Su Lina, dressed in her university uniform, was startled, then flashed an innocent, harmless smile.
“Mom, you’re home. I heard from classmates that you fainted in the auditorium. Are you feeling better now?”
In the past, Shen Fujuan would have beamed and praised her, saying how thoughtful her daughter was, noticing things those careless boys overlooked.
But now, Shen Fujuan simply stared coldly at her, her slightly wrinkled eyes filled with scrutiny and icy hatred.
She had been so focused on gathering supplies that she almost forgot—in her past life, it was this adopted daughter who reported them, causing their entire family to be sent down for re-education while Su Lina inherited the vast family fortune and lived a life of luxury alone.
By the time Shen Fujuan and her youngest son returned to the capital to settle the score, Su Lina had already sold off the assets and fled abroad with millions of dollars to live lavishly.
In her past life, she hadn’t been able to crush this troublemaker. In this life, she would make sure to teach her a lesson!
“Mom, why are you looking at me like that? It’s making me nervous…”
Su Lina lowered her eyes, her heart pounding. Could the old hag have found out about her report?
Shen Fujuan didn’t want to alert her prematurely. For now, her “good daughter” hadn’t shown any concrete wrongdoing. Besides, she wanted to keep Su Lina around to torment her properly.
So she brushed it off with a casual remark: “It’s nothing, I was just lost in thought.”
With that, she picked up her cloth bag and headed for the door.
Su Lina warmly linked arms with her. “Mom, where are you going? Let me come with you. I’m worried you might faint again.”
Shen Fujuan turned and looked at this child she had raised as her own for sixteen years.
She couldn’t help but wonder: When exactly did Su Lina go astray? Why did she harbor such deep hatred for their entire family?
“I’m going to the university. You won’t be of any help, so stay home and study.”
At the mention of studying, the smile on Su Lina’s face froze instantly, and she let go of her adoptive mother’s arm.
Free from Su Lina, Shen Fujuan boarded a bus straight to the department store.
Both she and Su Jiaxuan were senior professors, earning two hundred yuan a month each. They weren’t materialistic and were generous with their money, always helping colleagues or students in need without expecting anything in return.
It was precisely because she had helped these students that, when they were later rehabilitated, this group of students played a crucial role in ensuring their family’s smooth reinstatement. Otherwise, even her youngest son might not have been spared.
Shen Fujuan counted the money and ration coupons in her pocket—thirteen hundred yuan, plus some coupons. She planned to exchange all of it for supplies.
“Two hundred jin of rice, two hundred jin of flour, another three hundred jin of corn, ten barrels of oil, malted milk powder, powdered milk…”
She recited a long list of items, and the salesclerk frowned after listening for a while.
“Comrade, what do you need so many supplies for?”
In those days, the crackdown on speculation and profiteering was severe. Fortunately, Shen Fujuan had already prepared an excuse. She took out her Peking University work ID and explained, “I’m purchasing for the university canteen.”
Hearing it was for the students, the salesclerk immediately became serious and even called over staff to help carry the goods to the entrance.
Shen Fujuan stood in a corner and, when no one was paying attention, moved everything into her Dimensional Space.
With these supplies, at least they wouldn’t have to go hungry anymore.
Looking at the remaining five hundred yuan in her hand, Shen Fujuan bought some cotton, fabric, soap, and other daily necessities, spending three hundred yuan in one go.
She kept the remaining two hundred yuan in her Dimensional Space for emergencies.
By the time Shen Fujuan finished her tasks, it was already one in the afternoon. She hurried back home, where Su Jiaxuan had already bought food from the cafeteria, and the whole family was waiting for her to return.
Their eldest son, Su Jianqiang, was twenty-five this year and worked as a lecturer at Tsinghua University. His wife, who was his college classmate, worked at a research institute.
Shen Fujuan looked at her daughter-in-law’s still-flat stomach, feeling a pang of bitterness in her heart.
“Xiaorou, now that you’re pregnant, you don’t have to wait for me to eat. You should start your meals first.”
Zhao Xiaorou smiled modestly, serving Shen Fujuan a bowl of rice and handing it to her. “How could I do that? Meals are only enjoyable when the whole family eats together.”
Upon hearing this, Su Lina secretly rolled her eyes and viciously poked at the white rice in her bowl with her chopsticks.
Shen Fujuan noticed her adopted daughter’s subtle movements, her heart growing colder. She shifted her attention to the empty seat where her younger son should have been. “Where’s Jianjun?”
Su Jiaxuan picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it in his wife’s bowl. “Don’t worry about him. He went out with his classmates for a field survey.”
In other words, he wouldn’t be back for dinner.
The few people at the table held a natural reverence for Su Jiaxuan and dared not speak up, instead turning their gazes toward Shen Fujuan.
But Shen Fujuan, unusually, did not speak up for her younger son, nor did she engage in her usual cheerful banter.
Coupled with the fact that the family was currently under investigation, everyone felt a certain burden weighing on their minds.
The meal was exceptionally tense.
After eating, Shen Fujuan did not let her daughter-in-law clear the dishes. Instead, for the first time, she asked Su Lina to clean up the table.
“Mom! That’s always been Sister-in-law’s job!”
Shen Fujuan shot Su Lina a stern look. “Your sister-in-law has something to do.”
Ignoring Su Lina’s protests, she turned to Zhao Xiaorou and said, “Xiaorou, come with me to my room. I have something to discuss with you.”
Her mother-in-law had always been easygoing and rarely so serious. Zhao Xiaorou followed her upstairs with some trepidation.
“Mom, what did you want to talk to me about?”
Shen Fujuan took two hundred yuan from a drawer. “Xiaojuan, our family’s situation isn’t good. We might be sent down to the countryside. You’re pregnant and shouldn’t have to endure hardship, so it’s best for you to separate from Jianqiang for now.”
Zhao Xiaorou was a good girl. In her previous life, she had followed them to the countryside without hesitation, enduring hardships without a single complaint.
But as her mother-in-law, Shen Fujuan could not bear to watch her meet the same fate—dying so young.
Life in the countryside was tough, and medical conditions were poor. Even if they didn’t lack supplies, the risks of childbirth were too high.
“If you want to keep this child, he will always be the eldest grandson of our Su family. If you don’t… Mom will respect your decision.”
There were still five days left—enough time for her to terminate the pregnancy, divorce her eldest son, and cut ties with their family to protect herself.
“Mom, what are you saying? We’re family. I won’t leave!”
Zhao Xiaorou looked at her mother-in-law with a hint of grievance. She came from a working-class family where sons were favored over daughters. If it weren’t for the Su family’s support, she would never have been able to attend university.
“Mom, I can endure hardship. I’m not afraid of being sent down. Please don’t make Jianqiang abandon me…”
Seeing her daughter-in-law on the verge of tears, Shen Fujuan immediately stopped speaking.
“It’s not about abandoning you. Mom already said, you…”
Shen Fujuan paused, frowning as she noticed a glimpse of a braided ponytail through the glass window on the door.
Wasn’t that her dear daughter? She was becoming bolder and bolder, daring to eavesdrop now.
She gestured for her daughter-in-law to stay quiet, quietly approached the door, and then flung it open abruptly.
Su Lina was caught off guard and tumbled to the ground, gasping in pain as she struggled to catch her breath. She reached out, hoping her adoptive mother would help her up, but after waiting with no response, she looked up to meet a cold stare.
“Who taught you to eavesdrop?”