Volume 1, Chapter 7: A Letter from the Heroine, and the Three Brothers

"Mother! Great news! Wonderful, incredible news!"

Inside the house, Su Yunhai’s three sons and two daughters-in-law were all present.

The elegant young man in a plain-colored long gown was Su Changan, the eldest son of Su Yunhai and Shen Yuehua. He was also one of only two scholars in Peach Blossom Village—the other being his own father. He had burst through the door, his face flushed with excitement, unable to wait a moment longer to share the joy.

"Mother, look! This is a letter sent by Little Sister. She says that at the Qingzhou Poetry Gathering, she met her biological parents. It turns out that Little Sister was swapped at birth..."

"But that’s not what matters. What matters is that her biological parents are the Lin family! The very same Lin family that acts like the uncrowned kings of Qingzhou!"

"Little Sister says she will soon send people to bring us to Qingzhou to live in luxury! She even said that since I have my scholar’s credentials, she’ll find a way to get me an official position!"

The second son, Su Ping'an, was tall and burly, a head taller than his brothers. He stood out among them like a gate guardian, his voice booming and muffled. "Mother, I always wondered why Little Sister was so beautiful and clever. So that’s why—you must have swapped the wrong babies..."

The third son, Su Ding'an, had eyes that darted around constantly. He was as thin as a reed, and he spoke with a peculiar, affected, high-pitched tone, like a spoiled child. "Mother, you should start packing soon. Once Little Sister’s people arrive, we’re off to Qingzhou!"

Su Changan’s wife, Li Jiao'e, and Su Ping'an’s wife, Zhang Lanhua, remained silent, not daring to interfere in their in-laws' affairs.

Seeing her sons speak only of Lin Wanwan, without a single thought for the real daughter who had just returned, Shen Yuehua’s expression turned stern. Her face cold, she scolded, "Shut your mouths! All of you only care about Wanwan; have you completely forgotten that you have another biological sister?"

The brothers froze. It was true—they had never once thought of this stranger of a sister. How could they miss someone they had never met?

Only then did the brothers notice the masked young woman standing in the room.

Eldest brother Su Changan looked at Shen Shuli, then at the letter in his hand, and suddenly realization dawned on him. He gasped in shock, "Mother, she... she... could she be the fake daughter who was swapped with Little Sister?"

Shen Yuehua looked displeased. "Changan, what kind of talk is that? What 'fake daughter'? Shuli is your own sister!"

"Mother, what do you mean? Are you actually going to let her claim her place in the family?"

Su Changan’s expression darkened. "Mother, you absolutely cannot do this! Little Sister explicitly stated in her letter that this fake daughter is a disaster! We cannot keep her in our home!"

The third son, Su Ding'an, chimed in urgently, "Big Brother is right! Mother, this fake daughter is the reason Little Sister was swapped in the first place, and she’s been nothing but trouble in the Lin family—her reputation in Qingzhou is already ruined! Mother, you must not let her stay here!"

The tall and sturdy Su Ping'an, having been a beat slower, saw that everything had already been said, so he simply nodded in agreement. "Mother, my brothers are right!"

"Shut up, all of you!" Shen Yuehua snapped. She never imagined that the sons she had painstakingly raised for eight years would harbor such hostility toward their own sister.

"Mother, isn't it obvious? This is all Lin Wanwan's scheme to sow discord."

Shen Shuli remained indifferent to the attitudes of these "cheap" brothers. To her, they were merely two-dimensional characters from a story, devoid of free will, and not worth getting upset over. She walked calmly over to Su Changan, snatched the letter from his hand, read it carefully, and pointed to a specific part for her parents to see.

"Father, Mother, look here. The date on this letter is from three days ago. Three days ago, Lin Wanwan hadn't even been reunited with the Lin family yet."

Only Su Yunhai and Shen Yuehua understood the implication. They had already transmigrated into the book and knew that Lin Wanwan was the "reborn" heroine of the story. Seeing how Lin Wanwan had twisted the truth about their daughter in the letter, Shen Yuehua’s hands trembled with rage. If she and Su Yunhai hadn't transmigrated by mistake and known their daughter couldn't possibly be lying to them, they might have truly fallen for Lin Wanwan's trap!

With that, Shen Yuehua completely abandoned any thought of bringing Lin Wanwan home. She turned and looked coldly at her three sons. "None of you are allowed to go find Lin Wanwan. Remember this: Shuli is your only biological sister!"

Su Changan looked at Shen Yuehua in disbelief. "Mother, what kind of spell has she cast on you? You used to love Little Sister the most! How can you ignore Little Sister's own words and choose to believe a stranger instead?"

Su Ding'an, ever the sly one, urged Su Yunhai, "Father, please, talk some sense into Mother before she makes a foolish mistake!"

"Pfft!" Shen Shuli couldn't help but laugh. These paper characters were certainly dedicated to their roles; they were quite amusing.

Immediately, all three brothers glared at her viciously. "What are you laughing at, you fake? Get out of our house! We never acknowledged you!"

Before Su Ding'an could finish his sentence, Su Yunhai kicked him squarely in the backside. "You little brat, if you dare scold my daughter again, I'll skin you alive!"

"Ouch!"

Su Ding'an let out a howl, nearly face-planting into the dirt. Su Ping'an, who had been about to say something, swallowed his words upon seeing the scene and quickly hid behind his wife, who was half his height, his eyes darting around the room.

Though Su Yunhai appeared short and stout, in his previous life, he was not only a veteran but also the owner of a martial arts school. He never went soft when disciplining his three wayward sons.

"Let me tell you something—don't think I don't know your little schemes. You just want to follow Lin Wanwan to Qingzhou and live a life of luxury, right? Stop daydreaming!"

"This family isn't run by you lot yet. If you have the ability, leave the Su family and go run your own household! Otherwise, shut your traps!"

Su Yunhai shot a cold glare at his three sons, his threatening gaze giving them goosebumps. They immediately cowered and obeyed.

"Father, we wouldn't dare." The three brothers shook their heads in unison. They hadn't expected their father to abandon them for the sister who had just returned, and they gained a new understanding of her status in the family.

"Get over there and face the wall!" Su Yunhai commanded coldly.

Shamed and red-faced, the three brothers felt they had lost all dignity in front of their new sister. Yet, not daring to defy their father, they moved quickly and reluctantly to stand facing the wall in punishment.

Su Yunhai nodded with satisfaction and looked at Shen Shuli, looking as proud as if he were asking for praise.

Shen Shuli couldn't help but give her father a thumbs-up.

Su Yunhai then introduced the two daughters-in-law to her. "Ah Li, this is your sister-in-law, Li Jiao'e. The child beside her is your eldest nephew, Su Tianze; he's three years old."

"And this is your second sister-in-law, Zhang Lanhua. She is two months pregnant."

Shen Shuli had read about these two sisters-in-law in the original book, so she could tell them apart at a glance. She offered a faint nod to the women and children, having no intention of striking up a conversation.

She changed the subject, asking curiously, "Father, what happened in the village?"