Jing Shu truly admired one thing about people: they would not resist until pushed to the brink. As long as they had something to eat, they generally would not make trouble. Starving them, exhausting them with endless work, and making them live miserably was punishment enough.
Sun Yinrui must hate Jing Shu to death. His wife probably wanted to scratch Su Meimei to pieces, and once she calmed down, some of that hatred would likely shift to Jing Shu. After all, she was a girl they had seen grow up, and now she dared to accuse their family?
But Jing Shu estimated that for the near future, they would have no time to cause trouble. Yet her aunt, Su Meimei, showed up again, just like in the previous life, bringing her whole family to the villa. This familiar scene, replayed ten years early, gave the slightly frustrated Jing Shu a perfect outlet for her irritation.
Jing Shu's frustration stemmed from her mother.
After her parents moved from the city, Su Lanzhi's first act was to inspect every corner, examining her domain and taking stock of all the possessions.
She complimented the fish pond and the adjacent vegetable plot and praised Jing Shu for the well-thought-out boiler room design. Su Lanzhi was sensitive to cold and worried the house in Wu City might not stay warm.
Su Lanzhi had always been a woman who wanted to nurture plants for relaxation, though even a pothos rarely survived. Therefore, the kitchen and greenhouse renovations delighted her.
However, when she saw the huge terrace occupied by four massive water tanks and covered with solar panels, she could not help commenting:
"You spend money so recklessly. Are we short on water or drinking it? Why put these ugly water tanks here? And what is with all these reflective water heaters? Why waste money on them?"
Jing Shu quickly made up an explanation: "This is a self-sufficient solar and water filtration system inspired by America. Who would watch a livestream if it were just like the typical rich kids at home? The government is promoting energy conservation, and this setup received great responses online, attracting more viewers."
Su Lanzhi saw the piles of snacks and Jing Shu explained they were gifts from fans. She also saw a heap of tents and outdoor equipment, which Jing Shu said were for upcoming outdoor fan activities.
Seeing a room full of shampoo, sanitary pads, and toilet paper, Su Lanzhi could not help but exclaim: "Fans gave all this? Tell me where to buy such generous fans! They can cook hotpot and supply things that will last ten years!"
Jing Shu could only remain silent.
"Show me your shopping list. I want to see where all your money went."
"Groceries, rice, oil, seasonings, solar panels, water tanks, central air conditioning, refrigerator, dishwasher… sixty rabbits, seventy chickens, three hundred quails, two pigs… So this was all bought by your fans?"
…
So when Aunt Su brought people again, Jing Shu could no longer restrain the power within her. After drinking Spirit Spring water for over twenty days, her speed and strength had long surpassed that of adult men. She had wanted to test her abilities for some time. Any provocation would be met with force, or else she could not swallow the resentment.
Unfortunately, Su Meimei was being coerced. Her husband Zhang Zhongyong, her parents-in-law, and her younger brother-in-law were present, all with hostile expressions, especially Zhang Zhongyong, who physically restrained the bruised Su Meimei.
"It is exactly the same as the previous life, only a few are missing," Jing Shu thought, her fists clenching as she repeatedly told herself to stay calm.
"Aunt Jing Shu, my dear niece, please tell them I did not cheat, and I did not see any wild men! This is framing! You must have been bribed, right? You want to ruin me! My dear sister, talk to Jing Shu! She testified against me and said I had an affair with Sun Yinrui, sob sob!"
Su Meimei cried pitifully, hair disheveled, with visible footprints on her clothes.
Jing An blocked them at the villa gate. Su Lanzhi was confused. Jing Shu expressionlessly revealed the evidence collected by Heng Jin and recounted Sun Yinrui's embezzlement and crimes.
"This is the truth. I only testified. Sun Yinrui committed crimes and offended people. When he was investigated, the court uncovered his dealings with my aunt and even recovered 300,000 yuan of his embezzled bribery money from her."
Her parents stared at Su Meimei in shock. Only then did they understand what a scumbag Sun Yinrui was, and that their sister-in-law had been involved with him and even accepted his dirty money.
Su Meimei struggled and flailed, trying to break past Zhang Zhongyong to attack Jing Shu, but Zhang Zhongyong struck her twice to subdue her.
Su Meimei never expected her usually silent niece to reveal everything and expose the money. Yang Yunyun had come earlier just to report that someone had found evidence of her and her partner's wrongdoing, casually mentioning that Jing Shu had testified.
With Sun Yinrui's downfall evident, Su Meimei had to rely on Zhang Zhongyong to argue she did not cheat. She claimed Jing Shu was bribed, confident that Su Lanzhi would protect her. After all, they were family.
Who could have predicted it?
Tears streamed down Su Lanzhi's face. "Leave. I have no sister like you!"
Su Lanzhi pointed at Su Meimei with trembling hands. "He has money and refuses to pay back, and you have money and refuse to lend. Fine! Just fine! We sold the car to make money, and you colluded: one refuses, the other takes advantage immediately. Su Meimei, from now on, we are done. Get out!"
Su Lanzhi screamed the last word with all her strength. Jing An helped drive them away.
Watching Su Meimei grit her teeth in hatred, Jing Shu smiled with satisfaction.
"This kind of woman deserves a pig cage. Son, don't rush to divorce."
"Divorce? She won't get off that easy." Zhang Zhongyong dragged the distraught Su Meimei into the car and the family drove away.
"Debts from the previous life are repaid in this one," Jing Shu whispered, watching the car. This time, no one would escape.
"Quick, come in and close the door!" Jing An's voice rang out.
"Coming."
…
On December 15, 2022, the Central Meteorological Station issued a red alert. On December 31, planetary activity would cause massive dust to enter the atmosphere, blocking sunlight. Earth would be dim, but not completely dark.
The reduced sunlight would have severe effects on plant and animal life. Crop yields would decrease, but not catastrophically. Even if grains failed, China would have enough food for three years. This was true; in critical moments, there would always be a reserve to prevent starvation.
"The Earth's Dark Days will last thirty to forty days, accompanied by heavy dust. Citizens should prepare sufficient food storage and take precautions when going outside. Elderly, weak, sick, and young should minimize outdoor activity. Elementary schools and kindergartens will suspend classes, but other work continues as normal."