Tearing Up the Vendor Contract
Su Li raised an eyebrow and snorted with a laugh, "I tell you, sir, if I were really just here to mock you, you'd better burn incense and wake up laughing from your dreams. But alas, I'm not here to mock you, I'm here to collect a debt."
Old Su was stunned for a moment. A debt?
"What nonsense are you talking? When did our Su family ever owe you a debt? Don't take advantage of our family's misfortune to loot!" Old Su said.
As Old Su made a fuss, the Su family members heard the commotion and all came out to see what was going on. Even Old Lady Su, lying on the bed, pricked her ears to listen carefully.
"Tsk, Zhou Lao Liu, bring out the contract of the Tofu Beauty and read it aloud for my sir to hear." Su Li said.
So Zhou Lao Liu read aloud the contract signed between the Tofu Beauty and the Su family. At the end, he said, "The Tofu Beauty ran off with the capital for the vegetables. She violated the contract, so your Su family's ancestral home now belongs to our lady, unless you can come up with fifty taels of silver to compensate for the Tofu Beauty."
Old Su immediately spat, "There's no way we'll pay fifty taels to compensate for the Tofu Beauty!"
Su Li smiled, "I knew compensation was impossible, so I'm here to collect the house! According to the contract, your Su family's old house is now mine."
"This... this can't be!" Old Su's face turned pale as he hoarsely shouted, "Su Li, you must be lying to me, absolutely lying! Shi Mao, Shi Mao, come out quickly! Shi Mao is the scholar, let Shi Mao look at the contract! We're country folk without education, but Shi Mao has studied, Su Li, don't try to fool us!"
Su Shi Mao opened the door. His face was pale and his figure thin, but since it concerned the family ancestral home, he hurried out without hesitation.
Zhou Lao Liu showed the contract to Su Shi Mao. Su Shi Mao read it word by word, cold sweat pouring from his forehead, his hands trembling.
Old Su and Zhao Shi felt a chill in their hearts, as if something was being twisted. They hurriedly asked, "Shi Mao, how is it? Is Su Li deceiving us and trying to take away our ancestral home?"
Su Shi Mao muttered quietly, his eyes vacant, suddenly lunging forward to grab the contract from Zhou Lao Liu, trying to tear it apart.
But weak Su Shi Mao was no match for Zhou Lao Liu, a strong man used to hard labor. Zhou Lao Liu kicked him out, and he fell to the ground.
"Oh ho, Su Shi Mao, you want to tear up the contract? Let me tell you, this is a copy. The original is with our family!" Zhou Lao Liu said smugly to Su Shi Mao, "We've long anticipated your trick. We would never bring the original for you to tear, idiot!"
"I don't believe it! You must be here to kick us when we're down!" Old Su pushed Zhao Shi hard, "Go find the village chief and tell him Su Li is bullying us and trying to seize our ancestral home!"
Zhao Shi threw down her fan and sprinted towards the village chief's house.
The village chief was warming himself by the fire at home when Zhao Shi barged in and dragged him out without a word, running all the way to the Su family, nearly out of breath.
"Hey, pulling me along so fast, are you trying to rush me to my next life?" The village chief grumbled, panting heavily at Zhao Shi.
Old Su hurried over, his lips trembling, "Village chief, village chief, our Su family did break the village rules, but we've already been punished. That matter is over! Now Su Li is bullying us because she has money and power, trying to seize our old house. Village chief, you have to stand up for us!"