Throughout her marriage, her husband would beat her at the slightest provocation, and she was afraid of causing trouble for her parents when she went back to her parents' home, so she always endured it silently.

"Thank you, Dad."

She choked back tears as she spoke, her rough fingers wiping away her sobs.

Su Jianguo turned to his second son, his eyes turning stern again.

"Second brother."

Su Jianguo tapped his fingers on the table.

"Starting next month, you will have to hand over half of your salary to your family."

Su Mingde suddenly looked up, his eyes wide open.

"Dad! This..."

"how?"

Su Jianguo sneered and lightly patted his palm with the belt.

"They eat at our house and live at our house, shouldn't they pay for our meals?"

The air at the dinner table froze instantly.

Wang Xiulan nervously rubbed the hem of her apron, while the third brother, Su Mingfu, quietly shrank behind his eldest sister.

"I...I'm already twenty-two!"

Su Mingde's voice trembled, and the wound on his buttocks burned with pain.

"My colleagues at the neighborhood office know."

"Smack!"

The belt slammed heavily onto the table.

"Twenty-two? I'm fifty-three and I still have to support you?"

Su Jianguo grabbed his second son by the collar.

"Two choices: pay up, or get out of here right now!"

Su Mingde was being strangled and could hardly breathe. He looked at his mother in a panic, but Wang Xiulan was staring down at the tips of her cloth shoes.

"Mom! Please say something!"

Su Mingde's voice was trembling with tears.

Wang Xiulan's lips moved twice, but in the end she only murmured softly.

“Listen. Listen to your father.”

Su Jianguo tightened his grip, squeezing Su Mingde's shirt collar so hard that Su Mingde's face turned purple.

"select!"

"I'll pay! I'll pay!"

Su Mingde finally broke down and shouted, his face covered in tears and snot.

Su Jianguo then let go, watching his second son slump to the ground, panting heavily.

He turned around, pulled out a blue ledger from the bottom of the dresser, and slammed it onto the table.

"It's clearly written in black and white: payment is due on the 21st of each month."

"If you're short even a penny, I'll go to your neighborhood office and get it from you!"

Su Mingde signed the document with trembling hands, then suddenly knelt down with a thud.

"Dad! I have to socialize a lot when I'm dating."

"Socializing?"

Su Jianguo kicked him away.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Su Jianguo said sternly.

“If you don’t pay a single penny less than the money you owe the family, you’ll see.”

Su Mingde's face turned ashen, and he dared not speak again.

"Third brother."

Su Jianguo looked at his third son, his tone softening.

Su Mingfu was jolted awake and immediately straightened his back.

"Father, please tell me."

Su Jianguo looked at this son, who was considered the most filial among all his children in his previous life.

In her previous life, the third son was very filial to Wang Xiulan because his mother treated him well. This shows that the child hadn't gone too far astray and was grateful for her kindness.

Su Mingfu has an ordinary appearance and a thin build, but he has clear eyes and works hard.

In his previous life, he couldn't afford to repeat his studies, so he could only work in a small restaurant, but he always thought about Wang Xiulan.

"Do you want to retake the college entrance exam?"

Su Jianguo asked directly.

Su Mingfu was stunned, his lips trembling, and it took him a long time to squeeze out a single word.

"think."

"Okay, let's go!"

Su Jianguo slammed his fist on the table.

"Go to school to register tomorrow; don't worry about the money."

Su Mingfu stared wide-eyed, unable to believe his ears.

He failed his college entrance exam last year and wanted to retake it, but his father said the family didn't have the money and told him to give up on the idea.

He cried secretly for several nights because of this.

"Father. Really?"