mian tugged on her sleeve and looked at the scarf around her neck. “Do you really like this scarf?”

“It’s pretty nice. Very warm.” Su Min smiled, touched the scarf, then subtly pulled her sleeve away from Xue Mian’s hand. Pointing ahead, she said, “There’s a park over there now. Let’s go check it out.”

“Okay.” Xue Mian nodded with a smile, feeling very cheerful.

Though the weather was cold, the county was bustling, and the park was crowded. They found an empty spot and sat down.

Feeling a little nervous, Xue Mian went to a nearby vendor and bought a few skewers, handed some to Su Min, and then sat down. He didn’t eat, just watched her eat, and after thinking a bit, asked, “How’s your studying going? Do you have any schools in mind for college?”