"My husband was the one who told me. He was just shocked, since the Su family has always been so poor."

"How could you suddenly become wealthy? So, he asked around and found all that out."

Hu Meili gazed in the direction Su Shuochi had vanished, her heart filled with jealousy for his wife.

’Why does she get a good family background while I have nothing? That’s why she could marry Brother Su, and I was stuck marrying an old man.’

"No wonder Mom and Dad get all smiley whenever they talk about my sister-in-law. Turns out her family is rich!"

Su Ermei said with a look of disbelief, but she already believed it deep down. She was even starting to plot how she could get on her sister-in-law’s good side.

"Of course it’s true. Since when does my husband need to lie?" Hu Meili said, then sighed again.

"Sister-in-law, you’ve had a tough time these past two years. It’s all my parents’ fault. Now everything will be okay. As long as Brother Su gives you more money, my parents will go back to treating you well."

"Not necessarily! Two months ago, my mom sent me a lot of money, food, and clothes, but my mother-in-law’s attitude toward me didn’t change one bit!"

Su Ermei complained with great dissatisfaction. Little did she know, human greed is insatiable.

Reality is often crueler. Once people get used to exploiting and bullying someone, they become addicted to it.

The Hu family had exactly this mentality. Su Ermei had finally been broken by them, shedding her previously defiant nature and becoming someone they could torment as they pleased.

No matter how much she scraped together from her own family, it was never enough to satisfy them, so they continued to torment her.

If Su Shuochi hadn’t returned to Shuanghe Village, Su Ermei’s situation would never have changed.

She would never have received any kindness from the Hu family. But with Su Shuochi’s return, things were different.

The Hu family was afraid of Su Shuochi. Even if he didn’t give his sister any money, they wouldn’t dare bully her anymore.

After hearing her sister-in-law’s words, Hu Meili lowered her head impassively, fiddling with her fingers as if she were embarrassed.

But inside, she was darkly trying to coax Su Ermei. ’As long as Brother Su takes a liking to me, I’ll help you by putting in a good word with Mom and Dad.’

Hearing Hu Meili’s promise, Su Ermei was overjoyed, but on the surface, she pretended to be conflicted.

"Sigh, I don’t know how to get my big brother to notice you, but if you need anything, I’ll help you."

What Su Ermei was really thinking at that moment was something Hu Meili could never have guessed.

Because her sister-in-law was rich, she was now plotting how to get on her good side and would never betray her big brother.

If Hu Meili were to tell Su Ermei her plan, Su Ermei would betray her without a moment’s hesitation.

But Hu Meili didn’t know what her sister-in-law was thinking. She couldn’t help but smile when she heard Su Ermei’s words.

’I knew it,’ she thought. ’Su Ermei is a selfish person who only cares about herself.’

At that thought, anger flared within her. ’Why won’t Brother Su even look at me? Am I really that bad?’

’No way. I have to make Brother Su fall for me!’

So, she quietly whispered her plan to Su Ermei, going on and on about how she needed her help.

It shocked Su Ermei so much she almost jumped. ’This Hu Meili is so shameless! I’ll tell my brother the moment he gets home tonight.’

The two sisters-in-law, each with their own ulterior motives, plotted happily...

Meanwhile, Su Shuochi had just reached the entrance of Shuanghe Village when he saw Han Jinghong drive up in his family’s car, casually dressed.

"Brother Su, get in, quick." Han Jinghong opened the car door in a warm invitation.

Looking at the beaming young man, Su Shuochi asked in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

Han Jinghong grinned. "Brother Su, I’ll tell you after you get in the car."

Seeing this, Su Shuochi didn’t overthink it and got into the car. He was in a hurry anyway, and taking a car would be much faster.

"Han Jinghong, what are you doing here so early?" Su Shuochi asked curiously as he fastened his seatbelt.

"I came especially to pick you up and take you to the county seat for some fun."

"Are we that close? For you to come all this way to pick me up," Su Shuochi asked noncommittally.

He had already guessed that the Han family might have figured out his identity. After all, the person sent to handle the case this time was Han Jingshen.

That man was deep and unfathomable. They hadn’t been on the same team before, but Su Shuochi had heard of his reputation—as brave and fearless as himself.

’I guess one mountain can’t hold two tigers.’

Han Jingshen always seemed to have a strange hostility towards him. He had sensed it during the two times they met in the Imperial City.

Seeing that Han Jinghong just smiled without answering, Su Shuochi casually asked, "Where are you taking me?"

Han Jinghong just turned his head and gave a mysterious smile. "You’ll know when we get there, Brother Su."

Hearing this, Su Shuochi didn’t press further. He knew that if someone didn’t want to talk, questioning them wouldn’t necessarily get a truthful answer.

The car started, heading toward the county seat. Su Shuochi looked out the window. The once barren hills and wilderness had been replanted with evergreen pines.

’If I raised chickens and ducks in these mountain forests, then...’

Han Jinghong didn’t take Su Shuochi to the Han family’s home but instead drove directly to the largest dance hall in the county seat.

He wanted to properly entertain this big shot, so he had even sought advice from his usual group of buddies.

In the end, they concluded that the best way to entertain someone was to take them to a dance hall.

Su Shuochi assumed Han Jingshen was inside, so he didn’t refuse. ’A crowded, chaotic place like this is a perfect spot for us to meet,’ he thought.

Han Jinghong nearly whistled. ’So Brother Su is into this sort of thing!’ he thought. ’Looks like my ass-kissing finally hit the mark.’

Little did he know, his attempt at flattery had completely backfired.

This was the largest dance hall in Yunhe County. The interior was usually dim, and the decor was rather simple.

A few strings of lights hung over the plain concrete floor, flashing even in broad daylight.

Although the dance hostesses inside were dressed quite fashionably, the townspeople’s attire was still relatively plain.

So in Su Shuochi’s eyes, it was all very average. But he didn’t care. He wasn’t into this stuff anyway.

’Besides, no one is as beautiful as my wife.’

The dance halls here didn’t have luxurious decorations or stage facilities; most were just simple spaces for people’s entertainment.

Nevertheless, the people in the dance hall were full of excitement, and many chose partner dancing as the main style.

Moreover, the ticket price was low—only fifty cents per person—and if a man bought a ticket, women got in for free.

After all, the women and girls in the county seat were different from those in the countryside. Outside of their eight-hour workdays, most of their time was their own.

They weren’t like rural women who worked from dawn till dusk in the collective, only to come home to feed the children, pigs, and chickens.

So there was no shortage of ladies in the dance hall. It was hard to tell if they were married or not, which made it a tempting destination for men of all ages.

The moment Su Shuochi stood in the crowd, he was like a crane among chickens. Not only did he make the eyes of several professional dance hostesses light up,

but even the daughters of rich families who had come for fun found their eyes sparkling, their faces blooming with brilliant smiles.

Like bees to honey, they swarmed around him...