Today, the Su Family caused a commotion in the residential compound for the entire morning.
Not only did they fail to get Su Shanshan’s father released, but the other branches of the family were also detained in custody.
Upon hearing this news, Su Shanshan trembled with rage and immediately smashed everything on her bedside table.
The sudden noise startled Huo Tingtao, who was about to give her a warning glance.
But Su Shanshan was too furious to even look at him.
Huo Tingtao could only snap, "Have you lost your mind?"
"I have! Huo Tingtao, is there even a point to our marriage anymore?"
"My grandmother is almost seventy years old—how could you treat her like this? The Huo Family is going too far!"
"I don’t care what you have to do, but you better get them all released right now. Do you hear me?"
Her words seemed to spark something in Huo Tingtao. After a moment of silence, he chose the most inflammatory response possible.
"Why aren’t you answering me? What’s the meaning of this silence?"
Seeing her husband lower his eyes without a word, Su Shanshan felt her heart grow cold.
"Huo Tingtao, I’ve been with you since I was eighteen. I’ve been pregnant seven times!"
"I gave you three sons—what have I ever done to wrong the Huo Family?"
"I know I’ve let you down in this, but my parents have their own difficulties—"
"What difficulties? They’re just afraid of offending Old Third!" Su Shanshan cut him off.
"I’ve told you before how they favor Old Third, but you never believed me!"
"Now Old Third and his wife are trampling all over us, and you still refuse to face the truth!"
"I’m asking you one last time—are you going to help my family or not?"
"Shanshan, can you stop making a scene—"
"Fine, if you won’t help."
Su Shanshan wiped her tears. "It’s all because my family isn’t as powerful as Old Third’s, so you all keep treating us like dirt!"
"Fine. If that’s how it is, let’s get a divorce!"
At this, Huo Tingtao finally looked up, his eyes devoid of emotion.
"What did you just say? Say it again!"
"I’ll say it ten times if I have to—we’re getting a divorce!"
Su Shanshan didn’t actually want a divorce, but it was the only leverage she had left.
She knew her father-in-law, along with the second and fourth branches of the family, were listening downstairs.
So she made sure to say the last part loud enough for them to hear.
She had braced herself for them to rush upstairs and mediate.
But after several minutes, there was no movement from below.
Cornered, Su Shanshan raised the stakes.
"Save your words. This divorce is happening."
"I don’t want anything else—just Jingxuan, Jingyi, and Jinglin. They’re coming with me!"
"They don’t even have proper rooms in this house anyway. Staying here would just make them unwanted."
"Once we’re divorced, the kids will take my surname. You can wait and see them call another man ‘Dad’—"
Suddenly—smack!
"Huo Tingtao, how dare you hit me?! I’ll kill you—"
Hearing this, Yang Meina, the second son’s wife, couldn’t stay seated any longer.
"How could Big Brother do this? Sister-in-law just had a miscarriage—how could he lay a hand on her?"
Before she could finish, Su Shanshan descended the stairs, her face pale.
Without even glancing at the others, she walked straight out of the Huo Family’s gate.
Shortly after, Huo Tingtao came down as well, looking utterly dejected.
With a thud, he knelt before his father.
"Big Brother, get up first."
The second and fourth sons tried to pull him up by his arms.
"We’re all family. Let’s talk this through properly."
"Don’t worry—Sister-in-law is just angry right now. Once she cools down—"
"Second Brother, Fourth Brother, don’t stop me. Let me speak."
Huo Tingtao looked at his father. "Dad, I know the Su Family is in the wrong. I shouldn’t plead for them, but please—for the sake of the children, ask Old Third to show some mercy."
"The kids are still young. They can’t lose their mother."
Old Man Huo’s face darkened. "Eldest Son, do you realize what you’re doing?"
"Dad, I’m sorry—"
Before Old Man Huo could respond, a sharp voice rang out from the doorway.
"Tingtao, get up! A real man doesn’t kneel so easily."
The speaker was a middle-aged woman in her fifties, with short bobbed hair, narrow eyes, and high-arched brows—giving off an air of efficiency.
Huo Tingtao shook his head, refusing to rise. "Aunt Huo, this is my fault."
"We’ll talk about fault later. Get up first—the floor is cold."
Aunt Huo yanked him to his feet without another word.
But when she saw the red scratches on his face, she exploded.
"What happened to your face? Who did this?"
"Was it that little shrew Su Shanshan?"
It had to be. No wonder she was crying and running out earlier, not even greeting her.
No manners at all.
Aunt Huo fumed, "Big Brother, you’re being too harsh. Tingtao is the eldest son of the Huo Family—with so many people watching, you should at least give him some face."
"And you two—instead of calming your father down, you just stand there like statues. Is this how brothers should act?"
The second and fourth sons: "…"
They shrugged and stayed silent.
Aunt Huo had always favored the eldest son—this was nothing new.
"Aunt Huo, please sit. I’ll make you some tea."
Yang Meina headed to the kitchen, dragging Guan Xue along with her.
Since Guan Xue had only recently married into the family and had only met Aunt Huo once at the wedding, she wasn’t familiar with the dynamics.
Seeing Yang Meina act like a mouse spotting a cat, she couldn’t help but whisper,
"Second Sister-in-law, is Aunt Huo that important?"
It wasn’t an unreasonable question.
As the saying goes, distant relatives are like distant stars.
But the way Aunt Huo spoke and carried herself made her seem more authoritative than even Grandaunt Huo.
Yang Meina measured the tea leaves and poured hot water before answering in a hushed tone,
"You don’t know this, but Aunt Huo was raised in the Huo Family since childhood."
"She’s called ‘Aunt,’ but she’s practically a full-fledged family elder."
No wonder. Guan Xue murmured, "She seems to dote on Big Brother."
"Dote? She treats him like he’s her own flesh and blood!"
Yang Meina peeked out before suddenly asking,
"Do you remember how much Aunt Huo gave you as a wedding gift?"
But she immediately regretted the question—it was a stupid thing to ask.
Old Fourth and his wife had squeezed in their wedding during a break from work—they hardly paid attention to such things.
She cut straight to the point, "When your Second Brother and I got married, Aunt Huo gave us 5 yuan as a gift. I assume it was the same for you. Guess how much she gave when Oldest Brother got married?"
"20 yuan?"
Since Oldest Brother had been married for over a decade, Guan Xue thought that amount was already generous.
"Not even close! Aunt Huo gave him 300 yuan!"
If Yang Meina hadn’t accidentally heard Oldest Sister-in-law mention it, she wouldn’t have believed Aunt Huo could be so lavish with the eldest branch of the family.
"Honestly, it doesn’t matter. The more you give, the more you’re expected to return—it all evens out in the end."
Guan Xue was philosophical about it. "Come on, let’s go back out."
Yang Meina nodded.
But before they could step into the living room, Aunt Huo’s shrill voice pierced the air once again—
