What can Chapter 142 prove?

“You are my mother-in-law. I can respect and love you, but you doubt me like this and go through my personal belongings... How am I supposed to face the world after this?”

Fang Wanyu then spoke up, her words carrying a hint of persuasion.

“Aunt Song, this really isn’t appropriate, is it? Why don’t we wait until Brother Li An comes back to discuss this… After all, he’s the only man in the family, and he should be the one to make the decision.”

"Wait for him to come back?"

Song Yazhi gave a cold laugh and put down her teacup.

"His mind is completely occupied by this woman now. He's obsessed with her all day long. How can he reason with her? How can he distinguish right from wrong?"

Qiao Wanyin watched as the two responded to each other perfectly, their coordination seamless.

She understood that all of this was not a coincidence at all, but a scheme that had been planned long ago.

Fang Wanyu is setting a trap.

"OK."

Qiao Wanyin straightened her back and looked firmly into Song Yazhi's eyes.

"Go ahead and search! I have nothing to hide, so please investigate thoroughly."

Since Fang Wanyu dared to suggest this idea, she probably already put the things in her room.

Song Yazhi slammed her chopsticks on the table with a "bang," her face turning ugly.

"If they really find it, this marriage must end today!"

"Our Fu family will not accept a daughter-in-law who steals!"

Her tone was like a knife, cutting deeply into Qiao Wanyin's heart.

This statement is a complete denial, as if severing the dignity she has worked so hard to maintain for so many years.

Qiao Wanyin watched Song Yazhi stride towards the bedroom and took a deep breath.

She neither hid nor argued; she simply stood quietly, her gaze calm and serene.

Her gaze swept over Fang Wanyu, and she sneered inwardly.

The seemingly gentle and virtuous woman standing in the corner was the mastermind behind all of this.

Fang Wanyu immediately followed, her voice soft.

"Aunt Song, please don't be anxious, be careful not to upset your health..."

Without turning her head, Song Yazhi pushed open the master bedroom door and went straight to the wardrobe.

Qiao Wanyin stood still, knowing that the real show was just beginning.

With a loud bang, the wardrobe door was yanked open.

Song Yazhi ransacked the place, throwing clothes out one after another, completely disregarding the fact that these were her daughter-in-law's personal belongings.

Qiao Wanyin frowned with heartache; she had to clean it all over again!

She didn't move. She knew that any action she took now would be interpreted as guilt or provocation.

"Found it!"

Suddenly, Song Yazhi pulled a piece of jade ruyi (a type of scepter) with a bright green color from the pocket of her cotton-padded jacket, and her face turned dark.

"It really is here!"

She practically gritted her teeth as she said those words, as if she had finally caught the fox by the tail.

Fang Wanyu immediately cried out in surprise and quickly helped her up.

"Aunt Song, please calm down, don't get sick from getting so angry..."

But her eyes quickly glanced at Qiao Wanyin, a secret smile of a victor in them.

With trembling hands, Song Yazhi raised the jade ruyi and shouted at Qiao Wanyin.

"What else do you have to say now?"

The jade ruyi was held high in the air, as if it were a symbol of her moral justice.

Qiao Wanyin stared at the jade, and she understood everything.

She slowly walked over and held out her hand: "May I take a look?"

"You still want to touch it?"

Song Yazhi stepped back, clutching the jade ruyi tightly to her chest, her eyes wary and full of hostility.

"Caught red-handed, you still want to deny it?"

Fang Wanyu interjected at the opportune moment.

"Sister Wanyin, this is a family heirloom passed down for generations, how could you..."

She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, as if she couldn't bear to continue.

Qiao Wanyin smiled, a slow curve forming at the corners of her lips.

"Comrade Fang, are you sure I took this?"

“This…” Fang Wanyu feigned difficulty, her eyes flickering.

"But it was definitely found in your closet."

Song Yazhi was furious, and her voice suddenly rose.

"Qiao Wanyin, you come from the countryside and haven't seen much good stuff, so I can understand if you had wicked thoughts. But even now, you still refuse to admit it. You're hopeless!"

Qiao Wanyin walked to the wardrobe unhurriedly, without the slightest panic.

She raised her finger and pointed steadily at the old cotton-padded jacket that had been dug out.

"Mom, don't get angry yet. Take a closer look at this cotton-padded coat. It belongs to Li An."

“I’ve never worn this dress, and neither has Li An. It’s always been kept at the bottom of the closet, and nobody has ever touched it.”

Song Yazhi was taken aback, her brows furrowing slightly.

"What exactly do you mean by that? Are you accusing me of wrongdoing?"

"This cotton-padded coat was bought by Li An the winter before last. He tried it on after buying it and it didn't fit. So it's been sitting in the closet ever since and he's never taken it out to wear it again."

“I always kept it at the bottom of the shelf, folded together with other clothes that I didn’t wear often.”

As she spoke, she bent down and pulled out a yellowish camphor ball from a thick stack of clothes.

"You see, I carefully put mothballs on every single piece of clothing that is out of season to prevent moths. I never take it lightly."

She then reached into the inside pocket of the cotton-padded jacket and gently rummaged through it.

"But this garment has neither mothballs nor the smell of camphor. Think again, has someone tampered with it?"

Immediately afterwards, she brought the suspected jade ruyi close to her nose and sniffed it carefully.

"There's not a trace of camphor on this jade ruyi. It was never stored with these clothes."

Fang Wanyu's expression tightened instantly, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.

“Sister Wanyin, why are you so stubborn? Aunt Song is the easiest to talk to, the softest-hearted, and the most understanding.”

She paused, her tone becoming increasingly sincere.

“If you were willing to humble yourself, admit your mistake, and say ‘I took the wrong one,’ Aunt Song would definitely not hold it against you. But you keep refusing to admit it and even question others, which will only make it harder for her to forgive you.”

Qiao Wanyin ignored her completely, turning her head to look directly at Song Yazhi.

"Mom, don't be fooled by appearances. What we need to figure out now is not who is making excuses, but when exactly the jade ruyi went missing."

"Think about it again, wasn't it just the time before last, when Li An and I had just returned from our hometown?"

Song Yazhi frowned, her eyes showing a hint of doubt.

"So what if it was back then? What does that prove?"

"At that time, Comrade Fang also went to the study. I remember it very clearly. It was during the time when Li An and I went to the military region guesthouse to put our luggage away that she went to the study by herself and stayed there for quite a while."

Her gaze sharpened slightly as she slowly said, "The jade ruyi box is in the study. If we really want to investigate, we can check the entry and exit records from that day, ask the gatekeeper, and follow the clues to find out who did it quickly."

Fang Wanyu's fingers trembled slightly, her eyes darting away; she couldn't let her continue.

She immediately put on a hurt and aggrieved look.

"Sister Wanyin, how could you do this? I... I clearly promised to keep that a secret for you, but instead of being grateful, you're turning around and blaming me?"

"I almost lost my innocence for you, how...how could you do this to me?"

Qiao Wanyin was stunned, her face full of question marks.

"What are you talking about? When did I ever ask you to hide anything from me? What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Wanyu".