RGL – Chapter 46

“What are you doing here?” Madam Gao stood with her arms crossed, chin raised, her face full of disdain.

If anyone in the Gao family could intimidate Su Changgui the most, it was his mother-in-law—who had been critical of him from the very start and never liked anything about him. Now, with a guilty conscience, he couldn’t even lift his head to meet her eyes.

He swallowed hard and said, “Mom, I’m here to pick up Gao Hong and Wenwen to bring them home.”

“Home? What home? Didn’t you try to hit Gao Hong? Su Changgui, you’ve got some nerve! We’ve spoiled our Honghong all these years, and you? You have the audacity to try and hit her? Who gave you the guts?!”

As she spoke, Madam Gao almost jabbed her finger into Su Changgui’s forehead.

“Mom, I didn’t. Gao Hong and I have such a good relationship—how could I possibly hit her?”

Su Changgui quickly denied it. He had indeed been angry yesterday, but it was only because he was at a loss for what to do that he glared at her. He would never dare lay a hand on Gao Hong. In fact, the moment he shot that glare, he regretted it. Now he felt even more ashamed.

Seeing his submissive attitude, Madam Gao finally felt somewhat satisfied—but she still wouldn’t let him in.

“Honghong said it herself: this time, you have to kneel down and apologize in front of her, and write a written promise. You have to guarantee that you’ll never go back to that house for New Year’s again, and promise never to lose your temper at her. Everything must go according to her wishes. Only then will she consider going back with you. Otherwise, don’t even bother talking.”

“Mom, this…”

Su Changgui was choking with frustration.

This wasn’t a promise—it was a literal contract of servitude.

Just as Su Changgui was silently agonizing, Gao Long walked in from outside, briefcase in hand.

Seeing Su Changgui and Madam Gao standing at the door, he frowned. “What’s going on here? Why aren’t you inside?”

“Dad,” Su Changgui looked at him pleadingly.

In this household, Gao Long was the only one who treated him with a little kindness.

Gao Long took one look at Madam Gao’s displeased face and instantly understood the situation.

He walked past both of them into the house, turned back, and said, “Changgui, come in.”

“Yes, Dad.” Su Changgui’s face lit up with joy as he followed him inside.

Madam Gao was just about to protest, but the moment she saw Gao Long frown, she dared not say a word. She stomped in angrily and sat on the couch with her arms crossed, refusing to even look at Su Changgui. Instead, she grumbled at her husband, “Your daughter’s been wronged, and you, as her father, don’t even care. You even let him inside! If Honghong comes back and sees this, she’ll be furious again.”

Su Changgui sat on the other end of the couch with his head lowered, not daring to make a sound. He knew that if he didn’t get through this hurdle with his in-laws, life at home would never be peaceful.

“Dad, I really didn’t bully Gao Hong. She misunderstood me.”

Gao Long sipped his tea, then looked at Su Changgui with a serious expression. “Let me ask you this: when you borrowed that money, why didn’t you talk to Gao Hong first? It wasn’t a large amount, but your actions showed that you don’t respect her. Have you thought about how it made her look when someone came asking her about money she knew nothing about? People might think she’s trying to deny the debt—or worse, that she has no status in this family, not even being informed when her husband borrows money.”

“Dad, I was wrong.”

Su Changgui hung his head even lower. He had already been lectured for months over that incident.

Seeing that he was genuinely remorseful, Gao Long’s expression softened slightly. He continued, “Changgui, when you married Honghong, you made a promise to your mother-in-law and me that you would treat her well. Over the years, we’ve seen your efforts. But our daughter has never once been scolded, let alone mistreated—and we won’t allow anyone else to do so.”

“Dad, I really know I was wrong.”

“If you know you’re wrong, then think of a way to show Honghong your sincerity. You know her temper. Even we can’t persuade her. You’ll have to figure this out on your own.”

With that, Gao Long stood up and added, “You sit here and think it through. When Honghong comes back, you should know what to do.”

After saying this, he returned to his room without sparing a glance at Su Changgui’s pale face.

Only Madam Gao remained in the room, still cold-faced, glaring at Su Changgui.

She had long disliked this son-in-law. If it hadn’t been for her husband insisting that someone like him was dependable and that Honghong wouldn’t suffer with him, she would never have agreed to the marriage. It was bad enough that his family was poor—on top of that, they had a mess of troublesome relatives.

Su Changgui had been sitting on the sofa for a long time, feeling as though his heart was slowly freezing over, inch by inch.

It wasn’t until he heard the sound of the door opening and those familiar footsteps that he finally looked up, got off the sofa, and walked up to Gao Hong.

“What are you doing here?” Gao Hong turned her head away, refusing to look at him. Su Wenwen also stared blankly at her father, surprised to see him show up at her grandmother’s house.

The next moment, Su Wenwen’s eyes widened in shock.

She saw her father kneel down in front of her mother.

Gao Hong was also taken aback and looked at Su Changgui in surprise.

Then she heard Su Changgui say, “Gao Hong, I was wrong. I’ll never do it again. Whatever you say, I’ll listen. Let’s go home.”

Although Gao Hong had already expected him to come and beg her, she was still somewhat surprised when he actually did it. But since he was willing to humble himself, she wasn’t going to make things harder for him.

Madam Gao, watching from the side, saw her daughter wavering and stepped in to smooth things over. “Honghong, since Changgui has admitted his mistake, just forgive him this time. As long as he doesn’t do it again.”

Gao Hong finally said, “For Mom’s sake, I’ll forgive you this time. But if you make another mistake, I won’t forgive you so easily.”

Su Changgui quickly nodded, though in his heart he was thinking: I already kneeled—how is that ‘easy’? This wasn’t a marriage; it was more like serving a spoiled mistress. If he had known it would be like this, he would’ve married Shao Yun back then. Her family might not have had much, but at least life would’ve been peaceful.

But then he thought again: sure, life might’ve been easier—but the future wouldn’t have looked nearly as bright.

Su Changgui shook his head in private frustration.

After Gao Hong packed up and left with him, she brought up the topic of buying a house again on the way.

She had meant to raise the issue before the New Year, but got so angry about Su Changgui borrowing money that she’d put it off until now. Yesterday, she had gone with some coworkers to see the big new houses they had bought and felt a bit envious. That only made her more irritated when she saw Su Changgui later, which led to the outburst.

Su Changgui also knew there were new homes being sold in the county—lots of people from the school had already bought some.

But he had never concerned himself with household matters, so he hadn’t paid much attention.

Gao Hong said, “I talked to my parents. They’ll pay half so we can buy a big house this time.”

Su Changgui muttered, “Isn’t it a bit much to let your parents pay for the house?”

“What’s wrong with that? It’s your fault for being so useless.”

Hearing this, Su Changgui kept his mouth shut.

“Anyway, I’ve made up my mind—we’re buying. The first batch of houses has already been handed over. It’s hard to even get into the second batch. I’ve asked my dad to pull some strings so we can get in.”

Su Changgui nodded silently.

He didn’t even have a say in his own home. Compared to his older brother, his life was really quite miserable.

After moving into the new house, Su Changrong planned to buy a tricycle. Not only would it help with transporting goods, it would make commuting to the store much easier.

That morning, over breakfast, he told Sun Qiufang about his plan. Now that they were running two shops, they had stopped selling breakfast, and life was much easier than before.

When he mentioned buying a vehicle, Su Min immediately agreed. With two stores in two different districts, commuting every day by public transport was a hassle.

Even Sun Qiufang didn’t object this time. They had already bought the house, and there weren’t any big expenses coming up. Buying a vehicle seemed reasonable.

“Take Sun Hai with you and see if he wants to buy one too. He’s about to open a store over there, and it’s a pain for him and Mengmeng to walk everywhere. He’s not in good shape to ride a bicycle—getting a tricycle would be easier.”

“Alright, I’ll find him tomorrow when I go.”

Grandma Sun muttered, “Why is Changrong always the one worrying about things? Hai’s already a grown man—let him figure it out himself.”

As they were talking, there was a knock at the door.

“Who’s coming over so early?”

Sun Qiufang opened the door and saw Sun Hai, drenched in sweat. “Sis, come help me check on Mengmeng—she doesn’t look so good.”

Hearing that, Sun Qiufang immediately grew anxious. “I’ll be right there.”

Su Changrong stood up. “What’s going on?”

Sun Hai said, “I don’t know. She’s been in the bathroom throwing up and won’t come out.” With that, he hurried back. Su Min also rushed downstairs behind Sun Qiufang to check on Li Meng.

Since Li Meng was in the bathroom, Su Changrong figured it wasn’t convenient for him to go.

After Sun Hai and Sun Qiufang left, Grandma Sun was still thinking about what her son had said. “Throwing up non-stop… could it be…?” She smiled at the thought but didn’t say it aloud, in case she was wrong and ended up embarrassing herself.

Downstairs, Li Meng was still leaning over, vomiting continuously.

Sun Qiufang knocked several times before Li Meng finally rinsed her mouth and came to open the door.

Seeing how pale she looked, Sun Qiufang asked, “What’s wrong?”

Sun Hai quickly stepped forward to support her. “She started this morning while brushing her teeth.”

Li Meng shook her head weakly. “I just feel dizzy and nauseous, but nothing comes out.”

Hearing this, Sun Qiufang lit up and smiled. “Could you be pregnant?”

When Sun Qiufang made her guess, both Sun Hai and Li Meng froze for a moment, then blushed. Li Meng whispered, “That can’t be, I just got my period a few days ago.”

Sun Hai also nodded in agreement.

Sun Qiufang replied, “That just shows how little you two know.”

She was about to say more when she noticed her daughter still standing behind her. She quickly added, “Aiya, what are you doing here, kid? Go back and eat your breakfast, get to school. Don’t listen in on adult matters.”

Hearing the obvious disdain in her tone, Su Min felt a bit awkward.

She had come over sincerely to help, yet ended up being scolded.

She pouted, “Fine, I’m going to school now.”

Once Su Min left, Sun Qiufang pulled Li Meng into the room to question her further, leaving Sun Hai outside. After waiting a good while, Sun Qiufang finally came out with a thoroughly blushing Li Meng.

“Sis, what’s going on?” Sun Hai asked.

“We don’t know for sure yet. I’ll take Mengmeng to the hospital today to get checked. You’re so careless, I don’t even want to count on you anymore,” she scolded.

Sun Hai said, “I’ll come too.” His wife was sick—how could he even think about doing business right now?

When they got home, Grandma Sun immediately asked excitedly whether it was good news.

“We need to go to the hospital first for a proper checkup. I can’t say for sure yet,” said Sun Qiufang, and then informed Su Changrong that they’d be opening the store later today.

After Su Changrong left, Grandma Sun muttered, “Why do you still need to go to the hospital? You’ve been pregnant before—shouldn’t you know?”

“It’s just that those two are so close. We don’t know if it’s her period or spotting.”

Even at her age, Grandma Sun blushed hearing that.

After tidying up at home, Sun Qiufang took Li Meng to the hospital’s obstetrics and gynecology department for an exam.

A while later, when they came out, both Sun Hai and Li Meng had their heads lowered, too shy to say anything.

Sun Qiufang sighed, “Young people need to be more careful. You two got lucky this time—if not, the baby is already more than two months old. Don’t you realize how risky it’s been all this time?”

“Got it, Sis,” Sun Hai replied, still embarrassed but also bursting with joy.

He was going to be a father. What a wonderful thing! Soon, he’d have a child of his own.

Li Meng being pregnant was another big happy event for the family, following the house purchase.

Grandma Sun couldn’t stop grinning every day, wishing the baby would grow faster and be born soon so she could hold her grandchild.

She also thought about how her leg would be healed in a few months—then she could help take care of the baby. The thought filled her with satisfaction.

She had helped raise her eldest son’s two kids, and now she would help raise her youngest son’s child. Her life would feel complete.

Thinking of her eldest son, Grandma Sun began to worry about him again.

She found an opportunity to ask Sun Hai, “Has your big brother come to the city yet? Have you seen him?”

Sun Hai replied, “Mom, this county town isn’t that small. It’s not that easy to just run into someone.”

“Ai, I’m just worried. They just got to the city, bringing two kids along. Who knows if they’ve found a place to stay yet, or if the kids are suffering. The adults are making things up as they go, dragging the kids through hardship. What’s the point?”

Sun Hai understood that the old lady was worried about her grandkids. She had practically raised his big brother’s kids herself, and her bond with them was no weaker than with her own children.

He said, “I’ll find some time to look for them. Maybe they just haven’t come out much.”

“Your sister-in-law’s the stubborn type—she does what she says she’ll do. If she said she was moving here, then she’ll definitely come. Your brother couldn’t stop her even if he tried.”

Hearing Grandma Sun sighing, Sun Hai felt uneasy too. Who knew what was really going on with his big brother and sister-in-law?

At that moment, Sun Bing and Zhang Guihua were on West Street, searching everywhere for work.

They had come out looking for jobs, but they were older, had no education, and weren’t registered as city residents. They couldn’t find work anywhere.

They could find street-cleaning jobs, but Zhang Guihua felt that wasn’t respectable and was worried that if Sun Qiufang or Sun Hai saw them doing that, they’d lose face. So even after more than half a month, they still hadn’t found work.

With rent due in a few days and money going out with none coming in, both of them were getting anxious.

Sun Bing said, “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have rented that kind of place.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Zhang Guihua snapped, glaring at him. “It’s just rent. It’s not like we’re broke. What, you want us to live under a bridge?”

Over the years, back in the village, the two of them had scrimped and saved, managing to put away some money. And since many factory workers had bought homes, small worker housing units were being rented out cheaply.

After looking at one of those units, Zhang Guihua gritted her teeth and rented one.

Even though all four of them were crammed into a single room, Zhang Guihua was very satisfied with the arrangement. That tiny space was more precious than a whole mountain back in the village.

Even if they couldn’t find work now, Zhang Guihua didn’t believe they couldn’t survive. No matter what, she was determined to stay in the city. She didn’t want Sun Qiufang and Sun Hai to become rich while she and Sun Bing were still struggling in the village.