Chapter 409 - Chapter 409: I Was Wrong
Chapter 409: I Was Wrong
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Why can’t I join in?” Su Wen demanded without entering, her words chilled.
“This is a discussion for adults; children should know better than to interfere.” Ma Xiulan waved dismissively, treating Su Wen as if she were a particularly pesky fly. “Hurry up and release them. You shouldn’t keep people waiting, no matter how shameless you are.”
Su Qing, Su Xiu, and the little ones glared at the offending woman with eyes as hot as coals. Little Sister Su and Sixth Sister might have been young and were undoubtedly still children, but she and Su Xiu were adults. It was simply an insult to be treated with so little regard.
While most families still favored boys over girls, not many would show it so openly.
But what could they do but accept this humiliation?
Nothing. They could not do anything. Hadn’t it always been that way since they were young? This was not the first time they had been on the receiving end of things. Humiliation was par for the course for a family with a male head. Things had only gotten worse since their father died. Fighting to be treated fairly was almost a battle in futility.
“Big Sister, I’ll go back first.’
“Me too.”
Su Qing and Su Xiu did not have the face to remain. The two turned around, their eyes tinged red with unshed tears.
However, Su Wen stopped them. “Wait!”
“Big Sister, I beg you, please let me go. I shouldn’t have come,” Su Xiu said as tears fell.
Little Sister Su had long since been scared out of her wits. God knew how scared she was of her grandparents. Grandpa and Grandma had always said she was a jinx, the reason for her parents’ untimely demise. Every time they looked at her, it was as if they were seeing their most hated enemy and not their grandchild. Little Sister Su believed she would have run away from home long ago if not for Su Wen.
Su Xue, Fifth Sister, and Sixth Sister clenched their fists tightly, waiting for Su Wen to speak. As long as she said a word, they would act, uncaring what anyone else might have to say.
“If you walk away today, you might escape this pain, but what about the future? Will you turn your back and walk away whenever you meet a setback? Don’t you think you’re doing yourself a disservice? You listen meekly without standing up for yourself because some would have you chased away. Is that what you want?” Su Wen beamed proudly, even as she released Su Xiu’s hand.
“They can tell us to leave, but we don’t have to listen. People can demand a million and one things, but that doesn’t mean we have to bend over backwards to accommodate them. Are you so desperate to relinquish control of your life and hand it to someone else?”
The two sisters listened with their heads bowed in shame.
“I’m sorry, Big Sister. I was wrong.”
“I understand.’
“What’s important is that you’re conscious of your mistakes, but equally so is the need to correct them.” Su Wen was deeply relieved having said her piece. She strode forth under the crowd’s watchful eyes and into the courtyard. By the time she arrived, there were no seats left. Grandpa, Grandma, Su Xueqiang, Su Xuewu, and the others had taken all the free seats, sneering as she made her presence known. It was an obvious power-play, nothing more.
Su Wen had already guessed what her grandparents would do.
They wanted to have the land assigned to her household stripped and redistributed to their two sons.
With Su Wen in the lead, the other Su sisters bit the bullet, firming their resolve to stand by their eldest sister in solidarity. Originally, Ma Xiulan’s plan was for Su Wen to appear alone. It would not have been difficult to coerce her using a carrot and a stick approach into forfeiting her right to the land.
Once Su Wen signed on the dotted line, there was nothing Zhou Hengyang could do to change the outcome. Why else would they have picked a moment when Zhou Hengyang was not in the village to enact their scheme? They hoped to pressure Su Wen by using numbers to their advantage.
Without Zhou Hengyang whispering into her ear or standing up on her behalf, they thought it was foregone that Su Wen would fold, too timid to fight back.
However, with the seven sisters standing together, they were united in a manner not inferior to a company of men. The plan Ma Xiulan had meticulously devised came crashing down. It made her so angry that she leaped to her feet, an accusing finger raised in condemnation of her hatefully rebellious grandchildren..