Chapter 76: Trouble at Your Grandma’s
As Su He asked, she brought the sighing Su Yongguo into the house.
The moment he stepped inside, Su Yongguo was stunned. He had visited before, and the place used to be crammed with all sorts of things. Why did it suddenly look so empty?
“Big girl, did your second uncle and aunt go to work?”
“I think so.”
Su Yongguo was confused. What do you mean, you think so?
Su He then remembered — her family back home didn’t know that Su Yongshi had moved out.
“Dad, my second uncle’s family moved out. Now I live here alone.”
Su Yongguo was even more confused!
“They… moved? Moved where?”
Could it be that his second son and wife were assigned a new apartment right after getting their positions converted?
Su He then explained everything about Tie Zhu.
Su Yongguo’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened.
Good heavens, not only did they gain an adopted son out of nowhere, but they also got a three-room brick house? This was like pie falling from the sky!
Still, he was a kind and honest man. Aside from being happy for Su Yongshi and his wife, he had no other thoughts.
If it were Su Yongshi himself, he might’ve had some resentment, since it was clear Tie Zhu had come for Su He.
Su He poured him a glass of sugar water and finally asked, “Dad, did something happen at home?”
Otherwise, Su Yongguo wouldn’t have rushed to the county like this.
Su Yongguo sighed. “Nothing happened at our place. It’s your grandmother’s side. There’s trouble.”
Her grandmother’s side?
The original Su He hadn’t been back in the family long, so she wasn’t familiar with Zhao Xiue’s family.
Back when she was first acknowledged by the Su family, her grandfather Zhao and her eldest uncle Zhao Kaiwen had come by once.
Also, Old Madam Su used to mock Zhao Cui’er all the time, always implying that the Zhao family was dirt poor, possibly with some political “bad elements.”
That was one reason why Su Tai had never looked kindly on Zhao Cui’er.
Su Yongguo continued, “Your eldest uncle got arrested!
They say he’s going to be sent to a labor reform camp — probably locked up for eight to ten years. Your grandmother’s health wasn’t good to begin with, and she’s already passed out crying several times in the past few days.”
Su He frowned. “Arrested? What for?”
From what the original Su He remembered, Uncle Zhao Kaiwen had always been honest and upright. What could he have done to break the law?
“Well, sometimes when bad luck hits, even drinking cold water can crack your teeth. Old Song from their brigade, who usually tends the cattle, got sick. Your uncle wanted to earn more work points, so he volunteered to take over the job.
But two of the bulls started fighting. He was so focused on stopping them from getting hurt that he didn’t notice a few others wandering off — right into the experimental fields of the agricultural supply station, where they trampled all the newly sprouted seedlings.
The station was furious and wouldn’t let it go. And because your uncle already had a questionable background, he got slapped with a serious charge: ‘sabotaging collective grain crops.’
They didn’t waste any time and took him away…”
After he finished, Su Yongguo sighed heavily again. He had no other choice but to come to the county to see his daughter.
Honestly, he wasn’t too hopeful. Su He was capable, yes, but only within the Huaihua Commune. The Zhao family was under Qiping Commune’s jurisdiction.
Plus, this involved the agricultural station — even she might not be able to intervene.
“Dad, was the test field growing soybeans?”
Su Yongguo was startled. “Yeah, soybeans. How did you know?”
Su He thought, Just my luck. It looked like she needed to go talk to Qin Yan.
“Dad, you mentioned my uncle’s background isn’t good. Can you explain it to me in detail?”
Su Yongguo then explained the Zhao family’s situation.
Actually, Old Man Zhao himself had no major issues. But before liberation, his younger brother had moved abroad for work — which became a political blemish.
Life hadn’t been kind to him either. First he got dragged down by his brother’s situation, then his youngest son went missing.
He finally managed to raise his remaining two kids, only for his wife, Old Madam Zhao, to become paralyzed.
Now his eldest son was in trouble. The poor old man must be crushed.
Su He felt a bit emotional after hearing this.
The novel hadn’t mentioned the Zhao family at all — probably because their fate was so miserable even Shen Ruyi didn’t bother targeting them.
After thinking it over, Su He said, “Dad, don’t worry. Let me handle this. You go home and rest. I need to head out.”
Su Yongguo’s eyes lit up. “Big girl, are you saying… you’ve got a way to get your uncle out?”
Seeing her nod, the burden in his heart finally eased.
In truth, Su He wasn’t completely confident. Even though she knew Qin Yan, the woman was just an ordinary researcher at the station — she might not have much say.
But Su He had always believed in one thing: Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
As she walked, she asked for directions and made her way to the agricultural station.
To resolve this at the root, she needed the station to issue a letter of understanding. Otherwise, they wouldn’t let her uncle go.
She had to admit, her “special correspondent” press badge was really useful. It got her in to see Qin Yan with no trouble.
Qin Yan was surprised and delighted: “Sis, what brings you here today?”
After some polite small talk, Su He asked, “Qin-jie, could we talk in private?”
Though confused, Qin Yan brought her into an unused office.
“You need something, sis?”
Su He explained everything about Uncle Zhao’s situation, then asked, “Qin-jie, was that trampled field part of your research project?”
Qin Yan had been smiling, but now her face went stiff.
“Xiao He, I’ve heard about that too.
Your uncle’s in big trouble.
If it were just any test field, it might be salvageable. But that field belongs to Professor Qu from our station. He’s notoriously temperamental — he even yells at our director.
Worse yet, the field he lost was for the new ‘Golden Abundance No.1’ soybean strain that he’s poured his heart into.
It’s not that I don’t want to help — I honestly can’t.”
Qin Yan was telling the truth. She was just a regular researcher. Professor Qu didn’t even respect the station director, let alone someone like her.
Su He understood and said, “Qin-jie, could you introduce me to Professor Qu? I’d like to talk to him face-to-face.”
“Introducing you is no problem. But Xiao He, let me warn you — he’s eccentric. This conversation could backfire badly.”
Su He nodded. “Qin-jie, I understand. Just don’t mention the test field. Say I’m a county radio station journalist here for an interview.”
Qin Yan wasn’t sure what Su He was up to, but she agreed.
Soon, Su He met Professor Qu — who at first glance looked just like a regular old farmer.
His pant legs were rolled up, still smeared with mud.
“Professor Qu, this is Su He from the county radio station. She’s here to interview you.”
Professor Qu glanced at Su He with annoyance.
“I’ve got a ton of work. Who’s got time for interviews? Wherever you came from, go back!”
