Su Ying was inspecting her small earthen kiln in the yard, trying to figure out why it had exploded. After examining it for a long time, she finally discovered there was realgar inside.
She glanced around at the realgar powder scattered around the yard. With the wind blowing, it would indeed spread everywhere. Looking at this, she couldn’t help but feel somewhat anxious.
Just as she was staring at the realgar powder and thinking of solutions, Mrs. He arrived. The moment she entered, she began scolding the three of them harshly.
“Have you no shame? Do you know what rumors are spreading outside? You’ve completely disgraced our Su family! Why haven’t you confessed who that man is and when you started seeing him?”
Mrs. He stared fixedly at Su Juan who had come out, her eyes venomous.
She had specifically gone to the village entrance to look before coming, and indeed saw that tall, handsome man.
To be honest, even though she had seen much of the world in her youth and encountered many talented young men, not one of them could compare to even a tenth of that man.
Moreover, with her sharp judgment, she could tell that man’s family background was absolutely extraordinary.
Her mother had said that the Destiny of these three siblings was incredibly noble, and they were destined for great wealth and status in the future. Although she had tampered with their Destiny, she couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be any unexpected changes.
In her eyes, a man with such handsome looks and good family background should naturally be interested in her daughters. How could these two wretched Su girls compare to even half the quality of her daughters?
Mrs. He stared intently at Su Juan, as if regarding her as her daughters’ primary rival.
After all, Su Ying’s face was already ruined – no man, however blind, would possibly fancy her now. But although Su Juan’s reputation was damaged, her face was still intact. If she tried to seduce someone, she might very well succeed.
At this moment, Mrs. He wished she could scratch Su Juan’s face right then and there.
Seeing her vicious gaze, Su Juan cautiously took a step back. “Aunt, please watch your language. What do you mean by ‘seeing him’? You’re an elder, yet you’re spouting nonsense. What right do you have to lecture us?”
“What do you mean I have no right? You meeting with outside men is shameless behavior, and I can’t even talk about it?” Mrs. He complained indignantly, incessantly accusing Su Juan.
As Su Juan was about to speak, Su Ying thought for a moment and immediately stepped forward to stop her elder sister. “Sister, let me handle this.”
She turned around, took a deep breath, and asked Mrs. He word by word, “Aunt, why have you come here?”
“Hmph! It’s because of your affairs that the whole village knows now! Your grandmother sent me to bring you three over to have a talk!”
Mrs. He stood with her hands on her hips, not even glancing at Su Ying.
“Alright then, let’s go talk!”
Su Ying exchanged glances with Su Juan and Su Mo. The three of them got ready and left together.
Mrs. He snorted heavily and walked out first.
Many people were standing outside the old Su family compound. When they saw Mrs. He come out, they all asked her, “What exactly is going on?”
Mrs. He turned around and waved at them with an amiable smile. “They haven’t told me anything so I don’t know the situation either. That’s why I’m taking them to the old lady to talk!”
Hearing this, the crowd followed along, wanting to hear what exactly was happening.
They went to the Village head’s house. The moment the three Su siblings stepped through the door, a loud crying sound erupted from inside.
The crowd exclaimed joyfully: “The Wang family has given birth! The cry sounds good!”
“Must be a chubby boy!”
Everyone was drawn to the crying sound, temporarily ignoring the three siblings.
The midwife emerged from the room holding the child with joyous surprise, exclaiming, “Congratulations, it’s a plump baby boy!”
This announcement delighted the Village head’s family along with Shao Shi and Mrs. He, who hurried forward to look.
Wang Shangnian, however, didn’t spare a single glance for his newborn son, staring transfixed at Su Juan who had just entered.
Su Juan noticed him too but didn’t approach, remaining standing at a distance.
“Shangnian, come quickly and see your son! What are you standing there dazed for?” called Zhu Shi, the Village head’s wife, snapping Wang Shangnian out of his trance.
Shao Shi glanced at Wang Shangnian before turning to glare venomously at Su Juan. Nearby, Mrs. He watched Su Juan with an equally unpleasant expression.
Su Ying deliberately stepped forward, smiling as she addressed the old woman, “A great-grandson! Congratulations on becoming a grandmother!”
Several people nearby nearly choked holding back laughter at these words.
Shao Shi’s viper-like gaze shot directly toward her, making even the prepared Su Ying gasp involuntarily.
Patting her mouth apologetically, Su Ying said, “My mistake, Grandmother! Please don’t hold it against your granddaughter.”
With so many people present, Shao Shi couldn’t make a scene. After staring at Su Ying’s face for a moment, she demanded, “What’s this rumor about? They say a man entered our old compound. Who is he? What does he do? Why was he looking for you? How long have you known him?”
Everyone fell silent, waiting to hear her response.
The Su family’s old compound often had snakes, making some hesitant to approach despite wanting to watch the drama. Now that the three siblings had come to the Village head’s house, they could openly gather to listen.
“Grandma, we don’t know that man. He came looking for us on his own initiative.”
Shao Shi didn’t believe it, countering, “Why would he seek you out?”
“It’s like this,” Su Ying explained. “He said he’d consulted someone about Feng Shui and was told our old compound has excellent Feng Shui. He wants to buy the property.”
Su Ying’s words sent waves of shocked murmurs through the courtyard.
“Good Feng Shui? Is that true? That place gets overrun with snakes the moment they move in – how can that be good Feng Shui?”
“Exactly! And he wants to buy it? I wouldn’t take that old Su compound if you paid me!”
“Who’d want it? Is this girl fooling us?”
“But if she’s lying, why did that man bring two constables with him?”
“Well… who knows? These three siblings won’t tell the truth – it’s maddening!”
Hearing the villagers’ disbelief, Shao Shi began lecturing Su Ying with a cold expression.
“Su Ying, you’re a young woman. After what happened to your face, finding a good match was already difficult. Now you’re picking up lying too! What am I to do with you? Hurry up and tell us the truth!”
Unmoved, Su Ying insisted, “Grandmother, I’m not lying. That man really came to survey the property. Actually, when he said where we live has good Feng Shui, we didn’t believe it either. We even told him snakes often appear in the house.”
“But he said that although snakes are yin creatures, the places they choose are often Feng Shui treasure spots. He also mentioned something about a Wealth Guardian, suggesting our property might have buried treasures underneath!”
“We thought this was important enough to tell you, but the man unfortunately took a fall and said he’d come back another day to look again.”
With Su Ying’s explanation, the villagers suddenly understood.
“Indeed, I’ve heard the elders say that snakes are spiritual creatures that prefer nesting in graveyards and places where treasures are buried. Do you think there might actually be something beneath the Su family’s courtyard?”
“Oh my! That’s hard to say. If there’s truth to this saying, then those people wouldn’t have come to inspect the courtyard for no reason. Tsk tsk, we used to think the snakes were purely brought by the killing aura surrounding the three siblings – never imagined they’d have such fortune and luck!”
“So that means the three siblings aren’t as ominous as the rumors say?”
“Exactly! Look at the village head’s grandson – they struggled for two days during labor without success, but as soon as the three siblings arrived, a healthy baby boy was born. The rumors must be wrong!”
All doubts were clarified by Su Ying’s explanation, and the villagers immediately believed most of it, even beginning to dispel the rumors about the three siblings carrying killing aura.
Shao Shi observed the shifting attitudes among the villagers and immediately shot a gaze as cold as sharp blades toward the three siblings.