Zhao Yaxin's cold gaze fell on him.
Su Lin immediately felt a wave of embarrassment.
Not knowing the disgraceful acts of his past self would have been fine, but now that he knows, even with his thick skin, he can't quite handle it.
One can only say, his past self deserved the gossip — lazy and foolish.
Su Lin sighed inwardly, but forced a smile on his face and greeted as usual, "Sister-in-law."
"Hmm." Zhao Yaxin responded indifferently, her expression calm and steady, but a ripple arose in her heart.
The old man had gone to Su Lin's house early in the morning, making indirect inquiries to Su Tongxi and the neighbors, yet no one had heard of any intention from this brother-in-law to sell the house.
Does he really not intend to sell? Or has he hidden it so deeply that he's fooled everyone?
Zhao Yaxin pondered, then immediately dismissed the latter. Based on her understanding of Su Lin, he certainly didn't have that kind of shrewdness.
Could it be...he really intends to turn over a new leaf?
Recalling the past, she found it hard to believe.
But her daughter's innocent words seemed to suggest that her brother-in-law had indeed changed a bit.
With a tangled mind, Zhao Yaxin finally let out a soft sigh.
Oh well, she was ultimately just a daughter-in-law of the Su Family. As long as it didn't affect her, she could let Dad and the others deal with it. After all, he was the only male left in the Su Family.
Having made up her mind, her gaze fell on the new doll in her daughter's hands, and a thought stirred within her.
Su Yingying noticed her mother looking at her beloved doll, quickly hid it behind her back, and exclaimed mischievously:
"I'm going to find Great-grandpa to play now!"
Before the words were fully spoken, she dashed into the house.
Second Uncle Su Qi looked at Su Lin at this moment and said, "Stay for lunch."
Su Lin shook his head, "No, Tongxi has also been hungry for two days."
Upon hearing this, Su Qi's face froze, his impression of this nephew swinging like a roller coaster.
Though seemingly changed on the surface, the absurdity of the past still emerged unexpectedly, like fermented stinky meat, waking others up from time to time.
His square face twitched slightly, and he waved his hand irritably, "Then hurry back!"
"Okay!" Su Lin grinned cheekily, waving goodbye to Second Uncle and Cousin-in-law, "Goodbye, Second Uncle, Cousin-in-law. Say hello to Grandpa for me."
After saying that, he made his exit quickly.
On the way back, familiar faces became more frequent, and fragmented information about them popped into Su Lin's mind — who this person was, who that was.
Most memories were shallow, only matching names to faces.
The rare slightly more detailed information often amounted to "that bastard talked a lot of bad behind my back" and such.
Su Lin had long been accustomed to the past self's notorious deeds, walking along the road as if nobody was around.
But the nearby whispers couldn't stop hitting his ears:
"Is he still alive? Didn't they say after his parents died, he couldn't take it and was waiting to die after one last meal?"
"Hah, do you believe it? Look at him, does he look like someone who's not afraid of death?"
"...I suppose that's true."
The offensive comments were nothing compared to the more talented discussions on Sunba Kangka.
Su Lin listened without changing his expression.
"Look at those large parcels he's carrying, and the direction from which he came... he must have gone to his grandpa and second uncle's to leech off them again after his parents' death, huh?"
"Tsk, I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't said... Poor Mr. Su and Deputy Captain Su, enduring their only heir's foolishness and shamelessness ruining their names."
"Ah, who could disagree."
This was too much for Su Lin to bear, his mouth twitching, with black lines all over his forehead.
This is what I worked my butt off to gather!
He was already exhausted to the point of spitting blood, and he couldn't stand hearing these comments.
How unjust!
He couldn't bother listening to this idle chatter any longer and quickened his pace.
"Hey! Hey! Just heard that Zhang family's daughter, who Su Lin used to chase after, heard he wanted to die and went to his place to 'mooch off' him! Catch up with him and see the show!"
Huh?
A huge question mark hovered over Su Lin's head.
He tried hard to recall this "Zhang family daughter", but his brain gave no response, even wanting to protest.
The former self always had a preference for large hips, a point Su Lin could agree with.
But...
Big hips, thick waist, radish legs! Your taste is truly unique and consistent!
Su Lin was stunned by his past self's aesthetic.
...
In front of the Su Family's door.
Su Tongxi, overly hungry, was pale as paper.
She timidly held onto the door frame, her legs as thin as chopsticks barely supporting her weight.
Her petite figure was wrapped in an obviously short and thin dress, her full chest rising and falling with her body's slight trembling, creating an unsettling sensation.
In front of her stood a plump-hipped, thick-waisted woman in her late twenties or early thirties with above-average looks.
With arms akimbo, the woman spoke sharply:
"Tell him to come out! Let him say it to my face!"
Su Tongxi shut her eyes in fear, her voice shaky with tears: "I told you, Brother Kirin went out to find supplies!"
Zhang Jinlian sneered, "Hmph, listen to yourself — what nonsense!"
Tears of grievance streamed down Su Tongxi's face, "I'm telling the truth..."
Zhang Jinlian mocked viciously:
"Su Lin went out to look for supplies? You might as well say the sun rises in the west, I might believe that a bit more!"
Su Tongxi's fingers dug into her dress hem, her eyelashes trembling as she tried to explain but was rudely interrupted by Zhang Jinlian:
"What else do you want to deny?"
Zhang Jinlian stared intently at Su Tongxi's teary, pretty face, and the striking contrast of her full chest beneath, with jealousy burning in her eyes.
With nails painted red, her finger nearly touched Su Tongxi's nose:
"Don't act like an innocent little green tea in front of me, Su Tongxi! Just because you want to cozy up to Su Lin, waiting for him to really want to die, and con him into leaving the house title deed to you? I'm telling you, as long as I'm around, no way! Su Lin likes me!"
She suddenly raised her voice, ensuring all the surrounding neighbors heard clearly:
"I'm not afraid to tell you, Su Tongxi, Su Lin already proposed to me! Promised to give 200 Silver Coins as a betrothal gift to marry me! And no matter what he intends to do, I'm going to have his children, and extend the Su Family's lineage!
"Unlike you, who might fall apart with just a sneeze, unable to keep both adults and children safe! You're a helpless sickly gal who won't be able to even bear children, just a liability!"
This malicious public humiliation left Su Tongxi's eyes red and swollen, with teardrops landing on her old cloth shoes, her nose red as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Her already fragile body retreated further and further inward, like a pear blossom trembling in a strong wind, her words of retort breaking into sobs:
"I-I...am not..."
She knew that Su Lin had never liked her, her temperament, figure, age, none of it was to his taste.
But Mr. Su and Mrs. Su were her saviors.
In this apocalyptic world, they loved and cherished her as a daughter-in-law, treating her like their own daughter.
Mrs. Su once told her apologetically that it was her fault for mismatching the marriage, thinking her son was blind for not appreciating a gentle and graceful beauty like Tongxi.
If that were the case, they could call off the engagement.
The couple would still treat her as family, putting her at ease.
But Su Tongxi was unwilling.
She believed she had nothing, nothing to repay the favor.
Even if Su Lin despised her, as long as she could take care of Mr. and Mrs. Su's most cherished son, repay this kindness, she was willing to endure any hardship.
Especially now that Mr. and Mrs. Su met with disaster, she refused to leave.
With Su Lin being self-destructive, she had starved for two days, gritting her teeth to work and earn a bowl of porridge for Su Lin, hoping he would fill his stomach and find hope outside.
Her intentions weren't solely to stay in the Su Family but genuinely hoping Su Lin would find new hope and live on strongly.
Her insistence to stay was purely to care for Su Lin.
...
A crowd of neighbors gathered in front of the door, eagerly watching the spectacle of the two women "fighting over a husband."
Just then, the topic's central figure, "husband" Su Lin, returned with large parcels in hand.
Zhang Jinlian's cold jabs suddenly stopped, eyes widening in disbelief as she watched him approach the house, face filled with shock:
"Did you really go out to gather supplies?"
Towering over her, already a head taller, Su Lin stood on the porch steps, looking down at her:
"What's up?"