The pleading in Su Jianguo’s voice didn’t sound fake.
But the vicious glint in his eyes was impossible to hide.
The moment Su Yu saw it, her body began trembling uncontrollably.
She was reminded once again of everything that had happened in her previous life.
Little Tangtang’s suicide.
The dark red blood covering the ground.
The image stained her vision all over again.
“Hmph. What right do you have to call me your sister? You’re completely heartless. How much money has my family already lent you? When have you ever paid any of it back? If you want to borrow money, then repay what you owe first.”
Ever since Su Yu married Tang Chen, Su Jianguo had constantly come up with excuses to borrow money.
Either something had happened at home, or he had gotten injured.
To avoid trouble, Tang Chen would sometimes take money from his medicine pouch and hand it over to Su Jianguo.
Although Su Yu had objected countless times, Tang Chen didn’t want Su Jianguo causing her problems.
Little Tangtang stood behind Su Yu, listening to the conversation with innocent confusion.
She had always been afraid of this uncle.
Every time he came to their house, nothing good ever followed.
And at night, Su Yu and Tang Chen would inevitably end up arguing.
“Xiao Yu, you know I’m so poor I can barely survive. How am I supposed to pay you back?”
Su Jianguo spread his hands and turned out his empty pockets.
There was truly nothing inside.
But what did that have to do with Su Yu?
“You’ve heard the saying, borrow and repay, and borrowing remains easy. If I lend you money again, how can you guarantee you’ll repay it?”
Su Yu’s tone was sharp.
Su Jianguo wasn’t a protected household, nor was he even part of the production team.
He was simply too lazy.
Every day he dreamed of getting rich without doing any work.
Whenever he ran out of money, he either stole things or came to her house and quietly took whatever he could find.
This time, Su Yu was absolutely determined.
Seeing her attitude, Su Jianguo knew there was no hope.
Suddenly, he pulled an iron rod from his pants.
“So you’re refusing to listen when I’m being nice. Are you lending me the money or not?”
He pointed the iron rod directly at Su Yu.
The murderous look in his eyes was completely different from the pleading expression he’d worn moments earlier.
A chill ran through Su Yu’s heart.
Little Tangtang jumped in fright and began trembling.
“Mommy… I’m scared.”
She kept trying to hide behind Su Yu.
Seeing Tangtang’s frightened appearance, Su Jianguo suddenly burst into loud laughter.
Watching him laugh so shamelessly, Su Yu clenched her fists.
How could he say such things without the slightest embarrassment?
“Get out!”
She pointed toward the door.
Her body shifted slightly as she shielded Tangtang behind her.
But Su Jianguo clearly had no intention of leaving without money.
“I can leave. But only after you give me the money. Otherwise, you’ll regret it.”
He pressed the iron rod against Su Yu’s shoulder.
He used all his strength.
Su Yu staggered slightly but remained standing.
Seeing this, Su Jianguo felt puzzled.
If this had been the old Su Yu, she would have already collapsed onto the ground.
She had once been as frail as Lin Daiyu.
“I said we don’t have any money!”
This time, Su Yu’s eyes turned fierce.
They looked exactly like they had when she beat him half to death the last time.
Instantly, fear crept into Su Jianguo’s heart.
At that moment, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside.
Tang Chen had just returned from earning work points that morning.
His clothes were soaked with sweat.
On the way home, all he had thought about was Su Yu and Tangtang.
Su Yu seemed different lately.
At least, that’s what he felt.
In the past, the way she looked at him had always carried resentment.
Now, there was warmth.
And even shyness.
Just thinking about it made Tang Chen’s heart race.
He hurried home eagerly.
But the scene that greeted him was Su Jianguo threatening Su Yu with an iron rod.
“What are you doing?!”
Tang Chen’s face changed instantly.
Throwing down the hoe in his hand, he rushed forward and slammed into Su Jianguo, knocking him to the ground.
“A-Yu, are you alright?”
His hands trembled as he gently tucked Su Yu’s loose hair behind her ear.
His eyes were full of fear.
“I’m fine.”
Su Yu shook her head.
Compared to what she had experienced in her previous life, this was nothing.
The next moment, Tang Chen pulled her tightly into his arms.
His body was trembling.
The sight left Su Yu momentarily stunned.
“As long as you’re okay.”
His voice shook.
“You scared me to death. It’s my fault. I should have come back sooner.”
This was the first time Su Yu had ever seen Tang Chen so flustered.
Seeing her father return, Tangtang immediately felt much safer too.
Meanwhile, Su Jianguo struggled to get up from the ground.
His hand had been scraped when he fell.
And because he was so overweight, even standing up was difficult.
The iron rod had rolled into a corner of the yard.
Tang Chen grabbed Su Jianguo by the collar and yanked him upright.
His expression was calm.
Yet the sight terrified Su Jianguo.
“I’m telling you this now.”
Tang Chen’s voice was cold.
“Our family has never wronged you. Over the years, we’ve done more than enough for you. If you ever try something like this again, I’ll have the village chief deal with you directly.”
Hearing that, Su Jianguo immediately began shaking his head.
If this reached the village chief, his life would be ruined.
And Su Baobao’s future would be ruined too.
Looking at Tang Chen’s ruthless expression, so completely different from his usual gentle and refined self, Su Yu suddenly felt warmth spread through her heart.
This time…
Someone was protecting her.
Not even a single hair on her head had been harmed.
When Su Jianguo finally left, he even grabbed the red plastic bag he’d brought with him.
He lost one of his shoes while running away.
Yet he didn’t dare turn around to retrieve it.
Standing at the doorway, little Tangtang burst out laughing.
“Daddy is amazing! Let’s see if he dares come back again! Bleh!”
As she spoke, she mischievously stuck out her tongue and made a face at Su Jianguo’s retreating figure.
Su Yu shook her head helplessly at the sight.
“Alright, little Tangtang. Come back and eat. The noodles are getting soggy.”
She hurried back into the kitchen.
After reheating the vegetable and lean pork noodles, she served Tang Chen a large bowl.
“Since you’re back, help me finish all these noodles.”
Su Yu smiled at him gently.
The little family sat together in harmony.
Meanwhile, Su Jianguo limped along a narrow field path.
The left side of his backside hurt terribly.
He was convinced it was already bruised.
His knees hurt too.
Naturally, he blamed all of it on Tang Chen.
“That bastard…”
He gritted his teeth.
“Just because he’s young and handsome, he thinks he can treat his elders like this. One day he’ll be struck by lightning.”
He kicked a stone into the nearby river.
Ripples spread across the water.
As he stared at them, Tang Chen’s earlier warning replayed in his mind.
The man’s eyes had been like ice from the depths of winter.
Cold enough to make one’s blood run cold.
Normally, Tang Chen appeared gentle and harmless.
Now, Su Jianguo felt that the man had simply been pretending all along.
“Hmph.”
His face twisted with resentment.
“Just wait.”
“I’ll get every last cent your family owns.”