Chapter 504
“You’re also someone else’s daughter, right? So are you just ’water poured out,’ of no value anymore? Your parents wasted their time raising you? Tsk tsk, someone like you really is unfilial,” Su Xiaoxiao’s soft voice turned cold with biting sarcasm, showing no restraint.
The woman who had spoken earlier was about to retort that she wasn’t unfilial, but her words clashed completely with her earlier arguments. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out, her face frozen in confusion, like a toad that had been struck dumb.
“Bah! Unfilial scoundrel!” Su Xiaoxiao spat, her tone full of disdain. Without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving the woman behind, fuming in frustration.
The woman watched them leave, trembling with rage. If this had been any other time, she would have lunged at them, but Jiang Yexun’s towering figure and the cold, imposing look on his face had been so intimidating that she only dared to mutter curses under her breath, too frightened to take action.
“Alright, don’t let her get to you,” Jiang Yexun said with a soft chuckle, watching his little wife still frowning, clearly annoyed. He was amused, but he tried to soothe her, knowing her temper could flare up easily.
Su Xiaoxiao didn’t want to get upset over a stranger. It wasn’t worth it—anger would only harm her health. Still, the more she thought about it, the more it bothered her. So often, women like those grandmothers and mothers-in-law were the ones who discriminated against other women the most.
She almost turned back to slap the woman who had spoken, wanting to set her straight, but Jiang Yexun’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“People like that talk too much. They think they know everything, and when things don’t align with their narrow views, they just have to butt in and lecture others. Don’t worry, people like her aren’t liked anywhere they go. And they’re easy to offend too.” Jiang Yexun spoke gently, trying to distract Su Xiaoxiao, reassuring her that the woman’s opinion wasn’t worth getting worked up about.
Jiang Yexun had encountered his fair share of these people in the village, those who always felt the need to criticize him and his mother. But he had never paid them any mind. As he got older, these people began to understand who he was and stopped bothering him. They knew their criticism didn’t have the effect they expected, and that he wasn’t someone they could easily push around.
“Forget them,” Su Xiaoxiao finally sighed, pushing the unpleasant encounter from her mind. “Let’s focus on seeing Grandpa Zhang and Granny Wang, as we planned.”
Before she could continue, however, she noticed a familiar figure walking toward them.
Her brows instinctively furrowed, but she quickly controlled the reaction.
“Uncle Zhang, what are you doing here?” she asked politely, offering a warm smile as the middle-aged man approached.
Jiang Yexun also greeted him with a friendly “Hello.”
Zhang Zhiyuan nodded, his stern expression softening a little. “I heard you were on this train, and I happened to have some time, so I came to pick you up.”
As he spoke, he reached out to take some of the bags from Jiang Yexun’s hands to help lighten the load. But Jiang Yexun quickly pulled his hands back, refusing. “Uncle Zhang, these aren’t heavy, I’ve got it.”
“Alright, the car is just across the street. Let’s go. My father’s been talking about you two non-stop since New Year’s. He’s been looking forward to your visit.” Zhang Zhiyuan said, chuckling lightly as he spoke.
It was rare to see his parents show such fondness for their younger relatives, but mostly it was because of Su Xiaoxiao. There was a sense of affection for the girl, as if it extended to him through her.
However, when Su Xiaoxiao heard him mention it, she couldn’t help but glance at him sideways. After seeing that his expression showed no signs of discomfort, she secretly rolled her eyes.
If Grandpa Zhang and Granny Wang had been mentioning him so much during the New Year, Su Xiaoxiao could imagine how frustrated his wife and children must be by now. Still, when Su Xiaoxiao heard her mother’s comments about this man during the New Year, she couldn’t shake the deep feelings of distaste that had settled in her heart for him.
In fact, her feelings toward Grandpa Zhang and Granny Wang weren’t much better either. The reason she was still willing to come was that she wanted to find out exactly what had happened all those years ago, and to seek justice for herself and Jiang Yexun.