281: The two brothers... were just joking around.

Pinya looked at Su Cha's instantly reddened eyes and trembling lips, then continued speaking.

"I believe in you. Not that I believe the cards in your hand will definitely win, but that I believe in you as a person, and I believe that together, there's no obstacle we can't overcome. What's happening today is no longer about the cards. If we back down now, we'll truly never be able to hold our heads high again. So, I'm betting this house for sure!"

"Pinya..." Su Cha's throat seemed clogged, a thousand words condensed into just these two.

He looked at his wife, tears finally unable to be held back, rolling down his face.

What more could he say? Reject his wife's heartfelt support? That would be the real harm.

He tightly grasped his wife's hand in return and nodded heavily. All his gratitude, guilt, love, and rekindled fighting spirit were poured into that single gesture.

What a wife!

He must have cultivated blessings for several lifetimes to marry such a wonderful wife!

Wenchalong, slumped in his chair, was also stunned upon hearing his daughter-in-law's words.

A flash of disbelief passed through his clouded eyes, followed by a surge of complex emotions.

There was shock, there was moved emotion, and also an indescribable sense of shame.

Forget about his son's other abilities, but his eye for choosing a wife... truly impeccable!

This child Pinya, usually appearing gentle and soft, who would have thought she had such a fiery spirit and deep sense of loyalty and righteousness in her bones!

To support her husband, she even dares to stake the house her parents gave as her dowry!

This is not something any ordinary woman could do!

But his son was right, they couldn't drag their daughter-in-law's dowry down with them!

Losing the marital home and the three golds was already a huge disaster. If they also lost the dowry house given by her parents... how would their Su family ever face her family again?

Would Pinya's natal family blame them?

The relationship would be completely ruined!

He struggled to sit up straight, wanting to speak up and advise Pinya.

"Pinya, ah... I appreciate your sentiment, Dad understands, but this house... after all, it was given by your parents, it can't..."

Pinya seemed to have anticipated her father-in-law would say this.

She turned her head, looked at Wenchalong, her gaze still firm.

"Dad, you don't need to say it. I've made up my mind about this. I'm staking this house."

"I believe in Su Cha. And I believe in us."

Pinya's action stirred a more intense reaction in the courtyard than any before.

This time, the murmurs held less jeering and spectacle-watching, and more genuine sighs, envy, and even some reflection.

"My god... now that's a wife who truly wants to build a life together! For her husband, she dares to stake her dowry house! If I had a wife like that, I'd work my fingers to the bone to give her a good life!"

"Wait, hold on, something feels off to me. Shouldn't a truly good wife advise her husband not to gamble? Why is she supporting him in staking the house?"

"What do you know! Is this about gambling or not gambling now? This is about being trampled on, about whether they can stand up or not! Su Cha's wife is using her actions to tell everyone they're not to be messed with! That's guts, I respect it!"

"When husband and wife are of one heart, their strength can cut through metal! I saw this saying come to life today! Su Cha's wife is far stronger than his father who only knows how to throw his weight around at home and be a coward in front of outsiders!"

"Exactly! Wenchalong is so infuriating! He was the one who forced his son to play in the first place, and now that his son has gone all in and his daughter-in-law has stepped up to support him, he's there whining and wanting to back down. It's really infuriating to watch! Thank goodness I don't have a father like that!"

"I'd say, this is what a real couple looks like! Sharing fortune and facing hardship together! Regardless of today's win or loss, Su Cha having such a wife makes his life worthwhile!"

"Ah, I understand the reasoning, but I'm still worried. Win or lose, one side will be completely ruined. They are relatives, are they really going to go this far? How will they face each other afterwards?"

"Face each other? Do you think someone like Atapong cares about facing each other? All he sees now is money! And the thrill of trampling others underfoot!"

Under the complex gazes and murmurs of the crowd, Pinya didn't hesitate in the slightest.

She placed the property deed, representing her parents' affection and her own safety net, firmly on the gambling table.

When Su Cha's father, Wenchalong, saw the property deed actually land on the table, the bit of admiration he felt for his daughter-in-law was instantly overwhelmed by immense fear and a sense of family shame.

He couldn't help but speak up again, sounding pathetic.

"Pinya! You... can you just not meddle in this? This... this is between the two brothers! They're just... messing around! It's not serious!"

As he spoke, he reached out to try and take back Pinya's property deed and the other shocking stakes on the table, as if that could make this nightmare of a gamble never have happened.

"Put it down!" A sharp, piercing roar cut off Wenchalong.

Atapong's wife, Nala, had been watching closely. Seeing Wenchalong's move, she instantly flew into a rage. She slammed the table, pointed at Wenchalong, her eyes fierce as if she wanted to kill.

"You old fool! What do you think you're doing?! Once a stake is on the table, there's no taking it back! Are you trying to cheat?! Put it down! Do you hear me!"

Wenchalong was so frightened by Nala's sudden roar that his whole body trembled. His hand jerked back as if shocked, his face deathly pale, lips trembling, unable to utter a single word, only his eyes filled with terror and humiliation.

Fury burned in his heart, but he didn't dare direct it at his fierce niece-in-law. His aggrieved gaze naturally turned towards his own son, Su Cha.

A strange, vicious anger rushed to his head. Pointing at Su Cha, he roared.

"You! You, you, you! You wretched boy! I told you to endure it! I told you not to be impulsive! Why won't you listen?! Huh?! Did you have to push things to this point?! Are you only satisfied when you've destroyed the family and ruined our lives?!"

His father's unreasonable accusation was like the final straw, completely crushing the last shred of patience and expectation Su Cha held for his father in his heart.

Looking at his father's pathetic demeanor—cowering before outsiders yet only daring to roar at his own family—the pent-up grievances, anger, and all the humiliation he had suffered today erupted like a volcano!

He stood up abruptly, staring straight at his father, eyes bloodshot from fury and disappointment.

"Endure it???!"

"Is that all you know how to say?"

"Are you the Ninja Turtle? What else do you know besides enduring?"

He pointed at his father, then at the sneering Atapong across from him.

"How did Atapong propose that toast earlier? How did he call our whole family a bunch of cowards? Have you forgotten?! What has your 'enduring' gotten us? His escalating behavior! His pushing us further and further! Him now shitting all over our entire family!!"

Su Cha grew more agitated as he spoke, his chest heaving violently. He slammed the table hard, making loud 'bang, bang' noises, as if trying to pound out all the resentment in his heart.