Su Tao buried herself completely under the covers, leaving only her head exposed. She looked at all the people crowded in the room, especially the village aunties who loved to gossip the most, and her world went dark.
'It's over, it's over. If these aunties go out and start talking, what will be left of my reputation?'
'No, I have to save myself!'
"WAAAH—" Su Tao burst into tears, crying out to Old Su, "Grandma, Su Qing set me up! Su Qing is the one who harmed me! I don't know anything! Grandma, you have to stand up for me!"
Old Su was so angry she felt faint. Originally, she had made a deal with the Sun family to send Su Tao to be Shitou's wife. After all, Su Tao was pretty, so naturally, the Sun family would offer a higher bride price.
It was Su Tao who had told her that if she could marry into a family in the county seat, the bride price would be even higher. Plus, she could help advance the careers of the Su Family's grandsons and bring benefits to the family. That's why Old Su had listened to her and switched Su Tao out for Su Qing. Then, following another of Su Tao's ideas, she planned to saddle Su Qing with a reputation for seducing men. This way, sending Su Qing to the Sun family would seem perfectly reasonable, and the Su Family wouldn't get a bad name for selling their granddaughter.
Everything had been planned out perfectly. Her eldest son, who worked in the county seat, had already found a young man with a city job and grain rations for Su Tao. They were just waiting to send Su Qing to the Sun family, and in a couple of days, Su Tao would go for the matchmaking meeting. But now, this whole mess had erupted today.
"Well, isn't this just great! That damn girl, Su Qing, is even harming her own cousin now!" Tian Aixiang flew into a rage. On one hand, she felt a little sorry for her own daughter, but more than that, she was furious that this incident might prevent her son from finding a good wife in the future.
As Tian Aixiang spoke, she made to go find Su Qing and settle the score.
Aunt Cuihua darted forward and blocked Tian Aixiang's path. "What do you think you're doing? Who could that girl Su Qing possibly harm? And I haven't even mentioned it yet, but what was your Su Family doing tying Su Qing up in that room? Tied up like that, who could she possibly harm?"
"That's right, that's right." The other women had also seen Su Qing's miserable state and chimed in, "Your Su Family has gone too far. Bullying a young girl like this, aren't you afraid Sheng Jun will come back and settle accounts with you?"
Su Shengjun was Su Qing's biological father, and the second son of Old Su and her husband. Six years ago, he went into the mountains to hunt and ran into a bear. In the end, not even his bones were recovered.
Tian Aixiang shrieked defiantly, "What business is our Su Family's affairs of yours? I'm teaching a lesson to a worthless girl from my own family, do I need your permission? Now get out of my way!"
The women were furious. "Bah! You're a grown woman, have you no shame? Bullying a little girl and you're so self-righteous about it. No matter how you spin it, that girl Su Qing is your niece. It's not your place as her aunt to bully her whenever you please."
However, as they said this, the women felt a little guilty. After all, they hadn't wanted to meddle in the Su Family's affairs for the past few years, and that girl Su Qing really had been bullied by the entire family for six years!
But today, since that girl Su Qing had cried out to them for help, they were determined to see this through.
"This is my Su Family's business," Tian Aixiang shouted, her hands on her hips.
"Bah," Aunt Cuihua spat. "Six years ago, Su Qing's mother formally separated her household from your Old Su Family. The separation papers are still on file at the village brigade office. When it comes down to it, she and your Old Su Family are two separate families. Don't you try to use the 'one family' excuse."
"You..." Just as Tian Aixiang was about to speak, Su Qing's weak voice came from outside the room. "Aunties, please, you have to help me. I don't want to stay with this family anymore. If I stay with them, who knows where I'll end up dead."
Everyone turned to look and saw the frail Su Qing leaning against the wall, her face streaked with tears. The aunties' hearts ached at the sight. One of them, Aunt Tao, stepped forward and hugged Su Qing tenderly. "You poor girl," she said. "Don't you worry, Auntie will get you justice today."
"Thank you, Auntie," Su Qing said, wiping her tears with her hand, her face full of gratitude.
But in the eyes of the Old Su Family, it was a different story entirely. Old Su was the first to jump up. "You damn girl! Who are you putting on this pathetic act for so early in the morning? Are you trying to ruin our Old Su Family's reputation? Did our Old Su Family not feed you or clothe you? Who raised you all this time? You ungrateful wretch!"
In front of so many people, Su Qing naturally had to act weak. She hid in Aunt Tao's arms with a frightened expression, her eyes filled with terror. This made the aunties' hearts ache for her even more. They all started speaking up to Old Su, "Aunt Su, that's not right of you to say. Just look how skinny this girl is! Who raises a child to look like this? You should really speak with some conscience."
Su Qing added at the perfect moment, "Grandma, is it because if I die, you won't have to return my family's house and yard to me? And my uncle won't have to give back the job he 'temporarily' took over from my dad?"
"That's too much! Just too much!" Hearing Su Qing's words, the aunties grew even angrier.
Old Su was now regretting ever calling these people to her house. She said huffily, "Alright, alright, you all should head back for now. We have family matters to attend to today, so we can't entertain you."
"What, are you trying to get rid of us so you can keep abusing this child, Aunt Su?" one of the women said. "I didn't say anything before, but since this girl Su Qing has spoken up today, we aunties who watched her grow up can't just let her be bullied like this anymore."
"You're talking out of your ass!" Tian Aixiang raged. "What crap are you spouting?"
"You're the one talking out of your ass!" The woman didn't dare say much to Old Su, given her seniority, but she had no such qualms about Tian Aixiang. They were peers; who was afraid of whom? "The chickens aren't even fully awake yet. What are you barking about?"
"You're the one barking!" Tian Aixiang's chest tightened with anger. 'This morning has been nothing but rotten luck! I haven't even left the house, and I've already been in a fight and now I'm getting cursed out at my own door. Who did I ever provoke to deserve this?'
"You know perfectly well whether you were barking or not." The woman wasn't about to lose the war of words. "Who was it just fighting like a mad dog? You forget the second you turn your head, is that it? You haven't even wiped the scratch marks off your face yet."
"You..." Tian Aixiang was so furious she was about to lunge at the woman and start grappling again, but Shi's mother held her back. The fight with the Old Su Family this morning meant all pretenses were off. She didn't care about their act anymore. She had paid the bride price to the Old Su Family, and no matter what, she was taking a daughter-in-law home today. Once they were gone, it was none of her business if the Old Su Family beat each other's brains out.
"Put a pin in your business for a minute and make this clear to me. Which one of your girls is the Old Su Family giving to my Shitou as a wife?"