Free Web NovelChapter 25: Chapter 25: Intimidation
Her shouts made Mrs. Tang’s ears ring. Mrs. Tang wasn’t a sharp-tongued woman and couldn’t bear to lose face, so she never knew how to deal with a shrew. Cornered, her expression turned ugly, and she instinctively took a few steps back.
On every previous encounter, Mrs. Tang had been no match for Miao Cuixia, always ending in retreat. This time was no different.
Mrs. Tang’s hands were trembling with anger. Just as she moved her foot to retreat again, a warm hand suddenly grabbed her and pulled her aside. The force wasn’t great, yet Mrs. Tang inexplicably felt a steadying power from it.
Stunned, Mrs. Tang turned her head. It was Su Li.
"Su Li?" Surprise filled Mrs. Tang’s eyes. In the past, whenever Miao Fenghua came to the Tang family to stir up trouble, Su Li would always be wracked with guilt and too afraid to say a single word.
Su Li paid Mrs. Tang no mind, instead turning to Miao Fenghua and stating coolly, "That’s enough."
She couldn’t stand the sight of Miao Fenghua anymore. Su Li slowly took a step forward, raised her head, and looked Miao Fenghua squarely in the eye. fгeewebnovёl.com
Her gaze was utterly cold, as if she were seeing them for the first time. She looked at them like they were complete strangers.
Miao Fenghua stared at her, baffled. After a moment of inexplicable hesitation, she took a step back.
Su Li didn’t stop walking. Slowly but steadily, she advanced on Miao Fenghua one step at a time. For reasons she couldn’t fathom, Miao Fenghua kept backing away.
Only when she had backed Miao Fenghua up to stand beside Su Dan did Su Li finally stop. "Mom, Brother, the ones who need to be taught a lesson aren’t me or Tang Mo. It’s you!"
Miao Fenghua and Su Dan looked at Su Li, feeling a strange sense of unease. A flicker of inexplicable dread stirred in their hearts. They exchanged a look, then roared, their voices laced with humiliation and rage.
"You’re the one who needs a lesson! Su Li, you’ve got some nerve!"
"Exactly! You started giving me dirty looks the second we got here. So what if I glanced at my brother-in-law’s letter? What’s the big deal! It’s not like it’s a huge issue, and now you’re talking about ’privacy rights’ and ’breaking the law.’ Ridiculous! Do you take me for an idiot you can just fool?"
Su Dan roared, his eyes filled with smug satisfaction. ’She was just afraid I’d see how much money there was, afraid we’d ask her for it. Hmph. No matter how much she didn’t want me to, I saw it. That money is mine now. She can’t weasel her way out of this!’
Miao Fenghua watched Su Dan with pride, thinking he was simply dazzling. ’Look at him,’ she thought, ’that’s my son, Miao Cuixia’s son! So capable, so talented! The most promising middle-schooler in all the surrounding villages!’
"Dan Dan is right! It’s just a letter, what’s the big deal!" Miao Fenghua added, putting her hands on her hips and giving a little hop.
Su Li sneered at them.
"Reading other people’s mail can get you sent to jail."
Su Li’s tone was grim, and Su Dan and Miao Fenghua couldn’t help but shudder.
"Jail? For what? It was just one letter!" Su Dan retorted, his face paling.
"Hmph. ’Just one letter’? Su Dan, you went to middle school. Others might not know any better, but you don’t either? This is a violation of privacy rights. And you say it’s ’just one letter’..."
Su Dan staggered, barely keeping his balance. "Su Li, you... you’re bluffing! It wasn’t... I didn’t! I didn’t!"
Su Dan yelled, as if shouting would convince Su Li—and himself.
Miao Fenghua was terrified too. "Su Li, you ungrateful brat! Why didn’t you say so earlier? Why didn’t you put your letter away properly instead of letting your brother see it? It’s your fault this happened! The blame lies with you, not your brother!" Miao Fenghua immediately leaped to her son’s defense.
Su Dan finally managed to compose himself, fighting the urge to faint. He replied with a tremor in his voice, "That’s right, it’s not my fault. If anyone’s held responsible, it’ll be you, not me. And if worst comes to worst, we’re all in this together. Everyone in this courtyard will be dragged into it."
"The letter was written to *us*," Su Li cut in sharply. "So *we* can naturally read it. *You’re* the one who had no right to. If anyone’s to be held responsible, it’s you. What does this have to do with us?!"
Her words struck them like a bolt from the blue, ringing in the ears of Miao Fenghua and Su Dan. The shock left them drenched in a cold sweat, truly terrified now. Their eyes were fixed on the letter in Su Li’s hand as if it were some malevolent plague.
"You’re lying! We don’t believe you," they blustered, but they were genuinely terrified.
Su Li could see their fear. She was surprised that such a simple, crude bluff had worked so well on them. A mix of resignation and satisfaction welled up inside her.
’So they can feel fear too.’ Watching their terrified faces, memories from her past life churned in her mind. ’This isn’t enough,’ Su Li thought. ’How could this possibly be enough? What is a little fear like this to people like them!’
Su Li calmly tucked the envelope away. "Good. As long as you understand the consequences. From now on, when you come to the Tang residence, show some respect. Don’t just show up without a sound, and don’t go rummaging through our things and pocketing whatever you find."
Miao Fenghua and Su Dan always arrived empty-handed, treating the Tang home as if it were their own. Their shifty eyes would dart everywhere, searching and snooping. When it was time to leave, they would casually pilfer whatever they could, never departing without taking something.
They always came with nothing and left with their hands full.
They had rifled through her belongings and stolen her money more times than she could count. The old Su Li had been naive and timid, completely powerless against them. But the Su Li of today would not let them get away with it anymore!
Absolutely not!
She would protect everything that was hers. No one would lay a finger on it ever again!
