Upon hearing Ji Shuyu’s words, He Yuan was initially stunned, then stepped forward and hugged her.
“Wife, I know you’ve been wronged. I brought you here before resolving the issues at home.”
He held Ji Shuyu tightly, apologizing to her repeatedly.
Previously, He Yuan had never stayed at home for such a long time, so he had never experienced so many conflicts with his family.
Now that Ji Shuyu had come, only to suffer such great grievances, He Yuan naturally felt heartbroken.
“He Yuan, when we first got off the boat, I told you: I have a quick temper, I’m narrow-minded, and I have high standards. Because of you, I will respect your family.”
“Once is happenstance, twice is a coincidence, but three times is enemy action. I’ll come back after you’ve sorted out your family matters.”
After saying this, Ji Shuyu picked up her canvas bag and prepared to leave.
“Wife, if you don’t want to stay at home, I’ll find another place for you to stay. We don’t have to live here.”
He Yuan grabbed Ji Shuyu, refusing to let her go. If she left now, she might never speak to him again.
“Yuanzi, what’s going on?”
Just then, Su Wenjuan returned home and saw the two of them in a tense standoff. She stepped forward and asked.
“Second sister-in-law, something happened at home today. Qiangzi put croton powder in Shuyu’s drink.”
He Yuan briefly explained, and Su Wenjuan immediately understood.
From the very first day Ji Shuyu arrived, Su Wenjuan could tell that her sister-in-law was a woman of her word.
It was already remarkable that she had tolerated Li Cuihua for so long.
Su Wenjuan stepped forward and took Ji Shuyu’s hand. “Yuanzi, go take care of something else. Let me talk to Shuyu.”
She led Ji Shuyu into the room, closing the door behind them. “Anyone in your situation would be furious.”
“You did the right thing, Shuyu. You did what I never dared to do.”
Hearing Su Wenjuan’s words, Ji Shuyu looked up and met her gaze, noticing the fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
It suddenly occurred to her that, over the years since her second sister-in-law had married into the He family, she had likely mastered the art of seeking peace amid chaos.
“Second sister-in-law, I’m not trying to make a scene.”
Ji Shuyu’s voice remained calm, devoid of emotion.
“It’s just that this matter is non-negotiable. Today, he dared to put croton powder in my water. Tomorrow, would he dare to hide something else in our child’s bowl? He’s thirteen years old—old enough to understand the consequences of his actions.”
On the first day they met, He Qiang had shown Ji Shuyu great disrespect.
But at the time, Ji Shuyu didn’t think much of it and still gave him the gift she had prepared.
Children learn by imitating adults. She believed that children are born as blank slates, inherently good.
But the reality proved her wrong.
He Qiang was the kind of child who, no matter how well you treated him, would never change his ways.
The last time he apologized, it was only because he had seen He Yuan truly angry for the first time.
He was scared.
This time, influenced by Li Cuihua’s curses, he came up with the idea of poisoning her.
This proved that He Qiang understood everything. He was no longer a child. At that moment, he truly wished her dead.
Su Wenjuan sighed and held Ji Shuyu’s hand.
“I understand what you mean. Li Cuihua has spoiled He Qiang beyond recognition. Your eldest brother should have disciplined him long ago, but look at the situation now…”
All these years, Su Wenjuan could never understand why Li Cuihua refused to learn to behave.
If she had just remained calm and steady, how could her in-laws have ever treated her unfairly?
She glanced out the window, looking worried.
“If the child is really sent to juvenile detention, this feud will be set in stone. You’re pregnant—you can’t spend every day at home guarding against hidden arrows, can you?”
Before she could finish her sentence, Li Cuihua’s wailing suddenly erupted outside the door: “He Jiang, you heartless bastard! Are you trying to drive me and my son to our graves? I’ll kill myself and show you!”
The sound of shattered porcelain followed immediately.
Ji Shuyu also turned to look. “See, second sister-in-law? This isn’t about whether I can tolerate it or not. It’s that they never intended to let me live in peace.”
She hadn’t lived with her parents since she was young.
Her parents were always busy with work, and the only thing that accompanied her each year was the money they sent.
After growing up, she lived alone again.
Ji Shuyu simply couldn’t adapt to this kind of life.
Coupled with Li Cuihua’s unreasonable behavior, Ji Shuyu was almost fed up with it all.
Just as Su Wenjuan was about to say more, the door suddenly rattled violently from banging. Li Cuihua’s cries pierced through the wood.
“Ji Shuyu, you vicious woman! If you send my son away, I’ll make sure everyone on this island sees your poisonous heart!”
“Let them see how you, a new sister-in-law, just arrived on the island and already schemed to break up your husband’s eldest brother’s marriage and send your nephew to juvenile detention!”
Li Cuihua cried and screamed, but Ji Shuyu didn’t even respond.
“Enough!”
He Jiang’s roar sounded at the door, followed by the noise of dragging and Li Cuihua’s shrieks.
He Yuan’s voice followed closely: “Eldest Brother has locked her up. Shuyu, don’t listen to her nonsense.”
The door pushed open, and He Junshan followed behind him: “Shuyu, I’ll stand up for you. That wretched boy He Qiang must be sent for discipline, and Li Cuihua needs to reflect deeply.”
“If you don’t want to stay at home, I’ll have Yuanzi find you a guesthouse. You can come back when this house is peaceful again.”
He had finally seen things clearly: Ji Shuyu and Li Cuihua simply could not coexist.
The only time the house had been peaceful was during those few days when Li Cuihua had returned to her parents’ home.
The moment she came back, the whole household was thrown into chaos again.
The eldest son was right—they should divorce.
Since Li Cuihua didn’t want to live properly and had raised her son so poorly, it was better to divorce and find someone who was willing to build a good life together.
Ji Shuyu looked at He Junshan and gently shook her head.
“There’s no need, Dad…”
“Dad, our place has just been tidied up. Why don’t we let Shuyu and Minmin stay with us?” Su Wenjuan smoothly interjected with a smile. Worried that Ji Shuyu might feel uncomfortable, she even mentioned her sister-in-law.
As it happened, He Min would be on vacation soon, and their unit dormitory wasn’t too far from home.
A change of scenery would do Ji Shuyu good.
“There’s no need, second sister-in-law…”
Ji Shuyu also felt bad troubling Su Wenjuan. What would it mean for her to stay in a place they had just tidied up?
“It’s no trouble. We have a two-bedroom unit. Mingming is still young and stays with us. Shuyu can share a room with Minmin.”
“Think of it as a change of pace.”
Su Wenjuan didn’t mind at all—she was nothing like Li Cuihua.
He Yuan, who had been silent until now, was the first to speak.
“I think second sister-in-law is right. Shuyu, why don’t you stay at her place for a few days?”
He knew Ji Shuyu was holding in resentment. If she couldn’t vent it, it would become a thorn between them in the future.
So He Yuan thought it would be good for Ji Shuyu to change her surroundings for a while.
“Alright, it’s settled then. Yuanzi, take Shuyu’s things over. You know where our unit dormitory is, right?” Su Wenjuan said with a smile.
He Yuan nodded, took the canvas bag from Ji Shuyu, and left with it.
He Junshan also walked out.
After the father and son had gone, Su Wenjuan said, “Shuyu, Yuanzi did this because he cares about you.”
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