RGL – Chapter 99

After a while, Su Min and Liao Zhaodi came back carrying steaming bowls of wontons. As soon as they reached the entrance of the shop, they saw clothes scattered all over the ground. Sun Yan was squatting and crying as she picked things up.

The two of them panicked at the sight. “What happened?!”

Sun Yan, still crying, looked up when she saw the two had returned and said, “Minzi, you’re finally back. Someone just came and made trouble.”

Her voice still carried lingering fear.

It turned out that shortly after Su Min and the others left, a few young women came into the shop. Sun Yan thought they were customers and went over to greet them, but two of them suddenly grabbed her while the others began smashing things in the shop. Some of the clothes were even slashed with scissors. She was so terrified she didn’t know what to do, and with someone holding her down, she was helpless. By the time she came to her senses, the women were already gone.

“Who would do something so wicked?” Liao Zhaodi was furious, her eyes turning red with anger.

Su Min was also very angry, but she was more composed than the other two and quickly calmed down. Regardless of who did it, the first thing to do was report it to the police. “Don’t touch anything for now. I’ll call the police.”

Upon hearing this, Sun Yan stopped moving the things on the floor.

After a while, two uniformed police officers arrived. They looked around at the mess and listened to Sun Yan’s account, then took a report.

“You don’t even know who they were, and now they’ve disappeared. This kind of case is hard to handle. Just be on alert for the next few days, and let us know if anything else happens.”

“Got it. Thank you for your help,” Su Min said, escorting them to the door.

Once the police left, Su Min joined Sun Yan and Liao Zhaodi in tidying up the place. Many of the clothes that had been hung up were damaged and could no longer be sold. They had to bring out the sample clothes again for display. For the ones with no samples left, Liao Zhaodi and Sun Yan did their best to patch them up.

By the time everything was cleaned up, it was almost dark.

Because of this incident, they barely made any sales that afternoon and lost a lot of time. Sun Yan was both scared and angry. As they closed the shop, she kept complaining, “Who could be so cruel? It’s not like we offended anyone. Why would they do this to us? I even went outside to look—only our shop was vandalized.”

Su Min was puzzled too. She hadn’t offended anyone in the city either—why was their shop targeted?

And it was clearly deliberate—this wasn’t random. But their shop wasn’t even that eye-catching, so why had it been singled out?

Back home, Su Min told Sun Qiufang and the others about what had happened.

When she heard that her daughter’s shop had been trashed, Sun Qiufang became anxious. “Are you hurt? Did they hit anyone? Was Zhaodi or Yanyan harmed?”

“No, they didn’t hit anyone, just smashed up the shop.”

“Sigh, as long as you’re all okay.” Su Changrong sighed. “The environment in the city really isn’t as simple as in the county.”

With a worried look, Sun Qiufang added, “Even your dad’s shop has had trouble lately. Someone came claiming to collect some kind of fee and even threatened to smash the place. We never had problems like this back in the county. Like they say—when the forest is big, all kinds of birds show up.”

“Dad’s shop too? What about the others—are we the only ones being targeted?”

Sun Qiufang said, “They don’t collect from the locals. They said since your dad and I are from out of town, we have to pay. We don’t even know what’s going on. They came a few times and then stopped. No idea if they’ll come back again.”

Su Changrong said, “It’s fine. We’re doing honest business. If they come again, I won’t let it slide.”

Su Min warned, “Dad, don’t try to fight them. If they show up in numbers, you’ll be the one to suffer.”

Sun Qiufang said worriedly, “That’s what I’ve been thinking. Like they say, money can ward off disaster. We can’t win in a fight against people with knives. Sometimes you just have to bow your head.”

That’s just how it is when you run a business—you have to swallow your pride sometimes.

After the shop was vandalized, things quieted down for a while. A few police officers had come by now and then, but when things stayed calm, they stopped showing up.

But a few days later, while Su Min and Liao Zhaodi were at school, the shop was attacked again. Since it was Monday, there weren’t many customers. Sun Yan ran out to call for help, but no one dared to step in. By the time someone was willing to help, the culprits had already fled.

Left with no choice, Sun Yan closed the shop and went to the school to find Su Min and Zhaodi.

When she heard the attackers had come again, Su Min was furious. “This is outrageous!” She was angry, but she knew there wasn’t much they could do. It was easy to guard against an open attack, but sneak attacks were a different story. There was no surveillance footage, and once the culprits ran, there was no way to catch them.

The police came again, but once more, there were no leads.

Su Min had no choice. She was worried Sun Yan might get hurt being alone, so she decided to temporarily close the shop. They would reopen over the weekend when everyone could be there together and guard against troublemakers.

Though Sun Yan was reluctant, she knew safety came first. She closed the shop with a heavy heart, silently cursing those troublemakers’ ancestors.

It was as if those people had timed it perfectly—during the two weeks Su Min and Liao Zhaodi were at the shop, no one came to cause trouble. Even when Su Min was taking her final exams, there had been no sign of them.

After finals, Su Min brought her homework and review materials to the shop.

There was still inventory left, and with the New Year approaching, Su Min decided to offer everything at a 50% discount to clear stock and avoid losses.

As soon as the half-off sale was announced, many people preparing to buy clothes for the New Year came to check it out.

Sun Yan sighed, “If it weren’t for what happened before, we would’ve already stocked new styles by now.”

Su Min knew she was feeling discouraged. Everything had been going well and they’d been making good money, but the disturbances had cost them time and income. She patted Sun Yan on the shoulder and said, “When I go back to the county for New Year, I’ll visit the San Ye factory for supply. Let’s restock early after the holidays.”

Liao Zhaodi also said, “Yeah, don’t overthink it. We just do what we need to do for now. As long as things are resolved, that’s what matters.”

After spending more than a week clearing out most of the clothes in the shop, Su Min shut the place down, preparing to go home for the New Year.

Sun Yan still had to return to the county for the New Year. Even though she had argued with her family, that was still her home. Besides, Qiangzi was still in the county — she had to check in on how he was doing. Whether or not he was being bullied, she had to show her presence.

Zhaodi, on the other hand, didn’t want to go back. Her sister wasn’t in their hometown anymore, and she had fallen out with her mother as well. Now she didn’t want to go back to either place.

“If only I knew where my sister and her husband were. Then we could spend New Year’s together.”

Thinking about the two of them, who had been missing for more than half a year, made Liao Zhaodi feel a pang of sorrow.

Su Min said, “Why don’t you spend the New Year at our place? It’s just me and my parents — not many people. It’ll be livelier than being alone.”

Liao Zhaodi shook her head. “It’s fine. I’ll stay here in the city. I’ve got a place to live, and I’ll buy some good food and enjoy some quiet time reading.”

“You can’t spend New Year’s alone! I won’t be at ease if you’re here by yourself.” Su Min grabbed her arm. “Just celebrate with us. My dad’s going back to the village for New Year’s Eve, so it’ll just be me and my mom at home. It’ll be fun with all of us together.”

Liao Zhaodi pressed her lips together, then nodded. “Okay.”

This year, because the family shop had just opened, Su Changrong wanted to do things properly, so they decided to stay in the city for the New Year. He planned to return to the county for a few days once things calmed down.

The old shop in the county followed the usual schedule — closed from New Year’s Eve to the third day of the new year. As for the shop in the city, Su Changrong planned to keep it open until the second day and then take a break from the third to the sixth.

Still, no matter how busy things got, Su Changrong had to go back to the countryside to pay a visit.

Sun Qiufang and Su Min didn’t go back, but they asked Su Changrong to stop by Su Lan’s house and drop off some gifts.

Su Changrong was used to his wife and daughter not coming along anymore. In fact, he preferred it that way. Every time they went back, the hometown folks would gossip, and his wife and daughter weren’t the kind to put up with that — it would always end in a row. Better to go alone, deliver the gifts, check in on the elders, and get back quickly.

On New Year’s Eve, Su Changrong set off early in the morning. Back home, only Sun Qiufang and the two children remained.

The shop was still open, so Sun Qiufang had to stay to watch over things. After all, unlike the county, the workers in the city weren’t particularly reliable.

Su Min and Liao Zhaodi cooked at home, and once the food was ready, they brought it to the supermarket for Sun Qiufang.

Although the new shop had only just opened, it was well-stocked, so business was doing quite well. Especially during the New Year season — with many locals living nearby, they came here to buy all their New Year’s gifts. On New Year’s Eve morning, things were so busy that they couldn’t keep up. It only quieted down by midday.

Su Min laughed and said, “Our shop is finally off the ground. Back then you told my dad that if we really opened a store in the city, you’d follow his lead from then on.”

Sun Qiufang chuckled as she ate, “When have I not followed his lead? He’s in charge of everything big and small. It’s just this time I didn’t go back for New Year’s. I’m really done with it — if we go back and end up fighting again, what’s the point?”

She was finally living a good life now and wanted to enjoy it. Why go back just to suffer?

In the afternoon, business slowed down, so Sun Qiufang gave the workers the rest of the day off and stayed with the two kids to watch the store.

“Zhaodi.”

While Sun Qiufang was organizing a shelf, someone at the door called out Zhaodi’s name. She looked outside and saw Zhu Qiang and Zhang Hui standing at the entrance.

“Zhu Qiang, Zhang Hui, what brings you here?” she hurried out and called inside, “Minzi, Zhaodi, come out quickly!”

When Zhang Hui heard Zhaodi was really inside, her eyes turned red. “Qiufang, I came to bring Zhaodi home. She didn’t come back for her holiday, and now it’s New Year’s Eve. Zhu Qiang and I wanted to bring her home.”

Just as she finished speaking, Liao Zhaodi came out. Seeing the two of them, the smile on her face disappeared.

Zhang Hui’s heart lifted a bit when she saw her daughter. Of her three girls, this one had always been the most thoughtful. Even though she had married into the Zhu family and the child had become a burden, she still loved this one the most. It was just that sometimes, when Xiaobing acted out, she couldn’t handle it. This time, she had neglected her daughter.

“Zhaodi, your uncle and I came to take you home. Come spend New Year’s with us — we’ve even moved dinner to the evening just for you.”

“I’m not going back. That place isn’t my home anymore.”

Liao Zhaodi turned her face away. “I’ve already packed up my things. I never planned on going back. I’ll still be filial to you when I grow up, but I won’t return to that house.”

Zhu Qiang frowned. “Zhaodi, stop being so stubborn. While you were gone, your mom missed you every day. Be good. Let’s pack your things and go home for the New Year.”

“Uncle Zhu, please don’t try to persuade me. I really don’t want to go back. Just pretend I never left with my mom — that I stayed with my dad. Please, just leave me alone.”

She stubbornly looked away, clearly determined not to return.

Seeing her like this, Zhang Hui’s heart ached. “Why won’t you listen to us?”

Liao Zhaodi said nothing.

Sun Qiufang stood to the side, feeling awkward. She believed children should live with their parents, but these adults didn’t seem very dependable. Still, it was someone else’s family matter, and she couldn’t really intervene.

Seeing that Zhaodi still wouldn’t go back, Zhang Hui began to cry. “Are you really saying I’m no longer your mom?”

“Mom, it’s not that. I just want to live my own life now. You promised Xiaobing’s aunt that I’d marry him. Did you ever think about how I felt? Just so you could feel better, you basically sold me off. How can I trust you enough to live with you?”

Zhu Qiang’s face darkened. “You said that to the child?” he frowned. “How could you say such a thing to her?”

Zhang Hui panicked. Back then, she had only said that to make Zhaodi more tolerant of Zhu Xiaobing, hoping they’d get along better in the future. She never expected Zhaodi to be so against it.

“Zhaodi, Mom only did it for your own good.”

“I don’t care if it’s good or not. I don’t like it. You and Uncle Zhu should just go home — I’m not going back.”

Because of the situation, Zhu Qiang felt his face burn with embarrassment and let out a heavy sigh, choosing to stay silent.

Zhang Hui kept trying to explain but could only repeat, “It’s for your own good.” Zhaodi didn’t want to hear it and went back inside.

Seeing Zhaodi like this, Zhang Hui had no choice but to turn to Sun Qiufang. “Qiufang, can you help me talk to her?”

Sun Qiufang said, “What can I say? Kids have their own minds now. Even if my Minzi has a problem, I can’t talk her out of it.”

Besides, she didn’t want to persuade her. What would be the point — to send her back to be a child bride for Zhu Xiaobing? At her age, once Zhaodi finished high school, she could fully support herself. There was no need to return to the Zhu family and suffer. If she really went back, Zhang Hui probably wouldn’t let her attend college.

Zhang Hui, upset, took a few shaky breaths.

Feeling ashamed, Zhu Qiang said goodbye to Sun Qiufang and pulled Zhang Hui away to catch the bus home.

Watching them leave, Su Min understood that after this confrontation, Zhang Hui and Zhaodi would likely drift even further apart. It was unlikely they’d ever come looking for her again during future holidays.

Zhaodi, thankfully, bounced back quickly. Her mood soured fast but lifted just as fast. By the time they were helping pack up the supermarket around 5 p.m., she was chatting and laughing with Su Min again.

Sun Qiufang had just locked up the store and was preparing to take the two kids home to wrap dumplings for their midnight snack when she saw a weary-looking Su Changrong walking toward them.

“Why is it always like this whenever you go back?”

There was a trace of amusement in Sun Qiufang’s voice, as though she had expected it.

Su Changrong pressed his lips together awkwardly. “Let’s go home. I’m starving.” He hadn’t even managed to eat a proper meal before coming back.

Once they got home, Sun Qiufang told the kids to watch TV while she and Su Changrong prepared dinner. The house already had some meat buns prepared. After steaming two and filling his stomach, Su Changrong finally felt like talking.

“You were right not to go back this year. I almost lost my temper today.”

It turned out that Su Changrong had set out early that morning and arrived in town around noon after several transfers. Su Changgui and Shao Yun were already there, but due to past grievances, neither side greeted the other. Su Changgui had gone to see Grandma Su, who was still bedridden, and she didn’t smile at anyone. Su Changrong ignored him and was about to say a few words before heading off to find Grandpa Su, but then Grandma Su unexpectedly called out to him.