Chapter 78: After One Crop, There’ll Be Another
Su Yongguo frowned slightly. “From the sound of it, that might be your eldest uncle’s mother-in-law, Zhang the Hag. When we go in, don’t provoke her—she’s a notorious shrew.”
Su He nodded. “As long as she doesn’t provoke me, I won’t provoke her.”
Before Su Yongguo could ponder the meaning behind that statement, Su He had already called out, “Grandma, Grandpa, are you home?”
The voices inside came to an abrupt stop. A slightly hunched old man walked out of the house—it was Su He’s maternal grandfather, Old Man Zhao.
He had only seen Su He once and wasn’t quite sure if it was her, but when he saw Su Yongguo behind her, he finally said, “Ah, Su He’s here. Come in, come in!”
Su Yongguo quickly greeted him. “Dad!”
Old Man Zhao nodded and ushered the two inside.
The Zhao family’s house had the same layout as the Su family’s—east room for the elderly couple, west room for the younger couple.
As soon as Su He entered, she saw two elderly women sitting on the heated brick bed. One had a pale face and eyes swollen like walnuts—clearly her grandmother, Old Lady Zhao. The other looked younger, but her face was covered in pockmarks and she had a smoking pipe in her mouth. She eyed Su He askance—clearly the Zhang the Hag her father had warned her about.
Standing on the floor was a woman in her early thirties, eyes slightly red and puffy. This was her eldest uncle’s wife, Li Jinping. When she saw Su Yongguo and Su He enter, she said nothing.
Old Madam Zhao forced a smile. “Su He, you’re here? Come sit on the kang. My legs aren’t doing well—otherwise I would’ve gone to see you.”
She continued, “Xiao He, this is your aunt, and this is your aunt’s mother. You should call her Grandma.”
Su He politely greeted them.
Zhang the Hag puffed her pipe a couple times. “This girl’s pretty enough. No man yet? I’ve got a nephew back home about your age. Want me to arrange a match?”
Old Madam Zhao’s face stiffened. “In-law, I heard Liu Shu’s boy isn’t quite right in the head…”
Zhang the Hag snorted. “With a jailbird for an uncle, she’s lucky if anyone will take her. Still being picky?
Anyway, let’s talk business.
Zhao Kaiwen’s already in custody—my daughter is not staying with the Zhao family like a widow! She married in, worked like a mule, gave birth to your eldest grandson, so at the very least she’s entitled to half the household property!
I’m not greedy. Just give us 200 yuan, and we’ll call it even. If not, I’m taking both my daughter and my grandson away with me!”
Old Madam Zhao pleaded, “In-law, this matter with Kaiwen isn’t settled yet. There might still be hope.
If he really ends up sentenced, we in the Zhao family won’t be unreasonable—whatever Jinping decides then, we’ll support her.
But at this critical time, can’t we hold off on this conversation? We should focus on getting Kaiwen out first…”
Zhang the Hag spat at her. “Pah! Shameless! What do you mean ‘not settled’? The trial field’s destroyed, and he’s been taken in already. What hope is there?!
You just want my Jinping to spend her life as a widow! You’ve got no conscience!
If you don’t give me money today, we’re going to the school to pick up Gou Dan and change his surname to his stepfather’s!”
Old Man Zhao’s forehead veins bulged, but he said nothing.
Su He could guess what he was thinking. His son was in trouble, and if his daughter-in-law also left, the whole family would fall apart. But if someone’s heart is no longer in the family, what’s the point of trying to keep them?
Old Madam Zhao refused to give up. She kept pleading, but Zhang the Hag remained unmoved, and Li Jinping said nothing.
Finally, Old Man Zhao gritted his teeth and said, “You can leave, but you’re not taking Gou Dan.”
Zhang the Hag squinted at him. “Then fork over the 200 yuan. Otherwise, the boy goes with us.”
Old Madam Zhao was sobbing. “In-law, you know our situation. Jinping knows it better than anyone. She’s the one who’s been handling the money. Now you’re asking us for 200 yuan? Where are we supposed to get it? You’re trying to drive me to death!”
At that moment, the old woman genuinely thought of ending it all. She felt like a burden to her husband and her children, and death seemed like the only clean way out.
Zhang the Hag sneered. “Don’t try that suicidal nonsense with me. I’m not buying it.
No money?
Didn’t your son-in-law come in on a bicycle? Then give us the bike as payment!”
Old Madam Zhao nearly fainted from rage. Old Man Zhao’s face turned iron gray.
Suddenly, Su He turned to Li Jinping and asked, “Aunt, do you really want to leave?”
She already knew the answer from Li Jinping’s silence and attitude.
Sure enough, Li Jinping lowered her head. “I’ll listen to my mother.”
She was still young—she didn’t want to spend her life like a widow.
As for any “hope” of turning the case around? That was a joke.
The Zhao family had no money, no power, and even a bad class background. Of course Zhao Kaiwen would be doing years of hard labor.
Truthfully, she had regretted marrying into the Zhao family a long time ago.
At the time, she was taken in by Zhao Kaiwen’s looks, and the Zhao family’s situation wasn’t bad. And since her own family was labeled as landlords and she couldn’t find a better match, she agreed to the proposal.
But then Old Lady Zhao suddenly became paralyzed, and everything went downhill.
Now her husband was in custody. Of course she wouldn’t stay to suffer.
As for Gou Dan… she couldn’t bear to leave him, but taking a child would make remarriage almost impossible.
“You’ve made up your mind?” Su He asked.
Li Jinping sighed. “Su He, I have no choice.”
Zhang the Hag gave Su He a sideways glance. “What’s a little girl like you doing meddling in this? Go play somewhere else!”
Su He smiled.
Standing next to her, Su Yongguo suddenly felt a jolt of emotion.
Because the last time he saw that smile was when she came back to save him from the Lü family’s beating.
He actually didn’t want Su He to get involved in the Zhao family’s affairs—family disputes were hard to mediate, and there was no winning side.
But when Zhang the Hag tried to pawn Su He off on a halfwit earlier, he was furious. He now hoped she’d give Zhang the Hag a piece of her mind.
“Granny Zhang, there’s a saying—husband and wife are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly their separate ways. It’s not wrong for you to want my aunt to remarry, but you really shouldn’t bring it up at a time like this.
You’re stabbing my grandparents right in the heart.
Also, what was that you said earlier? Trying to marry me off to some idiot? If you weren’t older than me, I would’ve slapped you right there!
And you want my bike? Dream on!
You want to take Gou Dan? Fine by us! We’d be glad to see you go!
My grandparents are poor and can’t afford to raise him, let alone help him get married in the future!”
Grandpa and Old Madam Zhao panicked when they heard this.
Their eldest grandson meant everything to them—how could they let Liu the Hag take him?
Su Yongguo was frantically giving them the side-eye, practically having an eye spasm. Only then did they manage to hold their tongues.
Zhang the Hag was stunned at first, then sneered. “You little brat sure can talk big. You really think they’d let me take Gou Dan? He’s the only male heir in the Zhao family!”
Su He said lightly, “Grandsons are like chives—cut one crop, and another grows back. Once my uncle gets out, he can remarry and have as many as he wants.
Like I said, divorce is fine—but if you want money, forget it!”
