The village was unusually quiet in the evening. Everyone had just finished work and was getting ready to light the stove and prepare dinner.
With all the commotion, several households near the Gu residence came out to see what was happening. Once they saw the scene, quite a few people followed the noise and gathered around.
When they realized that the woman sitting at the entrance of the Gu residence and making a scene was Su Qingwan’s mother, everyone was stunned.
Who among them had not seen this mother and daughter at the wedding feast yesterday? How had they already fallen out after just one day?
Unable to suppress their curiosity, someone asked, “Auntie Su, Sister Su, what happened? How did you two end up quarreling when you’re family?”
Su’s mother immediately wailed, “I’ve raised an ungrateful wolf!”
Leaning against the doorframe, Su Qingwan also called out loudly, “Everyone, come and judge this fairly! My husband had barely left when she came straight to my door and demanded that I hand over every bit of the allowance Gu Jinchuan left behind so she could use it to find her son a wife.”
“She really has the nerve to ask for that! Just look at my house. It’s falling apart, and I was counting on that money to repair it. She isn’t here to ask for money so her son can get married. She clearly wants my life so she can use it to bring her son good fortune in marriage!”
The moment those words were spoken, everyone around them was stunned.
No one had expected Su’s mother to make such a huge scene simply because she wanted Gu Jinchuan’s allowance. She was practically treating the Gu family like easy prey!
For a moment, everyone’s eyes were filled with contempt and disgust. In the entire village, she was probably the only person shameless enough to do something like this!
Yet Su’s mother remained completely justified in her own mind as she began making another scene.
“Where is the justice in this? I raised you from the time you were nothing but a crying baby, and now that our family is facing some difficulties and we need your help, this is how you treat us?”
“Besides, when can’t you build your house? Why does it have to be done before your younger brother gets married? Once Yaozu is married, our whole family will come and help you. We’ll have everything fixed up in just a few days.”
Su Qingwan stared at her with a smile that did not reach her eyes. The look in her eyes made Su’s mother feel uneasy.
Then Su Qingwan suddenly spoke with exaggerated emotion.
“Oh, Mother, do you mean you’ll give me money to buy sand and red bricks, and even help me build a three story detached house? Mom, are you really serious? I am so grateful to you!”
As she spoke, she stepped forward and grabbed both of Su’s mother’s hands as though she were thanking a savior.
“You! I, I never said anything like that! You good for nothing daughter, don’t even think about spending my money!”
Su’s mother was rendered speechless. She pointed at Su Qingwan’s nose and began cursing her furiously, making it perfectly clear that there was no chance of her paying for anything.
Seeing this, Su Qingwan let out a mocking laugh. Her expression changed instantly as she turned toward the villagers, wiping her nose and tears while crying pitifully.
“Oh heavens, everyone, please come and judge this fairly! What exactly does my mother mean? Does she mean she doesn’t want to give me a single cent while only wanting my money?”
“Oh, this isn’t about asking for money. She’s trying to take my life!”
She began crying as she continued, “I was so foolish back then. Even when I saw Mother stealing sand from Second Uncle and red bricks from Third Aunt, I never said a word…”
“Su Qingwan!”
In an instant, the attitude of the crowd changed completely, and their eyes filled with contempt.
“Now that you mention it, the sand that disappeared from my house before was taken away by her in a handcart. If I hadn’t caught her in the act back then…”
“No wonder my red bricks were missing too. So the Su family’s new house was built with stolen materials?”
Su’s mother’s face turned pale and then flushed red. She felt as though this girl was going to be the death of her. Now the entire village’s missing belongings were being blamed on her!
She immediately threw back her head and wailed, “How did I end up raising such an ungrateful wolf? She’s trying to drive her own mother to death!”
As she spoke, she pointed at her own neck and made another scene.
“Then strangle me right now and get it over with! You won’t have to falsely accuse me anymore!”
Upon hearing this, Su Qingwan did not hesitate for even a moment. She suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her mother’s neck tightly, crying as she squeezed harder.
“My dear mother, since you want to die so badly, your daughter will grant your wish! I’ll send you on your way right now so you can be reborn sooner!”
Trying to use moral pressure against her? That would only work if she had a life left to be threatened with.
“You, cough, cough!”
Su’s mother’s eyes bulged as she stared at the person in front of her in disbelief. The feeling of suffocation instantly overwhelmed her. This girl had actually dared to do it!
“Help me! Help!”
Su Qingwan moved so quickly that everyone was startled. They hurried forward to pull the two apart.
“Sister Su! Your mother was only saying that out of anger. Let go of her!”
Forced to release her, Su Qingwan looked at Su’s mother with regret. She then took advantage of the situation and collapsed onto the ground, slapping her thigh and crying out as though the heavens themselves had wronged her.
“Oh heavens! My father is dead and now my mother wants me dead too! I’ve never had a single peaceful day in my life. I raised my mother, and now she’s trying to drive me to my death!”
“Mom, wasn’t it just because I caught you secretly watching Uncle Ming while he was bathing? Why are you making such a fuss about dying? Back then, you didn’t mind when Dad secretly watched the widow Liu bathing either. As husband and wife, can’t you just cover for each other?”
The two people who had been mentioned were so shocked that their eyes nearly popped out.
The widow Liu covered her face and ran away in shame and humiliation.
“What a disgrace! He even secretly watched me bathing. No wonder the child turned out this way when the parents set such a terrible example!”
“Su Qingwan, what nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever do such a thing?”
Su’s mother was furious. What was this girl trying to imply? When had she ever secretly watched a man bathing? Just look at A Ming’s lustful eyes.
They were practically devouring her already!
Su Qingwan, however, suddenly changed the subject. She wrapped both arms around her mother’s leg and cried bitterly.
“Mom, I really stopped blaming you a long time ago for not giving me enough food or clothes. I’m already satisfied that you let me live in the woodshed. In winter, I’ll go out and beg for food. In summer, I’ll collect scraps. Please, just stop hitting me and stop despising me!”
“If that’s what it takes, I’ll let my younger brother use my allowance to find himself a wife, and let my younger sister use my husband’s betrothal gifts to marry into a better family. Just stop beating me and scolding me. I truly never blamed you for not letting me go to school!”
She cried so miserably that anyone who heard her felt tears welling up in their eyes.
Everyone in the village knew that the eldest daughter of the Su family lived worse than an animal. She wore tattered clothes, ate whatever leftovers her younger siblings left behind, and was forced to do heavy labor to help support the family.
“Huang Cuilan, you’re really not a decent human being!”
“You drove your own child to this point. Heaven will punish you for this!”
Su’s mother was rendered speechless and became frantic.
“You good for nothing girl, what are you pretending for? It’s not easy to manage a household with so many people! I made you work to train you, yet you don’t appreciate it!”
Su Qingwan’s throat tightened as she cried out.
“Mom, I understand everything! Our family is royalty. Dad is the Emperor, you’re the Empress, my younger brother is the Crown Prince, and my younger sister is the Princess. I’m just the eunuch and maid who serve all of you. I understand everything!”
The expressions of everyone around them changed dramatically, and they began criticizing Su’s mother one after another.
“Huang Cuilan, have you lost your mind? What era are we living in? You’re still trying to practice feudal imperial rule?”
“I’m not! I didn’t!”
Su’s mother panicked. In these times, being labeled a landlord or accused of promoting feudalism could get someone into serious trouble.
Su Qingwan lay on the ground, sobbing.
“Mom, I don’t want to eat meat. I don’t want new clothes either. I’ll take good care of you and Dad. If you want me to warm your bed, I’ll do it. I absolutely won’t say anything anymore!”
The moment those words came out, the crowd erupted.
The contempt in their eyes instantly turned into shock and fury.
“Warm your bed?!”
Auntie Zhao felt a chill shoot straight from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. This wasn’t a mother at all. She was clearly a vicious demon who preyed on her own children!
“This is worse than an animal! That’s her own father!”
“I always wondered why the Su family felt so sinister. So they were hiding something this filthy inside their home!”
Several outspoken village women were trembling with rage. They pointed at Su’s mother and cursed her.
“Huang Cuilan, are you even human? Even a tiger won’t eat its own cubs, yet you would make your daughter do something so vile! How could you bring yourself to do this?”
“Someone like you should be paraded through the streets! You need to have your brain washed!”
Their angry voices filled the air, and they looked as though they wanted to rush forward and tear Su’s mother apart themselves.
Su’s mother was completely terrified. Her face became as pale as paper, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to collapse.
Looking at the furious villagers surrounding her, she knew that if she did not beg for mercy immediately, they might actually tear her apart in their rage.
She quickly changed her story, her voice trembling.
“Wanwan, Mom was only joking just now. How could you take it seriously?”
The corners of Su Qingwan’s lips curled slightly. She had no intention of responding to what her mother had actually said.
Instead, she immediately threw herself into another fit of tears, rolling her eyes back as though she were completely overwhelmed by despair.
“Mom, I know! It’s all my fault that my younger brother can’t find a wife and my younger sister can’t get married. It’s all because of me! My very existence is an eyesore! Don’t stop me. I’ll go smash my head against the wall today. Only after I die will our whole family finally be free!”
With that, she suddenly charged toward the wall.
Her determination frightened everyone so badly that their faces went pale. Auntie Zhao immediately wrapped both arms tightly around her waist and stopped her.
“Spit, spit, spit! You’re so young. Why are you talking about dying?”
Auntie Zhao spat on the ground to ward off the bad luck, then turned toward Su’s mother and shouted.
“Sister Su, you can’t be so heartless! The betrothal money Comrade Gu gave yesterday was at least three hundred yuan, wasn’t it? And there was all that grain too. Isn’t that enough for your son to get married? Do you think we’re all blind?”
The moment those words were spoken, the crowd erupted once again.
Three hundred yuan!
In those days, for an ordinary family living carefully and frugally, that amount was enough to eat well and live comfortably for five or six years.