Chapter 6

Zhou Cuiqin saw that Su Qianqian was about to speak, so she quickly pulled a child from the crowd. “Qianwang, tell them, was it your aunt who hit my Tiedan that day?”

Su Qianwang stepped forward, his mother—Su Qianqian’s sister-in-law—following behind. She gave him a light push, and he glanced up at Su Qianqian before speaking, “That day, it was my little aunt who hit Tiedan.”

“Did everyone hear that? This is Su Qianqian’s own nephew! Would a nephew lie about his aunt?” Zhou Cuiqin immediately became smug and even stopped crying.

The crowd couldn’t help but gather around. Su Qianqian was being accused by her own nephew. Everyone knew how much she supported her family, always thinking of them. Was she being betrayed by her family? Or did she really hit Tiedan? Considering her temper, it wasn’t too surprising if she had.

Su Qianqian stepped forward and looked at her nephew. “Qianwang, look at your little aunt, and say it again. What really happened that day?” Her gaze was cold and piercing. He seemed scared, having never seen her look at him like that.

He nervously tried to hide behind his mother.

“What are you scaring my son for? Qianwang is an honest child, don’t think that by intimidating him, he’ll lie,” Qianwang’s mother snapped at Su Qianqian.

She sneered but didn’t respond, instead sweeping her gaze over the group with obvious disdain.

The original host was truly both pitiful and infuriating—she had given so much to her family, yet she was being falsely accused. Not only had they not taken her to the hospital when she was injured, there hadn’t even been a word of concern, and now they were bringing people to slander her.

All her sacrifices over the years had been for nothing.

So, never help others without expecting something in return. There’s no reward.

“What’s so funny?” Zhou Cuiqin asked, feeling a little uneasy.

“Since we’re all here, let’s judge this together. The day before yesterday, Tiedan was fine—he could walk, he could complain, everyone must have seen him. Yesterday, when he came to cause a scene at my house, he was fine too. So why can’t he walk today?” Su Qianqian interrupted.

“That’s because…”

Zhou Cuiqin was cut off again. “Is it because your husband found out that Tiedan isn’t his son and got beaten, so you’re blaming me for it? You really have no shame, joining forces with my family to scam me, then splitting the money?”

“You dare say that Tiedan isn’t my husband’s? I’ll kill you!” Zhou Cuiqin warned viciously.

“Oh? How do you prove that?” Su Qianqian gestured for her to continue.

Zhou Cuiqin was speechless. How could she prove it?

They didn’t know about paternity tests, especially not in this era.

Someone in the crowd shouted, “You can do a blood test!”

The onlookers, loving the drama, quickly brought over a bowl of water. “The water’s here, the needle’s here. Just prick the finger and let the blood drop in!”

Su Qianqian was momentarily stunned. “You people are actually quite kind.”

“What are you doing? What are you doing?! How could Tiedan not be my husband’s son?!” Zhou Cuiqin nearly went crazy.

“Wouldn’t it be better to prove it? That way, no one can gossip, right?”

“Fine, let’s do it! I’m not afraid!” Zhou Cuiqin fumed, glaring at Su Qianqian. “I’ll tear your mouth apart later!”

Tiedan’s father was watching from the crowd, but when he was pulled forward, he pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall into the bowl. Tiedan’s finger was pricked as well.

Everyone focused on the two drops of blood in the bowl.

“Eh? Why is it so separated?” someone shouted.

Zhou Cuiqin hadn’t been paying attention, but now she was frantic. She pushed her way through the crowd and went to look. What she saw left her stunned—the two drops of blood were far apart, not merging at all. She was in disbelief and immediately knocked the bowl to the ground. “It’s impossible, absolutely impossible!”

Tiedan’s father’s face turned pale with anger. He grabbed Zhou Cuiqin’s wrist. “You actually made a fool of me? I’ve been raising this bastard child for you?” He shouted, “To hell with you!”

Chaos erupted immediately, and everyone rushed to pull him away, afraid he might do something rash. Tiedan, terrified, stood up and ran off. He was ten years old, and he understood these things.

Zhou Cuiqin collapsed to the ground, her face pale as a sheet.

Su Qianqian didn’t expect the situation to unfold like this.

The blood test for paternity was obviously not reliable. Even biological children could have blood that didn’t mix, but they would never believe it, and she wouldn’t bother explaining. Zhou Cuiqin wasn’t a good person. She had spread rumors about her before, and now she had teamed up with her family to extort money. She deserved everything she got!

Her sister-in-law from her maternal family quickly took Su Qianwang and left, deciding not to get involved any further.

“Mom, let’s go too.” Su Qianqian had lost interest in the spectacle; she needed to go back and give the three kids a bath.

Zhu Tianfang agreed and picked up her things, walking a fair distance ahead of Su Qianqian, as though she wasn’t familiar with her.

How had her second son’s mother gotten so tough? Was she going to cause even more trouble? Was she planning something big to ruin the Cheng family?

Su Qianqian had no idea what her mother-in-law was thinking. She was focused on how to make money. The upcoming economic reforms meant she could start doing business secretly without being arrested for speculation. She needed to find something to sell.

“Sanya, come on, Mommy will carry you.” The child was too small to walk such a distance; based on her memory, Sanya was the one most disliked by the original host.

“No, no, no, Sanya can walk by herself. Mommy, carry brother.” Sanya shook her head, pouting stubbornly.

Erbao also refused. “I can walk, no need to carry me.”

Aww, these kids were so understanding. How could the original host bear to mistreat them?

Su Qianqian crouched down and poured some water from the kettle. “Drink some water, your lips are all dry.”

Daya drank first, followed by Erbao and Sanya. The water had been infused with the spiritual spring, which would help improve their health and nutrition.

When they got home, she boiled water to wash their hair and give them a bath.

“Erbao, you’re a boy, so I’ll wash you later. Let me wash your sister and Sanya first, okay?”

“Okay.” Erbao nodded obediently. He even helped carry the hot water. Despite being small, he was surprisingly strong.

Su Qianqian untangled her two daughters’ hair, and a foul odor hit her. There were also a lot of lice. She quickly grabbed the comb to work through it. After she got most of it out, she laid Daya on her lap to wash her hair.

Daya was initially very tense, her body stiff. She didn’t relax until the wash was nearly finished. It seemed she hadn’t expected her mother to be so gentle.

The water still contained the spiritual spring, and after washing, the children’s hair, which had been yellow and thin with poor texture, became noticeably smoother and softer.

After both daughters had their hair washed, they stripped off their clothes to bathe. When Su Qianqian saw the bruises on their bodies, she froze.

There were quite a few contusions.

She reached out and gently touched one. Sanya gritted her teeth and said, “Mom, it doesn’t hurt! Sanya isn’t afraid of pain!” As long as she didn’t send her away, she was fine.