Chapter 11: I Want My Mother's Dowry

Su Dazhuang's words, along with the other's, were utterly shameless; even Jiang Jiaojiao couldn't stand it, getting so angry she wanted to snap back.

Yet Su Ruan seemed to have heard none of the threat or moral blackmail.

A hint of perfectly timed confusion and grievance appeared on her face; she raised her voice slightly to ensure everyone could hear clearly.

"Think about the family? Think about brother and sister?"

Her gaze swept past the greed‑filled eyes of Su Yaozu beside her, then turned toward the doorway.

"Father, stepmother, I just don't get this. Brother lounges all day, sleeps until the sun is high; you say he's young and immature, so we should feel sorry for him."

"Sister spends half a month's food money on a new dress; you say a young lady must dress up and can't be denied."

"Why, when it comes to me, must I be sensible? Must I think of them?"

"The same household children: when brother married, you started a year early saving for a new house and gathering the three‑turn, one‑sound betrothal gifts."

"Before sister even had a suitor, you were already calculating how much dowry to give her for face."

"Now it's my turn, and there's not even a decent dowry, just a token 'just a little'?"

"Is it because I'm not your biological child, that I'm destined to use my betrothal gifts to supplement them, while I must marry empty‑handed, be looked down upon, and leave the Jiang Family without any shine?"

Su Ruan's speech was clear and logical, her tone calm yet each word pierced the heart, mercilessly tearing apart the utterly hypocritical, preferential façade of Su Dazhuang and Wang Juhua!

She even bluntly exposed their intention to skim off the betrothal gifts!

Su Dazhuang and Wang Juhua's faces flushed red and turned pale, mouths agape, yet they couldn't utter a single rebuttal.

Because everything Su Ruan said was true, their filthy scheming was stripped clean in public!

The Jiang Family members were stunned, then a torrent of fury and deeper sympathy for Su Ruan rose.

It turned out she had been living this kind of life in this family.

It turned out she knew everything.

It turned out she had silently endured such injustice all along.

Jiang Ran's eyes reddened with anger, fists clenched tightly, wishing he could flip this broken table on the spot!

Jiang Jiaojiao looked at Su Ruan with newfound respect; she had thought Su Ruan a fragile, easy‑target little white flower, but never expected such courage and wisdom.

She really pulled it off beautifully!

Jiang Jianguo's face turned ashen, his gaze at Su Dazhuang filled with unmasked anger: "Brother Da Zhuang, is RuanRuan's words true? Are you planning to give the daughter no dowry at all, using our Jiang Family's betrothal gifts to supplement the son?"

Li Huijuan also said coldly: "Our Jiang Family doesn't lack that bit of stuff, but this isn't about material things! It's about face, about propriety, and about the parents' intentions! By acting this way, how are we Jiang Family to view this marriage? How will RuanRuan stand in her husband's family later?"

Jiang Nainai shook her head and sighed: "What a sin… such a good young lady…"

Su Dazhuang and Wang Juhua were questioned, cold sweat streaming, bodies trembling.

The worst thing they feared happened; if this dowry issue spoils the marriage, wouldn't they be left with nothing?

Not only would they lose the betrothal gifts, they'd also offend the Jiang Factory Director!

"No… that's not it! In‑laws, don't listen to the child's nonsense!"

Su Dazhuang stammered: "We will definitely prepare the dowry! It's just… it's just that the family is currently in difficulty, for a short while…"

Wang Juhua, thinking quickly, hurried: "Right! Prepared! Definitely prepared! So… so! Her father previously bought me a pair of Silver bracelets, I… I'll give RuanRuan those as dowry!"

As she spoke, she reluctantly slipped a slender, already slightly blackened pair of Silver bracelets from her wrist.

The shabby sight made Jiang Jiaojiao roll her eyes.

Su Ruan looked at the bracelets and gave a faint smile.

The smile contained no mockery nor anger, only a faint sorrow and resolve.

She shook her head, her voice clear and firm.

"Stepmother, keep your bracelets for yourself."

"I don't want the bracelets."

"I want money."

"I heard that when my biological mother passed, she left a Small wooden box containing a bit of her saved money and several pieces of Silver ornaments she wore at her own wedding. Before she left, she grabbed my father's hand and said it was my dowry."

"Father, stepmother, that was exactly what my biological mother left for me."

"Now I'm getting married; please give it back to me."

"That's my dowry."

Su Ruan's voice was soft, yet like a thunderclap, blasting Su Dazhuang and Wang Juhua's souls to pieces!

How could she know about that Small wooden box?

It was Lin Wan, Su Ruan's biological mother's relic.

Lin Wan had always been frail; knowing her days were few, she secretly lived frugally, saving a little money.

She also kept a few Silver ornaments brought from her natal family—worth little but of great meaning—in a Small wooden box.

At the end, she indeed grasped Su Dazhuang's hand, saying it was meant for RuanRuan's future marriage as a thought and confidence, begging him to keep it safe.

Su Dazhuang had promised earnestly, then, after Lin Wan's breath left her, the two tacitly claimed that Small wooden box as their own.

That money had long been squandered by Su Dazhuang on drinking and gambling, leaving only a few Silver ornaments; Wang Juhua had secretly worn them a few times, later hiding them for fear of being recognized.

After so many years, they had completely forgotten the matter, assuming it dead and without evidence.

How old was Su Ruan then? How could she possibly know!

Wang Juhua's complexion turned pale: "You… what are you babbling about!"

Su Dazhuang, his face flushed and neck thick with anger, shouted: "What a load of your mother's crap, you little whore! Who taught you to spin such lies? Huh? What your mother left? How could I not know!"

"I think you're short‑sighted; when you see the Jiang Family has money, you try to siphon off the natal family's resources! I've raised you for free all this time! Had I known, I would have strangled you at birth!"

His emotions flared, spittle flying, and his frantic, foul‑mouthed grimace fully exposed his cowardice and vile face!

The Jiang Family aren't fools; seeing their reaction, their minds instantly became as clear as a mirror!

Su Ruan's words were probably true; this black‑hearted couple had even coveted the last keepsake their deceased wife left to their daughter!

Jiang Ran's forehead veins bulged with anger, and he could no longer hold back; he lunged forward in a single step, directly shielding Su Ruan behind himself, and shouted at Su Dazhuang, "Who are you shouting at?!"

"Try shouting at her again? That thing was originally left by my mother‑in‑law for my daughter‑in‑law; you sneaked it away and think that's justified? Hand it over right now!"

He uttered "mother‑in‑law" and "daughter‑in‑law" so naturally and smoothly, his protective intent completely unmasked.

Jiang Jianguo's complexion grew so dark it seemed it could drip water; at his age, he had never encountered such a shameless person!

He slammed the table hard, producing a "Bang" that roared, startling both Su Dazhuang and Wang Juhua into a simultaneous shiver.

"Su Dazhuang!" Jiang Jianguo's voice was icy, bearing the authority of long‑held power, "Today's matter must be clarified!"

"That box—does it exist or not? If it does, it was RuanRuan's mother who left it to her, and you must return it intact! That's absolutely rightful! If you stubbornly claim it doesn't…"

"Then we'll have to discuss this properly. Coveting the late wife's relic, abusing the daughter left by the former wife—no matter how you spin it, you're at fault!"

"As for this marriage, the Jiang Family must reassess whether we can become in‑laws with a family of such conduct!"