Chapter 16: “How Dare You Curse Your Own Father?”
Old Madam Su glared fiercely at Su Xiaoman. “Children shouldn’t meddle in grown-ups’ business!”
Old Man Su tapped his tobacco pipe and declared, “That’s settled. Yongshi will compensate Su He with a bicycle. This matter is over and done with. No one is allowed to bring it up again.”
Su He hesitated, then took out a receipt.
“Grandpa, Second Uncle actually sold me the bike earlier and took 150 yuan. So… what should we do about that?”
Old Man Su had studied in a private school for a couple of years, so he recognized quite a few characters. He nodded. “I’ll head to the county myself when I have time and get your money back.”
Su He nodded. “I’ll listen to Grandpa.”
Su He felt pretty pleased with herself. Not only did she get a bicycle for free, but she’d also gained 150 yuan.
If Su Yongshi found out he had to pay 150 yuan on top of losing the bike, he’d probably be furious enough to drop dead.
Su He then had Su Yongguo drag out a burlap sack. Opening it, she started taking things out.
Six bolts of cotton cloth, four cans of baby formula, five jin of white sugar, two jin of brown sugar, two jin of milk candy, a bucket of soybean oil, ten jin of refined flour, and ten jin of millet.
Oh, and the bag of pastries and half a jin of fruit candy bought by Cao Hongmei.
Everyone was stunned speechless.
Zhao Cui’er’s voice trembled. “Su He, w-where did all this come from?”
This time, Old Madam Su didn’t even mention her ten yuan, because these supplies were clearly worth far more than that.
Su He smiled. “I bought them with the money and ration tickets I brought back from the Shen family. Originally, I was going to save it all for the future. But I’ve changed my mind, so I bought these things instead.”
Old Madam Su, for once, looked at her kindly. “Su He, I was wrong about you before. You’re such a thoughtful, good child.”
Su He was secretly amused. Money really does make the world go round.
Just look at how blatantly her biased grandmother had changed her tune!
Still, these supplies had all come from the coins on Su Xiaoman’s shuttlecock. So in a way, she was just redistributing wealth back to the people.
Su Xiaoman swallowed hard. Maybe her bad-tempered big sister wasn’t so bad after all.
Su He divided the cotton, baby formula, and milk candy into two portions—one for Old Madam Su, and the other for Zhao Cui’er.
Zhao Cui’er hesitated. In their household, all the goods were usually handled by Old Madam Su.
But in the end, she accepted it.
The matchmaking incident had stirred something in her. For the sake of her two daughters, she needed to toughen up.
Old Man Su tapped his pipe again. “Time to eat!”
Everyone had been in a bad mood earlier, but Su He’s interruption had eased the tension.
Plus, dinner was good tonight. Everyone ate heartily—especially Su Xiaoman, who looked like a little mouse that had fallen into a rice jar, her mouth shiny with oil.
Just then, the front gate creaked open.
Everyone in the Su family looked toward the door—and their faces all turned sour.
Old Man Su had three sons and one daughter: the eldest Su Yongguo, the second Su Yongshi, the youngest Su Yongzhen, and their daughter Su Yufen.
It was Su Yongzhen and his family of three at the door.
Once upon a time, Old Madam Su and Old Man Su had doted on Su Yongzhen. But he had broken their hearts.
Because he had married into the accountant’s family in Zhangjia Village!
In Huangxi Village, that was the ultimate disgrace!
Worse still, five years ago, Old Madam Su fell gravely ill. Old Man Su went to borrow money from Su Yongzhen—but not only did he return empty-handed, he also got mocked by his daughter-in-law Zhang Lianxiang.
Su Yongzhen had even tried to dissuade him: “Dad, Mom’s illness can’t be cured at the hospital anyway. Why waste the money?”
Old Man Su nearly fainted from anger!
From that day forward, he considered that son as good as dead.
Later, when Old Madam Su recovered, Su Yongzhen had the nerve to show up a few times—but each time, Old Man Su drove him out with a stick.
And now they dared show up again?
Su Yongzhen and Zhang Lianxiang came in full of apologies—saying they had been foolish and selfish before, but they realized their mistakes now.
They even pushed their son Zhang Xiaohu forward: “Quick, call Grandpa and Grandma!”
But instead of greeting anyone, Zhang Xiaohu shouted nonstop: “I want meat! I want meat!”
Old Man Su and Old Madam Su still couldn’t bear to be cruel to the child.
Old Madam Su picked him up and set him on a stool, fishing out meat for him with her chopsticks.
Su Xiaoman rolled her eyes. Thank goodness she’d eaten already—otherwise this little brat would’ve hogged all the food!
Su Yongzhen and Zhang Lianxiang exchanged a glance. Su Yongzhen said, “Dad, Mom, we heard Su He went on a blind date in the county? With the son of the deputy director of the textile factory? With a marriage like that, our Su family’s going to be doing well!”
Old Man Su instantly understood. These two were here to cozy up because of the matchmaking!
He trembled with rage. “The match fell through. There’s no benefit to be had. Now get lost!”
Su Yongzhen looked incredulous. “Fell through? But I heard from Yongshi’s mother-in-law that it was a done deal?”
“Don’t you understand plain speech? I said it fell through. Now scram! Get out of here!”
Only now did Su Yongzhen notice Su He and Zhao Cui’er’s red eyes. They had clearly been crying.
Zhang Lianxiang saw it too, and sneered. “I said it from the start—how could a factory director’s son ever go for some country girl who’d been taken by a wild man? A girl like her? No one even wants her in the countryside—”
SMACK!
Zhao Cui’er slapped Zhang Lianxiang hard across the face.
“Shut that filthy mouth of yours! Say one more word and I’ll rip it off!”
A woman may be gentle, but motherhood makes her fierce. Even mild-mannered Zhao Cui’er showed her claws when her daughter was insulted.
Old Madam Su was shaking with rage too. She grabbed a fire poker and started swinging at Zhang Lianxiang.
She might be biased—but no one was allowed to smear Su He’s name in front of her!
Zhang Lianxiang shrieked and bolted out the door, with Su Yongzhen scooping up their son and fleeing too.
Outside the gate, Zhang Lianxiang shouted:
“Am I wrong? Su Su He was taken by a wild man! She is unwanted trash!
Zhao Cui’er, you barren old hen, serves you right to be childless!
How dare you hit me! Just wait—I’ll have my revenge!
My dad is the village accountant—once he says the word, there’ll be plenty of people to back me up!
If I don’t smash the Su household to pieces today, my name’s not Zhang Lianxiang!”
Su He’s eyes turned icy cold. She grabbed the fire poker from Old Madam Su and charged!
Zhang Lianxiang saw the murderous look in Su He’s eyes and panicked. She turned to run—only to trip over a rock and fall flat on her face.
Su He gave her a good thrashing. “Oh, you can lay eggs? Go on then, lay one for me!
You can insult me all you want—but you dare say our Huangxi Village lives off your Zhangjia Village’s charity?
How dare you slander us like that? You think we’re so easy to bully?
My mom’s slap was too light. Trash like you, stirring up division between villages, deserves to be locked in a cage!”
The crowd that had gathered erupted. These days, village pride still ran deep.
Sure, they took relief grain—but it came from the government, not Zhangjia Village!
Even old Mrs. Liu from next door, who usually delighted in gossip, was furious.
She spat at Zhang Lianxiang. “You shameless thing! So what if your dad’s the accountant? My daughter works at the supply co-op!
Calling someone barren—your dad doesn’t have a son either!
You unfilial wretch—how dare you curse your own father?!”
Su He: …She hadn’t expected that old lady to be so cute!
