Chapter 11: An Eccentric Family and the Scapegoat

Su Yu ultimately could not escape a round of bamboo stir-fried pork, his screams lasting a full ten minutes.

Of course, Father Su was not that harsh; he only chased and beat him for several dozen minutes. When he grew tired, it was over.

“Alright, stop pretending. I didn’t hit you that hard, and you keep whining. Hurry up and go clean the fish.”

With that, Father Su went inside. Eldest brother Su Sheng, grinning at his misfortune, came over.

Su Yu rolled his eyes in frustration. “How can you laugh? You didn’t even try to hold him back! Dad nearly beat me to death.”

“Heh heh, serves you right. Who told you to call Dad disobedient and unfilial? If not for the beating, then who? Besides, when I got beaten, I didn’t see you stepping in either.”

“Big pot, third pot, when are we going to eat the fish?”

Before they finished speaking, Su Jing, that girl, looked at them eagerly.

“Alright, alright, I owe you. I’ll go clean the fish right now.”

Saying that, he grabbed the fish and headed outside the front door.

“Hey, little third, wait for me! I’ll help.”

Su Sheng strode after him.

They left the house and not far away was a bend in the river, a stagnant pool of rainwater that villagers usually avoided. Some women came here to wash clothes. Since it was getting dark, Su Yu wasn’t afraid of being seen. Carrying the fish, he began cleaning them by the water’s edge.

“I’ll do it. You just watch.”

Su Sheng snatched the fish away, and Su Yu didn’t argue. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he asked, “By the way, what did Grandma say just now? When she left, she told Mom to think about something?”

Grandma had just left, and Father Su immediately put on a show of being a kind father, so Su Yu hadn’t had the chance to ask and turned to his eldest brother instead.

“Oh, good news. Grandma is from Zhengjia Village, and so is Auntie. She’s actually her maternal cousin, though not a close one, but still within the acceptable kinship range. You know about this, right?”

Su Yu knew well. Grandma was Zheng Xiumei, and Auntie was Zheng Xiaolian. Both came from the same village, as rural marriages often happened between nearby villages.

“I know. But what does this have to do with Grandma coming this time?”

“Heh heh, Auntie has a brother, right? That brother has a daughter, twenty years old, reportedly quite pretty and about your age. She’s here to arrange a match for you.”

“Grandma said that Dad and Uncle are brothers, but their kids either quarrel or fight, causing family discord. That’s not good. Coincidentally, Auntie’s niece is about your age. If this match works out, your future wife would be Auntie’s niece and cousin to Su Bin, Su Xi, and Su Youqing. The younger generation of both families could then gradually mend their relationship.”

“The key is, she’s family. Auntie is her real aunt, so she won’t despise our poverty. The bride price will be modest—seven or eight taels instead of ten. The main thing is familiarity. What do you think, little third?”

“What do I think? I think it’s ridiculous!”

Su Yu stood up in anger, his face full of fury.

Su Sheng sensed something was wrong. Even if he was reluctant, there was no need to get so mad.

“What’s wrong with you? Don’t want to reconcile with Uncle’s family? I don’t see why not. Grandma is biased, and Dad nags all day. Wouldn’t it be good if the families got along a bit?”

“The niece, Zheng Hongmei, right? She’s the village treasurer, isn’t she?”

Hearing this, Su Sheng finally realized something was off. He had only just learned her name today. Though the two families shared the same grandparents, their relations were strained. Even if their father pushed for peace, he couldn’t control the children’s feelings.

He had never heard of what the niece was called or what she did before—how did Su Yu already know all this?

“Hey, little third, how do you know? Have you met Auntie’s niece?”

Su Yu thought to himself: Not only have I met her, I know a lot more. In the previous life, it caused quite a scandal. Auntie’s niece, Zheng Hongmei, married a bachelor in the neighboring village. People complained bitterly, calling it “a flower in the mud.” But sixteen years later, Zheng Hongmei’s husband discovered the child was not his. Under pressure, it came out that she had been violated by a male youth sent to the countryside. For some reason, the youth managed to return home, hiding the truth and disappearing.

Later, Zheng Hongmei discovered she was pregnant. Back then, abortions weren’t simple—they required a marriage certificate and the husband’s consent. Many died from black-market abortions.

In the countryside, it was nearly impossible to find a black clinic, so the pregnancy became a thorny problem. Su Yu remembered that in the previous life, she had married an old bachelor ten years her senior. To avoid suspicion, they staged a drunken incident, which fooled no one, but the bachelor had nothing to offer anyway.

“What’s really going on? Tell me. If Grandma is in on this deception, I won’t agree. I’ll back you up.”

“We’ll talk at home. This isn’t simple.”

Indeed, not simple. Just as he had been beaten by Lai San, Grandma came to arrange a marriage. The strangest thing was, it was his own grandmother.

This matter was most likely connected to Su Bin—killing two birds with one stone. It solved the problem of his cousin’s unexpected pregnancy and got rid of him as a rival. No one would compete with him for Xu Zhiqing anymore; it was a win-win.

Originally, Su Yu’s feelings for Xu Zhiqing were innocent admiration, just appreciating her beauty. In his previous life, he never acted on it; in this life, he was even clearer-headed, so he wouldn’t make a move. Yet, because of this, Su Bin made him take the blame. Damn it, did he look that easy to push around?

With that, Su Yu strode back home. Su Sheng entered the kitchen to cook for their little sister, while the fourth brother, Su Jin, sat obediently at the table doing homework.

Su Yu pushed open the door and got straight to the point: “Mom, Grandma came to arrange a marriage?”

Seeing his urgency, she thought he wanted to get married himself, but his angry expression made her nod. “Yes, your grandmother came to arrange a marriage for you.”

“Mom, do you know that the Zheng Hongmei Grandma speaks of is already pregnant? She was violated by a male youth sent to the countryside and had no choice but to find a husband. Do you think Auntie doesn’t know this? Do you think Grandma is completely unaware? What kind of family is this? Grandma isn’t really Grandma, Auntie isn’t really Auntie. Dad, if you ask me, apart from giving living expenses to Grandpa and Grandma, we should cut ties with Uncle’s family. If we want to reconcile, they want your son to raise someone else’s child.”

At this, both parents stood up, and eldest brother in the kitchen overheard Su Yu’s words, his face full of disbelief.

“Little third, what did you just say? You know that? You can’t say things like that. Ruining a girl’s reputation is a serious matter.”

“The male youth’s surname is Liu, his name is Liu Yuanqing. If she’s not pregnant, I’ll take her last name myself.”

“I only found out by chance. Don’t ask how I know, but I’m sure. Dad, what grudge does Uncle’s family have against you? And Grandma is involved. Are you sure she doesn’t know the truth? That’s her maternal family.”

“That’s enough! If you’re unwilling, then you’re unwilling. Grandma is old and rarely visits her maternal home. How would she know? If what you say is true, then blame Auntie for being heartless. Don’t worry about it. I’ll help you refuse.”