BXBX NOVEL Chapter 70: Guests Have Arrived
That afternoon, Su Wenyue was embroidering in her room when she heard a loud crash and crying coming from her parents-in-law’s room. Startled, she promptly set down what she was holding and hurried over to see what had happened. Han Yu followed behind at a leisurely pace, as if he had anticipated the incident. Su Wenyue’s anxious movements slowed, and she gave Han Yu a meaningful look before continuing on, wondering what drama was unfolding so soon after the last one had quieted down.
“You wicked son, why do you protect her? Our Han Family has never had such a cruel daughter-in-law. Could anyone even do such a thing? Look at the state your mother is in. If she hadn’t been lucky, and the injury had been more serious, she wouldn’t be lying here in one piece. You two are blind beasts!”
Old Man Han, holding his smoking pipe, pointed at Han Lin and his wife, who were kneeling on the ground, and scolded them bitterly. Mrs. Wang, lying on the bed, seemed worried, but thinking about the things her son and daughter-in-law had done, she felt cold inside and watched with a detached gaze as Old Man Han reprimanded the couple.
Upon seeing Han Lin and his wife and hearing Old Man Han’s words, Su Wenyue understood what had happened. It seemed that the Han Family’s burglary was indeed related to Mrs. Wang, and considering how willingly she had come forward to confess, it was highly likely that Wang Chenglin was the one who had burst into the Han Family home and injured Mrs. Yang. Apart from Mrs. Wang’s mother’s family, Su Wenyue could think of no one else who would prompt Mrs. Wang to admit her faults so readily.
The noise had been so loud that, besides Su Wenyue and Han Yu, the rest of the
Han Family had heard it too and had arrived around the same time as Su Wenyue. However, neither the Main House nor the Second House understood the situation as well as Su Wenyue and Han Yu did. Upon entering the room and seeing such a scene, and knowing that Old Man Han, who typically avoided getting involved, was scolding the third son and his wife, everyone was somewhat confused.
Wasn’t the Third Daughter-in-law pregnant? Out of concern for the child in her belly, the parents had been very lenient with her. Why would they have the Third Daughter-in-law kneeling on the ground now? It couldn’t be that she had done something regrettable again, could it? The Third Daughter-in-law really did seem to cause a commotion.
As soon as Mrs. Liu saw the scene, she had plenty to say: “Oh! Third Daughter-in-law, what disgraceful thing have you done now to infuriate your father so? And you, Third Child, are you protecting your daughter-in-law again? That’s what’s gotten your parents so angry it’s too unfilial.”
All Mrs. Wang hoped for now was that her parents-in-law would forgive her, so this matter could be put behind them. However, Mrs. Liu was truly annoying. Mindful of her own business, she still felt the need to interfere and add fuel to the fire, aggravating her parents-in-law even further. Mrs. Wang wanted to drive her out. Though she only wished to do this, Mrs. Wang currently could only kneel, daring not to say an extra word, much less retort against Mrs. Liu.
“Old man, let them leave. We don’t need so many people crowding this room. The noise is making my headache worse.” Mrs. Yang had guessed that some matters had been hidden and now, still unwilling to disregard the child in Mrs. Wang’s stomach, even if her anger demanded punishment for the third son and his wife, she hoped not to make a spectacle of it, especially to Mrs. Liu with her big mouth. If she found out, everyone would know.
Seeing Mrs. Yang sigh like this, Old Man Han wanted to properly discipline the third son and his wife, but his wife still cared for the child in the Third Daughter-in-law’s womb, and he felt the same way. No matter what, they would wait until the Third Daughter-in-law gave birth before addressing the issue. However, they couldn’t let this incident pass without consequence—if they did, there would be no concern for rules in the future, and chaos would ensue.
“Everyone except for the third son and his wife, and the Fourth Child, leave. I have matters to discuss with them.”
It was rare for Old Man Han to get angry and when he spoke out, everyone, though curious, left the room. Su Wenyue gave Han Yu a glance and followed the others out, thinking to herself that once Han Yu came out, she would find out what had happened.
Su Wenyue waited in her room for nearly half an hour before Han Yu came over from Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang’s side. Her eyes brightened: “Husband, what exactly happened? Why did Father get so angry? Is it related to the thief from last time? It was Wang Chenglin, wasn’t it?”
Han Yu, seeing his daughter-in-law’s curious look, a faint smile appeared on his usually stern face, making him seem much gentler. “You are sharp, figuring it out so quickly. However, Father and Mother don’t want people at home to know about this, especially Sister-in-law, who gossips too much. While the people from the Wang family went too far, the scandal is still a family shame.
Just keep it to yourself; don’t spread it around.”
Su Wenyue wouldn’t let it go: “So we’re just letting them off? Although Mother caught them red-handed, it’s clear that the thief was after my dowry, intending to steal and sell it to pay off debts. What a clever idea.”
Saying this, Su Wenyue’s lips curled into a cold smile. She had been wary of
Mrs. Wang for some time and knew she might covet her dowry. Su Wenyue had already hidden the banknotes, and Xiao Xi had moved the valuable items in the box to a safe place. What was left in the box now were common items for daily use, or else how could she have peace of mind when returning to her mother’s
family?
Even if Wang Chenglin had managed to steal the contents of her box with the intention of trading them for silver to pay off his gambling debts, he would have had to take the items to a pawnshop. Su Wenyue had ways of finding out. If that were to happen, she would indeed go to the authorities—Wang Chenglin would not have a good outcome! Su Wenyue was determined not to go easy on the Wang family, especially Wang Chenglin, a rotten apple possessing the same cruelty and venomous intent as his sister. In her previous life, Mrs. Wang plotted against her and Wang Chenglin was far from innocent in such schemes.
Only, Su Wenyue hadn’t anticipated that Wang Chenglin would get caught by Mrs. Yang while attempting to steal from the Han Family, leading to the current situation. Su Wenyue felt annoyed that Mrs. Wang seemed likely to get off lightly from such an affair.
Han Yu knew exactly what his daughter-in-law was thinking. He habitually stroked Su Wenyue’s head, smiling reassuringly, “Don’t worry, with your Husband here, the third son and his wife won’t get off easily. You’re underestimating your Husband.”
Reassured by Han Yu’s words, Su Wenyue’s eyes sparkled. Indeed, Han Yu, with his crafty and protective nature, wouldn’t let Mrs. Wang off easily—not only for targeting her dowry but also for the injury caused to Mrs. Yang. However, when questioning Han Yu further, he remained tight-lipped, not willing to disclose a thing to her, leaving Su Wenyue itching with curiosity but without recourse.
Still, Su Wenyue didn’t lose heart and thought of ways to coax the information out of Han Yu.. Just as she came up with a promising plan and was about to implement it, guests arrived at the home…