Chapter 647: Fainted

Zheng Erlian moved so fast that neither Su Shengguo nor Su Shengli could react. By the time they came to their senses and chased her into the room, they saw Zheng Erlian yanking Old Mrs. Su’s hair and slapping her viciously across the face. “I’ll beat you to death, you old crone!” she screamed. “That’ll teach you to be so vile! That’ll teach you to spew such venom! I’ve been taking care of you out of the goodness of my heart, and you’ve taken my kindness for weakness, haven’t you!”

Old Mrs. Su’s face stung. Enraged, she lashed out, her nails raking across Zheng Erlian’s face and leaving several deep scratches.

“AAAH—” Incandescent with rage, Zheng Erlian struck back with even more force. Her blows were wild and uncontrolled; she simply hammered Old Mrs. Su’s face with an open palm, each slap more brutal than the last. Within two blows, blood was trickling from the old woman’s nose and mouth.

“Erlian, stop it!” Seeing Zheng Erlian’s frenzy, Su Shengguo was horrified. He rushed forward, wrapping his arms around his wife and dragging her a few steps back.

Zheng Erlian felt the rage in her chest was far from spent. When Su Shengguo held her back, she immediately fought against him, crying and pounding on his chest. “You heartless man! Didn’t you hear what that old crone said about Meizi? Is that how a grandmother should act? Meizi is gone, and she just keeps twisting the knife in my heart! Is she even human? WAHHH—”

Old Mrs. Su caught her breath, clutched her chest, and screamed at Zheng Erlian, “You home-wrecking harlot! You’ll die a miserable death! You unfilial wench, they’ll throw you in a cauldron of boiling oil in the afterlife! Go on, kill me if you have the guts! I’d love to see if your son could ever show his face in public again!”

“Pah!” Zheng Erlian spat back. “If I really did kill you, everyone would clap and cheer! They’d celebrate there being one less menace in the world. You think just because people don’t say it to your face, they aren’t whispering behind your back? You’ve never done a good deed in your life—only caused misery. When you die, you’re going straight to the eighteenth level of hell, never to be reborn!” Zheng Erlian’s tirade continued, “And that includes your dead husband! He was just as much of a scourge. He’s probably suffering in the eighteenth level of hell as we speak! Tian Aixiang killed him, but I don’t see Su Lihui hiding his face in shame. He’s out gallivanting all day, never home, and seems to be having a grand old time.”

“You… you… you…” Old Mrs. Su was so enraged by Zheng Erlian’s words she began to pant heavily.

“Oh, that’s right,” Zheng Erlian sneered. “Your husband took the fall for you. Tian Aixiang was trying to kill *you* that day. You’re the one who pushed him in front of the knife. So, you can bet that wherever he is in the afterlife, he hates your guts.”

Old Mrs. Su’s hand trembled as she pointed at Zheng Erlian, rendered speechless. It was this very daughter-in-law who had spread the story of her pushing Mr. Su in the path of the knife, making it common knowledge. Now, she was paralyzed in bed, and even the old friends she was once close with no longer came to visit. She blamed her eldest daughter-in-law for all of it.

Seeing Zheng Erlian drag his family into the argument, Su Shengli, who had been standing on the sidelines, grew resentful. “Sister-in-law, this is between you and Mom. Why involve my family? Tian Aixiang has already paid the price for what she did. The matter is closed. Why are you dredging up the past?”

‘Not only is she dredging it up,’ he thought, ‘she’s twisting the knife with every word. This is going too far!’

“Pah!” Zheng Erlian, grieving the loss of her daughter and finding fault with everyone, immediately fired back the moment Su Shengli spoke. “Of course I have to dredge up the past! If your damn wife hadn’t slashed my Meizi, would my Meizi have been disfigured? If she hadn’t been disfigured, would she have become so desperate as to run away to Beijing? And if she hadn’t gone to Beijing, how could she have died there under such mysterious circumstances?”

“You—” Su Shengli’s eyes widened in a glare, but a glance at his older brother made him back down. “Sister-in-law, Tian Aixiang did that, not me. Why are you taking it out on me?”

Su Shengli had been slashed in the arm by Tian Aixiang before, and now that arm was weak. He couldn’t even take on his sister-in-law Zheng Erlian in a fight, let alone his older brother.

“Alright, alright. Mom was in the wrong today,” Su Shengguo said, trying to placate her. “Don’t be so angry. It’s bad for your health.” He was also furious with his mother for her callousness. Su Mei was his own daughter, after all. Now that she was gone, her grandmother, Old Mrs. Su, could have at least shed a few tears or even just kept silent. But instead, she had to say things that cut right to the heart. He couldn’t blame his wife for wanting to beat her. ‘If she weren’t my own mother, I’d want to hit her myself.’

“You… you unfilial son! You’re unfilial, you…” Old Mrs. Su was incensed by Su Shengguo’s words. Pointing a finger at him, she let out two sharp curses before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted.

“Oh no, Mom!” Su Shengli cried out, then complained, “Look what you’ve done, Big Brother! You made Mom pass out from anger.”

“Hmph. Serves her right.” Zheng Erlian shot a contemptuous look at the unconscious Old Mrs. Su on the bed, took a deep breath, and walked toward her own room. “We’re leaving tomorrow. I’m going to pack.”

‘As for Old Mrs. Su, I’m done serving her. From now on, her own son can take care of her. I’m not doing it anymore.’

Su Lidong and Su Lifeng, who had been waiting by the door to Old Mrs. Su’s room, saw Zheng Erlian emerge. Su Lidong hurried forward. “Mom.”

Zheng Erlian nodded slightly and wiped away a tear. “Go to your rooms and pack,” she said. “We’re going to Beijing tomorrow to bring your sister home.”

“Mhm.”

「Three days later.」

Su Shengguo’s family of four disembarked at the Beijing railway station. Just as they were leaving the station, a police officer approached them. “Excuse me, are you Su Shengguo and Zheng Erlian?”

Su Shengguo nodded quickly. “Yes, that’s us. Are you from the Beijing Public Security Bureau?”

The officer nodded. “Get in the car. I’ll take you to the station first.”

“Officer, my daughter…” Zheng Erlian began, tears welling in her eyes again. She had cried the whole way here, and her eyes were already red and swollen. Looking at her, the officer sighed to himself. ‘Strictly speaking, Su Mei was a victim in this case.’ He felt a great deal of sympathy for a mother who had lost her child.

“Once you’re settled in at the guesthouse, I’ll take you to see Su Mei’s body,” the officer said softly.

Hearing the word “body,” Zheng Erlian broke down sobbing again. Even Su Lidong and Su Lifeng’s eyes turned red.

After getting settled at the guesthouse, the family of four followed the officer to the Beijing Public Security Bureau. In the morgue, when they saw Su Mei’s body frozen inside a refrigerated drawer, Zheng Erlian let out a heart-wrenching wail. “Meizi! Oh, my Meizi! You died such a miserable death!”

Wiping away his own tears, Su Shengguo turned to the officer. “Officer, the police back home told us you’d have the details. I need to ask… how exactly did our daughter die?”