With trembling hands, he handed the money to Su's father, who took it without hesitation and counted it. Once he confirmed the amount was correct, he nodded to Su's mother. Following this instruction, Su's mother went over and untied Old Lady Su and Zhao Xiaohua.
The two women, perhaps having been tied up for too long, stumbled and fell when they stood up. Su's mother didn't help them up, turning back to Su's father and Su Xingran. In the end, it was Su's old man and eldest son who helped them up.
As Old Man Su and his family helped Old Woman Su and Zhao Xiaohua, just as they were about to step out the door, Su's father's voice came from behind. "Father, Mother, Huilan and I only have Ranran. We love her as if she were our own life. If she gets hurt, I don't know what irrational thing I might do. I hope this is the last time you target my Ranran. You are my parents, but you don't have to be."
Old Man Su stopped Old Woman Su, who was about to turn around and speak, and continued walking without saying a word. However, his already slightly hunched back became even more hunched.
He knew that his son had completely distanced himself from them. The only reason he still called them "father" and "mother" was because they were still related by blood. He had thought a lot on his way here. The reason his second son was willing to settle things privately was because his wife was his mother. Although they had separated their households, they were still family.
With two criminals in the family, the second son's family will also be implicated, especially his daughter. She's apprenticing under a highly skilled doctor whose background is unknown. If she succeeds in her studies, her future will be bright. Given her intelligence, she might even rise to prominence and become a celebrity. He seems to have become truly arrogant, thinking that his neglected and unloved son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter might one day become people they can no longer afford to associate with.
He could only pray in his heart that in the future, the second son's family would help the eldest son's four children out of blood ties. He would keep his wife in check and remind his eldest son to keep his wife in check, so that they wouldn't provoke the second son's family again. But Old Man Su would never know that in his father's heart, they were no longer a family, and blood ties were no longer important to him.
Dear villagers, we are very grateful to you for upholding the village's reputation, for the selection of the advanced brigade this year, and for helping those unmarried men and women find love. We know that your family and Xingran have been wronged. Rest assured, if the Su family dares to do anything to your family again, our village will never let them get away with it.
Su's mother packed five cornbread buns for each of the village chief and the brigade leader. The village chief and the brigade leader both declined, saying, "We can't accept your buns. Everyone is short of food these days. You should keep them for yourselves."
"It's alright, it's alright. There are three of us in my family, we don't eat much food. I only gave you this because I had some. It's so kind of you to come all this way so early in the morning, we haven't even had breakfast yet. Take it, consider it our way of thanking you for your help. Those people in your old house wouldn't have given in so quickly." In the end, the village chief and the brigade leader each took a steamed bun home.
Old Mrs. Su and Zhao Xiaohua had barely sat down at home when Old Mr. Su berated them. "I'm warning you both," he said, "don't go there again and provoke the second son's family, especially that girl. Consider last night's incident a lesson learned—paying to save your lives. If you do it again, I won't interfere. Eldest son, you need to control your wife. Don't let her cause trouble everywhere. You, as her husband, can't handle it. Because of this incident, the family lost two hundred yuan. Eldest son, you and your wife are responsible for one hundred yuan, to be paid back to me by the end of the year."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
