Chapter 42: Don

Wang Juhua was fretting at home until bubbles formed at the corners of her mouth; seeing the Liu family set in their ways and the rumors outside growing harsher, she finally could no longer sit still.

If this stalemate continues, the only one to suffer will be our own daughter!

She clenched her teeth, resolved to risk her old face, take Su Yanhua to purchase some decent gifts, then personally escort her to the Liu family to offer an apology, determined to keep the marriage alive at any cost!

"Come on! Come with me to the street!" Wang Juhua snapped, yanking the Su Yanhua who was lying on the bed pretending to be dead.

Su Yanhua wore an unwilling expression, struggling, "I won't go. Why should I apologize? It's clearly their fault!"

"Their fault? Who's being jabbed in the spine and scolded right now?" Wang Juhua, furious, jabbed her forehead, "If you still won't bow your head, the Liu family will actually file for Divorce, and your life will be over!"

"Hurry up, go out to buy something, come with me to the Liu family and say some nice words, bring them back!"

Su Yanhua harbored countless refusals in her heart; she imagined Wen Bin kneeling to beg her, not herself, with a dusty face, going to apologize.

But she also knew her mother was speaking the truth; the Liu family was serious this time.

She could only swallow a belly of grievance and anger, being half‑dragged, half‑pulled by Wang Juhua out the door.

The mother and daughter, heavy‑hearted, wandered around the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, while Wang Juhua calculated her meager savings, hoping to buy gifts that wouldn't look too shabby yet were within her means.

Su Yanhua kept her face drawn the whole time, her gaze gloomy, finding nothing pleasing.

Just as Wang Juhua lifted a pack of peach biscuits and hesitated, a burst of chatter and laughter came from the doorway.

RuanRuan and Jiang Ran entered side by side, each already carrying a lot of items—fresh pork, live fish, and pastries and fruit that looked decidedly pricey.

Jiang Ran tilted his head slightly, smiling as he listened to RuanRuan speak, his eyes brimming with indulgence.

What made Wang Juhua and Su Yanhua even more glaringly uncomfortable was that Jiang Jiaojiao was right there beside them!

The Jiang Jiaojiao, rumored to have a fiery temper and a lofty air, was now affectionately linking arms with RuanRuan; the two heads leaned together as they stared at something on the counter, chatting and laughing, their demeanor relaxed and natural, their bond as harmonious as sisters!

That scene, like a red‑hot needle, drove sharply into Su Yanhua's eyes.

Why? ！

That scoundrel RuanRuan not only married Jiang Ran and lives a good life, but also managed to subdue the Jiang family's most difficult elder sister‑in‑law!

And her?

Yet she has to, here, to preserve a precarious marriage, meekly buy an Apology Gift for a mother‑in‑law she looks down upon!

Intense jealousy and resentment made her chest heave violently, her face twisted terrifyingly.

Jiang Jiaojiao glanced and also saw Wang Juhua and Su Yanhua stuck in the corner.

She held no good impression of the mother‑daughter pair, especially recalling how they had bullied RuanRuan before, which made her feel sick to her core.

She sneered, curled her lip, not even bothering to give them a proper look, pretended not to see them, and continued enthusiastically discussing with RuanRuan: "RuanRuan, what do you think of this fabric? It would look great as a shirt for you!"

RuanRuan also saw the mother‑daughter pair, but she merely swept her gaze past them calmly, then withdrew her eyes as if nothing had happened, as though they were just two irrelevant strangers.

She smiled in reply to Jiang Jiaojiao: "Sister, that color only looks good on you; only your aura can pull off such a hue."

Her complete disregard hurt Su Yanhua more than any mockery could.

She felt like a clown, all her embarrassment and disgrace laid bare before RuanRuan, who didn't even bother to spare a single extra emotion for her.

At that moment, Wang Juhua finally selected two reasonably presentable packs of snacks and a bottle of ordinary white wine, and tugged Su Yanhua to go pay.

Passing by RuanRuan and the others, Wang Juhua instinctively lowered her head and hurried past, trying to avoid awkwardness.

But Su Yanhua, as if driven by a demon, suddenly flung Wang Juhua's hand aside, halted, and spoke in a sarcastic tone, her voice neither loud nor soft, just enough for those nearby to hear.

"Yo, isn't this my good little sister? Marrying into a rich family makes a world of difference—everyone parts the crowd when you go shopping, buying so many fine things, can you even finish them? Don't waste them."

Her words dripped with sour sarcasm, openly provocative.

The atmosphere on the spot froze instantly.

Jiang Ran's face darkened; just as he was about to speak, RuanRuan gently grabbed his arm.

Jiang Jiaojiao wasn't in a good mood; she had already found Su Yanhua unpleasant, and now seeing her dare to approach uncomfortably, she flared up in fury.

She turned, arms crossed over her chest, scanning Su Yanhua from head to toe, her eyes full of undisguised contempt.

"Who did I think I was? Turns out it's you."

"What? Not staying in your 'Professor's wife' golden nest, running out to bark around? Oh, I almost forgot…"

She deliberately elongated her tone, filling it with sarcasm, "Heard some people get kicked out of the house on their wedding day, then slink back to their natal home the next day?"

"What, can't make it out there, so you want to return home to mooch? Too bad, your capable 'maid' sister is now one of our Jiang Family, and she has no time to serve you, great Buddha!"

Jiang Jiaojiao's words were sharp, and she kept pressing Su Yanhua's sore spots; those sentences were like a flurry of slaps, leaving Su Yanhua dizzy, her complexion drained of color!

"You… you are talking nonsense!" Su Yanhua trembled with anger, pointing at Jiang Jiaojiao, her voice sharp and altered.

"Me, talking nonsense?" Jiang Jiaojiao sneered, raising her voice to ensure the onlookers could hear clearly, "Who in the neighborhood doesn't know the good deeds you've done, Su Yanhua?"

"You not only complain that the husband's family is poor, but also that the Gold Ring he bought is fake; on the wedding day you quarreled loudly with the mother‑in‑law, sent your husband to sleep at school, and the next day you ran back to your natal home! Isn't that the truth? You could do it yourself, yet you fear others' words?"

Customers and shop clerks nearby whispered, their pointing gazes like needles stabbing Su Yanhua.

Wang Juhua blushed bright red, wishing she could crawl into a crack in the floor, and tugged at Su Yanhua's arm, "Stop talking! Let's go quickly!"

But Su Yanhua, overwhelmed by fury and shame, broke free from Wang Juhua, lunged at Jiang Jiaojiao like a shrew, reaching to grab her face: "Jiang Jiaojiao, watch me tear your mouth apart!"

"How dare you!" Jiang Ran stepped forward, shielding RuanRuan and Jiang Jiaojiao behind him, his gaze as cold as a blade, laced with terrifying malice as he stared at Su Yanhua, "Try moving my sister, see what happens."

He was tall and imposing; the ferocity accumulated from years of fighting, once unleashed, startled Su Yanhua, freezing her movement, and she instinctively stepped back, her aura instantly shrinking by half.

RuanRuan stood behind Jiang Ran, silent the whole time, calmly watching Su Yanhua's hysterical disgrace.

Her composure contrasted sharply with Su Yanhua's madness, the superiority evident.

With her younger brother backing her, Jiang Jiaojiao felt even more confident, poking her head out from behind Jiang Ran and continuing, "What? You got hit where it hurts, so you want to strike?"

"Su Yanhua, I'm telling you, put away those petty thoughts; our Jiang Family doesn't owe you anything, and RuanRuan certainly doesn't owe you anything!"

"Your miserable life is of your own making! Don't be like a mad dog biting everyone around, it's disgusting to watch!"