Village Belle Chapter 153
Translated by Digitalian (ko-fi)
Chapter 153: Whoever Marries Her Will Be Unlucky
Upon hearing this, Xie Yuntang glanced at the tightly closed room. Sister Taozi must have been embarrassed.
He handed the food container to Lin Sanzhu. "Please give this to Sister Taozi, Auntie Su."
"Okay, Yuntang, please sit down for a while," Lin Sanzhu invited.
Since Sister Taozi wouldn't come out, he didn't want to stay either. Xie Yuntang shook his head and politely said, "I have things to do at home."
After saying that, he called out in the direction of Su Tao’s room, "Sister Taozi, I'm going home."
After a while, Lin Sanzhu knocked on Su Tao's door. After Su Tao opened it, she looked at Su Tao’s timid demeanor and whispered, "Could it be that Yuntang saw it?"
Su Tao didn't hide it from her and nodded dejectedly. Then she took the food container from her hand, put it on the table, and opened it.
She thought it was pastries or something, but it turned out to be soup with a strong ginger smell.
She was stunned for a moment, feeling a strange warmth in her heart. Milksop was really too kind.
"Ginger soup? Yuntang knows about these things?"
Lin Sanzhu leaned over for a look, then said enviously, "Yuntang is such a good boy. Whoever marries him is incredibly lucky."
Su Tao agreed, took a few sips of the ginger soup, and then heard Lin Sanzhu's voice. "Wretched girl, do you think Yuntang might have feelings for you? Otherwise, why would he treat you so well?"
"He treats you better than your father treats me."
Su Tao almost spat out her soup, quickly swallowing. "Cough, cough, cough, what are you thinking? Xie Yuntang isn't blind."
Lin Sanzhu was speechless. "..."
She didn’t really believe Xie Yuntang would take a fancy to her daughter either, and glared at her. "So you do know how fierce you’re. If you were gentler, maybe Yuntang would really have romantic feelings for you."
Su Tao finished her bowl in a few gulps, then waved her hand, adopting a benevolent posture. "I still have a conscience, I won’t harm Xie Yuntang."
She paused, then added, "Whoever marries me will be unlucky."
Lin Sanzhu, "..."
Her wretched daughter sure knew herself well.
……
The next morning, Xie Yuntang brought a food container again. Su Tao had just finished breakfast and was instructing Su Zhi to wash the dishes.
When she saw Xie Yuntang, she was no longer embarrassed to greet him, "Milksop, what brings you here? Have you eaten?"
"Yes."
Xie Yuntang hadn’t slept well all night, and he was afraid Su Tao would ignore him. Seeing her smiling face, he heaved a sigh of relief.
He couldn't help but call out, "Sister Taozi."
"Sister Taozi, Mom made some porridge."
Su Tao took it without feeling shy, opened it, and saw a bowl of red date porridge and a bowl of ginger soup.
She glanced at him and whispered, "You don't need to bring this to me. I'll have my mom cook it."
Despite saying that, she ate it quickly. The red date porridge was sweet and not greasy.
"Auntie Su is busy, but my mom is free. She said Little Peach, you should eat lighter these days."
Xie Yuntang sat next to her, a little shyly, and asked, "Sister Taozi, does your stomach hurt? I asked my mom and she said it’d hurt."
He had asked his mom yesterday and remembered everything.
"No, I'm fine. Milksop, thank you."
Su Tao wasn't embarrassed this time. She nudged his arm and said, "Next time when you’re unwell, I'll take care of you."
"Okay."
Others might think she was cursing, but Xie Yuntang wouldn't. He knew Sister Taozi meant well.
After she finished eating and drinking, he packed the food container.
He was a little reluctant to leave.
"Sister Taozi, I'm leaving now. I'll come see you again at noon."
"Then come over for lunch. My mom has soaked some beans and is going to make tofu."
"Okay."
After seeing him off, Su Tao sat at home, taking out the Three Character Classic to prepare her lessons. She would be teaching tomorrow.
Lin Sanzhu was afraid that Su Dou would disturb her, so she took Su Dou to the fields with her.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Su Tao heard footsteps. She turned around and saw Mrs. Su-Jin at the door.
She didn't like Mrs. Su-Jin. Mrs. Su-Jin might have suffered a lot in recent years, but she also hadn't helped Su Tao’s family in the past.
It was a case of fortunes changing.
Mrs. Su-Jin knew that Su Tao was close to the Xie family, so she spoke very politely. "Taozi, where is your mother? I need to talk to your mother about something."
"My mother went to the fields and won't be back for a while. What's the matter?"
Su Tao thought to herself that Mrs. Su-Jin must have come about Su Jinbao's marriage.
Su Jin hesitated for a moment, then spoke up, "Taozi, your cousin still can't find a wife. I was wondering if your mother could help him find someone."
Lin Sanzhu got along well with the women in the village, unlike her, who had spent the last few years doing nothing but work.
"My mom's words are useless. With Grandma's condition, no family would want their daughter to marry into the family."
Su Tao paused, then added, as if remembering something, "You have to sever all ties with Grandma first."
She was stirring up trouble. Mrs. Su-Qian, that wretched old woman, should be taught a lesson.
Mrs. Su Jin's expression changed. She had considered it herself, but it was already impossible.
Seeing her like this, Su Tao knew she wouldn't dare, and started offering bad advice again. "It's fine if you don't separate, as long as you stand firm. We split from the family a few years ago, so even if you manage the household, outsiders won't say anything."
Mrs. Su-Jin stood there without saying a word, clearly not daring to speak. After a while, she said, "I'll come over when your mother is home."
She had just returned home and hadn't even gotten a clear view of the courtyard when Mrs. Su-Qian slapped her, making her head spin. "Where have you been? All you do is slack off all day."
Mrs. Su-Jin came to her senses and glanced at the silent Su He. Her heart sank. How could Su He compare to Su Fu?
If she had married Su Fu back then, she wouldn't be in this situation.
Su Jinbao stood in front of her, somewhat angry, and roared, "Grandma, why did you hit Mom?"
"So what if I hit her? Do you think you can turn the world upside down? If you want to get out, then get out! Don't expect me to give you a single penny!"
Mrs. Su-Qian didn’t learn from her lesson. In the past few years, Mrs. Su-Jin had endured so much that she had long forgotten about returning to her parents' home.
Remembering Su Tao's words, Mrs. Su-Jin, emboldened by some unknown source, actually replied, "Fine." Her face turned pale immediately, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Mrs. Su-Qian's eyes widened, pointing at her and cursing, "Then get out! You think the Su family cares about you? Look at yourself! You think any man would want you..."
If Mrs. Su-Qian hadn't said anything more, Mrs. Su-Jin might not have dared to say anything more. Hearing such harsh words, she couldn't hold back any longer and stammered, "I'll leave! I'll take Jinbao and Laicai with me and leave! I don't want a single penny!"
She didn't want anything anymore. She just wanted to escape this hellhole of the Su family.
She continued, "Mom, this family is in this state because of you! You treat people like dirt!"
"If you want to leave, then leave! Our family can save some food. The moment you leave, I'll have Su He divorce you." Mrs. Su-Qian was certain she wouldn't dare.
Mrs. Su-Jin had had enough. These past few days, the marriage proposals for Jinbao hadn't gone through, and she was so worried that she couldn't sleep at night.
Su He, however, didn't care at all. After finishing his work, he just went to sleep.
She gritted her teeth and hardened her heart, "Jinbao, Laicai, will you come with me? I won't let you go hungry."
