If Su Xue came to talk about family matters, Su Qing would certainly have no patience to engage with her. But since it was about work, Su Qing had no choice but to invite her in.
Before closing the door, Wang Cuifen cautiously glanced around, as if worried someone might be eavesdropping.
"It's not safe to talk in the yard. Let's go to the kitchen." There was something boiling on the stove, and Wang Cuifen needed to keep an eye on it.
Su Xue looked pleadingly at Su Qing. "Can we talk in your room instead?"
She didn’t want to discuss things under the watchful eye of her sister’s mother-in-law. Her sister surely still had some affection for her and would be easier to talk to.
That old woman Wang Cuifen, however, was a tough nut to crack. It was Wang Cuifen who had exposed the scheme of switching brides for the arranged marriage.
Objectively speaking, the conditions Wang Cuifen had offered were quite generous—a dowry of five hundred yuan, and Xie Jianhua wasn’t bad-looking either, being a soldier.
If not for the unexpected pregnancy, Su Xue had planned to marry him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to the match in the first place.
Her reasoning had been simple: Xie Jianhua was in the military and would rarely be home, so she could continue her secret relationship with Ren Chao. She’d have a husband earning a steady income while her lover spent money on her—no conflict of interest.
But now, Wang Cuifen had exposed her schemes, costing her not just the baby but also her reputation, leaving her the subject of gossip.
At least she had managed to marry Ren Chao in the end.
Back then, Ren Chao already had a wife, making it impossible for her to take that position. If Ren Chao had been willing to marry her earlier, she would never have agreed to Xie Jianhua’s proposal.
Her true intentions and actions were unknown to others, but the victims knew full well.
If she had any other choice, she wouldn’t have come face-to-face with Wang Cuifen, afraid the old woman still held a grudge and might seek revenge.
But Wang Cuifen had already dismissed her as insignificant. The only thing Wang Cuifen cared about now was making sure Su Qing didn’t suffer.
"Don’t even think about bullying your sister behind my back. Spit it out or get lost. Spoiled brat."
With Wang Cuifen saying everything Su Qing might have, all Su Qing could do was gaze at her mother-in-law with admiration. "I’ll listen to my mother-in-law. Say what you need to here, or leave."
Seeing Wang Cuifen’s fierce expression and Su Qing’s meek compliance, Su Xue couldn’t help but pity her sister for a moment.
Wang Cuifen was no pushover, and Su Qing had married into the family in such an unseemly manner—her life couldn’t be easy.
Assessing the situation, Su Xue realized there was no chance for a private conversation. She had no choice but to speak in front of Wang Cuifen.
"Tomorrow, I’ll be starting work at the Women’s Federation. Ren Chao arranged it. The rumors going around aren’t good for either of us. I thought we could agree on a more respectable story to tell people."
Because her secrets had been exposed, she had to give up her permanent position to Su Qing. Now, returning to the Women’s Federation, she could only be a temporary worker.
Hearing that Su Xue was really going back to work there, Su Qing felt a headache coming on.
"What were you thinking? Couldn’t you have picked another workplace?"
The two of them were already the center of gossip. Putting them together in the same office was just asking for trouble.
Su Xue bit her lip and explained carefully, "Ren Chao’s aunt is the director of our unit."
"I know, I looked into it. What I mean is, doesn’t your man have connections anywhere else? Did it have to be the Women’s Federation?" Su Qing said impatiently.
A few years ago, the Women’s Federation had been a place where real work got done. But with all the recent political campaigns, the capable members had been sent down to labor camps.
Those with vision and principles were gone, leaving behind only the slackers and the incompetent. Now, the Federation was just an empty shell, dealing with trivial matters and unable to secure any real rights for women.
Su Xue had once been satisfied with the job, but now, caught in a scandal, she dreaded facing her former colleagues.
But this wasn’t a decision she got to make.
Her expression turned awkward. "Jobs are hard to come by these days. Even the children of officials can’t always secure one and have to go work in the countryside. Ren Chao managed to get me a temporary position—that’s already impressive."
"Then your man isn’t much to brag about, is he? And yet you still chased after him." Wang Cuifen scoffed. "I don’t see what that man of yours has over my Jianhua. You’ve got no sense."
Su Xue clenched her teeth, reminding herself that she was here to ask for a favor, and swallowed her retort.
But inwardly, she despised Wang Cuifen’s arrogance. Of course a mother would praise her own son.
But could Xie Jianhua have gotten her a job? Would he have handed his earnings over to her? Marrying into the Xie family would have meant an absent husband and a meddlesome, shrewish mother-in-law.
Agreeing to marry Xie Jianhua had been a compromise. Marrying Ren Chao was the outcome she had truly wanted.
Su Qing’s marriage had been rushed, settled in just a couple of days. Su Xue wasn’t far behind—she and Ren Chao had already registered their marriage.
It was her first marriage, but Ren Chao’s second. With the scandal hanging over them, there had been no ceremony—no banquet, no bridal procession. After signing the papers, Su Xue had simply moved into Ren Chao’s home with her belongings.
To clear their names, they kept the wedding low-key. And despite having just lost the baby, Su Xue was being forced to return to work instead of resting—all to prove she hadn’t been pregnant, that the rumors were false, and that she and Ren Chao hadn’t been involved before marriage.
Ren Chao had some influence, but not enough to land her any job in the city. In the end, the only place she could go was the Women’s Federation.
Knowing Wang Cuifen wouldn’t take pleasure in seeing her thrive, Su Xue let a few tears fall.
"He forced me to abort the baby, and now he’s forcing me back to work. I wanted to rest for a month, but he scolded me..."
Hearing this, Su Qing’s expression turned complicated. "Did he also hint that you should take on some hard labor to prove you weren’t pregnant?"
Su Xue nodded miserably. "What else could I do?"
Su Qing let out a dry laugh but said nothing.
A woman’s well-being was nothing compared to a man’s career. With the scandal exposed, Ren Chao had no choice but to push Su Xue into the spotlight to clear his name.
She had made her bed—Su Qing didn’t feel much sympathy. She just didn’t want to share an office with Su Xue and become fodder for workplace gossip.
"Reputation is temporary. In a month or two, people will move on. But your health is yours alone. If you push yourself like this, what will become of you? If you want to work, there’s no need to rush. Go home and recover first."
"If I hide at home, people will only suspect me more." Su Xue’s eyes gleamed with hope as she looked at Su Qing, silently pleading for help.
Her body was weak, drained from the ordeal. Even speaking took effort.
But Su Qing wasn’t about to take the fall out of pity. She shrugged. "Let them suspect. Who’s going to drag you to the hospital for proof?"
It’s not a good time to move now—being socially ostracized in this town is unbearable. Su Qing had barely managed to clear her name halfway and wasn’t about to speak up for Su Xue.
Su Qing’s idea was downright shameless, and Su Xue rejected it without hesitation: "No. This could affect my husband’s job."
At that, even Wang Cuifen couldn’t hide her exasperated expression.
The way Wang Cuifen looked at Su Xue now wasn’t just disdain—it was pity for a fool.
In her past life, Su Xue’s pregnancy had come to light much later, without public denouncements or anonymous letters stirring up trouble. Though rumors spread among the neighbors, they never escalated, so Su Xue endured and quietly gave birth to the child.
By the time she delivered months later, gossip had already moved on to other scandals.
Even years later, when a group of officials were rehabilitated and Ren Chao was demoted due to political pressure, Su Xue lived comfortably—not lavishly, but with children and a stable life.
Now, though Su Xue had successfully leveraged her pregnancy to secure her position, the "ball" had been forcibly removed.
Wang Cuifen sneered, "I don’t know how you managed to abort the child, but it’s taken a toll on your body. If you don’t rest properly and keep pushing yourself, you’ll regret it. Remember Old Lady Wang from your street? She couldn’t have children after a botched abortion and ended up as a stepmother."
To avoid working alongside Su Xue, Su Qing pulled no punches: "Ren Chao doesn’t have any children. If you ruin your health, do you really think he won’t divorce you later? Stop thinking about him—think about yourself!"
But harsh truths fell on deaf ears. Su Xue even retorted, "Elder Sister, we’re not the same. Ren Chao and I are in love. He would never treat me like that."
A thirty-year-old man coaxing an eighteen-year-old girl was child’s play—especially when he held a bit of power and could spare some money in these lean times.
Su Xue truly believed she was Ren Chao’s one and only true love.
She relied on him emotionally, financially, and in every other way. Without him, she’d have been sent to the countryside to labor, ending up as dark and thin as her elder sister.
Just as Ren Chao feared for his job, so did Su Xue.
Whether it was aborting the child or taking up work, Su Xue initially resisted but quickly gave in after some persuasion.
Everything she did now was by her own choice.
Her stubbornness drained Su Qing’s patience.
"Fine, have it your way. No need to rehearse any stories—just go home. We’re about to start cooking."
"Elder Sister! If this family scandal gets out, it’ll ruin both our reputations!"
Su Qing couldn’t care less.
Public opinion wasn’t entirely against her. With Wang Cuifen and Xie Jianhua backing her, people still exchanged a few words with her at work.
Not being completely isolated was enough to satisfy her basic social needs.
She didn’t expect her name to be spotless.
But Su Xue was desperate to prove her innocence. "Elder Sister, please! If anyone at work asks, just say the job and marriage were our parents’ idea to keep you in the city, alright?"
She didn’t dare pin the blame on Su Qing, so she shifted it onto their parents. After all, Su Youjin and He Laidi weren’t innocent.
"No." Su Qing refused outright. "That would make it sound like the family sacrificed your marriage for my sake. Why should I cover up your dirty deeds?"
"Elder Sister, you know Director Zhang is Ren Chao’s aunt!"
"Are you threatening me?" Su Qing remained unfazed. "Director Zhang doesn’t have the authority to fire employees."
That was the beauty of an ironclad state job—hiring relied on leadership approval, but firing? Nearly impossible.
The unit hired employees expecting to pay them for life.
Director Zhang couldn’t even demote Su Qing, let alone fire her. If she so much as slighted Su Qing, Wang Cuifen would storm into her office and curse her out. Besides, the Xie family held Su Xue’s secrets—Director Zhang wouldn’t dare provoke them.
At work, Su Qing was merely excluded, not outright persecuted.
Su Qing’s refusal drove Su Xue to tears. She tugged at Su Qing’s sleeve, pleading, "Elder Sister! Don’t be like this, please!"
Seeing this, Wang Cuifen immediately yanked Su Qing behind her, shielding her like a mother hen.
In Wang Cuifen’s eyes, Su Qing was a soft-hearted, kind girl—too easy to exploit.
"Enough, get out. Don’t wail in my house—go cry at your own place." Wang Cuifen shoved Su Xue toward the door.
Afraid Wang Cuifen might actually push her out, Su Qing quickly spoke up.
"If you want a cover story, fine. But it has to be this: You thought Xie Jianhua was useless and refused to marry him. Mom didn’t want to return the betrothal gifts, so she pushed me into it. The sister-swap sparked rumors, forcing you to marry Ren Chao."
She had to be the blameless one, standing on moral high ground. Su Xue and their parents had to be the villains.
Su Xue was about to agree when Su Qing added, "But saying this goes against my conscience. And my conscience costs 500 jin of grain coupons."
"500 jin? That’s too much!"
At first, Wang Cuifen felt indignant for Su Qing, even pinching Su Xue in frustration.
But at the mention of grain coupons, she stopped pushing Su Xue and even steadied her.
Wang Cuifen thought admiringly: My girl’s clever. Why didn’t I think of extorting grain coupons? Since Su Xue’s job was a done deal, they might as well get something tangible.
Without prompting, Wang Cuifen jumped in to back Su Qing up. "You think 500 jin is too much? We should expose everything and send Ren Chao to labor reform—that’d be true justice. How dare a man like him call himself a leader..."
"Mom, let’s just take the grain coupons and call it even." Su Qing played peacemaker.
Then she smiled sweetly at Su Xue. "Go discuss it with your husband. 500 jin is a bargain—not a single tael less. Otherwise, those words won’t leave my mouth."
