RGL – Chapter 137

When she heard that her daughter wanted to go find Su Changgui, Gao Hong was furious. Back then, she had a huge falling out with Su Changgui because of this very daughter. And now, her daughter didn’t want her anymore, and instead wanted to go back to Su Changgui. Suddenly, all the things she had done before felt utterly worthless. In the end, it turned out that the father and daughter were a real family, and she had become the outsider.

“Fine, go if you want. Just don’t regret it later.”

From under the blanket, Su Wenwen shouted, “I won’t regret it! From now on, I don’t even have a mom like you!”

Gao Hong’s face turned green with anger. She grabbed her purse from the chair and stormed out of the hospital room.

Grandma Gao saw this and looked anxious. She turned to look at Su Wenwen lying there all alone and just couldn’t bring herself to leave her. “Aiya, Wenwen, why are you being so unreasonable? You’re a grown woman already.”

To avoid causing more drama at home, Su Min didn’t tell Su Changrong and the others about Su Wenwen’s situation.

With her father’s temper, no matter how angry he was with Su Wenwen, if he found out about this, he would definitely tell her third uncle. And if the third uncle got involved, even if he didn’t come looking for trouble, it would still drag everyone in and cause a scene. So it was better not to say anything. After all, Gao Hong was Su Wenwen’s biological mother—she should be responsible for her daughter’s future.

This really wasn’t something Su Min should be meddling in.

Su Min thought the whole thing had blown over, but the next day, Shao Yun came knocking.

“Big Brother, Sister-in-law, I really don’t know what to do anymore. That Gao Hong, she actually brought the girl back. You know, Changgui and I have only had a few years of peace, and now she dumps this troublemaker back on us. I still have to take care of Junjun. How am I supposed to manage everything?”

Shao Yun was a clever person. Even though she’d had plenty of unpleasant encounters with Su Changrong’s family before, when something came up, she could act like nothing had ever happened.

At first, when Gao Hong brought the child to Su Changgui’s place, Shao Yun had planned to return to her hometown to ask the old lady for help. But unexpectedly, the old lady agreed with Gao Hong—and even scolded her.

She said that since Shao Yun couldn’t give birth, she had no right to dislike her granddaughter.

Things didn’t go as planned, and they ended up having an argument. But seeing Su Wenwen living in her house made Shao Yun uncomfortable. After thinking it over, she decided to come ask Su Changrong for help.

After all, Su Changrong still held some weight in the Su family. Even if he had fallen out with the rest of the family, what he said still carried more weight than what she could say.

“Please try to understand my difficulties. I already have to take care of the child and Changgui. Where do I find the time to look after Wenwen too? Besides, it was agreed from the beginning that Wenwen would stay with Gao Hong. Now sending her back—what does that mean? I think something must have happened, or else Gao Hong would never have sent the child back.”

When Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang heard that Gao Hong had sent the child back, they were initially surprised. But when they remembered that Wang Mingsong was in jail, things made more sense. With him gone, the Wang family lost their source of income. Adding another person to the household would be a financial burden. Besides, Gao Hong had her own son now—she probably couldn’t handle another kid. Of course, the biggest problem was that Wenwen was just too much trouble. Whoever ended up with her would suffer.

Still, even knowing that Wenwen was a handful, Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang had no intention of helping Shao Yun. After all, Changgui was Wenwen’s biological father. It was only natural for a father to raise his daughter. Whether or not he was willing to do it—that was his own business. As the older brother and sister-in-law, it wasn’t their place to interfere.

So no matter how much Shao Yun talked, the two didn’t say a word.

Once she finally finished, Sun Qiufang said, “Honestly, this is a matter between you and Changgui. Your big brother and I can’t get involved. Whatever you need to do, you should discuss it with Changgui. You two are a couple now—it doesn’t make sense to be handling things separately.”

As soon as Sun Qiufang said this, the warmth on Shao Yun’s face vanished. She frowned and said unhappily, “Aren’t you two supposed to be his big brother and sister-in-law? You know this is bad for Changgui, and you won’t even help persuade him? What if he does something stupid?”

Su Changrong frowned. “What stupid thing? Changgui has only one daughter. If he doesn’t take care of her, who will? If he’s willing to do it, it’s not like our objections would matter. You should talk to him directly. Don’t come to us.”

“I knew it. You people don’t care about anything. So much for being family—you won’t even say a damn word when it counts.” Shao Yun exploded with anger and cursed.

When Sun Qiufang heard her cursing, her expression turned cold. “You’re right, I won’t say a damn word. But if you’re so fond of farting, go do it on the street—don’t stink up my house. Now get going. And don’t forget, you and Changgui still owe us money. It’s been ages—when are you paying it back? Don’t make us come chasing you down like debt collectors.”

Shao Yun had been ready to start a fight with Sun Qiufang, but the moment debt was mentioned, her rage fizzled out. She turned red and didn’t know what to say.

Realizing this couple wasn’t to be trifled with, Shao Yun didn’t dare argue anymore. Without a word of goodbye, she grabbed her things and stormed out—taking the fruit she had bought for them along with her.

Watching her leave like that, Sun Qiufang spat behind her. “Hmph, what kind of person is that? Can’t manage her own husband, and wants others to do it for her.”

Su Changrong said, “With someone like Shao Yun, who knows how long Changgui can live with her. Honestly, why can’t he pick someone better?”

Sun Qiufang scowled. “Pick someone better? He must be blind. Can’t find a good wife, can’t raise his daughter right either. Look at how Wenwen’s turned out—how’s that house supposed to function now? He’s the father, and he raised a daughter like this? And he’s in education too! He better not end up corrupting other people’s kids.”

Su Changgui was having a massive headache too.

Gao Hong had dumped the child on him without a word, and left after saying barely two sentences.

Looking at the even more fashionably dressed Gao Hong, he couldn’t help but feel nostalgic about the past. But Gao Hong didn’t even glance at him. He wasn’t about to offer his warm face for her cold shoulder either. After all, he was no longer the man who did whatever Gao Hong said.

Once he came back to his senses, he realized that Wenwen—already settled into the house—had become a huge problem.

As for whether he had any feelings for this daughter—definitely not. All these years, he had never treated her like his own. In his mind, she belonged to the Gao family. But realistically speaking, this was probably the only child he’d ever have. If he didn’t take care of her, he’d have no descendants at all.

So, Su Changgui didn’t throw her out. He decided to wait and think of a better solution.

When Shao Yun came back from the city, she wasn’t nearly as fired up as when she’d gone.

As soon as she walked in, she said, “Has Wenwen eaten yet? I’ll go cook for her.”

Seeing her like this, Su Changgui was puzzled. “You’re okay with Wenwen staying here now?”

Shao Yun silently entered the kitchen. After a while, she brought out a bowl of noodle soup. She called Su Wenwen several times, and when she saw that Su Wenwen didn’t come out, she simply carried it directly to her room.

Seeing this, Su Changgui couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty. Previously, they had fought over Wenwen staying at their home, and now Shao Yun not only took the initiative to back down, she was even taking such good care of Wenwen.

When Shao Yun came out of Su Wenwen’s room, he took her hand and sat her down on the sofa. “Shao Yun, you’ve had it hard. Wenwen is a child—just manage her however you see fit.”

Shao Yun pulled her hand back and said coldly, “Disciplining Wenwen is Gao Hong’s responsibility, not mine. I don’t have that intention. But since Wenwen is staying at our home, Gao Hong can’t just not contribute anything. I’ve thought it through—our house is still in debt, and there’s not much left. Let Gao Hong help pay off the debt and also provide some monthly living expenses. Then I’ll make sure her daughter is well-fed and cared for.”

Today, when Sun Qiufang mentioned the debt, it reminded her.

They could pay off the debt with her and Su Changgui’s wages, but then there would be no extra money at home. Junjun was growing year by year, and since Su Changgui wasn’t his biological father, she couldn’t count on him in the future. She had to save more money for Junjun. Since Gao Hong wanted Su Wenwen to move in, that was fine—but money must come first.

Shao Yun’s calculation was clear, but Su Changgui’s face darkened when he heard it. “You’ve gone too far. No matter what, Wenwen is my daughter.”

“She’s your daughter, but also Gao Hong’s. Besides, Gao Hong’s husband’s family isn’t short on money. This amount is nothing to her. If you agree, then let’s make it official.”

“No way. This won’t do,” Su Changgui refused firmly. Just thinking about asking Gao Hong for money made him feel humiliated. It hadn’t been easy for him to finally take charge of his own household, and now he’d have to stretch out his hand to Gao Hong? He’d lose all face.

Seeing he didn’t agree, Shao Yun’s expression grew colder. “Then you take care of Wenwen yourself. I’m not serving her. I have nothing to do with her. If Gao Hong hadn’t exposed my situation back then, I wouldn’t have had to quit university and return to marry early. If I had graduated, life would be much better now. And you—if you hadn’t married Gao Hong back then and had married me earlier, would we still need to save money for a house? Who took all the money you earned over the years?”

Su Changgui felt uncomfortable hearing her mention the past.

He remembered all the years he worked like an ox and horse for the Gao family, but never saw a single penny of savings. Now to buy a house, they even had to borrow money from his older brother’s family. Gao Hong took his money and married a rich man. Now she dumped their daughter on him to raise, trying to wash her hands of it all—how could there be such a convenient deal in the world?

Thinking this way, he felt Shao Yun made a lot of sense. “You’re right. I’m not asking her for money—I’m just taking back the wages I earned over all those years.”

Shao Yun heard that and knew he had come around. She quickly said, “Alright, if you’re not comfortable saying it yourself, I’ll go talk to her. One way or another, we’ll get the money. We’re not being greedy—we’re just seeking justice. Why should Gao Hong enjoy life while we work ourselves to death raising her daughter?”

“Exactly,” Su Changgui nodded.

Shao Yun acted fast. Once Su Changgui agreed, she went directly to the Wang family the next day to find Gao Hong.

Mother Wang wasn’t in good health. When she saw Shao Yun at the door, her mood soured immediately and she told Gao Hong to take her outside to talk.

Gao Hong was also worried someone might find out about Su Wenwen, so she quickly led Shao Yun out.

Shao Yun didn’t waste time and went straight to the point.

She said raising the girl was fine—but there had to be money.

“You and Su Changgui are really shameless. Wenwen is his daughter too—why can’t he raise her?”

Gao Hong’s face turned red with anger the moment she realized they were asking for money.

After Wang Mingsong was arrested, although the family still had some money, it was all controlled by the old lady. Gao Hong herself didn’t have much. She originally thought that with Wenwen staying with Su Changgui, she could save some money on her end. She hadn’t expected Shao Yun to come straight out and demand money.

Shao Yun sneered, “Shameless? Say whatever you want. If you don’t give the money, I’ll have Su Wenwen thrown out tomorrow. Don’t call me heartless—think back on how you treated me back then, and now I’ll treat your daughter the same way. Gao Hong, back in college, you pulled plenty of tricks on me. And now you’re talking about face?”

Gao Hong grew nervous at the mention of their university days and couldn’t find a word to say.

Shao Yun looked at her with contempt. “If you won’t pay, I’ll bring Su Wenwen back myself—or I’ll go straight to the old folks in the Wang family and ask them.”

Gao Hong was fuming and full of resentment toward Su Wenwen for being so useless. If it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t have to beg Su Changgui.

She thought about how Wenwen said in the hospital that she didn’t recognize her as a mother anymore. And now she had to bow her head to Shao Yun and give her money just to find a place for Wenwen to stay. It felt like her heart was being cut with a knife.

Through gritted teeth, she said, “Fine, I’ll give you the money. But from now on, you’d better take good care of her. Also, tell Su Changgui—this daughter has nothing to do with me anymore. He’s on his own.”

Shao Yun laughed, “Didn’t expect you to be so heartless. Fine, as long as you give the money, everything’s negotiable.”

“Third Aunt came to pay back the debt?”

That evening, when Su Changrong picked up his daughter after night classes, he mentioned that Shao Yun had come by to repay the money.

“Yeah, paid it all in one go. Probably what your mom said yesterday got to her.”

Su Min said, “No matter what, it’s good she paid the debt.”

Su Changrong replied, “Now I just hope your third uncle’s family can settle down and live a normal life—no more drama. But with Wenwen living there, I think things won’t be easy. Fortunately, we don’t interact much anymore.”

Su Min smiled. “Dad, are we going home for New Year this year?”

“No. We’re staying in the city this year.”

Su Changrong still held a grudge about last year when Su Can raised a hand against him during New Year. He was a senior being hit by a junior—he’d never get over that.

Su Min didn’t reply, just smiled.

She remembered Su Can was supposed to get married right after New Year. This year’s festival was likely when the marriage would be discussed. Her relatives might still call and ask her dad to return.

But since he already said he wasn’t going, he surely wouldn’t go. It was better to stay out of the old family matters in the future.

After Su Can got married, his temper would only get worse. She’d personally seen him beat up his family members until they scattered.

With the heavy academic load in her final year and no new drama at home, Su Min felt that time passed especially fast. The weather turned cold very quickly.

Zhang Qingqing called from her hometown, saying she needed to stay a few more days.

Su Min had heard from Zhang Panpan that their family was building a house now. Zhang’s parents were honest people, and since Zhang Qingqing had at least seen more of the world in the city, she decided to stay and help her family finish things before coming back.

“There’s not much work in the shop recently. You can come later. But before the New Year, I promised to help make some festive clothing for people—so we’ll be busy then.”

Zhang Qingqing quickly replied, “I’ll definitely come before then. Just a few more days—I’ll be there soon. I promise it won’t delay anything.”

“Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing.” Su Min didn’t say more. Since last time she hinted at finding another embroidery master, Zhang Qingqing had been working more seriously and had become much more sensitive. Su Min didn’t want to pressure her further.

After hanging up, Zhang Qingqing still felt uneasy. She planned to talk with her family about making time to head back to the city.

After leaving the town post office, she headed to the meat stall to buy a few pounds of meat for the builders at home.