Chapter 34: Pour Gas on the Fire

Chapter 34: Pour Gas on the Fire

Over the past couple of days, the Su family had become the talk of the neighborhood.

Two kids had attacked people with knives and stolen a bunch of cash from the house.

In just one night, four adults from the Su family were rushed to the hospital.

Ji Qingqing needed six stitches in her back, Su Jianguo got three in his arm, and Su Jianjun had a knife wound in his buttock.

By the time they got back from the hospital, it was almost 9 PM.

When they got home, they discovered that the two children were missing.

…….

When Su An arrived, both Su Jianjun and Su Jianguo were unusually home from work. They had bloodshot eyes and looked exhausted.

"Jianjun, we can't wait anymore, we have to report this to the police!" Ji Qingqing, who hadn’t slept all night, looked like she’d aged ten years.

Liu Huilan immediately jumped in upon hearing about reporting to the police.

"No way, we can’t go to the cops. This is a family issue. Why drag them into it? I'm sure the children are just hiding because they're scared. We should keep looking, and we'll find them!"

Su Jianguo voiced his support for his wife, "Brother, Sister-in-law, Huilan is right. There's no need to make this a big deal."

"This is a family matter, but if it gets out, the Su family’s reputation will be destroyed, and the kids will never live it down."

Ji Qingqing said in a sharp voice, "Your son Su Bai is already a teenager, but my Su Lei is just a little kid—barely seven! You already have grandchildren, so of course, you're not worried. But Su Lei is our only son."

"You’re not reporting this to the cops because Su Bai stabbed me, aren’t you? Do you really think I’ll just let that slide?"

"Let me tell you, Su Bai is a bad seed, a murderer. Now he's on the run and has taken his younger brother with him. I won't let this go!"

"If anything happens to my Lei'er, I'll fight you to the death!"

Su An, relishing the drama, jumped in, "I’m with my stepmom. He’s barely seven, he doesn’t know any better. I heard there are many child traffickers outside who target lonely kids, break their arms and legs, and send them to beg in other places. They don’t get food if they don’t earn enough money and get beaten."

"Older kids can run fast, but Su Lei? He doesn’t even know where home is—he’s an easy target."

Su Jianjun, who had been hesitating, immediately made a decision, "We have to call the police."

Su An nodded, "Yes, we must call the police. If we can’t find them, my stepmom is already in her forties and can’t have more kids. Who will take care of you in the future?"

Su Jianjun gave Su An a fierce look, thinking about how she had run off like a frightened ghost when he got injured the previous day. He couldn’t rely on this ungrateful daughter. As for Su Ping, he was even less dependable, being mentally challenged.

Therefore, Su Lei had to be found safe and sound.

Lin Zhaodi, seeing her younger son's troubled expression, still spoke up, "Su An, don't scare your father with nonsense!"

"It’s only been one night. Where could they have been taken? It’s probably like what your second aunt said, they’re hiding because they’re afraid of being punished."

Then, Lin Zhaodi turned to her older son, "Jianjun, let’s go look again. Ask the neighbors to help search too. If we still can’t find them, we’ll call the police. After yesterday’s incident, the Su family’s reputation is already ruined. If this goes to the police, it’ll be even worse."

Before Su Jianjun could respond, Su An snapped, "Grandma, are you saying my dad isn’t your real son? Even now, you’re still siding with Second Uncle?"

"What Su family reputation? Does the Su family even have a reputation left? In the end, isn’t it just because you’re afraid my stepmom will hold Su Bai accountable for that stab?"

"If we don’t go to the police, you’ll still have to pay for medical expenses, nutrition, and mental distress."

"Besides, my family lost a lot of money. Su Lei admitted that it was Su Bai who instigated him to steal from our home. You can't just brush this off as a family matter and ignore the loss, can you?"

Su Jianjun and Ji Qingqing's eyes lit up; they had almost forgotten about this amidst all the chaos.

"That's right, our family has also lost a huge amount of property. If you don't want us to call the police, then compensate us for our money!"

Liu Huilan was furious. "Pah! Just because you say it's my Su Bai, he's guilty? I could also say you're framing a child. Didn't I already pay for your medical bills from the stitches yesterday? And now you're asking for compensation for nutrition and mental distress? This is extortion!"

"He's just a kid and doesn't know any better. Do you really need to push him so hard? As the saying goes, a prodigal son's return is worth more than gold. Su Bai just took a wrong turn for a moment. Instead of helping him as his closest relatives, you want to kick him while he's down."

"Jianjun, see? This is the brother you've always been close to!"

Lin Zhaodi looked at her eldest son and then her youngest son before pointing at Su An and scolding her.

"You troublemaker, are you trying to tear this family apart? You're a married-out daughter, yet you come back here with so much nonsense. Do you really want to cause problems between your dad and Uncle Su Bai?"

"You're part of the Zhao family now. Why should you care about our Su family's business?"

Su An said with a half-smile, "Grandma, have you forgotten that most of the money lost from our house was mine and my brother's? My dowry was over a thousand, and the money my brother sent home these past few years was supposed to be used for my education and to support me, as my father and stepmom agreed. In the end, I didn't continue my studies, and the remaining money was supposed to be saved for my brother to marry a wife."

"Now, Su Wan already has a child. But the money that was supposed to help my brother get married was stolen by Su Bai and Su Lei."

"Besides, Su Lei is still young and doesn't know any better. He listens to his older cousin. Just like yesterday, when he imitated Su Bai and attacked someone with a knife. As for the large sum of money, we don't know if they spent it or if it ended up in certain people's hands."

As she said this, Su An gave Liu Huilan a pointed look.

Sure enough, Su Jianjun and Ji Qingqing's gazes toward Liu Huilan and her family immediately turned sharp.

"What Su An said is right. Are you stopping us from calling the police because Su Bai took all our money and gave it to you?"

Su Jianjun was truly heartbroken. He shouted at Lin Zhaodi in disappointment, "Mom, I'm your son, too!"

Lin Zhaodi trembled under Su Jianjun's roar. Seeing her eldest son's ferocious expression, she instinctively moved closer to her second son.

"Oh, how could you treat me like this after all I've done for you? All because of what that troublemaker said!"

Su Jianguo shielded his elderly mother. "Su An, watch your mouth. Don't make baseless accusations."

Su An pretended to be scared and hid behind Su Jianjun. "Dad, look, Grandma is favoring Second Uncle. Su Bai has drained our family's money, cut stepmom with a knife, and now he's run off with Su Lei. And Second Uncle even wants to hit me. They're pushing us to the breaking point!"