The Hu Family’s wife felt her blood run cold under Su Shuochi’s icy gaze, and she trembled for a good while.

Finally, she lowered her head and stammered, "Sh-she... Brother Su... you’re not... dis... Won’t you stay and eat at our house?"

Su Shuochi stood his ground, his face cold. He didn’t move for so long that Auntie Hu thought he had already left.

Just as she was about to look up, she heard his cold voice from ahead. "We’ll eat at our own home. We have a house in Shuanghe Village, so we won’t trouble Auntie Hu."

Auntie Hu: ...

’Your house was already lent to my third son for his wedding.’ But Auntie Hu didn’t dare say a word.

Su Shuochi then turned to look at his parents. Su Ermei was still sobbing her heart out.

His hearing was incredible, so he had heard everything clearly. ’The Hu family has really gone too far!’

’Su Ermei is only just over twenty-four this year, but she looks older than my own mother-in-law!’

’It must be from working in the fields all year. The skin on her face is rough, and her eyes are lifeless.’

’At a glance, she looked as if she hadn’t slept soundly for several nights, her eyes deeply sunken.’

’Years of hard labor have left faint crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes. It must be due to malnutrition.’

’Her once neat, glossy black hair has turned reddish, like fallen pine needles.’

’Although she had monolids, her eyes used to be delicate and bright, but now, not a trace of youthful vitality remained.’

’Su Ermei had been feisty since she was a child, afraid of nothing. But when I first arrived, I saw that she didn’t even dare to cry out loud.’

’No matter how wrong Su Ermei might have been, I can’t just let the Hu family bully her,’ Su Shuochi thought as he walked toward his parents.

Seeing her able-bodied older brother, Su Ermei cried even more heart-wrenchingly, until she finally held her breath and passed out.

"My girl, my girl... *sob*... My girl!" Su’s mother’s anxious and desperate cries echoed throughout the entire village.

Su Shuochi quickly knelt down and pressed the acupoint on Su Ermei’s philtrum. Soon, she slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a familiar yet strange face. "Brother, is it really you?"

"Yes, it’s me. I’m back. It’s okay now, it’s okay," Su Shuochi said comfortingly, patting her on the back.

He never used to know how to comfort people, but ever since falling in love with Gu Jiaojiao, he understood it better than anyone.

Su Ermei stared blankly at her brother’s handsome face. He was a hundred times more handsome than before, and much gentler too.

After a long silence, she finally said through her tears, "Brother... I’ve gone too far these past two years. I kept trying to take more things from Mom and Dad to make the Hu family look up to me, but I never once considered your feelings."

She sobbed as she spoke. Seeing her like this left Su Shuochi speechless, and he could only manage an awkward smile.

He really wanted to ask, ’You cared so much for the Hu family, so did they start to look up to you?’

The answer was clearly no, because the Hu family all wanted her to go to jail!

Su Shuochi only said one thing, his voice heavy with meaning: "If you can’t go on like this, get a divorce. My wife and I will support you and the children."

’If Su Ermei got a divorce, the Hu family would certainly keep the youngest boy, but they would definitely refuse to take the two older daughters.’

’He had many ways to help Su Ermei support her two daughters. She could work in a factory or set up a street stall.’

’But if she refused to get a divorce, Su Shuochi wouldn’t help her find work. He had no intention of supporting that entire Hu clan.’

"Brother, I don’t want a divorce. Hu is very good to me. He even blocked a knife from the Wang Family for me today."

Su Ermei glanced at Hu Yungeng, who was still lying on the door plank. If it weren’t for him, she would have long been driven mad by the Hu family.

"Chi, can’t you do something about your sister?" Su’s mother pleaded with her son in a low voice.

She had previously sworn that she would change and ignore her second daughter from now on, but seeing her daughter’s exceptionally aged face, her heart was about to break.

Su Shuochi took a long look at his parents, then lifted his gaze to the ridges of the fields in front of the Su family home, where villagers of all ages were standing.

None of them seemed to have any intention of going home to eat. Instead, the crowd was growing, surrounding the old Su family house until it was packed.

Everyone was dressed in rags. Only a few wore clothes without patches, and some children were dressed thinly despite the deep winter cold.

’He remembered what his wife had told him. In her time, people who were both capable and conscientious had a responsibility to help build up their hometowns.’

’When they earned a lot of money elsewhere, they would donate funds to build concrete roads and small factories in their hometowns, leading everyone to wealth.’

’His wife had even joked that in a couple of years, they too would come back and lead everyone to prosperity...’

It was the middle of winter, so there wasn’t much farm work. He then recalled his parents saying that Su Ermei had lent their old house to the Hu Family’s Old Three to use as a marital home for his wedding.

He decided to seize this opportunity to take the house back. And so, he made a decision: he would treat the entire village to a meal at the old Su family house today.

So he stood up and asked loudly, "Whose pigs are ready for market? I want to buy a pig, and also some chickens, napa cabbage, radishes, and whatnot.

My mom knows how to cook a banquet. Today, we’re inviting everyone in the village to our home for dinner."

The moment Su Shuochi’s words fell, the villagers’ eyes lit up, and someone immediately ran up to him.

He said sheepishly, "My family’s pig has been ready for a while. Since it’s not the New Year yet, I was worried I couldn’t find a buyer."

"My pig is ready too, Brother Su. Please buy mine!"

"I have lots of radishes, Brother Su! How many do you want to buy?"

"I have napa cabbage!" an auntie shouted, jumping up as if afraid Su Shuochi wouldn’t hear her.

Su Shuochi held up his hands, signaling for everyone to be quiet. "That’s great. I’ll buy all the pigs that are ready for market.

Get the butcher and the team leader to go to your houses now to weigh them. Tell me the price, and after you get paid, go ahead and slaughter one of them first.

For the aunties with radishes and napa cabbage, go pick them, then find the team leader and the storekeeper to weigh them. Just bring the proof of weight to my house to collect your money."

As soon as Su Shuochi finished speaking, he was met with endless thanks from everyone. Some of the aunties even cried out with joy.

"Okay, okay, thank you so much! My dad said long ago that Mr. Su’s son was promising and wouldn’t forget us."

"The Su family’s Chi has been a loyal and righteous person since he was a boy," an elderly grandmother said, smiling and revealing a toothless mouth.

"Mr. Su, Aunt Su, you are truly blessed to have such a good son."

...

...

"Heh heh, everyone, there’s no need to be so formal," Mr. Su said sheepishly, facing the enthusiastic villagers.

The villagers gradually departed, their faces filled with rare, beaming smiles.

The happiest of all were the children. They jumped up and down, holding hands and cheering that they would have meat to eat today.

This scene left Han Jinghong utterly shaken. His family was considered the wealthiest in Yunhe County, and they were also backed by the main branch of the Han family from the Imperial City.

Therefore, he had no idea just how fanatical people could be about eating meat.

’After all, even his family’s watchdog ate meat every day!’