“That’s right, I’ve only just realized it now. The things Second Su’s wife gave those three siblings weren’t anything good at all. She hardly provided any real support for the children. Look at those shabby items she just bought!”
“Tsk tsk, and that Su Ying girl’s face got ruined, yet the Su family didn’t show any concern. The children don’t have money to buy proper ointment either. In my opinion, there’s definitely some distance between the Su family and these three siblings!”
Hearing the shift in the gossip from these village busybodies, Su Ying couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile, feeling somewhat relieved inside.
People had finally seen through the dirty hearts beneath the Su family’s hypocritical facade. Though it was also because the Su family had been too cunning, setting up this scheme from the very beginning.
This matter actually dated back quite some time.
Back when the original host’s parents were still alive, Old Mrs. Shao of the Su Family had consulted a fortune teller about their family. The fortune teller said that while everyone else in the family was fine, these three siblings from the main branch were ill-starred – born with a typical unlucky fate that would bring misfortune to anyone they encountered.
Because of this, she specially obtained talismans to help resolve the issue for the three siblings.
The Su family had deliberately or accidentally leaked this information to people close to them, though at the time nobody took it seriously. After all, there were many charlatans around, and without any incidents occurring, people just treated it as entertainment.
But later, when Su Jing and his wife both met with misfortune during their travels, people began discussing this matter again.
Although they talked about it, few truly believed – most thought it might just be a coincidence.
Unexpectedly, a series of strange incidents that followed completely changed people’s minds.
Snakes would inexplicably appear in the new house where the three siblings lived. Other people’s homes would catch fire for no reason, even resulting in deaths. Family businesses frequently encountered problems.
Old Mrs. Shao consulted another fortune teller, who declared that the killing aura of the three siblings could no longer be contained. Moreover, living in the best house in the village had intensified their killing aura, causing the entire village to suffer misfortunes.
After this incident, villagers all held prejudices against them and even demanded they leave Kaoshan Village.
Wanting to maintain their good reputation, the Su family only told the villagers that having the three siblings move out of the new house would reduce the killing aura.
Thus, amid the villagers’ demands, the three siblings were forced to move out of their family’s new house and, under Old Mrs. Shao’s “kind arrangement,” moved into the Su family’s old ancestral home.
As for their properties and shops, the old lady claimed that if left to the three siblings, they would surely lose everything, so their second and third uncles would temporarily manage them for them.
The main branch of the Su family had been wealthy in the village, and everyone had witnessed their former glory. Nobody wants others to always be better off than themselves. With the three siblings being exceptionally beautiful, many felt secretly pleased about their misfortune, sighing about how fortunes change.
The Su family knew how to handle things well. They maintained good relations with villagers, and with the second branch’s eldest daughter married to the village head’s son, many were willing to stay close to them. Thus, over the years, the villagers had sided with the Su family.
Adding to this, Mrs. He would occasionally parade around with gifts in front of the three siblings while boasting outside about how well she treated them. This led people to believe that the three siblings from the main branch were still the ones benefiting from the Su family, making them secretly envy the siblings.
She had only asked Su Juan to drop a hint yesterday, never expecting the village’s opinion would shift so quickly.
People said the three siblings were jinxes, bringing misfortune to anyone they encountered, so how was it that the two sisters from the second branch of the Su family were thriving instead?
Slinging mud at others often ends up splattering yourself.
Now, many villagers believed the second branch of the Su family would form a marriage alliance with He Changchun and questioned their integrity—exactly the effect she had intended.
Even if the match didn’t materialize in the end, at least people would no longer view this family with their usual impartiality.
After all, everyone has selfish inclinations and secretly hopes others fare worse than themselves. With the eldest daughter of the second Su branch paired with the village head’s son, they naturally grew wary of the second daughter marrying into a higher status. Perhaps they would even nitpick constantly in the future!
The benefit for the three siblings was that they could finally breathe a little easier in this narrow space of opportunity.
Not far along their way, the three siblings spotted Du Chenyu approaching from the opposite direction.
This Du Chenyu was the other literary talent in the village besides He Juren—Du Xiucai, twenty-eight years old, five years older than He Changchun.
Though Du Chenyu was only a Successful candidate in the imperial exam at the county level, his knowledge surpassed even He Changchun’s. Elegant, dignified, and handsome, he was the dream match for young women across the neighboring villages.
Unfortunately, after his widowed mother suddenly passed away the year he passed the imperial exam, he became aloof and withdrawn, keeping others at a distance. After observing three years of mourning at home, he took up a teaching position at a private school in Longtou County.
Upon seeing the three siblings, Du Chenyu halted and beckoned to Su Mo.
Understanding his gesture, Su Mo trotted over, accepted a book and several sheets of xuan paper from him, listened to a few instructions, then scampered back cheerfully.
“Eldest sister, Du Xiucai said he carefully reviewed the last batch of copied pages and found errors in a few, so he deducted thirty wen. The remaining one tael and eighty-five wen is what you rightfully earned!
He also gave this book and wants you to copy it within a month. He’ll pay two wen per page and settle the payment after verifying there are no mistakes!”
Su Juan took the book and saw it was The Doctrine of the Mean. It wasn’t thick—she could finish copying it in half a month, let alone a full month.
She glanced up at Du Chenyu, only to find he had already turned and walked away.
Su Ying and Su Mo exchanged a look and smiled knowingly.
They could both tell Du Xiucai had feelings for their eldest sister. Knowing their family struggled financially, he leveraged her basic literacy to have her copy texts, allowing her to earn some extra coins for household expenses.
His way of offering help didn’t wound Su Juan’s pride; instead, it earned him the goodwill of her and their younger brother.
Su Ying sighed inwardly. In her previous life, Du Chenyu had been deeply devoted to her eldest sister, but the Su family schemed against them, letting Su Miao “claim the prize” that was rightfully Su Juan’s. Unable to accept this, Du Chenyu asked the Su family to let him marry Su Juan, but they refused and instead married her off to a drunken gambler and ruffian.
This time, Su Ying was determined not to let history repeat itself. Du Chenyu was a good man, and it seemed Su Juan also held some affection for him. She resolved inwardly to do everything in her power to help bring about their union.
Back at the old courtyard, Su Juan put away their purchases, then carefully wrapped Du Chenyu’s book and xuan paper in cloth and locked them in a small cabinet to copy when she had free time.
Seizing a moment when no one was watching, Su Ying took out the waistband hidden in her sleeve and exchanged it with the system for the Appearance Restoration Balm.
This item looked quite sophisticated at first glance. When she opened the lid, a faint, delicate fragrance wafted out.
She leaned close to the irregularly shaped bronze mirror—no larger than a palm—that had fallen with her, scooped out a bit of the ointment, and carefully spread it over the affected area.
Instantly, a cool, soothing sensation spread across the wound. Earlier, when she had washed her face, the injury had still been quite painful, but now the pain had noticeably subsided, indicating the ointment’s remarkable effectiveness.
After applying the ointment, Su Ying took out the fabric scraps and silk thread she had bought earlier to make a sachet.
For nearly a decade, she had spent most of her time confined to a sickbed. To pass the time, she had learned many skills, and even embroidery was something she had started to master.
She wasn’t making this to earn money but to deliver a fatal blow to He Changchun. After fleeing the He family yesterday, she knew that the mother and son wouldn’t let the matter rest. They would surely seize an opportunity to completely ruin her reputation, allowing them to righteously call off the engagement, take a concubine, and legitimately reclaim the property her family had allegedly taken from them.