Chapter 54: Reputation Reversal

Chapter 54: Public Opinion Shifts

At this point, the villagers watching the commotion and the village chief already knew which side was at fault.

Upon hearing that her own son had lied and caused such a big incident, Wang Mutou's mother immediately grabbed him from behind and started whipping his behind hard.

"Liar! Liar!"

Wang Mutou, being beaten by his mother, bawled his eyes out.

"Mom, mom, I was wrong! Waaah~"

"Miss Su, we’re all neighbors here. It was our Wang family’s fault. Tell us what you need to make it right? Our family will do whatever it takes." At this moment, the eldest son of old lady Wang stepped forward and spoke to Su He.

He was the only one in the Wang family who hadn’t touched Su He during the chaos earlier, as he had arrived later and only just learned the whole story.

Their family, throwing their weight around because they had so many brothers, had always acted arrogantly in the village. Never thought they'd get tripped up like this.

What he really meant was that they wanted to settle the matter with money.

Su He didn’t want their money—she just wanted her son to get fair treatment.

"I don’t need any compensation. Just have Wang Mutou and your mother apologize to my son, and this matter will be over," Su He said.

The Wang family didn’t expect her to be so easygoing and were somewhat surprised.

In truth, Su He had never intended to call the police. She had played up how serious it was just to threaten them.

If this matter really escalated to the police station, it might be judged as both sides fighting, and she herself might even get locked up for a few days.

She wasn't worried about herself, but what would happen to her child? Especially Zai Zai—he was so sensitive. He’d work himself up.

What if she accidentally pushed her troublemaker son over the edge prematurely? That would be cutting off her nose to spite her face.

Besides, she still planned to live in Shangyao Village for a while longer. It wouldn’t be wise to burn all her bridges.

Otherwise, if the villagers got the idea she was heartless, who would dare to interact with her two children? Wouldn’t that just isolate them again?

Sure enough, upon hearing that Su He only demanded an apology from Wang Mutou and old lady Wang to Zai Zai, the Wang family instantly decided Su He wasn't so bad after all.

People are like that—stereotypes heavily influence their thinking.

Just moments ago, Su He had seemed determined to call the police and make the Wang family pay, terrifying everyone.

Now, she only wanted an apology. The contrast was so stark that not only the Wang family but also the villagers and the village chief thought Su He was actually pretty decent.

Wang Mutou’s mother gave him a death glare and said, "Go apologize right now! You're a disgrace!"

Wang Mutou, his bottom red from his mother’s spanking, shuffled over to Zai Zai, whom Su He had just put down, and said, "I’m sorry, Zai Zai."

Su He gently rubbed Zai Zai’s head and asked, "Zai Zai, are you willing to forgive him?"

Zai Zai didn’t hesitate and nodded.

The Wang family let out a collective sigh of relief.

Then, everyone’s gaze turned to old lady Wang. The old woman's pride was stinging. Apologizing to a child made old lady Wang feel mortified.

But she was afraid that Su He might actually call the police, which would implicate her sons, so she gritted her teeth and walked up to Zai Zai, saying, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have hit you. I just lashed out without thinking and didn’t expect it to be so serious."

At this moment, old lady Wang was filled with regret. If she hadn’t hit Su He’s son, Su He probably would have settled for some compensation, just as she had said.

Now their family was humiliated, gained nothing, and even got beaten up.

After old lady Wang finished speaking, Su He turned to Wang Mutou and said, "Wang Mutou, I’m sorry for hitting you in the heat of the moment."

Wang Mutou was too flustered to accept Su He’s apology and quickly shook his head in fright.

The villagers, seeing Su He voluntarily apologize to Wang Mutou, were even more impressed by her.

Courteous, fair-minded, and kind—she neither called the police nor demanded compensation. Su He’s image rose to new heights in everyone’s eyes.

"Mom, Dad, brothers, and sisters-in-law, let’s just drop it. We’re all neighbors—no need to drag it out," Su He said as she approached the Fu family.

"Su He, are you sure you don’t want to call the police?" Fu Dajun frowned, feeling his daughter-in-law got the short end of the stick.

Hearing them mention the police again, the village chief quickly interjected, "The Wangs have already owned up to it, really."

He then glanced at the Wang family, urging them to say something.

"Yes, we were totally in the wrong back there. It won’t happen again," old lady Wang hastily added.

Seeing that Su He no longer wanted to pursue the matter, Fu Dajun also fell silent.

Su He walked over to Zai Zai, examined his face, and then addressed the crowd, "I’m gonna head home and put some medicine on him."

The villagers piped up with offers: "Do you have cream at home? I think I have some bruise cream."

"My family has some too, for scrapes."

"Don’t you need to disinfect it? I have iodine at home."

Su He smiled and replied, "Thanks, y’all. We’ve got some at home."

After Su He left with her children, the crowd hung around for ages.

Those who returned later from the fields or construction sites got the lowdown right away on the incident between Su He and the Wang family.

Those who had witnessed it firsthand gave a play-by-play, praising Su He’s handling of the situation and her skills.

"If this had happened to me, I’d have been groveling by now."

"The Fus really know how to pick daughters-in-law—not a dim bulb in the bunch."

"How’s she so quick on her feet? If it were me facing the Wang family, I’d have panicked long ago."

"She’s city-educated. Plus, her father’s a teacher—she must be really smart."

"No shock Ting Hua snapped her up. It wasn’t about looks but brains."

"Su He isn’t ugly, is she? She was on the heavier side before, but she’s lost weight now and looks quite nice."

"Honestly, the way she threw down today? Damn impressive."

In barely a month since returning to the village, Su He’s reputation had done a total 180—something she hadn’t expected.

On her way back with the kids, the Fu family tried to tag along, but Su He waved them off.

They had been busy working on the construction site all day and even came back early to have her back. Now that everything was resolved, Su He felt bad about troubling them further.

After returning home, Su He got a swelling-reducing ointment from her inventory and applied it to Zai Zai's face.

The cool sensation of the ointment made Zai Zai sigh in relief.

"Mommy, it’s so cool! Feels nice!" Zai Zai said with a smile.

But as Su He looked at him, she suddenly burst into tears.

Seeing his mother cry in front of him, Zai Zai panicked and quickly hugged Su He, saying, "Don’t cry, Mommy."

Hearing his comforting words, Su He was amused and then looked at Zai Zai's face with heartache, saying, "I’m so sorry you had to go through this."

Meanwhile, Niu Niu was lying on Su He's lap, and seeing her cry, her eyes welled up too.