Song Jingzhou recalled the events of that year and spoke calmly.
“They treated me like an enemy, like a leech that had been sucking their blood for a long time.”
“They see me as a bandit who has seized their interests and exploited them.”
“They started making a scene at my father’s funeral.”
“They hit me, cursed me, divided up all my belongings, and tried to kick me out.”
“I was only fourteen years old at the time. Logically speaking, children from poor families should be able to take charge of the household, but I was spoiled and raised. Apart from relying on my father’s reputation to bully my sister and aunt, I didn’t know anything else.”
"I almost died that year..."
As Su Qingci listened to Song Jingzhou's calm narration, as if he were talking about a completely unrelated person, she couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.
She reached out and took his hand. "It's not your fault."
Song Jingzhou took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, and smiled.
He didn't know why his family members, who had been loving and caring towards him one second, would suddenly turn on him and treat him like a mortal enemy the next.
Even if we don't share the same blood, does that mean all those years of friendship were just a lie?
Furthermore, since I am not his biological son, why is Song's father so indulgent towards me?
If he truly loved himself, why did he drop such a bombshell before his death?
Old Master Song wasn't a muddle-headed person; he knew to some extent how difficult his life would be after this news was exposed.
"Back then, my second aunt, Song Man'e, and my fourth aunt, Song Manyu, were the ones who started the trouble."
"How much love did my eldest aunt truly have for me? My third aunt died young in childbirth, and I never met her."
"Those older sisters usually just watched me coldly with my Song Zaizhao and Song Juezhao, while the others attacked me."
“They emptied the house, kicked me out, locked the house, and even took off my cotton-padded coat.”
"It was as if they were venting all the resentment they had accumulated over the years on me!"
"Later, it was my aunt who found me covered in wounds and almost frozen in the haystack in the cowshed."
"It was my uncle and Party Secretary Luo who stepped in and got the house back for me."
“I don’t know what Secretary Luo and the brigade leader said to them, but they stopped making trouble after that, and they didn’t get their things back.”
"And I also started to follow the brigade leader to the fields to earn work points to support myself."
"The first two years were really tough. I couldn't earn any work points, and we had nothing at home. It was hard to even fill our stomachs."
"You know what happened next. When I was a little older, I had Liu Siqing steal my uncle's official seal and go outside."
Song Jingzhou took Su Qingci's small hand in his own palm and played with it. "She didn't come back until last year."
"By the way, what about Wu Ping? What happened earlier?"
Su Qingci pouted and leaned against Song Jingzhou in a coquettish manner, "She's very hostile towards me, she's being sarcastic and indirectly criticizing me."
Song Jingzhou smiled and said, "Where did your usual domineering and arrogant demeanor go?"
"If she provokes you, don't hold back, just slap her across the face!"
"I'm not the boy they used to beat up anymore."
“You don’t need to give any face to any of my relatives except my aunt’s family.”
"Because I don't give them any face either!"
As if he had just thought of something, Song Jingzhou said sarcastically, "After I came back, they all saw that I seemed to have made some money outside, and now they want to get close to me again."
“Song Laidi and Song Sidi were bullied at their husband’s family home, and they came back to ask me to stand up for them.”
"They've completely forgotten about how they almost conspired to kill me back then."
"Now you know you need your family's support? You've come back to me with a shameless face."
Su Qingci looked at Song Jingzhou, "You didn't do anything about it?"
Song Jingzhou chuckled, "I said it was good. That's what they said when their men hit me back then."
"They dare to come back? They've really given them a hard time!"
"I hate it when they come back crying and acting pitiful. Some things can't be smoothed over with just a few apologies."
“They come back and bother me once, and I turn around and beat up their men or their dolls.”
"If that doesn't work, beat up their brother-in-law and father-in-law too."
"After a few times, they never dared to mess with me again."
"I turned away all those who came to my door trying to get involved in my marriage."
"I don't just hit men, everyone on the team knows that. I don't care about men, women, or young and old."
“My third aunt’s mother-in-law, who is over eighty years old, kept nagging me, so I just carried her to the field.”
Su Qingci's eyes widened. "What?"
Song Jingzhou regretted blurting it out too quickly and hurriedly tried to salvage the situation.
"That old woman is black-hearted and talks too much; she's very annoying."
“After my third aunt died, those kids didn’t have a single good day under her care.”
"I don't just bully people randomly. I choose my targets carefully. I only do it when I can't take it anymore..."
Su Qingci planted a quick kiss on Song Jingzhou's cheek.
"Well done!"
"Sometimes, learning to say no to others and to stand up for yourself can actually earn you their respect and even their fear."
"To bring glory to one's ancestors, it's not wrong to be a little ruthless at times."
Song Jingzhou's tense body relaxed instantly, and he pinched Su Qingci's cheek with his thumb and forefinger.
"He's young, but he's got a whole bunch of little principles to his name."
"Huh, it seems like I've gained weight again."
"Really?"
Su Qingci withdrew her hand from Song Jingzhou's grasp, then cupped her hands over her chest and lifted herself up slightly.
"No?"
Song Jingzhou smiled helplessly and slowly moved closer to Su Qingci. "Want me to help you weigh it?"
Su Qingci was taken aback, her cheeks flushed slightly, then she put on an expression that said, "This lady is not to be trifled with," and looked at him sideways.
"Ahem, I was just saying your cheeks have gotten a little chubby."
"It can't just grow on the face; it has to grow all over the body."
Song Jingzhou held Su Qingci's small hand and played with it, counting the spirals on her fingers and reading her palm. The two of them cuddled by the fire for a long time, and pink bubbles filled the whole room.
"Nine or ten snails, the result of begging, hahaha~"
"You're lucky! You have a whorl on the ring finger of each hand; you're destined for wealth and prosperity!"
Su Qingci couldn't hide the joy in her eyes, "Bringing honor to the ancestors, huh? Isn't that superstition?"
"What? You dare to report me?"
"That's not how we say it. Our local saying is: one whorl means poverty, two whorls mean wealth, three or four whorls mean selling tofu, five or six whorls mean buying weights with silver, seven or eight whorls..."
The crackling and popping sounds were drowned out by the firecrackers outside the window.
Song Jingzhou looked up at the window. "It's time to go. That's the sound of firecrackers announcing the start of the banquet."
Su Qingci quickly stood up. "Let's go, let's grab a seat. I want to sit at the same table as you. I heard that the women in the countryside are really good at grabbing food."
"No rush, no rush. They should reserve a table for us, since we are now considered town staff."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
