Faced with the old lady's aggressive questioning, Xiang Pengfei dared not speak, for speaking again would be considered offending her.

So the four of them went to Huang Ling's hospital room together.

Huang Ling had probably just woken up, and Zhuang Chaoying was feeding her water.

When Zhuang Chaoying turned her head and saw her parents, Lin Dongzhe, and Xiang Pengfei, she quickly put down her bowl and said with a smile to Grandma Zhuang, "Mom, what brings you here?"

Grandma Zhuang said irritably, "Go home! Give your child a good talking-to. They're all grown up now, and instead of respecting elders, they've learned to talk back!"

Zhuang Chaoying asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, Mom? Did Tu Nan disrespect you?"

"He's become so cold-blooded now. Did he go to America and become as cold-blooded and ruthless as capitalism?"

"What did he do, Mom? Tell me! If it's his fault, I'll definitely give him a piece of my mind when I get home!"

"That's right, Chaoying, your eldest nephew Zhennan has gone to the police station to turn himself in!"

"Really? That's great! This child knows how to repent! He'll definitely behave well after he gets out!"

Grandma Zhuang said somewhat angrily, "What? Chaoying, do you also want Zhennan to go to jail? He's still a child! Just because he stole a few pieces of paper from your house, you can't just disregard family ties and send him to prison!"

"Mom, Zhennan turned himself in, which means he knows he was wrong and he knows how to repent. It's a good thing that he knows he's wrong and he's correcting his mistakes!"

"Good thing? What will happen to Zhennan for the rest of his life? He'll be in jail with a criminal record. How will he ever get married and start a family?"

"Things are already like this, what else can we do? Mom, what do you suggest we do?"

"What do you mean, what to do? Isn't Huang Ling's brother the director of the People's Congress? With such a high-ranking official, if he just talks to the police station, Zhennan can get out easily, right?"

"You want a director of the National People's Congress to pull strings for Zhuang Zhennan?"

"What's wrong? We're all relatives, what's wrong with helping each other out?"

"Mom, if you're here to talk to me about this, then you should go back!"

"Zhuang Chaoying, I'm your mother!"

"I'm refusing you just because you're my mother. Taking shortcuts is illegal. It not only harms Tu Nan's uncle but also yourself. If the school finds out, how can I face them? I'm a teacher, a role model for students. Is this how I set an example for them? That would be utterly disgraceful and a disgrace to education!"

"Zhuang Chaoying, how can you be just like your son, devoid of family affection and so cold-blooded? People say, like son, like father!"

"Mom, I can also tell you clearly that I can give in to you on other things, but I will absolutely not give in to you on this one, because you are doing something illegal, but you are also saving yourself!"

At this moment, Huang Ling coughed and said to Zhuang Chaoying, "Chaoying, don't talk to your mother like that. This is a hospital. Keep your voice down, or you'll disturb others!"

Zhuang Chaoying hurried over to Huang Ling's side and said, "Huang Ling, how are you? Are you alright? Would you like some more water?"

"I'm fine, please talk to the old man properly!"

No sooner had Huang Ling finished speaking than Huang Zijuan reappeared at the door.

As soon as Huang Ling saw Huang Zijuan, she said, "Zijuan, what brings you here?"

Huang Zijuan walked up to Huang Ling, grasped Huang Ling's hand, and said, "Auntie, you don't know, my dad and I actually came here this morning!"

"Oh, really? Then why are you here again?"

"Auntie, my dad went to a meeting this morning, didn't he? He received a notice that he was to retire!"

"Oh, really? Then let him retire! Your dad isn't young anymore, he's over sixty. If he doesn't retire soon, when will he ever have time to rest!"

"Yes! That's true, but isn't the place you live in going to be demolished soon? My dad originally wanted to help you out, he wouldn't gain much, at least he wouldn't suffer any losses, but now that my dad has retired, you'll have to fight for your own interests!"

"It's alright, Zijuan. Go back and tell your dad not to worry so much and to enjoy his retirement. I'll visit him as soon as I'm discharged from the hospital. Our cotton mill is a state-owned enterprise, and everything is done according to regulations. There won't be anything that harms the workers. Tell him not to worry!"

"Okay, I'm going to work now, Auntie!"

"Go for it! Be happy while you're working, don't put any pressure on yourself!"

"Okay, I'm leaving!"

"Um!"

Huang Zijuan walked to the door and said to Grandma Zhuang, "Grandma, I'm leaving now!"

Grandma Zhuang simply nodded awkwardly and said nothing more.

After watching Huang Zijuan leave, Zhuang Chaoying said to Xiang Pengfei, "Pengfei! It's already midday. Why don't you take your grandparents to eat? Don't let them go hungry."

Xiang Pengfei then said to the Zhuang family elders, "Grandma, Grandpa, let's go! Let's go eat, and we can discuss anything else later!"

At this point, even Grandma Zhuang had no choice but to nod and say, "Let's go! Let's go to a bigger restaurant and have some food!"

As soon as Mrs. Zhuang left, Lin Dongzhe asked Zhuang Chaoying, "Dad, Mom, what do you want to eat? I'll go buy it for you!"

Huang Ling said, "Stop right there!"

Lin Dongzhe was a smart man. He knew what to do as soon as he saw the situation. He knelt down in front of Huang Ling with a thud and said, "Dad, Mom! I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this time."

"Even if the two of us can forgive you, do you think Zhuang Xiaoting will forgive you? She's already asking for a divorce!"

"Mom, you don't know, before I came to the hospital, Xiaoting had already forgiven me. He even gave me a month to cool off and repent!"

"real?"

Huang Ling seemed a little skeptical, so she asked, "What did she say?"

"She said she wouldn't mention divorce before I had the baby, as a way of giving me time to repent!"

"So, are you going to change it or not?"

"I will change, Mom, I will definitely change, please believe me!"

"Sigh!" Huang Ling sighed and said, "When you two got together, I was shocked and didn't want you to be together. But you two? Not only did you force the issue, but you even got the marriage certificate. Sigh, it's infuriating. And now, you've cheated on me time and time again, hurting Xiaoting's heart, hurting my heart, and hurting your parents' hearts. Think about it carefully, who have you done right?"

"I'm sorry, Mom, I'll definitely repent. I'm so regretful!"

"Then we'll see how you behave, whether you can be with the child and Xiaoting. It all depends on this month or so of your period of repentance!"

"Dad, Mom, just you wait and see!"

Meanwhile, Xiang Pengfei led Grandma Zhuang and her husband to a small restaurant. Grandma Zhuang kept sighing, seemingly unwilling to give up.

Xiang Pengfei comforted her, saying, "Grandma, don't worry. Now, going to jail is just going to jail. There's no public shaming or beatings, unlike before when you'd be beaten half to death as soon as you got in!"

“I know it’s different, but this sentence lasts for several years. Who wouldn’t feel bad during that time?”

"But he made a mistake and must be punished!"

"Oh, by the way. Pengfei, is your wife Yuxiang's uncle Vice Mayor Yan?"

"Yes, he's a fairly high-ranking official, but Yuxiang's uncle rarely cares about our affairs! So it's hard to say!"

"No, Pengfei, we're not having this meal. How about we use all the money to buy things for your wife's uncle?"

"Grandma! I'm afraid that won't work!"

Why?

"I've heard that her uncle is upright, honest, and incorruptible. Even if you try to bribe him, he'll definitely kick us out!"

"What should we do, Pengfei? You have to think of a way to save Zhennan!"