RGL – Chapter 29

When Su Min came home from school for dinner and heard that Second Uncle Su Changfu had come into the city and invited their family back for a housewarming banquet, she immediately frowned.

Among all the relatives, the one she disliked most was this Second Uncle Su Changfu — selfish, self-serving, and yet always acting high and mighty on the surface. She held her chopsticks and looked at Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang. “Dad, Mom, you’re not really planning to go back, are you?”

She didn’t want her parents to go back only to get entangled and extorted by the old lady and the others again. These people, for the sake of money, had once been willing to risk even her father’s life.

Sun Qiufang said, “He came personally to invite us. If we don’t go, it wouldn’t be right. I’ll go back, and your dad will stay here to mind the store.”

Hearing this, Su Min felt a little relieved.

Compared to her father, her mother’s stance was much firmer. She said, “Then I’ll go back too.”

“What would you go back for?” Sun Qiufang picked a piece of meat for her. “Stay in the city. Saves your grandma from finding something to pick on you about.”

Thinking about how the old lady always targeted her precious daughter, Sun Qiufang couldn’t help but get angry. Anyway, this time when she went back, she was determined not to let the old lady get any advantage over her.

Everything in their family would belong to her daughter in the future — it had nothing to do with anyone else.

Su Min said, “I just want to go back and take a look. Besides, Zhaodi also wants to visit her hometown. We can take her with us.”

She remembered that Liao Zhaodi had previously wanted to go back to the countryside to send some money.

“Zhaodi wants to go back too?” Sun Qiufang thought about it and felt that it was fine for the girl to go back as well. After all, if the old lady dared to mistreat her daughter, she would tear into her without hesitation. “Alright, you can come back with me then.”

After dinner, Sun Hai came into the kitchen with some money, wanting Sun Qiufang to bring it back for their grandmother.

Although he wasn’t at home, he always worried about the elderly woman.

Even though the eldest brother’s family was living there, his sister-in-law was not an easy person to get along with, and his eldest brother was weak-willed. If their mother suffered, there would be no one to stand up for her.

“Tell Mom that once I become successful, I’ll bring her to live with me and take care of her.”

Hearing this, Sun Qiufang’s heart ached, and she sniffed, saying, “I’m her daughter too. How could I not take care of her? Keep your money. Don’t you also want to open a store? That will cost money too. I’ll bring money back for Mom.”

“Sis, this is what I should do. Don’t fight me on this.” Sun Hai shoved the money into her hands. “This is a small token from a son to his mother.”

“Ah,” Sun Qiufang sighed. “If only Big Brother had your heart, our Sun family wouldn’t be in the situation it is now.”

After Sun Hai went back to his room, Su Min entered the kitchen. She had been outside earlier, seeing her little uncle talking to her mother, and didn’t want to interrupt.

Inside, she saw Sun Qiufang wiping her eyes and said, “Mom, can’t Grandma come live with us?”

Sun Qiufang smiled, “You overheard everything just now, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Su Min nodded. “Grandma treats us well. If she’s not living well in the countryside, why can’t she come to the city and live with us?”

“She can, but it can’t be us who bring her here. Otherwise, how would your uncles hold their heads up? People would gossip that they abandoned their mother to be cared for by a married-out daughter. Besides, your grandma wouldn’t agree to it either.”

Su Min frowned, feeling indignant. “What’s wrong with being a daughter? Can’t a daughter take care of her parents? I’ll take care of you and Dad when you’re old.”

Hearing these heartfelt words, Sun Qiufang couldn’t help but smile, “If I could’ve given you a little brother, we wouldn’t have to burden you like this. But it is what it is. Your dad and I have already discussed saving more money to avoid burdening you in the future.”

“Aiya, Mom, why do you think like that? I’m your daughter — I should take care of you. When I start earning money, you and Dad will live in comfort.”

“Good, your dad and I will look forward to enjoying the blessings of having a daughter,” Sun Qiufang said, smiling contentedly.

Meanwhile, Sun Hai lay awake in his room for a long time.

Ever since coming to the city, his thoughts had broadened. It was the first time he realized that even if he couldn’t continue school, there were still other paths besides farming.

Now he already had some savings and had found a direction he wanted to pursue, but he still wanted to study. No matter what, he believed that knowledge would always be important.

But if he continued to aim for university, he would have little time to work and earn money. His mother was getting older and couldn’t wait much longer. If he couldn’t start earning soon to let her enjoy life, who knew if there would still be a chance later?

Go to college? Make money?

Both choices were tough.

The next morning, Su Min suddenly remembered that, because she had been so agitated by hearing about Su Changfu’s visit yesterday, she had forgotten to bring up the issue of transferring her household registration.

Early in the morning, Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang had already gone to work, so she had no choice but to shoulder her schoolbag and head to school, planning to discuss it with them later that evening.

Her idea was a decent one, but as a middle school student, even if she had a plan, there wasn’t much she could do by herself.

After class, Xue Mian asked her again about it.

“I haven’t told my parents yet. I don’t even know if it’ll work. We don’t have many connections in the city. There’s no one to help us, so it’s probably just wishful thinking.” This was what Su Min felt most troubled about. The only people they knew were her third uncle, Su Changgui, and their neighbor, Uncle Zhu.

Her third uncle definitely wouldn’t help, and Uncle Zhu only sold pork.

Their former landlady, Sister Chen, used to work in a factory, but now her own family was struggling, so she couldn’t help them either.

Xue Mian said, “Actually, I mentioned it to my uncle. He said he could try to help.”

“Your uncle?” Su Min looked at him in surprise. She hadn’t expected that Xue Mian would secretly try to find a way to help her. “Who is your uncle? Can he really help?”

“Don’t worry about who my uncle is. He said he can help, and that’s enough. If you can’t find another way, I’ll go talk to him again and see what can be done.”

Seeing Xue Mian acting all grown-up, Su Min really started to believe that he might be able to help her transfer her household registration.

She hadn’t thought that something she found so difficult could be seen as not a big deal through the eyes of another teenager.

“Why are you helping me? This is a big hassle. You must’ve had to talk to your family quite a bit, right?” After all, what kind of parents would go through so much trouble for their kid’s classmate, especially for something as major as transferring a household registration?

Xue Mian propped his face on one hand and looked straight at her. “I don’t know either.” Seeing the doubt in Su Min’s eyes, he immediately grew a little flustered and annoyed, “I really don’t know.”

He didn’t know why he wanted to sit next to Su Min, didn’t know why he wanted to talk to her, get close to her, or help her.

It just felt like this was what he was supposed to do.

The feeling was too complicated — even more complicated than solving a math problem. So, Xue Mian simply chose to say he didn’t know.

Seeing his face flushed red with anger, Su Min felt a sudden surge of gratitude. For the first time, she had met a friend who helped her without expecting anything in return.

She smiled and said, “Xue Mian, thank you. No matter if it works out or not, I’m really grateful. From now on, you’re my good friend. If you ever need help with anything, you can come to me too.”

She believed in reciprocating kindness. If before she had still seen Xue Mian as just a kid, at this moment, she truly wanted to treat him as a real friend — a friend of her own age.

Hearing her words, Xue Mian became a little emotional. He tilted his chin proudly and said, “Hmph, so you didn’t treat me like a friend before?”

This little guy was actually quite sensitive.

Su Min laughed, patted him on the shoulder, and said, “Alright, alright, you’ve always been my friend.”

After school, as usual, Xue Mian was the first to dash out of the classroom.

Among all the students who rushed out of school, he was definitely the most eager one. As soon as he left the school gate, he hopped into a small car parked by the roadside.

Thinking about how he and Su Min had become good friends today, he felt a warm, happy feeling inside.

He sat quietly watching the scenery outside the window, which almost made the driver drop his jaw in shock.

This little rascal — who usually acted like a mischievous monkey — could actually sit so quietly?

The car stopped at a residential area in the county town, and Xue Mian immediately jumped out and ran upstairs.

“Uncle, when are you going to help me with that thing I asked about?”

As soon as he entered, he rushed straight to the study.

County Magistrate Zhao looked at the boy’s anxious face and laughed. “You mean the household registration matter?”

“Yeah! Uncle, they’re good hardworking people. The current policies encourage people to get rich and boost the economy, right? They’re exactly the kind of people the policy should support. As the county magistrate, shouldn’t you show some support?”

Xue Mian spoke eloquently, making Zhao Magistrate shake his head and laugh.

“If your parents saw how you reasoned things out like this, they would be thrilled. How about you call them and explain this to them? Maybe if they’re in a good mood, they’ll agree to help you.”

“I’m not doing that,” Xue Mian immediately frowned. “They’re too busy with work to care about me. I’m not calling them. Are you helping me or not?”

“Things like this still have to follow proper procedures. Here’s what I can do: I’ll see if any of the factories need workers. If they do, after passing an inspection, they can transfer their household registration.”

“Uncle…”

“Xue Mian, we have to have principles when we do things. Even this arrangement is me bending the rules for you. If your grandfather finds out, I’ll be in big trouble.”

“……”

Xue Mian scrunched up his handsome little face, full of dissatisfaction. “If it weren’t for the current policies, who would even care about transferring their household registration? Controlling household registration like this, clearly separating urban and rural people, just restricts farmers from getting rich. How can you expect the economy to grow like that?”

Hearing this, Magistrate Zhao put on a stern face and said, “Don’t meddle in government policies, kid. Focus on your studies. Your parents are already working on transferring you back to City B.”

“I’m not going back. If I go back, the old man will be watching me all day long,” Xue Mian waved his hand dismissively. “Alright, I’m going back to my room to study. Uncle, you have to keep your word!”

County Magistrate Zhao laughed and nodded, “You little rascal.”

When Su Min got home, she also told her parents, Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang, about what Xue Mian had said.

Both of them immediately felt it was a bit unreliable.

Sun Qiufang said, “Minzi, how old is that classmate of yours? How could he handle such a big matter?”

Su Changrong also said, “Exactly, we can’t mess around with things like this.”

Although Su Min wasn’t sure whether it would work out, it was at least a glimmer of hope. The reason she told her parents so quickly was to stop them from going to ask her third uncle, Su Changgui, for help.

“Mom, Dad, just wait a bit, alright? Maybe it really can work out. And even if it doesn’t, it won’t cause any harm, right? Let’s not go to Third Uncle for now, okay?”

After hearing Su Min’s analysis, Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang also felt they could wait a little longer.

Sun Qiufang nodded and said, “Alright then, we won’t go to your third uncle. Let’s wait until after we get back from the housewarming banquet to deal with this.”

Hearing Sun Qiufang’s decision, Su Min finally breathed a sigh of relief. She would rather owe a favor to an outsider and be at their mercy than look at the faces of the Su family anymore.

The next day at school, Xue Mian told Su Min that she should wait a bit — there was already some progress.

Su Min nodded, then said, “Xue Mian, if it gets too difficult, just forget it. We can figure out something else. Don’t go home and make trouble with your family over it.”

At this age, kids already cared a lot about pride. She was worried that because Xue Mian had promised to help her, he might go home and fight with his family, making things awkward for the adults.

Xue Mian curved his mouth into a smile, “You don’t need to worry about that. I’m not a little kid anymore.”

Looking at the teenage boy claiming he wasn’t a kid anymore, Su Min’s mood inexplicably lifted. Honestly, being friends with younger people wasn’t bad — at least their minds weren’t as complicated.

Of course, there were exceptions. Su Min glanced at Su Wenwen, who was glaring in her direction again. She really didn’t understand why Su Wenwen was so hostile toward her.

Forget it. That girl never studied properly anyway, always thinking about taking shortcuts. It had nothing to do with her. If she wanted to glare, let her glare — after all, Xue Mian was sitting close to her, so they were getting glared at together.

Thinking this, Su Min even deliberately smiled at Su Wenwen, only to notice that Su Wenwen was actually staring toward Xue Mian, her eyes full of grievance.

Su Min raised her eyebrows in surprise, glancing at Xue Mian, who was doodling absentmindedly on a piece of scrap paper. She suddenly realized — although he was a bit pale, this kid was actually quite a handsome little boy.

Could it be that Su Wenwen liked Xue Mian and wanted to start a puppy love?

She widened her eyes, feeling like she had discovered the truth.

When the bell rang to start class, Su Wenwen finally withdrew her gaze, her eyes filled with unwillingness.

After all, she had been the one who first got to know Xue Mian. Why didn’t he remember her? Why was he so close to Su Min instead? If she had known earlier, she would have chosen to sit at the back of the classroom.

Unfortunately, during the last two seating rearrangements, because her grades weren’t as good as Su Min’s, the seat next to Xue Mian was always chosen by Su Min.

Next time, she had to study hard — she had to get better grades than Su Min. Then she could sit next to Xue Mian.

With a new goal, Su Wenwen studied with renewed energy. But even though she forced herself to look like she was studying seriously the whole class, her mind kept wandering to Su Min and Xue Mian, and no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t focus on what the teacher was saying.

At noon, when she went home for lunch, she kept sulking with a gloomy face.

Gao Hong picked up some food and placed it in Su Wenwen’s bowl. “Wenwen, why are you unhappy?”

“It’s nothing,” Su Wenwen said, lowering her head.

Su Changgui was also absent-mindedly eating. Seeing his wife coaxing their daughter, an idea struck him. The weekend was approaching, and they were supposed to go back to their hometown for a meal. He felt he needed to mention it to his wife quickly.

He patted Su Wenwen’s head and smiled at Gao Hong, saying, “Oh right, I’ve been so busy these past few days, I forgot to tell you. A couple of days ago, my second brother came to town to find me. He said the renovations on the family house are finished, and they’re hosting a banquet this weekend to celebrate. He asked if we could find time to go back. Building a house is a big deal after all. Gao Hong, do you think we should make the trip?”

“No need,” Gao Hong replied coldly, her face immediately dark.

She sneered, “What’s the point of going back? Last time during New Year, they had the nerve to ask us for money. And your mother — always calling the girls ‘little wenches’ — what did she mean by that?”

Su Changgui hurried to explain, “She wasn’t talking about our Wenwen, she was referring to that girl Minzi.”

“Hmph, I don’t care who she was talking about. It just shows that in her heart, daughters aren’t worth anything. If it weren’t for my good background, your mother would probably be badmouthing me too. It’s not that she doesn’t want to scold our Wenwen, it’s that she doesn’t dare. If our situation were like your eldest brother’s family, do you think she would treat us the same?”

Hearing this, Su Changgui felt a bit guilty. Deep down, he knew just how much his mother favored sons over daughters. She didn’t even treat her own daughter, Lanzi, particularly well — let alone a granddaughter.

But no matter what, his mother had always treated him decently. When he went to college and got married, the family had helped out a lot. Even though he had a daughter, and his mother probably wasn’t thrilled, at least outwardly she doted on the child. There was no need to hold a grudge over what she thought in private, right?

“Gao Hong, let’s just go back for a meal. It’s just for appearances’ sake.”

“No way,” Gao Hong said firmly. “We already agreed to visit my parents on Sunday. Now you suddenly want to change plans — what does that mean? That you don’t respect my parents? Have you forgotten how you got your job? University graduates aren’t that common, sure, but getting you that assignment took a lot of effort. Now that you’re doing well, you want to look down on my family?”

“Aiya, Gao Hong, why bring that up again?”

“If I don’t bring it up, I’m afraid you’ll forget.”

“Enough already, you’re ruining the meal,” Su Wenwen complained, dropping her chopsticks and pouting at her parents. “Daddy, I don’t want to go back to that place either. It’s filthy. And I don’t like the people there. I hate Su Min!”

“Wenwen, how can you think like that?” Su Changgui glared at his daughter. He had grown up there himself. Although sometimes he too disliked going back, disdaining the place was one thing — having his wife and daughter openly show disdain felt like a rejection of his own roots.

“Why are you yelling at the child?” Gao Hong scolded him, then coaxed the teary-eyed Su Wenwen, “Don’t listen to your father, Wenwen.”

Feeling reassured, Su Wenwen pouted and said, “Mom, can you ask for Su Min to change classes? I don’t want to be in the same class as her.”

Hearing this, Gao Hong’s eyes widened. “What happened? Did she bully you?”

“She plays with Xue Mian and makes him ignore me. I don’t want to be in the same class as her anymore.”

When Su Changgui realized that all this fuss was over such a small matter, he immediately got angry. Being a teacher himself, he loved his daughter dearly, but there were limits. This spoiled temper — it had definitely been cultivated by her maternal grandparents.

“Wenwen, it’s just kids fooling around. You can’t just demand that Minzi change classes over something like this.”

Gao Hong, however, gave it some thought and then asked, “So, Xue Mian is friendly with Su Min but not with you? I remember you used to visit Zhao’s house with your grandpa, and you knew Xue Mian, right? Didn’t you say that County Magistrate Zhao even encouraged you to play with him often?”

“That’s how it was at first. But I don’t know why — once we were in class, it was like he didn’t even recognize me. He only talks to Su Min,” Su Wenwen said, growing more and more aggrieved, as if her precious treasure had been snatched away.

Gao Hong’s brows furrowed. She didn’t see this as a trivial matter like Su Changgui did. The Zhao family was a big deal in the county, and Xue Mian was from Beijing — his family background was anything but ordinary. If her daughter could build a good relationship with someone like that, it could open up a lot of opportunities in the future. Maybe even a childhood sweetheart relationship!

“I’ll talk to your homeroom teacher about it. You don’t worry about it.”

“Really, Mom?” Su Wenwen looked at her in surprise and joy.

Gao Hong smiled, “It’s not a big deal. I’ll just have a word with your grandpa and the others.”

Hearing that she was serious, Su Changgui got even angrier. “How can you make such a fuss over something so small? Kids will be kids. Gao Hong, you can’t just spoil her like this.”

Gao Hong said indifferently, “She’s my daughter. I’ll spoil her however I want. If you’re not helping, stay out of it. Also, this weekend, you must go to my parents’ house. Otherwise, don’t blame me if things get ugly.”

Seeing her domineering attitude, Su Changgui’s anger choked in his throat. He couldn’t even eat anymore.

Meanwhile, Su Min had no idea that someone was plotting to forcibly move her to another class.

She was currently discussing the trip back to the countryside with Liao Zhaodi.

Liao Zhaodi had been eager to return home to deliver money and visit her two sisters. But she didn’t know the way back and was too afraid to travel alone. When she heard Su Min was also going, she had been overjoyed for several days.

“Minzi, tomorrow’s Saturday. Let’s go shopping. I want to buy some things for my sisters — clothes for each of them, some snacks, and stationery too.”

“You’re buying so much at once, Zhaodi. Do you have enough money? Shouldn’t you keep a little for yourself?” Su Min asked, knowing that Liao Zhaodi only had about thirty yuan on hand.

Liao Zhaodi said, “I don’t lack anything here. I’d rather spend it all on my sisters.” She lowered her head, twisting her fingers nervously. “If I had the ability, I’d bring them all to the city for a better life. Right now, they’re still stuck doing all the farm work. When I think about it, it makes me really sad.” Her voice was nasal by the end.

Su Min patted her hand. “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You’re still young. Just do what you can.”

The next morning, Su Min dragged Liao Zhaodi out to shop for the trip.

Since they were going back to the countryside, Su Min naturally wouldn’t return empty-handed. At the very least, she had to buy a piece of clothing for her grandmother. Although she wasn’t capable of much yet, she easily had enough money to buy a piece of clothing.

Liao Zhaodi bought the most. Normally, she was reluctant to spend even a penny on herself, but now, she wanted to buy everything she saw. After shopping all morning, her hands were full of packages.

She looked at the ten yuan left in her hand and said, “I’ll save this money to use as capital next summer.”

Seeing that she had even learned to save money, Su Min laughed and said, “You little money-grubber, summer vacation is still so far away, and you’re already thinking about it. There’s still the winter break, you know.”

Liao Zhaodi smiled, “It’s better to prepare early. I plan to go out and collect recyclables every weekend. Didn’t you say collecting recyclables also makes money? I want to give it a try and save up some.”

“That can make money, but I reckon Auntie won’t let you do it,” Su Min said. Not just Liao Zhaodi’s mother—even Uncle Zhu probably wouldn’t agree. Letting a stepdaughter go out and collect recyclables would make the neighbors gossip, saying Uncle Zhu was unkind.

Seeing Liao Zhaodi’s disappointed look, Su Min patted her on the shoulder, “Don’t worry. There will always be ways to make money. When winter break comes, I’ll figure something out, and we’ll earn a good sum.”

Hearing Su Min’s words, Liao Zhaodi’s eyes lit up instantly, as if she had seen hope. “Minzi, you’re smarter than me and full of ideas. I’ll just follow you.”

On the way back, Liao Zhaodi carried Su Min’s packages for her. Later, Su Min would carry them home and then hand them back to her.

On Saturday morning, Sun Qiufang wasn’t in a rush to return home either. After all, going back early would only mean sitting and glaring at the old lady. It was better to arrive just in time for the meal, eat, and then leave right after—no need to get entangled with family drama.

Su Changrong packed some fish, meat, and fruits. “Why don’t you head back earlier and stop by Lanzi’s house? During New Year, she brought us meat dishes. This time, we should at least bring her something in return.”

Hearing this, Sun Qiufang didn’t object.

Although she didn’t like her husband’s family much, she wasn’t unreasonable. She knew exactly who had treated them well. Whether her sister-in-law was distant or not, the things she did were good to them.

If someone treated you well, you should return the favor.

Sun Qiufang said, “Alright, Minzi and I will go visit Su Lan first.”

After getting on the bus home, Liao Zhaodi leaned against the window, looking out, while Su Min was lost in thought about the matters back home. She remembered that shortly after Second Uncle built his house, the supply and marketing cooperative shut down, and he lost his job.

No matter how much one tried to change things in this life, major national policies couldn’t be altered. Her second uncle would definitely lose his job. Now that their family had opened a store, given the personalities of the two elders at home, there was bound to be trouble.

It seemed this trip home was really going to be troublesome.

When the bus arrived at the town, Liao Zhaodi recognized the road back to the village. Carrying her packages, she agreed with Su Min to take the last bus back in the afternoon and to wait at the bus station.

After parting ways with Liao Zhaodi, Sun Qiufang led Su Min to Su Lan’s house.

Having been there once before, Su Min wasn’t as resistant this time and quietly followed behind.

When they reached Su Lan’s gate, they saw Father Li sitting outside, smoking a dry tobacco pipe, looking gloomy. There wasn’t anyone else visible at home.

“Uncle Li.” Sun Qiufang called as she carried the packages into the courtyard.

Upon hearing the voice, Father Li stood up. When he saw it was Sun Qiufang, his face immediately darkened. “What are you here for?”

Seeing his attitude, Sun Qiufang was stunned. Last time during New Year, hadn’t they gotten along quite warmly? How had things changed in just a few months?

“Uncle Li, what’s wrong? Is Lanzi home?”

“You still consider Lanzi family? If you really treated her like family, would you still come here to cause trouble?” The more he spoke, the angrier he became, fiercely knocking his pipe against the table.

Sun Qiufang froze, “Uncle Li, what’s going on? I don’t understand.”

Father Li’s face filled with grief and anger. “What’s going on? That old woman from the Su family came to our house raising a ruckus and caused Lanzi to miscarry. It was already a formed grandson—and now he’s gone! You tell me what’s going on!”

“What?!” Sun Qiufang was utterly shocked.

Su Min also felt her heart jolt violently. Had this happened in her past life too?

Father Li wasn’t an unreasonable person. Although he had just vented his anger at seeing Sun Qiufang, after letting it out, he calmed down a bit. “Come with me to the hospital to see Lanzi. She’s still lying at the town hospital.”

On the way, Father Li explained everything that had happened.

Because Su Changfu’s family was short on money while building their house, the old lady from the Su family went to the Li family to borrow some. She figured that since the Li’s lived in town and Li Qiang had a proper job, they must have savings.

But Su Lan, holding onto years of resentment from her childhood hardships and considering that the money was meant for their own house-building, refused.

Who knew that the Su family’s old lady would immediately turn hostile, grabbing and hitting Su Lan while scolding her for being ungrateful?

At that time, Li Qiang wasn’t home, and Father Li was also out working. Only Mother Li was there, and she didn’t manage to stop it in time. She could only watch as Su Lan’s belly hit the edge of the table, and she immediately started bleeding.

Hearing the whole story, Sun Qiufang was furious on Su Lan’s behalf. That old woman was truly vicious, able to lay hands even on her own heavily pregnant daughter. The child was already fully formed, and a boy at that. No wonder the Li family held such resentment.

She said to Father Li, “Uncle Li, we had no idea this happened. Changrong and I truly care about Lanzi. Please don’t cut ties with us because of what my mother-in-law did.” Whether she personally wanted to stay close with the Li family or not, she knew she couldn’t let the old lady’s actions turn them into enemies.

Father Li sighed and shook his head. “That old woman from the Su family, she’s really sinned.”

Su Min had been silent all this time, her heart in turmoil.

In her previous life, she had no idea this had happened, so naturally she hadn’t expected it this time either. Thinking back, when her father fell ill and she went to her aunt Su Lan to borrow money, her aunt’s extreme reaction and the hatred in her eyes—turns out it all stemmed from this.

Because the Su family had once come to her for money and ended up causing the death of her child. No wonder her aunt had reacted that way when she came asking for help.

Zhaodi, Aunt… many things weren’t as she had thought.

When they arrived at the hospital ward, Mother Li was feeding Su Lan.

When she saw Sun Qiufang come in, although her expression changed, she didn’t kick her out in front of her daughter-in-law.

Su Lan looked at Sun Qiufang without any reaction, leaning silently against the bed. She didn’t even open her mouth to continue eating.

“Lanzi, your brother sent me to come check on you. We really didn’t know about any of this,” Sun Qiufang said.

Tears began streaming silently down Su Lan’s face. Mother Li hurried to wipe them away. “Don’t cry, it’s bad for your eyes during postpartum recovery.”

Sun Qiufang sat by the bedside and said, “Lanzi, don’t cry. No matter what happens, your brother and I are your family. If you’re upset about anything, just tell me.”

“Go tell the Su family that from now on, I’m cutting all ties with them. I will never go back to that house again. Let them treat it as if I never existed. For the rest of my life, I have nothing to do with them,” Su Lan said, sobbing even harder.

Sun Qiufang quickly wiped her tears. “Alright, I’ll go tell them. I’ll go today. What Mom did was wrong. Your brother and I won’t defend her.”

Having been a mother herself, Sun Qiufang completely understood her sister-in-law’s feelings. If it had been her own child harmed by her mother-in-law, she wouldn’t have just swallowed it down like a daughter might—she would have gone at her with a knife.

Su Lan had been filled with hatred for her family these past few days, but she was also deeply hurt. Hearing Sun Qiufang’s comforting words let her feel a bit of warmth. There were still people who cared about her.

After crying for a while, Su Lan gradually calmed down.

Su Min stood quietly nearby, watching her little aunt in this condition, feeling guilty. She had blamed her aunt across two lifetimes, and it turned out she had been wrong both times.

Sun Qiufang kept chatting with Su Lan for a while longer, suggesting that she come stay in the city during the winter holidays to relax and heal.

Seeing Sun Qiufang’s efforts, Father Li and Mother Li realized she genuinely wanted to maintain a good relationship with their daughter-in-law and didn’t take out their anger at the Su family on her.

When Sun Qiufang left, Mother Li even came out to see them off.

Once outside the hospital, Sun Qiufang said, “Sigh, your grandmother’s heart is truly vicious. Luckily we moved out.”

Su Min thought to herself, Yes, luckily we left. Otherwise, our family would have suffered even more.

As she thought back to her previous life, a sudden realization struck Su Min. If her aunt had miscarried back then, and again in this life, would her father also get sick in this life like he did before?

The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became. She made up her mind: once they returned to the city, she would drag the whole family to the hospital for checkups.

Su Changfu’s new house was built not far from Su Lan’s place.

When they arrived, they saw a two-story red brick house.

Inside and outside, it was packed with people—looked like the banquet was about to begin.

Seeing Sun Qiufang and Su Min arrive, Li Yulan, who was greeting guests, immediately beamed and hurried over. “Oh, big sister-in-law is back! Come inside, everyone’s been waiting for you.” She then looked behind Sun Qiufang. “Big brother didn’t come?”