Chapter 30: I Have No Such Rebellious Son as You

The smile on Su Xing’s face gradually stiffened.

The biting wind made one shiver, yet that family—exhaling warm mist, dressed in thick, substantial layers, and even looking quite opulent—stood there comfortably. Su Xing knew nothing of down jackets; he only knew that their cotton-padded coats were so thick and fluffy that they must have required a fortune in cotton. In those days, cotton was a rare commodity; who didn’t pass a single cotton coat down through three generations?

Then he looked at the fur coat Su Yanwen was wearing. The snow rabbit fur was so soft, the sable fur shimmered with a luster, and there was even a large patch of hide from some unknown beast. In the winter of the snow country, fur garments were warmer than any amount of cotton. By comparison, the fur coat he had painstakingly obtained by playing the victim was nothing but a joke. It was covered in patches, made of pigskin on the outside, and stuffed with hard, old, matted cotton on the inside.

"By the way, Husband, I’ve finished the task you gave me," Zhao Yue’e said, her voice trembling slightly. She turned and entered the tent. When she emerged, she was carrying several strings of fish in each hand. Every fish weighed over four pounds; they had been brined and propped open with wooden sticks, then hung on a rack prepared earlier.

Su Xing wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. Damn it, how did they have so many fish? He counted carefully—eleven of them, at least forty pounds in total! Even the master they worked for only ate fish once a month, and certainly not as a staple food.

"Mommy." Cao’er was a diligent child too. She carried salt-cured ducks, tied together with rope and propped open with wooden sticks. "Here." Cao’er stood on tiptoe, straining to hang the ducks up. But the child was too small; she lost her balance, tumbled into the snow, and got a mouthful of it.

Su Yanwen’s heart ached. He quickly scooped up Cao’er and gave the ducks a kick, his expression one of utter disdain. "How annoying, making my little princess fall."

"Let me do it," Zhao Yue’e said, a smile never leaving her face as she brought out three more ducks. She even sounded a bit complaining. "Husband, actually, I think my brother-in-law was right."

Su Xing, drowning in envy, jealousy, and hatred, glared at the strings of meat, desperate to pounce on them and devour them raw. Hearing Zhao Yue’e’s words, he curled his lip, looking smug. *As expected, no matter how crazy they act, they’re still a family of spineless cowards.*

Just as he was about to gloat, he heard Zhao Yue’e say with a look of worry, "We really do need to plan our meals. For instance, if we roast a fish today, we shouldn't eat the duck. One duck and one fish every day, sometimes even with rabbit added... Husband, if we keep eating like this, my daughter and I will turn into big, fat pigs. How unsightly that would be!"

*Oh, my.* A pleasant surprise! It turned out that ancient people could be quite good at "humble-bragging."

Su Xing’s face turned from green to white, his expression a chaotic mess. Did she hear that? Was that even human language? The wheat bran he had worked himself to the bone for—was it nothing more than pig feed? What did this make him? Did he come back just to be humiliated? He had come back to show off his success, to remind his eldest brother’s family of their incompetence, and to cement his own status in the family.

"Su the Elder, why don’t you slap that foul woman?" Su Xing barked. "If you don't know how to discipline her, I’ll do it for you."

He was determined to take the meat and the clothes, but for a woman who was supposed to be trampled underfoot to act so boldly in front of him—it seemed the sticks he’d broken on her before weren't sturdy enough to teach her a lesson. Su Xing rolled up his sleeves and charged at them. He was going to smash Zhao Yue’e’s face in today.

As he charged, Su Yanwen, still holding Cao’er with one hand, raised his other and slapped Su Xing across the face.

"Ah!" Zhao Yue’e cried out and fell to the ground in fear. But it was Su Xing who was howling in pain.

Su Xing’s eyes bulged with rage. "Su Yanwen, have you lost your mind? You dare hit me?"

*Smack!* Another slap. After that strike, Su Yanwen gently handed Cao’er to Zhao Yue’e and delivered a fierce kick to Su Xing’s chest. Before Su Xing could recover from the slaps, he was sent sprawling onto the snow. He landed heavily on his back, wailing in agony. Before he could even struggle to rise, a heavy boot pressed down on his chest.

Su Yanwen looked down at him, toying with his hunting knife. "What 'foul woman'?"

"If you can't call her 'Sister-in-law,' you can keep your mouth shut." He smiled. "The elder brother is like a father; let me, your father, teach you a lesson."

"You... you’re bold!" Su Xing was furious, but looking at the glinting blade and Su Yanwen’s cold, lethal expression, his courage faltered. His voice trailed off. "Do... do you dare? I’ll tell Father, and he’ll beat you!"

"Heh." Su Yanwen said dismissively, "Suit yourself. But before that, I’ll cut out your tongue. After all, hearing you call my wife that makes me very unhappy."

The hunting knife was razor-sharp and stained with rabbit blood, looking all the more terrifying. Su Yanwen kept smiling—a chilling, hollow expression—while the pressure from his boot on Su Xing’s chest increased. It seemed he really might cut out his tongue. Su Xing clamped his mouth shut, gritting his teeth hard. As long as he didn't open his mouth, the blade couldn't touch his tongue.

Su Yanwen looked at him as if he were a dying rabbit. He leaned down, grabbed Su Xing’s throat with his free hand, and pressed slightly on his windpipe.

"Waugh!" Su Xing gagged, his tongue lolling out. Su Yanwen laughed, the blade resting right against his tongue. The cold steel and the metallic tang of rabbit blood filled Su Xing’s mouth; he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his mind suddenly clear. He trembled and whimpered, "Father!"

"The elder brother is like a father... you... you can't kill me!"

*Heh.* Su Yanwen sheathed the knife and kicked him. "I don't have an unfilial son like you. Get out!"

Su Xing was terrified out of his wits. He scrambled up, realizing that Su Yanwen had truly become a madman—who else would talk about cutting out tongues at the drop of a hat?

"Daddy." Cao’er’s innocent voice was filled with confusion. "How embarrassing, Third Uncle is a grown man and he still wet his pants."

Su Yanwen immediately reached out to cover Zhao Yue’e’s eyes, saying with a straight face, "Do not look at what is improper!"

"Ah!" Su Xing let out a howl of despair. He had lost all face. He turned and bolted toward the village.

"Phew!" Zhao Yue’e let out a long sigh of relief, her body going limp as she leaned against a tree, her palms slick with sweat. Yet, a look of disbelief and joy dawned on her face. Her eyes reddened, and she choked out, "I... I really did it."

"Mommy is amazing!"

"Mommy, with Daddy here, we’ll never be bullied again, right?" Cao’er’s big eyes sparkled, as if encouraging Zhao Yue’e, or perhaps herself, and she seemed to be seeking confirmation from Su Yanwen.

"Right!" Su Yanwen agreed without hesitation. A happy smile blossomed on everyone’s faces.

*Awoooo!*

From deep in the mountains, a wolf howled. By the sound of it, it was coming from the cave where they had previously lived. As Su Xing was running down the mountain, he heard the sound, his legs gave way, and he tumbled sideways, rolling head over heels all the way down to the foot of the mountain.