Chapter 226: Paying a Visit

Su Yaozu stared at Su Zhaozhao in shock. ’Hadn’t his aunt told him? That Su Zhaozhao would definitely be on her best behavior in front of her grandparents.’

’If he showed up at their door, she would never dare to throw him out like she did at the park!’

’After all, the park was one thing—it was full of strangers. If Su Zhaozhao wanted to be shameless, she could certainly abandon him there.’

’But this was her grandparents’ house, surrounded by relatives and neighbors who all knew her.’

’His aunt said she would never be that heartless to him.’

’She would have to invite him in, if only to save face.’

’But now, Su Zhaozhao was actually denying he was her brother?’

"Sis, you can’t abandon me! I’m your only brother," Su Yaozu cried, reaching out to grab Su Zhaozhao.

With tears and snot streaming down his face, he looked utterly pitiful.

Besides, he was just a child, and seeing him cry so miserably made the neighbors frown.

They didn’t know Su Zhaozhao, but they had been neighbors with Xu Yingmin and Li Chunhong for years and would exchange greetings whenever they saw them.

They also knew that the granddaughter’s mother had a major falling out with the Xu Family long ago.

’Who knew this granddaughter would also be so cold and heartless, abandoning her own brother.’

Su Zhaozhao could feel the unfriendly stares from the crowd, all seeming to blame her for her harsh treatment of Su Yaozu.

’So this was Su Yaozu and Chen Aihua’s plan, huh?’

’Chen Aihua was probably hiding nearby, watching this whole scene unfold. If Su Yaozu succeeded, she would be thrilled. She might even bring her own family to the Xu residence to demand things.’

’In the original owner’s memories, this aunt was completely shameless.’

Su Zhaozhao had no intention of showing her any courtesy.

Instead, she declared, her voice louder than Su Yaozu’s, "I am not your sister. The moment your mother sold me to a pervert for a hundred yuan to be his wife, I cut all ties with your family."

"That pervert’s previous two wives both committed suicide by drinking poison, yet she still tried to marry me off to him! Wasn’t it all just to sell me so you could have a good life? Later, when I ran to find my fiancé, she hunted me down, drugged me, and tried to sell me off again!"

"Now they’re in prison for human trafficking, and you, the child of criminals, actually have the nerve to come here and demand that I raise you? Su Yaozu, you are truly shameless!"

Su Zhaozhao said it all in one breath, her voice firm and resolute.

As the saying goes, one shouldn’t air their dirty laundry in public. Most people would never broadcast such family matters.

But Su Zhaozhao didn’t care.

The more people who knew about this, the better.

This was especially true for the people here, at Xu Yingmin’s place. If the neighbors knew the whole story today, they wouldn’t gossip behind her back later.

The worst thing she could do was leave things vague. Then, someone with malicious intent could start a rumor, and it would spread like wildfire. That would be bad for her reputation and for the Xu Family’s.

Su Zhaozhao herself wasn’t afraid; she would be leaving in a couple of days anyway.

But her grandparents and uncles’ families would have to endure the criticism.

And who knew? Su Yaozu might start showing up at their door every day.

That’s why Su Zhaozhao felt it was best to make a clean break.

She couldn’t let her family get dragged into the eye of the storm because of her.

And no matter how crafty Su Yaozu was, he was still just an elementary school student with a limited vocabulary.

Su Zhaozhao’s sudden, rapid-fire torrent of words left Su Yaozu stunned into silence for a long moment.

He could only repeat, "But you’re my sister... That was Mom’s doing, not mine! Why are you taking it out on me? You’re my sister, you’re supposed to take care of me! It’s only natural for a sister to look after her brother."

He put on his pitiful act again.

He was just spouting the lines Chen Aihua had coached him on.

However, the onlookers could no longer sympathize with him. They even felt that for someone so young, the boy seemed cunning and deceitful.

They all started murmuring amongst themselves.

This was exactly the effect Su Zhaozhao had wanted.

Thankfully, the neighbors around the Xu residence were reasonable people, so Su Zhaozhao knew she didn’t have to worry too much.

Her only fear was that someone with ill intent would try to make a big issue out of it.

As long as that didn’t happen, everything would be manageable.

The Xu Family remained silent, but the neighbors began to speak up.

"You child, how can you be so thoughtless? After how your mother hurt your sister, how could she possibly agree to raise you?"

"Exactly! If I were her, you’d be lucky I didn’t chase you off with a broom. And you’re still here making a scene?"

"You can’t just do whatever you want and think you’re justified because you’re young. Just look at him! Now we know what kind of person that girl’s stepmother is. She clearly didn’t raise him right. Look at that sly expression on his face!"

...

Hearing the neighbors’ comments, Su Zhaozhao felt a little more at ease.

It seemed she had made the right choice. At least this way, they wouldn’t say anything else.

Still, Su Zhaozhao remained a bit worried.

So she added, "Su Yaozu, go home. And you didn’t come alone, did you? Who’s with you? Don’t tell me Chen Aihua is here too?"

She scanned the surroundings but didn’t see her.

But Xie Huaizheng leaned close to her ear and murmured, "Your two o’clock."

Su Zhaozhao immediately looked over and, sure enough, spotted a woman hiding by an alley not far away.

She was truly impressed by Xie Huaizheng’s sharp eyes; he had managed to spot Chen Aihua from so far away.

Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but shout, "Chen Aihua, come and drag him back! He’s Su Dashan and Zhang Fengxia’s only heir, after all. If he gets lost, won’t they pester you to death when they get out of prison?"

Chen Aihua’s face went pale. She stared at Su Zhaozhao as if she’d seen a ghost.

’I was hiding so far away, how could Su Zhaozhao still see me?’

Su Yaozu looked like he was about to start crying again.

Su Zhaozhao shot him a glare. The icy look in her eyes made Su Yaozu clamp his mouth shut.

’He had a feeling that if he started crying again, Su Zhaozhao might just send him flying with a kick.’

More importantly, out of this whole crowd, not a single person was on his side. In fact, many of them were blaming him.

’But he was just a child! And a boy, at that! He was supposed to carry on the family line!’

’Why were they all being so mean to him?’

The door closed, and both of her uncles’ families came over.

Since it was early in the morning, they hadn’t left for work yet.

"Zhaozhao, was that your stepmother’s son?" Xu Zhenguo asked, looking at Su Zhaozhao with a gossipy expression.

Su Zhaozhao nodded. "That’s him. He saw me at the park yesterday and has been clinging to me ever since."

’He knows I have money, so he wants to stick with me for good food.’

"Oh, Zhaozhao, it must be so hard for you, having to deal with such awful people," Xu Ziyang couldn’t help but sigh. "Don’t be afraid. If they ever dare to show their faces here again, I’ll beat them and throw them out."