This day, Li Zhutao was busy serving steamed buns to customers when she suddenly saw her uncle's family approaching from a distance. Knowing they were up to no good, and recalling her mother's earlier scolding of the Sun father and son, she quickly sent someone to inform her mother.
Sun Fu had initially dismissed rumors, but from afar, he saw Li Zhutao bustling about and a long queue outside the bun shop. He thought about how much money she must be making. He remembered Li Zhutao as a scrawny, weak girl with dry, yellow hair when she was at the Li family's. Now, after just a few days, she was dressed so beautifully.
At the same time, he felt a pang of resentment. Sun Yuanyue had really grown independent. She didn't bring such a brilliant idea back to the Sun family, nor did she show filial piety by contributing to her parents' well-being after making money. He had been kept in the dark until others told him.
"Zhutao, quickly give your maternal grandfather some buns to try. You ungrateful girl, not even letting us know when you start making money, so we can come and enjoy some good fortune." Sun Fu saw so many people buying the buns and assumed they must be delicious. He hadn't eaten a meat bun in a long time, and the aroma made his mouth water. He shouted loudly.
However, his tone was so offensive that everyone in the queue turned to look at him, which startled Sun Fu.
Seeing Zhutao didn't react, he reached out to grab them himself. The freshly baked buns were still hot. He grabbed too many at once and burned his hand badly. He felt it was a waste to throw them away, but holding them was too painful. His comical appearance was utterly ridiculous.
Wu Caiwei arrived just in time to witness this scene. Upon seeing her, Sun Fu was about to erupt in anger but remembered the previous incident at the Li family's and felt a bit intimidated. His backside had ached for several days after returning home then.
Her stepmother had only heard of her ferocity but had never seen it. Now, seeing her business booming, she was consumed by envy and resolved to get her hands on the recipe. She wanted to open a bun shop too, and then count money until her hands cramped.
Wu Caiwei, afraid of affecting business at the entrance, led them to the backyard. In front of people, they had at least maintained some semblance of decorum, but now that they were alone, their true natures emerged.
"Sun Yuanyue, with such a good thing, you didn't even think of promoting your brother. He's the only male heir of the Sun family. Quickly give the recipe to your brother," said the stepmother, Wang Shi, arrogantly, with her legs crossed.
"Brother? What brother? My mother only gave birth to me. I don't have a brother who only knows how to beat his sister from childhood to adulthood," Wu Caiwei said disdainfully. Previously, she would only let Sun Fa call Sun Yuanyue a "little bitch." Now, it was too late for him to claim kinship.
"So you're unwilling to hand it over? It seems we didn't beat you enough before. Now, I'll teach you a lesson. Come, teach this little bitch a lesson!" Wang Shi watched her with an expectant look, waiting for her to beg for mercy.
Sun Fu and Sun Fa were eager to try. Last time, they fought her alone and couldn't defeat her. Today, they planned to team up and teach this ignorant little bitch a good lesson.
To their surprise, it wasn't Sun Yuanyue who knelt and begged for mercy, but the two of them. Wang Shi tried to step forward to help, but Wu Caiwei seized the opportunity to hit her a few times as well. This time, she exerted all her strength, wanting to teach them a lasting lesson.
"Yuanyue, Yuanyue, don't hit anymore! My good daughter, I know I was wrong." Sun Fu, bruised and swollen, lay on the ground, begging for mercy as he watched Wu Caiwei beat his beloved son.
"Ah..." Wu Caiwei remembered how Sun Fa, after losing a fight outside, took his frustrations out on Sun Yuanyue, breaking her leg and refusing medical treatment. If her maternal uncle hadn't come and argued fiercely with Sun Fu, and paid for a doctor, Sun Yuanyue's leg would have been crippled long ago. She was determined to avenge this. Before starting, fearing Sun Fa would cry out too loudly and cause unnecessary trouble, she took off his smelly shoe and stuffed it into his mouth.
Wang Shi's face turned pale when she saw her son's leg bending unnaturally. "Baby, baby..."
"How could you be so heavy-handed? He's your own brother." Sun Fu glared at her hatefully, seeing his son in such a state.
"This is your own doing. Moreover, my leg was broken by him before, and you didn't do anything. Remember that you sold me before. It was my maternal uncle who went bankrupt to redeem me. If I see you again, I'll beat you every time." Wu Caiwei directed these words primarily at Sun Fu.
Sun Yuanyue was truly pitiful. When she was two years old, her mother died during childbirth, along with the baby.
Later, with a stepmother came a stepfather. From her childhood, she toiled endlessly at home. Then came Sun Fa, who was a bully within the family. He would take out his anger and grievances on Sun Yuanyue when he was provoked outside. As she grew older, she became stronger, and his beatings became more severe. Sun Yuanyue was covered in new wounds and old scars, with not a single healthy patch of skin.
Later, the stepmother, citing Sun Fa's need to marry and the family's lack of money, wanted to sell Sun Yuanyue. Sun Fu readily agreed. To get a few more taels of silver, he even sold her to a brothel.
Fortunately, her maternal uncle heard the news and, through pleading and begging, managed to buy her back. The madam, seeing Sun Yuanyue as thin, frail, and unremarkable, took pity on him.
Even this caused her uncle to go bankrupt, selling all his land to gather the silver. The family was left destitute and unable to sustain themselves. They sold themselves as servants to others. Before they left, Sun Yuanyue was betrothed to the Li family.
Sun Yuanyue's greatest wishes were to raise her daughter well and ensure she had a good future, and to find her maternal uncle and redeem his family, settling them down.
Among the Sun family members, she hated Sun Fu the most. If Sun Fu had protected her even once, she wouldn't have suffered so much.
Seeing her mention past events, Sun Fu felt a moment of guilt, but he also felt that his life was given by him, so what was wrong with selling her?
"If you can tell me where you got the news, perhaps I can even arrange a cart to send you back." Wu Caiwei saw Sun Fu's expression shift from initial guilt to one of entitlement. Without guessing, she knew what he was thinking, and she couldn't be bothered to waste her words on them. She would deal with them later.
"Who told us? We heard it from the villagers," Sun Fu said loudly, uncomfortably.
"Most villagers don't come to the county town. Only two people typically come to the county town. Besides Li Youcai, I can't think of anyone else. It doesn't matter if you don't tell me, I have it in mind." Wu Caiwei said indifferently.
She saw Sun Fu's head snap up as she finished speaking, with an expression of "How did you know?" Then, he quickly lowered his head, realizing his expression was wrong.
Wu Caiwei had only intended to provoke him, but she had actually guessed correctly.
She drove the group out of the door.
"Aren't you afraid we'll spread rumors about your lack of filial piety, or cause trouble at your door, and ruin your business?" Even after being beaten, Sun Fu was unwilling to give up, or rather, unwilling to give up on Wu Caiwei's money.
"If you want to spend some time in jail, I don't mind. I happen to have a good relationship with the county magistrate, and the charge would be provocation and disturbance." He tried to scare Wu Caiwei, and Wu Caiwei scared him back.
Sun Fu unwillingly found an ox cart to go home.
Wu Caiwei thought that she was too busy with her business to deal with the Li family, but Li Youcai had rushed over himself. It seemed she needed to find something for him to do.