Chapter 1001: Better and Better

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The residents of the courtyard weren’t so easily fooled.

Even though Zhang Mei personally clarified that the rumors about Li Li and Gu Shan were baseless, her explanation failed to completely erase the shadow of scandal.

Everyone saw through the facade, understanding that the Gu family’s unified denial was nothing more than an attempt to save face and preserve their reputation. Quietly, they anticipated an even more explosive twist to this ongoing drama.

While the Gu family simmered with hidden agendas, harmony truly reigned in the Su household. After the neighbors from the tenement came over to apologize, Gu Zi recounted the incident to Su Shen.

Su Shen hadn’t planned on punishing them too harshly—he simply wanted to teach them a lesson: the Su family was not to be trifled with, and his wife and child were even less so.

Since their apology seemed sincere, Su Shen decided to let the matter rest.

Soon, the Su family resumed supplying pork to the tenement’s butcher shop. The tenants were immensely grateful, having clearly learned their place in the social hierarchy. From then on, they treated the Su family with the utmost respect, going out of their way to send gifts to Gu Zi—gifts she often had trouble refusing.@@novelbin@@

Even the children from the tenement had learned their lesson. Not only did they stop bullying Su Li, but they now wanted to make him their leader.

To their surprise, Su Li declined, speaking with the maturity of someone far beyond his years. “Being poor isn’t the scariest thing,” he told them, hands behind his back like a little professor. “The scariest thing is not having a moral compass. Come find me when you’ve learned to live with integrity.”

The children left, their heads hanging in confusion and disappointment. Many of them didn’t even understand what Su Li meant by a “moral compass.”

Some of the more practical ones even wondered, Can you eat a moral compass?

Watching this unfold, Gu Zi felt a quiet sense of pride. Surely, with Su Li’s newfound perspective, he wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of the past.

Her relief, however, was short-lived.

The very next day, Su Li’s penchant for mischief reared its head again. Mid-morning, when he should have been at school, he was instead delivered home by Teacher Yang Zhen, hobbling along with an injured leg.

It turned out that Su Li, in his eagerness to show off his martial arts skills, had overexerted himself and strained a ligament. The injury came with a silver lining for him—doctor’s orders for a week of rest, meaning no school.

Far from being remorseful, Su Li was thrilled. “Pulling a ligament and getting a week off school? What a bargain!” he declared cheerfully.

Gu Zi, however, wasn’t about to let him off so easily. After sending Teacher Yang on her way, she put down her own study materials and picked up Su Li’s elementary school textbooks. “If you’re going to be home,” she announced with a sly smile, “I’ll be your teacher for the week.”

At first, Su Li didn’t realize what he was in for. He even boasted to his older brother, Su Bing, “Mom loves me the most. She’s not even studying for her own exams just so she can teach me!”

Su Bing, initially envious, caught sight of Gu Zi’s smirk as she prepared the lesson plans. In that moment, he knew his younger brother was in for a reckoning.

Sure enough, by the third day, the intensity of Gu Zi’s “classes” became apparent. Su Li, who had once thought his mother was all warmth and gentleness, now found himself facing a stern disciplinarian.

By the fourth day, she had crammed nearly an entire semester’s worth of material into his head. The lessons were ingenious, but they were relentless. Su Li was overwhelmed, barely hanging on.

When Su Bing came home from school that evening, Su Li didn’t have the energy to brag anymore.

On the fifth morning, the boy was up bright and early, backpack in hand, ready to return to school. As he climbed into the Gao family’s car with Su Bing and Gao Ming, he waved at Gu Zi. “Mom, I’m all better now, really. See? I can run and jump again. See you after school!”

Gu Zi had secretly checked his injury the night before and knew he was fully healed. Her invitation for him to stay home had been more of a test to gauge how much her “training” had scarred him. Judging by his eagerness to leave, she deemed it a resounding success.

Meanwhile, with the swine fever epidemic finally over, pork prices returned to normal. Yet, the Su family’s business continued to thrive. Their pork, certified by the government as meeting the highest standards, remained a favorite among consumers.

Far from suffering, their reputation and profits only grew. Su Shen, as always, remained tirelessly busy managing it all.

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