23.023 (This appears to be a fragment of a sentence, possibly related to a fight or provocation.)
Five days after Su Changguo was discharged from the hospital, Su Yu's eldest, second, and third sisters arrived with their luggage, along with their husbands and children, instantly filling the Ning family's courtyard.
This was the first time Su Yu had seen her second and third sisters since she returned from her travels back in time. It was obvious that her third sister's life was even worse; she was full of sorrow. As soon as she saw her father like this, she rushed over and cried.
"Alright, alright, I'm not dead." Old Man Su couldn't stand his third daughter's tears and asked again, "You all planned to come together?"
Su Min got angry at this and glared at her younger sister, "Dad had such a big accident, and you didn't even tell us. If I hadn't heard yesterday that Dad had fallen and was hospitalized, neither the second nor the third brother would have known."
“It’s none of Xiaoyu’s business. She’s been busy like a dog these past few days, and her husband isn’t home. How could she have time to inform you?” Old Man Su stopped his eldest daughter’s complaints. “Go scold your brother. That bastard has become a hands-off boss.”
“I have to scold him. He’s got a screw loose and he’s getting more and more confused.” Su Min said this, but she had nothing more to say to her brother. She was the eldest in the family and had more say in her family than her three younger sisters. Since Rongbing got married, she had scolded him at least three or five times, but it was no use. A hundred scoldings from you are not as effective as a word of advice from his wife.
The second sister, Su Tao, saw that there were still clothes to wash in the basin, so she picked up a brick, sat down on it, and started scrubbing the clothes. She asked Su Yu where to fetch water so that her husband could fill the basin with water.
With all three sons-in-law present, Su Changguo told them during dinner, "Since you're all here, please take me home this afternoon. My condition has stabilized now, so I don't need to go to the hospital anymore. I can go home now." He had preemptively stopped Su Yu from using the excuse of going to the hospital to stop him.
Su Min glanced at her husband, seeing that he didn't look upset, and said with a smile, "Dad, you've stayed at my sister's house for five days, so you should stay at mine for five days too. A good reputation shouldn't just go to my sister. I'm getting married soon, and now is the time when I need to maintain a good reputation the most."
"I'm not going. I don't want you to serve me. Just take me back." Su Changguo refused firmly. It's not like he doesn't have a son. Going to a girl's house to cause trouble and leave his son idle would be a laughing stock. He's not the kind of person who bleeds girls dry to support his son.
The second sister, Su Tao, and the third sister, Su He, didn't say anything. They still had their parents-in-law to care for them and couldn't make decisions. If they took their father away, he would have to endure mistreatment and be treated poorly. How could he possibly recover properly from his injuries?
"Why don't you continue living at my house? There's electricity, so it's convenient to get up at night. Mom even helps me pickle vegetables while she's here, which is a huge help," Su Yu advised the stubborn old man. She was also worried about the two of them going back to live with her. If his brother didn't help, the old lady would have to do all the work, like turning the old man over, washing clothes, and cooking. How could someone in their sixties or seventies endure that?
"I said I'm coming back, and I will." Su Changguo couldn't leave, and no one was listening to him. Growing impatient, he raised his voice and said, "I know you're all filial, but in our village, it's unheard of for a daughter to support her parents when there's a son. If I really wanted to enjoy myself, I'd be living at your house. People would laugh at me, and Rongbing would be cursed behind his back. I can't care about him; I still have to take care of my grandchildren." He patted his leg. "I'll be staying here for several months, so I'll have to go back eventually. Just visit me whenever you have time."
Upon hearing that her son was about to be scolded behind his back, Yu Anxiu immediately responded, "If the old man wants to go back, then send him back. It's not good for him to stay at Xiaoyu's house all the time."
The four Su sisters looked at each other, smiled helplessly, and didn't try to persuade her anymore. While washing the dishes, Su Tao said, "Even though my brother is in this terrible state, my mother still treats him like her precious son and protects him fiercely."
"Then what you said about protecting her since she was a child, Rongbing hasn't offended her at all." Su Min also teased her mother for being protective of her son. It was always her father who beat and scolded Rongbing. The father and son were always at odds, openly and secretly. Rongbing never offended his mother when he was being unreasonable. She only had this one son, so she was used to protecting him since he was a child.
"Oh, what a lively scene today." Zhao Guixiang hurried in, glanced at the miserable state of Old Man Su sitting in the chair, and said insincerely, "Oh dear, my old friend, how did you get so hurt? What did the doctor say? Will you ever recover?"
After saying that, she looked around at the people in the courtyard and continued, "If you ask me, Grandpa and Grandma should have built a bigger house back then. Look at these two small rooms. If there are more guests, they will get stuck and can't stay overnight. They have to sleep on the floor. It's too much trouble."
Su Yu looked down on her pretentious attitude, but seeing her parents rendered speechless by the sarcastic remarks, and her sister and brother-in-law also feeling awkward, she suddenly felt embarrassed as well.
"Mom, are you trying to make fun of me for taking care of Dad? Don't worry, if you ever fall and become paralyzed, as long as your son is willing to take you in and take care of you, I absolutely won't stop you. If you don't have a bed to sleep in, I'll go back to my parents' house and I'll never let you sleep on the floor." Su Yu said bluntly, not mincing words with her. "Mom, did you come to my house for something?"
Zhao Guixiang's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets with rage. How dare she curse her to fall and become paralyzed? She confronted Su Yu's mother, "Mother-in-law, you heard this with your own ears! Your daughter cursed me to be bedridden? Is this the kind of girl you raised? Her father is the village chief, and this is the kind of girl the village chief's daughter is like?"
"Mom, I learned it from you. 'A woman follows her husband wherever he goes,' but since I married into the Ning family, everything I say and do is based on my mother-in-law's example. I haven't listened to my mother for a long time. There are mothers-in-law who laugh at others, and daughters-in-law who don't know how to speak properly. If I say anything wrong, please forgive me. I'm still learning. I'll be a master when I can slap someone in the face."
"Xiaoyu, talk less." Su Min tugged at her younger sister's clothes and said to Ningjin's mother, "Auntie, we're here to take my parents back today. Don't worry, we won't stay overnight. You're right, this house is a bit small, but it's okay. We didn't trip or fall. But a small house can be torn down and rebuilt. If a person's heart is wicked, they can only be reincarnated."
She meant to mediate, but how did things change so drastically? Su Min explained, "What I meant was that the house itself is a minor issue; the main thing is the people living there. If the people are easy to get along with, the house will feel comfortable; if the people are bad, even a big house will feel cramped."
Still feeling uneasy after saying that, he smiled and continued, "My mother-in-law died too young. She was a very eloquent person, but I haven't even learned five-tenths of her skills."
Su Tao and Su He suppressed a laugh. Su Tao asked, "Dad, shall we leave now? We've packed everything."
"Let's go." Su Changguo climbed onto his eldest son-in-law's back without saying a word to Zhao Guixiang. When they reached the gate, he saw people peeking out of the alley to watch the commotion. He said loudly, "Xiaoyu, your mother left thirty yuan under your pillow. It's for my hospital bill. If it's less, consider it your filial piety towards your father. If it's more, keep it. I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you these past few days."
Su Yu's eyes stung a little. The old man was very concerned about his reputation. He kept saying that it would be a laughing stock if he had a son and was still living at his daughter's house. But even if he had a son, he couldn't rely on him. He had stayed here for five days with food and drink, but was still kicked out. When they arrived, there were three hens, but now there wasn't a single feather in sight. Meanwhile, the two children were eating their fill.
After her family left, Su Yu sized up Zhao Guixiang. "She has such a poor, stingy air about her, it's disgusting. She says I have no manners, but you, who eats the government's food, have manners? At your age, you still act like you're old and try to chase away guests. Even beggars in the countryside aren't as mean as you. You've really disgraced your son. The Ning family ancestors were morally corrupt, which is why they married a fool like you."
"You, you..." Zhao Guixiang trembled with anger. "I must have committed a terrible sin to let Xiao Wu marry you. You eat my son's food and wear my son's clothes. He works hard outside to earn money, and you bring your whole family into the house to support him. You even scold your mother-in-law. What kind of family has a daughter-in-law like you? You wait, when my son comes back, I will make him divorce you. You can take your son and go beg for food in the countryside."
"You think he'll divorce me just because you tell him to? Wake up! This is a new era. You think you can divorce your daughter-in-law just because you're not satisfied with her? You better watch out, or I'll report you to the Revolutionary Committee for having feudalistic ideas and interfering with my freedom to marry." She wants a divorce, that's her freedom. Outsiders want to interfere? They're dreaming.
"You're so vicious! How could anyone be so vicious?" Zhao Guixiang dared not mention divorce again after hearing Su Yu say she was going to the Revolutionary Committee to report her. In her eyes, Su Yu's current good life was all thanks to her son, and divorce would be cutting off her livelihood. Zhao Guixiang was afraid that a cornered rabbit would bite, and that Su Yu might really go crazy and drag her down with her. Wouldn't that be like hitting a mouse and damaging Yu Ping?
"You'll get your comeuppance for treating an elderly person like this. Just you wait." With those words, she left dejectedly, thinking to herself that she had lost again.
Xiao Yuan and Ping An were still at home, clutching the paper guns their cousins had folded for them. One looked angry, the other bewildered. Su Yu patted the two children, "Children shouldn't meddle in adult matters. Ping An can go to your grandma's house if he wants, no need to sneak around. My argument with your grandma is between the two of us, you don't need to take sides. Xiao Yuan, if you see Ping An's grandma on the street, you should greet her. She's your dad's mom, calling her 'grandma' won't hurt you."
Xiao Yuan was unwilling. He firmly believed that he and his mother were on the same side, and that those who beat or scolded his mother were his enemies.
"Be flexible. Just you wait and see. Next time I see Grandma Ping'an, I'll still call her 'Mom.' If you don't, outsiders will say you're ill-mannered, just like Grandma Ping'an said about me. If you call her 'Grandma,' no one should criticize her. If you don't, not only will they criticize you, but outsiders will too. We should choose the path that benefits us. It's just a matter of address. If you don't take it to heart, 'Grandma' is no different from Zhang San or Li Si." Su Yu carefully analyzed for Xiao Yuan. Children from families like this need to be carefully taught from a young age, otherwise they'll get stuck in a rut and their personalities will become skewed. They're clearly unrelated people; treating her like a childhood enemy is giving her too much credit.
Seeing his mother's relaxed smile, unlike her previous angry and tearful demeanor, Xu Yuan grinned and nodded in agreement.
Having already hurled insults, Su Yu went to the Ning family's old house alone after dinner to complain, lest Ping An's grandmother distort the facts.
"Dad, eldest brother, second brother, that's how it is. I don't think I did anything wrong. Dad raised me for twenty years. He was just discharged from the hospital after breaking his leg. It's not unreasonable for me to invite him to stay for a few days, is it? Besides, Dad paid for it and even brought an old hen. I didn't ask my husband's family for money or my own family's. My mom went and made a lot of sarcastic remarks today. I feel embarrassed for Ning Jin. All three of my brothers-in-law were there. They won't dare to speak up when we eat together in the future." Su Yu looked at the ashen faces of the three men from the Ning family and added, "Everyone in the alley knows that my mom went to chase away guests. They're all old neighbors and they all know our family. Our family is probably famous again."
Ning Mancang sighed. Had he stirred up a hornet's nest? Last time he went to apologize on behalf of his wife, and now he'd run into the same person again. He was too ashamed to face Su Changguo again. He waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "When Xiao Wuzi comes back, have him apologize on behalf of his mother. It was your mother who did something wrong."
"But I heard from your mother that you even scolded her, saying she was mean and shameless? And that you even wanted to report her to the Revolutionary Committee?" he asked again.
Su Yu raised an eyebrow. How could she be so good at obscuring the main point? No wonder her mother-in-law could cause trouble without ever learning her lesson; someone was indulging her.
“She said she would divorce me if Ningjin came back, and that I should take my son to the countryside to beg for food. Marriage is free in our country. She keeps threatening to kick me out. How can I not sue her? This feudal thinking is unacceptable and will cause trouble.” Su Yu did not deny it and said frankly that if anyone threatened her with marriage, she would ask the government to help her.
"We're a family, harmony brings wealth." Ning Mancang said in a somber tone, "It's getting late, the two children are still inside, you should go back quickly."
After sending his shrewish daughter-in-law away, Ning Mancang glared at his wife and warned, "You should stay away from Xiao Wuzi's wife in the future. She's like she's eaten a tiger's gall. She doesn't care about anything and you can't handle her. She just makes me look bad."
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