Free Web NovelChapter 236: Chapter 236: Severing Ties
Old Su genuinely had no idea that Tian Aixiang had been spreading rumors about Su Qing.
She had injured her back, and with all the trouble the Su Family had been getting into lately, Old Su wasn’t keen on interacting with the villagers. As a result, she had barely stepped outside the family home. Her husband, Old Su, was equally in the dark, and the couple, Tian Aixiang and Su Shengli, had never mentioned a word about it at home.
Besides, when Zhao Youcai had warned Tian Aixiang, he hadn’t done it in front of the elder Sus, mainly because he wanted to spare her some embarrassment.
So, Old Su was completely baffled when Su Qing stormed into the Su Family’s home, fuming with rage.
"Erya, we didn’t do anything to provoke you. What are you doing here?" Old Su eyed Su Qing warily. Seeing that Su Qing wasn’t carrying a knife, she breathed a silent sigh of relief. She glanced at the villagers outside the courtyard gate and quickly shouted, "Everyone, take a good look! Our Su Family didn’t provoke this girl, Su Qing! She came running over here all by herself! Don’t you dare say the Su Family is bullying anyone!"
’If anything,’ Old Su thought, ’we’re the ones being bullied here!’
"Hey now, Aunt Su, are you really that clueless, or just pretending?" a villager shouted to her. "And you still say your family didn’t provoke Su Qing?"
Old Su was even more confused now. Before she could make sense of it, she saw Tian Aixiang get up as if to run away. Su Qing completely ignored Old Su and went straight for Tian Aixiang.
Old Su wasn’t a fool. She immediately understood: Tian Aixiang must have done something to set Su Qing off.
A surge of anger rose in Old Su. ’How many times have I told her?’ she fumed inwardly. ’Don’t provoke Su Qing! Don’t provoke Su Qing! Did that disgraceful daughter-in-law just let my words go in one ear and out the other?’ freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"Su Qing, you... you stay back." When Tian Aixiang saw Su Qing, she knew exactly why she was here, and her courage immediately failed her.
"Scared now, are we?" Su Qing said coldly. She closed the distance in a few short steps and landed a vicious slap across Tian Aixiang’s face.
The force of the blow was immense. Tian Aixiang lost her footing and fell straight to the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. The onlooking villagers all shuddered. ’Damn, how hard did she hit her?’
Instantly, some of the villagers who had been bad-mouthing Su Qing, calling her unfilial for her falling out with the Su Family, grew nervous. They made a mental note to keep their mouths shut. They certainly didn’t want Su Qing coming after them next.
Tian Aixiang was stunned by the slap. It took her a long moment to come to her senses. Clutching her face, she shrieked at Su Qing, "I’m your aunt! Your elder! You... you dare hit me!"
"Oh, so now you remember you’re my aunt," Su Qing sneered. She hauled Tian Aixiang back to her feet and delivered two more slaps to her face. "When you were spreading rumors about me all over the village, where was this talk about being my aunt and my elder then?"
"AH!" Tian Aixiang’s face burned with a fiery pain. Seeing Su Shengli standing in the doorway, she raged, "Su Shengli, your wife is being beaten by a junior, and you just stand there watching? I can let it slide when your mother torments me and you do nothing, but you’re not going to do anything now either?"
"What a load of horseshit!" Before Su Shengli could even speak, Old Su screeched back at Tian Aixiang. "When have I ever tormented you? I was teaching you how to be a proper daughter-in-law! It’s my own fault for not disciplining you properly all these years. If I had, my dear granddaughter wouldn’t have been led astray by you and ended up losing her life! It’s all your fault, you venomous shrew! If I don’t keep you in line, who knows how you’ll end up corrupting my precious grandson!"
Old Su seized the opportunity to pin all the blame for Su Tao’s past actions on Tian Aixiang. She wanted the villagers to know that Su Tao’s behavior was a result of Tian Aixiang’s poor guidance and had nothing to do with the rest of the Su Family.
At the same time, Old Su made a point of clearly dissociating herself from Tian Aixiang. "Su Qing, we didn’t know anything about the rumors! It was all your third aunt’s doing. If you want to teach her a lesson, then teach her a good one. Don’t worry, we absolutely will not interfere."
To demonstrate her stance, Old Su deliberately stood up and retreated to the doorway. She then whispered to Su Shunli, "You are not to get involved in this today, understand?"
"I know." Even if Old Su hadn’t warned him, Su Shunli had no intention of interfering. Su Qing had left him with some serious trauma.
"You... all of you!" Tian Aixiang was so furious at Old Su’s words she could have collapsed. Then she saw Su Shunli’s aloof, unconcerned expression, and her heart turned to ice. ’I’ve given so much for this family,’ she thought despairingly, ’so how can it be that at a critical moment like this, not a single person will help me?’
Su Qing couldn’t care less about Old Su’s declaration. If the Su Family stayed out of it, she’d ignore them. But if they came looking for a beating, she’d be happy to give them one.
The police would be here soon. She needed to vent her anger properly with her own two hands before they arrived.
And so, by the time the police arrived in Lihua Village, Su Qing had already beaten Tian Aixiang black and blue.
Tian Aixiang was utterly humiliated. She couldn’t fight back and was getting beaten one-sidedly by Su Qing. All she could do was howl, "Su Qing, I’m your elder! So what if I said a few things? It’s not like you lost any flesh over it! Hitting your elders is unfilial! You’re going to be struck by lightning for this!"
When she saw Zhao Youcai approaching, Tian Aixiang was overjoyed. "Chief," she slurred, her speech unclear from her swollen face, "you have to see this! Su Qing has gone mad! Look at what she’s done to me..."
Halfway through her sentence, Tian Aixiang spotted the police officers who had entered the courtyard with Zhao Youcai. The rest of her words caught in her throat. She stared, dumbfounded, at the officers, then looked at Su Qing in disbelief. "You... you called the police?"
"What did you expect?" Feeling satisfied after the beating, Su Qing tossed Tian Aixiang to the ground and turned to face Zhao Youcai and the police.
But what Su Qing hadn’t expected was that for such a minor dispute, the person leading the team was none other than Du Changting, the captain of the County Public Security Bureau!
"Captain Du." Su Qing blinked. ’Is a captain this free?’ she wondered. ’Handling a minor dispute case like this in person?’
"Comrade Su Qing," Du Changting said with a smile, greeting her.
In reality, a minor case like this only required two or three officers to handle. As the captain of the County Public Security Bureau, Du Changting had no need to come at all.
But Du Changting was curious about Su Qing. He also hoped that a mystery that had long been on his mind might finally be answered by her.
