However, Xia Wan, who was used to being able to move freely outside, couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when she thought about having to go through strict checks and registrations every time she entered or left, as well as many restrictions. However, the thought of being able to reunite with her family quickly made her forget about this discomfort.

After everyone returned safely to the Xia family home, Xia Xiong warmly and thoughtfully made arrangements for them. The room was furnished with soft and comfortable beds and all the necessary daily necessities, exuding the warmth of home.

After settling everyone in, the others went to their respective posts and got busy. For a moment, only Xia Wan, Xia Jianguo, Xia Xiong, and Xia Tao remained in the large room.

Xia Wan paced aimlessly around the room, her gaze inadvertently falling on the old-fashioned telephone beside her.

The phone sat quietly in the corner, its black body gleaming softly in the sunlight, as if telling stories of the past.

Xia Wan suddenly had a bright idea. She quickly walked to Xia Jianguo's side and suggested, "Dad, let's call Yongmao County and ask about Uncle Yong's situation. Let's see if things are going smoothly these days."

As soon as she spoke, she suddenly remembered that she had already learned Liu Cuilan's identity through the system's powerful search function. She was a member of the cowshed in Huaihua Brigade and had been sent down from Beijing. She just hadn't found a suitable opportunity to mention this to her father.

"Yes, that's a brilliant idea." Xia Jianguo's eyes lit up, and he wholeheartedly agreed. "We should also give them our phone number so that communication will be much easier in the future."

After saying that, he strode over to the telephone, skillfully picked up the receiver, and his slender fingers quickly spun on the dial pad. With a series of "click-click-click" sounds, the numbers in Yongmao County were dialed one by one, and the receiver emitted a "beep beep beep" waiting tone.

Xia Xiong sat on the sofa nearby. When he heard them mention contacting the Huaihua Brigade, he frowned slightly, a sense of doubt rising in his heart. He couldn't help but ask, "You even sent people to keep an eye on the Huaihua Brigade? They're already in Beijing. What else is there that's worth our going to such lengths to keep an eye on?"

Xia Wan saw that her father's call had been connected, and there was a lot of noise coming from the receiver, as if someone was answering from a distance.

She hurried to her grandfather's side and explained softly, "We hadn't specifically assigned anyone to keep an eye on him. It was only after arriving in Beijing that we accidentally discovered something unusual. You would never guess that Xia Shuhua actually instructed that man named Ah Hu to send a letter to the Huaihua Brigade, in which she asked a woman named Liu Cuilan to frame my father... and..."

Xia Wan had briefly mentioned Xia Shuhua's various actions to her grandfather before, but many key details were not elaborated. Now, she told him everything without reservation, including Xia Shuhua's collusion with the Zhao family and their correspondence.

After hearing this, Xia Xiong couldn't help but sigh heavily. His originally straight back seemed to be bent slightly by an invisible boulder.

He slowly leaned back on the sofa, his eyes filled with helplessness and heartache: "Sigh, I really don't know what happened. I remember your aunt wasn't like this before. Back then, she was kind, well-behaved, and very sensible. Everyone in the neighborhood praised her highly."

But lately, she seems to have become a different person. She's started helping the Zhao family indiscriminately, and the things she does are increasingly outrageous..."

In his mind, Xia Shuhua's transformation was too abrupt and completely beyond his comprehension. He racked his brains and pondered repeatedly, feeling that the problem most likely lay with the Zhao family.

After all, he knew his daughter's personality and temperament all too well, having raised her from infancy. There must have been something unseen that changed her.

Xia Wan seemed to be deep in thought, her gaze falling on the light and shadow on the ground. After a moment of contemplation, she said softly, "Isn't Guo Zhen also your adopted son who you raised since childhood? But after all these years, didn't you never really see through his true nature before? Before he did those heinous things, none of us expected him to be that kind of person."

She didn't mean to criticize her grandfather; she was simply very curious about his drastically different attitudes toward Xia Shuhua and Guo Zhen and couldn't help but want to find out.

Grandpa Xia shook his head helplessly, his wrinkles becoming more pronounced, like marks etched by the years.

He sighed again, his voice full of vicissitudes: "That's different. Guo Zhen wasn't adopted by us when he was a child. When he came to our family, he already had his own thoughts and personality. Perhaps at that time, there were dark and unknown things hidden in his personality. It's just that we were careless and didn't notice them in time."

Xia Wan shrugged gently. Although she still had some doubts, she chose to respect her grandfather's opinion: "Perhaps there is some unknown secret behind my aunt's change. Maybe she was deceived or encountered something special."

She knew in her heart that the story of Xia Shuhua being possessed was too bizarre and absurd. If she said it out loud, probably no one would believe her, and it might even bring unnecessary trouble to herself and her family.

Therefore, she could only bury this secret deep in her heart and secretly resolve to find a way to awaken the real Xia Shuhua in the future.

Just as they were talking, Xia Jianguo ended the call with a click and hung up gently.

"Dad, what did Uncle Yong say?" Xia Tao was anxious and paced back and forth.

Seeing his father hang up the phone, he rushed forward and hurriedly asked what was wrong.

During this time, he was filled with worry, fearing that Xia Shuhua had secretly sent some letters back to the family, and even more afraid that his mother, driven by self-interest, would collude with outsiders to do something to harm his father.

Xia Jianguo rubbed his temples, easing the fatigue from his long hours of worry, and slowly said, "Your Uncle Yong has been to Huaihua Brigade and inquired about Liu Cuilan in detail with the brigade leader. She is the daughter-in-law of the family that was sent down to Huaihua Brigade. She usually lives a secluded life and rarely interacts with outsiders."

“No wonder we can’t remember who she is,” Xia Wan said thoughtfully. “If she’s someone from the cowshed, we rarely have the chance to interact with her, so it’s normal that we’re not familiar with her.”

She nodded; the answer was exactly the same as the information she found in the system, which made her secretly relieved.

Then, Xia Wan turned to Xia Xiong beside her, her eyes filled with expectation, and asked, "Grandpa, do you know this name? She was sent down from Beijing. Liu Cuilan's father-in-law is named Wang Gang. Perhaps you heard of their family when you worked in Beijing before."