Chapter 59: Some Bloodlines Are Born as Sinful Debts

Being spurred on by his son, Su Dazhuang's lingering hesitation vanished.

He clenched his teeth, a hint of ferocity and greed appearing on his face: "Yaozu is right! I raised her all this time; now she's enjoying the good life, why should she not take care of me?"

"Tomorrow! Tomorrow we'll go find her!"

The three of them seemed to have discovered a new way to make money, temporarily casting aside the earlier humiliation, and began scheming the details of how to 'collect a debt' from Su Ruan.

Su Yaozu rubbed his hands excitedly, already fantasizing where he would go to revel after getting the money.

However, they selectively forgot—or rather, simply didn't care about the so‑called 'upbringing'—and what they gave Su Ruan was endless suffering and humiliation.

They also fundamentally didn't understand that the current Su Ruan is no longer the weak orphan they could manipulate at will.

Their greed and shamelessness are destined only to push them into a deeper abyss, where they will once again smash their heads, blood gushing.

The next morning, the sun shone brightly.

Su Ruan was sorting a new batch of fabrics in the shop, Douzi was wiping the counter, Yaya was dutifully practicing polite phrases for greeting customers, and Jiang Ran went to the carpenter's to oversee a batch of custom‑made coat hangers.

Everything was orderly, filled with an upbeat atmosphere.

At that moment, the shop door was rudely shoved open, striking the bell behind it and producing a harsh clatter.

Su Ruan looked up, and when she saw the three people walking in, her brows twitched imperceptibly, but her face showed little surprise.

What's meant to come will always come.

Su Dazhuang, Wang Juhua, and Su Yaozu swaggered in.

Su Yaozu's eyes scanned the shop like spotlights, and he made a 'tch tch' sound, as if appraising the shop's value.

Su Dazhuang wore a stern expression, assuming the authoritative posture of a parent. Wang Juhua's gaze flickered away, yet they forced themselves to follow inside.

Douzi and Yaya saw them and immediately recognized them as the villains who defamed Sister Su yesterday; the two children's faces instantly showed vigilance and disgust, and Yaya instinctively hid behind Douzi.

"Yo, this shop's set up pretty well, looks kinda legit."

Su Yaozu was the first to speak, his tone flippant; he walked to a hanging Dress and reached out to touch it.

"Don't touch." Su Ruan's voice was low, but carried a chill.

Su Yaozu's hand froze mid‑air, reluctantly pulling back; a sour expression lingered on his face as he sneered, "What? Opening a shop makes you great? Nothing can be touched now?"

Su Dazhuang cleared his throat, stepped to the counter, looked at Su Ruan, and said in a self‑righteous tone, "RuanRuan, dad's here today; I have something to discuss with you."

Su Ruan set down the fabric she was holding, stared at him calmly, said nothing, and waited for what he would say next.

Su Dazhuang felt a pang of guilt under her tranquil gaze, but thinking of the money, forced himself to continue, "Look, your life's gotten better now, you've opened such a big shop."

"But the family is in trouble now, your younger brother wants to start a small business and lacks capital."

"As an older sister and a Jiang Family daughter‑in‑law, you must have plenty of resources."

"So, hand over five hundred yuan now to help the family with emergencies, and that'll also support your brother."

Five hundred yuan was a huge sum back then; Douzi and Yaya's eyes widened in shock.

Wang Juhua also chimed in, squeezing out a few tears: "RuanRuan, mother knows there were times we wronged you, but no matter what, we're still a family… you can't just enjoy yourself while your natal family is left to starve…"

Su Yaozu crossed his arms, swinging his leg smugly, as if the money were already in his hands.

Su Ruan listened to their shameless remarks, watching their greedy faces, and felt a wave of nausea.

She let out a light laugh, its tone cold, filled only with endless sarcasm: "Family?"

She repeated the word, her gaze sweeping over each of them in turn.

"When you treated me like a maid, beating and scolding me at the slightest provocation, did you ever think of us as a family?"

"When you sold me for two hundred yuan to a dung‑picker, did you ever consider us a family?"

"When you, in front of so many people yesterday, smeared me with the vilest words, trying to doom me, did you ever think of us as a family?"

Her voice remained steady, but each word struck like a cold nail, hammering into the faces of Su Dazhuang and the other two.

"Now that I seem useful, you remember we're family? Come here, bold as brass, demanding money?" Su Ruan's sneer deepened, "Your nerve is thicker than a city wall."

Su Dazhuang's face flushed crimson, angry and embarrassed, and he slammed the counter, "Su Ruan! How dare you speak like that?! I'm your father; it's only natural for me to demand money!"

"If you don't give it today, I'll… I'll never leave! I'll make sure this shop can't stay open!" he began to act like a bully.

Su Yaozu rolled up his sleeve, threatening, "Right! If you don't pay, we'll cause trouble every day! Let's see who still dares to buy anything here!"

Wang Juhua began wailing, "There's no justice! Our daughter won't recognize her parents—"

Their clamor attracted the stares of passersby, some beginning to point and comment at the shop.

Douzi's little face flushed with anger, while Yaya, frightened, clutched Su Ruan's hem tightly.

However, Su Ruan remained unmoved. She had long anticipated this stunt.

She looked at the three ugly faces before her, her eyes cold as frost, and slowly spoke:

"Money? Not a single cent."

"Want to cause trouble? Go ahead."

She picked up the telephone on the counter; this phone had been installed by Jiang Ran for convenient contact, but she hadn't expected—

"Perfect, I can call the police and report you for extortion and disrupting business."

"I could also call the newspaper and have them see how the so‑called 'family' sucks blood."

"Do you think your ruckus is harsher, or that the police and public opinion will arrive faster?"

Her words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly dousing the three's fury.

They stared at Su Ruan's terrifying calm and the phone in her hand—a rarity even today—and finally felt a hint of fear.

Only then did they realize that the Su Ruan before them was no longer something they could manipulate at will.

She now had confidence, backing, and the wit and means to deal with them.

Su Yaozu shouted, his bravado thinly veiling cowardice: "You… you dare!"

"You can try whether I dare or not."

Su Ruan pressed a number on the phone's keypad, emitting a soft 'beep.'

This sound weighed on the hearts of the three Su family members, Su Dazhuang's complexion shifted unpredictably, and finally, under Su Ruan's cold and steadfast gaze, he cowered.

He knows that if this continues, the only ones who will suffer losses are themselves.

"Go! Let's go!"

He gritted his teeth and let out a low growl, glared fiercely at Su Ruan, hauled the still wailing Wang Juhua and the resentful Su Yaozu, and, with a dust‑streaked, grimy face, charged out of the shop's door.

In the shop, Su Ruan hung up the phone, watched their frantic retreat, and her eyes were cold and indifferent.

Some blood ties are born as cursed debts.

And she had already cut them off with her own hands.