Xie Yushu had come to return the washed dishes to Su Chi’s house. Before she even reached the gate, she heard a sharp, shrill, aggressive voice shamelessly berating Su Chi.
She looked over—wasn’t this the same relative who’d come begging for food last time? It hadn’t even been a few days, and here he was again.
Xie Yushu felt a deep revulsion for this man. He was using Su Chi’s deceased mother as a tool for emotional blackmail, pretending to be the closest family while trying to manipulate Su Chi into compliance and guilt, so they could take whatever they wanted.
He was clearly practiced at it—a repeat offender.
She was relieved to see that Su Chi hadn’t softened and given in this time.
Cai Zhi was so absorbed in his performance, and Su Chi was so focused on sweeping and ignoring him, that neither noticed her. She leaned against the gate, listening to their exchange. The more she heard, the more her heart ached—and the angrier she became.
Were these things even something a person could say?
It was clear how much Su Chi had endured from this family.
Unable to hold back any longer, Xie Yushu walked straight up to Cai Zhi, positioning herself between him and Su Chi. She fixed him with an icy stare.
Cai Zhi felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of her—as if recalling the last time he’d been on the losing end. An awkward silence fell.
Su Chi opened his mouth to say something to Xie Yushu, but she made a small gesture behind her back—telling him not to interfere.
The woman before him seemed even fiercer than last time. Cai Zhi stepped back, eyeing her warily.
Her cutting remark left him momentarily speechless. This woman’s tongue was as sharp as ever.
He rallied: “What a venomous heart you have—cursing me to die?” His shrill voice cracked with anger and shock.
Xie Yushu smiled lightly. “You’re the one so eager for answers. I was just pointing you in the right direction—following your own logic. Why blame me? How unreasonable.”
With her good looks and composed demeanor, anyone who didn’t know the situation might have thought she was the one being wronged.
When it came to arguing, Cai Zhi was no match for Xie Yushu. He knew he was in the wrong, and in his panic, he couldn’t find the words to retort. He just pointed a trembling finger at her. “Y-You—”
After several sputtered “you”s, all he could manage was, “This is between me and Chi-ge’er—family matters! Outsiders have no business interfering!”
“Besides, you’re an unmarried woman, repeatedly coming to an unmarried young man’s house—what are your intentions? Don’t ruin Chi-ge’er’s reputation!”
Cai Zhi had been humiliated by Xie Yushu last time, and now he’d finally found a weak point to attack. He wasn’t about to let it go.
Xie Yushu was unfazed. She gave him a cool glance. “I’m Su Chi’s neighbor. If I see someone with ill intent trying to take advantage of him, of course I’m going to step in. No one could fault me for that—they’d only say I’m a good neighbor. As for who really has ulterior motives—well, that’s another matter.”
Using Su Chi’s reputation to pressure her? How ridiculous.
“If you truly care about Su Chi’s reputation, then stop coming here demanding things. Consider it building good karma for your daughters.”
“With a father like you, so unreasonable—children learn by example,” Xie Yushu said, casting a meaningful glance at Cai Zhi. “Your daughters don’t seem like they’d be reasonable either. No wonder they came as little beggars last time. What—you didn’t bring them along this time? Finally developed some shame? Too embarrassed to show their faces?”
Cai Zhi’s blood boiled. He raised his hand to slap her across the face. “You motherless, fatherless wretch—how dare you talk about my daughters!”
Xie Yushu, already tired of his physical aggression, gently pulled Su Chi aside. Cai Zhi’s swing met empty air, and with his momentum, he tumbled to the ground.
Landing heavily, Cai Zhi let out a pained “Ouch, ouch!” as he clutched his backside.
Su Chi looked worried—if his uncle actually got hurt at his house, it would be trouble. He moved to help him up, but Xie Yushu held him back with a light touch and shook her head.
Cai Zhi, sitting on the ground holding his lower back, pointed at Su Chi and wailed: “Chi-ge’er, you unfilial child! I’ve fallen and you won’t even help me—just standing there letting a woman bully me!”
His screeching filled the air, echoing around them as he threw a tantrum. Su Chi’s head throbbed—it was obvious his uncle wasn’t seriously hurt, but the noise was unbearable.
Xie Yushu, unruffled by his unreasonable behavior, had her own ways of dealing with him.
Making sure Cai Zhi could hear her, she raised her voice: “Go inside and close your father’s door tight. I’ll go get the neighbors.”
Su Chi obediently went to do as she said, not wanting his father to hear any of this filth and worsen his condition.
Cai Zhi heard her clearly. He shot upright. “What are you calling the neighbors for?!”
“To help you up, of course,” Xie Yushu said lightly, already turning to go.
Before she could even leave, someone else walked in.
“I’ll help him up—no need to fetch anyone else.”
It was Liu Fūlang. He’d been listening from his own home for a while and had chosen the right moment to step in.
He’d just returned from the orchard when he spotted Su Ping’s husband—the one who was always coming to beg for handouts—showing up again.
He’d also spotted Xie Yushu there and thought to himself: this girl has a good heart—seeing Chi-ge’er being bullied, she stepped in to defend him despite the difference in gender.
Su Chi might seem soft on the surface, but when he hardened, even his aunt and uncle couldn’t sway him. He’d occasionally soften and give them some good things, but Liu Fūlang had never been overly worried.
He’d been listening for a while and had seen that Cai Zhi hadn’t gotten anything out of Su Chi. He hadn’t planned to get involved—until Cai Zhi had the audacity to play the victim, claiming Xie Yushu had bullied him. Just as the Zhai woman was about to go fetch the neighbors, Liu Fūlang couldn’t stand it anymore and rushed in to help Su Chi.
He was strong. He grabbed Cai Zhi, who was still stubbornly sitting on the ground, yanked him up, and started dragging him toward the gate.
Cai Zhi shoved him hard. “Don’t drag me! Where are you taking me?!”
“I saw it clearly—you were the one who tried to hit the Zhai woman first. She didn’t bully you.”
“Where? To somewhere you can get a fair hearing.”
“You shameless thing! Su Hui treated your family more than well enough when she was alive. Now that she’s gone, you gang up on Chi-ge’er—you’ve lost all decency! We’re going to the village chief’s house to settle this.”
Liu Fūlang pulled with all his strength, dragging Cai Zhi toward the village chief’s house.
Alarmed, Cai Zhi slapped at Liu Fūlang’s arm and yelled, “What business is it of yours? This is between me and Chi-ge’er! Mind your own business!”
Liu Fūlang shot back, “Now you’re scared? I’m taking you to the village chief to get this sorted. Let everyone see how you, a supposedly good uncle, treat Su Chi. Your whole family is a bunch of leeches!”
“Let go! Let go!”
The two men shoved and pulled their way onto the main road. Coming toward them was another person, who was shocked at the sight and rushed over to break it up.
It was Su Sheng. Su Ping, worried that Cai Zhi had been gone too long, had sent Su Sheng out to look for him. By the time Su Sheng reached the Gao house, he guessed his father had gone to Su Chi’s.
He figured his father might have gotten some good food from Chi-ge’er again—nothing to worry about.
But he hadn’t expected this: Liu Fūlang dragging his father along, yelling at him, making a spectacle for all to see.
Su Sheng grabbed Cai Zhi’s other arm, trying to pull him away from Liu Fūlang. “Father!”
Seeing help arrive, Cai Zhi shouted, “Sheng-ge’er, get this madman off me!”
“Uncle Liu, what are you doing?! Let go!” Su Sheng’s voice wasn’t loud—soft and urgent, almost pitiful.
Liu Fūlang was used to physical labor and had strength to spare—he was stronger than both father and son combined. And he was angry, so he didn’t give them any leeway.
Their voices grew louder, drawing curious villagers out to see what was happening.
“What’s going on?”
“Cai Zhi—the shameless one—came begging for things from Chi-ge’er’s house again.”
The neighbors near Su Chi’s house weren’t blind. The Su family had come so many times, always empty-handed but leaving with full arms. How could they not know?
Villagers farther away might not know, but those living nearby certainly did.
“Again? Didn’t they just come a few days ago?”
“Exactly.”
“Don’t let Chi-ge’er’s cool demeanor fool you—he’s soft-hearted. I had my wife fix their roof once, and he sent us several big meat buns. His aunt’s family just takes advantage of Su Hui’s memory and Chi-ge’er’s kindness.”
“What a rotten family. At least Sheng-ge’er seems decent.”
The commotion had drawn such a crowd that word reached Village Chief Su Quan, who was called over. On her way, she got the gist of the situation and cursed the Su Ping family under her breath.
Su Quan pointed at Cai Zhi. “This is outrageous! Your family is a disgrace! Everyone, to my house!”
Before long, Su Chi, Xie Yushu, Liu Fūlang, Cai Zhi, and Su Sheng all gathered at Su Quan’s home. Su Quan also sent for Su Ping, who was on her way.
The main hall was dim. The five of them sat around the large wooden table—the same table Su Quan used for mediating neighborhood disputes. She settled into the head chair and looked them over.
Cai Zhi, disheveled from the scuffle, his hair askew, was still fuming. Su Sheng sat beside him, soothing him, keeping distance from the other three.
Soon, Su Ping arrived in a hurry, glaring at Cai Zhi as she entered.
She asked her husband, shocked: “What happened? How did you and Chi-ge’er end up in the village chief’s house?”
“This isn’t a game!” Su Quan slapped the table.
Su Ping gave Su Quan an ingratiating smile. “Village Chief, we’re all family. There’s no real quarrel here—it must be a misunderstanding. Did someone spread rumors?”
Turning to Su Chi with a concerned look, she said, “Chi-ge’er, did your uncle say something wrong that made you misunderstand?”
She glanced at the three on the other side, finally fixing her gaze on Xie Yushu.
What was an outsider—an unmarried woman, no less—doing meddling in their family affairs?
And Liu Jingsheng’s husband—what was he even doing here, poking his nose into their business?
Leave a Reply