Chapter 171: He Changming is Here
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
How could a person, who proposed marriage because of a sewing machine, come from a good family? Su Wen could not, in good conscience, entrust her sister to such a family. While she felt this way, Su Wen recognized Su Qing was an adult. Even if she was the eldest and had absolute authority in the family, she did not want to interfere too much in Su Qing’s marital affairs. Su Wen did not want to sour their relationship in that way.
‘We’ll take things one step at a time,’ she thought.
Wang Chunyan eventually left, allowing Su Wen to clean up the house. She put the sewing machine in Su Qing’s room; it would double as a temporary studio when the time was ripe.
After the fight, Su Qing and Su Xiu were a mess; their arms were scratched, and their hair stuck out at odd angles. Su Wen prepared water for them to wash their faces and clean themselves. Then, she used a purple-colored disinfectant to clean their wounds.
Though it was painful, the two girls braved through the pain and did not cry out.
Su Wen felt nothing but deep respect for her sisters. Su Qing and Su Xiu were introverts at heart, but they still stood up for Little Sister Su and fought bravely on her behalf. It showed their tenacity and willingness to endure hardships.
These were traits all the Su sisters possessed.
Su Xue, Fifth Sister, and even Little Sister Su were equally tough and hardworking. No matter how much pain they were in, they would not cry out.
Su Wen’s heart ached. She sent her three sisters back to their rooms to rest.
Tonight would be a rest day to recuperate from all they had had to go through. While her sisters took a break, Su Wen decided to cook a delicious plate of sweet and sour pork. It would be her treat to them for doing so well.
He Yulan swiftly returned home now that the show at Su Wen’s place was over. As soon as she entered the house, she realized the atmosphere was not quite right. Her husband was seated and kept winking at her.
He Yulan was confused. She had not caused any trouble and even did her best to help, so why was he looking at her so nervously?
“Yulan.”
A familiar voice, no doubt a man, sounded from behind. He Yulan stiffened in shock. It was He Changming. He had probably been waiting for her for some time, yet she had not noticed!
“B-big Brother, what are you doing here? C-come in and have a seat. I’ll prepare some tea.”
He Yulan’s husband had kept his brother-in-law company in his wife’s absence. Walking past his wife, he whispered, “Your brother has been here for a while. He has had that dark look since earlier. I invited him to sit down, but he declined; he didn’t even drink the tea I made. Mother came by just now, but she was scared away by him.”
He Changming stood in the courtyard, his expression overcast. He suddenly began pacing back and forth, causing the whole family to be on edge. They had tried to be friendly, treating He Changming as they would a guest, but the latter took no notice of their efforts and continued pacing restlessly. With communication failing, everyone tried to make themselves look busy while waiting for He Yulan to return.
Meanwhile, as He Yulan’s husband, he had nowhere to hide. He could only grit his teeth and accompany his brother-in-law since He Changming even refused to go with him to look for his wife.
Now that He Yulan was back, he sighed in relief.
“I need to work the fields. You can wait on your brother and see what he wants.” Before He Yulan could respond, her husband was out the door. He did not look back.
It was obvious he had fled.
“What’s wrong? Are you going to hide too?” He Changming strode towards his sister with an icy look.
“D-don’t be silly! Why would I do that?” He Yulan knew she was lying through her teeth, so she did not dare meet her brother’s eyes.
She had already done her best to match her brother with Su Xiu, but she wanted nothing to do with marriage unless she could find a live-in son-in-law like her older sister. How could she play matchmaker for her brother in such a situation?! Her parents would skin her alive if she suggested it to him!
He Changming took a seat, his expression unchanging. “Have you been to Su
Xiu’s place?”
“Yes, yes!” He Yulan nodded repeatedly.
“How did it go? I saw a crowd outside the house when I stepped into the village. What was that commotion about?” He Changming spoke gloomily, each word seemingly a knife to his throat. Had it not been for his fear of affecting his chances with Su Xiu, he would have rushed up to find out what was happening. He would not have spent time waiting at his brother-in-law’s place.
Never had He Changming ever felt so much like a coward as he did then..