Chapter 591 - 590: Dealing with the Scumbags (6)

Su Li had no idea that people from Xinghua Village and Su Family Village were rushing over to see what all the fuss was about. She rested for a night and woke up the next day, full of energy.

After breakfast and packing her things, she headed to the factory.

She had only planned to say her goodbyes, but what with one question after another and everyone chiming in, the entire morning slipped away.

Finally, the factory manager insisted she stay for lunch, and after a glance at the time, Su Li agreed.

She was in the middle of her meal when the security guard, a man Su Li had personally hired years ago, came to report that someone was making a scene at the front gate.

Actually, "making a scene" wasn’t quite right—it was mostly just cursing. The woman wanted to throw a full-blown tantrum, maybe toss some rotten vegetables, but the guard wasn’t just for show. She never got the chance.

So the woman just planted herself at the main gate, hands on her hips, and started screaming insults. It wasn’t long before two other women joined in, their curses even viler.

The three of them kept screaming while a crowd gathered to watch the spectacle, turning the area by the gate into a chaotic marketplace.

The guard had been on the job for several years. He didn’t know many of the people from Su Family Village and Xinghua Village by name, but their faces were familiar. He ultimately decided to report the situation to Su Li.

"Tell them to leave. If they refuse to go after you’ve talked to them and start throwing a fit on the ground, call the police."

Su Li said without a moment’s hesitation, continuing her meal as if nothing had happened.

The guard had really just come for her orders. Hearing them, he turned and left without another word.

While Su Li ate calmly inside, the women at the gate grew more and more agitated, their curses escalating, completely unaware that she couldn’t hear a single word.

These three screaming women were none other than Fang Yulan, Zhao Wenming’s mother; Aunt Li, Qin Shanshan’s mother; and Aunt Qin, her maternal aunt.

Thanks to the big mouth on Miao Fenghua, the news that Qin Shanshan had been sent to prison had spread throughout all the surrounding villages.

Aunt Li was devastated. She fell so gravely ill that she nearly died.

Aunt Qin had always doted on Shanshan as if she were her own daughter, so the news was heartbreaking. However, for a variety of reasons, she never made the trip to the Imperial City.

They may not have gone to the Imperial City, but they never forgot who their enemy was.

They truly hated Su Li to the bone.

Fang Yulan had arrived first and started cursing immediately. She then got ahold of Aunt Qin and Aunt Li, who quickly joined the fray.

The onlookers from Su Family Village and Xinghua Village crowded around, but the show didn’t last long. The stern-faced security guard, a man they both hated and feared, soon appeared.

"Keep making a scene and we’ll call the police."

The stern-faced guard’s attitude was unyielding, and he finally made a move to call the police.

Hate him as they might, Fang Yulan and the others had no choice but to fall silent.

They fell silent, but they didn’t leave. They just milled around the factory entrance, spitting on the ground every so often, waiting for Su Li to emerge so they could let her have it.

Su Li never appeared, and Aunt Qin couldn’t wait any longer. She was still on the clock at work and had just come over during her break.

Though reluctant to give up, she eventually had to return to her job at the county hospital.

She left, but the others kept waiting.

After finishing her lunch and resting for a while, Su Li paid the people at the gate no mind and set off for the city.

Since Su Li had made the trip back, the factory manager naturally wanted to do his best for her, insisting that a driver take her to the city.

The car belonged to the factory, a purchase Su Li herself had approved the previous year.

A round trip to the city and back could be completed before the end of the workday, so Su Li didn’t turn down the offer.

As the car drove out of the factory, Su Li spotted the crowd at the gate from a distance.

Seeing the crowd of faces—some familiar, some faded from memory—Su Li frowned but remained silent.

When the guard at the gate saw the car emerging, he knew Su Li was inside and quickly waved for the crowd to make way.

"The car’s coming out! Quick, make way! Don’t get hit."

The driver gave a timely honk of the horn, and the people at the gate scattered immediately.

"Quick, move! Don’t get hit!"

Those with children scooped them up and scurried away even faster.

A path at the entrance was quickly cleared. The guard opened the gate, and the car drove out slowly.

"So that’s a car, huh? What a rare sight."

"I wonder if I’ll ever get to ride in one in this lifetime."

The people from both villages watched in awe as the car drove out, murmuring amongst themselves.

"I hear Su Li even has a car now. Who knows how much money she’s made." The words were tinged with jealousy.

"Su Li must be hiding somewhere."

Hearing the crowd’s chatter, Fang Yulan and Aunt Li snorted in disgust.

"If she dares to show her face, I’ll let her have it!"

The words were barely out of her mouth when someone nearby gasped.

"Su Li!"

"It’s Su Li!"

Everyone whipped their heads around at the shouts and saw her—there, in the car passing right before their eyes, sat Su Li.

She looked very different, but they all recognized her instantly.

The moment they recognized her, a collective gasp went through the crowd.

"Heavens, it really is Su Li!"

"This...."

Seeing Su Li in the car—so lofty and elegant, as if from a completely different world—the villagers stared, their eyes wide with a mixture of awe, fear, and disbelief.

Fang Yulan and Aunt Li, who had just been threatening to tear Su Li apart, were struck dumb the moment they laid eyes on her.

Meeting Su Li’s cold, indifferent gaze, the words caught in their throats.

In that fleeting moment, the villagers were profoundly shaken.

They stared blankly at Su Li, the thought of stopping the car not even crossing their minds.

Su Li sat in the car, windows rolled up, her gaze sweeping over them dispassionately as the vehicle slowly glided past.

Only after the car had slowly pulled away did the villagers finally react.

"Hey, wait! Don’t go!"

"I thought you were going to let her have it if she showed her face? Why were you so quiet?"

"Is she coming back?"

They stared at the departing car, chattering all at once, before rushing to question the guard.

"Is Su Li coming back?"

The guard shut the gate, his gaze turning icy as he answered, "She’s not. Now all of you, get out of here."

At these words, Aunt Li suddenly bolted forward, as if to chase after Su Li, but the car was already disappearing into the distance. There was no way she could catch it.

"Heavens, she just left... just like that! How can she be so cruel? An ungrateful wretch, that’s what she is! I’ve never met a more heartless woman in my life!"

Aunt Li ran a few steps before collapsing to the ground in despair, slapping her thighs as she wailed and cursed.

This time, however, nobody paid her any mind. Her own heart was in turmoil.

It was hard to describe. They’d been hearing for ages that the factory was profitable, but in their minds, Su Li was still the girl they used to know. They never found her particularly intimidating.

But in that fleeting glimpse just now, they had seen it—they had seen just how different Su Li was from them.

That lofty aura, that sense that she belonged to a world completely separate from their own, was now undeniable.

With the show over and Su Li gone, the villagers who had come for the entertainment began to disperse, a sense of disappointment in their hearts.

’Too bad they still couldn’t get a look inside the factory.’

Everyone eventually left, even Fang Yulan. She snuck off to try and see Zhao Wenming.

Zhao Wenming had forbidden Fang Yulan from visiting him at home, but she missed her son so desperately that she would sneak over anyway. Sometimes, if she was lucky, she could wait for half a day just to catch a single glimpse of him from afar.

With even Fang Yulan gone, only Aunt Li remained at the gate. She was resentful, but after one last look at the factory entrance, she had no choice but to leave, her heart filled with bitterness.

She was in no mood to wander around, so she went to find the one person who shared her deep-seated hatred: Aunt Qin.

But as soon as she entered the hospital, she found it in chaos. People were running around, shouting something about a murder.

Aunt Li snapped to her senses. Her first instinct upon hearing the word "murder" was to run, but her ingrained love for drama compelled her to push forward instead.

She pushed forward for a look. Her pupils contracted violently, and a scream tore from her throat.

"AHHH!"