Chapter 100 Backing Up: A Long-Term Perspective

"When you met him, he was already quite old," Qin Yizhou said. "When I met him, he was even younger. Fatty's wife joined the army quite early, and they stayed in Nancheng for many years. Did Fatty's wife even ask you about Zhang Wen's future?"

“Yes, she didn’t know what to do either, and had no one to talk to, so she asked me,” Song Fenglan said. “Zhang Wen’s grades aren’t good, but he could still go to a vocational school. Some vocational schools have partnerships with factories, so he can get in after graduation. But policies change very quickly, and who knows if he’ll be able to get in in the future. I suggested he become a teacher or a skilled worker, something that doesn’t require much skill and anyone can do, so there’s no need for him to do it; he’s too easily replaceable. If the child is already quite old and has no other choice, then there’s nothing we can do.”

Given the choice, Song Fenglan naturally felt that her child would have a better future if he learned some skills. Zhang Wen wasn't Song Fenglan's child, but she had been watching over him for several years.

“Zhang Wen is still young. He won’t do well on the high school entrance exam. His score is too low, so let’s try another path,” Song Fenglan said. “There are many roads to Rome. It’s not that being a primary school teacher is bad. After graduating, he can be assigned to a good primary school, have a stable job, get married, and have a pension in the future. The salary may be a little lower, but in a big city, it won’t be too low. The benefits there are quite good.”

In her past life, Song Fenglan had a classmate who became a middle school teacher. The teacher told her that her take-home pay was 5,000 yuan, but her housing provident fund was almost 3,000 yuan. The teacher also said that her future retirement pension would be substantial. Those people only mentioned her take-home pay and didn't mention any hidden benefits.

They were all keeping their secrets, afraid that others would be in the same industry as them.

Actually, it's completely unnecessary; many people will still know this.

The fat couple didn't have much education and didn't really understand the ins and outs, but they could easily find out by asking around. Becoming a teacher was perfectly feasible, not impossible. It was much better than going to a vocational school and then not being able to get a factory job, having to find work on your own, which would be much harder.

Song Fenglan wasn't quite sure when those factories stopped using vocational school students, but such things did happen.

"Thinking about it that way, it makes sense," Qin Yizhou said. "Didn't they plan to send their child to join the army?"

“I don’t know. I talked about this with Sister-in-law Pang. Even if you join the army, you still need to learn some skills,” Song Fenglan said. “The army might make changes.”

In cases of military restructuring, ordinary soldiers who don't get promoted still have to find jobs after they retire. With so many ordinary soldiers, the government can't possibly provide employment for every single one; they simply have to find work on their own.

Times are changing, and they may not know what future policies will be like, so they need to plan ahead and not be left behind by society.

"..." Qin Yizhou looked at Song Fenglan.

"What's wrong?" Song Fenglan asked. "Was I wrong?"

“That’s very true.” Qin Yizhou nodded. “Do other researchers in your unit say similar things?”

“We don’t talk about it often, just a few words now and then,” Song Fenglan said. “We’ll chat a bit when we eat, to relax. Doing research all the time is exhausting, there are always all sorts of problems, and we have to solve them every day. There are so many blueprints, and we have to keep experimenting to see where the problems are and whether it can be done. Sometimes, proposing an idea requires many steps to implement. We’re just ordinary people, we gossip too.”

"Someone is gossiping with you?" Qin Yizhou rarely heard Song Fenglan say such things.

“Very few,” Song Fenglan said. “I don’t have many people who gossip with me; they prefer to talk about work.”

Ordinary employees were not very bold enough to approach Song Fenglan to gossip, but when the professors came to Song Fenglan, they would first chat about family matters, but later they would easily talk about work.

Work, always work. At work, I'm always afraid of having too much work and not being able to finish it all, but I can't do without work either.

“I am a leader after all,” Song Fenglan said. “They still have to be careful around me.”

"Being a leader is good," Qin Yizhou said.

“Good, how could it not be good?” Song Fenglan said, “I’m so confident and assertive, everyone listens to me.”

Fortunately, Song Fenglan is truly capable. Sometimes she even worries that her skills aren't good enough, so she keeps learning and researching. She can't always rely on her memories from her past life to do things. Once she's done everything, will she have no other ideas? That won't do.

“Aren’t you a leader too?” Song Fenglan raised an eyebrow. “A leader has to act like a leader, and be serious.”

"Yes." Qin Yizhou nodded. "I was much more serious when I was in the army."

“Zihang said that you are sometimes very serious and don’t seem like a father at all,” Song Fenglan chuckled.

"He just wants to be with you all the time." Qin Yizhou knew his son all too well; his son always wanted to be with his wife.

“When he was very young, I was the one who took care of him. It’s normal for him to want to stick close to me,” Song Fenglan said.

After Zhang Wen decided on the path he would take, Fatty Sister-in-law became less nervous and relaxed a bit. When Fatty Sister-in-law went to deliver herbal jelly to Fan Yani, she chatted with Fan Yani for a while.

"You've made a decision so quickly?" Fan Yani asked.

“Yes, I asked Fenglan, and she said she wanted to be a teacher, or learn a skill so she could become a technician,” said the plump woman. “Then I asked Xiaowen what he would choose. Even if he had to join the army, he had to choose one. He chose to be a teacher. He thought that since Fenglan’s brother was a teacher, he wanted to be a teacher too.”

“Being a teacher is a good job. Many people like teachers, and the job is stable,” Fan Yani said. “In the future, many girls will want to marry him.”

"You also think being a teacher is a good job?" the plump woman asked.

“Of course, being a teacher is a very good job, as long as you can tolerate those children,” Fan Yani said. “Don’t look at those factory workers or those in the grain bureau who seem glamorous now. They may seem good now, but who knows what the future holds. But being a teacher is different. There are so many newborns who need to go to school, and when they grow up, they will have children of their own. In the short term, being a teacher is a very good job.”

"Short-term?" the plump woman asked, puzzled.

“Thirty or forty years is not a short time,” Fan Yani said. “Look at me, I didn’t explain myself clearly. It’s not short-term, but in the long run, being a teacher is a very good choice. Right now, if you’re a teacher, you can still tutor others, but there are probably fewer tutors for elementary school students, so it’s not easy to earn extra money. But if someone wants tutoring, you can still earn extra money.”

The regulations are not as strict now, and there aren't as many people reporting teachers for running tutoring classes.

Fan Yani remembered that in her past life, her junior high school teacher ran a tutoring class. Many things, if done privately, go unreported. Besides, in this day and age, not everyone will go out of their way to report it.

"Being a teacher is good. I'm not flattering Sister Fenglan, but being a teacher really is good, extremely good," Fan Yani said. In her previous life, many people took the teacher qualification exam; they all dreamed of becoming teachers.

Within the system.

Once you're in the system, you can live off it for life, instead of just for a few years.

As people get older, there is employment discrimination at age 35, and it is difficult to find a job.

Within the system, there's no need to worry about being too old. In fact, older teachers are often more sought after.

Fan Yani thought this was a great point; if someone doesn't have connections or big ambitions, they could definitely become a teacher.

“If he hadn’t become a teacher or entered the system, he would have gone into business. Does your family have that much money to give Xiaowen as capital? Or is it something like opening a small shop?” Fan Yani said. “If it’s really about opening a small shop, you don’t need Xiaowen to open it; you can do it yourself. And as for my younger brother and sister-in-law, they work from dawn till dusk and have earned some money, but it’s very hard work.”

"Aren't you from the countryside? How come you know so much?" The fat woman thought to herself that they were both from the countryside, but she herself didn't know much.

“I run a shop, so I sometimes chat with people. Gradually, I’ve learned more and more,” Fan Yani said with a smile. “When you’re running a business, you have to be able to speak well. The more you know, the better you can do business.”

Fan Yani couldn't possibly tell anyone about her time travel, and besides, she didn't know much about it, so she could probably fool them.

"No wonder you can run such a successful shop; I can't help but envy you," the plump woman remarked.

The differences between people are too great. Fatty Sister really thinks it's a huge loss for Guo Peng not to marry Fan Yani.

"When is your sister-in-law due?" Fatty Sister-in-law thought of Sister-in-law Guo.

"It's still early, not that fast," Fan Yani said. "My mom brings her some soup every few days to help her recover."

"We also need to be careful, since this is her first pregnancy, she shouldn't overdo it with supplements, otherwise the baby will be too big and difficult to deliver," the plump woman said. "It's also harmful to the mother's body."

Initially, Fatty Sister was focused on eating a lot. However, when Zhang Xiaohu was born, he was quite large, and Fatty Sister almost had a difficult labor. Fortunately, she gave birth safely, and both mother and child are healthy.

It's normal for Guo Peng's mother and others to treat his wife well after she finally got pregnant. The problem is that they might not understand and overdo it.

Fatty's sister-in-law is also from the countryside. They eat very little in the countryside, so when there is something delicious, they want to eat as much as possible.

“My sister-in-law said that Mom shouldn’t send her food too often, because she’s worried the baby is too big,” Fan Yani said.

Fan Yani liked Sister-in-law Guo quite a bit. Sister-in-law Guo was a very sensible person and understood some principles, so she didn't need Fan Yani or others to remind her.

"She said it?" the plump woman asked in surprise.

“Yes, she said so,” Fan Yani said. “My sister-in-law understands.”

"That's good, that's good," said the plump woman. "I'll go back now."

"Wait, we haven't taken the money yet," Fan Yani said, handing the money for the herbal jelly to the plump woman.

Fan Yani runs a shop selling things, but she doesn't make everything herself. She asks her aunt, Pang Sao, to make some of the things, and she gets paid for them, so Pang Sao can also earn some money.

At the Tang family home, Tang Shaotao was talking to his father about his child going to junior high school. His father's workplace had a junior high school, but Tang Shaotao didn't work there, so it would be difficult for his child to get in.

"Dad, is it really true that Qiming can't go to the school affiliated with your workplace?" Tang Shaotao asked.

“You can’t go,” Mr. Tang said. “You’ve already had your children go before. Now there’s a rule that not all grandchildren can go. If they want to go, they have to go through the proper procedures.”

Good schools are highly sought after.

Tang Shaotao wanted his children to attend a good junior high school; if that wasn't possible, his youngest son would have to go to an ordinary junior high school.

"Really not?" Tang Shaotao asked again.

“No,” Mr. Tang said. “You know I’m not the deputy factory director anymore. The leadership is very strict. The school has external enrollment, and students have to meet the requirements. Your child can’t go through the internal procedures; there are too many spots available.”

Mr. Tang is doing poorly at his workplace now, so he can't do those things. If he could, he would definitely help his own grandson.

"What did your mother say?" Mr. Tang asked.

“Mom told us to give up. We went to see her, but she wouldn’t see us,” Tang Shaotao said. “We’ve been there many times, but Mom still has the same attitude and just won’t budge.”

"That's her own grandson, how could she be so heartless?" Mr. Tang said. "If we let her act as matchmaker, we'll pay for his tuition ourselves."

“She won’t even try to set us up,” Tang Shaotao said. “Mom just won’t allow it.”

Tang's mother sat beside him. Since Tang Shaotao wasn't talking about her, she didn't interrupt. She couldn't help Tang Shaotao's child with his school problems anyway. If she could, Tang's mother wished she were very capable and could solve those problems herself.

"She really is... what is she thinking?" Mr. Tang frowned. "You've all gone to find her, and she's still like this, refusing to take a step back. Your mother is still the same as before. If someone offends her, she holds a grudge, never forgives them. Others have their reasons, but she just won't accept it."

“How would I know what she’s thinking?” Tang Shaotao said. “I asked Tang Lu to come back, but she still won’t. My boss’s relative wants to meet her, but she won’t come back. I talked to my boss about it, and he said that our family looks down on their family, that our family is temperamental, and that our family has high standards.”

Tang Shaotao felt infuriated just thinking about it. It was as if he had offended his superior. "Tang Lu only needed to come back once. She could go on a blind date, meet once, and if it didn't work out, she could just go back to Nancheng. Why did she have to do that and not come back at all? At first, I told my superior that there would be no problem and that Tang Lu would definitely be willing to come back."

Tang Shaotao made overly confident statements at the beginning, to the point that his superior assured the family that the marriage would go through. As things turned out this way, the superior lost face in front of his relatives, and naturally, he held a grudge against Tang Shaotao. He felt that if Tang Shaotao hadn't said those things, he wouldn't have spoken to his relatives in that way, and the relatives wouldn't have been unhappy afterwards.

“She…she’s becoming more and more like your mother,” Mr. Tang said. “We, the Tang family, raised her, and she still has grievances against us.”

Tang's father had many opinions about Tang Lu. He and Tang Shaotao shared the same thought: Tang Lu had become too independent.

“We shouldn’t have let her become that damn pilot in the first place,” Tang Shaotao said. “So many people want to work in the capital, but she didn’t want to stay there. She just wanted to stay in the south of the city. Is the south as good as the capital? Women have to get married eventually. My boss’s relative is really good, and his salary is not low. If he weren’t my boss, Tang Lu wouldn’t have had a chance to get married. Tang Lu wouldn’t even come back. She doesn’t give me any face at all.”

Tang Shaotao kept criticizing Tang Lu, not believing he had done anything wrong. He blamed Tang Lu entirely; if she had returned and things had been handled properly, Tang Shaotao might have been promoted quickly, since he and his superior were practically family. But now, Tang Lu wasn't coming back, and he had even offended her.

Tang Shaotao had no way to get anyone to call Tang Lu. Calling was useless; a blind date still required meeting in person to find out the outcome.

Tang's mother almost choked on her water, and Tang Shaotao and Tang's father both looked at her.

"I didn't notice, the tea is a bit hot," Mrs. Tang quickly said. "Would you like some tea?"

"I won't drink," Tang Shaotao said.

Tang's mother didn't pour tea for Tang Shaotao; instead, she poured tea for Tang's father, which was indeed quite hot. Tang's mother thought to herself that Tang Shaotao was being too optimistic; Tang Lu had no chance of coming back. They had talked to Tang Lu so much before, yet she insisted on staying in Nancheng, which was enough to demonstrate her attitude.

Tang Lu clearly wanted to sever ties with the Tang family and treat them as ordinary relatives.

“She has her mother backing her up!” Tang Shaotao gritted his teeth. He thought that Tang Lu had visited Aunt Song quite often when she was in the capital, and Aunt Song was even willing to meet with Tang Lu. Tang Lu went to Nancheng, and Song Fenglan had been there before. Who knows, Tang Lu might have already developed a good relationship with Song Fenglan and others. “Dad, we’re such fools!”

"..." Mr. Tang remained silent.

“Tang Lu must be eyeing Mom’s things; she’s afraid Mom will give them all to us,” Tang Shaotao said. “She’s a pilot, and the Song family also has pilots. Mom will definitely think she’s amazing and like her a lot.”

Tang Shaotao slammed his hand on the table. Tang Lu was too scheming.

Fortunately, this time Tang Mu was careful and didn't choke on the tea again.

When Aunt Song learned of Tang Shaotao's actions, she found him utterly disgusting, believing he had inherited all of his father's traits. Even when Aunt Song recounted this to Qin's mother, she felt nauseous.

In the living room, Aunt Song ate a banana.

“I really don’t know where they get the nerve to say that?” Aunt Song said. “The biggest mistake I ever made was marrying into the Tang family.”

“That’s all in the past,” said Song’s mother.

“Past events? That’s a stain on the past,” said Aunt Song. “I shouldn’t have had children after I married into the family. Look at those children, how many of them are easy to deal with? They’re all greedy and shameless.”

“This isn’t your fault. Back then, you divorced their biological father, so you couldn’t always guide them. They easily followed the Tang family’s ideas, and that’s how they ended up like this.” Song’s mother rarely paid attention to the Tang family’s affairs, but the Tang family liked to visit Song’s third aunt, so Song’s mother knew a little more about the Tang family. “Why don’t you stay with us for a while and don’t go back?”

"No, I still have to go back to live here. I can just come over for a walk." Aunt Song said, "It's easy to get moldy if you stay alone all the time. Walking around and talking to people will make me feel better."

"That's true." Song's mother nodded.

“They treat women as pawns in their family, pawns to bring them benefits,” said Aunt Song. “Whether it’s their lover or their own sister, they treat them the same way.”

“You should be glad you’re out of this misery,” said Song’s mother. “Don’t worry about them. Let them handle their own troubles.”

“They really have to handle it themselves; I can’t help them,” Aunt Song said. “They’re shameless, really…”

"Eat some fruit," said Song's mother. "Let them do whatever they want, let them make a scene. Just close the door and ignore them. If you really want to hire bodyguards, then hire one. It's not like we don't have money. Let them keep their way in front of you."

"They don't dare to really cause trouble," Aunt Song said. "They just act like they're very filial, wanting others to know how filial they are. Haha, if they were really filial, why would they talk badly about me behind my back? Do they really think I don't know anything? I'm not deaf. They are my own sons and grandsons, why would I not hold it against them? What do they take me for?"

Aunt Song thought the Tang family was being too optimistic; the Tang family always felt that everyone revolved around them, which was impossible.

“I just want to see how they make a scene. If they come to my door, I’ll go,” Aunt Song said. “If they want others to see, then let others see. No matter what others say, they can’t change my decision. What can those people do with a few words?”

Aunt Song was very clear-headed. She regarded the Tang family as actors, and she quietly watched them perform, wondering how long they could keep up the act.

Song Fenglan's graduate student, Ding Wenbo, had published enough papers to meet graduation requirements. He still needed to write his graduation thesis, which had to be of high quality. Duan Yue, on the other hand, had fewer papers to publish, and his advisor had many students, making one-on-one tutoring unlikely. Song Fenglan didn't often provide one-on-one tutoring for Ding Wenbo either, but she did offer courses, and other group members mentored him. Ding Wenbo seized these opportunities and quickly completed some assignments.

When Ding Wenbo learned that Duan Yue was still short of the required number of papers, he remained silent.

That day, Duan Yue returned home looking rather unhappy. Duan Yue and Ding Wenbo had spent their summer vacation at school, doing experiments with their advisor; they hadn't gone back to their hometown.

"Have you published enough papers?" Duan Yue asked.

"That's just enough. I need to start writing my graduation thesis," Ding Wenbo said.

"Did your supervisor publish a paper and mentor you?" Duan Yue asked.

"It depends on the situation. Sometimes I help organize things, but not many of those things, and the teacher gives me a second authorship," Ding Wenbo said. "Most of the time, I don't put my name on the papers. I didn't do anything, I didn't contribute anything, so why should I ask for a name?"

“One of my senior classmates didn’t have enough papers, so he took the first authorship on my paper.” Duan Yue slowly closed his eyes.

"You...you didn't cause trouble?" Ding Wenbo asked, puzzled.

"What's all the fuss about?" Duan Yue scoffed. "It's allowed by the mentor."

If Duan Yue wanted to stay in this field, he couldn't refuse. His senior was thanking him, but he didn't need his gratitude at all; he just wanted his thesis. If his senior's work wasn't up to par, he could just extend his studies, but this senior often helped the professor with things, and Duan Yue had heard that he had some connections. So Duan Yue had no choice but to put up with it.

Duan Yue thought that he had helped his senior brother, which was a favor to his senior brother and mentor. As long as they remembered this favor, that would be good enough.

"..." Ding Wenbo originally thought Duan Yue was going to cause trouble, but he didn't expect Duan Yue to have this attitude.

“We students shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously,” Duan Yue said.

After two years of graduate studies, Duan Yue has come to a profound realization: he is no longer someone who has just been admitted to graduate school. Duan Yue has realized that he is not as strong as he imagined. Others are stronger than him, yet they are still cautious, while he has made such a big fuss with his advisor, letting so many people know about it.

At the time, Duan Yue felt he had successfully changed his advisor, and that he had set a good example for other students, showing them that they could do the same. Those students didn't have to stick with the advisors assigned to them by the school; they could choose better advisors.

Now, Duan Yue has become a laughing stock, and many people know how powerful Song Fenglan is. Many students from their school, who went with their mentors, also learned of Song Fenglan's prowess, and they all think Duan Yue is someone who would ruin his own future.

“You…” Ding Wenbo fell silent.

“You also need to remember not to take yourself too seriously,” Duan Yue said. “You’re not your mentor’s only student anymore.”

“The junior students are doing well,” Ding Wenbo said. “The teacher asked me to mentor them, but not to give them my thesis. Whoever wrote the thesis, wrote it; there’s no need to give it to anyone else. Those who aren’t capable will have to extend their studies. The teacher told us all that if we can’t graduate even after extending our studies, we’ll have to drop out.”

Song Fenglan made her points clear from the outset; she didn't have time for trivial matters. Students should focus on their studies and act like students. If they couldn't learn or weren't willing to try, then they shouldn't study at all and should just go back home. Song Fenglan wasn't one to be easily swayed; she couldn't let others know she was a pushover.

Several people in the research institute knew about Duan Yue giving his paper to his senior colleague. After all, people had seen Duan Yue conducting experiments, and he had consulted with some people. Those people knew what Duan Yue was going to do, and some had even helped Duan Yue review the paper.

Now, Duan Yue has given his papers to others, and he doesn't have enough papers of his own.

Song Fenglan heard about this matter from others, but she didn't care; it had nothing to do with her.

Back then, Duan Yue made a scene to avoid becoming Song Fenglan's graduate student. If Song Fenglan doesn't want him to be her graduate student now, Duan Yue can make a scene too.

Song Fenglan hadn't heard anyone say that Duan Yue was causing trouble, but then, when she went to the exchange meeting, she saw Duan Yue following him.

The mentor went along.

“They have a pretty good relationship.” Song Fenglan sat at a small table.

It was during the break and while eating at the buffet, Song Fenglan glanced at Duan Yue and his mentor.

"Teacher, you know?" Ding Wenbo asked.

There were two other people next to Ding Wenbo, who were also Song Fenglan's students.

“Yes, I know. I have ears, I can hear,” Song Fenglan said.

“It’s just a favor,” Ding Wenbo said. “As Duan Yue said, we students shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously.”

"Yes, that's right," Song Fenglan said. "When you're in school, you can still take yourselves seriously, and the school will keep an eye on you. But once you graduate and enter the workforce, you'll understand what it means to be a corporate slave."

"A corporate slave?" Ding Wenbo's junior sister asked in confusion.

“Yes, working like cattle and horses,” Song Fenglan said. “They might even be worse than cattle and horses. But you graduate students… are pretty much the same. You’re always in the lab, leaving early and returning late, working 996, going to work at nine in the morning and returning at nine at night, six days a week.”

"No, I go seven days a week," said Ding Wenbo's junior apprentice.

Song Fenglan looked at her three students, and it was indeed true. When Song Fenglan wasn't at the research institute, these three were still there; Song Fenglan had left work early, but they hadn't.

"We don't have the same level of expertise as the teachers, which is why we have to guide them more," the junior sister said.

"Stop praising me," Song Fenglan said. "Want some cake?"

"Eat," the junior sister said.

"Go get it, and get one for me too," Song Fenglan said. "If it's the last one left, don't take it. Don't argue with those professors."

Then, when one of Song Fenglan's female students went to get the cake, there really was only one piece left. When others knew that the female student was Song Fenglan's student, they said, "You take it, you take it."

"You take it, you take it." Ding Wenbo's junior sister was named Mei Zhujun, but Mei Zhujun didn't dare to take the piece of cake.

"You take it, you take it," another person said. "Here, I'll take it for you."

The quick-thinking person took the cake and walked up to Song Fenglan, smiling as he said, "Professor Song, here's your cake."

"..." Mei Zhujun's eyes widened; she never expected such a thing to happen.

"My teacher is Professor Lü, and my name is Xu Yanming. I'll go find him now." The man didn't make any other moves, and left after Song Fenglan nodded.

"Teacher, he just told me to get it, but in the end, he took it and brought it over." Mei Zhujun felt a little wronged. She should have just picked up the piece of cake and brought it to her mentor herself.

"Here, have some." Song Fenglan placed the cake in front of Mei Zhujun.

"Teacher, please have some," Mei Zhujun said.

"You can have it," Song Fenglan said with a smile. "It's just a piece of cake."

“Yes, it’s just a piece of cake.” Mei Zhujun pouted. “But the cake the teacher gave me was different.”

"Alright, let's eat," Song Fenglan said.

Seeing Song Fenglan enjoying herself with her students, Duan Yue felt another pang of regret for changing advisors. Ding Wenbo had been Song Fenglan's only graduate student for a period of time, and Duan Yue envied him greatly.

In the future, Ding Wenbo's resume will be very impressive. Duan Yue has already realized that his mentor is not incompetent, he just lacks a little something.

Song Fenglan didn't pay much attention to Duan Yue. She had only wanted to gossip and see how Duan Yue's relationship with his supervisor was. When she saw that Duan Yue and his supervisor had a good relationship, Song Fenglan understood that the matter of authorship of the paper was over.

When Song Fenglan returned home, she told Qin Yizhou about this matter.

“They didn’t argue,” Song Fenglan said. “They didn’t argue openly, and it’s unlikely they would argue in private.”

"Do you want them to start arguing?" Qin Yizhou asked.

"Not really," Song Fenglan said. "I was just gossiping to see if their relationship was still as harmonious as before."

"It's going well, isn't it?" Qin Yizhou said.

"Yes, they get along very well. You can't tell if there's any conflict between them, and you can't tell if that person wasn't acting voluntarily," Song Fenglan said with emotion. "However, in general, if the mentor is capable, they don't need to take credit for the authorship. If the senior student does take credit... it's hard to say. Anyway, they've already resolved it internally, so they don't need anyone else to worry about it for them."

"And you, how's your graduate studies going?" Qin Yizhou asked.

"It's alright. I told them a long time ago that if they can't write their own papers, they shouldn't expect me to give them other people's papers, and I'm not going to give them mine either," Song Fenglan said. "If we let them barely graduate, but they have no ability, and they still have that diploma, isn't that just letting them harm others?"

"Indeed." Qin Yizhou strongly agreed with Song Fenglan's words, which would be tantamount to indirectly harming others.

To this day, Song Fenglan hasn't paid any attention to her lost graduation certificate and degree certificate. What she doesn't know is that someone has already used them to look for a job. It's just that that person isn't in the capital; they're in a different city, so Song Fenglan remains unaware.

That person didn't go to the research institute; instead, she went to another organization. Cutting-edge research could easily expose problems, and she was afraid of being discovered, so she didn't go to the research institute.

When others asked her if the government had arranged a job for her, she said she preferred challenges and didn't want to do a monotonous job.

That person even changed their name to Song Fenglan, just so that the name would match the graduation certificate and degree certificate.

At that time, there was no internet access, and the employer couldn't check the graduation certificate and degree certificate online. Besides, both the degree certificate and graduation certificate were genuine. Since she wasn't working within the system, there was no need to transfer her personnel file, making it less likely to be discovered. Working for a private company, she could at least fool them. Private companies wouldn't force her to transfer her personnel file; the real file would have already been transferred with the person. The imposter, fearing discovery, naturally wouldn't dare even consider Song Fenglan's file.

Because the counterfeit goods were sold in different cities and Song Fenglan's classmates weren't around, the counterfeit goods went undetected and are still doing well at work.

Song Fenglan's files weren't lost, and her graduation certificate and degree certificate had been replaced, so she naturally wouldn't think about anything else. Besides, if the package got lost on the way, it might really be lost and impossible to find; Song Fenglan couldn't possibly focus on just that one thing.

In the south of the city, Gao Xiuxiu's mother-in-law came again. Fang's mother felt that since Gao Xiuxiu had recovered, she could come over; there was no need for her to stay in her hometown.

“Your brother and I will stay with him for a while, and then stay with you for a while. You two will take turns taking care of me in my old age,” Fang’s mother said.

When Fang's mother went back to her hometown, her other daughters-in-law weren't very satisfied with her either. They all wanted Fang's mother to send money back home, but Fang's mother wasn't an eyesore to them. This time, Fang's mother was essentially kicked out. But Fang's mother didn't see it that way. She believed that her youngest son and daughter-in-law had their difficulties, and it wasn't their fault; they couldn't earn much money by farming in the countryside.

“No,” Gao Xiuxiu refused. “Go back, and we’ll send you money every month.”

When Gao Xiuxiu saw Fang's mother, she was reminded of her removed uterus. She could no longer have children and would never have a son. Gao Xiuxiu felt that she was often laughed at here. People privately said that she couldn't have a son and that a woman without a uterus was not much different from a man.

Even though Gao Xiuxiu was heartbroken, she couldn't rush in front of those people, and she didn't know exactly who had said it.

"It has to work out, even if it doesn't work out," said Fang's mother. "You're all better now..."

"It's not alright, my uterus is gone, it's gone!" Gao Xiuxiu said. "Do you know how much damage this has done to my body?"

"Don't you have two daughters?" Mrs. Fang said. "You're not without children. Why would I come here..."

"She even said that I haven't been able to work because of my illness." Gao Xiuxiu's eyes were red. How could her mother-in-law act like nothing was wrong at a time like this? "If you want to live here, that won't work."

"This is unfilial of you," Fang's mother said through gritted teeth.

“You can stay here if you want, but you can’t live here with me,” Gao Xiuxiu said.

Fang Xudong had no other choice but to rent another place for his mother. It wasn't that he didn't want his mother to go back; his younger brother didn't want her to go back at all and would bring her over. Fang Xudong couldn't really abandon his mother, so he still had to keep her here.

While tidying up the rented house, Fang's mother was quite dissatisfied, saying, "Your daughter-in-law is really outrageous. We have a room at home, but you won't let me live there. You even charge me for renting a place."

“Mom, Xiuxiu’s health isn’t very good, so you should stay here.” Fang Xudong understood what his mother meant, but Gao Xiuxiu’s health really couldn’t withstand the strain. “Please don’t go near Xiuxiu.”

"I was thinking of helping you take care of the child," Fang's mother said.

“Xiuxiu doesn’t work, so she can stay home and take care of the child,” Fang Xudong said. He was quite satisfied that the child didn’t have so many accidents when Gao Xiuxiu was taking care of him. He was worried that all sorts of things might happen if his mother were taking care of the child.

Fang Xudong was frightened by what had happened before. He thought it would be better for his biological mother to live outside, as this would reduce a lot of conflicts.

"She's not planning to work anymore?" Fang's mother asked again, "Is the whole family living off your salary?"

“Her health isn’t good, and she’s not suited to work. For her own good, and because the child needs a mother, we stopped her from working,” Fang Xudong said. “Mom, please don’t say such things.”

"Don't say it, don't say it. Just because she's not in good health doesn't mean she can't talk about it," said Fang's mother. "You just spoil her. I'm so old, and my health isn't good either, but I haven't said much. She's so young, and she complains about not being in good health over the smallest thing."

“If you’re still staying in Nancheng, don’t go there,” Fang Xudong said. “After Xiuxiu got sick, her temper changed. If you go to her, you’ll only argue. It’s better to stay away from her.”

"Is this how a daughter-in-law should behave?" Fang's mother said.

If Gao Xiuxiu were here, she would definitely say: "How can you be such a mother-in-law?"

By the time Fang Xudong had settled his mother in, it was already past 8 p.m.

"Do you really want your mother to stay?" Gao Xiuxiu asked.

"Mom, there's no other way," Fang Xudong said. "My younger brother doesn't earn much money in the countryside, and he can't support the whole family, so we had to send Mom here. We let her live outside, not in our house. We give her some money so she can buy groceries and cook for herself; she doesn't come to our house to eat."