“He will return eventually.” Su Tian sniffed.
“An’an is still young. He can’t stay by my side forever. Besides, he has parents who love him. He has the entire Anchang Marquis Manor standing behind him. His future holds endless possibilities.”
“I just… I just want to stay with him a little longer.”
“It’s not that An’an can’t leave me. It’s that I can’t leave him.”
She turned her face away, stubbornly wiping the tears that spilled from the corners of her eyes.
Shen Wenzhao looked at the redness around her eyes and spoke slowly.
“Miss Su may not yet understand how deeply Ning’er feels about you.”
Su Tian looked up, puzzled.
“Before Ning’er called you ‘Jiejie,’ I had not heard his voice for one year, three months, and eighteen days.” Shen Wenzhao gazed gently at An’an. “He relies on you greatly. Otherwise, with the power of the Marquis of Anchang, taking a child away would have been effortless. You would have had no means to stop it.”
Su Tian stared at him blankly. “You mean…”
Seeing her rare, stunned expression, Shen Wenzhao couldn’t help but smile.
“I mean that I will not forcibly separate Ning’er from you. There is still time. Sooner or later, we will find a solution that satisfies everyone.”
In an instant, light flickered back into Su Tian’s clear eyes. Joy touched the corners of her brows. To Shen Wenzhao, she seemed as radiant as sunlight, bright and warm.
“Really?” As if still unsure, she asked again.
He laughed softly. “Really. My elder brother and sister-in-law are coming only because they miss their son deeply. They wish to see Ning’er with their own eyes.”
With that assurance, Su Tian’s steps became light again. She even hummed an unknown tune, then turned back to complain, “Young Master Shen, walk faster. We’re making old duck soup for lunch!”
“I’m coming.”
The moment they pushed the door open, faint sobbing could be heard inside.
“Master of the house… my poor Miao-jie…”
Su Tian’s expression changed. Without even setting down her things, she rushed into the main hall.
“Second Aunt, what happened to Eldest Sister?”
Seeing Su Tian, Wu Fen looked as if she might faint.
“Your Eldest Sister… that Zhang family doesn’t treat her like a human being!”
It turned out that Su Wanhe and Wu Fen had arrived unexpectedly that day and walked in just as the mother-in-law was scolding Su Miao viciously, simply because she had cooked a little late.
“The moment that old woman saw us step in, her face changed like a stage performer, like she hadn’t been cursing at all!” Wu Fen fumed.
“Scolding is one thing. What mother-in-law doesn’t scold her daughter-in-law?” Wu Fen wiped her tears and grabbed Su Tian’s hand.
“But she must never lay hands on her! When your Eldest Sister poured us water, do you think I’m blind? I couldn’t see the bruises hidden under her sleeve?!”
She clutched her chest, breathing hard.
“Your Second Uncle tried to argue with them, and they chased him out with a broom!”
Su Wanhe’s face was livid.
“That Zhang Dacheng! When his mother came to propose marriage, she boasted endlessly. Now he dares to swing a broom at his father-in-law!”
Su Dashu’s expression darkened to the extreme, fists clenched. No family could tolerate seeing their married daughter mistreated.
“ Dalang, Erlang, Sanlang.. Get ready and come with me. I want to see what gives the Zhang family such arrogance.”
“Grandfather, I’m going too!”
Su Wenzu stepped out from inside. He and Su Miao were close in age and had grown up together. Now, hearing she had been bullied, even his usually expressionless face carried a cold edge.
Su Dashu looked at the solid young man and nodded.
Su Tian seized the chance to speak. “Me too.”
“What would a girl like you go for?” Su Wanqing objected.
Su Tian held onto Wu Fen, her gaze firm.
“If I don’t go, are you men going to let Second Aunt face that old woman alone?”
Su Dashu paused. “If you’re going, then go. Just be careful.”
“Zhang Dacheng, you heartless bastard! Get out here this instant!”
With a loud bang, Su Wenzu kicked open the Zhang family’s gate.