Chapter 193: Chapter 193: Seeing Su Again

“Susu?”

Su Nian was shocked, she actually saw the original character’s hardworking, family-depleting, husband-supporting sister-in-law—Susu!!!

“E, E, Erya???” Susu’s eyes bulged out, as she stuttered out loud in shock.

She couldn’t believe the young, pretty, and well-dressed woman in front of her and rubbed her eyes hard.

“Sister, I—Sister?” Holding a chicken drumstick, Su Nian froze.

“Sanyi???”

Susu was excited, hardly believing that this was once the skinny little girl with dry, yellowed hair.

Su Nian looked at her second sister, then at her eldest sister who appeared older than her age, and frowned as she moved closer to ask,

“Sister, what are you doing here? Are you here alone or… with Dad and Mom?”

Susu frantically waved her hands, “No, no, I’m staying nearby with your brother-in-law. We heard they were hiring servers here, so we came to ask.”

Susu and her sister exchanged glances, unable to help stepping forward when they noticed their eldest sister who, though in her twenties, looked like she was in her forties or fifties.

“Let’s sit inside then.”

Su Nian poured a cup of chrysanthemum tea for her sister, provided by the shop for customers, “Sister, have some water.”

“Ah, ah, ah.”

Susu washed her hands on her clothes and then grasped the cup, tilting her head back to gulp it down.

In an instant, her parched throat was quenched, and she embarrassingly wiped her mouth.

Su Nian hurriedly poured another cup of water, feeling a twinge of heartache, “Sister, why are you and your husband here?”

“I, I followed some people from the village with your brother-in-law to work on a construction site in the city while the two kids stayed at home with their grandparents. Everything was going well, and we even managed to send hundreds of yuan home last year.

But then, earlier this year, your brother-in-law fell from the second floor and broke his leg.”

“What? Didn’t the foreman pay any compensation?”

Unable to hold back, Susu’s tears fell, “Not only did he not pay, but he also kicked us out. The foreman bullied us with his numbers, and we didn’t dare to fight back.

We’ve been getting treatment at the city hospital, spending all our money. Now we’re almost unable to feed ourselves, so I thought to come out and find some work…”

“Mommy, time to eat, why aren’t you coming up?” Lele urged her mom and aunt to come upstairs for dinner.

Susu looked longingly at her clean and neat niece, “Sanyi, is this your second sister’s child?”

Su Nian was unsure about the relationship between her sister and their family at home, so she didn’t dare to speak.

Susu sighed, “I’ll have someone prepare you some food, and we’ll talk more after you’ve eaten.”

“No, no… no need, Erya, I’m not hungry,” Susu protested, but her stomach growled loudly, and her face immediately turned beet red.

“It’s settled then, if you want to work, we can talk after eating.”

…

Susu was so embarrassed by the diners coming in and out that she clutched at her tattered clothes, full of patches, trying hard to make herself less noticeable.

Upstairs

The big family was laughing and talking, enjoying their meal; the children at their own table, the men drinking a bit of white wine, the women sipping on tongue-tingling sodas.

“What’s up with the wife? Why has she been gone so long?”

“I ran into my eldest sister applying for a server position.”

“Sister Su, why are you here?” Lu Xiaoting knew about the Su Family’s troubles.

Susu sighed and recounted what she had just heard.

“And there’s this issue too? Why not report it to the police—” Lu Xiaoting stopped mid-sentence, understanding all too well. Many rely on the rural people’s ignorance of the law and fear of trouble to intimidate them.

Susu sighed, “If you could look into it, and if it’s true, please help my sister. You didn’t see her just now, she’s not even thirty yet and looks as if she’s in her forties or fifties.”

Lu Xiaoting nodded, “Yeah, don’t worry about it.”

After dinner, the few families took the gifts Susu had brought from Yangcheng and gradually left.

“Mom and dad, you take the kids home. I’ll be back after I finish up a little work.”

Mrs. Lu nodded, glanced at the woman who was writing something across from her son, and shook her head with a sigh.

…

Su Daya nervously recounted the whole incident.

“Alright, I’ll notify you if there’s news, Sister Su.”

Lu Xiaoting closed his notebook, stood up, and walked towards the door, “Don’t worry, wife, I’ll investigate this as quickly as possible.”

“Okay, be careful on your way to work.”

Past the usual hour for meals, the restaurant staff gathered in small groups to eat.

The three Susu sisters were seated by the window, discussing past events.

Su Daya said, “Sanyi, after you ran away that year, mom and dad came to my home asking for you. That’s when I learned they wanted to sell you to that widower who had previously beaten his wife to death.

For the first time, I talked back to our parents and nearly got hit. Afterwards, your brother-in-law didn’t let me return to that home anymore.”

Su Nian thought back to her frail self; if it hadn’t been for Erya running away before her, maybe she wouldn’t have had the courage to escape herself.

She feared being beaten to death by either the parents or the widower.

In short, had it not been for Erya’s shelter, she would not have escaped that fate, nor would she have had the chance to study and lead the happy and fulfilling life she now enjoys.

Su Nian bit her lip, “Then… how are our mom and dad doing now?”

Su Daya replied, “I’ve heard Bao Gen has gotten married, and his wife’s already pregnant. The old folks are working every day, but other than that… I don’t know.”

“Erya, I only saw our parents and brother for what they truly were after they tried to sell Sanyi. If it wasn’t for that, I might still be having second thoughts…”

Su Daya choked up a bit, “You don’t know, when those people made trouble at the house, our parents flat-out refused to return the bribe money they received.

They even urged me and Brother-in-law Su to divorce, intending to sell me to substitute for the dowry.”

Susu sneered, this was typical of the Su Family couple.

Knowing that Su Daya had completely severed ties with that bloodsucking Su Family, Susu and Su Nian finally felt comfortable sharing some of their recent circumstances that could be disclosed.

“Sister Su, don’t worry, with Lu Xiaoting getting involved in your husband’s case, as long as the matter is true, justice will be served.”

“Thank you, Erya, and also convey my thanks to your sister-in-law,” Su Daya said, crying uncontrollably, venting about the difficult past six months.

“Erya, Sanyi, take good care of yourselves, your sister hopes that you’ll always be happy…”

The two sisters watched their big sister leave in tears, grateful for the steadfast support Brother-in-law Su had provided in the past, or else Sister Su might have already become bones.

Later, with the involvement of the police, Brother-in-law Su successfully obtained compensation from the contractor, and the couple cried tears of joy.

It takes a hundred days to recover from serious injuries, and Brother-in-law Su couldn’t work temporarily. Fortunately, the compensation made their lives much easier.

Susu introduced a job to Sister Su selling vegetables in the market. Sister Su picked up good produce daily and accompanied her husband to the stall at the market.

The couple supported each other, and their market business gradually thrived.