RGL – Chapter 187

She had never imagined before that one day, she too would become the kind of bad student who loved skipping class.

It wasn’t until winter vacation arrived that these busy days finally came to an end.

Because she had to return home for the New Year, Su Min didn’t delay. After arranging the company’s affairs, she packed her luggage and prepared to head back. This time, instead of staying in City B, Liao Zhaodi went south to spend the New Year with her sister, Liao Laidi.

Xue Mian, though reluctant, couldn’t go with her. Grandpa and Grandma Xue’s health wasn’t good, so the family couldn’t travel to the provincial capital to spend the New Year with their daughter. They had to stay put, and naturally, Xue Mian couldn’t leave either.

When parting at the airport, the two of them lingered together for a long while. Smiling, Xue Mian wrapped an arm around her shoulders, ignoring the looks of passersby, and whispered by her ear, “Now that we have airplanes, it’s not far at all. Once the holiday’s over, I’ll come to pick you up.”

Su Min felt that ever since she fell in love, her own skin had grown much thicker too. At this moment, she also acted as if no one else existed—after all, once she returned home, the two of them wouldn’t see each other for quite a while. But she didn’t want Xue Mian to make all the trips back and forth either. “Forget it, a few days don’t matter. Besides, this time I want to stay home longer. I didn’t go back even once the whole year.”

“Alright then, I’ll go pay New Year’s greetings to Auntie’s family, and while I’m at it, I’ll visit Uncle and Aunt too,” Xue Mian quickly came up with another excuse.

Seeing the smug look on this young man’s face, Su Min reached out and pinched both his cheeks. “Be good and stay home for the New Year. Don’t be like the other young people driving around just for fun. If I find out, you’ll be in big trouble.”

“Yes, yes, as you command, Empress Dowager. Rest assured.”

“Pah, so cheeky.” Su Min laughed and pinched his face again.

Ever since flights opened between City B and Jiangcheng, traveling between the two had become much more convenient. It was only a two-hour flight.

Su Changrong had already driven to the airport to wait. Standing at the arrival gate, he waved as soon as he saw Su Min come out. “Minzi, over here.”

Smiling, Su Min ran over and hugged him. “Dad.”

Seeing his daughter being so affectionate, Su Changrong was overjoyed. He patted her on the head. “Alright, let’s go home quickly. Your mom made all your favorite dishes.”

With his daughter back, Su Changrong was genuinely happy. For several nights he had been talking about it with his wife, so excited he couldn’t sleep.

Su Min, still smiling, linked arms with her father and got into the car. Su Changrong had changed cars—it was now a black sedan, much more serious-looking than the flashy little one from before.

“Dad, why’d you change cars?”

“Your mom told me to. Said this one looks more respectable.” By now, Su Changrong had completely surrendered to his wife’s rule.

Leaning back against the seat, Su Min said with a smile, “This year I want to stay home a few more days. Spend more time with you and Mom for New Year.”

“That’s great,” Su Changrong said as he drove, laughing. “Stay as long as you want. Your mom and I both have time for you. Oh, and just in time—we can go back to the countryside for a wedding during the Lantern Festival.”

Hearing that, Su Min looked puzzled. “Whose wedding?” Though they still had some relatives around, they didn’t keep in close contact, most being distant cousins.

“You don’t know?” Su Changrong looked at her in surprise. “Didn’t Yanyan tell you?”

“Tell me what?” At the mention of Sun Yanyan’s name, Su Min’s heart skipped a beat. She still hadn’t told her family about what happened between them.

“It’s Sun Yanyan’s wedding,” Su Changrong explained. “Didn’t she say before that she quit her job and came back? She opened a little tailoring shop in the county, and found a fiancé working at a state-owned enterprise there. I hear he’s pretty good.”

Since her last talk with Sun Yanyan, Su Min hadn’t contacted her again. She hadn’t known Sun Yanyan had left City B and gone back to the county. Still, it seemed life was treating her well now.

That was good. Even if they could no longer be close, it was a blessing that Sun Yanyan could live her own life.

“I might not have time then. You and Mom can go. I still have to visit Xue Mian’s aunt’s family.” In this lifetime, she really didn’t want to see Sun Yanyan again.

“You two were quite close. She’s getting married and you won’t even go?” Su Changrong said, puzzled. But though he was curious, if his daughter didn’t want to explain, he wouldn’t press her.

Once home, Su Min enjoyed being doted on by her parents again—delicious food and drinks, and after eating, she went to her uncle Sun Hai’s house to play with Doudou. The little boy was already in kindergarten, resembling Li Meng a lot, delicate and cute. The only unpleasant part was when Grandma Sun asked about why Sun Yanyan had quit her job. Su Min didn’t feel like explaining. After all, she was still Grandma’s granddaughter, but compared to Sun Yanyan, the bond wasn’t the same.

If she told the truth, Grandma wouldn’t blame Sun Yanyan; instead, she’d only try to push them to reconcile. Su Min didn’t want that. Their family ties were still relatively harmonious, and she didn’t want work-related matters to break that balance. So whenever Grandma asked, she only said that Sun Yanyan had left on her own, probably because she was homesick.

For the Sun family, Sun Yanyan’s marriage was a big event—especially for Grandma Sun, since it was the first grandchild to marry. She attached great importance to it, asking her younger daughter-in-law, Li Meng, to help with preparations before the New Year. After all, Sun Yanyan’s biological parents were divorced, and though she had a stepmother now, she wasn’t the real mother. It wouldn’t do to make her shoulder everything.

Besides, because of what happened before—when Sun Yanyan had pushed her stepmother to undergo surgery that left her unable to have children—there was a lingering rift between them.

Naturally, Li Meng wasn’t happy. When shopping with Sun Qiufang for wedding supplies, she couldn’t help grumbling a little. After all, this eldest niece was close to her, so she wasn’t afraid of offending her.

“No matter what, the stepmother should be closer than me, her aunt. Yet I’m the one doing all this. Honestly, second sister, I’ve never liked Sun Yanyan much. She could do something as cruel as making her sister-in-law get sterilized—I’ve always had a knot in my heart about it.”

Not to mention Li Meng, ever since the last incident, Sun Qiufang had also started having her own thoughts about Sun Yan. But thinking about how they were still family, and that she herself was the aunt, could she really just ignore it completely? She could only say, “She’s about to get married now. Better to avoid extra trouble when possible. Just let Changrong bring the things over when the time comes. That way, it’ll be easier for you too.”

“I know, I was just being close with you and talking about it.” Li Meng let it go at that. Sun Hai cared a lot about marriage—no matter how bad things had once been with his eldest brother’s family, since they reconciled, he no longer held grudges. Every year when they went home for New Year, the two brothers would eat and drink together happily. So she wouldn’t purposely make Sun Hai upset either.

“Oh right, Sun Yanyan was doing business with Minzi in B City just fine. Why did she come back?”

That matter suddenly came to Li Meng’s mind again.

While picking out wedding bedsheets, Sun Qiufang replied, “Minzi didn’t say much, only that Sun Yanyan wanted to come back on her own. The two of them won’t be doing business together anymore.”

“Minzi’s an honest person. If she said that, maybe there’s some hidden reason. Otherwise, with conditions being so good over there, why would Sun Yanyan come back to this little county? She doesn’t seem like the kind of girl with no ambition.”

Hearing that, Sun Qiufang also felt something was off. But since her daughter didn’t mention anything, she figured there must be her own reasons, and so she didn’t dig deeper.

Before the New Year, all of Sun Yanyan’s dowry was purchased. Su Changrong and Sun Hai drove it back to Sunjia Village together.

Su Min and Sun Qiufang stayed home, preparing dishes for the New Year.

Taking advantage of the chance, Su Min asked about Su Wenwen. “Mom, after Su Wenwen got into trouble, did she stay in the county, or go somewhere else?”

“That I don’t know. Your dad and I never bothered with their affairs. Why are you asking about her? Don’t you get involved in her mess. That’s nothing but trouble.” Sun Qiufang was very resistant to Su Wenwen, she didn’t even want to mention her name.

“Mom, I want to talk to Su Wenwen. Last time, something happened at our company, and it was her who stirred things up. I want to go talk it over with her.”

“What? Something happened? Was it serious? That shameless thing—how can she be so wicked? Her own life is a mess, and she still won’t let others live in peace.”

Truth be told, Sun Qiufang’s words hit the nail on the head. Su Wenwen’s own life was a mess, and naturally she didn’t want others to be doing well—especially Su Min, with whom she had always had knots in her heart since childhood.

Su Min quickly reassured her, “It wasn’t serious, and it’s already resolved. But I still need to find her. After all, there’s no evidence, so I can’t catch her. But I can’t let her think I don’t know anything.”

“Fine, I’ll go with you someday. I want to ask Changgui myself—how did he raise such a daughter, with such a vicious heart!” Sun Qiufang’s face darkened with anger. “Your father never should have taken her to the hospital last time,” she said bitterly.

After learning about this, Sun Qiufang had made up her mind: she would completely cut ties with Su Changgui’s family. From now on, she would never see them again.

That evening, when Su Changrong returned home by car, the meal was already ready. Happily, he mentioned Sun Yanyan’s fiancé. “He looks honest enough, seems pretty good. He’s an electrician—someone with technical skills, so there’ll be no worry about putting food on the table in the future. Oh right, Minzi, Yanyan asked about you. She wanted to know if you’d come back for her wedding.”

“Most likely I won’t have the time,” Su Min said, pursing her lips.

“Then forget it. Your dad and I will go and say something for you,” Sun Qiufang said.

Hearing his wife, Su Changrong didn’t press further.

But after a few bites, Sun Qiufang couldn’t hold it in anymore. “From now on, don’t have any more contact with that Su family. Every one of them is full of poisonous thoughts. Especially Su Changgui’s family, and that Su Wenwen—if you dare interfere in her affairs again, I won’t forgive you!”

Stunned, Su Changrong looked blankly at her. “Why are you suddenly bringing this up again?”

“Hmph, you don’t even know what they did to your daughter!” Sun Qiufang, seething, repeated everything Su Min had told her.

So angry that he nearly dropped his chopsticks, Su Changrong said, “Fine! We’ll go confront Changgui. If he doesn’t take care of this, then if Wenwen dares pull something again, we’ll go straight to the police! Compared to my own daughter, a niece isn’t worth a thing—especially one so outrageous.”

The family passed New Year’s Eve in lively cheer, then stayed home again on the first day of the new year. But by the second day, Sun Qiufang couldn’t hold back any longer. She dragged Su Changrong and Su Min with her, storming off to Su Changgui’s house in the county.

In her mind, Su Wenwen was like a mad dog now—she might bite her precious daughter at any time. B City was far away, and if something happened there, she wouldn’t even know. Last time they were lucky it got resolved. But what about next time? This was something she couldn’t wait on even a single day.

When they arrived, Su Changgui’s whole family was at home.

Shao Yun was preparing vegetables for her stall, while Su Changgui sat watching TV, Li Jun sitting nearby.

Surprised, Shao Yun looked up at the three who had barged in. “What brings you here? You didn’t even give a heads-up. I didn’t prepare anything.” She was both surprised and delighted—they were still relatives, and having more relatives could always come in handy someday.

But Sun Qiufang didn’t appreciate it at all. For one, Shao Yun had once harbored improper thoughts about Su Changrong; and for another, because of Su Wenwen this time, she was also angry at both Su Changgui and Shao Yun. Marching straight in, she demanded, “Where’s Su Wenwen? Get her out here!”

“What’s this about? Why are you looking for Wenwen as soon as you come in?” Su Changgui came out of the living room. Seeing Sun Qiufang’s attitude, his face darkened. He hadn’t forgotten that last time Wenwen was hospitalized, he had begged his sister-in-law to help care for her, but she had flatly refused.

“Why don’t you ask your Wenwen what she’s been up to? She incited people at Minzi’s company to harm her! Is that something a human being does? I thought she might have changed these past years, but turns out she’s only gotten worse. Getting pregnant before marriage was already bad enough, now she’s out hurting others. Can’t she ever do a single decent thing?”

Sun Qiufang unleashed a flurry of scolding.

Su Changgui, who had been angry at first, was stunned by her words. “What nonsense are you spouting now? What could Wenwen have done? You can’t just accuse people like that.” Since her time in the hospital, Wenwen had indeed changed a lot. He had been hoping their families’ relationship would ease up again, so naturally he wanted to defend her now.

Su Changrong said, “Changgui, call Wenwen out here and let’s confront her. If this matter isn’t cleared up today, then our two families’ ties are finished.”

He had already come prepared to sever ties. He had endured the third brother’s family time and again, thinking maybe they had changed, maybe they now understood how important kinship was. He had even thought about resuming closer contact. But who would have thought that before he even had the chance, his daughter would already be harmed by the second brother’s daughter. Such a thing was truly humiliating for him.

Seeing his hesitation, Shao Yun’s eyes lit up. She quickly went inside to call Su Wenwen out. She never liked her stepdaughter anyway—if Wenwen really had done wrong, then maybe Su Changgui would finally kick her out.

But Su Changgui wasn’t happy. “Whatever Wenwen did, she’s still family. As her uncle, you can’t come at her like this. Is your daughter the only treasure, and mine not?”

“Bullshit!” Sun Qiufang exploded, “Your daughter hurt mine, and you still talk about family? When she comes out, I’ll see just how black her heart really is.”

As the two argued, Su Wenwen appeared, hair messy, rubbing her eyes as she walked out—clearly just woken from a nap. Looking impatiently at Su Changgui, she snapped, “What’s all the yelling for? I’m not even awake yet.”

Quietly, Su Changgui said, “Wenwen, your uncle and aunt are here to talk to you.”

Su Wenwen frowned, displeased as she glanced at Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang. “What do you want with me now?”

Just as Sun Qiufang was about to speak, Su Min stopped her. Stepping forward, face stern, she fixed her eyes on Su Wenwen. “You don’t know what you’ve done? That leaked blueprint from Xiuse—dare you say it had nothing to do with you?”

At those words, Su Wenwen’s expression flickered, but then she quickly regained her bravado.  “Hmph, what’s it got to do with me? You’re so annoying, who knows who did it? If you think it was me, then show proof. Go to the police if you dare.” After all, she knew there was no evidence. As for Sun Yanyan, she wasn’t worried. She didn’t believe Su Min would really let Sun Yanyan go to jail.

Even if they did report it, she was still safe. After all, she had only given Sun Yanyan the idea—the one who actually acted was Sun Yan. It had nothing to do with her.

Su Min, seeing her so arrogant, gave a cold laugh. “Don’t bother denying it. I naturally have my ways of getting evidence. Su Wenwen, I came here today to tell you—don’t think no one knows what you’ve done. I will dig out every vile thing you’ve done. And one day, I will send you to prison. Just try something again—next time, you won’t be so lucky.”