Interestingly, as she left the factory, she heard a little commotion happening at a nearby alley. Curious, she hid behind the corner to eavesdrop.
She could hear the sound of a man speaking to another, with one voice laced with arrogance, while the other was stuttering in fear.
"C’mon now, Comrade, give me this job. I’ll buy it for 10 yuan, hmm? And some goodwill from me, Zhao Pangli."
"But..." the other man squeezed out. "I need this j-job. My mother is sick—"
"Your mother isn’t going to die. How dare you curse your own mother? Don’t be unfilial!"
Wow.
"You know my Uncle is the director of the steel factory, right? Your sister and her husband both work there, right? Surely, you don’t want them to suffer? Or worse, lose their jobs."
Steel factory?
Director? Surname Zhao?
Wasn’t that the family her stepfather was selling her off to?
Heh. It looked like the whole clan was twisted.
In her past life, though she hadn’t married to Zhao Wenping, Wang Xiuying would always mention him and his fate, oftentimes in front of Shen Yanchuan, as if to show that she had her own ’ex’.
Apparently, the director’s embezzlement and his son’s crimes eventually came to light, causing quite the scandal.
Wang Xiuying mentioned these things with a tone of relief, that she didn’t get married to Zhao Wenping, but she would always emphasize the word ’marry’ in front of Shen Yanchuan, as if being associated with another man, even if just in name, made her impure.
Shen Yanchuan had the temperament of a scholar, handsome and gentle, but he was a chauvinist at his core. Wang Xiuying’s words definitely had an effect against her.
Anyway, back to the drama on hand, she couldn’t risk herself by stepping forward at this juncture. Anyway, she already got her money.
However, since this issue had been brought in front of her by fate...
She walked a few steps and found some kids playing. She took out some of her newly-bought pen and paper from her space and made the report that someone was extorting a person.
She detailed the threat, adding a bit of drama, but factual enough so the officers would at least investigate. She then asked the kids to send it to the police station in exchange for a couple of candies.
As for what happened after that, she didn’t really care anymore. It wasn’t like that family would be jumping around for long.
...
Su Qinghua practically had a hop in her gait as she walked. Not only did she do a good deed today, she also earned 500 yuan and several useful coupons to boot.
Five hundred yuan was no small amount. An average urban family would need years before they could save up this amount.
She could finally buy the items that needed tickets out in the open. First thing she did was go to the state-owned restaurant to finally have a full, hot meal.
After that, she walked around the city that she would be leaving soon, feeling a little melancholic. She walked along the city streets under faded propaganda posters.
Compared to the booming latter years, the current cities were considered rather rustic, with the average tall buildings only around two to five floors.
But in any generation, the city hummed in constant motion. In this era, bicycles weaved through streams of pedestrians, buses groaned along the crowded streets, and workers hurried between shops, factories, and offices.
Her feet paused as she stopped by a neighborhood of old houses. This used to be an affluent neighborhood, but many houses were now dilapidated after the chaos happened, with their owners either dead, run away, or had been sent down for reformation.
They were associated with the ’hedonistic faction,’ so many of them were unoccupied until now. Some were even blocked by officers, lest there were still things hidden inside.
Jiangning City, her home City, was a historic city and in the future would be a very famous tourist city. She had some money now, but this period of time wasn’t easy to buy property. She’d have to wait until the 1980s when property was easier to buy.
As she stood there in a daze, she then felt something approaching her fast.
Slap!
Thanks to her improved reflexes, she managed to step back on time, barely avoiding the hit. There was a sound of wind, indicating the force in that slap was not small.
She lifted her head to meet the eyes of the woman who gave birth to her, looking livid at the fact that she dared avoid her hit.
"SU QINGHUA. How dare you cause us so much trouble?"
...
This was the first time she had seen her mother since returning to this time, and it happened to be the time when she was looking at her with heavier malice than usual.
It wasn’t the kind of look shrews had. Qiao Yaqin had once been a pampered lady. She naturally still maintained the poise trained in her bones, which made these poisonous looks stab even deeper.
Qiao Yaqin was a beautiful woman, even in her 40s, she looked much more charming than her peers who were years younger than she was. Her skin was naturally smooth and light colored—something Qinghua had inherited—and she had delicate features that were far superior to many women, even in high society back then.
And in those pretty eyes, there was absolutely no love for her daughter.
There was nothing but hurtful things that went out of her mouth.
Looking at her like this made Su Qinghua regress to how she was in her youth, as moulded by her mother, along with the many of her hurtful words the woman whispered in her ears.
They were never like the shrewish or hysterical yells of the neighborhood aunties and grandmas, and she rarely raised her voice. However, the words Su Qinghua heard from her mother growing up was the kind of controlled, venomous speech uttered in a low, grating voice that was sure to stab someone’s heart.
"How dare you ask for more food? I fed you early this morning!! You parasite." Her lips curled in disgust.
"You unlucky brat! Why did I ever give birth to you!?" She asked, expression twisted in contempt.
"I should’ve at least given birth to a boy! Now my only child could only be a pest like you."
"You’re asking me not to throw you away? Then prove your worth."
Heh.
Su Qinghua couldn’t help but give a self-deprecating laugh.
Even after so long, how come her heart still hurts?