Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Putting the Uncle-in-law in His Place

The door was pushed open, and Su Tang’s aunt, Su Yufen, appeared at the entrance with her husband, Zhao Youcai.

Su Yufen had a smile plastered on her face, but her eyes were shifty.

Her eyes darted around the shabby room. Only when her gaze landed on the well-dressed and distinguished-looking Su Tang and Lu Xiao did her smile seem a little more genuine.

The man beside her, Zhao Youcai, was slightly paunchy and wore a faded cadre’s uniform. He too wore a smile.

But the smile only lingered at the corners of his mouth. His eyes were appraising, and when they fell on Lu Xiao, that appraisal was tinged with a subtle, calculating assessment.

“Aunt, Uncle.”

Su Tang stood up, a polite smile on her face.

Her voice was calm, betraying none of the exhaustion from her long journey, nor the grief and anger from moments before—only a distant politeness.

Lu Xiao also rose, giving a slight nod as a greeting.

His posture was ramrod straight and his gaze was serene, giving him a natural air of authority.

“Oh, my, Tangtang! You’ve grown into such a beautiful young woman! I remember when you were just this high. In the blink of an eye, so many years have gone by.”

“And this… this must be Lu Xiao? What a fine figure of a man!”

Su Yufen gestured to indicate a short height, trying to close the distance with Su Tang.

She took a few steps forward, intending to take Su Tang’s hand, but Su Tang deftly sidestepped her, using the movement to tidy the medicine box she had just placed on the small table nearby.

“You’re too kind, Aunt,” Su Tang said, her tone flat.

Su Yufen’s hand froze awkwardly in mid-air before she quickly plastered on another smile and turned to Mrs. Su.

“Sister-in-law! The two of them have come from so far away, how can you have them squeeze into this rundown little shack? It’s so damp and stuffy!”

“Quick, pack up and come to my place! My home is spacious, and the bedding is all clean. Let Tangtang and Xiao Lu get some proper rest!”

As she spoke, she moved as if to help Su Tang with her luggage.

Zhao Youcai chimed in from the side, his tone laced with a kind of patronizing generosity.

“Exactly. It’s just not right for the whole family to be crammed in here. This dilapidated house from the technical station… I said from the start it was no good. It’s far too shabby for my brother and sister-in-law!”

“Come on, come on, everyone stay at our place. We just happened to buy some meat today, we’ll make a proper welcome dinner for the two of you!”

His gaze swept over Lu Xiao, tinged with a probing curiosity.

“Mr. Lu, what kind of work do you do… in the Northwest? It must have been a tough journey, wasn’t it?”

Lu Xiao ignored Zhao Youcai’s attempt to probe into his work, turning instead to Su Yufen. His voice was steady.

“Thank you for your kind offer, Aunt, Uncle. But there’s no need to trouble yourselves. We’re fine here.”

“Fine? What’s fine about it!” Su Yufen grew anxious.

“This place is no fit for anyone to live in! And your father is still sick…”

She didn’t finish her sentence. Her eyes met Su Tang’s, and that gaze, as calm as a deep pool, made her feel an inexplicable pang of guilt, and her voice trailed off.

Su Tang gently closed the lid of the medicine box.

She turned around, the same faint smile on her face, her voice pitched neither high nor low, but carrying clearly to everyone’s ears.

“Aunt, really, don’t trouble yourself. This house was assigned to Dad by the technical station. It’s a bit old, but after tidying up, it’s a passable place to live. Mom and Dad have been here for so long, I’m sure they’re used to it.”

She deliberately slowed her speech, her enunciation becoming exceptionally clear on the phrases “assigned to Dad by the technical station” and “used to it.”

Her gaze swept almost imperceptibly over Zhao Youcai’s face, where his smile had frozen.

“Besides,” Su Tang’s tone lifted slightly, carrying a perfectly measured hint of confusion.

“We’re here to take care of Dad while he recuperates. He’s weak right now and can’t handle the strain of moving. This house may be a bit damp, but its advantage is that it’s quiet. No one will bother him here, so it’s perfect for his recovery.”

“If we moved somewhere else, what if he can’t acclimate, or what if we disturb someone else’s peace and quiet? That would be worse, wouldn’t you agree, Uncle?”

Her last sentence, laced with an unmistakable passive-aggressive tone, was aimed directly at Zhao Youcai.

The smile completely vanished from his face, and a muscle in his jaw twitched.

He was the one who had, both overtly and covertly, complained that Mr. and Mrs. Su were taking up space and getting in the way.

He’d despised Mr. Su’s high-and-mighty “stinking intellectual” attitude, and his words had constantly pressured them to move out.

Now that Su Tang had called him out on it, his face burned with shame.

He wanted to lash out, to scold this junior for her insolence and her loaded words.

But the moment his gaze fell on Lu Xiao, who stood beside her as straight as a pine tree, he swallowed his anger.

Lu Xiao hadn’t said a word, but his gaze was like an invisible pressure that dared him not to act rashly.

He knew that this young man before him was no ordinary person; his position was likely far above his own.

In the end, Zhao Youcai could only force out an extremely strained, dry laugh. “Heh… heh heh, Tangtang… you’ve been very thoughtful. A patient… indeed shouldn’t be moved.”

Su Yufen also caught the sharp edge in her niece’s words. Her face flushed then paled, a mix of embarrassment and grievance. She tried to defend herself, “Tangtang, the way you say that… back then, your father, he…”

“Aunt.”

Su Tang cut her off, her tone gentle but firm.

“Let’s not talk about the past. Mom and Dad are living here now, and we’re here to take care of them, so you and Uncle can rest assured. We appreciate your kind intentions.”

She paused, her gaze shifting to Zhao Youcai. Her eyes were clear, yet they held an all-seeing, penetrating force.

“And thank you, Uncle, for all your care over the years.”

She said the word “care” through gritted teeth.

Zhao Youcai felt as if an invisible hand had slapped him across the face, and it stung horribly.

His chest tightened with suppressed anger, but not wanting to lose his composure in front of an outsider, he could only nod stiffly.

“It’s what I should do, what I should do… Well… well then, you all get settled in. If you need anything, just ask…”

He couldn’t continue. He felt that if he stayed any longer, this seemingly gentle but sharp-tongued niece would strip him of all his dignity.

“Yes, yes, if you need anything, be sure to let us know!”

Su Yufen quickly jumped in, grabbing Zhao Youcai’s arm.

“Well… Brother, Sister-in-law, you get some rest. We’ll head back for now. We’ll… we’ll come see you again another day.”

She practically fled, dragging the ashen-faced Zhao Youcai out of the small, dilapidated house.

The door swung shut, closing off the murky air outside, and with it, their false enthusiasm.

The room fell quiet once more, leaving only the sound of Mr. Su’s suppressed coughs.

The mask of polite detachment instantly fell from Su Tang’s face, replaced by a deep exhaustion and heartache for her parents.

She walked to the bedside, took her father’s cold hand, and said in a low voice, “Dad, Mom, I’m sorry, I…”

Mr. Su spoke weakly, but his eyes held a glimmer of gratification.

“Silly child, what are you apologizing for? You did the right thing. You have spine. You’re just like your father.”

“And Xiao Lu is a good man. My choice back then wasn’t wrong.”

Lu Xiao walked to Su Tang’s side, his large, warm hand enveloping her cool one. He spoke to Mr. and Mrs. Su with solemnity.

“Dad, Mom, please rest and focus on getting better. With Tangtang and me here, we won’t let you be mistreated again. As for leaving, we’ll arrange it as soon as Dad’s condition stabilizes.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep