Su’s mother noticed that both her son and daughter-in-law were eating only vegetables. “Jiaojiao, don’t worry, our family can afford to take care of you.”

Even if it meant selling everything, they would ensure she was well taken care of.

“I know, but I just woke up, and eating light is good for my health.”

“Ah, then you, my son, should eat more meat. It’s hot, and it will spoil by tomorrow.”

“Mom, don’t worry. I’ll take Jiaojiao to a nice restaurant tomorrow. Your son isn’t short on money.”

The Su family trusted Su Shuoci completely. Whatever he said, he would do.

But ever since he got injured, he had become reluctant to speak. The family’s savings had been spent on the wedding banquet.

The last bit of money had been used on Jiaojiao’s nutrient IV these past two days, and they would have to wait ten more days to get their salaries.

Su’s mother had initially planned to sell her family heirloom gold bracelet, but now that her son said he had money, she felt at ease.

So, the three of them—Su’s father, mother, and Jiaojiao—ate heartily, their faces filled with joy.

Su Shuoci, seeing them happy, also showed a rare smile.

Dinner at the Sheng household, however, was far from harmonious. Everyone ate without tasting the food.

Sheng Shijing ultimately didn’t leave because his mother had gotten into a fight with the neighbor.

The incident happened when Sheng Xinglian insisted on seeing her eldest brother off. On the way, she overheard some women gossiping about how Gu Jiaojiao had fainted again out of anger.

The eldest son of the Sheng family was genuinely worried about Gu Jiaojiao and wanted to visit her at the Su household.

But how could Sheng Xinglian allow her brother to go and support Gu Jiaojiao?

So, she tearfully argued with those women, which escalated into a heated quarrel.

Strangely, she came out unscathed, while their elegant and dignified mother ended up in a fight with the neighbor, leaving both parties injured.

As a result, no one had to pay for medical expenses, and they all went home to eat in frustration.

No one dared to speak at the dinner table. The dining room was eerily quiet, with everyone sitting in silence, eating under a heavy atmosphere.

If this had happened before today, Sheng Shiwu would have been quick to criticize Gu Jiaojiao, as he had always held a grudge against her.

But now, his opinion of her had changed. He knew that bringing up Gu Jiaojiao at home would only make everyone unhappy.

He didn’t understand why their family had turned out this way.

Sheng Shijing was worried about Gu Jiaojiao. She had fainted again due to the gossip from the neighborhood women, and he didn’t know if she had woken up yet.

Although she wasn’t his biological sister, she had been raised in their family for many years. He had poured all his brotherly affection into her, and it wasn’t something he could just abandon.

Gu Jiaojiao was innocent. Her only fault was having spent eighteen happy years in the Sheng family.

Meanwhile, their biological sister had suffered on the farm. If they continued to treat Gu Jiaojiao well, it would be like stabbing their biological sister in the heart.

Ever since their biological sister returned home, he had tried not to show too much affection toward Gu Jiaojiao, lest his sister overthink things.

Suddenly cutting off affection toward Gu Jiaojiao was hard for Sheng Shijing to accept, let alone for the innocent and pampered Jiaojiao.

Jiaojiao had always been frail due to being born prematurely, and the sudden cold treatment from the family had caused her to fall ill frequently.

Even though they didn’t want to hurt their biological sister’s feelings, they couldn’t just stand by and watch Jiaojiao suffer.

Whenever they showed even a little concern for Jiaojiao, Xingxing would get jealous and stir up trouble, causing the two younger brothers to grow even more resentful toward Jiaojiao.

For over half a year, the household had been in chaos. He and his father truly hoped that Jiaojiao’s family would come and take her away soon, but the Gu family had yet to show up.

In a moment of carelessness, the two younger brothers had gotten into a huge fight with Gu Jiaojiao.

His father had no choice but to ask the now-disabled Su Shuoci to marry Jiaojiao. It was only natural that Jiaojiao, feeling wronged, would throw a tantrum.

Neither Su Shuoci nor anyone else in the family was at fault. If anyone was to blame, it was his biological sister.

If she had been a little more generous and not so fixated on targeting Jiaojiao, he and his father would have shown her more love and care, compensating her for the rest of her life.

Then, no one would be suffering as much as they were now. His biological sister had endured a lot, but Gu Jiaojiao was also innocent.

They hadn’t refused to send Gu Jiaojiao away; they were just waiting for her family to come and take her back.

But his biological sister couldn’t tolerate even that. Sheng Shijing glared at Sheng Xinglian, who was quietly eating.

That glare was sharper than a knife, and Sheng Xinglian’s grievances doubled instantly. Her lips quivered as tears streamed down her face.

In her past life, her eldest brother had been so good to her. Why was he being so cruel now?

That wretched Gu Jiaojiao was just pretending to be pitiful, fainting all the time. She might as well just die and put an end to it.

The Gu family would soon be ruined anyway.

Sheng Xinglian’s crying caught the attention of the Sheng family. Her mother anxiously asked, “Xingxing, what’s wrong now?”

This daughter of hers, she didn’t know how the Gu family had raised her to be so timid and sensitive.

Meanwhile, she had raised the Gu family’s premature daughter to be healthy and had given her eighteen years of maternal love.

“Mom, it’s nothing. I just heard that my sister fainted again… She’s so pitiful.”

“Pitiful? Our family provided her with the best food and care for eighteen years.”

“What’s pitiful about an ungrateful wretch? Didn’t we treat her well before?”

Sheng’s mother and second son shouted simultaneously.

Sheng’s third son: …

This time, he hadn’t started the fight, so he kept his head down and continued eating.

Unable to bear it any longer, Sheng’s father slammed his chopsticks on the table. “She’s already married to Su Shuoci. What more do you want?”

Although he didn’t name Sheng Xinglian directly, his sharp gaze was directed at her.

“Dad, how can you say that? Mom isn’t unwilling. I know you can’t bear to part with her, and neither can we.”

“Xingxing, I really don’t have any attachment to her. We’re just waiting for her family to come and take her back. How many times do I have to say it?”

Sheng Xinglian trembled with anger. After all the grievances she had endured, her father’s dismissive words felt like a slap in the face.

She felt dizzy, her body swaying slightly. She shook her head in disbelief.

“Maybe I should just kill Jiaojiao to make you feel better!” Sheng’s third son muttered softly, seeing her pitiful state.

He had come to realize that all of this was because Xingxing couldn’t tolerate Jiaojiao.

“Third brother, Jiaojiao was someone you all doted on for eighteen years. How can you be so vicious?”

Sheng’s third son: …

Was his biological sister really this clueless, or was she doing it on purpose?

This was something he had never considered before.

Sheng’s mother, seeing her children like this, didn’t know whom to blame. She could only direct all her anger toward Gu Jiaojiao.

“It’s all that troublemaker Gu Jiaojiao’s fault. If it weren’t for her, would our family be like this?”

Sheng Shijing, seeing his mother and sister like this, felt a wave of helplessness wash over him.

Jiaojiao had been so thoughtful, well-behaved, and obedient. It was a shame she wasn’t his biological sister. Just because she wasn’t, they had to cold-shoulder her.

This had turned the once sweet and sensible Jiaojiao into someone unreasonable, with her health deteriorating day by day…