Chapter 67 Jinjiang's Exclusive High Ground
Su Ruyi didn't say a word, and simply turned and left.
The Tong family was stunned. No one expected that Su Ruyi, who looked so gentle, would have such a bad temper.
Thinking about how Su Ruyi was a woman who built a factory in a short period of time, even if she relied on others to do so, she still had some ability, and capable people are also very popular.
Old Man Tong glared at Zhang Cuihua with displeasure, then gave Tong Guangzong a wink.
Tong Guangzong rushed forward, but Su Ruyi stopped him.
He greeted her warmly: "You must be Ruyi, right? Don't be angry. Grandma has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She just missed you so much that she spoke so bluntly. She didn't mean to dislike you. Don't misunderstand. We're all very happy that you came. Now that you're at our doorstep, how can we not come in, sit down, and have a cup of tea?"
Other members of the Tong family echoed this sentiment, while Tong Guangyao was restrained and prevented from speaking.
Tong Guangyao still remembered Su Ruyi, and he was both afraid of and angry with her. Today, on his own turf, he really wanted to get revenge, but he was ruthlessly suppressed.
Su Ruyi's expression remained indifferent, but she did not insist on leaving. Instead, she turned around and followed Tong Guangzong into the house.
The Tong family are locals, so they have their own house. It's much smaller than Old Li's house, just a single-story building, and they've haphazardly built a shed outside, which narrows the road and makes it easy for even a tricycle to get scratched.
The main room was very small, probably only five or six square meters, and it also served as a dining room. There were two chairs placed at the top of the table, clearly the main seats. The room was small but very tasteful.
The house was built very high, so there was an attic on top, and a wooden staircase led up to it.
Once everyone came inside, the room was packed full, and even in broad daylight, it felt gloomy and oppressive.
Su Ruyi handed the fruit in her hand to Tong Guangzong, and then very unceremoniously sat down in the main seat, acting like a high-ranking leader who had come to guide the work, without treating herself as a junior at all.
Old Man Tong looked rather grim, clearly very dissatisfied with Su Ruyi's performance.
The others couldn't help but frown. Su Ruyi was more difficult to deal with than they had thought. This girl was nothing like a teenage girl. Not to mention ignorant girls from the countryside, there weren't many city kids like her either.
Wu Jinfeng kindly stepped forward to remind you, "You're sitting in the wrong place. As a junior, you should sit there and bow to your elders. Your mother is from the countryside and doesn't know any better; she probably didn't teach you..."
“My surname is Su,” Su Ruyi interrupted directly. “I am the eighteenth generation descendant of our Su family, the future head of the family. My father, Tong Aihua, according to your Han Chinese way of speaking, married into our family. She was born into our family, and she will die into our family, just like you women who are like water spilled out after marriage.”
However, my mother was kind-hearted. Seeing that he missed his hometown and had brought me to her, thus fulfilling her duty as a husband, she granted him special permission to leave, provided he agreed to become a permanent patron of our family. She also allowed him to remarry, bringing more patrons to the Su family. According to custom, patrons and their families must bow to the head of the family.
Everyone present was shocked. What kind of ridiculous rules were these?!
Zhang Cuihua retorted angrily, "You're talking nonsense! What kind of ridiculous rule is this!"
Su Ruyi glanced at her sideways and said coldly, "Are you questioning and insulting my tribe?"
Zhang Cuihua gasped and immediately fell silent.
Although it's not like it was a decade or two ago, when freedom of speech was strictly controlled, it's still not appropriate to publicly express opinions that violate national policies.
Su Ruyi's words completely disrupted their original plans.
Old Man Tong originally wanted Su Ruyi to acknowledge her ancestors and return to her clan, but now that she is the head of the family and has a minority background, she doesn't consider herself a Han Chinese, so it's not a good idea to bring it up.
If things go wrong, they could be really slapped on their heads.
The Tong family knew nothing about Tong Aihua's life as a sent-down youth; they only knew that he went to a poor, remote mountain area and that he couldn't understand the locals' language at first.
Nobody wanted him to bring it up, fearing he would use it to gain sympathy, so they knew nothing about the situation there.
All he knew was that Su Ruyi's mother was very strong and capable, and held a high position in the local community. He was only able to live a stable life as a sent-down youth after marrying her; otherwise, he simply couldn't have endured it.
There are so many insects over there. When you go to work in the fields, your feet sink into the ground and when you pull them out, they're covered in leeches.
You have to be careful when cutting down trees on the mountain. One educated youth ignored the locals' advice and went into a restricted area. He ended up touching a lacquer tree, which caused him to have an allergic reaction all over his body. His whole body was red and swollen.
Some people encounter large trees covered in caterpillars, unaware as they pass by, and the caterpillars fall like rain.
Tong Aihua only stopped suffering after marrying Su Ruyi's mother.
The Tong family was disgusted and forbade him to mention it again.
Zhang Cuihua didn't understand why Tong Aihua sent her money every month, and she even made a scene.
Tong Aihua, who was usually mild-mannered, was unusually stubborn at this moment, insisting on sending the money no matter how much Zhang Cuihua fussed. Hearing Su Ruyi's words now, she felt inexplicably uneasy.
People recalled reading in TV dramas and some books sold at street stalls that there were Gu worms in some parts of the south, and that they used Gu worms to control people and force them to obey them.
It's unreasonable that Tong Aihua has been sending money for so many years. If it were a boy, it would be understandable, but how precious can a girl be? It doesn't make sense at all.
But if you think of Gu worms, then it's not surprising at all! Money is never as important as life.
Tong Guangzong quickly said, "That's not what your grandmother meant..."
“She is not my grandmother,” Su Ruyi corrected. “This is a serious matter, please do not ignore it. Even according to your Han Chinese customs, she is only my maternal grandmother.”
Tong Guangzong chuckled dryly and said, "No matter how you look at it, we are all family."
Where is my father's room? Do he still have his things from when he was a child?
The Tong family fell silent.
Although Tong Aihua was the son, he was always neglected. Before being sent to the countryside, he lived in the attic, but after that, the attic was demolished, and there was no place for him.
All of Tong Aihua's belongings were either thrown away or sold.
The reason why Tong Aihua was in such a hurry to get married as soon as she returned was because she wanted to have a place to stay.
There is no trace of Tong Aihua left in this home.
"It seems there's no place for him in the Tong family. As expected, it's my father's place in the Su family." Su Ruyi chuckled.
“Although my father is no longer my mother’s husband, he is still the patron of our Su family and still belongs to our Su family and receives our protection. After his death, I will inherit his wife and children. If you want to belong to our Su family, that’s not impossible. You just need to change your surname to Su, be baptized, and give all your property to our Su family.”
This sentence exploded like a thunderbolt.
No one had ever heard such insane remarks before, and Zhang Cuihua couldn't help but curse loudly, her words filled with profanity.
Old Man Tong's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He had considered many possibilities, but he never expected Su Ruyi to pull such a stunt.
Although it was hard to believe, due to my unfamiliarity with Su Ruyi's hometown and the fabrication of street literature, I dared not say it was fake.
"This isn't your village. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Follow our rules." Old Man Tong finally managed to utter those words after a long pause.
Su Ruyi shrugged, stood up, and gently pinched the corner of the table, crushing the two-finger-wide solid wood tabletop into powder.
"Oops, this thing is a bit brittle." Su Ruyi clapped her hands. "Might makes right. Whoever has the biggest fist gets to call the shots, don't you think?"
After Su Ruyi finished speaking, she drifted away without taking a single cloud with her.
As for what the Tong family thinks, that's none of her business.
Anyway, it's impossible to morally blackmail her; she has plenty of cards to play.
Liulin County is not a place she wants to work hard in; she can leave at any time.
Li Mei was very nervous about Su Ruyi's visit to the Tong family. She kept asking Su Ruyi about the situation and was worried that the family would stick to her like a leech.
Li Mei was terrified of the Tong family; ordinary people like them simply couldn't withstand their torment.
Although Su Ruyi is good at fighting, she can't very well throw a punch at her relatives and elders.
"Don't worry, it's alright." Su Ruyi told Li Mei about what happened today.
Wang Huiting was shocked: "It can be like this? Sister Ruyi, your tribe is so kind, you actually have such a rule!"
Su Ruyi chuckled, neither denying it nor denying it, only saying, "Anything is possible."
She is indeed from an ethnic minority, but those words were all made up by her; magic defeats magic.
However, this incident also served as a reminder to her that from now on, no matter where someone comes from, if they claim to be her relative, she must follow the proper procedures.
Su Ruyi wasn't worried about this, as many of the employees she hired in her factory were interconnected.
By establishing rules and regulations and supervising them, the occurrence of incompetent people occupying positions through connections can be greatly reduced.
This is also one of the advantages of Su Ruyi setting up a factory in Liulin County: she has connections but won't be entangled in social obligations.
If they were back in their hometown, Su Ruyi might not have had her mother's decisiveness and ability to handle various interpersonal relationships. Even Ms. Su Ying herself had her share of getting caught up in social niceties, and although the outcome wasn't affected, it certainly cost her time and energy.
Wang Huiting: "Do you think they'll come looking for you again?"
Su Ruyi replied nonchalantly, "Probably."
She's such a big piece of meat, the Tong family certainly wouldn't be willing to give her up.
However, don't even think about using moral blackmail to force her to comply.
Many people who talk about filial piety are talking about patrilineal filial piety. Few people think that grandchildren should support their maternal grandparents. In many people's eyes, it is a great sin for married daughters to support their natal family.
She is now her mother's daughter, and her father is essentially a son-in-law, so he is no longer her father's family's business.
Besides, that family has sons and grandsons, so it's not her place to deal with them as an 'outsider'.
The Tong family wanted to use the "Tong family member" label to confine her, but she doesn't even have the surname Tong.
Therefore, Su Ruyi did not think the Tong family would be difficult to deal with from the beginning.
Even according to the law, it's not her place to provide for those people in their old age.
The Tong family was shocked at the time, but they were still unwilling to accept it, after all, it was such a big factory!
But when they investigated Su Ruyi more thoroughly, they discovered that this woman was no ordinary person! She could even take down a group of thugs.
Her nonsensical words weren't just made up.
Before Su Ruyi moved, Li Mei and Wang Huiting helped her with the laundry. She didn't do any housework and always slept in late, waiting to be waited on.
She truly continued to treat Tong Aihua's wife and daughters as her servants, making them wait on her!
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