Chapter 4: Returning to the Su Family

Su Mujin glanced around, and after making sure no one was nearby, she took a piece of candy out of her space and popped it into her mouth to replenish her energy. She ate as she walked home.

The Su family lived in the staff housing building of the textile factory.

The original host’s father was named Su Dafu, and her mother was Wang Xiuqin.

Su Dafu and Wang Xiuqin had three children: the eldest daughter, Su Moli, who was twenty-one this year; the second daughter, the original host, who was twenty years old; and the youngest son, Su Tiansi, who was nineteen.

Su Moli, being the firstborn daughter, was somewhat favored.

Su Tiansi, being the youngest and the only son, was considered the precious lifeblood of the Su family.

Only the original host, the middle daughter, was neither cherished nor valued—ignored and treated like an invisible person at home.

Both Su Dafu and Wang Xiuqin worked at the textile factory. Su Dafu was a workshop supervisor, and Wang Xiuqin was a team leader.

Together, they earned over a hundred yuan per month.

Logically, with that kind of income, they should’ve been able to raise three kids comfortably and treat them with some degree of fairness.

But in the Su household, fairness never existed.

Su Moli got two new sets of clothes every year without fail. Su Tiansi received two new outfits each season.

As for the original host? When she was little, she wore Su Moli’s hand-me-downs.

When she grew taller than Su Moli, and her build was broader, she could no longer wear her sister’s old clothes—so they started giving her Su Tiansi’s old clothes instead.

Wang Xiuqin even scolded her for it, complaining:
“Why did you have to grow so tall and big? It’s such a waste of clothes, and you have no shame.”

Just remembering the look in Wang Xiuqin’s eyes and the tone of her voice made Su Mujin’s heart go cold.

With parents like these, the original host must’ve had terrible luck for eight lifetimes.

It was currently the 1970s, right in the midst of the “Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside” movement.

The three Su siblings hadn’t been sent to the countryside because they all had jobs.

Su Moli’s job came partly from connections through Su Dafu and partly from her own efforts. She worked at the textile factory as a clerical officer.

Su Tiansi’s job, however, was bought for 800 yuan.

Two years ago, the original host graduated from high school and didn’t have a job—she nearly ended up being sent to the countryside.

But luckily, she was capable and happened to catch a recruitment wave at the textile factory. She passed the exam and joined the procurement department as a purchasing agent, earning 13.5 yuan a month.

Over the past two years, she had earned five to six hundred yuan in total.

But she never got to touch a single cent—Wang Xiuqin took all of it.

According to Wang Xiuqin,
“You’ve lived under this roof for so many years, eating, drinking, and sleeping here. Now that you’re earning money, it’s only right to repay the family.”

But Su Moli, also a daughter of the Su family, only had to hand over five yuan a month.

And Su Tiansi? He didn’t give a single cent, and Wang Xiuqin even gave him a monthly allowance of over ten yuan.

That kind of favoritism was downright bone-deep.

As Su Mujin thought about this, her steps had already brought her to the doorstep of the house.

The housing for textile factory workers was a communal-style apartment building, and the Su family lived on the third floor, in a small three-bedroom unit.

At that moment, the front door was slightly ajar. Standing at the threshold, Su Mujin could clearly hear Su Moli crying inside, and Wang Xiuqin cursing loudly.

Su Moli sure acted fast!

Su Mujin didn’t hesitate any longer—she pushed the door open and walked right in.

As soon as Wang Xiuqin heard movement and saw Su Mujin, her fury exploded.

“Su Mujin! You still have the nerve to come back?! Why did you push your sister into the river? How can you be so vicious?!”

Faced with Wang Xiuqin’s accusations, Su Mujin remained calm and unbothered. Her gaze was cold as she looked at Wang Xiuqin and replied:

“She pushed me into the river first. I was just returning the favor.”

“Nonsense!” Wang Xiuqin slapped the table angrily. “How could Moli ever do something like that?! Now you’ve even learned how to lie and manipulate people—why didn’t I realize before how cunning you are?”

“And what’s with breaking off the engagement with Song Liancheng?! He’s such a good man—and you didn’t cherish him! Instead, you threw yourself at another man, hugging and kissing like some cheap floozy. You’ve completely disgraced our Su family!”

“Now Liancheng won’t take you back. We lost such a good son-in-law, and you want to marry some cripple instead? Are you out of your mind?! I don’t approve of this marriage! I don’t care if you have to kneel or kowtow—you’d better get Liancheng back for me!”

Wang Xiuqin’s eyes were locked on Su Mujin, full of resentment. But she completely missed the shift in Su Moli’s expression behind her.

The moment she heard those words, Su Moli’s face changed subtly.

She had worked hard to get Su Mujin and Song Liancheng to break off their engagement, and to redirect Su Mujin toward marrying the cripple Song Qinian. There was no way she’d allow anything to derail that plan.

“Mom!” Su Moli tugged on Wang Xiuqin’s arm. “You didn’t see it—Liancheng was completely furious. There’s no way he’d ever marry Mujin now.”

Wang Xiuqin glared at Su Mujin with deep regret. “Liancheng is handsome, from a good family, and a platoon leader on top of that. Such a great son-in-law—gone, just like that… It’s just—”

She was so angry she couldn’t even finish the sentence. The look in her eyes made it seem like she wanted to tear Su Mujin apart.

Su Mujin chuckled lightly. “You have more than one daughter. If you want such a perfect son-in-law so badly, why not have Su Moli marry him instead?”

At those words, Wang Xiuqin froze for a moment—but then her expression turned thoughtful. The more she considered it, the more she liked the idea.

Moli wasn’t engaged to anyone yet…

And someone like Song Liancheng should’ve been Moli’s from the start!

Wang Xiuqin quickly turned to Su Moli. “Moli, what do you think? I really like that Liancheng boy. If we miss out on someone that good, we’ll really regret it!”

Of course, Su Moli was thrilled by the suggestion!

But she didn’t dare act too eager.

She didn’t want people thinking she had been coveting her sister’s fiancé all along.

Putting on a show of hesitation, Su Moli said, “Mom… would that really be okay? I mean, he used to be engaged to Mujin…”

“What’s the big deal?” Wang Xiuqin waved it off like it was nothing. “Outsiders don’t know the details. All they know is that he was engaged to a Su family daughter—they don’t know which one! We’ll just say it was you. Who’s going to question it?”

Su Moli nearly laughed out loud, but she forced herself to hold back and responded shyly, “Then… what if Liancheng doesn’t agree?”

“Why wouldn’t he agree?” Wang Xiuqin’s voice rose several octaves. “You’re better than Mujin in every way! Song Liancheng’s no fool—he’ll be more than willing! Just wait—I’ll talk to him!”

Finally, Su Moli gave a bashful smile. “I’ll do whatever Mom says.”

With this major issue seemingly resolved, Wang Xiuqin’s mood improved significantly.

But when she looked at Su Mujin again, her attitude returned to its usual nasty tone.

“Well? Why are you just standing there like a fool? Go cook!”