“Grandpa, we don’t even know what’s in Uncle’s room anymore. It’s been so many years—who knows if anything’s even left in there?
We can just say it was donated during the war. Who would know?
After all, our family really did donate quite a lot back then.
If necessary, I can redecorate it a bit later.”
Su Tingyun felt that his granddaughter made sense. “You’re right.
Come, let’s collect everything from your mother’s old room, as well as the storage rooms, study rooms, warehouses…
Anywhere that could hide things—we’ll take everything.”
Su Jin met his gaze. “Grandpa, I was thinking the same.
We still need to keep up appearances—leave behind only the most ordinary, worthless items.
Tomorrow, I’ll go to the other houses and bring back a few maid beds and some simple tables and chairs.
The rooms still need to look lived-in, otherwise it’ll raise suspicion.”
“That’s right.”
The grandfather and granddaughter wasted no time and immediately got to work—clearing one room at a time and locking it afterward.
That way, Su Chengshan and Wang Guifhua wouldn’t be shocked if they saw.
They first went to Su Jin’s mother’s former room.
Although Hong Jianguo had married into the family, Su Qingli had insisted on not living in the old mansion.
She said every brick and tile of the house belonged to her father, Su Qiyou. Her brother hadn’t returned, and even if she had taken in a husband, she couldn’t occupy what belonged to him.
She had always believed her brother would return—she believed it until her death.
Su Jin lost her mother at the age of five, but in her memory, her mother had been gentle, always smiling when she spoke to her.
She had only seen her mother lose her temper once—arguing with Hong Jianguo—but she couldn’t remember what it was about.
Before, each room had dedicated servants cleaning it, but after they were dismissed, dust had begun to settle.
Wang Guifhua couldn’t manage everything alone—she only handled cooking and cleaning Su Jin and Su Tingyun’s rooms.
After storing everything in her mother’s room, Su Jin moved to the wardrobe—various cheongsams, coats, furs, shoes—all went into the space along with the huanghuali wardrobe.
The dressing table, jewelry boxes, cabinets, and the bed—all were stored.
Once the room was emptied, Su Jin began knocking around, checking for hidden compartments.
Su Tingyun smiled. “Xiao Jin, there are no hidden compartments in your mother’s room. I personally arranged—”
Before he could finish, his eyes widened.
Su Jin lifted a floorboard, revealing a hidden compartment underneath.
It wasn’t large, and inside lay a box wrapped in oil paper.
“This… when did this compartment get here?”
Back then, he had personally renovated the room when his daughter was born.
Su Jin unwrapped the oil paper. Inside was indeed a jewelry box.
But when she opened it, there were no jewels inside—only several letters.
Her heartbeat quickened. She exchanged a glance with her grandfather and began reading.
Some were letters from her uncle to her mother.
There were also two without names.
She opened them—one was addressed to her and her grandfather, the other was related to Hong Jianguo.
Su Tingyun picked up the letter his daughter had written to him. As he read, his eyes reddened, his lips trembled, and his voice choked.
“My daughter… my poor daughter…”
Su Jin read the letter concerning Hong Jianguo.
It turned out Su Qingli had discovered that Hong Xiuxiu was Hong Jianguo’s biological daughter.
She also learned that his marriage into the Su family had been a carefully planned scheme from the very beginning—to seize the Su family’s wealth.
She had only discovered this while pregnant. Afraid of harming the child and alerting the enemy, she could only pretend not to know.
In the end, Su Qingli expressed her hope that Su Jin would live safely and happily.
There was also a letter from Zhou Yuehong to Hong Jianguo, saying their daughter had been born, asking him to name her, and when he would come to see her.
Reading this, Su Jin bit her lip hard, her blood boiling with rage.
Thinking of what had happened in her dream, her hatred surged violently.
Her mother had known all of this while pregnant with her—how much pain must she have endured?
Seeing his granddaughter trembling and pale, Su Tingyun sensed something was wrong. He quickly took the letter and read it.
The more he read, the darker his expression became.
His clenched fist slammed against the floor with a dull thud.
“Beast! That Hong Jianguo—heartless and inhuman!”
No wonder back then, when his daughter was giving birth, he had urged her to return to the old mansion where there were more servants and better care.
But she had refused no matter what.
She had been so foolish—if only she had told him even a little… she wouldn’t have died so young.
Su Jin wiped away her tears and took a deep breath, her voice hoarse.
“Grandpa, we need to stay strong.
This letter my mother left behind is ironclad evidence.
In a few days, not only can we protect ourselves, but we can also send Hong Jianguo and his whole family to be sent down for reform.”
She carefully stored everything her mother left behind into the space.
These would become a fatal blow to Hong Jianguo when the movement came.
After steadying themselves, the grandfather and granddaughter moved on to the other rooms.
Su Jin collected whatever she saw.
By the time she finished, she was completely exhausted.
Su Tingyun, already old and having endured so much in one day, looked equally fatigued—even with the Spirit Spring water.
“Grandpa, let’s rest for a bit. We’ve already cleared most of the house.”
Su Tingyun nodded. “I’m getting old… can’t keep up anymore.”
After dinner, Su Tingyun handed her the keys to the other Western-style houses and over a dozen shops.
After spending the entire day working together, he felt his granddaughter could now stand on her own.
“Tomorrow, go and collect what you can. If anything’s missing, have Chengshan arrange it.”
“Alright, Grandpa, I understand.”
Just as Su Jin was about to return to her room to wash up, Su Chengshan came over, saying that Hong Jianguo had arrived and was shouting at the gate, his expression extremely ugly.
A cold glint flashed in Su Jin’s eyes.
So he had come.
She hadn’t even gone to settle accounts with him yet, and he had delivered himself to her doorstep.
She had thought he would wait—but he came quickly.
Who knew what that illegitimate daughter of his had told him to provoke him into rushing over right after work.
Su Tingyun, who had been about to rest, immediately changed expression.
“He still dares to come? I haven’t even gone to deal with him yet—and he dares—”
“Grandpa.”
Su Jin quickly steadied herself and supported her trembling grandfather.
“Stay calm. You wait here—I’ll handle it.
Letting him step into this courtyard would only dirty the ground.”
After saying that, she instructed Su Chengshan to stay with her grandfather and turned to walk toward the gate.
Before she even reached it, Hong Jianguo’s furious voice rang out—
“Su Jin, you unfilial daughter! Get out here right now!”
Hearing his voice, Su Jin suppressed the urge to curse. She took a deep breath and flung the gate open.
Outside, Hong Jianguo’s face was twisted with anger.
The moment he saw her, he burst into a tirade.
“Su Jin, you wretched girl! You dare bully Xiuxiu? Let’s see if I don’t teach you a lesson today—!”
He raised his hand to strike her.
Su Jin’s gaze turned icy, devoid of emotion.
“Hong Jianguo.”
Hearing her call his full name, he froze in disbelief, eyes widening.
Meeting her cold gaze, he felt a chill run through his body.
But then anger surged again, twisting his face.
“You—you—”