Chapter 30: Zhang Li’s Redemption

Zhang Lao Da had been keeping watch outside, and when he heard that Li Er Gou had been caught, he was startled and hurried back to inform Zhang Li.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Li was so shocked that she nearly fainted from her chair. Fortunately, Qian Cui Miao quickly supported her and said urgently, “Mother, this is terrible. We sent Uncle to steal from the Su family, but how could he actually go and set fire to their cellar? What are we going to do now?”

When Li Er Gou first arrived at the Zhang family, Zhang Li had conspired with him to steal from the Su family. However, after hearing that her sister and brother-in-law had been sowed discord by the Su family, and her brother-in-law even mentioned dividing the family, which deeply hurt her sister, Li Er Gou had been holding a grudge. He swore to burn down the Su family’s winter grain storage so they would all starve to death!

Qian Cui Miao now deeply regretted not stopping him at the time, which had now led to Li Er Gou doing something unnecessary, complicating the situation.

Zhang Li didn’t listen to her implied complaints. Whenever she thought of her brother now being locked up in a cold and freezing stable by Old Lady Su, suffering without even being allowed food or water, Zhang Li’s heart shook with rage. She angrily hissed, “What else can we do? Of course, we have to redeem your uncle! I know that vile woman, Zhang Zhaodi. Even when she was still a girl, she was ruthless, holding grudges. Now that my brother is in her hands, if she sends him to the authorities, not only will his life be ruined, but our entire Zhang family will be doomed!”

Qian Cui Miao’s eyelids twitched, and her lips dryly parted, “No way, right?”

Suddenly, Zhang Lao Er, who had remained silent, stood up and said, “Mother, our father is close to Aunt in the capital. I’ll go and ask Father to help plead with her. Maybe Aunt will release Uncle, Ah Fei, and Uncle Dao.”

Zhang Li, in a state of disarray, waved her hand, then returned to the room to count the money and gather a sum for the ransom. Zhang Lao Da and Qian Cui Miao accompanied her to the altar, where they burned incense while chanting Amitabha Buddha and praying for their ancestors’ protection, staying up all night.

After Zhang Lao Er came out of the hall, he went straight to the bedroom, snatched the needle and thread from his wife, Zhou Chunyan’s hands, and urged, “Stop sewing! Hurry and pack your things. We’re going to your parents’ house for the winter.”

Zhou Chunyan obediently nodded, quickly packing her things, and asked, “Didn’t Mother ask Elder Brother and Uncle to get the money from the Su family? Didn’t they get it?”

Zhang Lao Er, somewhat vexed, said, “Who knows? My uncle usually succeeds in his sneaky endeavors, but today he inexplicably failed! The Su family has already detained him, and now Mother plans to redeem him, but I fear it will cost a lot of money. Where did you put the private savings I asked you to keep? Bring it all! I’ll call the boy, and we’ll leave now, just in case Mother doesn’t have enough ransom money and asks us to contribute more. Besides, if the Su family reports to the authorities, we’ll be implicated if we stay in Zhang’s house.”

Zhou Chunyan hesitated and asked, “So we’re just running away like this? What about Mother?”

Zhang Lao Er sneered, “When she took our father’s house in the capital for her brother and moved us here to this remote Qing Shui Village, did she ever consider what would happen to me and Elder Brother?”

Zhou Chunyan, upon hearing this, didn’t try to persuade him anymore and quickly finished packing. After Zhang Lao Er called their son, the family of three quietly left through the back door, heading towards Zhou Chunyan’s parents’ house in a hurry.

By the time everything was settled, it was already 2 or 3 a.m.

Su Family

After locking up Li Er Gou and the others in the stable, Su Lao Wu thoughtfully reached into his chest and pulled out a small purse.

Earlier, when he had been in the cellar, fighting in the dark with Li Er Gou and his group, he nearly had his throat slit by Li Er Gou’s knife. Since then, the contents of the purse had been growing warmer and warmer.

However, he had been so busy salvaging the grain that he hadn’t paid attention to the purse.

Now, Su Lao Wu took out the contents of the purse, and to his shock, it was the protective talisman his daughter had given to their family!

Su Lao Wu quickly unfolded the talisman and looked at it. His eyes widened in shock. The lines his daughter had drawn on the talisman were disappearing at an alarming rate, visible to the naked eye!

Once the lines completely disappeared, the burning sensation faded entirely, and it felt like the magical energy attached to the talisman had vanished. Now, it was just an ordinary piece of white paper.

Could it be true what his wife had said? His daughter was really a little bundle of good fortune!

Realizing this, Su Lao Wu was both shocked and excited. He quickly suppressed the discovery deep in his heart and carefully tucked the now ordinary piece of paper away.

The next morning, a violent snowstorm swept through Qing Shui Village, and the cold was so intense that people couldn’t even step outside their homes.

Zhang Xiaolan and Li Sumei woke up early, boiling a pot of hot porridge using leftover rice and sweet potatoes from the kitchen, and baking a few salted vegetable buns on the stove. Just as the Su family sat down at the table to have breakfast, there was a knock on the door.

“Big sister! It’s me, your sister-in-law Li. I’ve come to visit!”

Zhang Li called out from outside.

After Li Er Gou had been locked up the previous night, Old Lady Su had sent Su Lao Si to accompany Zhang Hongzhuang to the old house. Zhang Hongzhuang was tasked with repairing the wall, keeping him busy and preventing him from getting involved in the affairs between the Su family and Zhang Li.

Hearing Zhang Li’s voice now, Wu Chunhe frowned and immediately said, “She still has the nerve to come? Mother, I’ll go open the door!”

Old Lady Su instructed, “No, finish eating first.”

Seeing this, the others ignored the knocking at the door and continued eating breakfast.

Zhang Li stood outside for a while, but her frail body soon couldn’t take the cold anymore.

Zhang Lao Da quickly helped her, his teeth chattering from the cold. “Mother, let’s go inside. The door isn’t locked. I can push it open.”

Today was even colder than the day when the Su family had first arrived in Qing Shui Village.

Back then, the Su family had been standing outside, wearing ragged clothes, making them look pitiful. Now, in just a few days, the roles had reversed, and they had become the ones with the upper hand.

Zhang Li gritted her teeth and held on, “No, we’re here to redeem someone. The initiative is in Aunt’s hands. If she wants to keep me waiting, I’ll wait!”

Zhang Lao Da angrily muttered, “Aunt is too unreasonable! We’re relatives. Does she really have to be like this?”

“Enough, just bear with it. Once we get your uncle back, I have plenty of ways to deal with them!”

Zhang Li’s eyes glinted with malice as she stared at the Su family’s door, her withered hand gripping the cane tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Qian Cui Miao, seeing this, quietly pulled Zhang Lao Da back and frowned, whispering, “Why are you making a scene now? Can’t you learn from your second brother? He’s smart and packed up and left last night!”

Zhang Lao Da was displeased, “What are you talking about? Second Brother must have gone to his father-in-law’s house to get us some help.”

Qian Cui Miao felt speechless and muttered, “Tsk, you’re so stubborn and foolish. Anyway, when we’re in there, keep your head down. Whatever happens, Mother will make the decisions. Don’t think you’re smarter than her. Don’t end up like your uncle, trying to be clever and making things worse!”

Hearing this, Zhang Lao Da quickly nodded and shut his mouth.

The wind grew stronger, and just as the snowstorm began to cover Zhang Li’s shoes, the Su family finally came out to open the door.

Li Sumei held an umbrella for Old Lady Su, who, dressed in a brand new cotton coat, stood at the door calmly and looked at Zhang Li. “Sister-in-law has come. We were eating just now and didn’t hear you knocking. What’s the matter? What do you need from me?”

While they had been outside starving and freezing, Old Lady Su had been at home, enjoying warmth and food. Zhang Li’s face immediately turned grim. “Aunt, aren’t you going to invite me in to sit down?”

Old Lady Su smiled, “I would love to invite you in, but do you remember how you treated us when we went to visit your family? You made us stand outside in the cold, didn’t offer us a cup of tea, nor a chair.”

Zhang Li’s lips trembled, but she managed to swallow her anger. She went straight to the point, “I’ve come to redeem my brother. Is this enough money?”

She said, handing Old Lady Su a heavy bag of money.