Chapter 34: How Is His Sister So Cultured?

Su Jianjun could hardly believe that the box contained so many valuables. These were treasures he had never seen in his entire life. He took out two silver bracelets and examined them; he recognized them as the ones he had worn as a child before setting them back on the table. Next, he pulled out a piece of jade. Though he did not know the specific type, it felt warm and smooth to the touch, clearly of high quality. One side was engraved with the character "Su," while the other featured a landscape of flowers and mountains. He placed it on the table as well.

He then picked up the gold bars, each stamped with a 100-gram mark; there were eight in total. There were also many pieces of women’s gold jewelry laid out. Finally, he counted the cash, which amounted to a full 5,000 yuan.

Su Wanwan picked up the jade, studying it closely. It was top-grade Hetian jade, and the carving on it held a particularly auspicious meaning. Su Jianjun looked at his family and asked, "What do you all think?"

Zhao Hefen touched the gold bars repeatedly, saying, "We must hide these. But where?"

Su Jianjun signaled for his son to speak. Su Heng looked at the silver bracelet in his hand and said, "Dad, I’m certain your parents must have been wealthy people."

Su Jianjun glanced at his son. "You don't say. Do you think I can't see that for myself?" He turned to his daughter. "Wanwan, what about you? What do you think?"

Su Wanwan had been mesmerized by the jade pendant. Startled by her father's voice, she explained its significance: "Dad, this is a top-quality Hetian jade 'peace pendant.' Look at the landscape carved here: the mountains are majestic, and the water is elegant. Mountains represent descendants, and water represents wealth. The meaning is that the wearer will have a heart as vast as the rivers and mountains, a boundless future, peace, and prosperity, eventually meeting at the pinnacle. The 'Su' character on the other side must be the surname of Grandpa or Grandma."

Su Heng: "!!!" Since when did his little sister become so cultured?

Su Jianjun: "!!!" His daughter was so clever; her words were truly profound. If only she had been able to attend school for a few more years. He sighed inwardly.

Zhao Hefen: "!!!" She stared blankly at her daughter.

Su Jianjun pointed at the items on the table. "Anything else?"

Su Wanwan pointed to the small chest. "It’s made of top-tier rosewood—a treasure that money can't buy. Looking at these trinkets and gold bars, one can tell that Grandpa or Grandma’s family background was far from ordinary. Their status might have been quite high."

Su Heng asked curiously, "Sister, how do you know all this?"

Su Jianjun and Zhao Hefen also looked at their daughter. Su Wanwan touched her nose and replied, "I’m smarter than you, so of course I know. Why ask so many questions!"

Su Jianjun packed the items back into the small chest. "Where shall we hide it?"

Zhao Hefen had always had things stolen by the 'old hag' (her mother-in-law) whenever she tried to hide them, so she was terrified of hiding such precious items. "Let our daughter hide it. Last time, she hid the family’s food so well that the old hag couldn't find it. I trust her."

Su Heng nodded. "That’s right, let my sister hide it. I searched for a long time last time and couldn't find where she put the food."

Su Jianjun agreed. He didn't know where his daughter had hidden the grain last time either, yet that night she had still managed to cook his favorite braised pork. He pushed the chest toward Su Wanwan. "Here, you hide it."

Su Wanwan, knowing it would be safest in her personal space, agreed.

Once the items were hidden, Su Jianjun took his family and a handcart to the old Su family residence. His daughter was truly clever; not only could she retrieve what had been stolen from them over the years, but she could also secure evidence against the old monsters.

The gate of the Su residence was shut tight. Su Jianjun pounded on it forcefully. His daughter had said that the bigger the scene they made today, the better.

Jinhua woke up from her sleep. She had been exhausted after a long night of labor and her limbs were aching. Who was making such a ruckus so early in the morning? It sounded as if they were trying to smash the door down. She cursed, "Which bastard is here looking for a fight this early?"

Su Jianwei, sleeping beside her, frowned with his eyes closed and said impatiently, "Go open the door! Stop disturbing my sleep. My whole body aches."

Jinhua walked to the door with trembling legs. When she saw it was Su Jianjun, her anger flared. She shouted, "Second brother, why aren't you at work this early? Why bring your whole family here?" She cast a wary look at the others.

Su Jianjun, having no patience for small talk, kicked the door open. Jinhua recoiled in fear, roaring, "What do you think you're doing? Are you rebelling?"

Su Jianjun said coldly, "Keep shouting. The louder, the better. Let the whole village come and see what kind of good deeds your family has been up to."

Hearing this, Jinhua was terrified and hurriedly closed the door. Her husband had told her yesterday that if anyone found out, the whole family would be finished.

Su Jianjun pulled up a chair in the main hall, sat down, and looked at Jinhua. "Call everyone in the house out immediately, or I won't be responsible for what I do."

Jinhua felt that Su Jianjun looked fierce and menacing. He used to obey his parents in everything, but now he seemed ready to turn the world upside down. She quickly went to wake her husband and father-in-law, explained the situation briefly, and then went to the backyard to fetch her mother-in-law.

Yang Guixiang decided to assess the situation first. If her youngest son didn't cause trouble, that would be for the best, as she could keep them working as beasts of burden for the family. If he did cause a scene, she wouldn't mind serving them a bowl of poisoned chicken soup to hasten their deaths—a plan they had discussed just yesterday.

Su Jianjun looked at them. Aside from the rosy-cheeked old woman, the other three were deathly pale. Su Jianwei, in particular, was sitting on a stool with his legs shaking.

Su Mao smiled and said, "Son, why are you here? Didn't you take the grain back yesterday? We're all one family; what's taken is taken."

Su Jianjun replied coldly, "That grain was mine to begin with. Why wouldn't I take it?"

He stood up and walked toward Su Jianwei, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure that made Su Jianwei shrink back involuntarily. Su Jianjun raised his foot and kicked him. Su Jianwei tumbled off the stool, flying several meters away, clutching his abdomen.

Yang Guixiang roared, "You heaven-forsaken wretch! How dare you hit your older brother? Have you no conscience? When you were little, your brother injured his body to save your life! How could you kick him like that? Woe is me... my son!"

Su Mao yelled at Su Jianjun, "You unfilial beast!" He lunged forward to slap him, but Su Jianjun kicked him down, his body crashing into Yang Guixiang. Yang Guixiang let out a sharp cry, "Oh, my head!"

Jinhua, too terrified to intervene, hid behind her husband.

"Unfilial son, hitting your own father! The world has turned upside down! Someone, take him to the labor camp for re-education!" Yang Guixiang wailed.

Su Jianjun looked at her. "Keep shouting. When the villagers get here, I’ll make sure everyone knows what your son has done. It’s definitely a capital offense."

Yang Guixiang’s eyes widened. Her worst fear was becoming reality; this little bastard really dared to do it. She glared at him with venomous intent. "He is your older brother! How could you be so heartless?"