Chapter 89: My Tooth

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: My Tooth

Liu Lang’s mother?

And that I bullied Zheng Zhizhi?

Hearing this, Su Wan was certain Mrs. Liu had a screw loose. It was no wonder she could raise a hooligan like Liu Cong, or even force Liu Lang to marry Zheng Zhizhi.

Su Wan had no idea what her goal was, or who this little act was for.

She shot a look at Lu Zhengchuan, who was just about to come out of the kitchen, signaling for him to stay put for now.

Lu Zhengchuan stopped, but his worried, tense gaze remained fixed on Su Wan.

"Auntie, what is it you really want with me? You can just say it. There’s no one else here, so why put on an act?"

Mrs. Liu’s eyes widened. "An act? How dare you humiliate me."

Su Wan was speechless. "..."

"If there’s nothing else, you should head back. We’re not in a position to entertain guests right now." Su Wan was already showing her the door.

Mrs. Liu couldn’t believe it. She pointed a trembling finger at her. "You... you, comrade, how can you speak like that?"

"Is it a crime not to welcome you into my home?" Su Wan retorted with a smile.

Mrs. Liu’s voice was frail, yet her tone was self-righteous. "Of course. Why won’t you welcome me? You have no tolerance at all. What right do you have to go to university? The school should revoke your acceptance letter! Letting a person with no morals like you get an education is a waste of society’s resources."

As Mrs. Liu spoke, she deliberately took a fall on the flat ground as she moved past Su Wan, smashing her teeth. Her mouth was instantly full of blood.

Mrs. Liu lay on the ground, stunned for a moment. It seemed she hadn’t expected to actually break a tooth. She instinctively covered her mouth, saw the blood on her palm, and then sat cross-legged on the floor and began to wail.

"SOB SOB SOB... My tooth..."

"My mouth... Am I going to die? WAAAH..."

The moment Mrs. Liu mentioned the words "go to university," Su Wan was on high alert.

When she saw the way Mrs. Liu fell, she instinctively held her belly and stepped back, thinking the woman was going to try and push her, just like Zheng Zhizhi had.

"Wanwan, what’s happening?"

"Who’s crying?"

But now, seeing her wailing, and hearing the footsteps and curious questions from the other families outside the door, it all clicked. Su Wan suddenly realized that Mrs. Liu was just here to ruin her reputation and stop her from going to university.

Su Wan immediately turned her head and saw Gao Qiang leading a group of people as they pushed open the courtyard gate.

The crowd swarmed in. Gao Qiang, at the very front, pointed at the blood on the ground and shrieked, "Oh my god, Su Wan, you hit someone! Look at all that blood."

"Auntie, are you alright?" Gao Qiang added, forcing herself to suppress her disgust as she helped Mrs. Liu up.

"Wanwan, are you okay?" Zhao Qing and the others walked over to Su Wan’s side, holding her arm and asking with concern.

Su Wan shook her head, relieved. It seemed many people still trusted her. "I’m fine, Sister-in-law."

"Do you know this person? She just came banging on the door, walked in, and started crying without a word, saying I’d harmed Zheng Zhizhi. It was only then that I learned she’s Liu Lang’s mother." Su Wan sighed helplessly, getting her side of the story out first and clarifying Mrs. Liu’s identity.

Hearing this, Zhao Qing looked over at the still-crying Mrs. Liu with a strange expression.

She lowered her voice. "Wanwan, you haven’t been around the compound lately. You might not know, but this one’s a real crybaby. She thinks every little thing is a personal injustice..."

Before Zhao Qing could finish, she was interrupted.

"Su Wan! Aunt He got injured at your place, so you have to take responsibility!" Gao Qiang said righteously, pulling Mrs. Liu over and pointing to the injury on her face. "You can’t possibly say Aunt He didn’t get hurt here, can you?"

Su Wan nodded. "She did indeed fall on the flat ground in my yard."

"See? You admit it yourself!" Gao Qiang’s voice was excited, as if she could already see Su Wan having to pay up and suffer the consequences.

Meeting her gloating smile, Su Wan asked quizzically, "Comrade Gao, are you suggesting that I’m responsible for the medical bills of anyone who falls in my house?"

"If someone were to fall in your house, would you have to pay their medical bills too?"

"By that logic, this military compound belongs to the army. If we fall and get hurt somewhere in the compound, does the army have to compensate us for medical expenses?"

Su Wan’s three-part question was a series of verbal traps.

The first question established that Mrs. Liu had fallen on her own in the yard, and it had nothing to do with her.

The second was a warning to the other families not to let themselves get extorted.

The third escalated the matter to the level of the army itself. If Gao Qiang continued to press the issue, she would just be seen as a troublemaker.

"Su Wan, don’t change the subject! Aunt Liu is injured. Even just for humanitarian reasons, you should take her to the clinic first. Instead, you’re just standing here shirking responsibility. You’re being too cold and heartless!" Gao Qiang, momentarily stunned, quickly tried to steer the conversation back.

Her words won the approval of some of the others.

"That’s right. Let’s not argue now. Let’s get her to the clinic first. With that much blood, who knows how bad it is."

"Yeah, Wanwan, we all know you’re not the type to cause trouble, but Liu Lang’s mother’s injury is the priority right now."

Seeing everyone pressure Su Wan, a flash of triumph crossed Gao Qiang’s eyes, and she shot Su Wan a provocative smile.

"Then I’ll have to trouble everyone to take Aunt Liu to the clinic. I’m pregnant and it’s not convenient for me..."

Mrs. Liu was taken to the clinic by the concerned families.

After the army doctor at the clinic dressed her external wounds, he confirmed she had a busted lip and had chipped half of a front tooth, which made her lisp when she spoke. The only solutions were to replace the tooth or get it capped.

"What? Ten yuan to cap one tooth? And thirty to replace it?"

Upon hearing the doctor’s quote, Mrs. Liu ran right back to pester Su Wan before noon had even arrived.

"No, you can’t leave! If you leave, what about my tooth?" Mrs. Liu lisped as she spoke,

Seeing that Su Wan and Lu Zhengchuan had finished packing their luggage and were about to leave in a military vehicle, she rushed forward to block their way.

She blocked Su Wan from getting into the vehicle.

"Auntie, there’s no need to pester me. Here’s five yuan for compensation. Take it." Su Wan offered her the money directly.

But Mrs. Liu pushed her hand away. "No, I don’t want it! What good is five yuan? It costs ten yuan just to cap my tooth. Are you treating me like a beggar?"

"Oh, then I’ll compensate you ten yuan." Su Wan continued to get money for her.

Mrs. Liu swallowed hard, then shook her head stubbornly. "No, ten yuan isn’t enough."

"Twenty..." Su Wan directly handed her two ten-yuan bills.

Mrs. Liu’s hand trembled uncontrollably. Seeing how generous Su Wan was being, her greed got the better of her, and she decided to ask for an exorbitant price. "Twenty? That’s just the money for the tooth. I also bled and was injured."

"Thirty, then."

Su Wan put on an act, looking afraid of being pestered further. She frowned as she took more money from her wallet.

"Fifty! Give me fifty, and we’ll call it even." Mrs. Liu thought she had her under control, figuring the young woman was an easy target. She suppressed her excitement as she spoke.

All of Mrs. Liu’s attention was focused on Su Wan’s wallet, which was stuffed with ten-yuan bills.

She was so focused that she failed to notice a group of military officers and leaders gathering behind her.

"Fine, I’ll give it to you. Auntie, let’s just never see each other again after this. I just want to study and do my research in peace. Please, don’t make things difficult for me, okay?" Su Wan pleaded helplessly.