Free Web NovelChapter 32: Chapter 32: Comeuppance
Everyone had left. The Tang Family Mansion fell silent once again, and Su Li quickly "woke up."
After letting out a sigh of relief, Mrs. Tang sat on the stool, still unable to process everything.
Everything had happened too fast. Their peaceful, quiet life had been shattered by the sudden appearance of Miao Fenghua and Su Dan. Then, everything spiraled out of control. Mrs. Tang felt like everything she had just been through was a nightmare.
Mrs. Tang looked at the mess Su Dan had made while rummaging through their home. She glanced around blankly until Little Tang Mo’s voice finally broke her daze.
"Does it hurt, Mommy?" Little Tang Mo looked at Su Li, his brow furrowed into a tight knot.
"It doesn’t hurt. They didn’t hit you just now, did they?" Su Li asked softly, her tone frighteningly calm.
Amidst all the noise and chaos, while everyone else was in a state of confusion, only Su Li grew calmer as the situation became more chaotic. She was as composed as a bystander, watching herself plot and act.
"I’m not hurt. Mommy, what’s wrong with you?" The sensitive Little Tang Mo immediately noticed something was off about Su Li.
"I’m fine." Su Li shook her head, then apologized. "I’m sorry."
She felt sorry because the people who had come to cause trouble were Miao Fenghua and Su Dan.
What Su Li hadn’t expected was that Little Tang Mo would say "I’m sorry" at the exact same time.
"I’m sorry, Mommy. I didn’t protect you just now." Recalling the scene, tears welled up in Little Tang Mo’s eyes, but he fought desperately to hold them back.
Su Li stared at Little Tang Mo, stunned for a moment. Just as she was about to speak, he continued.
"I’ll eat a lot and grow up fast. When I’m big and tall, you won’t have to get hurt protecting me anymore. I can protect you, too, and not let anyone bully you."
He straightened his little back, trying to make himself seem more dependable.
The words Su Li had been about to say caught in her throat. She held back her emotions, but finally couldn’t stop herself from giving a firm nod. "Okay."
Little Tang Mo nodded as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, his small face filled with determination.
The little guy was just too adorable. Su Li’s hands itched to pet him, so she stroked his head and said, "You’re such a good boy, Little Tang Mo."
Leaning closer to Su Li, Little Tang Mo finally smiled. But before the smile could fully bloom, it vanished, replaced by a troubled expression. "Mommy, I’m actually not that good..."
"Hm?" Su Li raised an eyebrow.
Little Tang Mo bit his lip. "Grandma hit you, and it made me feel so bad. I... I wanted to hit her, too..."
Little Tang Mo had always been taught not to talk back to his elders, and certainly never to hit them. He had always remembered that rule, but today he had started to hate it, which made him feel even worse.
His voice trembling on the verge of tears, Little Tang Mo finished, "I wanted to hit them. If I do that, I won’t be a good boy anymore. Will you hate me, Mommy?"
As soon as he finished speaking, big, fat tears he could no longer hold back began to fall.
Su Li’s heart clenched painfully.
"Little Mo, be good. Don’t cry." Su Li reached out to wipe away his tears, pulling his small body into her arms. "You are a good boy. You wanted to hit them because they’re bad people." freewёbnoνel.com
Little Tang Mo let out a sigh of relief and asked between sobs, "Really?"
"Of course it’s real. I wanted to hit them, too, even though one is my mother and the other is my brother." Su Li gently patted his head, feeling the dampness on her shoulder and sighing inwardly.
"Little Mo, you have to remember this: no matter what, in the past, present, or future, I will never hate you. Never."
Su Li’s tone was incredibly solemn. The moment she finished speaking, Little Tang Mo’s sobs stopped.
His small body tensed. After a moment, he suddenly sought confirmation. "Really? You’ll never, ever hate me, Mommy?"
His voice was filled with a mixture of hopeful excitement and caution.
Su Li hummed in agreement. "That’s right. I will never hate you."
Little Tang Mo’s heart settled, and he smiled through his tears. "I don’t hate you either, Mommy. And I never will."
"Mm-hm." Su Li smiled and wiped his tears away. "No more crying, okay? You’re a big boy now, you can’t be sniffling all the time."
"I’ll never cry again." Little Tang Mo sniffled and stood up straight. His face and the tip of his nose were still red, but his eyes were sparkling as he looked at Su Li and made his promise.
"Mm, good boy." Su Li patted his head. "Go on and play outside."
"I don’t want to play." Little Tang Mo shook his head. "Mommy, you’re hurt. If you want water or something to eat, I’ll get it for you. I can even blow on it for you."
’Uh... so now I’m the patient.’ Su Li was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. She glanced at Mrs. Tang, who had been silent this whole time, but in the end, she didn’t refuse Little Tang Mo’s kind offer.
Seeing that she didn’t object, Little Tang Mo perked up even more. He looked from Mrs. Tang to Su Li, clenched his little fists, and made a decision. "Grandma, Mommy, I really have to grow up fast. Tonight, I’m going to eat three bowls of rice, and tomorrow I’ll be this tall!"
He raised his hand to show the height, looking at Su Li and Mrs. Tang with an expectant expression.
Su Li: "..."
She gave a dry laugh but didn’t answer.
’Eating three bowls of rice to grow twenty centimeters overnight? That’s not rice, that’s super-feed!’
Although he didn’t get an affirmative answer from Mrs. Tang or Su Li, Little Tang Mo still forced himself to eat three bowls of rice that evening. For the sake of growing up big and tall quickly to protect his grandma and mommy, he disobeyed for the first time. freeweɓnovel.cøm
That night, because he had overeaten, Little Tang Mo felt a little sick. The next day, when he saw he hadn’t grown any taller, he reluctantly agreed not to eat so much anymore.
「Well, that was all a matter of the next day.」
For now, though, with Little Tang Mo placated, the heavy, dark cloud in Mrs. Tang’s eyes could no longer be hidden.
"Su Li, what are we going to do about your mother? Are you really going to let them go to jail? They’re your mother and brother, after all. I’m afraid they’ll come looking for trouble with you later, and I’m also worried people will talk behind your back..."
Mrs. Tang’s words didn’t surprise Su Li in the slightest. She frowned. "They won’t. I’ll handle this. You don’t need to worry about it."
Having finally gotten this far, Su Li had no intention of backing down now.
She knew the rotten nature of Miao Fenghua and Su Dan all too well. There were two main ways to deal with them: one was to be even more shameless and invincible than they were, and the other was to make them fear you from the bottom of their hearts, to make them utterly terrified of you.
Su Li couldn’t bring herself to do the first, so she could only aim for the second.
She would make them learn a lesson they’d never forget. Even if it didn’t make them change their ways for good, it would at least be an effective deterrent.
’Let them get a taste of the Public Security Bureau and be scared out of their wits. Let’s see if they dare try to rob us again.’
She had to put a permanent end to situations like today’s!
Su Li’s eyes were firm, but Mrs. Tang was still fraught with worry. "Are they really going to jail? How many years of reform through labor will they get?"
Jail and forced labor were things so far removed from her world, so terrifying, that Mrs. Tang couldn’t even bear to think about it.
"If they go to jail, it’s what they deserve. Mother, what they did today... can you really forgive it so easily?" Su Li was growing impatient.
She and Mrs. Tang had never really seen eye-to-eye in her past life, and now that Su Li was reborn, their mindsets were even more out of sync.
"I can’t, but... going to jail is just too awful..."
Su Li didn’t respond to Mrs. Tang’s comment, instead stating flatly, "The Public Security Bureau will handle these matters. We don’t understand the process, and we can’t interfere."
She was determined to teach them a lesson. Police Fang understood her intentions. The possibility of Miao Fenghua and Su Dan being sentenced to prison was probably slim, but spending a few days behind bars was a must.
Only then would it leave a lasting impression on them!
