Chapter 9: Not Cheap

It really was Liu Guifang standing outside the door. She was technically a neighbor, but not exactly a close one.

“So, what are you going to do about this?” Liu Guifang got straight to the point, making her intentions clear as soon as the door opened.

She was about 1.56 meters tall, noticeably shorter than Su Qinghu, but she made up for it with her fiery attitude.

Su Qinghu smiled. “Which matter are you referring to?”

She stood right at the doorway, making no move to invite Liu Guifang in. Calm and composed, neither arrogant nor flustered, her tone sounded downright provocative to Liu Guifang’s ears.

Still pretending not to know?

Liu Guifang’s face darkened. “Two things. I want answers for both of them today!”

If she didn’t get a satisfactory explanation, this little vixen could forget about keeping her job!

“Which two things?” Su Qinghu glanced at Erdan, who was tugging at her sleeve, gave his head a gentle rub, then looked back at Liu Guifang, still unhurried. “You’ll have to be specific before I can give you an answer.”

Liu Guifang assumed she was playing dumb, and forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Since you’re not embarrassed in front of everyone, I don’t mind repeating it.”

She glanced at the growing crowd, curled her lip in contempt, and said, “First, your eldest son acted indecently. Second, your younger son stripped all the flowers off my pomegranate tree.”

As soon as she finished, Erdan looked like he wanted to rush over, but Su Qinghu held him back by the scruff of his neck. With a warning look from her, he pursed his lips and obediently stood by her side, silent.

The onlookers glanced at Erdan, then at Su Qinghu, but said nothing. Judging by their faces, the ages didn’t quite match.

Stepmother and stepsons?

Almost instantly, the crowd’s eyes filled with curiosity. In recent years, it wasn’t uncommon for men to abandon their wives for younger, prettier women—was this another case?

Su Qinghu didn’t care what others thought. She simply nodded at Liu Guifang. “Let’s handle things one at a time. We’ll go in order, starting with the first issue you mentioned.”

Liu Guifang didn’t reply, which was as good as agreement.

“How old is your daughter?” Su Qinghu asked.

Liu Guifang frowned. “Why do you want to know that?”

Su Qinghu just looked at her, saying nothing, making it clear she wouldn’t proceed unless Liu Guifang answered.

In the end, Liu Guifang relented, impatiently muttering, “Thirteen.”

“Do you know how old my son is?” Su Qinghu continued.

Liu Guifang snapped, “What does that have to do with anything?! Does age matter when it comes to indecency? No matter how young he is, if he acted indecently, it’s still wrong!”

She jabbed her finger toward someone behind Su Qinghu and shouted angrily, “You little brat, get over here!”

Su Qinghu glanced inside and saw Dadan coming over. She didn’t stop him. Raising an eyebrow, she turned her gaze back to Liu Guifang, who looked ready to roll up her sleeves for a fight, and blocked her path. “Why don’t you tell us exactly how my son acted indecently?”

She was all smiles, speaking in the same calm tone. Liu Guifang was losing her patience. “How? Why don’t you ask your own kid? Enough with the nonsense. If you don’t handle this properly, we’re not done!”

Su Qinghu turned to the teenage girl beside Liu Guifang, who kept her head down. “Miss, can you tell me why you think my son acted indecently?”

The girl glanced up at her, then quickly looked down again, refusing to speak.

Liu Guifang sneered, “What, trying to scare the child now?”

“With everyone here as witnesses, I’m speaking to your daughter far more gently than I am to you.” Su Qinghu raised an eyebrow. “If that’s enough to frighten her, then I must be even more wronged than Dou E. Besides, if she had the courage to tell you about this supposed indecency, surely she can face me, the supposed victim. How could she be timid now?”

That remark got a reaction—the crowd all looked at Su Qinghu. Victim?

Even Liu Guifang was momentarily stunned.

“Come here!” Su Qinghu didn’t explain right away. She beckoned Dadan over, and when he came close, she lifted her chin proudly. “This is my eldest son, Zhang Anyan. He’s nine years old.”

The crowd took a look—wow, what a handsome kid! And not just good-looking, but smart too! He stood tall and confident, with a natural presence.

“Not only is he smart and a good student, he’s also very helpful.” Su Qinghu glanced coldly at Liu Guifang and her daughter. “The day my son came home—the very day you accused him of indecency—his jacket was missing.”

“That jacket may not have been expensive, but it was the only piece of clothing he owned that didn’t have patches.”

Seeing that Liu Guifang still didn’t get it, Su Qinghu had to spell it out. “Why don’t you ask your daughter where she put my son’s jacket?”

Liu Guifang: “What are you getting at?”

“I mean,” Su Qinghu looked at Dadan, who was staring at her in shock, confirming her guess, and her voice grew firmer, “my son’s jacket was used by your daughter to cover herself!”

Liu Guifang still hadn’t caught on, but someone familiar with her tugged her aside and whispered a few words in her ear.

Su Qinghu saw Liu Guifang’s face flush red, her gaze now evasive.

“Alright, just remember to return the jacket to us,” Su Qinghu said with a perfectly polite smile. “Now, let’s move on to the second issue.”

Liu Guifang clearly wanted to drop it, but Su Qinghu’s warning look kept her rooted in place.

“My younger son was upset that you accused his brother without finding out the truth, so in a fit of anger, he picked all the flowers off your pomegranate tree. While there was a reason…” She emphasized the words, “there was a reason,” “…it’s still true that he picked your flowers, so we should compensate you. Name your price.”

Liu Guifang hesitated, but remembering how much money she made from that tree last year, she spoke up. “Last year, I sold fifty or sixty pomegranates from that tree for 51 yuan and 98 cents.”

Su Qinghu was taken aback.

She’d underestimated this!

Fruit was that expensive?

Seeing her hesitate, Liu Guifang added, “This year, big apples are selling for 1.2 yuan a jin. Pomegranates are rare—last year they went for 1.11 yuan a jin.”

Su Qinghu forced a smile, ignored Erdan tugging at her sleeve, counted out fifty yuan notes and two more yuan, and handed them over.

Just as Liu Guifang was about to take the money, Su Qinghu pulled her hand back. “Looks like you’re satisfied with how I handled both issues. Now, let’s talk about what I’m not satisfied with.”

“You and your daughter owe my son an apology.” Su Qinghu smiled. “I understand you were just being a concerned mother, and I respect your attention to detail, but my son’s reputation deserves to be cleared. Also, are you sure you can return that jacket?”

Liu Guifang said, “I can! If the jacket’s gone, I’ll buy your son a new one.”

Dadan finally spoke up: “That jacket is a foreign brand. It’s not cheap.”"