After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 104 Returning to parents’ home on the second day of junior high school

Beneath the glamorous exterior of the Bai Mansion, undercurrents surged, while Dongmen Village remained tranquil.

On the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, all the married women in the village returned with their families, and Su Tai was no exception.

In order to have a proper New Year celebration at her parents' home, she also brought along her three puppies and provided plenty of fodder for the cattle and sheep, so that even if they couldn't get home in time, they wouldn't have to worry about the livestock.

As Shen Yi drove his donkey cart into Dongmen Village, he heard bursts of firecrackers coming from the village, sometimes from the east, sometimes from the west, interspersed with the cheerful laughter of children.

Su Tai chuckled for no apparent reason, "Now this is what the New Year's atmosphere should be like!"

Seeing that he was happy, Shen Yi glanced subconsciously at the firecrackers and fireworks that were still on the donkey cart and said, "We'll play with my brother-in-law and the others later."

"Okay!" Su Tai smiled even more brightly.

Before the donkey cart even reached Su Chunlin's house, Madam Han came out to greet it.

"Quick, quick! Come inside and warm yourself by the fire. A sudden strong wind picked up last night, and I was worried you wouldn't be back on time today!"

As they were talking, Mrs. Han had already moved the young couple's luggage to the backyard.

Su Tai followed and saw a charcoal stove in her room. She looked surprised and said, "Mother, you've prepared everything so thoroughly!"

Han glanced at the charcoal stove and sighed, "Your mother isn't that meticulous. It was your eldest uncle's family who brought their newlywed daughter-in-law back for the New Year. Ha! Good heavens! That old hag looks down on us country folk. One minute she complains that our house is shabby, the next she complains that the house is too cold for her, and then she says that she can't eat fish because she's pregnant. We deliberately made trouble for her, caused a scene, and ran away overnight."

I heard that woman was a maid who came with the eldest young mistress of the Bai family as part of her dowry. I wonder if your uncle and the others will be punished by the eldest young mistress when they go back. Your father and I haven't slept well these past two days, but we can't help them. What a mess this is!"

Upon hearing this, Su Tai couldn't help but worry. After thinking for a moment, she decided to go and ask Su Yu.

Since she was visiting, she naturally brought something, so Shen Yi helped her carry a bucket of live fish to Su Changxi.

As soon as she entered the door, she was infected by the lively atmosphere inside. She saw Su Changxi and his wife, along with their daughter-in-law, daughter, and son-in-law, sitting around a table with a plate of pancakes and a small jar of wine. It looked very warm and cozy.

When Su Yu saw Su Tai coming over, she quickly asked Su Sheng to go and help her, and asked Su Tai to sit down next to her.

As soon as Su Tai sat down, she couldn't help but ask about Cui Lan.

Su Yu's smile remained unchanged. "Did I make my second uncle and aunt worry? Don't worry! My parents have been working in the Bai family for so long, and my brother serves the eldest young master. They wouldn't punish them without even asking. Nothing will happen."

Seeing her resolute expression, Su Tai breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, saying, "That's great. I'll tell my parents when I get back, so they won't worry."

"You just love to worry about things that aren't your business!" Su Yan glanced at Su Tai reproachfully, handed her a pancake, and sighed, "It's been so many years, and it's rare to have enough white flour pancakes for the New Year this year. I hope the weather will be good next year, so that our family can at least save some money."

Su Tai looked at Song Yongnian, who was talking to Shen Yi, and whispered to Su Yan, "Is he treating you well?"

Su Yan blushed, nudged Su Tai shyly, and lowered her voice, "It's great! He's all alone, I'm in charge of things at home, and I have my parents, older brother, and sister-in-law to help me. I live a comfortable and carefree life. Now I finally understand what it feels like to have no in-laws."

"Thank goodness I didn't marry into the Sang family, otherwise I wouldn't even have a place to cry now!"

"How is the Sang family doing?" Su Tai asked gossipy. Su Yan knew she was interested, so she immediately said excitedly, "On New Year's Eve, Sang Yong and Sang Rong were taken to the county government by the town officials. I heard that the matter has spread far and wide and aroused public anger. Just think about it, the county magistrate has worked hard all year and finally got a few days of rest, but before he could even start to rest, such a big thing happened."

If this wasn't handled properly, his job as county magistrate would be over. Therefore, the county magistrate sent out all the minor officials and clerks from the county government to appease the villagers one by one and to tally the losses.

Whether it was being scammed or injured in an explosion, it's all included. Guess how much money it would add up to?

"How much more?" Su Tai asked impatiently.

Others also looked over.

Su Yan smiled and didn't keep them in suspense any longer. "My uncle returned to the village yesterday evening and stopped by my house for a while. He said that the county government had been busy for two days before they had a result. The Sang family's fraud caused a loss of up to 2,200 taels of silver to the surrounding villages."

Of course, the two thousand two hundred taels also included the money owed to the people they had previously swindled, since the matter had become so big that it had spread throughout almost the entire Zhaohua County.

Su Tai covered her mouth in shock, "How can there be so much! I didn't see much of their goods the other day!"

Su Yan shook her head. "What you saw that day was just the tip of the iceberg. They went from street to street and tasted the sweetness of success, and sold quite a lot. Now the biggest problem is that the merchants who sourced their goods have run away. Although they keep crying foul and saying that they know nothing about it, what can they do? They still have to bear the loss."

Sang Yong's younger sister is now Ma Yuanwai's second wife, and Ma Yuanwai's daughter is Sang Rong's wife. They can only rely on Ma Yuanwai for help. You could say Sang Rong married a woman from a wealthy family; otherwise, who could withstand such torment!

Huang made sarcastic remarks from the side, "I think that with Master Ma's stingy nature, he would definitely not be willing to spend this money."

Su Yu pondered and said, "My mother said that when they came back, they met Shiliu in town. Shiliu's mistress is Rong, a concubine's daughter from the Bai family. She married the eldest son of Master Ma. I heard that Rong is now in charge of the Ma family. The eldest branch of the Ma family has a lot of say. Even if Master Ma is willing to spend this money, I'm afraid the eldest branch will still object."

With the town magistrate's wife helping them, who knows what kind of trouble the Ma family is in right now!

"That's why I say a blessed person doesn't marry into an unblessed family. My daughter is blessed, and the Sang family is not good enough for her. That's why the previous marriage didn't work out. Yongnian is better than Sang Rong in every way!" Madam Huang emphasized again that Sang Rong was not a good match, and then praised Song Yongnian profusely.

The younger generation was delighted.

Su Tai stayed at Su Yu's house for half a day, and was then invited to stay by the hospitable Mrs. Huang for a meal of pancakes before returning home.

The Han couple breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that Su Chunsen's family would be safe, and began discussing spring planting matters with Shen Yi.

"Shen Yi, will your family continue to grow wheat, peanuts, and soybeans next year?" Su Chunlin asked, and everyone looked at Shen Yi.

Shen Yi's gaze fell on Su Tai. "Xiao Tai, what do you think?"

Su Zhan frowned. "Brother-in-law, why are you asking about my sister? She's never done any proper farm work since she was a child, and she doesn't know anything about grains."

Su Tai grabbed Su Zhan's ear tightly in anger, "Say it again?"

"It hurts!" Su Zhan's face contorted in pain.

Ruan Xiaoyu quickly poured Su Tai a cup of tea, "Big sister, have some water."