Chapter 20: Life Is a Battlefield Everywhere

In this residential area, the households along the roadside had all cultivated small vegetable patches outside their garden walls. Su Qiao’s home happened to be by the roadside, so she had one as well. Although the patch wasn't large, the original owner had planted a wide variety of vegetables, just so the family wouldn't have to buy any throughout the entire summer.

…

When Su Qiao woke up, it was already dark. Hearing movement inside, Mother Su, who had been busy outside, hurried in. Seeing that Su Qiao was awake, she handed her a damp towel.

"Hurry up and wipe your hands; it’s time to eat. Your second aunt and I stewed some chicken soup with dried gourd strips for you."

"Mom, is Second Aunt here too?"

"After such a terrible incident, how could we not come?" Mother Su thought of her daughter, whom she had raised like a precious pearl, now looking so haggard, and her heart ached as if sliced by a knife.

They had been blind back then, not only choosing a short-lived husband for their daughter but also saddling her with in-laws like the Fang family. Whenever they thought of it, they felt they had failed her. Yet, their daughter was so filial that she never once complained to them.

Seeing Mother Su’s eyes redden as she spoke, Su Qiao quickly tried to lighten the mood. "Mom, I think I woke up because I was hungry."

"Then get up quickly, I’ll go dish you some chicken soup."

Sitting at the table, eating her favorite chicken wings, Su Qiao once again secretly mused about how wonderful it was to have parents.

"Eat, eat quickly, have this chicken wing too." Father Su watched Su Qiao eat with a look of doting affection.

Even though his daughter was thirty-six, she was still a child in his eyes. "Tell me, why didn't you bring us along when you went to Shanshan City?"

"I was in such a rush that I forgot everything else. But I did give them a heavy lesson; those three disgraceful things from the Chen family—I reckon they won't be able to get out of bed for a while."

"Did you get hurt anywhere?"

"I was lucky, I didn't get hurt." Su Qiao dared not tell them she had single-handedly taken down the Chen family; she feared the old couple would become suspicious.

"Heh, that’s good then."

Father and Mother Su reflected that the only time their daughter had truly been taken advantage of was when she was schemed against by the Fang family.

Su Qiao didn't see it that way; she felt the original owner had possessed a certain wisdom. When the second Fang son passed away, the original owner was a widow in her twenties. With her beauty and living right by the roadside, those bold, lecherous men would have been climbing over her walls with wicked thoughts every single day. The mere thought of such things was terrifying.

Faced with such a crisis, the original owner had endured in silence and taken her two children to live with the Fang family, giving up this courtyard to the third Fang son and his wife. Ten years later, using her daughter’s relocation to the countryside as a trigger, she had sought her father’s help to reclaim the house and, in the process, separated from the Fang family.

Although the original owner had a soft nature, she wasn't brainless. Even though everything was now in her hands, Su Qiao still felt a sense of pity for her.

Father and Mother Su kept watching their daughter eat. Seeing her stop, they urged her again, "Xiao Qiao, eat up, or it’ll get cold."

"Alright." Urged by the elderly couple, Su Qiao finished two chicken wings and a bowl of soup.

Once she finished, she remembered to ask, "Dad, Mom, have you two eaten?"

"We've already eaten, and Xiao Mu has delivered food to Xiaoying and the others, so don't you worry about that."

Seeing his daughter had eaten and was in better spirits, Father Su finally asked about her plans. "Xiao Qiao, what are your plans regarding Xiaoying’s situation?"

"Tomorrow, I’ll take Xiaoying’s medical records and the medical discharge approval to the Educated Youth Office."

"Right, that needs to be settled first."

"Then I’ll go to the neighborhood committee and the police station to register her residency."

"Yes, that’s the proper thing to do. Tomorrow, your mother and I will accompany you." Father Su was still worried about his daughter’s health.

"Dad, I’ll be fine after a good night's sleep."

"You can't say that; you need to take good care of yourself, or you'll suffer when you're older."

"Dad, I’m really fine."

"Even if you're fine, you should rest for a few more days."

"Dad, I have to go to the factory tomorrow, too. Regarding the temporary position, I didn't pursue it before because Xiaoying hadn't been in the countryside for two years and couldn't return. But now that she’s back, I have to go to the factory and secure a spot for her."

"You don't need to worry about that. I’ll go to the factory tomorrow and secure the spot for you."

"Dad, it’s even better if you go; you have more influence than I do."

"That’s true. After all, I’ve worked at the machinery plant for so many years; I’ve invested quite a bit in maintaining those relationships."

"It’s just a shame that we only have Xiao Qiao in our family, and she’s the one who suffered."

"Don't call it suffering. You never know when those favors will come in handy. Look, we can use them for Xiaoying now."

Father Su didn't elaborate to the mother and daughter; he wanted to find a good position for his granddaughter. However, he didn't want to speak of it until it was settled.

The family chatted for a while longer, and Su Qiao suddenly remembered someone. "Dad, Mom, where is Commander Ye?"

"Ye Ting has returned to his unit." Father Su recalled what Ye Ting had said before leaving and told his daughter, "Ye Ting said that if the family ever has any trouble in the future, we can ask him for help. This is the address he left." Father Su handed the note from the cabinet lid to Su Qiao.

"He helped a great deal with Xiaoying’s matter this time. If he hadn't been there to hold the line in Shanshan City, it’s hard to say what would have happened that night at the health center."

"Then we really must thank him properly."

"Indeed. Once Xiaoying is discharged, I’ll find the time to send Commander Ye some items as a token of our gratitude."

"That’s only right."

…

The next morning, after breakfast, Su Qiao took all of Fang Xiaoying’s documents to the Educated Youth Office.

The staff at the office were quite sensible. Seeing Fang Xiaoying’s medical records and the discharge approval, they immediately stamped them with the red seal, fearing that if they were too slow, Su Qiao would cause them trouble.

After all, someone had pulled strings behind their backs to get Fang Xiaoying registered for the countryside in the first place. As for the way Fang Xiaoying’s grandfather had used forceful methods to defeat the Fang family, they had heard rumors, and some had even seen it with their own eyes.

Now, seeing that Su Qiao wasn't picking a fight with them over the records, they felt relieved. They truly feared that the old gentleman might have come along, as that man had once fought against the invaders.

Just as everyone was tacitly hoping to conclude Fang Xiaoying’s matter smoothly, a distant cousin of the eldest Fang daughter-in-law popped up.

"Hey, what kind of look is that? Looking so bitter and hateful, as if someone owes you a fortune."

Seeing it was Sun Ying, Su Qiao longed to rush over, grab her hair, and slap her across the face. But since Sun Ying hadn't struck first, she couldn't justify self-defense. *Sigh!* She would have to win with reason. "Is my expression against the law? You can go report me. I recall the police station is quite close; I don't need to point you in the right direction, do I?"

"How are you speaking to me?"

"I’m speaking human language; it’s clearly beyond your comprehension."

Su Qiao’s indifferent tone made Sun Ying recoil in fury. "How can you insult people like that?"

"Was I insulting a person?"

"You!!"

"Is someone identifying themselves with my words? Well, fair enough. Since you and those two shameless people from the Fang family helped register my daughter for the countryside, I haven't smashed down your door yet—do you feel proud of yourself?"