Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Complete Enmity

Although every trip into the sea was exhausting, and getting scraped by the reefs was a common occurrence, Su Tang felt it was all worth it.

Seeing the ever-growing abundance of seafood on their table, Su Tang felt it was all worth it. At least they had plenty of protein.

She also dragged Mrs. Su along to learn from the old fishermen, who taught them how to identify several types of edible wild greens and seaweed.

They tasted bitter and strange, but they were a rare source of vitamins.

She used the rice she had brought, adding chopped wild greens and small dried fish, to cook a thick, savory porridge with a taste of the sea. It was both nutritious and filling.

Even better, the brown sugar Su Tang had brought was practically hard currency on the island.

Getting your hands on sugar on this island was incredibly difficult, almost a fantasy.

Su Tang was incredibly glad for her past self’s foresight in packing extra.

It wasn’t just brown sugar; she also had fruit candies and other little trinkets that couldn’t be bought on the island.

This gave Su Tang an idea: she would use her goods to barter with the islanders.

She traded these scarce items with the fishermen for fresher catches, cured sea duck eggs, and even some dried vegetables.

She was charming and tactful, sometimes even giving a little extra, so the things she received in return were always plentiful and of good quality.

By now, everyone on the island knew that Technician Su’s daughter was an exceptionally filial person.

Su Tang managed to remain very well-liked here.

Under Su Tang’s care, Mr. Su’s health improved day by day.

When Su Yufen happened to see fresh sea fish and duck eggs on their dinner table, she seethed with jealousy.

Even the closest relationships can turn to dust in the face of self-interest.

Even between a brother and sister.

Eggged on by her husband, Zhao Youcai, Su Yufen said in a passive-aggressive tone, “Well, well, people from the big city certainly have their ways. We islanders can’t afford to eat things like this.”

Without even looking up, Su Tang deftly scaled a fish and replied coolly, “That’s right. There are always more solutions than problems. It’s better to rely on your own two hands and your brain than to spend all day scheming against others.”

Her words left Su Yufen and Zhao Youcai speechless, their faces turning pale. They couldn’t utter a word for a long moment.

The couple was left humbled and humiliated by Su Tang’s retort, but they clearly hadn’t given up.

Zhao Youcai, relying on the little power he had managing the island’s supply distribution, began to sabotage them in secret.

First, the supply of heating coal that was supposed to be allocated to Mr. Su from the technician’s station was suddenly insufficient. Then, a portion of their grain ration was “accidentally” soaked by seawater.

Su Tang watched with cold eyes, knowing that nine times out of ten, Zhao Youcai was behind it.

Meanwhile, Su Yufen played to her strengths, spreading rumors among the island women that Su Tang was fragile and looked down on them.

Faced with these dirty tricks, Su Tang decided she was done being polite.

She had originally been willing to overlook things, treating them as elders who had indeed helped Mr. Su and Mrs. Su in the past.

But she, Su Tang, was not the kind of person who would let someone ride on her neck and piss on her head.

Since they were playing dirty, they couldn’t blame her for returning the favor.

When Zhao Youcai once again stood at their door with a phony expression, wringing his hands and saying, “Oh, Tangtang, I’m so sorry. Coal has been really tight lately, so I’ll have to ask your father and mother to just tough it out and burn a little less…”

Before he could finish, Su Tang let out a cold laugh. “Tough it out? Uncle, my father is coughing so hard he can’t sleep all night. It sounds like he’s about to cough up a lung, and you’re telling him to ’tough it out’?”

“Sorry, but let me make myself clear right now. The share that an employee of the technician’s station is entitled to—not one single bit of it can be missing!”

“If I don’t receive our full quota again, I’m afraid I’ll have to ’report’ this to the higher-ups.”

Her gaze was like a torch, fixed directly on Zhao Youcai.

Zhao Youcai’s gaunt face, like a frozen piece of salted fish, became a mottled green and white. The phony smile on his lips completely vanished.

He forced out a few dry words. “You… you girl… how can you talk like that! What’s this about reporting things? We’re all family. Conditions on the island are what they are, isn’t everyone toughing it out…?”

“Oh? ’Toughing it out’?”

Su Tang scoffed, her voice crisp and her gaze so cold it could freeze Zhao Youcai’s petty schemes in their tracks.

“Other people tough it out because they have a higher sense of duty. My father is a seriously ill man who coughs all night until he can’t breathe and his face turns purple, and you want him to ’tough it out’ too? Uncle, your heart is truly harder than the rocks on the shore and colder than the winter wind.”

She took a step forward. Though she wasn’t as tall as Zhao Youcai, her imposing aura made him instinctively shrink back.

“The heating coal and grain rations owed to an employee of the technician’s station are written down in black and white! If even a little bit is missing, it means someone is obstructing things and neglecting their duty!”

Su Tang spoke deliberately, each word hammering into Zhao Youcai’s conscience.

“Before sunset tomorrow, I want what’s ours delivered, untouched. If there’s a single shovel of coal missing, if a single grain of rice is gone, I’ll take my little notebook and personally go ask the station chief, go ask the secretary, and see if the rules on this island only apply to honest people!”

“Uncle, don’t let this get too ugly. You still have to spend the rest of your life here.”

With that said, Su Tang didn’t even glance at Zhao Youcai’s instantly pale face and the cold sweat beading on his forehead before slamming the door.

Outside, Zhao Youcai stood frozen, grinding his teeth in hatred.

’That little brat, Su Tang, actually dared to threaten me?’

’Just wait. I’ll teach her a lesson.’

’I’ll show her that people who live under someone else’s roof should know their place.’

Inside, Mrs. Su wrung her hands nervously, her face full of worry. “Tangtang, my child, how could you talk to him like that? He’s in charge of the supplies, after all. If you really offend him, our lives here will only get harder…”

Su Tang turned around, the icy expression on her face melting away to be replaced by a reassuring smile. She walked over and took Mrs. Su’s arm.

“Mom, you’re just too soft-hearted. We put up with it before out of respect for our family ties and for the little bit of help they gave us at the beginning.”

“But look at the situation now! Dad is this sick, and they’re just getting worse with the rations! They’re not acting like relatives, they’re trying to push us to our deaths!”

Her tone was firm as steel. “With people like that, you give them an inch and they’ll take a mile! We have to get our things back, and not one bit less!”

Leaning against the headboard, Mr. Su suppressed a cough. A trace of relief appeared on his sallow face. “Tangtang did the right thing. We don’t go looking for trouble, but we can’t let people walk all over us and shit on our heads. I support you!”

Hearing her father’s words, Su Tang’s heart warmed, and she nodded emphatically.

When Zhao Youcai returned, he gave Su Yufen an exaggerated and embellished account of what had happened.

Su Yufen gritted her teeth, knowing she had now truly made an enemy of her older brother.

Since it had come to this, she decided to throw all decorum to the wind.

「Early the next morning」

Su Tang went to the reef flats by the sea to gather some small sea snails for their meal.

Just as she neared a few of the older women who were mending fishing nets, she heard Su Yufen’s shrill voice, deliberately raised for all to hear.

“…Oh, you have no idea! That delicate young lady from the big city, she’s just so precious!”

Su Yufen shot a sideways glance in Su Tang’s direction, her voice growing even louder.

“She complains that our island water has a funny taste, complains that the fish we catch smell! Behind our backs, she says we islanders are dirty, unsophisticated, and ignorant!”

“Tsk, tsk. If her father didn’t work here, a high and mighty young lady like her wouldn’t deign to come to a place like this!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep