The siblings returned to the Hongxin Brigade, which they hadn't seen for several months, filled with excitement. They saw a commotion in front of Su Taohua's house and wondered what was happening.
"Auntie, what's going on up ahead?" Su Xiaotian saw a middle-aged woman she recognized and hurried over to ask.
"It's Xiaotian! When did you get back?"
The woman saw Su Xiaotian and was exceptionally enthusiastic.
The Su family was quite prominent now, with several university students emerging from their home, a unique achievement in the entire county.
Consequently, Su Xiaotian, the favored daughter of the Su family, had also become quite valuable.
"Auntie, I just got back. Before I even reached home, I saw what looked like a disturbance here, so I came to take a look!" Su Xiaotian, afraid the woman would change the subject, said quickly.
"It's certainly a disturbance. Accountant Li, oh, no, Li Changming is back, and he's making a scene!"
The middle-aged woman glanced at the crowd gathered in front of Su Taohua's house, her lips curling slightly.
Su Xiaotian was stunned. Li Changming was back?
When did he return from the mine?
If he was back, why wasn't he living his own life, but instead causing trouble at Aunt Taohua's house?
Su Xiaotian didn't have time to think and hurried towards Su Taohua's house.
Although she knew Aunt Taohua wasn't one to back down from a fight, her sister Xiaomei was at home, and she must be upset by such a scene.
Many people were gathered in front of Su Taohua's house. As work had just ended, many had crowded around, blocking the area completely.
Through the crowd, Su Xiaotian could still hear the noisy arguments and muffled crying from inside.
Su Xiao Si and Su Xiao Wu, seeing Su Xiaotian run off to join the excitement, quickly followed her.
Before they got close, they heard Li Changming's arrogant voice.
"Su Taohua, you slut, you were with another man and then abandoned. Now I'm willing to take you back, and you should be grateful! Why are you putting on airs?"
Li Changming's words were extremely harsh and unpleasant. Su Xiaotian could even imagine Li Changming's vicious face.
"Li Changming, we are divorced. We have nothing to do with each other. This is my home!"
Su Taohua's voice was somewhat choked, but her tone was firm.
"Pah, you trashy woman, trying to get with a guy living in a cowshed, and you still want to be like city people? But did you ever think if you're worthy? People from big cities have seen all sorts of women!"
Li Changming ignored whatever Su Taohua said and continued to insult her.
Su Xiaotian's face turned red with anger as she listened.
What had this Li Changming done in the past, and he still had the nerve to come here and yell?
Su Xiaotian used her small stature to her advantage and squeezed through the crowd.
As soon as she got through, she saw Li Changming, dressed in worn and greasy clothes that looked like they hadn't been washed in a long time, standing opposite Su Taohua, pointing at her and yelling.
"Li Changming, why do you have to come here to insult me? What good does it do you?" Su Taohua was very upset, but she forced herself to remain calm.
Shen Zizhen had been gone for several months and hadn't shown any sign of returning. She was truly suffering.
She had heard the rumors in the brigade but could only pretend not to hear them.
"Su Taohua, I'm telling you, I'm entering this house today!"
"This has nothing to do with you!" Su Taohua blocked the doorway, saying forcefully.
Behind her stood a distressed Su Xiaomei.
"You are my wife, and the people behind you are my children. Wherever I go, I will say so!" Li Changming said with full confidence.
Su Xiaotian was puzzled. Normally, Li Changming, being a live-in son-in-law, wouldn't come to his in-laws' door to humiliate himself after a divorce.
But why had Li Changming come?
Observing Li Changming's current disheveled state, she thought she might have guessed the reason.
Although Li Changming had returned from the mine, he probably had nowhere to go, which was why he came here.
His repeated insistence on entering the house was likely just to find a place to stay.
Su Xiaotian glanced back at Su Xiaogang.
Xiaogang glared at Li Changming indignantly, his fists clenched tightly. Su Xiaotian quickly signaled to Xiao Si and Xiao Wu, asking them to calm Xiao Gang down.
Then she darted forward.
"Li Changming, aren't you ashamed!" Su Xiaotian's clear, crisp voice reached everyone's ears.
"Who do you think you are, daring to interfere in my business?"
It had been several years, and Li Changming didn't recognize Su Xiaotian at first glance.
"You don't need to know who I am, but if you continue to cause trouble on our Hongxin Brigade's territory, don't blame us Hongxin Brigade people for being impolite!"
Su Xiaotian's words were quite skillful, aimed at reminding everyone present that this was Hongxin Brigade's territory and an outsider shouldn't be bossing them around.
"Aunt Taohua is one of us from the Hongxin Brigade. You, an outsider, are bullying Aunt Taohua here, are you implying we Hongxin Brigade has no one?"
As if afraid she hadn't stirred up the anger of the men of the Hongxin Brigade enough, Su Xiaotian continued.
Indeed, after these words, the men of the Hongxin Brigade looked displeased.
That's right, why had they all forgotten that Taohua and Li Changming had already divorced?
If they didn't step forward to help when Li Changming came to cause trouble like this, the Hongxin Brigade would be looked down upon by everyone in the future.
The men of the Hongxin Brigade would be gossiped about wherever they went.
They hadn't stepped forward to help before because they thought it was Su Taohua and Li Changming's family matter.
But after Su Xiaotian's reminder, they immediately thought of who was close and who was distant.
Li Changming's past actions were also recalled by everyone.
They also remembered that even after Teacher Shen left without a trace, Su Taohua was still the wife Shen had legally married.
On the contrary, Li Changming had no relationship with Taohua.
"Li Changming, you've come to our Hongxin Brigade to run wild, don't blame us Hongxin Brigade people for being impolite!"
"If you know what's good for you, get lost and go back to your brigade!"
"Don't you know what you did yourself? Do you expect us to remind you?"
...
Before the men of the Hongxin Brigade could speak, the women had already started to gossip.
Li Changming had been swaggering for a while, thinking no one in the Hongxin Brigade was supporting Su Taohua, and he was quite pleased. He was even thinking that if he seized the opportunity, he would take over this house and yard.
As for Su Taohua, the promiscuous woman, since she had slept with someone else, he didn't care for her anymore. Once he took over the yard, he would just throw her out.
But as soon as this annoying brat appeared, she made everyone glare at him.
"You damned girl, how dare you ruin my good deed!" Li Changming, enraged, was about to grab Su Xiaotian and beat her up.
But who was Su Xiaotian? She was trained. Even Chen Zi'an said Su Xiaotian was a promising talent, born to practice martial arts.
With a slight dodge, Su Xiaotian evaded Li Changming's dirty, outstretched hand.
"You used to be a respectable person. How did you become like this in such a short time?" Su Xiaotian said as she dodged, as if she hadn't provoked him enough.
Li Changming used to be the accountant of the Hongxin Brigade, a man of leadership, and naturally respectable.
But due to his personal conduct, he was sent to the mine for two years. He was completely different from his former self.
Especially after returning home, his former home had no place for him. His elder brother and younger brother couldn't tolerate him.
His sister-in-law and sister-in-law were constantly making things difficult for him, either openly or indirectly, by smashing dishes and bowls.
In a fit of anger, Li Changming decided to return to the Hongxin Brigade to find Su Taohua. Even though he knew Su Taohua had remarried, he still went to her door, having nowhere else to go.
"Let me guess, you have nowhere to go, so you came to the Hongxin Brigade?" Su Xiaotian, still not satisfied, directly exposed the truth Li Changming was desperately trying to hide.
Li Changming was furious and lunged at Su Xiaotian.
"You damned girl, for interfering in my business, I'll beat you to death today!" Li Changming charged at Su Xiaotian with increasing ferocity.
However, while dodging, Su Xiaotian kicked Li Changming in the knee.
Su Xiaotian's combat power was very high. A single Li Changming was no match for her, especially when he was caught off guard.
Li Changming fell directly to his knees.
Some mischievous brigade members, seeing Li Changming being kicked to the ground by a little girl like Su Xiaotian, burst into laughter.
"Li Changming, even if you're no longer an official, there's no need to come to our Hongxin Brigade to kneel!"
"What do you know? Li Changming has realized his mistake and is kneeling to beg Aunt Taohua for forgiveness!"
"It's unlikely someone so shameless would know their mistakes!"
"Even if he kneels, Aunt Taohua won't forgive him."
"By the way, where did that woman he was close to before go? Since he's back, that woman should be back too, right? Why isn't she at our Hongxin Brigade?"
As everyone chattered, Su Xiaomei's pretty face turned bright red.
No matter what, the person in front of them was her biological father. As a daughter, she felt embarrassed to see him being provoked like this.
However, she couldn't speak up for Li Changming.
"Li Changming, you should leave. No matter why you came today, I won't agree," Su Taohua also saw Su Xiaomei's distress and said.
If she could endure the hardship alone, her daughter shouldn't have to suffer anymore.
"Pah, that slut Su Xiaomei, did she go to take the college entrance examination? She should look in the mirror and see if she's cut out for it!" Li Changming, though he saw Su Xiaomei's embarrassment, chose to insult her.
Li Changming only knew that Su Xiaomei had gone to take the college entrance examination and didn't know that Su Xiaomei had achieved excellent results, so he dared to say such things.
Su Xiaomei's eyes welled up with tears from being insulted by her biological father, but she bravely held them back.
However, no one knew that at this moment, Su Xiaomei's father had died in her heart and no longer existed!
The last bit of affection had finally turned to dust!
Su Xiaogang finally couldn't hold back and ran to Li Changming.
"Why did you come? Why did you come? Get lost, get lost!" Su Xiaogang shouted with all his might.
Hearing his own son say this, Li Changming became even more enraged.
This was his seed, how could he speak to his own father like this?
"You beast, I am your father!" Li Changming stared at Su Xiaogang with bloodshot eyes, almost lunging to hit him.
"I don't have a father like you, I don't!" Xiaogang's tears finally fell uncontrollably.
"Xiaogang, don't cry. Mom is here, and she won't let him bully you!" Su Taohua quickly came to protect her son.
"You slut, you whore, I'll beat you to death!"
Li Changming was about to stand up and strike Su Taohua.
Su Xiaotian and the others were also preparing to help, and some members of the Hongxin Brigade were also ready to help Su Taohua.
Just then, everyone suddenly heard a somewhat familiar voice from outside the crowd.
"Stop!"
Everyone stopped and looked towards the source of the voice, finding the man before them somewhat familiar.
"You are—" An old man looked at the middle-aged man dressed in brand-new clothes and asked, feeling he looked familiar, "Are you from our brigade?"
"I am Shen Zizhen. Don't you remember me? Fourth Uncle!" Shen Zizhen said with a smile. "I even ate a meal at your house!"
The person Shen Zizhen called Fourth Uncle suddenly realized and smiled, "I didn't recognize you. My eyesight has really failed me."
In fact, it wasn't just Fourth Uncle who didn't recognize him. Most of the brigade members hadn't realized that the person before them was Shen Zizhen.
After all, the person before them was truly different from the Shen Zizhen they remembered.
Shen Zizhen didn't engage in excessive pleasantries with Fourth Uncle but naturally walked to Su Taohua's side, shielding her and Xiaogang.
"Who are you?" Li Changming looked at the man who suddenly appeared before him and was instantly intimidated by his aura.
Although he didn't recognize the man, Li Changming felt that this person was definitely not ordinary.
If nothing else, just looking at his clothes and accessories indicated that this person came from a wealthy background.
"I am Taohua's husband!"
The brigade members were all shocked by this simple introduction.
Before this, everyone had thought that Su Taohua had been abandoned by Shen Zizhen. Otherwise, why hadn't Shen Zizhen sent any news for such a long time?
Even Su Taohua herself had thought so.
But the person who had disappeared for so long had suddenly appeared before them.
Su Xiaotian was the first to react. She ran a few steps to Shen Zizhen and said, "Uncle Shen, you're finally here. If you hadn't come, Aunt Taohua would have been bullied!"
Su Xiaotian's words, on the surface, seemed to imply that Li Changming was bullying Su Taohua.
However, how many of the onlookers had not gossiped about Su Taohua?
Hearing the words of a little child like Su Xiaotian, they all felt their faces burn.
Could they themselves say such things?
Taohua's life was already difficult enough, and instead of helping her, they had mocked her.
Now, Taohua's husband had arrived, and they felt a sting of shame!
Su Xiaotian, unaware of their thoughts, looked at Shen Zizhen with a bright, mischievous smile.
Shen Zizhen rubbed Su Xiaotian's hair.
"Little girl, you've grown taller in a few months."
Su Xiaotian didn't say much but shifted her gaze to Li Changming.
Shen Zizhen then also turned his gaze to Li Changming.
"You and Taohua are divorced. Taohua is my lawfully wedded wife!" Shen Zizhen said firmly.
Li Changming had dared to come and cause trouble only after hearing that Su Taohua had been abandoned by the man she married later.
Shen Zizhen's sudden appearance made him instantly lose his nerve.
Li Changming was the type of person who was strong against the weak and weak against the strong.
He dared to bully Su Taohua, but he didn't dare to confront someone like Shen Zizhen, who clearly wasn't ordinary.
He had heard that Shen Zizhen was from the capital, so he must have an extraordinary family background, and perhaps dealing with him would be as easy as crushing an ant.
"I, I..." Li Changming didn't know what to say and stammered for a while!
"You can go. From now on, stay far away from Taohua!" Shen Zizhen, not wanting to entangle with someone like Li Changming any further, waved his hand and said.
Li Changming still wanted to say something, but seeing Shen Zizhen's stern face, he ultimately didn't.
Just as he turned to leave, he suddenly heard Shen Zizhen speak again.
"By the way, the children at home will have nothing to do with you anymore. You should try to stay away from them. Perhaps when you're old, you might still receive some support."
Shen Zizhen said this in a gentle tone, but precisely because of this gentle tone, no one dared to underestimate him.
Li Changming looked at Su Xiaomei, then at Su Xiaogang.
These were his son and daughter, and also Xiao Liang, who had gone to join the army. They were all his children, but now his children looked at him with such disdain.
Could it be that he, as a father, was truly a failure?
Shen Zizhen paid no attention to the departing Su Changming.
He simply looked at Su Taohua with a gentle gaze.
"Taohua, I didn't abandon you!"
Su Taohua hadn't expected that the first thing Shen Zizhen would say to her was this.
He hadn't intended to abandon her, so why hadn't he come to find her? Not even a letter?
"I know, you, I..."
Su Taohua wanted to say that they were from different worlds, but she didn't.
Shen Zizhen reached out and held Su Taohua's rough hand. "After I went to the capital, I only had time to write you one letter before I went to participate in the college entrance examination question setting."
"Before the college entrance examination, I was not allowed to have any contact with the outside world. I thought that after the college entrance examination ended, I would receive your reply."
Shen Zizhen said this very sincerely, and in front of so many people from the Hongxin Brigade.
Wasn't this also a way to support Su Taohua?
Su Xiaotian smiled, her small face full of cunning!
"But I didn't receive it!" Su Taohua murmured.
This strong woman, when facing Shen Zizhen, had always lacked confidence.
"I know. For some reason, that letter drifted outside for several months and then returned to the capital. When I saw that letter, I knew something had gone wrong."
Su Xiaotian was also very surprised to hear Shen Zizhen's explanation. She had thought perhaps there was a communication problem, but she never expected that a sent letter could inexplicably return.
Su Taohua clearly hadn't expected things to turn out this way either!
"Why did you suddenly come?" Su Taohua, feeling much relieved, finally remembered to ask this question.
"Knowing that you didn't receive my letter, I was very anxious. After finishing my work, I immediately came to find you!" Shen Zizhen said to Su Taohua with a gentle smile.
"Actually, you didn't need to..."
Su Taohua's words were interrupted by Shen Zizhen.