Su Nian’an’s audacious reversal of blame left Su Nianxi utterly stunned. She had never expected the other woman to accuse her first, when she had done nothing but speak sharply to Su Nian’an—she had not laid a hand on her at all.
Yet Su Nian’an had instantly flown into a rage and slapped her twice across the face.
“Father, do not listen to her lies! She was the one who attacked me!” Su Nianxi pleaded, seething with grievance.
“Was I truly the one who started it?” Su Nian’an retorted. “I was planning to leave as soon as I received the money coupons today, to go to the countryside with the Gu family. Why would I stir up trouble at such a critical moment? If you had not provoked me, would I have struck you for no reason at all? The entire Su family favors you. If I had not reached my limit, why would I ever lift a hand against you?”
Su Nian’an had always possessed a silver tongue. Whatever she said, no matter how unreasonable, she could twist until black appeared white.
“Su Nian’an! Do not twist the facts! Look at my face—two bright red handprints, while you stand there without a single scratch! I demand justice! I will not rest until I have slapped you back!”
Buoyed by the certainty of support, Su Nianxi’s momentary fear of Su Nian’an had completely faded.
She was nothing but a country-bred girl with no refinement—and she dared to strike her?
Su Nianxi had never once been struck by her parents in all her life. Now, her mind burned with nothing but the desire to repay Su Nian’an in full.
“Whatever you may think of me, I am still the Su family’s own flesh and blood!” Su Nian’an countered. “My parents raised you for years—so what gives you the right to humiliate me so? You claim I am worth less than a dog in this house. Think carefully—my blood runs through the same veins as your parents’. By saying such things, are you not insulting the very people I share blood with?”
Su Nian’an’s words struck with such force that Su Nianxi swore she had never meant it that way—yet hearing it laid out so plainly, it did seem to make a twisted kind of sense.
“You… I meant no such thing!” Su Nianxi blurted out, revealing her lack of thought. “When I said you are worse than a dog, I meant only you—not our parents!”
Su Nian’an wasted no more arguing with the simple-minded girl. She turned straight to Su Aiguo.
“Whatever faults I may have, I am still your daughter. If I am worth less than a dog in this family—then the Gu family would surely never agree to marry a ‘dog’ into their household. Go on, strike me! Let the Gu family see how you beat and berate your own flesh-and-blood daughter—the one raised in the countryside—while you refuse to let your precious Su Nianxi go. If you prefer, send your beloved Nianxi instead. Leave me here, and you may beat and scold me as you please for the rest of my life.”
Su Nian’an was ruthless enough to disparage even herself—if it served her purpose.
For now, she had not yet received the money; picking a full-blown fight with the Su couple would only backfire.
At the mention of the Gu family, Su Aiguo’s expression finally shifted.
“Nianxi—apologize to your sister,” Su Aiguo commanded, his face stern.
Su Nianxi’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“I… I am the one who must apologize?” She pointed to herself, her voice trembling.
She had taken two hard slaps from Su Nian’an! Even without seeing her reflection, she could feel her face swelling up like a bruised melon.
“Your sister is leaving for the countryside at once,” Su Aiguo sighed. “Why must you clash with her now, of all times?”
Lately, Su Aiguo had gone to great lengths to spare Su Nianxi from being dragged to the countryside alongside the Gu family—and had devised the scheme to send Su Nian’an in her place. Everything was settled; he could not allow any mishaps now.
“I… I never want to speak to any of you again!”
To suffer such humiliation and then apologize? Never! Su Nianxi turned and stormed out of the kitchen.
Liu Cuilan hurried after her. Spoiled from childhood, Su Nianxi would never swallow her pride to offer an apology.
Su Aiguo appeared unsurprised. He sighed and turned to Su Nian’an. “Nian’an, pay no mind to your sister. She has always been this way.”
The words made Su Nian’an want to roll her eyes.
“Where is the money?” she asked, ignoring his excuses. In the original story, Su Nianxi was nothing but a scheming, hypocritical fake. The Su parents seemed to have no boundaries whatsoever where their precious adopted daughter was concerned—indulging her no matter what.
Su Nian’an had no patience left for their bickering. She wanted the money, then she would go and meet her “fiancé.”
“You shall have the money,” Su Aiguo said gravely. “But mark this—you must formally sever ties with this family.”
His urgency came from news he had heard in town that morning. A man of considerable standing had, upon Su Aiguo’s eager invitation, shared a warning: the Gu family stood at the center of a political storm. Even families loosely connected to them were being sent to the countryside.
The news had terrified Su Aiguo. If distant relations were being punished—what of a marriage alliance? To save himself, he had to cut all ties—and Su Nian’an was his only way out.
“Fine, fine, fine!” Su Nian’an agreed readily. “Hand over the money coupons, and I will write the severance document this instant. I shall be delighted to.”
Her eager compliance made Su Aiguo wary—afraid she might change her mind.
“Write it now,” he said coldly. “Once it is done, you shall receive your money.”
Since he held the purse strings, Su Nian’an decided to humor him. They went to his study, where she copied the wording from a newspaper template and penned her own severance document.
“Here,” she said, handing it over.
Su Aiguo glanced at the paper—and his face darkened. Truly, she was a country girl—she could barely even write.
Su Nian’an inwardly protested: most characters were still written in traditional script in this era—painfully difficult! Besides, the original owner had grown up in the countryside with no chance to learn. Her aunt and uncle had worked her from dawn till dusk; they would never have wasted money on her schooling. Her handwriting was naturally clumsy—anything else would have been suspicious.