Chapter 37: The Shameless Old and the Even More Shameless Young  

Su Ruanruan watched as Mother Su sat on the ground, wailing and putting on a dramatic performance. Her gaze turned cold.  

If she were to believe that Mother Su was genuinely heartbroken and distressed, she would never believe it in a hundred years.  

“Fu Wenjing, come out here!” Mother Su continued to cry and shout: “I painstakingly raised my daughter, and marrying her off to an old man like you was already bad enough. But now, you’re taking her away to such a faraway place! Once you’re gone, will I ever see her again in this lifetime? You can’t do this!”  

Su Ruanruan lowered her eyes, looking at Mother Su indifferently. “Mother, since you can’t bear to part with me, I won’t leave.”  

Mother Su, who had been crying passionately, abruptly stopped her sobs. She lifted her head and stared at Su Ruanruan in shock. “What did you say?”  

Su Ruanruan gave her a sweet smile and spoke with utmost sincerity. “I said, I won’t leave. I won’t follow the army.”  

Perhaps the surprise came too suddenly, as Mother Su seemed unable to believe it. Her lips twitched, and she hesitantly asked in a low voice: “Ruanruan, are you… are you serious?”  

Su Ruanruan nodded. “Of course, I’m serious! Mother, not only will I not follow the army, but I also won’t be Fu Family’s daughter-in-law anymore. Return the food and money Fu Family gave, and I will go home with you right now. I won’t get married in the future. I’ll stay with you for the rest of my life. How about that?”  

The smile that had just appeared on Mother Su’s face instantly vanished upon hearing those words.  

Fu Family had given a dowry of fifty yuan and two hundred catties of grain.  

Several days had passed, and a good portion of the grain had already been consumed. Some of the money had also been spent.  

Even if none of it had been used, asking Mother Su to return the food and money she had received was absolutely out of the question.  

Not to mention, if she really let Su Ruanruan divorce Fu Wenjing, she would completely offend the Fu Family. By then, how could the Su Family continue to survive in the Hongqi Production Brigade?  

Mother Su remained silent, her facial expression changing repeatedly. Su Ruanruan observed everything carefully.  

“Mother, why aren’t you saying anything? As long as you agree, I will pack my things and go home with you right away.”  

Mother Su forced a stiff smile. “Look at you, child, what nonsense are you talking about? You just got married—how could you be thinking about divorce already? I never intended for you to divorce. I just can’t bear to part with you since you’re leaving tomorrow!”  

Su Ruanruan lowered her gaze, her expression drooping. “Then what should we do, Mother? My mother-in-law said that as Fu Family’s daughter-in-law and my husband’s wife, I should stay by my husband’s side to wash his clothes and cook for him.”  

“Mother isn’t saying you can’t go with the army.” Mother Su suddenly scrambled up from the ground. “It’s just that… once you leave, you won’t be able to fulfill your filial duties by my side, right…”  

Su Ruanruan blinked her innocent eyes and looked at Mother Su with confusion. “Right what?”

Mother Su gritted her teeth in anger, but she had no choice but to make herself clear. “Shouldn’t you send some filial money back? Just a little each month, five or ten yuan will do. I’m not asking for much. And if you have ration tickets or anything like that, give me a few of each as well.”  

At that moment, Su Chengtai also chimed in, stepping forward with an eager expression. “Sis, I heard military coats are really warm. They look nice and keep you toasty. Once you get there, bring back a few military coats, as many as you can. Father, Mother, and I all need them.  

And those military boots, canteens, and uniforms—whatever you can get, just bring it back. We won’t be picky.”  

Father Su, wearing a stern face, spoke shamelessly. “It’d be best if you could bring back a dozen bottles of liquor. Once winter comes, drinking some will help keep us warm.”  

Su Ruanruan had lived two lifetimes, and she had met shameless people before. But people as shameless as these three—this was truly a first.  

Just how thick-skinned were they to be able to say such things with a straight face?  

Su Ruanruan was still processing her disbelief when, before she could even respond, an outraged voice erupted from behind her.  

“Pah! I’ve seen shameless people before, but I’ve never seen anyone as shameless as you three!” Liu Xiue cursed loudly. “Are you really her parents and brother? To anyone who doesn’t know better, you’d look more like a swarm of locusts! Even locusts don’t devour as much as you do!  

Do you even remember how you treated Seventh’s wife all these years? Ever since she was a tiny child, you made her work—washing clothes, cooking, feeding chickens, sweeping the yard, and even working in the fields to earn labor points.  

Even the landlords back in the day weren’t as cruel as you! At least when landlords made their servants work, they paid them wages and gave them food and shelter. And you? You practically sucked the life out of her!  

Look at our production brigade—who doesn’t send their daughters off with at least a small dowry? Most parents give their daughters something when they get married, and those who truly love their daughters even add extra gifts.  

And then there’s you! You married her off with just a tiny bundle of belongings. You didn’t give her a single cent for her dowry, not even a decent cotton coat! You only let her bring two raggedy summer outfits.  

And after all that, you still have the nerve to claim you can’t bear to part with her? How do you even have the audacity to say that out loud?  

Bullying your own daughter is one thing, but now you’re scheming to take a cut of our Seventh’s allowance too? Do you really think you’re worthy? Let me tell you right now—forget five or ten yuan a month, you won’t even get a single cent!  

Once a daughter is married, she belongs to her husband’s family. Haven’t you ever heard the saying, ‘A married daughter is like water spilled on the ground’? Yet here you are, shamelessly demanding things!”  

Liu Xiue’s words shot out like a machine gun, leaving the three members of the Su Family completely stunned.  

Before they could even react, Li Laidi came striding out of the house, hands on her hips.  

“Sister-in-law, do they really miss Seventh’s wife? This is clearly just an excuse to milk her for benefits. If they truly cared about her, they would’ve been like our mother—preparing a big pile of food and supplies to send her off with. Instead, they show up empty-handed!”  

Liu Xiue bent over with laughter. “Oh my, Second Sister-in-law, you really see things clearly! Meanwhile, our poor Seventh’s Wife is such a fool—she actually thought her mother cared about her and was about to go back home with her!”

“She wants to go back? Even if she does, the Su Family won’t take her back! Do you think that fifty yuan and two hundred catties of grain were given for nothing? Our Seventh is a soldier—his marriage report has already been filed, and the marriage certificate has been issued. Divorce isn’t something you can just say and do. Anyone who dares to sabotage a military marriage will end up like those two educated youths!”  

Although the matter of Xu Li and Xue Hong wasn’t publicly announced, it wasn’t deliberately concealed either.  

Since they all lived in the same production brigade, the Su Family naturally knew about it.  

Mother Su’s expression changed instantly. She stammered as she tried to explain: “Who…who is sabotaging a military marriage? I just thought my daughter was going far away, so I came to see her. I’ve seen her now, so I’ll be leaving. I’ll leave now.”  

As she spoke, she turned and hurried away.  

However, Su Chengtai was unwilling to leave just like that.  

“Mother, we haven’t even settled anything yet! How can we just leave? She’s my real sister, and I’m her real brother. Even if she’s married, she should still treat me well—give me money, give me things. Isn’t that only right?”  

“Oh, oh, oh!” Liu Xiue burst into laughter. “What you just said is absolutely correct! Tomorrow, I’ll make sure everyone knows about it. I heard you’re currently looking for a wife, right? I’ll make sure everyone understands that whoever marries into your family will have to endlessly support her natal family.”  

Su Chengtai was instantly unhappy. He straightened his neck and glared at Liu Xiue. “Who said that? Once she marries me, she belongs to the Su Family. If she dares to take anything from our Su Family to support her own family, I’ll break her legs!”  

Liu Xiue placed her hands on her hips and swaggered toward Su Chengtai. “So, your wife can’t support her natal family, but your sister, after marrying out, has to take from her husband’s family to support you? You’ve got it all figured out, haven’t you? Your parents are shameless, but you—young as you are—are even worse!”  

Li Laidi shrilled in agreement: “Sister-in-law, this is what they call ‘the student surpassing the master!’ Tomorrow, we must spread this around. I’d love to see what kind of wife the Su Family can find!”  

Furious, Su Chengtai pointed a trembling finger at Liu Xiue and Li Laidi. “You… if you dare spread nonsense, I won’t let you off!”  

Liu Xiue laughed even louder. “And what are you going to do about it? You did it, but you don’t want people to talk about it? What, you want to fight me? You think you can bully us in our own Fu Family courtyard? Do you really think our family is that easy to push around?”  

Su Chengtai had always been a bully who only dared to pick on the weak. Faced with the formidable Liu Xiue, he didn’t dare say another word. He only shot a resentful glare at Su Ruanruan before turning and running off.  

Father Su and Mother Su had no choice but to hurry after him, not sparing another glance at the Fu Family courtyard.  

Their argument had drawn quite a crowd, with many people gathering at the entrance to watch the spectacle.  

Liu Xiue marched straight to the gate, shutting it as she called out: “Alright, alright! Show’s over! Go home and eat your dinners—there’s nothing more to see.”  

Once the gate was closed, she turned back to Su Ruanruan. “Seventh’s Wife, I’m telling you, you can’t be this soft-hearted. You know exactly what kind of people your natal family is, right? You absolutely must not use Seventh’s allowance to support them.”  

Su Ruanruan looked at Liu Xiue calmly. “Sister-in-law, I never told my natal family when I was leaving. How did they suddenly know to come and cause trouble?”  

Liu Xiue instantly turned her face away, looking completely uncomfortable.