Free Web NovelChapter 26: Chapter 26: Provocation
Su Li’s words were blunt, sparing them no mercy. Miao Fenghua and Su Dan were used to her veiled insults, but this was the first time she had ever cursed them so directly.
Mrs. Tang was stunned into silence. Miao Fenghua and Su Dan’s faces went pale, as if they’d each been slapped.
"You... When have we ever rummaged through your things!" Miao Fenghua retorted sharply, trying to deny it. "How can you falsely accuse your own mother and brother? What do you mean, ’swiped’? We’re not thieves."
Su Li watched them coldly, saying nothing as she gently fanned herself with the letter in her hand.
Shocked, furious, and humiliated, Miao Fenghua and Su Dan were trapped in an unbearable position. No matter how thick-skinned they were, they couldn’t stay any longer. They threw out a few harsh words and left, muttering curses.
This was the first time they hadn’t eaten and drunk their fill, ransacked the entire Tang Family residence, and left with their arms full. Instead, they had come empty-handed and left empty-handed, utterly dejected.
Mrs. Tang stood in the now quiet, empty courtyard, in disbelief. ’My dreadful in-law was actually scared and cursed away just like that! I’d already braced myself for them to clean out the house and to feel sick about it for days!’
Tang Mo looked up at Su Li, his eyes full of admiration. "Mom, you’re amazing."
A faint hint of mockery appeared in Su Li’s eyes. ’What’s so amazing about that?’
’Knowing what kind of people Miao Fenghua and Su Dan are, they’ll be back with a vengeance very soon. And who knows what bizarre methods they’ll use next time.’
’Su Dan saw the amount of money at the end of Tang Yuanxiao’s letter. With their greed, how could they possibly give up?’
The thought of having to deal with them again and again filled Su Li with disgust.
Su Li had thought Miao Fenghua and Su Dan might return in a few days, but she never expected them to come back so quickly.
Barely ten minutes later, they stormed back, absolutely seething with fury.
And the one who had helped them recover their spirits so quickly was Qin Shanshan—an unexpected, yet predictable, appearance.
Unable to think of a better way to clear her name, Qin Shanshan had been hiding at home for several days. She didn’t dare go out, trying to lie low, but she kept a close watch on the Tang Family’s house. The voices of Miao Fenghua and Su Dan were so loud it was hard not to pay attention.
Qin Shanshan was of course no stranger to Miao Fenghua and Su Dan. She was a clever girl and had long since investigated Su Li’s family situation and who they were. She held the pair in utter contempt.
But with these two showing up now, Qin Shanshan immediately perked up. ’They’re the perfect weapon to use against Su Li.’
She quietly brought out her family’s wooden ladder, climbed up, and pressed herself against the wall, eavesdropping like a cat on the conversation. When Miao Fenghua and Su Dan were defeated, she grew anxious, wishing she could go down and warn them not to fall for the trap.
She certainly didn’t want Miao Fenghua and Su Dan to flee in disgrace, so the moment they came out, she left her house and engineered a "chance" encounter.
"You must be Aunt Miao and Brother Su, right? I’m Qin Shanshan, one of Su Li’s best friends." Her smile was sweet and she was so polite that Miao Fenghua immediately perked up and replied.
As for Su Dan, the moment he saw Qin Shanshan, his eyes were glued to her.
Qin Shanshan had a round face, large eyes, and dimples. Her figure was well-proportioned and curvy, with a full rear—the very definition of a classic beauty at the time. She was pretty, looked fertile, and knew how to dress well. As a worldly intellectual, her temperament was a world apart from that of an ordinary village girl.
In a word, she shone wherever she went.
Su Dan usually had very high standards, but he was utterly stunned by Qin Shanshan’s beauty, as if he were seeing a goddess. His gaze was naked and burning; he was completely captivated the moment he saw her.
Hearing Qin Shanshan’s gentle, sweet voice, he felt his bones melt. Almost instantly, his body reacted.
If it weren’t for the thick clothes he was wearing for the dead of winter, his condition would have been immediately obvious.
Miao Fenghua didn’t notice her son’s strange state at first, but Qin Shanshan knew right away. She was already used to the heated gazes of the opposite sex, so she pretended not to see, smiling while intentionally or unintentionally showing off her best features. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
She beamed on the outside, but inwardly she was contemptuous and smug. ’Hmph, a toad lusting after a swan’s flesh.’
’However, this toad is Su Li’s brother, which means I can use this opportunity to stir up some trouble. After all, it would only take a few words. If I can wrap Su Dan around my little finger, it’ll be like having Su Li in the palm of my hand, too.’
As Qin Shanshan thought this, her smile grew even sweeter. "...You came all this way to see Su Li, why are you leaving already? I heard a letter came from Brother Tang. I was just about to go tease her with it."
Miao Fenghua’s attention was instantly captured. "You’ve read the letter Tang Yuanxiao sent back? I thought we weren’t allowed to read it?"
Qin Shanshan playfully stuck out her tongue. "We’re best friends, you know. It’s just a letter from home. It’s not like Brother Tang would write any secrets in it. It’s fine to take a look. It’s not against the law."
Miao Fenghua’s eyes lit up. Once she confirmed there was no danger in reading Tang Yuanxiao’s letter, she spat fiercely and cursed under her breath, "Pah! That damned girl! How dare she lie to me and scare me! Just watch, I’ll beat her to death!"
Muttering curses, she bent over and started looking around for a stick, furious enough to beat Su Li. She had beaten Su Li often in the past. Cursing and hitting her whenever she was displeased was a common occurrence, and when she got really angry, it was normal for her to grab a stick.
While she was picking out a stick, Qin Shanshan watched with immense satisfaction, her face blooming into a smile as beautiful as a flower. freёwebnoѵel.com
Su Dan, who had been staring intently at Qin Shanshan, accidentally started drooling. His gaze swept over her full chest, his face flushed and his breathing ragged. What was on his mind was self-evident.
He stared blankly at Qin Shanshan and actually started walking straight toward her, reaching out to grab her. Qin Shanshan tilted her head to look at him. "Brother Su, is something wrong?"
Her voice finally snapped Su Dan back to his senses. He swallowed hard, pulled back his hand, and lowered it to cover a certain area. "What’s your name?" he asked, infatuated.
"Qin Shanshan. The ’Shan’ in my name means coral," Qin Shanshan replied shyly.
"Shanshan, Shanshan. What a beautiful name, just beautiful..." Su Dan had heard Su Li mention Qin Shanshan before, but he’d never imagined she was this beautiful. He deeply regretted not meeting her sooner.
"How old are you? Are you spoken for?" Su Dan asked impatiently, getting straight to the point.
Qin Shanshan immediately blushed. "Brother Su, how could you ask such a question? I’m still a student."
After saying this, she seemed overcome with shyness, turning and running off. Her two black braids bounced as she instantly vanished from Su Dan’s sight.
"Shanshan, Shanshan!" Su Dan was so mesmerized he nearly lost his mind. He was about to chase after her without a second thought when Miao Fenghua grabbed him.
Miao Fenghua had finally found a suitable stick. "Dan Dan, let’s go! We’re going to find that damned girl Su Li, settle the score, and get our money! That girl just now said it’s not against the law to read the letter!"
Su Dan had been so captivated by Qin Shanshan that he hadn’t heard this crucial piece of information at all. The moment he heard it now, he jumped up. "Then what are we waiting for? That damned girl! I’ll beat her to death!"
The mother and son duo stormed back, brimming with murderous intent. Qin Shanshan poked her head out from behind the Qin Family’s gate and watched their retreating figures, muttering under her breath, "Go on, beat her to death. Beat her to death. It would be for the best..."
There was a restrained excitement in her tone, which, combined with her crazed, staring eyes, was inexplicably chilling.
