Chapter 101: She Wants to Go Show Off

Su Yanhua, however, broke from her usual pattern and did not complain or whine as she had before.

Instead, she straightened her still perfectly flat waist and abdomen, her face bearing an uncontainable smug smile.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back to tell you some good news! I'm pregnant!"

"What? Pregnant?"

Wang Juhua paused her needlework, jerked her head up, and her cloudy eyes instantly flashed with brilliance.

Even Su Dazhuang, who had been silently smoking, stopped and looked over.

"Really, it's almost two months!"

Su Yanhua walked to the center of the room, deliberately placing her hand lightly over her belly.

"Wen Bin and his mother are overjoyed; now they cook delicious meals for me every day and even give me money to buy new clothes!"

She said this while shaking the cloth pouch full of money as if to show it off.

"Oh my! My dear girl! This truly is a momentous piece of good news!"

Wang Juhua immediately tossed aside her shoe sole, rushed forward with a beaming smile, and grasped Su Yanhua's hand, examining her from head to toe.

"Pregnant, good! Pregnant, good!"

"Now your standing in the Liu family is secure! You must bring honor to our old Su family by bearing a big, chubby boy!"

Su Dazhuang's gloom lifted considerably, and he rarely showed a hint of a smile, saying in a muffled, sluggish tone, "Hmm, it's a good thing. Keep well in your husband's family and don't cause unnecessary trouble."

At that moment, the inner door curtain was pulled aside, and Su Yaozu, rubbing his sleepy eyes, stepped out, clearly just having woken up.

He heard the commotion outside, yawned and asked, "What's all the noise? Sis, why did you come back?"

Wang Juhua quickly, delightedly told her son, "Yaozu, your sister is pregnant! You're going to be an uncle!"

Su Yaozu was stunned for a moment, then curled his lip, swaggered over to the table, sat down, and crossed his legs: "Pregnant? Fine, sis, your belly is at least more promising than Su Ruan's!"

"She's been married that long and hasn't even a rustle; your speed is something else!"

His words were vulgar, yet they hit Su Yanhua's sweet spot perfectly.

Indeed, what good is Su Ruan doing anyway?

Opening a shabby shop, drawing a few lousy sketches—can that compare to the importance of continuing the Liu family line?

This is what a respectable woman like Su Yanhua should be doing!

However, Su Yaozu's next words caused Su Yanhua's smile to fade a bit.

He leaned in, lowered his voice, and with his usual rogue air said, "Sis, now that your standing in the Liu family has changed, you must be more financially comfortable, right?"

"Look at me, your younger brother; lately I'm strapped for cash, not even enough to go out for a drink with friends."

"You need to bring more money home; Mom and Dad are getting old, they deserve a better life, don't they?"

Wang Juhua listened nearby, not only didn't object but added, "Yes, Yanhua, now you're two people; the Liu family will certainly be more willing to spend money on you."

"Just a little slip from between your fingers is enough for your brother to cover expenses for a while."

"We're the ones who are family; you have to help your brother a bit."

Su Dazhuang said nothing, but his silence amounted to tacit approval.

Seeing her parents' and brother's entitled, even slightly greedy expressions, the pride Su Yanhua had just felt was instantly replaced by a familiar suffocation and pressure.

She had only just begun to enjoy good days, and her natal family were already like leeches, eager to latch on and suck blood.

She clenched the cloth pouch in her hand, which contained the money Liu Wenbin gave her for new clothes—the confidence and dignity she had hard‑won.

But she also knew her natal family was her only backing; at least outwardly, she couldn't break that façade.

She forced a smile and replied vaguely, "I understand… give me… give me some time to think of a way…"

Leaving that suffocating natal home, the oppression in Su Yanhua's chest not only failed to dissipate but grew even more tangled.

Her parents' and brother's entitled faces were like thorns stabbing her heart.

She gripped the money‑filled cloth pouch tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white.

It was given by Liu Wenbin, a symbol of her current standing in the Liu family, and the dignity she had barely earned.

Why does Su Ruan get to live so gloriously?

Why can she be cradled by the Jiang family, run her own shop as a boss, and be praised by so many?

And she, Su Yanhua, finally pregnant, still has her natal family eyeing her like leeches to suck blood?

A fierce sense of resentment and twisted desire to show off grew wildly in her heart like poisonous vines.

She must go see Su Ruan!

She'll let Su Ruan see that Su Yanhua has changed completely!

She also wants to be pregnant, wear new clothes, hold the money her husband gave, and proudly stride before Su Ruan!

Once that thought arose, it could not be restrained.

Su Yanhua adjusted her expression, striving for a triumphant air, and walked toward City West Guihua Alley.

Arriving at the Chongsu doorway, Su Yanhua deliberately slowed her steps, tidying the barely creased hem of her clothes.

Only then did she lift her head, straighten her still‑unobtrusive belly, strike the full pose, and push open the shop door.

The bell on the shop door rang with a crisp chime.

Inside, Su Ruan stood behind the counter introducing a cream‑colored trench coat to a young lady, while Jiang Ran was at the courtyard entrance arranging the freshly delivered fabric.

Hearing the door chime, both looked up.

Seeing Su Yanhua, Su Ruan's faint smile faded slightly, his gaze calm and steady; he gave a slight nod as a greeting but did not pause his conversation with the customer.

Jiang Ran didn't even bother to lift an eyelid, continuing his own tasks, treating her as if she were invisible.

This total disregard hurt Su Yanhua more than outright mockery.

The boastful feeling she had brewed all day landed like a punch on cotton.

She forced herself to endure the displeasure, strolling pretentiously through the shop, deliberately running her fingers over each garment, the rustle trying to draw attention.

However, Su Ruan still patiently attended to the customer, giving a detailed description of the trench coat's cut and fabric.

At last, the customer satisfiedly paid, took the wrapped clothing, and left.

Su Ruan only then turned her gaze toward Su Yanhua, who had been wandering around the shop for half a day, speaking in a distant yet courteous tone: "Is there something you need?"

Su Yanhua immediately seized the chance, walked to the counter, plastered an exaggerated smile on her face, and raised her voice a few pitches to ensure everyone in the shop could hear.

"Ah, RuanRuan, I just happened to be passing by, so I came in to take a look. Your shop really looks like that, huh!"

She said so, her eyes scanning the shop's furnishings with a picky, condescending scrutiny.

Then, without waiting for Su Ruan's response, she impatiently began her performance.

She gently stroked her belly, the gesture deliberately affected, her tone boastful: "As for me, lately my body has become increasingly inconvenient."

"Wen Bin and his mother insist on supplementing my body; every day it's either chicken or fish, and I'm sick of eating it!"

After speaking, she even wrinkled her nose, as if troubled.

"I said there's no need for such fuss, but they wouldn't listen! Sigh, really!"