The disaster of the Fang family erupted without warning.
The sky had just turned the pale color of a fish's belly when the main gate was pounded violently. The gatekeeper rubbed his eyes and muttered to himself. It must be that group of debt collectors again. The masters played dead and refused to pay, so what could he do?
He rolled over and went back to sleep.
Let them knock. Let them knock until they were tired and ignored. At most, they would just splash another cart of dung water. You get used to the stink anyway.
But shortly after closing his eyes, he heard an earth-shattering crash—the main doors were knocked down by a wooden log.
Dozens of fierce-looking men in police uniforms rushed in, grabbed the gatekeeper by the collar, and patted his face disdainfully:
"I'm asking you, where do the Fang family members live? Which direction? Are there any secret passages or side doors? Tell the truth and you'll be fine. If you lie, humph!"
The gatekeeper nodded desperately.
Like pouring beans from a bamboo tube, he spilled everything he knew, not even hiding the dog hole around the corner of the kitchen, terrified he would be thrown into prison too.
"Smart man."
The leader let him go, laughed, and waved at the other brothers:
"Everyone is inside, they can't run. Miss Su said that if we catch them all, there's a reward of ten or twenty silver dollars per person. The chief said he won't take a cut of this money."
"But if anyone dares to make him lose face by reaching out randomly, he'll skin them alive!"
His face turned stern as he shouted:
"Do you understand?"
"Understood."
The uneven responses came. Even the police officers who had harbored petty thoughts were frightened now. The more beautifully their chief smiled, the more ruthless his methods were.
If he said he would skin you, he really would!
…………
They rushed in to make the arrests.
Leaving the gatekeeper behind, who patted his chest while panting. He immediately packed his valuables and savings, tied a small bundle around his waist, oiled the soles of his feet, and fled.
What, go warn the masters?
Bah, he only earned a single wage, why risk his life!
Not long after.
In his sleep, Fang Jingde was grabbed by his hair and dragged from his bed to the freezing floor. Aching and cold, he had not even reacted to what was happening.
"Caught one, caught one."
"The last one!"
His brain seemed to be twisted in knots, actually starting to ponder what the last one meant. As he stood there in a daze, an impatient policeman kicked him out of the room.
Outside, two disheveled figures were already forced to kneel on the ground.
One was his son, Fang Lin.
One was his old wife.
Upon seeing him, their eyes revealed sheer despair. Unfortunately, their mouths were firmly gagged with cloth strips, allowing them to only let out whimpering sounds—much like the squealing of pigs being slaughtered for the New Year.
So, he was the last one.
Fang Jingde finally realized what was happening. He looked at the police officers around them pointing, laughing, and joking, and then at his wife and son beside him, feeling utterly hopeless.
It was over. The Fang family was completely finished.
The ignorant pigs and sheep waiting to be slaughtered had finally completely enraged the butcher...
There was only a dead end.
When the Fang family was escorted out, Fang Lin suddenly had a flash of inspiration and looked toward a certain spot. A pitch-black car was parked quietly at the corner of the street, almost blending in with the night.
He suddenly struggled with all his might.
His eyes widened, his face flushed red. If only he could say one sentence, just one sentence...
Unfortunately, the police could not understand Fang Lin's obsession.
Slap! He was viciously struck across the face.
"Dog, what are you thrashing around for?"
Fang Lin's beaten face quickly swelled with purple bruises. The policeman was still unhappy; hitting people in the cold weather hurt his hand!
Inside the car on the other side.
Su Ning boredly withdrew her gaze, regretting coming on this trip a little. Chewed-up sugarcane could just be spat on the ground; why bother looking at it more? Her gaze then fell on Su Zhenzhu, who was glued to the car window, staring intently. Su Ning reached out and amusedly tugged at her small braid:
"The car windows are covered in bacteria. They're very dirty."
"Oh, oh."
She obediently sat back, but was still reluctant to miss a single glance. It was not until the three members of the Fang family were escorted away that she reluctantly looked away.
"Are they just going to be arrested like this, with no one intervening? Will they be rescued later?"
Her tone was full of disbelief.
In her eyes, the Fang family was a behemoth, with so many shops and workers, and business dealings with many powerful figures. Master Fang also often boasted about knowing some minister, general, or whatever.
How could they be finished so easily?
She thought it would take at least ten days to half a month to slowly crush the Fang family.
"No one will intervene, and no one will save them."
As if hearing a child's joke, Su Ning was amused. Her voice carried a faint smile as it echoed in the small, enclosed car:
"Zhenzhu, you're still a child."
Immature and innocent.
Not yet the ultimate villain from the original novel who deeply understood the nature of power and knew how to use every means to achieve her goals.
She rolled down the car window and motioned for Su Zhenzhu to look at the wide-open gates of the Fang residence. Every now and then, a servant carrying a bundle and hunching their back would run out.
They disappeared into the winding alleys.
"The duck is the first to know when the river water warms in spring."
"Even the servants who signed life contracts with the Fang family know that the master's house is finished and there is no hope left, which is why they dare to just pack their things and run."
"The world bustles about, all for the word profit."
Su Ning turned her head, calmly looking straight into Su Zhenzhu's eyes, and suddenly smiled:
"Standing on my side is profitable. What can the Fang family give them? Money? Who has more money than me? Power? How can the Fang family give others something they don't even have themselves?"
"You see, it's that simple."
"Do you understand?"
Su Zhenzhu nodded blankly.
The morning light was just right, breaking through the clouds and spilling onto the car, as if even the sun in the sky was annotating her older cousin's words. Unparalleled power endowed her with a striking beauty.
It was dazzling and intoxicating.
At this moment, the car window was knocked.
"Miss Su, the brothers are still searching the Fang family's place, but most of the visible things have been cleared out. Where would you like us to put the gold, silver, and valuables?"
Raiding a house so fast?
Now, it was Su Ning's turn to be surprised.
How long had it been since the Fang family masters were dragged out, and the mansion was already mostly looted?
Police: We might not be great at solving cases and catching people, but raiding houses is a craft passed down for thousands of years, never neglected.
"Send it all to my uncle's place," Su Ning said nonchalantly. Logically speaking, there was the justification of debt repayment for giving her the items confiscated from the Fang family. However, the thing she wanted least right now was money...
On the system interface, there was a large red box.
A ten-million-level spending task. The penalty was still obliteration, but the time limit had been relaxed to three months.
She could only comfort herself.
Fortunately, she had spent money like crazy before, so she only needed to spend a little over 4.67 million now.
A mere 4.67 million...
Just kill her.
The system's vague mocking laughter echoed in her mind: "Acting tough feels great for a moment, but ends in the crematorium."
I told you to deal with the Fang family slowly and squeeze out the rewards gradually, but you didn't listen.
Oh well.
Su Ning's face turned a bit green, and her fists hardened. She really wanted to grab a certain system and beat it up.
Beside her, Su Zhenzhu noticed her expression was off and misunderstood. She hastily declined, "There's no need, we still have a lot of money at home that we haven't finished spending..."
"If it's given to you, just take it."
Interrupting her directly, Su Ning smiled, "You deserve this money. What the Fang family stole should be returned. Besides, I was a bit inconsiderate when I gave you the mansion. It must cost a lot to keep servants and buy necessities, right?"
Su Zhenzhu nodded hesitantly.
It was true; it was really difficult.
Just maintaining the basic operations of such a large mansion had drained their savings. Fortunately, Su Ning provided financial help from time to time.
Otherwise, they would be drinking the cold northwest wind in a luxury mansion...
"Thank you, cousin. You've been too good to us," Su Zhenzhu said sincerely. It wasn't just the money; she had also exposed the Fang family's secret schemes... Su Ning had practically changed their family's destiny.
...
The car engine finally started.
In the last glance, two teenagers carrying luggage were seen supporting each other as they got into the prepared horse carriage. Fang Qingqing stumbled out, shouting and trying to grab them.
The carriage driver whipped her.
She cried out in pain and rolled to the side.
When she looked up again, there was nothing at the door. The huge Fang family was finally reduced to just her...
No, the mansion had also been sealed.
Su Zhenzhu glanced silently and then looked away.
Without the family background she was so proud of, without money, and without parents who doted on her, how would Qingqing survive?
How pitiful, but it had nothing to do with her anymore.
At this moment, Su Ning's unquestionable words brought her thoughts back—
"Zhenzhu, we are already looking for your English teacher. They will arrive in three days at the latest. Today, let's just preview the alphabet."
