Chapter 18

The faces of the others flushed with shame, and for a moment, they didn’t know how to retort.
Seeing the situation unfold, Sang Ran’s parents curled their lips in disdain, muttered a curse under their breath, and left directly.
After the incident last time, they had already decided to cut ties with Sang Ran.
Even though they coveted the money she earned, things had escalated to this point, and their greed was useless. Besides, Sang Ran was married now. It was better to preserve their dignity.
Grandma Sang, realizing the situation was beyond repair, quickly grabbed Sang Ran’s arm before she could leave the room. Her wrinkled face took on a pitiful expression as she said softly, "Sang Ran, if you’re taking your grandpa to live a better life, you can’t forget about me!"
"Your sons are still alive. I have no obligation to support you," Sang Ran retorted, raising her chin. Seeing Grandma Sang’s displeasure, she shot them a threatening glare, then pulled her wrist free and held it firmly. With a meaningful tone, she added, "I haven’t even looked into how Grandpa ended up collapsing in the field. Do you really want me to make a big scene about it?"
Grandma Sang’s breath hitched. What did she mean by "making a big scene"?
The slender hand gripping her wrist seemed delicate, but the strength behind it
It reminded her of the fear she had felt when Sang Ran threatened her before. Instinctively, she took a step back, no longer daring to argue.
"Sang Ran, forget it. You don’t have much money either, right? My health I’ll be fine after a couple of days of rest," Grandpa Sang said uneasily.
He hadn’t wanted Sang Ran to come back in the first place. In truth, his condition wasn’t severe enough to keep him bedridden, but his children had made such a fuss that he didn’t dare resist and simply stayed in bed.
His children had urged him to complain to Sang Ran, insisting that only if she gave more money could he afford medical treatment and better food.
But Grandpa Sang was unwilling. He didn’t even want Sang Ran to return, knowing she would surely suffer if she did.
At the same time, he understood his granddaughter well, she was a filial child. If she heard he was sick, she would definitely come back. Before her marriage, she had spent all her money on things like milk powder for him, truly intending to marry empty-handed.
If not for his sudden recollection of the three treasures his mother had left him, who knew how his granddaughter would have fared after getting married?
The child was sincere, and he was even more reluctant to let her suffer.
Yet there was no other way, he was old and could no longer protect her.
Sang Ran didn’t need to guess to understand Grandpa Sang’s thoughts. She smiled and said, “It’s fine, it won’t cost much. Besides, we’re planning to rent a shop to do business, so don’t worry. How about you help me keep an eye on the shop later?”
Grandpa Sang, coaxed by her words, instinctively wanted to nod, but upon realizing it, he tried to shake his head instead.
However, no matter what he decided, Sang Ran had already forcefully helped him away.
She was strong, and Grandpa Sang couldn’t resist. By the time he came to his senses, he was already seated on the back of the bicycle.
The Sang family followed closely behind, knowing there was no hope of getting money through Grandpa Sang. Aunt Sang pitifully tugged at Grandpa Sang’s arm and said, “Dad, could you talk to Sang Ran? If she’s starting a business, why not bring our Junhui along?”
“Dad, Sang Ran will be tired running a business. Could you tell her it’s not necessary to go through all that trouble? We’ll take good care of you,” Uncle Sang said stiffly, urged repeatedly by his wife.
Grandpa Sang didn’t want to burden his granddaughter and was about to refuse.
But then Sang Ran spoke up: “If you want to start a business, buy your own train tickets to Shenzhen. That’s where all the trendy things come from, and beautiful clothes spread from there. If you want to do business, go yourselves. As for Grandpa, I’ll take care of him. No matter how busy I am, I’ll make time to look after him properly, I won’t let him collapse in the fields.”
Her words shamed Uncle Sang deeply. When his wife still refused to give up, he angrily waved his hand and snapped, “What’s there to say? Go say it yourself! Do I have to beg her?”
Humiliated in front of everyone, Aunt Sang’s face flushed with anger. “Fine, I won’t say anything! Do I owe the Sang family or what?! We’ll see who ends up losing out!”
Aunt Sang, however, took Sang Ran’s advice to heart and didn’t make any more fuss.
The others, seeing how cold Sang Ran was, felt too embarrassed to approach further.
They stopped causing trouble.
Sang Ran had no energy to deal with them anyway.
She was preoccupied with one problem, the bicycle could only seat two people.
At that moment, Sang Ran tugged impatiently at Zhu Chang’an’s ear and said, “Didn’t I tell you not to come? See, now there’s not enough room.”
Grandpa Sang’s eyelids twitched, surprised by his granddaughter’s boldness, and he tried to intervene: “Sweetie…”
But before he could finish the first word, Zhu Chang’an frowned, looking utterly wronged yet not daring to resist, and mumbled dejectedly, “I was wrong.”
When Su Ya arrived, this was the scene she witnessed. She had walked slowly on her two legs and, after finally arriving, didn’t think to ask around first but came straight here.
At the doorway, she saw Zhu Chang’an's tall, lean figure, yet he was surprisingly docile in front of the slender girl who only reached his shoulders, not even resisting when she pinched his ear in public.
Su Ya immediately felt a surge of sour jealousy, her eyes stinging with pain!
Sang Ran didn't notice; she sighed deeply as she looked at the bicycle, truly wishing she could buy a four-wheeled car.
Zhu Chang’an also sighed, as if resigning himself to a heroic sacrifice, and said, "Wife, you take Grandpa back first. I'll walk home, it's the same, and it won't take long."
He thought his wife would at least feel a bit sorry for him and had already prepared how to comfort her, but then he saw Sang Ran nod immediately, her pretty face full of delight: "Okay, okay, you go ahead and walk then."
Zhu Chang’an: “...”

Su Ya returned home in a daze.
Just as she was about to throw herself onto the bed and have a good cry to vent her frustration and that inexplicable panic, she suddenly noticed the bed was messy, the wardrobe doors were wide open, and of the neatly folded clothes she had, only two old, worn ones remained, the new ones were gone!
Su Ya's sorrow vanished instantly as she quickly checked the situation.
Then, with a cold expression, she went out and happened to run into Song Lanlan, who had just returned flaunting her new clothes.
Su Ya stared intently at the outfit, it was clearly the new dress she had just bought for twelve yuan, one she hadn't even had the heart to wear herself!
Furious, she clenched her fists tightly, gritted her teeth, and said word by word, "Where did you get that dress?"
Song Lanlan looked a bit guilty but still smiled and said, "Sis, my clothes are worn out, and I have nothing to wear. You have so many clothes, lending me one shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"It is a problem!" Su Ya snarled, her already irritable and upset mood exploding over this incident. She lunged forward, grabbing Song Lanlan by the collar, and yelled, "Who said you could go through my room without my permission? Who told you to steal my clothes? How is this any different from being a thief?"
Song Lanlan also got angry, grabbing Su Ya's hands and struggling back, "Don't talk nonsense! You left your door unlocked, so I just went in to take a look, what's the big deal?! Besides, we're all family. You don't even earn money yourself, this dress was bought with my big brother's money, wasn't it?!"
Just then, Grandma Song came out and, seeing her daughter and daughter-in-law fighting, immediately took sides: "Let go of her, you useless little wench! If it weren't for you, my Jianguo would have married Sang Ran back then, she's much more capable than you!"
"That's right, your clothes are so expensive, but they're not even as nice as what Sang Ran sells!"
Mother and daughter didn't hold back with their hands or their words.
No matter what, Su Ya was just a young girl and couldn't possibly win the fight. She had several clumps of hair pulled out and was kicked multiple times.
To make matters worse, they spoke so harshly and kept bringing up Sang Ran. Su Ya, who had already been beaten to the point of exhaustion, suddenly found strength from somewhere, pushed both of them down, and, crying, ran to her room to pack a few things before quickly fleeing.
Song Lanlan stamped her foot, looking at her now wrinkled new clothes, and cursed angrily, "Go ahead and run! Don't you dare come back!"
Su Ya gritted her teeth, she would never come back!
Unless they begged her to return in the future!
Su Ya returned to her parents' home in tears and immediately brought up borrowing money: "Mom, how much money is left at home? Lend it to me, I'll pay you back right away!"
"Where would we have any money?" Mother and Father Su evaded, their eyes shifting uneasily.
Su Ya said coldly, "Don’t say there isn’t any, what nonsense! I need to buy a train ticket to Shenzhen to stock up on goods. It’s a business with huge returns. If you don’t lend me the money, don’t expect to get a share of the profits later!"
Su Ya’s parents paused, then immediately changed their expressions: "Is that where those two from the Zhu family went?"
"Yes!" Su Ya nodded emphatically.
She tightly clutched the money in her hand, it still wasn’t enough. Later, she’d have to ask Song Jianguo to borrow some from his comrades.
She refused to believe that, as someone who had been reborn, she couldn’t outperform a local. If even Sang Ran could do it, Su Ya was absolutely certain she could manage it. After all, she came from a world two or three decades in the future!
Hearing this, Su Ya’s parents readily agreed: "Alright, but we don’t have much money left at home."
Su Ya finally allowed a faint, relieved smile to cross her face.