The heavy snow a few days ago made this Spring Festival the coldest in a decade.
However, the main hall in the backyard of the Su family was kept at a comfortable 26 degrees Celsius.
From the outside, the architecture of this residence was old and unremarkable.
But almost every room was equipped with underfloor heating.
The colder it was outside, the warmer it felt indoors.
Even Du Yaoyao, who was kneading dough, had fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
If it weren't for Maomao, who was over four months pregnant and sensitive to the cold, preferring the current temperature, Yaoyao would have insisted on lowering it to below 20 degrees.
The backyard was a place that even Su Xin rarely entered, let alone men like Uncle Kui.
It was an absolute no-go zone for men.
The four beauties of the Su family had also changed into their most comfortable tank tops and shorts, with eight bare, slender legs resting directly on the warm floor.
Yaoyao, with her greatest strength, was kneading the dough.
Chongchong, with her swift hands, was using a rolling pin to flatten dumpling wrappers.
Su Nanyin and Maomao were wrapping dumplings.
The television was on, but no one was watching it.
What was called a television nowadays was hardly a television.
The complex functions made it difficult for the elderly and children to operate independently, while the younger generation was too lazy to watch the long advertisements and had to subscribe to various memberships.
This had led to televisions gradually losing their original purpose and becoming mere decorative items.
Spring Festivals many years ago—
The scene of a family eating dumplings, keeping vigil with ancestral tablets, and watching the Spring Festival Gala had become a thing of the past.
The Su family turned on the TV tonight only to liven up the somber atmosphere that had persisted for days.
To liven up the mood—
To dissolve the faint sorrow from their mother's brow, even the naturally aloof Yaoyao had told a joke about spitting out grape skins.
Su Nanyin knew exactly what her "Maomao, Chongchong, Yaoyao" were thinking.
Especially after receiving her last will, Yaoyao, who was on a mission in Europe, had rushed back as quickly as possible.
For the past few nights.
Her "Maomao, Chongchong, Yaoyao" had, as they did when they were little, insisted on sleeping in her bedroom, even if it meant sleeping on the floor, just to be with her.
Su Nanyin also wanted to cheer herself up.
Even if it was just pretending to be happy!
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't dispel the sorrow from her brow.
"Mom."
Maomao, seeing the conversation faltering again, quickly said, "Don't pay attention to those barking mad dogs. As long as you are safe and don't do anything foolish again, we won't care about anything else!"
Before she finished speaking.
Yaoyao, who was good at sharp retorts, said, "Committing suicide to prove your innocence isn't foolish. It's the only way to prove Mom and Qianfan's innocence. It also provides me with a reason to eliminate those mad dogs. In short, from an objective perspective, Mom going to the Great Wall to commit suicide was very sensible."
"Du Yaoyao!"
Chongchong was unhappy. "Are you saying you wish Mom would just die?"
Yaoyao paused.
She frowned. "I'm stating a fact."
"Facts don't matter."
Maomao stopped wrapping dumplings, her face full of displeasure. "I'd rather Mom bear the infamy of raising Qianfan and live to be a hundred. Reputation is nothing compared to life."
"Fine, as you wish."
Yaoyao became even more cutting. "Qianfan has now publicly declared that he took advantage of Mom because she is noble and sexy. And the result? How will Mom be able to go out in the future? Qianfan's reputation in the Eastern Territories is ruined!"
*Slap!*
Chongchong slammed the rolling pin down. "Du Yaoyao, I'm asking you, is Mom more important, or is reputation more important?"
"Shen Chongchong, who are you yelling at and banging things for?"
Yaoyao also got angry, her tone ice-cold. "I just clearly stated that I was speaking from an objective perspective! It has nothing to do with wishing Mom dead to protect her innocence."
Maomao sneered. "That's exactly what you meant. You wish Mom would die so that Qianfan's succession to the Dragon Ruins remains unshaken, allowing you to smoothly settle in Li Family Village."
Yaoyao was furious. "You're talking nonsense!"
Maomao and Chongchong shouted in unison, "That's exactly what you mean!"
The three "cabbages" in the house were arguing more and more fiercely, even showing signs of escalating to physical altercations.
But Su Nanyin, who was quietly wrapping dumplings, remained "indifferent."
In the past decade and more, Maomao, Chongchong, and Yaoyao often had such intense arguments, sometimes even resorting to physical fights.
This was all due to Su Nanyin's deliberate indulgence, cultivating their habit of "truth is not clear without debate."
After all.
Whenever Maomao, Chongchong, and Yaoyao argued intensely, she only needed to stand from a god's-eye view to control the situation and ensure that no major problems arose.
"Fine. You say I wish Mom were dead, then so be it."
Du Yaoyao said this without considering filial piety at all.
Because she knew very well that filial piety was not spoken but demonstrated through actions.
Yaoyao's agreement with her mother's suicidal method to prove her innocence and protect Li Qianfan was purely from the most objective standpoint, discussing the matter on its merits.
But if Su Nanyin were to truly die.
Even if she were dismembered, Yaoyao would, without any evidence, kill all eleven noble families to avenge her mother!
"Mom is right here now."
Du Yaoyao pointed at Su Nanyin, who was "watching the show," and said coldly to Maomao and Chongchong, "But is she happy?"
Was Su Nanyin happy?
Maomao and Chongchong instinctively looked at her.
Su Nanyin, with a scar still on her left knee, lowered her head and wrapped dumplings.
Even though she was wearing casual clothes and had one foot under the table, she still looked noble and sexy.
Yet, she somehow gave the impression of being distant, as if she were not of this world!
"Is Mom happy?"
Du Yaoyao asked again.
Maomao and Chongchong exchanged glances and remained silent.
"No, she's not happy."
Du Yaoyao got straight to the point—
"Everyone in the world now knows that she has been taken advantage of by Qianfan."
"Who knows how many people are pointing fingers at Mom, calling her a slut."
"How can she stay in Dark Blade in the future?"
"She'll have to resign!"
"Her position after resignation will be taken by someone else."
"All her previous efforts will pave the way for others!"
"The crucial point is that Qianfan is under even more pressure than Mom."
"Mom is the slut that everyone points fingers at, and Qianfan is the beast that everyone curses!"
"Qianfan's future is also ruined."
Du Yaoyao said coldly, "Do you think, with Mom's outwardly gentle but inwardly strong and proud personality, she likes this kind of life?"
Su Nanyin certainly did not like a life where she was condemned by everyone!
To her, it was worse than death.
"Is there no other way?"
After hearing Yaoyao's clear analysis of the problem, Su Maomao had to face the cold reality and stop arguing.
When she asked this question, she looked at Su Nanyin.
She hoped Su Nanyin could come up with a solution to change the current downward trend.
Su Nanyin, still wrapping dumplings, remained indifferent.
Du Yaoyao answered her question. "I've been thinking about it these past few days, and there's only one solution."
Shen Chongchong quickly pressed. "What solution?"
Du Yaoyao didn't speak but picked up a seasoning bottle from the table and threw it on the floor.
The seasoning bottle was made of plastic and wouldn't break.
But Maomao and Chongchong immediately thought of an old saying: "When the pot is broken, just smash it completely!"
Maomao and Chongchong's faces changed drastically, and they asked in unison, "Du Yaoyao, are you suggesting Mom should actually get involved with Qianfan?"
Su Nanyin, who was still wrapping dumplings, immediately frowned.
"Are your brains sick?"
Du Yaoyao scoffed. "When I say 'smash the broken pot,' I mean for Qianfan and Mom to create a facade."
Maomao and Chongchong breathed a sigh of relief.
Pretending that Li Qianfan was taken advantage of by Su Nanyin wasn't a big problem.
The problem was—
Would Su Nanyin and Li Qianfan themselves be willing?
Maomao and Chongchong were a little worried.
Du Yaoyao added, "There's only one way to express this intention."
Maomao and Chongchong immediately perked up their ears.
Du Yaoyao said, "That is, during the Spring Festival, let Qianfan leave our house to pay New Year's greetings to the major noble families. This would be equivalent to him declaring that his taking advantage of Su Nanyin is not just an empty rumor. Also, after the festival, Qianfan will take over the position of Mom's work secretary. This way, Mom won't have to resign and can foil the dreams of those who want to reap the rewards of her efforts!"
Maomao and Chongchong's eyes immediately lit up.
Their intelligence was beyond question.
Yaoyao was able to think of these things first because of her cold nature, which had fewer impurities to cloud her thoughts.
But she only had to say it simply, and Maomao and Chongchong immediately understood.
"It's a good idea, but it won't work."
Su Nanyin, who had been silent, finally spoke slowly.
"Why?"
Su Maomao blurted out.
"Because that brat, who inexplicably calls me Auntie."
Su Nanyin still spoke leisurely, "is unlikely to spend the New Year at our house. Nor will he go out from our house to pay New Year's greetings to the noble families! Let alone voluntarily become my secretary. After all, if he really did that, he would be pushing himself into a dead end with no possibility of turning back. The fact that he could self-destruct and claim to have taken advantage of me is already the greatest sacrifice he has made for our family."
Maomao and Chongchong nodded subconsciously, their eyes dimming.
"Don't worry, as long as I can see you and Qianfan safe and sound. Even if I have to live in humiliation, I can still live on."
Su Nanyin gave a wry smile. "Don't expect that brat to come to our house this Spring Festival."
The living room door—
Suddenly opened.