Lying beneath blankets filled with the familiar scent of her parents, Shen Shuli’s nerves, which had been wound tight all day, finally relaxed.
Since she had some free time, Shen Shuli entered her spatial realm and prepared some simple gifts for the Su family as a gesture of introduction.
Not long after, Shen Yuehua came in to call her.
“Daughter, dinner is ready. Most of the Su family has arrived. Come with me and I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
At this point, Shen Yuehua suddenly fell silent.
She looked at her daughter’s swollen face, whose features were almost impossible to make out, and wished she could go and kill the members of the Lin family right then and there.
“Daughter, you can’t possibly meet everyone looking like this. Why didn’t you drink some Spirit Spring Water and heal your face? It must hurt terribly!”
Shen Shuli wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest, nor did she care what other people thought.
She grinned and said, “Mom, I deliberately kept my face like this.”
“Originally, I wanted my biological parents from this world and the Su family to see exactly how the Lin family treated the original owner. I wanted to see their attitudes before deciding whether I would stay.”
“But there’s no need for that anymore. It’s just unfortunate that so many members of the Su family already saw me when I first arrived.”
“If I use the Spirit Spring Water now, it’ll only make people suspicious.”
“All right. Mom knows you have a plan. Oh, by the way, your older brothers and sisters-in-law went to the county town. They’ll probably be back after dark. I’ll introduce you to them then.”
“Okay, got it.”
With that, Shen Yuehua could only let the matter go. She helped her daughter tidy up her slightly disheveled hair.
Shen Shuli carried a large basket covered with a cloth and followed her mother to the main hall.
Three square tables had been set up in the main hall.
Normally, the tables were kept separate, with one table for each branch of the family. Only on special occasions would they be pushed together.
The moment Su Yunhai saw his wife and daughter enter, he immediately came over to greet them.
“Daughter, come over here.”
Ignoring the strange stares of the more than twenty members of the Su family, Shen Shuli walked toward her father.
“Daughter, let me introduce everyone. This is your grandfather and grandmother, your eldest uncle, your eldest aunt…”
Shen Shuli greeted everyone one by one, behaving exceptionally well.
The eldest members of the Su family were Grandpa Su Baogen and Grandma Wang Cuilan. The couple had one daughter and three sons.
Their daughter, Su Hongxia, had married and moved away long ago. It was already considered fortunate if she managed to return to her parents’ home once a year.
Their eldest son, Su Dashan, was married to Cui Yuhong, and they had three sons and one daughter.
Their children were Su Mantang, Su Manliang, Su Mancang, and Su Manyue.
Their second son was Su Dahai, his original name. After Su Yunhai transmigrated into this world, he found an opportunity to change the names of the entire family.
He was married to Shen Yuehua, and they had three sons and one daughter.
Their children were Su Chang’an, Su Ping’an, Su Ding’an, and Su Wanwan.
Their third son, Su Dalin, was married to Lin Xiuxiu, and they had three daughters.
Their daughters were Su Manhua, Su Manye, and Su Mandi.
Not only that, but the Su family already had four or five great-grandchildren.
Despite having such a large household, Grandpa Su and Grandma Su still refused to divide the family.
More than twenty people crammed into a single courtyard. It was easy to imagine just how lively the household was every day.
After everyone had been introduced, Su Yunhai introduced Shen Shuli to the family.
“Dad, Mom, Big Brother, Third Brother, this is my biological daughter, Shuli. She was switched with another family’s child when she was young, but we’ve finally brought her back.”
“As for Wanwan, she is no longer part of our Su family. From now on, however well you treated Lin Wanwan before, you must treat my daughter twice as well. Understood?”
Su Yunhai kept smiling throughout, showing just how happy he was.
For a long moment, the room fell completely silent.
The smile on Su Yunhai’s face gradually faded. He swept his gaze across everyone before finally fixing his eyes on Grandpa and Grandma Su.
“What? Have you all agreed that you don’t want to acknowledge my daughter?”
Grandpa Su forced an awkward smile and tried to laugh it off.
“Hehe, how could we not acknowledge her? She’s still a member of the Su family, after all. Of course she should come home. But… that girl Wanwan really isn’t coming back?”
The smile on Su Yunhai’s face disappeared completely. He narrowed his eyes at his father, his voice turning cold and heavy.
“See the injuries on my daughter’s face? That’s what the Lin family did to her, after being egged on by Wanwan!”
“Wanwan really has no conscience. She completely disregarded the kindness of our family’s years of raising her. We treated her so well, yet she’s nothing but an ungrateful wretch!”
“From now on, there is no Wanwan in this family. Don’t bring her up for no reason.”
“And what are all of you standing around for? Where are the welcome gifts I told you to prepare for my daughter? Don’t tell me none of you prepared anything!”
The members of the Su family exchanged glances.
They had assumed that the strange condition of the girl’s face was some kind of illness she had contracted after returning home.
They had never expected that the Lin family had beaten her—and that Wanwan had encouraged them to do it.
They knew very well how gentle and kind Wanwan was. How could she possibly harbor such malicious intentions?
The girl must have done something wrong and been punished for it. She was probably just making excuses for herself by deliberately slandering Wanwan.
Grandma Su, Wang Cuilan, was the first to object. She hurriedly spoke up in Wanwan’s defense.
“Second Son, what nonsense are you talking about? How could Wanwan possibly do something like that? You and your wife raised and spoiled her from childhood. Don’t you know what kind of person she is?”
“Exactly, Second Brother. Could it be that someone deliberately slandered Wanwan?” Su Dashan cast an unfriendly glance at Shen Shuli, his meaning obvious.
Su Yunhai swept his gaze around the room.
Almost everyone was looking at his daughter with suspicion and disdain. It was obvious that they were unwilling to acknowledge her.
He had already expected the Su family to be influenced by the novel’s plot, but he had never imagined that the influence would run this deep.
“Heh. So it seems none of you want to acknowledge my daughter?”
Su Yunhai let out a cold laugh.
“Second Brother, don’t be angry. Everyone probably just hasn’t gotten used to this yet. Calm down.”
Seeing the atmosphere becoming tense, Third Brother Su Dalin quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
He pulled out a bulging red envelope from inside his clothes and handed it over with a cheerful smile.
“Come, niece. This is your Third Uncle’s welcome gift. It’s just a small token of my affection. Please don’t think it’s too little.”
Seeing this, Su Dalin’s wife, Lin Xiuxiu, quickly took out the red envelope she had prepared and handed it to Shen Shuli as a gesture of goodwill.
“Niece, we’re just glad you’ve come home.”
“Thank you, Third Uncle and Third Aunt.”
Shen Shuli glanced at the two of them and slightly curved the corners of her mouth.
Her voice was sweet, but with her frightening appearance, her smile was even more terrifying.
Su Dalin and his wife didn’t dare meet her eyes at all. They nodded and quickly sat down, avoiding her gaze.
Su Dalin’s eldest daughter, Su Manhua, was already married and no longer lived with the Su family.
At this moment, his second daughter, Su Manye, and third daughter, Su Mandi, quickly took out their own red envelopes as well.
There wasn’t much inside—only five copper coins each.
That was already the entirety of the private money they had saved for a long time.
Shen Shuli accepted them generously and then presented the gifts she had prepared.
“Manye, this is a piece of red cloth. You can embroider a pattern on it and make it into a red bridal veil to use as part of your dowry.”
“Mandi, these shoes should fit you. Try them on later.”
Su Manye and Su Mandi had never expected that they would give their new cousin only five copper coins, yet their cousin would be so generous in return, giving them gifts worth far more.
The two girls hurriedly waved their hands and backed away, refusing to accept them.
Helpless, Shen Shuli stuffed the gifts into Third Uncle’s hands and asked him to pass them along.
“Third Uncle, my two cousins are just shy. You can hold these for them for now. They’re my welcome gifts to them, so you can’t confiscate them, okay?”
When Su Yunhai saw his younger brother about to refuse again, he gave him a meaningful look. Only then did Su Dalin reluctantly accept the gifts.
“Niece, Third Uncle thanks you on behalf of your two cousins. If you ever need anything, just ask them for help. We’re family, so don’t be shy.”
Shen Shuli’s generosity left the entire Su family completely stunned.