“Oh heavens, it’s happening again? Is the Su family trying to drive the Gu family’s daughter in law to her death?”
“What? They caused trouble yesterday too?”
“Of course! I heard they nearly drove Sister Su to throw herself against a wall yesterday, and now they’re doing this again. How can a mother behave like this?”
Amid the accusations, Su Jianguo pushed his way out of the crowd with a grim expression.
His eyes were fierce enough to look as though he wanted to devour someone, but with so many people watching, he could only force a hint of gentleness onto his face.
“These are just little quarrels between the children. Sorry everyone had to witness this!”
Su Jianguo turned toward Su Qingwan. Once he was out of everyone’s direct line of sight, his expression instantly became cold and sinister as he reprimanded her in a low voice.
“Qingwan, have you caused enough trouble? Aren’t you embarrassed enough already? Hurry up and come home!”
Su Qingwan stood on the threshold of the Su family’s home, a hemp rope clutched in her hand. At her feet were the Four Great Items she had brought over from the Gu residence, arranged neatly in a row.
Hearing this, the corners of her lips curled into a cold smile.
Relying on his position as the village accountant and head of the Su family, Su Jianguo had long been accustomed to acting superior. He believed everyone had to listen to him.
If this had been the original owner, she would have been frightened into backing down long ago. But Su Qingwan was not someone who could be bullied so easily. Trying to step on her? Dream on!
Tears immediately filled Su Qingwan’s eyes. She cried miserably.
“Dad, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have threatened to die in front of everyone. But Mom and my sister pushed me into a corner today. I truly had nowhere else to turn.”
“Still, everyone is here, so they can be witnesses. The Gu family’s ancestral home and these Four Great Items are all things I willingly gave to Dad. No one in the Su family forced me to do anything. Please don’t misunderstand the Su family.”
As she spoke, she gave a miserable smile. Looking at her pale face, who among the villagers could fail to see that something was wrong?
Everyone instantly understood what was happening, and their expressions became shocked and furious.
Yet Su Qingwan acted as though she had not noticed their horrified expressions. She raised her head and gazed in the direction where Gu Jinchuan had left, her voice filled with reluctance and despair.
“As for the kindness my husband Gu Jinchuan showed me, I can only repay him in my next life.”
After saying this, she bent down and bowed deeply to everyone.
“Thank you all for your kindness and generosity.”
Immediately afterward, she tightly gripped the hemp rope, slipped her slender neck into the loop, and kicked the stool away beneath her feet.
“She really did it! Su Qingwan hung herself!”
The villagers were jolted awake by the screams. They rushed forward in panic to pull her down, shouting at the tops of their lungs.
“Quick, get her down!”
“Sister Su, wake up! You’re only twenty two years old. How could you think of doing something like this?”
For a moment, everyone was talking over one another. But whenever their eyes landed on Su Jianguo, who stood there with an ashen expression, the contempt in their eyes was impossible to hide.
For the sake of the Gu family’s ancestral home and the Four Great Items Gu Jinchuan had bought, the Su family had actually driven their adopted daughter to the brink of death.
This was the first time anything like this had happened in the village. The Su family really had gone too far!
Su Jianguo realized something was wrong. He took a deep breath, pushed his way into the crowd, and hurriedly tried to reassure everyone.
“Wanwan, what are you saying? We’re family. How could we possibly covet anything belonging to the Gu family? Maybe you’ve misunderstood something. And as for these things…”
His gaze landed on the Four Great Items on the ground.
That huge radio and the exquisite Butterfly brand sewing machine were all precious goods that could not simply be bought even if someone had the money. Yet right now, he did not dare show the slightest desire for them.
Suppressing his unwillingness, he forced out a few hypocritical words.
“Although our family could certainly use these things, we’ve never thought about keeping your betrothal gifts for ourselves. We would never make you take things from the Gu family either. Have you misunderstood something about us?”
Su Qingwan was being supported by several kindhearted older women. Her face was covered in tears as she bit her lower lip and sobbed.
“Yes, yes, Dad, you’re right. You have no interest in these things. I was the one who willingly wanted to give them to you.”
The more she said this, the more unfriendly everyone’s gaze toward Su Jianguo became.
One middle aged woman even rolled her eyes and sneered.
“Accountant Su, there are so many of us here. You should stop talking and take a look at how frightened you’ve made this child.”
“Exactly. Everyone knows Huang Cuilan took her daughter to the Gu residence early this morning and started pounding on the door. Now this is happening again. Whether it’s true or not, don’t you know it yourself?”
“They were even rummaging through the Gu residence yesterday. The Su family’s way of raising a family is enough to make anyone want to stay far away!”
Mocking voices rose from the crowd. Some villagers were jealous that the Su family had managed to marry into Gu Jinchuan’s family, while others had longstanding conflicts with Su Jianguo at work. As a result, their words were especially blunt and merciless.
The smile Su Jianguo had painstakingly forced onto his face finally froze completely. His eyes darkened as he swept his gaze across those people before finally landing on Su Qingwan.
“Qingwan, it seems your mother was too harsh with you while I wasn’t at home. As your father, that’s my failure.”
“I promise I’ll make it up to you. Now be a good girl and come home with Dad first.”
Seeing his obvious attempt to settle the matter quietly, Su Qingwan knew perfectly well that he intended to settle the score with her later.
She wiped away her tears and sobbed softly.
“Dad is right. How could we discuss these things in front of everyone? It’s all my fault!”
“Aunts, uncles, and everyone else, please pretend you didn’t hear what I just said and go home. I’m going back with my dad.”
As she spoke, she staggered to her feet and reached out to move the large television. She gave a bitter smile.
“This television is so nice. Gu Jinchuan never even got the chance to watch it once. I hope that in my next life, we’ll still be able to afford one.”
The reluctance and sorrow in her words tugged painfully at the hearts of the women around her.
They immediately protected her shoulders and said, “No, we need to settle this properly right here.”
“Sister Su, don’t be afraid. We’re all from the same village, and the Gu family are the relatives of a martyr from our village. We’ll protect you.”
“Exactly!”
Su Jianguo was so furious that he felt his lungs were about to explode.
What on earth was wrong with Su Qingwan? What nonsense was she saying in front of everyone?
Could she not see the way these people were looking at him as though they wanted to tear him apart?
What he did not know was that this was exactly the effect Su Qingwan wanted.
She tugged at the corners of her lips and gave a pale smile.
“Thank you, Aunties, for caring about me, but I’m really fine.”
“You should all go home. Later, Mom and my sister still need to go to the Gu residence with me to get some things.”
Several of the women exchanged glances, seemingly seeing the same confusion in each other’s eyes.
They quickly asked, “Get more things? What else are you going to take?”
“Everything you owned at the Su family home was thrown away on your wedding day, and everything at the Gu residence was bought by Gu Jinchuan. What else could the Su family possibly have at the Gu residence?”
Su Qingwan shook her head seriously.
“No, that’s not it. Mom said we’re all family, so naturally I should contribute everything I have.”
“My younger sister happens to be going to a match, so I’ll let her use my watch and new clothes for now. I’ll wear them again when I get the chance.”
“Oh my heavens! Huang Cuilan has completely lost her mind!”
“Bah! What kind of family is this? They’re nothing but shameless bloodsuckers!”