Watching Wang Cuifen get lured away with just a few words, Su Qing hastily put down the cookies in her hand and hurried after her, calling out, "Mom, wait! Don’t leave me behind!"
Wang Cuifen turned her head and instructed, "I’ll go see what’s going on first. You go call Xie Jianhua and Cripple Xie."
With that, she rushed ahead.
"That’s right, you go get them. We can’t let your mother-in-law suffer later," chimed in the eager onlookers, who were all too happy to help. Before Su Qing could even open her mouth, they had already summoned Xie Jianhua and his father, even leading the way for Su Qing and the others.
As they walked, the neighbors couldn’t resist vividly recounting the details of Su Xue’s engagement ceremony that day.
Su Qing had never encountered such blatant attempts to stir up trouble. She was speechless. "Auntie, you really don’t want our families to get along, do you?"
"Not at all! I just can’t stand He Laidi’s arrogance. Last year, when my youngest son was sent to the countryside, she had the nerve to say right to my face that I was useless for not being able to protect my own son… He Laidi may have shielded her son, but look at what you’ve had to endure!"
Even now, they couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire. But after living as neighbors for over a decade, petty grudges and back-and-forth squabbles were nothing new. It was hard to remember who had started the feud in the first place.
Wang Cuifen charged ahead like a general leading the charge. By the time Su Qing and the others arrived just two minutes later, Wang Cuifen was already in a heated argument with He Laidi.
"You shameless old hag! How dare you bully my daughter-in-law? The rotten things you’ve done—how can you blame her for them? Did you think Su Qing had no one to stand up for her, that you could push her around and slander her however you pleased?"
Su Qing quickly jumped in to intervene—though her "mediation" was decidedly one-sided. She pinned He Laidi’s arms down, preventing her from moving, while tearfully pleading, "Back then, you made me go to the countryside, and I went. You made me marry Xie Jianhua, and I did. What more do you want from me, Mom? Do you want me dead?"
"My poor Qingqing! How did you end up with such a heartless birth mother?" Wang Cuifen’s heart ached for her.
Taking advantage of He Laidi being restrained, Wang Cuifen landed a few sneaky pinches, making He Laidi yelp in pain.
Ironically, it was the same busybody neighbors who had called Wang Cuifen over in the first place who now stepped in to break up the fight.
"Come on, He Laidi’s always been like this. Don’t take it to heart. If you really hurt her, she’ll just turn around and demand compensation for medical bills."
"Exactly! You’re family now—can’t you talk things out properly?"
Out of respect for Su Qing and not wanting to escalate things further, Wang Cuifen reluctantly backed down when given the chance.
Once she let go, she glared at He Laidi and warned, "If I ever hear you badmouthing Su Qing behind her back again, you’ll regret it."
The onlookers glanced between Wang Cuifen and He Laidi, momentarily unsure which of them was Su Qing’s real mother.
Even Su Qing herself felt a pang of confusion.
Wang Cuifen had rushed over in a fury the moment she heard someone speaking ill of her.
That fierce, protective aura was so overwhelming—being her child must be a blessing.
As the one being shielded, Su Qing felt warmth spread through her chest. She shuffled closer to Wang Cuifen, gently tugging at her sleeve and silently leaning into her like a child seeking comfort.
"My dear, you’ve suffered so much."
"I haven’t," Su Qing reassured her, patting Wang Cuifen’s back soothingly. "Don’t be angry, Mom. She’s not worth it. Let her say whatever she wants—truth will always prevail. No matter how loud she shouts, she can’t twist right and wrong."
Once Wang Cuifen had calmed down, Su Qing turned to face the gathered neighbors.
With righteous conviction, she declared, "I know you’ve all been talking about me these past few days. But I swear on my life—I’ve done nothing wrong. If I schemed to marry Xie Jianhua, may lightning strike me dead!"
Even though the times called for rejecting superstition, most people still wouldn’t dare make such a severe oath.
The neighbors exchanged uneasy glances before quickly chiming in with reassurances.
"Of course, of course! We all know you’re a good girl."
"Absolutely! You’ve been responsible since you were little—washing clothes, cooking, looking after your siblings. You always gave them the solid rice while you drank the watery leftovers. How could you ever steal your sister’s fiancé?"
"Don’t be upset, Qing. We believe you."
Su Qing’s eyes welled up with touched tears. "I knew there were still good people in this world."
Inside, she scoffed: Yeah, right.
Just yesterday and this morning, these same people had practically sneered in her face, openly calling her shameless.
Only after she leaked the news about Su Xue’s pregnancy did their attitudes soften—at least now they didn’t pull faces at her, and some even talked to her or showed her the way.
With this opportunity, Su Qing had managed to clear her name. From now on, she could socialize normally without worrying about being shunned.
Cutting ties with—or even turning against—those with problematic backgrounds had become second nature in these politically tense times.
Not distancing yourself risked dragging you down with them.
At the height of the turmoil, children had denounced parents, and parents had exposed children. Neighbors with even minor moral flaws were instinctively ostracized.
The way everyone had treated Su Qing these past two days? That was exactly how they’d treat the rest of the Su family soon enough.
Gossip might not cut as cleanly as a knife, but the constant pricks of a thousand needles hurt just as much.
Having flung He Laidi’s mud right back at her, Su Qing contentedly linked arms with Wang Cuifen and headed home.
On the way back, each thought the other was still upset, so they kept comforting each other.
"Don’t be angry, Qing. From now on, I’ll take care of you."
"Mom, I’m not angry. You shouldn’t be either—getting worked up is bad for your health."
Arm in arm, the two walked ahead, warm and affectionate, while Xie Jianhua and the others trailed behind in silence, their expressions unreadable.
Once Su Qing reached her new room, she plopped down and kicked up her legs, humming a cheerful tune—only to nearly jump out of her skin when she looked up and saw Xie Jianhua standing there.
Not a word, not a sound. He had followed her like a ghost, lurking in the doorway.
"What are you doing in my room?" The words slipped out before she caught herself.
They’d held the wedding banquet today. In everyone’s eyes, they were husband and wife now. This room, which Wang Cuifen had specially prepared, was meant for both of them.
Su Qing coughed awkwardly and quickly corrected herself. "I mean—why haven’t you packed yet? Aren’t you leaving this afternoon?"
Once he was gone, the room—and the bed—would be hers alone.
"Since when did I say I was leaving?" Xie Jianhua looked baffled. "We just had the banquet today. It doesn’t make sense to leave on the same day."
Su Qing’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You’re not leaving?"
