Chapter 118 The Wise Seem to Be Foolish: Lemonade

These people thought no one else was involved and that no one could possibly know about the identity theft. They are utterly despicable; they have no respect for the martyrs whatsoever. This incident has had a particularly serious impact. Brother Song personally led the arrests, working with the police in the capital to handle the case.

School staff only found out this morning, precisely to prevent anyone from tipping them off.

Now that the person has been successfully apprehended, we dare to let everyone know.

The martyr's daughter successfully enrolled. Even without an acceptance letter, the school was aware of the situation and naturally couldn't prevent her from enrolling. As long as it's confirmed that it wasn't an impersonation, there's no problem.

When Zhang Chenghai and his wife learned that the girl had enrolled in the school, they breathed a sigh of relief. On the way there, they had been worried that the girl might not be able to enroll successfully, and that something else might have gone wrong. Fortunately, everything was resolved.

The mother and daughter wanted to thank Song Fenglan, but the plump woman told them that Song Fenglan wasn't home and they didn't need to go. She said that as long as the girl studied hard, that was more important than anything else.

Zhang Chenghai and his wife went to see the house first and completed the formalities. The house they bought wasn't in the city center, but it still cost a considerable amount of money. They borrowed some money from Qin Zihang, and combined it with their previous savings, barely managing to pay in full. All the formalities were completed smoothly, and there were no land disputes.

Although Brother Song wasn't there, those people didn't dare to fool Zhang Chenghai and his wife. Since Zhang Chenghai and his wife were going back later, Brother Song even asked someone to expedite the paperwork. When Sister Pang saw the relevant documents and certificates, she was extremely satisfied.

The house isn't brand new; it's a used house that someone else has lived in. That doesn't matter; the important thing is that the house is still okay.

Fatty and Zhang Chenghai planned to tidy up the house. Since Zhang Xiaohu would be living on campus during university, they could rent out the house first; they couldn't just leave it empty. They had paid for the house, and leaving it vacant would be a loss.

Zhang Xiaohu had to go to military training, so he couldn't go and pack his things. It was Fatty Sister and Zhang Chenghai who did it. The couple packed at the house they bought during the day and rested at Song Fenglan's house at night.

Qin Zihang did not live at home, but lived in a house next to Song Fenglan's workplace.

When Song Fenglan returned home, she didn't see Qin Zihang, and she felt a little uneasy. She hadn't felt this way before when Qin Zihang went on trips. Her child was in university; he had truly grown up.

"We still need to buy some basic furniture to move in," the plump woman said to Song Fenglan while sitting on the sofa. "Once it's all set up, we can rent it out first. Xiao Hu is here, so let him collect the rent."

“Absolutely,” Song Fenglan said. “Back when we were in Nancheng, I had my second brother help me collect rent.”

"Back then, was the apartment you lived in also rented out?" the plump woman asked.

“No, the apartment we’re living in now hasn’t been rented out,” Song Fenglan said. “There are some things inside, and since we live here ourselves, we haven’t rented it out.”

“If you rent it out, you can make quite a bit of money,” said the plump woman.

“I do have money,” Song Fenglan said, “but I don’t like people messing around in my house, so I’d rather it be empty. My mom and the others are here, and they can help look after the house for me.”

"This is good," said the plump woman. "You're doing well in the capital."

“The capital is great; more people are coming to the capital to do business,” Song Fenglan said.

“We’re not good at running a business; we’re only good for that small plot of land in the south of the city,” the chubby woman sighed. “Yani’s milk tea shop has opened two more stores. She said all the ingredients have to be handmade, and she also asked me to make herbal jelly for her so I could earn some money. Now that I’m in the capital, she’s making it at home for now, and she’ll have me make it again when I go back.”

"Yani is not bad," Song Fenglan said. "She even knows to let you guys make money together."

“That’s right, she could have done it herself, but she made me do it,” said the plump woman. “It wasn’t just me; some other people in the family compound also helped out. Yani set up a special place as a kitchen and told everyone to be hygienic and that the food had to be spotless. She said that in business, you have to pay attention to quality; if the quality isn’t good, others can quickly take them down. No wonder she can make money.”

Fan Yani lived in a more developed era, and she witnessed the rise and fall of milk tea shops. Fan Yani wasn't aiming to make a fortune; as long as the shop was profitable and not losing money, that was more important than anything else. One shouldn't be greedy, nor should one think that constantly opening chain stores will guarantee endless profits.

No, that's wrong. If you open too many stores and the quality doesn't keep up, you'll also lose money.

Fan Yani didn't intend to ask others for money to franchise a milk tea shop; she couldn't make that many ingredients herself. Fan Yani had to supervise the people making the drinks, checking on them regularly to ensure hygiene standards were followed.

“Who would have thought that someone from the countryside could do things so well?” said the plump woman. “Her brother and sister-in-law’s shop is also thriving, and they’ve bought a house. Now when people talk about her, they all say she’s incredibly capable, and that if they could marry a wife like her, their family’s ancestral graves would be blessed.”

“Yani knows how to live,” Song Fenglan said. “She doesn’t take big steps, she’s down-to-earth, and she can earn a lot of money.”

“Our family is lagging behind; we haven’t earned that much money,” said the plump woman. “Yani is also planning to buy a house. She heard that our family is going to buy a house in the capital and said that houses in the capital are good. She said that her family lives in the south of the city, so they didn’t come to the capital to buy a house.”

It wasn't that Fan Yani didn't want to, but rather that she knew what was best for her. Since Fan Yani and her husband weren't in the capital, they couldn't easily intervene. Buying a house and having it rented out through a real estate agent might also cause problems. It was better to buy a house in the southern part of the city, where things were expected to develop well in the future.

Fan Yani and her group are all in Nancheng. They can manage more things, so they won't be unaware of problems that arise.

“Yani has always been like this—very down-to-earth, hardworking, and knows how to do things best.” Song Fenglan thought that Fan Yani was the female lead in a novel, and the female lead naturally knew the best path. The female lead wouldn't say that you have to go wherever things will go for you.

No, a female lead like Fan Yani has her own plans. She will follow the path that suits her best, instead of going about things haphazardly.

“A few days ago, Li Hui called Guo Peng to ask about the child,” said the plump woman.

"She wants to take the child with her?" Song Fenglan asked.

“No,” the fat woman said. “She was probably just asking. Maybe… she’s thinking about having Guo Furong take care of her in her old age. She can’t have children. I heard she’s not doing well back in her hometown and hasn’t married. Guo Furong is pitiful. She was abandoned by her family here. She might be harassed by her aunt, father, and mother in the future.”

The plump woman shook her head at the thought, "They don't support her, yet they want her to make sacrifices. Just wait, this kind of thing is very likely to happen in the future."

"..." Song Fenglan didn't know what to say. She knew that what Fatty Sister-in-law said was very likely to come true.

Severing ties is not legally recognized. When Guo Peng and Li Hui were still married, Guo Peng gave money to his mother to raise their child, and that money is considered marital property. Therefore, it cannot be said that Li Hui did not support Guo Furong at all. If Li Hui were to ask Guo Furong to support her in her old age in the future, she could still claim some money.

Reality is cruel. It's not about morality; that's just how the law is. What the law stipulates is one thing, and what an individual does is another, but it's more unpleasant than swallowing a fly.

“If you ask me, we should send Furong to another city, not Nancheng, but somewhere the Li family can’t find her. That way they won’t be able to ask Furong for money,” said the fat woman. “It’s a place many people like to grow up in, especially young girls. Nancheng is a good place, but it would be hard for those people to leave and live in an unfamiliar place.”

“When Furong grows up, she will make her own decisions,” Song Fenglan thought to herself. Guo Furong is someone close to the female lead.

I wonder if Guo Furong will turn into an ingrate or become as sharp-tongued as the female lead.

Song Fenglan hadn't read the original novel carefully, and since many things might not be the same as in the original story, she had even less idea what would happen to Guo Furong.

"We're cleaning the house, it might take a few more days," the plump woman said a little embarrassed. "We'll have to stay with you for a few more days."

“It’s alright, you can stay here,” Song Fenglan said. “The room was originally empty.”

"Thank goodness we have you all. If we stayed in a hotel, it would cost a lot of money and we wouldn't be able to stay as comfortably as we do," said the plump woman.

Fatty Sister and Zhang Chenghai ate at Song Fenglan's house. They thought the food prepared by the servants was delicious. It's great to have servants at home; you don't have to do many things yourself, and others can do them. However, this is only because Song Fenglan's family is wealthy. If they weren't rich, they wouldn't be able to do this.

Fatty was originally planning to help with the cleaning, but when Sun Mei saw Fatty go to clean, Sun Mei told Fatty that she didn't need to do it, as it was her job.

Besides Sun Mei, there were other servants. The house was large, and there were also flowers and plants in the yard to take care of, so it wasn't just Sun Mei alone.

Song Fenglan had enough money, so Qin Yizhou didn't need to pay for the hires. When Song Fenglan asked Qin Yizhou to hire people, he didn't dare refuse. As a result, the family had three retired soldiers: Sun Mei, a gardener, and a driver. Sun Mei and the gardener also did cleaning, so they weren't just doing one thing.

The plump woman couldn't tell, but Zhang Chenghai did. Zhang Chenghai was still in the army; how could he not see that those people had undergone specialized training? It's normal for veterans to find new employment, especially when someone like Qin Yizhou hires them.

Many veterans who have transitioned to business have companies that hire a significant number of other veterans.

Zhang Chenghai didn't think there was anything wrong with what Song Fenglan did; in fact, he thought it was excellent.

When Song Fenglan had her holiday, she and her friend Pang went to see the house. It was relatively empty. The house was small, with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The living room was quite small; it was combined with the dining room, so it was too small to call it a two-room house.

“Our house is much smaller than yours,” said the plump woman. “We repainted the walls.”

“That’s good,” Song Fenglan said. “The important thing is to have a house, not necessarily a big one.”

“That’s what we think too,” said the plump woman. “Zhang Wen is at the age where he should be dating, and we can’t spend all our money. He said he would give us all his salary, but we don’t dare to take too much. To be honest, he won’t be in the capital anymore, so if we put the house in Xiao Hu’s name, it will go to Xiao Hu in the future, and Xiao Wen won’t get anything. Giving our house in the south to Xiao Wen is a bit unfair to him. But Xiao Wen didn’t get into a university in the capital; it was Xiao Hu who got in.”

The plump woman sighed. It's so hard to treat two children equally.

“I made it clear to Xiaowen when I came here,” said the plump woman. “If we don’t make it clear, there will be trouble later, and that won’t do.”

"Yes, you're right." Song Fenglan nodded. "It's better to be clear about things to avoid problems later."

“Zihang is right, and you’re right too,” said Sister-in-law Pang. “The housing prices in the capital are still okay now, not as high as I imagined. In a few years, when the prices are even higher, it will be even harder to buy. It’s better to grit your teeth and buy a house now, even if it’s a small apartment. It’s still a house. If Xiaohu stays in the capital in the future, he’ll have a place to stay. My husband and I have helped Xiaohu a lot. From now on, it’ll be up to Xiaohu himself.”

“You’ve done so much,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s all for the children that you’ve thought so much about them.”

"It's a shame we don't earn enough money," the plump woman sighed. "If only we earned more. I do some chores for Yani to supplement our household income, and I'll have to keep doing that and see if I can do more."

“Don’t overwork yourself, Xiaowen is a teacher now, isn’t he?” Song Fenglan said. “He gets a salary.”

“It’s good that he has a salary, but as his mother, I can’t just leave him unprepared,” said the plump woman. “If we don’t prepare anything, Xiaowen’s wife will complain later, and Xiaowen will complain too. We still need to prepare more things for Xiaowen so that he can get married in style.”

Sometimes, Fatty Sister-in-law worries that Zhang Wen will be dissatisfied, since it seems that the eldest son receives less than the younger son.

“When Xiaowen was studying at teachers’ college, it was in the south of the city, and we didn’t buy him a house then,” said the plump woman. “Now, Xiaohu is in the capital, and we’re buying him a house.”

“It’s not your fault, it’s not that you didn’t treat everyone equally,” Song Fenglan said. “Sometimes, you have to be forward-thinking. If you’re going to stay in Nancheng in the future, you’ll still have to rely on your eldest son.”

“Yes, that’s what we think too,” said Sister Pang. “We also told Xiaohu that he will have to save money to get married in the future, and he will also have to pay back the money he owes Zihang. It’s not that we want to put pressure on him, but we want to be fair.”

The fat woman and her husband didn't borrow much money from Qin Zihang, and Zhang Xiaohu will definitely be able to pay it back once he gets a job.

“Don’t worry, both of your children are fine,” Song Fenglan said.

"There are trees ahead, that's nice." Qin Yizhou stood in front of the window and saw the trees ahead.

"It's alright, but I don't know if these trees will get infested with bugs," Zhang Chenghai said.

"Didn't you ask?" Qin Yizhou asked.

“I asked, and of course they said there aren’t many bugs. That means there will still be some mosquitoes,” Zhang Chenghai said. “This price is acceptable. If you make any demands, that little bit of money won’t be enough.”

Zhang Chenghai and his wife both thought the same way. The apartments that Brother Song had found for them were quite good—two-bedroom apartments, three-bedroom apartments, and even apartments in more prosperous areas—they had all been viewed. In the end, Zhang Chenghai and his wife chose the apartment they were currently living in.

“If Xiaohu wants to live in a better house in the future, let him figure it out himself,” Zhang Chenghai said. “We can’t control that.”

"Yes, let Xiaohu figure things out himself in the future, no."

"You guys figure it out," Qin Yizhou said. "This place is pretty good."

Qin Yizhou thought about the house his parents had bought for him—a single-story house, where the conditions would be somewhat poor. Zhang Chenghai and his wife had bought a six-story house, one of which was their apartment. Such houses might also be subject to demolition and redevelopment in the future.

When Song Fenglan asked her second brother to find a house for Zhang Chenghai and his wife, she restricted the building height and had other requirements. Song Fenglan was thinking about future demolition compensation, which would be substantial. If there was no demolition, a six-story building would be fine; it wasn't too tall, and even without an elevator, it wouldn't matter, as Zhang Xiaohu could live there.

Song Fenglan didn't say much about the demolition and relocation. She was a time traveler, so she knew, but others didn't, and it might cause unnecessary trouble.

At noon, Song Fenglan and her husband invited Fatty's husband and his wife out for lunch. When they arrived at the restaurant, Fatty's husband and his wife still wanted them to treat them.

"Don't be so polite with us. You can treat us when we go to Nancheng," Song Fenglan said.

"Alright," said the plump woman, "I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Song Fenglan asked the fat woman to order. All the dishes on the menu were clearly priced, and the fat woman hesitated to order because of the high prices.

"Let's order," Song Fenglan said. "The prices here are what they are, so we don't need to worry about our wallets."

"Okay," said the plump woman, who ordered two cheaper dishes.

Later, Song Fenglan ordered a few more dishes, even though there were two grown men with her.

Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu didn't come; they both had military training on the weekend and couldn't come out freely.

"It tastes very good," the plump woman exclaimed. "Your servants cook very well too."

“She learned from experienced chefs,” Song Fenglan said. “Sometimes, the family would also hire chefs from hotels.”

"Your life is truly enviable," said the plump woman, raising her drink to Song Fenglan.

Song Fenglan was drinking a mixed grain porridge, which was similar to a beverage and tasted quite good. Song Fenglan was health-conscious and wanted to take good care of her body; she preferred to feel younger and didn't want to appear too old.

Now, Song Fenglan understands why celebrities get hyaluronic acid injections. People don't think about injections when they're young; it's when they get old that they want to look younger and start getting injections. Many people would do this if it made them look younger.

However, Song Fenglan didn't consider getting cosmetic injections. She didn't like getting these things done haphazardly, fearing it would cause her face to swell. Besides, she wasn't a celebrity; she didn't need to film TV dramas or put on a good show in front of others.

Aunt Song's sitcoms are very popular, and she's still filming them. They continue the stories from the initial few families, building upon them. Aunt Song hasn't considered making other types of TV dramas; she's a self-taught artist, not a professional, and specializing in one area actually helps her excel.

In the Jiang family, Old Mrs. Jiang is quite old and in poor health. She has been hospitalized more often in the past two years.

Aunt Yu made chicken soup; she needs to go to the hospital later.

"Mom," Jiang Yufei looked at Aunt Yu, "Grandma, can you hold on this time?"

"At your grandma's age, as long as she can eat, that's fine," Aunt Yu said. "What's wrong?"

"Didn't my eldest and second sisters-in-law say they wanted Grandma to come back home?" Jiang Yufei asked. "It costs money to stay in the hospital."

“Your grandma does want to go home,” Aunt Yu said. “She’s in poor health and her condition has deteriorated a lot, but your dad still wants her to stay in the hospital.”

"Is that so?" Jiang Yufei asked.

"What? It's not your money you're spending, why are you feeling sorry for the money?" Aunt Yu said.

“I was thinking that Grandma is so old, who knows when she might not be able to take care of herself,” Jiang Yufei said. “Did Grandma leave any instructions?”

"Explain?" Aunt Yu glanced at Jiang Yufei. "Are you wondering if your grandma has anything to give you?"

“I…I’m not,” Jiang Yufei said.

“Your grandma is so old, she doesn’t have that many things in her hands,” Aunt Yu said. “She took out what she had a long time ago.”

Aunt Yu wasn't thinking about what Old Lady Jiang had in her hands. Old Lady Jiang might have saved some money, but it certainly wasn't much. What Aunt Yu was thinking about was that if Old Lady Jiang passed away, they would still have to arrange her funeral.

In her early years, during the war, Grandma Jiang was separated from her relatives. She had few relatives from her own family, but some relatives from her husband's family.

“I already told you I wasn’t thinking about what Grandma was holding,” Jiang Yufei said.

"Whether you've thought about it or not, you know it in your heart," Aunt Yu said. "Your grandmother has only done odd jobs with us over the years, and received a little money from her children and grandchildren as a token of filial piety."

Aunt Yu didn't want these people to still be after what Old Lady Jiang had, and she had already spoken to Sister-in-law Jiang and Sister-in-law Jiang about it.

"Mom, doesn't Grandma have any old things?" Jiang Yufei asked. "Those old things are worth a lot of money now."

"You still say you're not after what your grandma has?" Auntie glared at Jiang Yufei.

“Grandma’s hospitalization will cost a lot of money,” Jiang Yufei said.

“It’s not like you’re paying for it,” Aunt Yu said. “You don’t need to pay for it.”

It wasn't until evening that Song Fenglan learned about Grandma Jiang's hospitalization. She had to go to work the next day and didn't have time to go.

“I’ll go there tomorrow, on behalf of our family. If you’re not free, then don’t go,” said Song’s mother. “This old lady is quite capable; it’s not bad that she’s managed to keep you in their family for so many years.”

If it were another old lady, she might just take the money and not do anything.

It should be noted that at that time, Aunt Yu had the lowest status in her husband's family. If Old Madam Jiang told Song Fenglan to get out, Song Fenglan would have to leave.

The Song family cannot ignore Old Lady Jiang; someone still needs to go and check on her.

“Okay,” Song Fenglan said. “To be honest, I don’t have a deep impression of her. When we lived together, she rarely spoke to me, and she didn’t say anything to me during meals.”

Grandma Jiang didn't care whether Song Fenglan ate meat or not. The Song family had given her enough money, so it wasn't impossible for Song Fenglan to eat meat if she wanted to. Grandma Jiang believed that since they had received the money, they couldn't go too far; going too far would mean failing to fulfill their social obligations. Grandma Jiang had survived the chaos of the times through her wisdom, and even after becoming a widow, she was able to raise her children well.

"Great wisdom appears as foolishness." (Song Dynasty)

Mother way.

"Yes," Song Fenglan nodded, "The old lady has been hospitalized many times in the past two years."

“Your aunt said she might not make it this time,” Song’s mother said. “Don’t go there. Don’t let her catch the illness. The hospital is not a good place. And don’t let Zihang go there either. Wait until later… then you can go.”

“Mom…” Song Fenglan looked at her mother. Wasn’t her mother afraid of catching the illness?

"I'm fine," said Song's mother. "At our age, we should be more relaxed. Don't worry, I'll go check on you."

Early in the morning, Song's mother had someone prepare some soup and also prepared a red envelope. When they arrived at the hospital, Song's mother stuffed the red envelope into Jiang's hand.

Grandma Jiang can still talk and is still quite clear-headed.

"Your family has given quite a bit of money," said Grandma Jiang. When Aunt Yu married into the Jiang family, Mother Song gave a lot of money, and later, the Song family also helped Aunt Yu's family.

“These are all material possessions,” said Mrs. Song. “Grandma, how do you feel?”

"I'm old and useless now," said Grandma Jiang. "I want to eat pineapple, so I'll ask your sister to buy some."

"Eat whatever you want," said Song's mother. "Tell us what else you want to eat, and we'll buy it for you."

"I'm an old woman, and I've eaten my fair share of good food," said Grandma Jiang. "When I was a child, life was really tough. There wasn't much good food. We ate grass roots and tree bark. We never had such a good life. I've had enough, I've had enough."

When Jiang Yufei arrived, Song's mother was still there.

"Yufei." Grandma Jiang waved to Jiang Yufei.

"Grandma." Jiang Yufei looked at Grandma Jiang, then glanced at Song's mother, "Aunt."

“Your sister-in-law is over here.” Grandma Jiang took a silver bracelet from under her pillow. She knew all too well what her granddaughter was thinking. “Grandma has nothing else to give you, just this silver bracelet, as a keepsake for you.”

Jiang Yufei accepted the silver bracelet. It was rather heavy. Was that all?

Grandma Jiang didn't offer Jiang Yufei anything else, and Jiang Yufei didn't feel comfortable offering anything else either.

Sister-in-law Jiang wasn't upset. It was just a silver bracelet, even though it was a bit thicker, but that was what Old Lady Jiang herself had said. Sister-in-law Jiang didn't intend to say anything unpleasant at this moment, especially considering how Old Lady Jiang had acted.

After tidying up the house, Fatty and Zhang Chenghai prepared to take a car back to Nancheng and didn't stay any longer. Before leaving, they went to see Zhang Xiaohu and said goodbye.

The night before Fatty and his wife returned home, Song Fenglan didn't bother to pack their old clothes. Zhang Wen and Zhang Xiaohu were already grown up; they didn't need old clothes anymore.

“You can still call us in the future,” Song Fenglan said. “You don’t need to worry about Zhang Xiaohu getting into trouble. He’s so sensible, he’ll be fine. If anything happens, you can call us. We can handle any small matter.”

As long as it's not illegal or criminal, simple matters are easy to handle.

Sister-in-law Pang understood what Song Fenglan meant, "Our Xiaohu has already troubled you so much."

"It's alright," Song Fenglan said. "Be careful on your way back. I won't be able to see you off tomorrow. Give me a call when you get to Nancheng."

"Okay." The plump woman nodded, holding Song Fenglan's hand, somewhat reluctant to part with her.

Fatty's hands were rather rough, unlike Song Fenglan, whose hands didn't have as many calluses in the lab. Fatty often had to do heavy work; when she cooked grass jelly, she didn't need anyone's help and could do it all by herself.

On the day that Fatty Sister and Zhang Chenghai boarded the train, Old Lady Jiang passed away.

The Jiang family had cremated Old Madam Jiang long ago, and Song Fenglan and others attended her funeral.

Jiang Yufei was scolded several times by her aunt. It turned out that after Jiang Yufei received the silver bracelet, someone told her that it was probably made by an old craftsman and that such bracelets were becoming increasingly rare. Jiang Yufei was wondering where her grandmother's other silver bracelet was; everyone said that if there were a pair of such bracelets, they would be extremely valuable.

While others were grieving, Jiang Yufei went to Old Madam Jiang's room, ostensibly to collect the old lady's clothes to burn. In reality, Jiang Yufei was searching for another silver bracelet.

Aunt Yu could easily understand Jiang Yufei's little scheme.

"Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant," Aunt Yu said. "All they know is how to play tricks on their own family."

“Grandma gave me a silver bracelet, so this bracelet is mine,” Jiang Yufei said. “This bracelet should be a pair.”

Song Fenglan heard Jiang Yufei's voice, but she didn't go over. Since Song Fenglan hadn't taken anything from Old Madam Jiang, she figured she might as well just listen.

"There's only one of these bracelets," Aunt Yu said. "The other one is with your aunt who married out of the city. You just didn't know because your aunt isn't in the capital. I think you don't just want to search for the bracelet; you also want to see if your grandmother has hidden any money. Tell me, are you short of money? Are you in debt?"

"I don't have enough money on hand, but I'm definitely not in debt," Jiang Yufei said. "Do you think I'm your second sister-in-law? If I don't have money, I'll just go and borrow from loan sharks?"

Jiang Yufei's voice was quite loud; Jiang Ersao heard it.

Jiang Ersao took a deep breath. She had indeed borrowed money from loan sharks; that was her problem. Jiang Ersao didn't want people to keep talking about it, but Jiang Yufei kept bringing it up.

With so many relatives visiting that day, Jiang Ersao had to entertain them, so she couldn't cause trouble for Jiang Yufei. Jiang Yufei wasn't afraid of offending her sisters-in-law at all; she had always treated her two sisters-in-law poorly.

Fortunately, in the end, Grandma Jiang's funeral was held peacefully. Grandma Jiang was very old, so it could be considered a happy funeral.

With Grandma Jiang gone, the most senior members of the Jiang family now include Aunt Yu and her husband.

When Qin's mother learned that the Song family had given red envelopes when Old Madam Jiang was ill and that they had even attended Old Madam Jiang's funeral, Qin's mother was very unhappy. She grumbled and cursed at home, in front of the caregiver, in front of Qin Li'an, and in front of the Qin family members, saying one thing after another.

“That’s her aunt’s mother-in-law, not her mother-in-law.”

“They often send things over, time after time.”

"Making them pay eighty a month is too lenient on them. I should make them pay one hundred."

...

Everyone in the family let Qin's mother talk, and no one paid any attention to her. Qin's mother said she was tired and wanted to drink water, but after taking a sip, she immediately vomited it up.

"Why is it so sour?" Qin's mother asked.

“Lemonade,” You Yun said. “It’s sour.”

"This is so sour, is it even fit for human consumption? Pour it over," said Qin's mother. "You didn't even bother to make me some watermelon juice."

“It’s not a good season to eat watermelon,” You Yun said. “Didn’t you say that you shouldn’t eat watermelon after the start of autumn? You should be grateful for the lemon water you have, and I even added honey to it.”

"Where is the honey?" Qin's mother said. "I couldn't taste it at all."

“I added it,” You Yun said. “It’s your mouth that’s the problem.”

You Yun did add honey, but only a very small amount. She didn't add much honey because she didn't want Qin's mother to eat too much sweet food. Qin's mother is so restless; she should eat some sour things.

“Lemons are expensive,” You Yun added. “Eating something sour helps with digestion. You’re always in a wheelchair and don’t get any exercise, so it’s hard for you to digest.”

You Yun did it on purpose. Does Qin's mother think she's some kind of empress dowager? Does Qin's mother really think others have no way to deal with her?

"You..." Qin's mother did not expect You Yun to say that.

“She’s right,” said Qin’s father.

“I added a little honey,” You Yun said. “The doctor said that if Mom sits like this and eats too much sugar, she’s prone to diabetes. To prevent Mom’s health from deteriorating, it’s best not to eat too much sugar.”

You Yun wasn't worried about others thinking there was something wrong with the lemonade; the fact that she hadn't added extra vinegar was already quite good. Qin's mother wasn't just causing trouble for the caregiver, but also for the family. You Yun glanced at Qin Li'an beside Qin's mother; it seemed Qin's mother would most likely side with Qin Li'an in the future.

Since it's destined that the two women, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, can't get along, why should You Yun indulge Qin's mother?

This applies not only to lemonade, but also to other areas.

You Yun cooked whatever Qin's mother disliked. When Qin's mother was unhappy, You Yun would bring up the doctor, saying they were all doing it for Qin's mother's good. People even said You Yun was good to her mother-in-law, tolerating her mother-in-law's constant fuss.

Others said that You Yun and Brother Qin instigated Qin's mother to ask Qin Yizhou for money, saying that Brother Qin was divorced and the previous agreement was invalid, and that Brother Qin used to be responsible for Qin's parents' retirement, but now he wants Qin Yizhou to pay for it.

When You Yun hears others say something, she will explain.

“It wasn’t us who made her go; she insisted on going herself.”

"As you all know, my mother-in-law has never liked her younger brother and sister-in-law. She is very willing and eager to do anything that can make things difficult for them."

"After she became paralyzed from the waist down, her temper got even worse. We don't know how many times she's scolded us, but it's no use, it's completely useless."

"Don't listen to what she says, she's become paranoid."

“We were also very embarrassed. When I got married, I said that I acknowledged those written agreements.”

...

You Yun didn't intend for Qin's older brother to secretly give the money to Qin Yizhou. She believed that if Qin Yizhou gave the money, it was Qin's mother who kept it, not Qin's older brother. With so many mouths to feed in their family, and expenses for everyone involved, they shouldn't have given Qin Yizhou the money unless they forced him to.

To say that Song Fenglan's reputation is bad is not true; it's Qin's mother and You Yun who have much worse reputations.

Qin's mother already had a bad reputation; many people knew she was a wicked mother-in-law.

As for You Yun, because Qin's mother pressured Qin Yizhou to give money, others assumed that You Yun must have been pulling strings behind the scenes. They also thought that You Yun was two-faced, that she was unwilling to spend the money herself, and that she wanted Qin Yizhou and his wife to pay for it.

"..." This left You Yun feeling very helpless. It was all Qin's mother's fault, so why should she have to bear the consequences?

This led to You Yun's growing dislike for Qin's mother. You Yun already disliked Qin's mother, and now her disgust intensified.

Song Fenglan knew nothing about the Qin family's affairs; since no one else had mentioned it, she hadn't inquired about it either.

The fat couple returned to Nancheng. Song Fenglan was relieved to know that they had returned safely to Nancheng.

The case of someone impersonating another person to gain admission to university has caused a stir in the southern part of the city, and the military has also put pressure on them. After all, she is the daughter of a martyr; how could those people dare to impersonate a martyr's daughter to attend university?

Must a martyr's daughter be enrolled in a police academy to prevent her from being impersonated? Don't they have any other options?

This incident even made the newspapers, and the central government issued a direct order to investigate it thoroughly. People in the Education Bureau were implicated, as were members of the local police station involved in prostitution—a complete supply chain. It wasn't just this one martyr's daughter whose identity was stolen; others were also impersonated, some already graduated from school, others still in school.

If it's only a year or two late, it's okay to go back to school and study again. But if someone graduates directly, it's not easy for others to go back to school.

The impact of the matter was very serious; Gao Xiuxiu was even a little scared when she heard those words.

"Has someone from your police station been arrested?" Gao Xiuxiu had heard the rumors outside, and she was a little afraid to go out, yet worried that if she didn't, she wouldn't be able to find out anything. "Are you alright?"

"If I had something to do, would I still be sitting here?" Fang Xudong said. "I'm not in charge of household registration; I don't get involved in these matters."

If Fang Xudong had known about these things, he certainly wouldn't have allowed them to do that; he would have reported it long ago. Fang Xudong was also quite surprised when he learned of this. He knew about the martyr's daughter; he had even visited her and her mother before.

That's true. Even if someone told Fang Xudong, he wouldn't be able to solve the problem for them. If he asked around, the result would most likely be that the girl wasn't accepted.

"It's good that you didn't interfere. You shouldn't interfere in this kind of thing; wouldn't that be harming people?" Gao Xiuxiu admitted that she sometimes had a bad tongue and would speak ill of others, but impersonating someone else to get into university was illegal. Gao Xiuxiu couldn't let Fang Xudong do such a thing, no matter how much money someone offered. "How dare those people do such a thing?"

“They mostly target schools in other provinces, or schools that are far from their homes. Some also target students from remote rural areas, because they are easier to target,” Fang Xudong said. “Those students don’t usually have particularly high scores; high-scoring students are riskier.”

Some people spent a lot of money, were investigated, and were expelled before they even graduated. They cried out that they were innocent, but how could they be innocent? They ruined other people's lives.

This incident made it into the newspapers and on television.

"Thinking about it now, I still feel a bit scared." Fang Xudong's palms were still sweating. "I know some people, and I was called in for a talk."