Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback

CHAPTER 10: The 1970s Naive Supporting Girl (10)

　　“Uncle Li isn’t around. He went on a business trip to the neighboring City and won’t be back until tomorrow morning.”

　　Song Susu only cared about getting the money back. She had never planned to let them off easy, so of course she did not make any call.

　　That afternoon, Auntie Wang Yanli had mentioned it casually. Uncle Li had something urgent come up and had to travel for work, and he probably would not be back until the next morning.

　　When Song Jianjun heard this, he frowned, suspicion rising. Was this girl lying to him?

　　He found an excuse to step out, then called a friend he knew and asked whether Li Yanlong had been at work that afternoon.

　　The other party said he had gone on a business trip.

　　It matched exactly what Song Susu had said.

　　Only then did Song Jianjun finally relax.

　　—

　　The Song household.

　　By the time Song Jianjun returned home, it was already quite late. The whole family was waiting for him.

　　As soon as Mother Song and the others saw him, they immediately gathered around.

　　“So, Jianjun, has your younger brother been released yet?” Mother Song asked anxiously.

　　Song Jianjun set down his briefcase and replied casually, “Song Susu already made the call, but Li Yanlong went to the neighboring City for a meeting. He said he won’t be back until tomorrow morning before he can handle it.”

　　Mother Song’s face fell at once. “That dead girl isn’t lying to us, is she?”

　　“That shouldn’t be the case. Song Susu is greedy for money. When she saw that much cash, she was practically grinning from ear to ear.”

　　As he said this, Song Jianjun felt a stab of pain in his heart. That was seven thousand yuan. Some families could not even save that much in a lifetime.

　　Song Lili’s delicate face was full of resentment. She bit her lower lip and said, “Dad, you’re too honest. I was even planning to have Haozi get some fake bills from the black market to make up the amount. Why did you give her real money?”

　　At the mention of this, Song Jianjun frowned deeply.

　　“Stop talking nonsense. That girl is sharp as hell. The moment she got the money, she checked every single bill, afraid I’d try to fool her with fake ones.”

　　Song Lili pouted. “She doesn’t know anything. She’s just putting on a show.”

　　Did he really think she didn’t know Song Susu? That girl had been nothing more than a stupid little shadow following behind her, clumsy and dumb like a complete fool.

　　She didn’t understand why Song Susu had changed so much, but she guessed maybe something had happened in the countryside that shocked her.

　　After all, Song Susu had good skin, and when her eyes looked pitiful, she had this strange, almost enchanting charm.

　　A mix of jealousy and suspicion made Song Lili blurt out, “Dad, maybe Song Susu was violated in the countryside. That’s why she’s gone crazy and keeps biting everyone like a mad dog.”

　　Everyone else froze.

　　Mother Song even found it plausible and clapped her hands. “Exactly! She must have been violated, otherwise why would she be acting like a madwoman? Someone needs to check with the countryside immediately. We can use this to deal with that wretched girl.”

　　Liu Fang quickly grabbed her daughter, signaling her to keep quiet. “That girl is too arrogant. She doesn't seem like she's been violated at all. I bet someone’s backing her up!”

　　Being violated shouldn't lead to such a dramatic reaction. What good girl acts like that?

　　Especially her strength, it's frightening.

　　She's learned her lesson; that girl is a madwoman and a shrew. Even now, the old man was lying in bed moaning from the beating she had given him.

　　Song Jianjun groaned, annoyed by all their back-and-forth. “Enough. Go handle your gossip. I need to talk to Dad.”

　　With that, he headed straight to his father’s room.

　　The old man, being elderly, could only lie in bed getting an IV after the beating.

　　He had been too embarrassed to go to the hospital, so they called a doctor to the house and prescribed five bottles of IV fluids.

　　The last bottle was almost finished.

　　Even though his wounds had been treated and he’d taken painkillers, the old man was still groaning in pain.

　　When he saw his second son enter, he immediately asked anxiously, “Is everything settled?”

　　Song Jianjun nodded. “That girl already called Li Yanlong. He went to the neighboring City for a meeting and won’t be back until tomorrow morning. My little brother should be back by tomorrow at the latest.”

　　Father Song finally exhaled in relief, then shouted in anger, “That little brat! She’ll pay for this sooner or later!”

　　Song Jianjun frowned. “Enough, Dad. The doctor said you shouldn’t get upset. If you keep this up, you could have a stroke. Don’t gamble with your health.”

　　The old man finally calmed down and turned to his second son. “While Li Yanlong’s away, take the passbook and trick that brat into going to the bank to withdraw the money. Make sure she also signs the house sale contract. Once that’s done, everything’s settled. When Li Yanlong comes back, there’s nothing he can do.”

　　That was exactly what Song Jianjun had in mind. With the savings and the money from selling the house, they would have a considerable amount of money. Even if their family lost their jobs, they could live comfortably with that money.

　　“Got it, Dad. I’ll go to the hospital again tomorrow. That brat will be excited after getting the money, so it’ll be easy to coax her.”

　　The old man pulled a passbook from the cabinet by his bedside and handed it over. “Keep this safe. Make sure that brat brings her ID and go early.”

　　“Understood,” Song Jianjun said, taking the passbook. Seeing the balance made his heart pound.

　　……

　　Meanwhile,

　　Song Lili was in the living room dialing a number, trying to reach her friend Guo Juan.

　　“¹Juanzi, weren’t you with Song Susu when she came back? Why didn’t I see you at the station?”

　　On the other end, Guo Juan immediately started complaining in a huff.

　　“Song Susu is insane. On the train, I have no idea what came over her. She hit me in front of so many people, my face is all swollen. I’m still putting hot eggs on it to ease the pain…”

　　Song Lili frowned as she listened. “Juanzi, weren’t you with her the whole time? Song Susu’s changed so much. Did something bad happen to her in the countryside?”

　　“No, she was fine in the countryside. That idiot just got played by the locals, being treated like a servant every day. On the train, she was all timid at first, and then near the station, I asked her to get some rations and suddenly she went crazy. Who knows what triggered it…”

　　Song Lili didn’t hear the answer she wanted and didn’t feel like listening to more complaints, so she replied vaguely and hung up.

　　Mother Song quickly came over. “So? Did that little brat find herself a man?”

　　Song Lili shook her head. “Grandma, I asked my classmate. Nothing happened in the countryside. She said Song Susu must have experienced something on the train. Otherwise, how could someone change this much out of nowhere?”   

　　Liu Fang gave her daughter a warning glance, signaling her not to get involved. “The train was chaotic, with people coming and going from all directions. Who knows what really happened.”

　　Mother Song’s face fell. “That little brat’s getting off easy. That money will come back to me sooner or later. When Jiabao gets home, we’ll figure out a way to make her marry off properly. Let’s see how she still dares to go against heaven.”

　　Song Lili opened her mouth to argue, but her mother tugged her back into the room.

　　“Mom, why are you dragging me? The house is almost turned upside down by Song Susu, and what Grandma said actually makes sense,” Lili complained.

　　“Don’t go mixing in with your grandma. It was easy to handle Song Susu before because she was timid and wouldn’t snitch. Now she’s not so easy. She’s got Li Yanlong backing her, and your father’s job? Also thanks to Li Yanlong. The more you go against Song Susu, the more our family will suffer,” Liu Fang explained.

　　Being experienced, Liu Fang knew the situation well. With her husband already stressed to the limit, it was best if her daughter stayed out of it.

　　Song Lili pouted. People she used to look down on were now stepping over her. Naturally, she felt upset.

　　Her mother understood and comforted her. “Alright, your job now is to spend time with Haozi. His parents are leaders, so show them some manners and refinement. And make sure to keep a little distance, don’t tell him about all our family troubles. Wait until the end of the year and see if you can secure the engagement. This is like a second chance at life for a woman. Your future wealth and comfort depend on this, so focus on it.”

　　Hearing this, Song Lili’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Mom, I got it.”

 

________________

Glossary:

¹“Juanzi” (娟子) is a super common Chinese nickname style. Her full name is Guo Juan (郭娟), and friends just add -zi (子) to make it sound closer and more casual.

Think of it like:

Jennifer → Jenny

Alexander → Alex

Guo Juan → Juanzi

It signals familiarity and closeness, not disrespect. Very normal between classmates, friends, or people of the same generation, especially in period novels.

So when Song Lili says “Juanzi,” she’s basically going, “Hey bestie,” not suddenly renaming her 😌

Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter