Zhang Cuihua was puzzled: "What does the job have to do with that wretched girl? Can she influence the factory leadership?"
Uncle Tong, however, understood: "There have been rumors all along that part of the reason the factory treated Second Brother so well was because of the efforts of his first wife. Li Mei never took the job, but as soon as this girl arrived, she immediately started working. The rumors might actually be true. If she wants the job back, it would be easier for her than for us."
"A country woman has that much capability? That sounds unreliable," Zhang Cuihua said dismissively.
If that country woman had been so capable, Tong Aihua wouldn't have returned to the city without a job back then, having to marry a woman who looked like she couldn't bear sons, and then spending all his earnings on those worthless girls.
"What do you know?" Old Man Tong shot her a glare. "Aihua's first wife's parents and brother were all martyrs. Her status was different."
Zhang Cuihua curled her lip. "But that girl treated me and Tianyao so poorly before. If we go talk to her, she'll probably put on airs. Anyway, if she doesn't apologize to me, I won't pay her any attention."
Old Man Tong nodded: "It's indeed inappropriate for us to approach her. This is something she should be begging us for, not us chasing after her."
Uncle Tong said: "Isn't Dahua coming to deliver vegetables in a few days? Let her go then."
Tong Dahua was the eldest in her family. She was disliked from birth for being a girl. Back then, before liberation, life was hard, and she was sent back to the countryside to become a child bride when she was still young.
Because the distance wasn't far, they had maintained contact over the years.
When Tong Aihua was sent down to the countryside, Tong Dahua was the only family member who prepared anything for him.
Su Ruyi also knew about this aunt, Tong Dahua, so when she saw her visit, her attitude was quite good.
Tong Dahua was only in her forties, but she looked as old as sixty. However, she kept herself clean and tidy.
When she saw Su Ruyi, tears streamed down her face:
"Good, good. Your father can rest easy down below."
Tong Dahua held Su Ruyi's hand and talked at length about how Tong Aihua usually missed her, and also shared some stories from Tong Aihua's childhood.
She said he had been diligent and capable since he was young, and during holidays, he often returned to the countryside to help her.
Su Ruyi listened attentively and gained more understanding about her father.
According to Tong Dahua's description, her father knew how to do farm work and was very proactive.
But when he was sent down to the countryside, his performance was quite average. He contentedly earned minimal work points, focusing his energy on the family and comfortably being the little man behind her mother.
Her old man was like water – he took whatever shape the container he was put in.
After hesitating for a long time, Tong Dahua tentatively broached the subject:
"When are you going to visit the family? You haven't met your grandmother, uncle, or aunt, have you?"
The Tong family wanted her to persuade Su Ruyi to actively acknowledge her roots and eventually change her surname back.
Tong Dahua felt this wasn't right, since the Su family only had Su Ruyi left, so she didn't mention changing the surname, only asking Su Ruyi to visit the Tong family, since they were all family after all.
"Aunt, my dad must have told you about my family's situation. My mom and dad had an agreement back then."
Su Ruyi wore a smile, but her attitude was firm.
When she arrived, Su Ying advised her to consider acknowledging relatives based on the circumstances—whether it was Li Mei or the Tong family.
If the people were decent, she could maintain contact; if interactions were unpleasant, she could simply cut ties.
Over the past couple of days, Su Ruyi had learned about the Tong family’s behavior after her father’s disappearance and had also seen what Zhang Cuihua was like, so she felt there was no need to stay in touch.
As for this aunt, Su Ruyi respected her. After her father went missing, this aunt had also worried a great deal alongside her.
Tong Dahua’s family situation was quite difficult: her husband was born without legs, her eldest son had suffered brain damage from a childhood fever, two children were still in school, and two elderly parents could no longer work and often fell ill.
Tong Dahua was the only able-bodied laborer in the entire family, so they lived frugally. Yet, when she visited, she still brought a chicken and a basket of eggs.
However, none of this would make Su Ruyi go against her own will or do something she didn’t want to do.
Hearing this, Tong Dahua immediately fell silent.
After Tong Aihua returned to the city, she had made it clear that Su Ruyi would now be considered part of the Su family.
If the elderly couple simply wanted to see their granddaughter, that would be one thing, but Tong Dahua knew it wasn’t that simple.
“Well… if you have time, you should go back and visit. After all, we are family.”
Su Ruyi smiled noncommittally and didn’t pursue the topic further.
Though Tong Dahua felt somewhat disappointed, she didn’t press the issue. For some reason, she felt inexplicably intimidated by this seemingly gentle and refined niece and didn’t treat her like a child.
“Aunt, is your home quite close to the provincial capital?”
Seeing Tong Dahua reminded Su Ruyi of a briefly mentioned detail from the original story.
“Yes, the old road used to wind around a lot, but now there’s a newly built road, so it’s very close to the provincial capital. If you have time, come visit. The village may not be as nice as the city, but there are plenty of interesting things to see.”
This had also improved life in their village. With convenient transportation, the chickens, ducks, and vegetables they raised could be transported to the city for sale, fetching higher prices than in the town and selling more easily.
During the off-season, it was also easier to find odd jobs in the provincial capital.
“Alright, I’ll definitely visit when I have time.”
Tong Dahua was pleased to hear this, thinking to herself, “She truly is Second Brother’s daughter.” Over the years, only Tong Aihua had visited her home; everyone else looked down on the countryside.
After a moment’s thought, Su Ruyi added, “Aunt, if anyone comes to your home and asks you to sign any documents, make sure you don’t sign them.”
Tong Dahua was puzzled. “Sign what documents?”
“Just remember what I said—no matter what they ask you to sign, don’t do it, and don’t press your fingerprint either. If you’re unsure, take the documents to the city and have a lawyer look at them.”
Tong Dahua grew even more confused. A lawyer? What was all this about?
Su Ruyi knew her sudden warning sounded strange, but she repeatedly emphasized that any document requiring a signature should be handled with caution.
Though Tong Dahua didn’t understand, she agreed.
Su Ruyi knew this wasn’t a foolproof solution—a mere reminder wouldn’t be enough. She would just have to stay vigilant in the future.
As the story’s villainess, Su Ruyi had an irredeemable flaw: she deceived those above and exploited those below, using unethical means to acquire farmers’ land at low prices for real estate development.
One of them was even Su Ruyi's relative, whose family circumstances were particularly dire. Yet Su Ruyi still sought to profit from this unscrupulous scheme, deceiving the relative into signing an agreement at an extremely low price.
This left the relative without a place to live, impoverished and destitute, with their entire family ruined.
Meanwhile, Su Ruyi reported inflated expenses to the male lead, pocketing a huge profit in the process.
When the truth eventually came to light, the male lead was furious and spent considerable effort and money to resolve the matter and restore the company's reputation.
This incident greatly displeased the male lead's grandfather, who nearly ordered a halt to the real estate business.
Due to the scarcity of information, Su Ruyi wasn't sure when this had happened. Based on what she knew, she speculated it must have occurred within the past few years.
This year, with the collapse of Japan's bubble economy causing property prices to plummet and combined with domestic political influences, the real estate market entered its first downturn after housing reforms. Numerous unfinished buildings appeared in urban corners, and many development and investment companies withdrew, creating significant turbulence.①
However, the male lead remained highly optimistic about the market, firmly believing in its recovery. During this period, he acquired substantial land, laying a solid foundation for his future commercial empire.
Su Ruyi also took advantage of the situation to benefit herself, even extending her schemes to her own relatives.
Based on Su Ruyi's analysis of her relationships, that relative was most likely Tong Dahua.
Su Ruyi always felt there was something odd about the original narrative. She hadn't transformed into someone else—she was still Su Ruyi, the same person in both lifetimes.
Yet according to her character, she would never commit such an immoral act.
Su Ruyi valued money but wasn't greedy. She had reason to believe she was being framed.
During this era, real estate development was chaotic and often irregular, with plenty of shady dealings.
While demolition later came to be seen by many as a path to overnight wealth, in reality, some grew poorer from it—especially during this period.
Thus, there were certainly underhanded practices at play, with some people taking advantage of her downfall to pin all the blame on her.
Although this was originally a book, to the present Su Ruyi, it had become a real world where nothing remained static.
Su Ruyi wanted to uncover who was so despicable as to employ such dirty tactics.
Tong Dahua had been steeped in hardship since birth, yet she never lost hope, striving to live on with humility and vitality.
To exploit someone like this, leaving them no means of survival, was utterly unconscionable.
Su Ruyi was planning a trip to the provincial capital, which happened to be along the same route as Tong Dahua. The two agreed to travel together by bus the next day.
Seeing that it was about time, Tong Dahua hurried off. Su Ruyi tried to persuade her to stay for a meal, but couldn't convince her no matter what she said.
"They're expecting me over there, and I'd like to spend more time with the elderly couple."
Su Ruyi had no choice but to let her go.
"Your aunt won't stay for a meal. She thinks we're not well-off and is afraid of eating us out of house and home," Li Mei said, as if she had expected this all along.
Even when Tong Aihua was supporting the family, Tong Dahua rarely stayed for meals, fearing she would burden them. Now she was even more reluctant.
"Does she visit often?"
Judging by Tong Dahua's familiarity with the place, she must come here frequently.
Tong Dahua's home was quite far from Liulin County, requiring over four hours by bus.
"About once a month, and she always brings a lot of things with her. She even cleans your grandparents' house inside and out. Nowadays, she even helps your grandmother with her baths."
Su Ruyi frowned deeply. That family was truly shameless.
They had pushed their daughter into a living hell since childhood, and now they had the nerve to let her serve them in their old age.
"How come my aunt doesn't resent them at all?" Su Ruyi found it hard to understand.
Li Mei: "No matter what, they're still her own parents. Back then, they had no other choice. Although your uncle is disabled, he's actually quite a decent man."
When it was time to sleep at night, a head popped up beside Su Ruyi's pillow, staring at her eagerly.
If she hadn't heard the noise and been prepared, Su Ruyi would have been startled.
"Sister Ruyi, are you asleep?"
Su Ruyi: "If you want to go to the provincial capital, you'll need your mother's permission."
"Sister Ruyi, you're amazing!"
Wang Huiting was stunned. She hadn't said anything yet, so how did Su Ruyi already know what she wanted to do?
She clasped her hands together and pleaded:
"Sister Ruyi, if I tell my mom, she'll definitely say no. But it would be different if it were you. Don't worry, I've saved up my own money for the bus ticket. I promise I'll be good and listen to you—if you say east, I won't go west! I won't hold you back! And even though I've only been there once, I'm quite familiar with the place. I know all the fun spots and good places to eat."
Author's note:
① Referenced "Looking Back at 1990" on Baidu