RGL – Chapter 61

She muttered to herself, then said to Su Changfu, “If Eldest Brother comes back this year, don’t fight with him again. I heard Su Lan is getting her goods through him. Not only does she have more stock than us, the prices are even lower. If we maintain a good relationship with him, maybe he’ll help us negotiate lower prices too.”

Hearing this, Su Changfu’s face darkened. “If you hadn’t brought that up, I’d have forgotten. Helping Su Lan steal our business. If not for that, we could’ve made more money.”

Ever since Su Lan opened a small shop at the station, their family’s business hadn’t been as good as before. Just thinking about it made him fume.

Li Yulan quickly said, “Enough. Every time you go head-to-head with Su Changrong, has he ever backed down? If things really get bad between us, and he cuts us off, we’ll get nothing in the future.”

With her reasoning, although Su Changfu was still annoyed, he wasn’t as agitated anymore and sat aside sulking.

When Su Changrong and Su Changgui’s families arrived, they saw Su Changfu sitting at the door packing up the stall. His face showed no sign of holiday cheer.

“Changfu,” Su Changrong called out.

Hearing the voice, Su Changfu turned around and saw both his brothers’ families arriving. Though he was still bitter toward them, it was the New Year, and he didn’t show it on his face. He stood up and said, “You’re back? Come inside.” Then he called into the house, “Yulan, Eldest Brother and Third Brother are back.”

Li Yulan heard him and quickly came out from the kitchen, smiling as she greeted them. “Big Brother’s back, come in and sit down. The food is almost ready.” She also forced a smile at Su Changgui’s family. “Come in and have a seat.”

Su Changgui nodded. Seeing the forced smile on her face, he didn’t say much. Honestly, he wasn’t particularly eager to come back for the New Year either. But after what had happened with Gao Hong, he had lost face in his own household. So this year, he brought her back with him to show everyone that he was still the man of the house—to regain some dignity in front of his brothers and parents.

Once they were inside, Grandma Su and Grandpa Su also came out.

Seeing Gao Hong and Su Wenwen back, Grandpa Su breathed a sigh of relief, smiling as he invited them to sit. He told Li Yulan to pour tea and bring out peanuts and sunflower seeds.

Grandma Su sat off to the side with a sour expression, but considering Gao Hong’s powerful family background, she refrained from saying anything harsh.

Gao Hong, as usual, brought her things straight to the room she used to stay in. But as soon as she opened the door, she saw it had been turned into a storage room. Her face darkened immediately. She put her luggage down and stormed downstairs to find Li Yulan. “What happened to that room?”

Li Yulan was serving tea to Su Changrong. Hearing this, she forced a smile and apologized, “I thought you weren’t coming back this year. I didn’t get the chance to clean it up yet.”

Gao Hong was already full of resentment and didn’t dare vent it on Su Changgui. Now this incident was the last straw. She snapped, face full of anger, “You think I wanted to come back? If Su Changgui hadn’t insisted, I wouldn’t have stepped foot in this dump!”

Grandma Su was furious as soon as she heard that. She had been holding back a bit out of respect for Gao Hong’s family, but this daughter-in-law was getting out of hand. “What now? We’ve been working all day at home and you can’t clean up yourself? Still think you’re some noble guest that needs to be waited on hand and foot? If you were really so high and mighty, then why did you act like two hundred yuan was your lifeline? Demanding money during the New Year—how shameless!”

Just thinking about that incident made Grandma Su boil with rage.

Gao Hong’s face turned green with anger from the harsh words. She grabbed Su Wenwen and turned to leave.

Su Changgui’s expression hardened. “Get back here! You trying to get divorced?”

Hearing those words, Gao Hong froze mid-step. After standing still for a moment, she turned around and shot Su Changgui a hateful glare, then dragged Su Wenwen upstairs to tidy up the room.

Su Changrong didn’t say a word as he watched. His wife had warned him: no matter what happened at home—even if the roof caved in—he wasn’t allowed to intervene.

After Gao Hong went upstairs, Grandma Su quickly pulled her third son aside. “Old Third, what’s going on with Gao Hong? She actually listens to you now. And what was that talk about divorce? Let me tell you, even if I curse her out, you are not getting a divorce. Her family in the county has influence—if you divorce her, where else will you find a wife like that?”

She wasn’t stupid. Even though her third daughter-in-law had done little for the Su family, she was still one of their own and might come in handy someday. Besides, if the third son wanted to live well in the city, he’d need someone to support him.

Su Changgui pursed his lips. “Her dad’s been thrown in jail. She relies on me now. She has to listen to whatever I say.”

“In jail?!” Grandma Su exclaimed in shock.

There hadn’t been many arrests in recent years—those old days when people got imprisoned for political reasons were mostly gone. To hear that Gao Hong’s father had been jailed was a major bombshell to her.

Grandpa Su also frowned. “How’d he end up in jail?” That in-law of theirs had seemed like someone impressive. He used to think the Su family had gotten lucky marrying into such a family. Now the man was behind bars?

Times really were changing fast.

“He wouldn’t be in jail if he hadn’t done something shady,” Su Changgui said bluntly. He glanced at Su Changrong, who didn’t seem upset, so he left it at that. After all, the matter involved the eldest branch of the family too, and he didn’t want to stir up more trouble. Best to keep quiet.

Whatever he did, going to jail meant it was something disgraceful.

Grandma Su made a mental note of this. Thinking about how Gao Hong had just thrown a tantrum, she curled her lip and said, “That woman’s got some nerve. Her family’s done something shameful, and she still dares to act so uppity in our house. What does she think she is—a pampered princess?”

Grandpa Su could only sigh again and again.

On the side, Su Changfu and Li Yulan wore expressions of barely concealed schadenfreude. Gao Hong’s family never helped them anyway, so whether the Gao family thrived or fell meant nothing to them.

Because of this whole incident, the atmosphere during the New Year’s Eve lunch was completely different from previous years.

Grandma Su and Grandpa Su were in sour moods. Su Changgui ate silently, and Gao Hong sat stiffly, her face expressionless.

Li Yulan poured wine for Su Changrong several times and told Su Changfu to drink more with him. Su Changrong wasn’t used to being treated so warmly and felt a little awkward, but still accepted it.

After a while, Grandpa Su finally asked Su Changrong how business was going.

When Su Changrong said he’d opened another large store in the city, Grandpa Su’s expression finally eased a bit. One son struggling was fine—as long as another was doing well, the family would still be alright.

Judging by the way things were going, the eldest son’s household was doing the best out of the three.

He raised his cup and toasted with Su Changrong.

Grandma Su added, “Business might be going well, but don’t forget to help out Changfu and the others. Business in town isn’t like it used to be. If you can help, just lend a hand.” Her tone this time was softer than in previous years.

Since the third son’s family couldn’t be relied on anymore, the eldest son’s success was now the family’s main hope. There were still plenty of things the family might need his help with, so they couldn’t afford to stir up trouble with him again.

Su Changrong took a sip of wine but gave no reply.

“Mom, this doesn’t taste good. I don’t want to eat anymore. I want to go back to the room,” Su Wenwen suddenly said, pouting.

Gao Hong was just about to speak when Grandma Su snapped, “It’s the New Year, how can it not taste good? Only you have such a picky mouth. Isn’t Cancan eating just fine? Little girl acting all delicate like she’s some precious gem.”

“Old lady, why are you yelling at a child?” Gao Hong shielded her daughter and glared at Grandma Su.

“I’m her grandma! Why can’t I yell? Just look at what kind of child you raised. Two years ago, she falsely accused Minzi of stealing money, and now she’s nitpicking the New Year’s meal. What a brat!”

“How can you curse people like that? That’s so uncivilized!” Gao Hong shouted as she stood up, preparing to take Su Wenwen back to their room.

Hearing Gao Hong raise her voice, Grandma Su also stood up. “I’m uncivilized? Like your parents are any better? If your father was so refined, how’d he end up in jail? Our Su family has never had a convict in generations. What rotten luck for us to end up with in-laws like yours.”

Hearing Grandma Su bring up her father’s imprisonment, Gao Hong glared at Su Changgui, her eyes red with humiliation. She hadn’t expected him to spread the news around. Her face burned with shame, and she suddenly had no strength to argue back.

Grandma Su, seeing that Gao Hong had no comeback, grew smug and added, “All these years, you only gave our Changgui a girl. I never said anything. If you two just live well, fine. But if not, I’ll have Changgui divorce you and find someone else—maybe even get a big, healthy grandson out of it.”

Gao Hong was on the verge of tears. She looked at Su Changgui, who kept silently eating, and cried out, “Su Changgui, I’m being cursed like this—aren’t you going to say anything?”

Su Changgui turned to look at her. “What my mom said is true. You need to rein it in. Everyone at the table is eating the same food—why can’t Wenwen eat it? If you hadn’t spoiled the kid, maybe your dad wouldn’t have ended up in prison.”

Hearing this, Grandma Su caught on to something. So it was the third daughter-in-law and granddaughter who got their in-law into trouble? She gritted her teeth. “Not just a money pit, but a bringer of misfortune too.”

Su Changrong, sitting nearby, found all this unpleasant to hear. On top of that, it was supposed to be New Year’s Eve. Why was it always so noisy and quarrelsome? He couldn’t help but say, “Mom, let’s eat first. We’ll talk after the meal.”

Grandpa Su also chimed in, “Enough, let’s eat properly.”

After a few words from Su Changrong and Grandpa Su, Grandma Su finally dialed it back. She snorted heavily and sat down to continue eating.

Only Gao Hong and Su Wenwen remained standing, silent, their eyes brimming with tears.

Grandpa Su glanced over and felt it was a bad omen. “Third daughter-in-law, go back to your room and rest.”

Gao Hong bit her lip and held back her tears, then took Wenwen upstairs.

Watching the two go up, Su Changrong silently shook his head. What goes around comes around. Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west.

After the New Year’s Eve meal, Su Changrong told Grandpa Su that he planned to return to the city for New Year’s night.

Since Sun Qiufang and Su Min hadn’t come home this year, Grandpa Su had already guessed it would be like last year. He was prepared for it. Hearing that Su Changrong was leaving, he asked Su Changfu to go with him to the station and packed some homemade rice cakes and bean cakes for him.

Su Changrong quickly said, “I have everything I need at the supermarket over there. No need for this.”

Grandpa Su replied, “That’s yours over there. These were prepared by Changfu and Yulan for you. Take them back for Qiufang and Minzi. Homemade always tastes better than store-bought.” He sighed. “Now that Changfu’s business in town isn’t as good as it used to be, if you know any good opportunities, mention it to him. We’re not asking you to fork out money—just some advice.”

Hearing his father talk like that, Su Changrong felt conflicted. He did have issues with his second brother and parents, but deep down he couldn’t forget how they had raised him. When he was a kid, they weren’t particularly biased either. Though he felt resentment, he still remembered their kindness. Now that his father had said this much, he couldn’t outright refuse. He said, “Changfu’s running a small shop now. If he puts in more effort and starts delivering goods to nearby towns and villages by bike, that would open up new channels. If he just waits around for customers to come, there’s no guarantee they’ll pick his store. Business, big or small, requires initiative.”

Grandpa Su nodded, then turned to Su Changfu and said, “Listen to your big brother. Business is something you have to learn.”

Su Changfu reluctantly responded with a grunt.

Seeing his brother like this, Su Changrong couldn’t say anything more. He chatted with Grandpa Su for a bit, then went to the small shop run by Su Lan’s family at the station.

Because the Su family had fallen out with the Li family, they didn’t go over. Grandpa Su just took Su Changfu back home.

“Dad, why did you make me listen to big brother? What makes him so much better than me?”

So what if he’s doing well? He doesn’t even have a son to carry on the family line—he’ll die without an heir.

Grandpa Su’s face tightened, and he walked toward home with his hands behind his back. “Changrong’s only been in the city for just over three years, and he already built up a good business. Even if you look down on him, you can’t ignore his success. Don’t argue with him anymore—it won’t do you any good. If you brothers maintain good ties, you can help each other in the future. Right now, your mom and I are still around, so everyone comes home for New Year’s. But what happens when we’re gone? Are you all going to stop seeing each other?”

Though Su Changfu didn’t like it, he couldn’t deny the fact that Su Changrong’s life was better than his. Based on that alone, he had nothing to argue with.

At Su Lan’s house, Su Changrong didn’t stay long. After sitting for a bit, he handed out red envelopes to the kids, picked up some local goods from the Li family, and took the bus back to the county seat.

Back in town, Sun Qiufang and Su Min hadn’t been idle. With the shop closed on New Year’s Eve, they had lunch at Sun Hai’s house. Sun Yan hadn’t gone back either and was staying with them, so the whole family was lively.

After lunch, Sun Qiufang helped Sun Hai prepare for the New Year’s dinner, while Su Min and Sun Yan helped their grandmother make dumplings.

“Yanyan, you’re starting at the factory after the new year. Are you really not going to talk to your parents first?” Su Min asked as she made dumplings.

Sun Yan continued working and said, “I’ve been staying at my uncle’s house for this long, and no one’s come looking for me. They clearly want me to go back and apologize. But my mom is the type who never admits she’s wrong. If I go back, I’ll have to listen to her and go work at the restaurant.”

“Then how about asking your uncle if you can go back to school? See if they agree. That’d be better than working in a factory. You’ve made enough money these past few months to cover tuition.”

“I don’t want to go,” Sun Yan said, lowering her head. “I just want to earn my own money now.”

No money meant always living under someone else’s thumb—even her own parents couldn’t be relied on.

After a while, their grandmother secretly asked Su Min, “Well? Did you ask her?”

Su Min nodded and sighed. “Yeah, she said she doesn’t want to go back, doesn’t want to study, just wants to earn her own living.”

Her grandmother sighed too. “All because of those two wretched people.”

That evening, after Su Changrong came home, Sun Qiufang and Su Min returned as well, and the family of three had a reunion dinner.

After the meal, none of them went to bed right away. Su Changrong turned on the TV to watch the Spring Festival Gala.

Sun Qiufang brought out peanuts and sunflower seeds. “Did Changgui go back this year?”

“He did,” Su Changrong said as he shelled peanuts and recounted what had happened at home.

Hearing how chaotic things had gotten, Sun Qiufang said, “Can’t believe Gao Hong managed to hold her tongue. In the past, she would’ve stormed back to the city in a rage.”

“I was surprised too. But Changgui really went overboard today. No matter what, they’re still husband and wife. He didn’t stand up for her at all.”

“Neither of them is any good,” Sun Qiufang replied, leaning back on the sofa, eyes glued to the TV.

On the first day of the new year, Su Min and Su Changrong went to Sun Hai’s place with their family to pay respects to Grandma.