Chapter 12: The Su Family Brothers Going Down the Wrong Path

Chapter 12: The Su Family Brothers Going Down the Wrong Path

"Old Man Luo, I won't hide it from you. My family has sold me to a man who is a domestic abuser. His mother is also a difficult person to deal with, which is why I want to learn a few moves from you."

"His previous wife, who had given birth to three of his children, was beaten to death by him. In a few days, he will be back."

Old Man Luo looked at Su An. "Your family is so heartless, treating such a good girl like this."

"Run away! There's a whole wide world out there where you can make it."

"Old Man Luo, my household registration and my brother are still at home. It's not that easy to leave. Besides, I don't want to run away anymore!"

"Old Man Luo, tell me, since ancient times, these mothers-in-law, relying on their age and status as elders, think they can push their daughters-in-law around..."

Old Man Luo, while munching on a lamb skewer, asked, "Do you care about the judgment of society? About how strangers see you?"

"If you're so filial, will that old woman stop spreading rumors? If you suffer in silence, just to keep up appearances, will you feel better?"

Su An shook her head. "Not really."

"Is there someone you care about who might misunderstand you because of this, blame you, or even affect their relationship with you and stop contacting you?"

"No."

Old Man Luo snorted. "Look, you don't have anyone left to care about. So what do you have to lose?"

"Isn't she saying that you treat her like you're defecating on her head? Since we're taking this bad reputation, we can't let it be for nothing. One night, find an opportunity and really give her a good dump."

Pfft~

Su An almost spit out the soup from her mouth.

"Th-this is too disgusting."

Old Man Luo, with the look of a dead pig not fearing boiling water, said, "Who do you think is more disgusting, you or her?"

Imagining the scene, Su An shuddered. "She'll be so grossed out, she probably won't eat for two weeks and will be traumatized for life."

The two looked at each other mischievously and burst out laughing.

"Old Man Luo, you must have been crazy when you were young."

"I wasn’t crazy, but I’ve never let anyone get the better of me. When I face off with someone, they’re usually the ones who lose it."

......

"Su Lei~"

"Su Lei~, are you ready?"

Su Jianjun's family of three was having a warm meal together, with Ji Qingqing occasionally putting a piece of tofu into her son's bowl.

Hearing the calls from outside, Su Lei pushed away his bowl of rice.

"Su Bai is calling me to go study."

Saying that, Su Lei jumped off the stool, grabbed his bag from the recliner, and was about to leave.

"Lei'er, it’s still early. Finish your dinner before you go." Ji Qingqing hurriedly called out.

Without looking back, Su Lei replied, "I’m full. I’m heading to school."

Watching her son and Su Bai from the second branch slinging their arms over each other’s shoulders as they walked side by side, Ji Qingqing looked on with a warm smile.

"Lei'er has been much more well-behaved lately," Su Jianjun noted.

"Yes, he's grown up and become more sensible. Before, we had to drag him to school, but now he loves studying," Su Jianjun added.

Hearing Su Jianjun's agreement, Ji Qingqing became even more animated. "Exactly. Yesterday, he even said he'd stay at school to do his homework and didn't come back until you got home from work. This morning, he got up early, ate breakfast, and went to school obediently. They say you can tell how a person will turn out by the time they're three. Our Lei'er is going to be someone who makes something of himself."

"Hehe, we’ll just sit back and enjoy the fruits of his success."

In the alley outside, Su Bai and Su Lei walked side by side. "Did you bring money?" Su Bai asked.

Su Lei rummaged through his pockets. "I didn’t get a chance. I only have about eighty cents left from yesterday."

Su Bai patted his chest generously. "It's okay. Brother brought some."

Su Lei's face lit up with joy. "Did you take any money? Hasn't Grandma been taking care of the baby at home?"

"What do you mean by stealing? It's my family's money. The money my parents give me is mine. This is the living expenses my sister-in-law handed over to my mom this morning."

With that, Su Bai proudly pulled out more than ten yuan from his pocket and muttered, "My brother and sister-in-law both work, but they only give thirty yuan a month for the three of us to eat and live at home. My parents have to cover the rest."

"Thirty yuan is a lot, isn't it? We only spent twenty-five cents on tofu today."

"What do you know? My parents' money will all be mine in the future. If my brother doesn’t give more now, I’m being taken advantage of. When I grow up, I’ll make sure he doesn’t get a single thing."

"How do you know?"

"I heard my mom saying it when she scolded my sister-in-law."

As the two were whispering, a voice interrupted, "Hey, Su Bai, Su Lei, what took you guys so long? We've been waiting for you for ages."

"Heizi Ge."

"Come on, let's go in."

Surrounded by a group of dropout teenagers led by Heizi, Su Lei and Su Bai walked towards the game arcade.

"You got money?"

"Yes, Heizi Ge, what are we playing today? Are we playing 'Little Bees' again?"

"What 'Little Bees'? Today, I’ll show you guys something good. You know what a video is, right? It's something only adults can watch. I've wanted to see it for a long time, but it costs fifty cents to get in. How much did you guys bring?"

"I have a little over eighty cents, but my brother brought money."

"Heizi Ge, I know about videos. It's on TV, right?"

Heizi said mysteriously, "This isn't just any TV. Have you ever seen a movie where people fight without clothes?"

In the dirty, run-down end of the alley, Heizi asked a buck-toothed man at the door of a low-rise building, "Boss, do you have videos? We want to go in."

The man looked up at the oldest kid, who was only thirteen or fourteen. "Get lost, kids. This isn't a place for you."

"Boss, Da Wang sent us here."

The man sized up Heizi, the leader. "Oh, Da Wang. You all want to go in?"

"Yes, all of us."

"The kid's too young. What's he going in for? Let him play outside."

Su Lei, noticing the boss pointing at him, quickly protested, "No, I want to go in too. I'm with my brother."

The boss just shook his head. "Alright, alright, this kid doesn't count. The remaining five of you, give me 2.5 yuan."

"Okay, 2.5 yuan it is. Su Bai, hurry up and pay."

Su Bai stood up straight and, with great pomp, took out a wad of cash from his pocket and handed over three one-yuan bills.

He was playing the part of a rich kid to the hilt.

The boss glanced at Su Bai, then took the money, gave Su Bai fifty cents back, and pulled back the heavy black curtain to let them in.

......

Two days passed quickly. Su An knew Zhao Daxing was coming back from his business trip today.

She went to the sports park to work out early in the morning, had a meal, and then returned to the guesthouse for a good nap to rest and recharge.

She had a big challenge ahead of her tonight.

After eating and resting, it wasn’t until around 3 or 4 PM that Su An finally headed home at a leisurely pace.