“Oh! You’re home! I picked some vegetables from the field and brought you extra. You can make Vegetable Cakes or cold dishes with them. I’ll leave them in the kitchen for you!”
Mrs. He was an exceptionally charming woman – beautiful with a well-maintained figure, hardly looking nearly forty. Carrying a bundle of common bitter greens from the fields, she deliberately spoke in a loud voice before stepping directly into the kitchen.
Su Juan and Su Mo followed her warily, watching as she placed the bitter greens by the stove and began rummaging through their belongings.
“What are you looking for? What valuable things could we possibly have worth your searching?” Su Mo shouted at her angrily.
Mrs. He shot Su Mo a displeased glare. “Why are you yelling at me? What’s wrong with me looking around? We treat you like royalty every day, yet you’re still not satisfied. What exactly do you want us to do to make you happy?”
Neighbors hearing the commotion came out one after another, pointing and gossiping about the people in the courtyard.
“Tsk tsk… these three from the main branch are so ungrateful. The second branch treats them so well, yet they don’t know what’s good for them!”
“Exactly! Even their own uncle couldn’t do more, especially since they’re not from the same mother. Who knows how the main branch of the Su family raised them!”
“Absolutely! The second branch gives them whatever they have, even arranged for someone to teach hunting to that boy from the main branch, and often brings them meat. Look at how he’s speaking to his aunt!”
“If it were me, I’d have kicked them out of the old house long ago and left them to fend for themselves. They’re all ungrateful and arrogant – let’s see what becomes of them in the future!”
Su Ying emerged after changing clothes to hear everyone outside gossiping about the three siblings.
She chuckled coldly – this was Mrs. He’s usual trick.
Her younger brother Su Mo often made Slingshots, Animal Traps, and Snares to catch game for his sisters to eat and build up their health. Their elder sister had kept this quiet to avoid trouble, but somehow the entire second branch found out and deliberately spread rumors that their family had paid for Su Mo’s hunting skills.
Not only that, Mrs. He knew Su Mo often caught wild rabbits and pheasants, so she would frequently come with worthless wild vegetables and take away their game.
Naturally, Su Mo wouldn’t allow this and would snatch back their belongings, which inevitably attracted neighbors to watch the spectacle.
Every time this happened, Mrs. He would unleash her acting skills, claiming she had bought rabbits in town to give the siblings some meat, but forgot to take them out, and that sharp-eyed Su Mo had snatched them from her in a tantrum.
Hearing this, the neighbors would immediately turn against the three siblings and compete to lecture them.
Afterward, Mrs. He would play the good person, stopping the neighbors who supported her, saying the children were immature and would learn in time, and that she and her family would be content as long as the three siblings were well.
The neighbors all praised Mrs. He highly – what could the three siblings possibly say or do?
Refute with the truth? Ha! Mrs. He would cry and accuse them of blaming the victim, asking how someone her age could possibly steal food from children when everyone in the village could see how often she brought them things!Mrs. He was so persuasive that anyone would believe her words. The rebuttals from the three siblings were seen by these people as rebellious, unrepentant, and heretical.
If they resorted to violence when words failed? Then the reputation of the three siblings would be completely ruined, just as others wished!
If they pretended to be deaf and mute and swallowed the insult? Then next time, Mrs. He would have even more reason to take the game they had hidden at home with ease!
In short, Mrs. He had calculated their every move. No matter what, it was always the three siblings who ended up suffering the most.
Listening to the gossip outside, the eldest sister Su Juan and the younger brother Su Mo were so furious they could hardly restrain themselves from tearing Mrs. He apart.
Mrs. He gave them a contemptuous smile, then pushed aside the hidden panel under the stove and directly tucked the half-chicken hidden inside into her bosom.
“You…”
Mrs. He’s provocative smile made Su Mo unable to hold back any longer. He was about to charge forward.
Seeing this, Su Ying quickly stepped forward to stop Su Mo, secretly giving him a reassuring look.
Noticing that the three of them did not try to stop her, Mrs. He showed a flicker of surprise in her eyes, then chuckled triumphantly and turned to leave.
Su Mo looked at his second sister Su Ying in confusion. Without a word, Su Ying pulled her eldest sister Su Juan aside and whispered a few words to her.
After hearing this, Su Juan nodded and strode out with determination.
Mrs. He had stopped to chat with the neighbors, hinting at how unruly the three siblings were and asking everyone to be understanding—completely trampling on their reputation to build up her own image as a good person.
Suppressing her anger, Su Juan steadied herself and deliberately called out cheerfully.
“Aunt!”
Mrs. He and several neighbors turned to look at her.
“Aunt, Su Miao previously asked me to sew a wedding dress for her, saying that you were soon going to match her with a great writer. I suppose this wedding dress must be extremely important, and I truly dare not take on the task. If I were to ruin it or make a mistake, it would be my fault if Su Miao lost face. Why not let the embroiderers in the county make it? I… I can even pay for it!”
As soon as these words were spoken, Mrs. He was stunned, and the neighbors around her were shocked.
What? The second daughter of the second branch of the Su family is also getting married? And she’s being matched with a great writer? Who is it? The eldest daughter married the village head’s son, and now the second daughter is being matched with a writer?
How do the daughters of the second branch manage to marry so well? If this comes to pass, how could anyone easily compare to the status of the second branch of the Su family?
Mrs. He wanted to glare at Su Juan. She had intended to announce this only after everything was settled. How could her second daughter marry as planned if this was revealed prematurely?
Did her own Su Miao leak this? How could that girl be so careless with her words! She was infuriating!
“What nonsense are you talking? What great writer? Don’t make things up!”
Mrs. He anxiously refuted and accused Su Juan, but upon hearing this, Su Juan seemed to realize her mistake and took two steps back apologetically. “I’m sorry, Aunt, I misspoke. I won’t mention this again!”
With that, she hurried back inside.
“Mrs. He, is this true? Who is it? Is it He Juren or Du Xiucai?”
“No, no, no… Don’t listen to her nonsense. There’s no such thing. I just remembered I have something to do. I must go!”
Not daring to say more, Mrs. He left these words behind and hurried away.
But the neighbors were already buzzing like a stirred-up hornet’s nest.
“This matter is ninety percent likely true. Tsk tsk tsk… quite remarkable. If that He Juren passes the imperial exam, he’ll become extraordinary. Any woman marrying him would be destined for good fortune. But wasn’t that originally the match the Su family’s main branch arranged for their own second daughter? The eldest daughter from the second Su branch snatched the main branch’s eldest daughter’s match, and now the second daughter wants to steal the main branch’s second daughter’s prospective marriage? What kind of behavior is this?
If it’s Du Xiucai, that’s even more impressive. I heard his father is now a high official in the capital…”
“Tsk tsk tsk… who would have thought the second Su branch had such ambitions?”
Su Ying couldn’t help but smile as she listened to the discussions outside. The second branch had set their sights on these two men, but He Juren didn’t want trouble and refused to marry Su Miao, while Du Xiucai only had eyes for her elder sister Su Juan. In her previous life, Mrs. He had gone to great lengths to scheme and place Su Miao in Du Xiucai’s bed, finally forcing the match.
By revealing this matter in advance, Su Ying believed Du Xiucai would be prepared, making it impossible for the second branch to gain any advantage.
Su Ying finally felt some satisfaction. This Mrs. He loved pretending to be virtuous – by ruining her scheme, let’s see how she could maintain her facade.
If one wants a good reputation, one must genuinely do good deeds. Those who seek fame through deception will eventually be exposed.
However, with the understanding gained from her past life, Su Ying didn’t take this Mrs. He seriously. She only employed petty tricks. The person in the Su family who truly warranted Su Ying’s vigilance was someone else entirely.