Chapter 367: Song Family Internal Strife
Chapter 367: Chapter 367: Song Family Internal Strife
Hearing his mother, Song Yutian said angrily, "Mom, that’s three thousand yuan, not three! Do you think we’re some wealthy family? If you give all our money away, how are my brother and I supposed to live? Is this troublemaking daughter of yours the only one you care about? Don’t you ever stop to think that you also have two sons?"
"Do you want your sister to go to jail?" Mrs. Song said anxiously. "Just hurry up and give them the money."
Father Song stood by in silence, letting out a deep sigh.
"I don’t have it," Song Yutian said with a resentful snort. "Mom, Dad, I might as well tell you now. I didn’t bring the money. My younger brother and I have already spoken to the village chief and the clan elders. This family has to be split. If you want to keep spoiling your precious daughter, go right ahead. But don’t even think about using my brother’s and my money to fill this pit. She’s a grown woman, but you always say she’s young, that she’s the only girl in the family. All these years, we’ve given in to her, let her have her way. And what’s the result? Look what she’s done! We treat her like a sister, but has she ever treated us like brothers? Isn’t it enough that she’s hell-bent on self-destruction? Does she have to drag the whole family down with her? My brother and I have wives and children to support! We can’t afford to let this little tyrant ruin us."
Hearing Song Yutian’s words, Mrs. Song was stunned. "But I asked you before if you brought the money, and you said you did!"
Su Qing had only given them five days, so there was no time for Father Song and Mrs. Song to go back for the money themselves. That was why they had their eldest son bring the money to Beijing. They never, ever imagined that he would feign compliance while acting otherwise.
Song Yutian snorted. "If I’d said I didn’t bring it, you two would’ve just run back to get it yourselves, wouldn’t you?"
"You—you’re trying to ruin your sister!" Mrs. Song cried. "Don’t you understand? If we don’t pay the compensation, they’ll hand her over to the police!"
"Once the household is divided, we’ll be two separate families. What she does will have nothing to do with us." Song Yutian had long been resentful of his sister, Song Yufang. There just had never been a breaking point before. Plus, the family had been comfortable financially, so there were no major conflicts. But now? Three thousand yuan was enough to nearly wipe out their entire family savings. How could he not be frantic? With all his pent-up resentment, there was no way he was going to bail Song Yufang out.
"Brother, you can’t ruin me like this!" Hearing that Song Yutian refused to pay, Song Yufang burst into tears. She truly never imagined that after her parents had already agreed to the compensation, the matter would get stuck with her two brothers.
"How am I ruining you? You’re clearly the one ruining us," Song Yutian retorted with a cold snort.
At this, Father Song’s voice grew heavy. "We haven’t divided the household yet. What happens to this family’s money isn’t your decision to make. How your mother and I choose to use it is not for you two brothers to question."
Resentment flared in Song Yutian’s eyes. "Since you only care about your daughter, don’t blame your sons for being cruel. When you two get old, just let your precious daughter take care of you."
"You!" Both Father Song and Mrs. Song were floored by Song Yutian’s words, suddenly too furious to speak.
Su Qing and her two friends said nothing, simply watching from the sidelines as the Song family members traded accusations. Director He, however, frowned deeply. ’They were supposed to be settling the compensation, so why is the Song family suddenly infighting in my office?’
"Stop, everyone, just stop," Director He said hurriedly. "All of you, calm down."
"How am I supposed to calm down? You’re not the one who has to cough up three thousand yuan," Song Yutian roared back, not caring in the least who Director He was. In any case, the director had no authority over him.
Stunned by Song Yutian’s outburst, Director He grew angry. "Let’s get one thing straight. It was a member of your Song Family who injured someone. You are the ones who need to pay compensation."
"Song Yufang is the one who hurt someone, not us. If you’re looking for compensation, get it from her," Song Yutian snorted.
"Song Yutian, she is your sister!" Mrs. Song shouted in exasperation.
Song Yufang collapsed onto her mother’s shoulder, sobbing. Mrs. Song’s heart ached as she hugged her daughter, endlessly trying to comfort her. The sight was even more grating to Song Yutian. He stiffened his neck stubbornly and said, "In any case, you can forget about bleeding my brother and me dry for this money."
Father Song let out a heavy sigh and turned to Director He. "Director He, you see, it’s not that our family is unwilling to compensate them. It’s just that... well... every family has its own troubles to bear."
The last time this happened, Director He had seen the Song Family as the weaker party and had felt a pang of pity for them. He never expected their actions would be such a slap in the face. So this time, he certainly wasn’t going to favor them as he had before. He said, "If that’s the case, then there’s nothing more the school can do. If the other party decides to press charges against Song Yufang, the school will no longer try to mediate. After all, Song Yufang was unequivocally the one who initiated the assault."
Hearing Director He’s words, Mrs. Song quickly turned to Su Qing’s group. "Please, I’m begging you as an old woman. Just let our Yu Fang go. She truly knows she was wrong!"
As she spoke, Mrs. Song moved to kneel before Su Qing and her friends.
Ye Qingqing and Li Huan had never witnessed such a spectacle before. They instinctively moved to help Mrs. Song up; after all, an elderly person kneeling to the younger generation was a serious breach of propriety.
Su Qing grabbed Ye Qingqing and Li Huan, pushed them toward Director He, and then said to Mrs. Song with a smile, "What’s this? Trying for a little emotional blackmail? Go on, then. Kneel. Even if you kneel to death right here on the floor, we are still going to defend our legitimate rights. If there’s no money for compensation, the solution is simple. I’ll just go talk to the police."
’As someone who survived the apocalypse, why would I be scared of Mrs. Song’s petty tricks? Whether the Song Family’s infighting is real or just an act, aren’t they just trying to use this opportunity to get out of paying compensation and convince us to let Song Yufang off the hook?’
’As if.’
’Since Song Yufang was the one who hurt someone, she has to bear the consequences. Besides, knowing Song Yufang’s character, Su Qing was certain that if they went easy on her this time, she would be insufferably smug about it. She’d probably even laugh at them behind their backs for being idiots.’
"You... you girl, how can you be so heartless?" Mrs. Song stared at Su Qing in disbelief. "Be merciful wherever you can. Don’t you understand that simple principle?"
"No, I don’t. I only know the saying: ’If you repay injury with kindness, with what will you repay kindness?’" Su Qing raised an eyebrow at Song Yufang. "Song Yufang, if you don’t pay up, then get ready for prison. I guarantee the rest of your life will be anything but easy."
Su Qing’s gaze burned into Song Yufang. ’I’m no saint. I actually don’t know if, under the current laws, someone like Song Yufang would even be sentenced for this. But it doesn’t matter if she isn’t. I have my own ways to make Song Yufang pay for what she’s done.’
A chill ran down Song Yufang’s spine under Su Qing’s stare. She clutched her mother, crying, "Mom, I don’t want to go to prison! I don’t want to go to prison! I want to stay in school!"
"We’ll pay! We’ll pay!" Father Song shot Su Qing a venomous glare, then stepped forward and slapped Song Yutian hard across the face. "If you two brothers don’t agree to the family using its money to help Yu Fang, then we’ll divide the household right now! You two can get out with nothing! I’m your father, and I’m the one who decides how this family’s assets are split!"