When they got back home, Xie Jianhua privately told Wang Cuifen and Cripple Xie about the incident, and the couple’s expressions turned grim.
"What kind of mess is this?" Cripple Xie couldn’t help but grumble.
Wang Cuifen shooed him away. "Alright, you’re going to be late. Hurry up and get to work. I’ll handle things here. I’ll go check on the Su family later."
Su Qing tugged at Xie Jianhua’s sleeve, helping to clear the dishes, and volunteered, "Mom, I’ll go with you later."
"Fine, you come with me. That boss of Ren Chao’s is just asking for trouble. If Su Xue gets dragged out and publicly shamed as a loose woman, she won’t be able to live with the shame. If she’s driven to death, I won’t be able to live with myself either. People would never stop pointing fingers at us." Wang Cuifen ranted angrily.
The neighbors causing a fuss weren’t out to drive anyone to their death.
Even if the Su family had schemed to trap Xie Jianhua into marriage, all they wanted was the 500-yuan betrothal gift—they never intended to go that far.
"Death?" Su Qing’s eyes widened, and she timidly sidled up to Wang Cuifen. "Mom, I’m scared now. How did things escalate to this point?"
Given the political movements of those years—events that would later be censored on TV or whitewashed in novels—Su Qing hadn’t expected things to be this severe.
Wang Cuifen compared the differences between this life and the last, then explained, "The main issue is how fast the news about Su Xue’s pregnancy spread. If it had come out after she was married, there probably wouldn’t have been any big-character posters."
Gossip about a married couple’s private life was just dull. What married people did behind closed doors was no one else’s business—no need to air it out in public.
Hearing this, Su Qing felt awkward. In her past life—assuming she had transmigrated while Wang Cuifen hadn’t been reborn—she would’ve needed a couple of days to figure things out. From securing benefits to stirring up trouble, it would’ve taken time.
The most ruthless corporate warfare she’d ever experienced was someone unplugging a power cord.
She’d never imagined things could escalate to life-or-death stakes.
When she sought revenge for the original host, her plan had been to beat the Su family a few times—not to kill them.
Su Xue had tried to socially ruin her, making her the subject of gossip, so she’d returned the favor. To her, that was fair.
But then someone had poured fuel on the fire, using big-character posters to expose and denounce Su Xue, and the situation had spiraled out of control.
The Xie and Su families had negotiated peacefully precisely because they feared things might escalate beyond their control.
Su Qing asked nervously, "So… Su Xue won’t actually be in danger, right?"
"We’ll know if anyone shows up at the Su house to investigate. They might even come questioning us." Wang Cuifen reassured her, "But don’t worry, our family will be fine. Have you forgotten what your husband and father-in-law do for a living?"
Su Qing turned to look at Xie Jianhua, her eyes filled with such open admiration that he could feel it even without her saying a word.
No wonder everyone wanted to marry a soldier—she hadn’t realized military families had this kind of protection.
It made sense, though. No matter how chaotic things got, the military would always remain stable—it was the backbone of the nation.
Being a military family really was a solid shield.
Su Qing had stirred the pot, so she felt guilty, but Wang Cuifen was mostly just there for the drama.
The moment they arrived at the Su house, Wang Cuifen confronted He Laidi outright: "So, that little bastard in Su Xue’s belly is still hanging in there?"
Hearing the term "little bastard," Su Qing didn’t know how to react. Even in a situation like this, Wang Cuifen’s verbal punches never lost their edge.
"Was it you who blabbed? Did you write those posters?" He Laidi snarled through gritted teeth. "You black-hearted old hag, I’ll strangle you!"
"You stupid old fool, I can’t even write! How would I manage a big-character poster? Go write one for your ancestors—"
The two mothers-in-law were at each other’s throats the second they met. Just as Xie Jianhua moved to intervene, Su Qing slammed the table.
"Mom, watch how you talk to my mother-in-law! Show some respect!"
Su Qing scolded, "You’re the ones who messed up and got caught. Don’t blame us. If we weren’t worried about getting dragged into this, we wouldn’t even be here. My mother-in-law’s the one trying to help your family!"
Su Qing’s immediate defense of her mother-in-law left both Wang Cuifen and Xie Jianhua stunned.
In that moment, Xie Jianhua had a sudden realization: Su Qing was one of them.
He hadn’t felt that way even during their wedding yesterday.
But seeing Su Qing stand up for Wang Cuifen made him believe it—Wang Cuifen hadn’t been fooled by sweet talk. These two really did have a bond. Or at least, Su Qing hadn’t deceived Wang Cuifen—those gifts of money, roasted sweet potatoes, and peanut candies hadn’t gone to waste.
But as the man linking these two women, Xie Jianhua’s expression was downright peculiar. Without him, this mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship wouldn’t exist—yet neither woman seemed to care much about him.
One didn’t hesitate to throw him under the bus, while the other never held back her scolding.
He might as well have been a toy these two used to strengthen their bond.
Still, since Su Qing was "one of them," Xie Jianhua told himself not to dwell on it. Sure, she had a knack for stirring trouble, but at heart, she was a good person. That was enough.
If he’d married Su Xue instead… now that would’ve been a living nightmare.
With outsiders, He Laidi could still bluster, but with Su Qing and the others—who knew the truth—her bravado crumbled. After a few more questions from Su Qing, she admitted weakly, "Your sister… lost the baby. She’s resting in her room now."
