Chapter 71: The Joy of Fried Chicken and Cola
Su He wasn’t purely motivated by greed. Her main concern was that the Tian Wanchun couple would never treat Tie Zhu kindly. Once this incident blew over, they would surely come up with new ways to torment him.
Tie Zhu was just a child and couldn’t possibly outmaneuver them.
After weighing her options, she nodded. “Alright, I’ll be your guardian.”
Seeing the duck she was about to eat fly away, Liu Qiuju exploded!
“A yellow-haired brat like you wants to be a guardian? What a joke!
And you’re not even related to Tie Zhu—what right do you have to be his guardian?
So this is why you stuck your nose into my family’s business—you’re after the house!
You little wench must’ve had your eyes on our house from the start. I’m not letting this go…”
Tian Wanchun tried to play the good cop and said to the officer, “Tie Zhu’s just upset with us, that’s why he said something so impulsive. But this girl is way too young to be anyone’s guardian!”
Su He had been hesitant about the guardian issue, but the couple’s disgusting behavior made her resolve solid as steel.
She smiled. “Well, you two are just distant relatives—hardly close family.
Besides, while I’m too young to be a guardian, my second uncle and aunt are perfect candidates!
They’re official employees at the textile factory and only have one young son at home. Taking care of Tie Zhu would be no problem at all.”
The officers were clearly more inclined to support Su He. And ultimately, Tie Zhu’s wishes were the most important.
The decision was finalized: “Comrade Su He, please ask your second uncle and aunt to come. We’ll process the guardianship transfer on the spot.”
Back at home, when Su He explained the situation, Cao Hongmei was hesitant. “Xiao He, we’re already scraping by. Raising another half-grown boy? That’s a stretch!”
Su He looked at her and said plainly, “Raise him until he’s 18, and we get a three-room brick house.”
Cao Hongmei instantly sprang toward the door. “Hurry, I can’t wait to meet my future eldest son!”
Su He: “…”
During the paperwork process, Tie Zhu insisted that Su Yongshi and his wife only serve as guardians—he refused to be adopted.
The couple didn’t mind. They were only after the house, and they already had a son.
But Su He was feeling uneasy.
Because during the process, she finally learned Tie Zhu’s full name: Tian Beimuo.
Tian Beimuo?
He was, in a few years, going to be the most notorious delinquent in the county.
In the novel, Su Xiaoman got involved with Tian Beimuo, which led to burglary, deeper crime, and ultimately a path of no return.
Su He had no doubt this was the same person—after all, “Tian Beimuo” wasn’t exactly a common name like Zhang Wei or Wang Li.
The age matched, too.
And a key detail: the book had mentioned that Tian Beimuo had striking good looks, which was why Su Xiaoman was attracted to him.
Su He wished time could go backward—she’d have avoided this whole mess!
Wasn’t this basically inviting a wolf into her home?
Troubled, she walked home in a daze.
Cao Hongmei figured it was normal for a young girl like Su He to be stunned by such an enormous stroke of luck—after all, a three-room brick house had just landed in their laps!
Cao Hongmei could already imagine herself moving into a spacious, rent-free house. She was practically floating with joy.
As for whether Tian Wanchun and Liu Qiuju would try to stay put, she wasn’t worried at all.
First, the station would back them up. Second, she herself wasn’t someone to mess with—after all, she dared to argue alone with a whole gang led by Lü Xiaohua.
By the time they arrived at the house, Su He had come to terms with it.
What was done was done. No use dwelling on it—it was better to focus on finding a solution.
From what she’d seen, Tian Beimuo’s character seemed decent enough. Perhaps it was years of abuse that had twisted him, and with bad influence, he had gone down the wrong path.
With proper guidance, maybe he could be different.
Besides, keeping this “wolf cub” close meant she could keep an eye on him—and prevent him from dragging Su Xiaoman down again.
She truly didn’t want Su Xiaoman entangled with Tian Beimuo. It was better to sever that ill-fated tie now.
Thinking of this, she suddenly realized something she had completely overlooked.
Gu Chiyan wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the novel!
But then again, the book only focused on plot-relevant characters, so maybe it wasn’t strange that he didn’t appear—people like Old Man Ge, Technician He, and Teacher Yuan weren’t mentioned either.
The next day, Su He went with Su Yongshi and his wife to take possession of the house.
As soon as they arrived, Liu Qiuju erupted in curses and tried to refuse to move.
But Cao Hongmei came out swinging, scolding her relentlessly and even lifted Tie Zhu’s shirt.
“Everyone look! Tie Zhu’s back is covered in bruises, all from this wicked woman!
She not only took over his house but abused him too. She’s worse than an animal!
And you still have the nerve to squat here? If I were you, I’d go find a tofu brick to bash my head in…”
The onlookers felt their intelligence had been insulted. After all, they’d all been fooled by the couple for years!
They joined in cursing, especially the old lady who’d previously gossiped with Su He—she was hopping mad!
Su He looked coldly at the couple. “You used the title of guardians to avoid prosecution, but if you don’t leave now, you’ll be guilty of property invasion. Better watch out, or you’ll end up behind bars!”
Only then did the couple pack up and leave with their tails between their legs.
After inspecting the house, Cao Hongmei was troubled.
The layout was the same as their old house in Huangxi Village—two bedrooms on the east and west sides, with a kitchen in the middle.
Now the question was: how to divide the rooms?
Her family of three in one room, and Su He and Tie Zhu in the other?
Impossible!
Tie Zhu may be young, but he was still a boy.
If she shared a room with Su He, then the three men would be crammed into one room?
That wouldn’t do either!
Couples don’t sleep separately!
But Su He had already thought of a solution and smiled. “Auntie, you and uncle can take the east room. Let Jinbao and Tie Zhu share the west one.”
Cao Hongmei blinked. “What about you?”
“I won’t be staying in the county much. I’ll live in the flat I rented. I’ll pay the rent myself.”
“That’s… not ideal. It’s not very safe, either!”
Su He chuckled. “No worries, Old Man Ge and Auntie Qian will look after me. I’ll try it out for a while. If it doesn’t work, I’ll move back.”
Cao Hongmei was still uneasy, but without a better option, she agreed.
As Su He left, she pulled Su Jinbao aside. “From now on, besides watching your parents, you’ll also keep an eye on your brother Tie Zhu. Report to me if anything seems off.”
Su Jinbao saluted. “Yes, ma’am! Whatever you say, I’ll follow you for life!”
Su He: “…”
Back at the flat, Su He was delighted.
Finally—a space of her own!
Only she knew how often she’d wanted to sneak a chicken drumstick or sip a sweet soda, but couldn’t because someone was always watching.
Now she immediately bought herself a fried chicken meal and cola, and savored every bite.
This was living!
As for safety concerns, she wasn’t worried.
She had bought two battery-powered alarms from the Exchange Market System. At night, she’d place them at the door and window—if there was any disturbance, they’d sound the alarm.
Besides, she had high-value insurance, and the damn Exchange Market System would definitely make sure she stayed safe.
While Su He was enjoying her cola and chicken, far away in the capital, Gu Chiyan drew a circle on his calendar.
By now, Comrade Su He should have received his letter, right?
Was sending her vouchers and Huaxia currency directly a bit too rash?
Would Comrade Su He be angry?
Would she think he was trying to bribe her with sweet words and material goods?
