Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback
CHAPTER 13: The 1970s Naive Supporting Girl (13)
Earlier in the living room, she already looked a little prettier, but now with her whole face revealed, her rosy, mist-flushed cheeks and damp hair framing her snow-white skin made her striking features stand out even more. Paired with those enchanting eyes, she seemed almost ethereal, as if untouched by the ordinary world. (T/N: Um, let’s be real here, that’s an old monster soul inside that body. So yeah, normal transmigrators like us don’t even think about it. 😑🤭)
Li Huihui was genuinely stunned. Her first thought was: when did Song Susu become this beautiful?
After just two months in the countryside, her skin was still so fair, looking even more vibrant than before she left. Normally, people who worked in the fields would get tanned and roughened, but Song Susu… could the countryside somehow nurture beauty?
Li Huihui coughed lightly and casually pointed to the dressing table opposite her. “There are some of my skincare products in the cabinet. You can use them if you need.”
“Thanks, but I’m fine,” Song Susu replied politely, giving a small nod.
In her memory, the two weren't close, and the other person was just being polite; it would be impolite to actually use them.
Li Huihui didn’t press further and led her straight to the guest room next door.
“This is our guest room. You can rest here.”
“Okay, thank you.”
After Li Huihui left, Song Susu dried her hair about seventy to eighty percent with a towel, then neatly braided it into a single loose plait that rested over her shoulder.
She folded the clothes she had changed out of and noticed a small pocket sewn into the side of the original owner’s outfit. It had been meant for hiding money in case of thieves on the train, but after two months in the countryside, all the money was gone.
Right now, the pocket only held some of Song Susu’s personal documents and letters of introduction.
The village committee where Song Susu was stationed had given her three days' leave, so according to the plan, she would need to head back tomorrow.
All the money she needed to get back was already sorted. The only things left were two properties.
One was her parents’ marital home, a dormitory from their former work unit, with two large suites where the family of four used to live.
The other was a courtyard owned by Song Susu’s mother. Because it was far from their workplace, it wasn’t used regularly, and the family only went there during holidays to tidy up.
Back in this era, workplace dormitories couldn’t be sold freely, so the Song family had set their sights on this private property instead.
After her body transformation, Song Susu didn’t feel fatigued, and her visit to Uncle Li’s house was mostly just to change clothes.
Once she was ready, she excused herself and left, saying goodbye.
When Wang Yanli learned she was going to retrieve the property keys, she didn’t stop her. Finally taking initiative and securing the properties was important, and keeping them under her own control was better than letting her from being fooled by that family again.
She reminded her to stay safe and even packed a pot of iced rock sugar flower tea to take along so she wouldn’t get heatstroke under the sun.
Song Susu noticed these thoughtful gestures and stored them in her heart, promising herself she would repay the kindness when the opportunity arose.
——
Song Susu stepped out and first headed to the housing management office.
She inquired about her mother’s property, and the staff immediately called in a higher-up.
This property had clear instructions attached: unless it was the children of the property owner, no one else was allowed to make decisions.
After a short wait, the Deputy Director of the office arrived.
He was a friendly-looking middle-aged man, with a simple crew cut and glasses, and his smile radiated warmth.
“You must be Song Susu. Your Uncle Li mentioned you before. My name is Liu Yong, but you can just call me Uncle Liu. What brings you here today?”
Song Susu politely greeted him first. “Hello, Uncle Liu.”
Then she spoke, “I came to learn how to transfer the property. Rather than letting others take an interest, it’s better if it’s registered under our names. This way, it avoids a lot of trouble later on.”
The Deputy Director smiled. “This should have been done long ago. Your documents are all in order, so the transfer should be quick. If everything goes smoothly, it could even be finished this morning.”
He had mentioned it years ago, but unfortunately, the two children were too young then, and the elders in the Song family made excuses, saying the children were too young and should wait until they were older.
Now it wasn’t too late, and it was good that the two kids could step up on their own.
Since the parents had passed away unexpectedly, having the children inherit the property wasn’t very complicated. All that was needed were the parents’ death certificates and proof of family relationship, which could be handled with a quick visit to the local office.
Seeing that Song Susu looked small and fragile, the Deputy Director worried she might be bullied if she went alone, so he arranged for a capable assistant to accompany her.
Accompanied by the staff from the housing office, Song Susu went first to the local office near her father’s workplace and then to the office near her mother’s property.
She was reclaiming both residences in one go.
Song Yuanchao’s household registration was still under the Song family, who were his legal guardians, while Song Susu’s registration had been moved to the countryside during her time there.
To avoid any future complications, Deputy Director Liu suggested registering both properties under Song Susu’s name first. That way, Song Yuanchao could transfer his household registration later, and the houses—being for the siblings—could be divided properly down the line.
Song Susu had no objections. After both properties were successfully transferred to her name, she stepped out with the property deeds. On the way, she passed a hardware store and bought a small axe and two locks.
Her first stop was her father’s unit apartment.
Although the unit technically belonged to the workplace and her father’s tenure hadn’t fully qualified him to keep it, the company had left the apartment in his name because his death was due to a work-related injury.
After Song Susu and her brother were taken to live with the Song family, they hadn’t returned to this place, so they didn’t know who was currently living there.
When Song Susu arrived, the door was half open.
She stepped closer, scanning the room, and met the gaze of an elderly woman inside.
The woman had high cheekbones and gray-streaked hair. Frowning, she snapped immediately.
“Who are you? I don’t know you! Get out! What are you doing just standing there?”
Song Susu clicked her tongue and didn’t bother with politeness. She kicked the door wide open.
“This is my house. Who gave you permission to live here? If anyone has to leave, it’s you.”
The old woman was startled by the sudden noise. She jumped up and shouted loudly for her son.
“Shuanzi! Shuanzi, where are you? Can’t you see someone’s causing trouble here?”
The door across the hall swung open, and a tall, thin man stepped out, frowning at Song Susu standing in the doorway.
“Who are you? What are you doing in my house?”
“Your house? Your name must be Song Jianye, right?”
Song Susu’s eyes were icy as she mocked him.
The moment he heard that name, Ma Tieshuan’s face went pale. (T/N: Shuanzi is Ma Tieshuan’s nickname/courtesy name.)
The commotion must have been loud because neighbors from nearby started coming out. A few sharp-eyed ones immediately recognized Song Susu.
“Susu? Wow, you’ve grown so much!”
“Is this Susu? The eldest daughter of the Song family…”
The neighbors crowded around, chattering excitedly, while Ma Tieshuan’s expression darkened with each passing second.
Ma Tieshuan’s mother leaned close to him and gave a subtle nod, signaling him to kick the girl out. After all, what was a Song family daughter? Just a little girl.
Ma Tieshuan, being less reckless than his mother, quickly forced a smile.
“Susu, it’s me, Shuanzi. Sorry I didn’t recognize you at first. I even held you when you were little. If you have business, come inside and talk. Don’t just stand at the door.”
He turned to the neighbors and laughed, “If you hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t have recognized Susu either. I thought she was some stranger. My aunt here is her grandmother. We’re all family.”
Then he tried to grab Song Susu’s arm to pull her inside.
Song Susu yanked her arm away and glared at him.
“I don’t know you. My brother and I are no longer connected to the Song family. This house belongs to my parents. You need to move out immediately.”
The moment she spoke, the neighbors who had been about to leave all froze in place.
“Susu, what’s going on? You and your brother were fine in the Song family. How could you just cut ties? Your grandparents treated you so well. You can’t just forget your family like that.”
“Your whole family is just you two siblings now. Once you break off from the Songs, you don’t have any relatives left. Don’t talk nonsense…”
The crowd jumbled together, trying to reason with her.
Song Susu let out a light scoff and laid out everything the Song family had done.
“...They treated my brother and me like cash cows. We could never accept such so-called kindness. My brother is still in the hospital. I shouldn’t have even gone to the countryside, but they secretly changed my name to register me for it. Meanwhile, my cousin stayed in the City enjoying herself while I suffered in the countryside.”
“If my parents knew what they did, they’d jump out of their coffins and make them pay!”
The neighbors went silent instantly. Their eyes softened with sympathy as they looked at the siblings.
A few who were close to the Song couple openly cursed them for their shamelessness.
“They’re practically six feet under already, but how can they act so heartless? They don’t care about decency at all. Their son is gone, and yet they treat these kids like this!”
“Exactly. The Song couple spoiled their other two children rotten. Every year, they got new clothes, treats like biscuits and malted milk, and snacks—they never lacked anything. And yet, Song Jianye's orphaned children were treated like this. It’s just cruel…”
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