Chapter 172
They couldn’t find words to respond. Being stepchildren and a stepdaughter-in-law, they knew that being difficult with their stepmother would lead to disapproval from the entire production team. In the end, it was Team Leader Jiang who spoke in a cold tone, “I’m the one who didn’t allow them to open the door! Both of you were away for a month, and so was Guo. She might have gone mad. Why would she come back now?”
“Does Team Leader Jiang not even know where his own daughter is living? Don’t say you’re busy; your position as a team leader isn’t so demanding that you can’t spare time to go to the city. As her biological father, when you learned that your daughter was pregnant and that the pregnancy was unstable, you didn’t consider buying her supplements or checking on her. As a husband, you didn’t visit to persuade your wife to come back earlier, and you came here to throw a tantrum instead. Do you communicate with others using telepathy? Or do you think people should have some kind of mind-reading abilities to understand your intentions?” Su Xiaoxiao directly taunted.
Team Leader Jiang was momentarily taken aback, apparently not used to Su Xiaoxiao’s sarcasm. It seemed like he had become somewhat detached during their one-month absence.
T”But I’ve already had an engagement ceremony with Yexun, and I’m his fiancée. Xinyue is my sister-in-law, and Aunt Guo is my mother-in-law,” Su Xiaoxiao defiantly raised her chin, locking eyes with Team Leader Jiang.
Team Leader Jiang’s head began to throb, but he didn’t want to lose face right after their return. He could only maintain a stern and dignified appearance, saying, “Then I am your father-in-law.”
“So what? A family should be reasonable! As my future father-in-law, when you didn’t care about your biological daughter’s situation, it made me feel uncomfortable,” Su Xiaoxiao’s words were filled with confidence, and her gaze towards Team leader Jiang was brimming with disapproval.
If the situation were reversed, and it was his own daughter, Team leader Jiang would have slapped her long ago. However, there had never been any rumors of fathers-in-law hitting their daughters-in-law, especially not one who was an educated youth.
In the current situation, it was absolutely impossible for him, as the father-in-law, to apologize. Everyone was stubbornly holding their positions, and they remained in a stalemate for a while.
Su Xiaoxiao yawned, then sighed, “Forget it. If Team leader Jiang thinks Aunt should not have returned, Aunt, you can stay with us. Whenever Team leader Jiang realizes his mistake, that’s when she could come back.”
She said this and took Aunt Guo by the arm, leading her outside.
Team leader Jiang was furious, and his eyes were wide open.
Realize his mistake?
What had he done wrong?
But even before he could make sense of his emotions, Aunt Guo was led outside.
The urgency of the situation was evident to Hu Yuezhen and Yu Siping. They had brought two bags with them when they left home but now were carrying three full bags, along with a large bamboo basket. It was clear that they had brought something valuable back.
If they didn’t keep the people, they wouldn’t get their share of these items. Hu Yuezhen and Yu Siping grew anxious. They urgently looked at Team Leader Jiang, but he remained silent. As a team leader and the head of the family, he wouldn’t forsake his pride over some goods.
Hu Yuezhen was on the brink of tears and pinched Jiang Quankun’s arm in frustration.
Jiang Quankun let out a painful cry and glared at her, saying irritably, “What’s your problem? If you keep it up, I’ll smack you.”
Although scared, Hu Yuezhen continued to convey her message through her eyes. Jiang Quankun reluctantly looked at Team Leader Jiang and said, “Dad, they brought back a lot of things. Are we just going to let them all go to Su’s house? It’s like handing over meat buns to a dog with no return.”
“Educatetd Youth Su is so wealthy. Would they lack these items?” Team Leader Jiang disdainfully glared at his eldest son. “Even if you quarrel with them, you are still their siblings. Besides, with me here, they won’t leave without giving you gifts. Otherwise, they will be criticized by the production team, and that would be embarrassing.”
The Jiang family members felt relieved upon hearing this, and their concerns were put aside. However, as they entered the house, Yu Siping, while touching her belly, looked worriedly in the direction of Su Xiaoxiao’s room. For some reason, she felt that something had become even more out of control after her younger brother’s return.
On the other hand, Aunt Guo, led by Su Xiaoxiao into the house, was concerned as she asked, “Xiaoxiao, you’ve offended your future father-in-law now. Will this affect your plans to go home for the New Year?”
Aunt Guo’s husband, by her side, was clear on this matter. If he was put in such an embarrassing situation, he would undoubtedly seek some form of retaliation.
Su Xiaoxiao responded confidently, “It won’t. During the past month, I’ve done a little something while visiting my brother. It won’t be long before a higher-up comes to reward me. When that happens, the state will give me awards and certificates. Team Leader Jiang wouldn’t dare to stop me from going home for the New Year.”
Although it wasn’t confirmed when this would happen, Su Xiaoxiao was confident. Since Grandpa Zhang said it would be within a few days, it wouldn’t take more than ten days. Moreover, even if there were any issues on Grandpa Zhang’s side, she still had her brother.
“If Team Leader Jiang really tries to cause trouble, I can have my brother personally come to pick us up.”
Su Xiaoxiao wasn’t worried at all. There was no way she would miss going home for the New Year this year.
“Good, then.” Aunt Guo finally breathed a sigh of relief, pointing to one of the rooms. “This is your bedroom. Although all three bedrooms are about the same size, the wardrobe and desk are in this one, and it’s in the middle, so it gets plenty of natural light.”
“Where will you stay?” Su Xiaoxiao felt that all three rooms were more or less the same, so she didn’t bother choosing.
“I’ll stay in this one,” Aunt Guo casually pointed to one, leaving the last room for Jiang Yexun.
Even though they had just had an argument, they all felt more relaxed after returning.
“I’ll go put things down first.” Jiang Yexun placed his basket on the floor and lovingly ruffled Su Xiaoxiao’s hair.
Aunt Guo realized that Jiang Yexun was about to head into the mountains and looked at Su Xiaoxiao with a hint of confusion.
Su Xiaoxiao locked the door and then wrapped her arm around Aunt Guo as they entered the room.
As soon as they entered, Su Xiaoxiao immediately shared the two prescriptions she had obtained, as well as their efforts in making whitening and moisturizing pills, along with their recent acquisition of an old item. She explained everything in great detail.
Aunt Guo was left in a daze by all the information she had just received, and she couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of pride. “Xiaoxiao, how can you be so capable? You are so outstanding, where does my rotten son fit in?”
She wasn’t trying to belittle her own son, but rather, she genuinely couldn’t find any reason to deny the excellence of her daughter-in-law.
Su Xiaoxiao quickly put on a serious face and said, “Aunt, you can’t say that. Brother Yexun is also incredibly talented! Without him, I couldn’t have achieved all this. First of all, if I had traveled alone on the train, I would have been abducted by human traffickers. He has connections and helps us sell a large quantity of goods regularly. In the future, as we expand into more markets and interact with more people, we’ll need him.”
Even in her previous life, even without her, Jiang Yexun would have been able to become the richest person in the country. She knew he had a natural talent for business. In this life, she was afraid that her issues would hinder him from becoming the richest person in the country again.