"How can that be the same?" Su Shengli said urgently. "It’s your grandma in the hospital right now, and her condition is serious! As her granddaughter, isn’t it your duty to pay? Besides, it’s not like you can’t come up with eighty yuan—you took five hundred from your grandpa and grandma before."

Su Qing sneered. "So, Third Uncle, you’re just after my money."

"Who’s after your money?" Su Shengli said, a hint of guilt making his voice grow louder. "I’m telling you to pay for your grandma’s medical bills! How is that the same as me being after your money?"

"Didn’t I just say it? Third Aunt is the one who put Grandma in the hospital, so your family should be the one paying, Third Uncle. You don’t want to pay, but you want me to. If that isn’t being after my money, what is?" Su Qing sneered again. "Third Uncle, I’m telling you right now—I’m not paying."

With that, Su Qing turned to leave. She had made her position clear. Whoever wanted to pay for it could pay for it; she wasn’t going to be the sucker.

"Stop right there!" Su Qing’s words had come out like a machine gun, a rapid-fire burst that left Old Man Su too furious to speak. Seeing her about to walk away, he lifted his arm and hurled his tobacco pipe straight at her. "You unfilial wretch!"

Su Qing sensed the motion behind her and dodged to the side. The tobacco pipe grazed her hair and landed on the ground in front of her with a sharp CLANG.

Staring at the tobacco pipe on the ground, Su Qing’s expression grew cold. The pipe was not light; the mouthpiece and bowl were made of copper, and the stem was solid wood. A blow to the head from it would have undoubtedly caused a serious injury.

Su Qing stepped forward, picked up the tobacco pipe, and turned to look at Old Man Su. He had used this pipe for many years and was quite fond of it; now that he’d thrown it and it had clattered to the ground, he felt a sharp pang of regret. Seeing Su Qing pick it up, his anger eased somewhat. ’At least the girl knows what’s good for her,’ he thought.

Putting on a show of authority, Old Man Su cleared his throat and reached for the pipe in Su Qing’s hand, preparing to berate her further. In his mind, her action was a clear sign that she still cared about him and Old Lady Su. That made her easy to control.

However, what Old Man Su didn’t expect was for Su Qing to sneer. Gripping the mouthpiece in one hand and the bowl in the other, she applied force and snapped it downwards. With a loud CRACK, the tobacco pipe broke in two.

"You! You!" Old Man Su’s eyes flew wide open. He pointed a trembling finger at Su Qing, speechless for a long moment.

Meanwhile, Su Shengli shot to his feet, staring at Su Qing in shock. "Erya, how could you just snap your grandpa’s tobacco pipe like that!"

Su Shengli knew full well how much Old Man Su treasured that pipe. ’How could she dare!’

Su Qing let her hands fall open, and the broken pipe clattered to the floor. The sound seemed to strike Old Man Su right in the heart, and watching it fall was pure agony.

"I’m doing this for Grandpa’s own good," Su Qing said calmly. "This pipe is made of copper. If you hit someone in the head with it, you could kill them. I was lucky and dodged it today, but what about next time? If you get mad and throw it at someone else, they might not be so lucky. If you kill someone, Grandpa, you’ll end up in jail. So I’ve done you a favor and destroyed the murder weapon, just to save you from future regret."

"You—and you think you’re justified?" Su Shengli sputtered in anger.

"What? Does Third Uncle think it’s right for Grandpa to throw things at people?" Su Qing asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I—I never said that," Su Shengli said hastily.

Old Man Su finally snapped out of it, slamming his hand on the table and yelling at Su Qing, "You unfilial wretch! If you’ve got the guts, hit me too! What’s so tough about breaking a pipe?"

"Grandpa, are you getting senile? Who goes around asking for a beating? What if some hothead actually took you up on it? You’d just be taking a beating for no reason. You shouldn’t be so muddled in the future; it’s not good for you." Su Qing’s earnest, pleading tone infuriated Old Man Su and Su Shengli so much they could have burst.

Enraging the two of them made Su Qing happy. A slight smile played on her lips. "In that case, I guess there’s nothing left for me to do here. Don’t worry, Grandpa. If you and Grandma are ever really on your deathbeds, I’ll definitely help with the medical bills. This time, however, I won’t be getting involved."

With that, without giving Old Man Su or Su Shengli another glance, Su Qing turned and left the Su family home.

"Wretch!" Enraged, Old Man Su swept everything off the table onto the floor. He gasped for breath and ordered Su Shengli, "Go! Teach that damn girl a lesson for me. She’s completely out of control!"

"Dad, I wouldn’t dare," Su Shengli said hastily.

’Are you kidding me?’ he thought. ’That pipe of Dad’s was so sturdy. Even I couldn’t snap that stem, but Su Qing did it in an instant. If I go looking for trouble with her, won’t she just pin me to the ground and beat me up?’

’That damn girl doesn’t care about her reputation. If I get beaten up, it’ll be for nothing. I’m not that stupid.’

"You spineless coward!" Old Man Su was practically apoplectic. He cursed Su Qing again and again in his mind, but there was nothing he could do. The hospital was still waiting for the fees to be paid. He looked at Su Shengli. "How much money do you have?"

"Dad, I’m not like Big Brother with his job, saving so much money every month. Where would I have any money? Don’t I give everything to you and Mom to keep?" Su Shengli immediately started pleading poverty. He had some money, but he’d saved it all in secret, behind Old Man Su and Old Lady Su’s backs. He wasn’t about to take it out now; wouldn’t that be an open admission to the old couple that he’d been keeping a private stash?

In truth, Su Shengli had long felt it was unfair. Of the three brothers, he was the only one who couldn’t openly keep his own savings. It had been a thorn in his side for years, and he’d only kept his mouth shut because Old Lady Su was usually quite generous to his branch of the family.

Old Man Su pressed his lips together. Of course he knew Su Shengli didn’t have any official funds. By asking, he had really been trying to push Su Shengli to tell Tian Aixiang to get the money from her own family. After all, Tian Aixiang was the one who’d started the fight. The victim shouldn’t also have to pay their own medical bills.

He had planned on making Su Qing pay, but that damn girl was impossible to reason with. Not only did she refuse to give up any money, she even destroyed his pipe. It was utterly infuriating!

But the hospital bill couldn’t wait. Left with no other choice, Old Man Su had to take out the family’s savings and have Su Shengli go pay the fees. Everything else would have to be dealt with later.

The drama in the Su household was one thing after another. The neighbors had assumed that with Old Lady Su in the hospital, the family might finally quiet down. But they didn’t expect that less than two days later, Tian Aixiang’s family would show up to cause trouble for Su Qing.