The Su family arrived very quickly.
They had clearly all been woken up from their dreams. Half-Immortal Su had his shoes on backwards, and the most conspicuous thing was a large bruise on his forehead. He gave an embarrassed smile.
"I was in such a hurry I didn't look where I was going and walked into a tree."
Without needing Su Ning's orders, the considerate Assistant Lin had already brought up a bag of ice from downstairs, letting Half-Immortal Su apply it to his forehead to reduce the swelling.
Holding the ice pack, he didn't forget to ask Su Ning,
"Eldest niece, what exactly is going on?" After speaking, he frowned.
"Is the Fang family causing trouble again?"
Su Ning's face was as cold as frost. Instead of answering, she asked Half-Immortal Su if he knew the name Anderson.
"Anderson, sounds a bit familiar."
Half-Immortal Su frowned and thought for a long time. Beside him, Su Zhenzhu and Su Chen were also anxious, afraid of delaying Su Ning's business, wishing they could physically beat the memories out of their father.
After quite a while.
"I remember now, it's that foolish priest."
He went on a rapid-fire description.
Supposedly, this Anderson was a missionary priest from England. At that time, foreigners held power, and missionary work was nothing unusual, but he insisted on preaching some kind of Protestantism.
It was different from the religion that had already established a firm foothold in Beiping.
As for the specific differences, Eunuch Su didn't understand, and Half-Immortal Su understood even less.
In short, heretics were more detestable than heathens.
Anderson was also a reckless youth. Without understanding the situation in Beiping or finding a backer, he boldly preached Protestant doctrines.
He had barely learned how to say hello.
Before he was thrown into a prison cell to practice with the jailers.
Just as he was about to be sent to the stake, he was saved by Eunuch Su.
"Why did Great-grandfather save him?"
Su Ning couldn't help but ask. Could it be that this great eunuch had profound foresight and wanted to leave a foreign path for his family? If so, it seemed he had really bet correctly...
"It was nothing much."
"The backer of the foreigners who harmed Anderson had just impeached your great-grandfather. How could he let that slide? Your great-grandfather saw an opportunity to use Anderson to turn the tables and sent that guy to prison instead."
"He even came home and happily drank a round of wine."
Half-Immortal Su stated righteously.
Saving Anderson wasn't important; what mattered was striking a heavy blow against a political enemy!
She had guessed wrong again.
Su Ning took a deep breath, deciding that in the future, whenever dealing with matters concerning the Su family, she would just think in the most utilitarian and unbelievable directions.
Normal things like saving someone out of the goodness of one's heart.
Were impossible to happen with the Su family!
"Regardless, Great-grandfather saved his life. Did that Anderson ever mention wanting to repay the favor?"
"He did."
Half-Immortal Su nodded. That foreign devil Anderson was quite grateful. While recovering from his injuries, he learned a phrase from the servants: A drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring.
He kept muttering it constantly, annoying everyone to death.
He even pestered to baptize him, trying to bring him into the religion and make him a fake foreign devil too.
Of course, no one agreed.
To quickly get rid of this foreign devil, Eunuch Su even paid out of his own pocket to buy him a boat ticket and send him away. Anderson was so moved that he was in tears.
Whenever he remembered this part, he regretted it!
Foreign monks are better at chanting scriptures. If he had really been baptized and joined the religion, he would have dared to triple his fortune-telling prices.
"Eldest niece, why are you asking about Anderson? Did you meet this person abroad? Well, don't believe a word that guy says, not a single sentence is true."
Half-Immortal Su said indignantly,
"Forget about repaying with a gushing spring. After all these years, he hasn't even sent a single silver dollar. To forget his savior, he's really a piece of trash."
Regardless of the reason for saving him.
He was saved, wasn't he?
"Actually, this Mr. Anderson really did want to repay you." Su Ning looked at them sympathetically. Although she wasn't a true member of the Su family and couldn't fully empathize.
But the Su family's experiences were truly unlucky.
Even unrelated people would feel righteous indignation upon hearing it.
Pushing the English letter over, knowing they couldn't read it, Su Ning briefly summarized it.
It went roughly like this: After returning to his home country, Anderson didn't forget the Su family, but he had his own troubles. Many years later, when his troubles were resolved and he had some spare energy, he sent a letter to China.
For some unknown reason, the letter fell into the hands of the Fang family.
There was no need to say what happened next.
It was nothing more than deception and coaxing, relying on the fact that Anderson couldn't come to China to investigate.
They used a marriage certificate to enjoy all the benefits.
............
This news was too explosive.
Half-Immortal Su, Su Zhenzhu, and Su Chen were too shocked to speak.
Even Lin Sen, who was completely unrelated to the Su family, was stunned after hearing it, and then couldn't help but look at them with extremely sympathetic eyes.
If you put yourself in their shoes, you would be angered to death.
The Fang family was ruthless enough. They stole Anderson's opportunity to repay his gratitude, yet they didn't treat Su Zhenzhu and the Su family well.
By the looks of it, they even intended to discard them after using them.
"So, this is how this marriage engagement came about?" Su Zhenzhu was the fastest to calm down. Without needing anyone to answer, she muttered to herself,
"I was wondering why it was so strange."
"They clearly looked down on me, yet before Fang Lin returned to the country, they never mentioned canceling the engagement. And there were several highly profitable business deals that clearly shouldn't have gone to the Fang family, yet they got their hands on them."
"Right, the channel the Fang family used to buy new machinery, that must have been provided by Anderson too, right?"
Everything connected into a single thread.
All the things about the Fang family in the past that she hadn't understood suddenly became crystal clear.
Monstrous anger swept through her entire body. Su Zhenzhu's fingertips were trembling. She wanted to scream, wanted to destroy everything in sight, wanted to rush over and tear the Fang family into pieces...
And then she met a pair of tolerant eyes.
It was her older cousin.
Su Zhenzhu suddenly wanted to cry, and she actually did, throwing herself recklessly into Su Ning's arms and wailing aloud, as if trying to cry out all the eye-rolling and suffering she had endured at the Fang family over the years.
"What right did they have to do this?"
"What right?"
"It is not surprising for malicious people to do even more malicious things. What reason do they need?"
Su Ning's usually cold face softened. She affectionately stroked the long hair of the young girl in her arms, guiding her patiently as if reasoning with a child,
"However, once the victims find out, any amount of revenge is justified."
"Right?"
"Right," came a muffled sound.
Su Ning lowered her eyes and smiled. Then, with an undeniable firmness, she gently pulled the girl out of her embrace, looked earnestly at Su Zhenzhu's tear-streaked face, and reached out to wipe away her tears.
"Then stop crying. If you cry anymore, you won't look pretty."
"We need to smile beautifully, and then go watch the Fang family cry..."
