"Mom, I suddenly remembered that I have something to do and I have to go."

"Um."

Mrs. Xue had no intention of keeping her any longer. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly thought of the person with the most say in the Xue family, namely Old Mrs. Xue.

Although Old Mrs. Xue is old, as the eldest member of the family, the rest of the Xue family usually listen to her.

She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Xue's mother: "Mom, you all say you support Yanchen's decision. Besides you, my sister, and my dad, there's also my grandma. Does that mean my grandma agrees too?"

Mrs. Xue was afraid that she would bring up the matter with Old Mrs. Xue again. In fact, she was not sure if Old Mrs. Xue would support the marriage if she knew that Xue Yanchen had not retired from the army. After all, Old Mrs. Xue was the only one in the Xue family who truly supported Xue Yanchen's decision to join the army.

But she felt that the old lady would definitely like Luo Jingyan when she met her. Besides, the old lady had been looking forward to holding her great-grandchild as soon as possible. Now that she finally had a granddaughter-in-law, wouldn't she be eager to marry her off immediately?

She nodded: "Your grandma already knew, and she's very supportive."

"How could Grandma be so confused!"

Mrs. Xue immediately became serious and scolded Xue Ningnan: "Ningnan, don't you know how to speak? That's your grandmother, not someone you can lecture."

Xue Ningnan immediately lowered her head and admitted her mistake to her mother: "Mom, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have said that to Grandma. I'm sorry. I have something to do. I'll go home first."

She was seething with anger and walked out of the Xue family home with her head down.

After Xue Ningnan left, Xue's mother looked at the door she had closed and sighed.

Their family has always valued relationships highly, but the second daughter is the least humane, always prioritizing her own interests and disregarding the feelings of others.

She didn't know what went wrong in raising her children. Her eldest daughter was gentle and kind, her son was courageous and responsible, but she had raised her second daughter to be so materialistic.

As Xue Ningnan walked out of the alley, Old Mrs. Xue happened to be walking over from the other side.

Although Grandma Xue was old, she was in good health and had good eyesight. She saw the figure across the street from afar that looked a lot like her second granddaughter. She wanted to call out to Xue Ningnan, but the girl was walking too fast. Before she could even open her mouth and make a sound, Xue Ningnan had already turned the corner on her bicycle.

She muttered a few words under her breath: "Forget it, all you care about is money. You fawn over whoever benefits you. Even if you say nice things to me, it might not be sincere. I'd better go home and see if Ningyu is here. My eldest granddaughter is such a sweet little angel. Yes, when I have a granddaughter-in-law, she'll definitely be a sweet little angel too, even better than you. I'll spoil them rotten."

Then, swinging his arms, he walked home with great speed.

Because she was angry, Xue Ningnan rode her bicycle very fast. She stormed back to the Song family home and threw the bicycle at Song Qingsong as soon as she saw him, telling him to set it up properly. She also started complaining to Song Qingsong.

"Qingsong, do you know what? It turns out that Yanchen didn't break up with that educated youth from the 'Five Black Categories' at all. He even planned to marry her. My family is full of muddleheads too. My mom, my sister, my dad, and my grandma all support Yanchen marrying that educated youth surnamed Luo. They even say how wonderful that educated youth is. Humph, they've all been bewitched by that woman. Not one of them is thinking straight."

"Honey, your elders are in there, don't be so harsh," Song Qingsong advised her.

“I’m telling the truth, and besides, I’m only saying it to you.”

"Okay, wife." Song Qingsong compromised: "But is what you said true? There are strict regulations in the army. Soldiers must undergo strict political vetting before they can marry. How could the children of the 'five black categories' marry a soldier?"

Xue Ningnan sat down, picked up her teacup, and took a sip of cooled boiled water.

"Qingsong, this is what angers me. Yanchen is determined to marry that woman. That means even if he returns to the army and is discharged soon, he still insists on marrying her?!"

In her fury, she smashed the teacup in her hand.

"Huh?" Song Qingsong exclaimed in surprise, unable to believe his ears: "Ning, Ning Nan, you said, Yan Chen, Yan Chen is going to retire from the army?"

"That's what my mom and sister think, and they both really support Yanchen's decision. I really don't know what they're thinking; they're both so clueless, and they're supposed to be cadres. Sigh, when I went home, my mom and sister were eating the pastries that woman mailed. A few pastries were enough to win them over. I bet that woman put some kind of drug in them."

Song Qingsong was still in shock. It took him a long time to come back to his senses and slowly process what had happened.

"Yan Chen is the youngest battalion commander in the army, and also the most outstanding officer. The leaders in the army think highly of him. He has been doing a lot of missions lately, and he is likely to be promoted again. His future is very bright. This is something that others can never catch up with, and it is something that countless people envy. How could he be so foolish as to give up so easily?"

"It's all because of that vixen. If it weren't for her, my brother wouldn't have done this. She's a thousand-year-old vixen, here to harm others. Qingsong, I've decided. For your and my future, my parents and grandma won't interfere. I'll handle it myself."

I'm taking leave tomorrow to go to the countryside. I need to see that woman, have a serious talk with her, and make her realize she's not good enough for Yanchen. I want her to back down and break up with him on her own. Then, I'll introduce our factory manager's daughter to Yanchen as soon as possible, so they can get married. That would be a huge benefit for us.

"Your plan is certainly very good. But what if you go to the countryside and meet that educated youth, and she doesn't listen to you and insists on being with Yanchen? Think about it, Yanchen has such good qualities, even if he retires from the army, he will definitely do well in other fields. Do you think she will give up Yanchen because of a few words from you?"

"this?"

Xue Ningnan thought about it and realized that things weren't that simple. If Luo Jingyan didn't take the initiative to break up with Xue Yanchen, then she would have to force her to break up with him.

But how could she threaten Luo Jingyan to force her to break up with Xue Yanchen?

She sat down and carefully analyzed Luo Jingyan's situation.

Since Luo Jingyan was able to become an educated youth, and her parents are now living in a cowshed, it proves that she was not sent down with her parents. Presumably, she will hide the fact that she is the child of a black five category for her own sake. The more Luo Jingyan hides this matter, the more it can become a handle for her to threaten Luo Jingyan. So she will use this to coerce Luo Jingyan.

If Luo Jingyan doesn't agree to break up with Xue Yanchen, she'll reveal that Luo Jingyan is the child of a "black five categories" element (a term referring to elements associated with organized crime, corruption, or terrorism).