Chapter 101: Royal Family Fraudster
Jiang Nan scratched her head, agreeing with Jiang Mancheng's words. She stopped talking and quickly washed up. The four of them, carrying the wild boar meat, rode back to the west bank of the river.
Since every household hired a worker, West Riverbank has become much more prosperous. This time, back home, several families have already started rebuilding their houses. Looking at the bustling construction scene, Jiang Mancheng couldn't help but sigh, "Maybe West Riverbank will even be included in the urban area someday."
This is not nonsense. Most of the oil on the west bank of the river is in the arable land. The entire brigade now has very little arable land available, and can only grow some high-yield crops such as sweet potatoes. Nothing else can be grown, and even if it is grown, there is not enough to share.
This made the educated youth who went to the countryside very happy, as they no longer had to do so much farm work.
Once they became wealthy, the people in the brigade began to attach importance to education. The brigade primary school used to have only a few students, but now every household sends their children there.
Actually, it wasn't that the villagers valued education, but rather that they saw the tangible benefits of an education. This was evident in the oilfield recruitment process: to become a worker, one had to be literate, and to be literate, one had to have at least graduated from elementary school. As a result, the number of students in the brigade's elementary school suddenly exceeded 200, requiring more teachers.
The educated youth were even happier. They all had their eyes on the teaching position. They didn't have to work in the fields, and they could earn work points. Who wouldn't want to be a teacher? You can imagine how fierce the competition was.
Of course, these have nothing to do with the four people who have returned to the Jiang family. Jiang Mancheng carried wild boar meat all the way, showing his filial piety openly, with a very proud look on his face.
When he arrived at the Jiang family yard, he showed it around in all directions before telling what had happened: "You can't guess how big this wild boar is..."
Jiang Mancheng, through both speaking and gesturing, imitated the thousand-pound wild boar so vividly that everyone exclaimed, "Oh my God, is there really a wild boar that big?"
Sister-in-law Yin Wenjuan looked at the wild boar meat and was a little hesitant to eat it: "This wild boar is almost a spirit. Can the meat still be eaten? Will there be any retribution if I eat it?"
Jiang Nan chuckled. She hugged her aunt's arm and said softly, "Aunt, don't worry. It's just bigger than an ordinary wild boar, so it's definitely not a spirit. Besides, meat is meat, can we just leave it there and not eat it? We'll eat it at noon, don't be polite!"
Du Hehua also laughed: "Wenjuan, listen to what everyone in the city says. He's just a chatterbox. Can you believe that? Let's stew the meat for lunch. Add some spices to get rid of the wild boar smell."
Yin Wenjuan sighed, took the meat, and went to the kitchen to tinker with it. Ma Honghua followed, thinking of taking the opportunity to make more meat to nourish her son and daughter-in-law. Chen Jinhua didn't move. She was a lavish cook, and Du Hehua usually wouldn't let her cook when she came home.
Jiang Mancheng went to the main hall, brought two stools, handed one to his wife, and sat down to chat with the others in the courtyard. Zhou Zhixing, imitating his future father-in-law, also brought a stool and sat down to listen to the conversation.
Now that the weather is good, everyone is in the yard during the day, working and chatting.
Jiang Nan couldn't sit still, so she picked up Jiang He who wanted to jump over the grid and gave him a kiss. Jiang Tong was so anxious that she jumped for help. She still wanted to whisper to her cousin.
Jiang Mancheng narrowed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and looked very comfortable. He said, "Mom, there are a lot of people building houses in our team now. But why do those people who are building houses look unfamiliar to me? Aren't they from our team?"
Du Hehua was sewing shoe soles and said disdainfully, "Now that he has money, he's showing off. He said he hired a construction team from the commune to build a big house."
Jiang Mancheng: "I see. Now that you have money, it's okay to want to live better. But how did we get the primary school in our village? Are they going to expand it?"
Du Hehua nodded. "Of course. Every family wants their children to go to school now, and there aren't enough classrooms. It's fine when the weather is hot, but it won't be possible when it gets cold. The team leader has already made arrangements, and they'll start building it in two days."
Jiang Mancheng: "That's great. Xiaohe won't have to squeeze with everyone else when going to school in the future."
Jiang Manpo happily interrupted: "Mancheng, you didn't know? Xiaogui has a wife now. My grandson will be able to go to school in the future."
Jiang Mancheng glanced at his smug second brother, smiled and said congratulations. This was a happy occasion anyway, and he would not spoil it.
Ma Honghua poked her head out of the kitchen and took the opportunity to show off: "Xiao Tao, are you tired? If you are tired, go back to the house and rest. You are a double now, so you can't be tired at all. Xiao Gui, hurry up and help your wife back to the house."
Jiang Gui smiled awkwardly. Damn it, Xiao Tao didn't do anything, how could she be tired? She was showing off too obviously. He said, "Mom, it's okay. Are you tired of cooking? How about I do it, you..."
Ma Honghua waved her hands, her face becoming even more smug. "No need. How can a grown man like you cook? Sit down and talk. Pay more attention to your wife. Mom is still waiting to hold her grandson."
The couple kept calling their grandson "grandson", and the smile on Luo Tao's face froze slightly.
After Ma Honghua gave a few more instructions and returned to the kitchen, Luo Tao's face was no longer relaxed and comfortable. Jiang Gui was a careful person. He quickly stood up and helped his wife up, then went into the house to chat.
Du Hehua rolled her eyes. Everyone thought people her age favored boys over girls, but she truly didn't. As a woman who had experienced life and death several times, and who had managed to support a large family during wartime, how could she underestimate the power of women?
But her second son and his wife were both fools. She'd told them several times not to have grandchildren, but they acted as if she hadn't heard it, as if repeating it would actually produce grandchildren. Du Hehua rolled her eyes at Jiang Manpo. "It's useless to marry a wife, and after all these years, he hasn't taught her well enough. He's also been infected by her and made her even more stupid.
As everyone chatted, the aroma of stewed wild boar wafted from the kitchen, though it seemed to be tinged with a hint of Chinese medicine. Was anyone at home sick and in need of medicine?
Jiang Mancheng looked at Du Hehua: "Mom, why are we boiling Chinese medicine at home? Who's sick?"
Du Hehua rolled her eyes and shouted, "Ma Honghua, come out!"
Ma Honghua wiped her hands and came out with an embarrassed look on her face. She had gotten carried away and started to boil the medicine in front of so many people, when she should have done it secretly for her daughter-in-law. It was all because she had been too showy just now, and her mother-in-law didn't scold her, so she lost her composure for a moment.
Thinking of this, she blamed her mother-in-law, but she didn't dare show it on her face. She smiled and said, "Mom, well, everyone in the city is mistaken. There's no such thing as Chinese medicine. I made a mistake when I was picking wild vegetables. It's definitely not medicine, haha, haha."
Du Hehua said sternly, "Tell me the truth. What kind of medicine is this? Where did you buy it? Think it over before you answer!"
Jiang Nan and Jiang Tong stopped whispering. Jiang Nan frowned and stared at Ma Honghua.
Ma Honghua felt a little guilty. After being suppressed by her mother-in-law for so many years, she was still instinctively afraid of this old hag. But then she changed her mind and thought that it was for the Jiang family. She wanted the Jiang family to have another great-grandson. Thinking of this, she immediately straightened her back and told the truth: "Mom, I bought this from an old doctor in the commune. His family used to treat the emperor. He was the imperial doctor. Yes, the imperial doctor, he was very powerful. This medicine is guaranteed to give birth to a son. Even a daughter can be transformed into a boy. I thought that if Xiaotao drank it, our family would..."
"Nonsense!" Du Hehua was so angry that she was gasping for breath, and her finger, which was pointing at Ma Honghua, began to tremble. "How many times have I told you not to take medicine casually when you're pregnant? You just ignored me, didn't you? You're really pissing me off!"
She gasped and ordered, "Second brother, go pour out the medicine for me. Find all the medicine this woman bought and burn it! Do you hear me?"
Jiang Manpo didn't expect his mother to be so angry. He had also heard about this from his wife. What's the big deal? It's just to ensure the birth of a son. So many people drink it. It won't cause any trouble. He looked a little hesitant.
Du Hehua could see it, and she said angrily, "How can you be so confused! Do you think I was just joking when I said those things? Those medicines are harmful! When I was a servant in the master's house, I saw concubines drink these so-called son-preserving medicines in order to give birth to a son. The children were born neither male nor female and were drowned on the spot! You two ignorant idiots! Mancheng, go to the kitchen and pour out all those medicines! Manpo, do you still listen to me?! Find all the medicines your wife has hidden and burn them all on fire, do you hear me?!"
After such a long speech, Du Hehua's face turned pale, and her chest kept heaving, as if she was about to faint. Her eldest son Jiang Mantang quickly stood behind the old lady and offered her support. Yin Wenjuan helped her calm down, and Chen Jinhua went to the house to get a fan and fanned her furiously. The whole family was busy.
This was the first time the old lady was so angry. Jiang Mancheng and Jiang Manpo did not dare to delay and stood up and started to do as she said.
Ma Honghua turned pale with fear. She murmured with trembling lips, "No... Impossible. He said he was an imperial physician and had treated the emperor..."
Jiang Nan asked, "Second Aunt, where is the address of that imperial physician? I'll go check it out when I get to work. If he's really that good, I'll tell you, and you can continue to see him without worry. But if he's fake, this is a blatant scam!"
Although she hadn't met the person, anyone who could prescribe this kind of medicine was most likely a scammer! Who with a conscience would prescribe this kind of medicine to a pregnant woman?
Ma Honghua paused, glanced secretly at her mother-in-law, and whispered an address.
Jiang Nan didn't intend to give up. She continued to ask, "Second Aunt, why haven't I heard of our commune having an imperial physician before? Did he just appear out of nowhere?"
Ma Honghua stammered, "It's not like they just appeared out of nowhere. It's because our commune has good feng shui that some royal relatives from the previous dynasty moved here, and the imperial doctors came with them."
At this point, she lowered her voice and told the gossip that had been circulating in the village recently: "Didn't they discover oil in our village? They say it's blessed by some dragon vein, and that our village and our commune are both Feng Shui treasures! Those former Eight Banners descendants and royal relatives are all coming here to settle down. I heard that they all bring treasures and are extremely wealthy."
Her eyes sparkled as she described the treasures she had seen: "Don't disbelieve me, I've seen a jade ruyi in their hands. It's so beautiful, emerald green, without a single flaw. I heard it was a favorite of Empress Dowager Cixi."
Du Hehua rolled her eyes. "You believe such nonsense! Think about it, the emperor of the previous dynasty was imprisoned for reform. What royal relatives dare to jump around at this time? Idiot, they are all liars!"
Ma Honghua was incredulous. "Impossible, Mom! They have so many wonderful things. If they weren't royal relatives, where would they get all that gold and silver? I've seen it all. There are gold bracelets, colorful necklaces, pearl necklaces, jadeite, and so much more."
Du Hehua looked disappointed: "Those things can all be faked. Are you stupid? Have you ever bitten gold? If brass is polished well, it can also be pretended to be gold. And what about jade? If I show you from a distance, can you tell it's a beer bottle or jade? If you don't understand, don't get involved. Just stay home!"
Ma Honghua's eyes were a little vague, and Du Hehua immediately said in a stern voice: "Did you buy anything?!"
Ma Honghua twirled her fingers, lowered her head, and stammered, refusing to speak.
Du Hehua shouted, "Speak!"
Ma Honghua shuddered with fear. The old woman was really angry. She didn't dare to hide it anymore and said in a trembling voice, "I... I didn't buy anything expensive, just a string of colorful necklaces, which didn't cost much..."
Seeing her mother-in-law staring at her intently, and even her husband Jiang Manpo's eyes widened in disbelief, Ma Honghua gritted her teeth and said, "I only spent 150 yuan, seriously. I didn't buy anything else. I just fell in love with that necklace. It's so beautiful. I'll show it to you. It's definitely not fake. I tell you, we made a profit by buying such a good thing for 150 yuan. When the time comes to sell it, I won't even sell it for 300 yuan!"
Afraid that her mother-in-law and husband would blame her, Ma Honghua hurried into the house and took out the Yingluo necklace she had bought from the small cabinet beside the bed. She took it out carefully and said, "Mom, look at the workmanship, this..."
Du Hehua snatched it away, and Ma Honghua cried out, "Mom, please be careful," with a look of pain on her face, fearing that her baby would be violently destroyed by her mother-in-law. However, seeing her mother-in-law's angry face, Ma Honghua tactfully held her mouth and dared not say anything.
Du Hehua snorted and looked at them carefully in the sunlight for a moment. She pointed at the sapphires and rubies and said angrily, "This is made of plastic. Can't you see that?! I'm so angry, second brother, is this how you control your wife? She spent 150 yuan on a bunch of junk, and you don't even know it, you..."
She was about to fall backwards, but fortunately Jiang Mantang was protecting her and quickly supported the old lady.
Jiang Manpo was also completely bewildered. He had assumed his wife was buying Chinese medicine, but who knew she'd also bought this? He snatched the so-called 'Five-Colored Necklace' away, his face pale with anger. For the first time, he got angry at his wife: "Ma Honghua, you're such a jerk! Xiaogui and I give you our salaries, and this is how you manage money! You just bought something this expensive without even telling Xiaogui or me. You're getting bolder and bolder."
Everyone's voices were loud, so Jiang Gui and Luo Tao in the room naturally heard them. Jiang Gui was also angry, but his wife's health was more important now. He comforted her, "Xiao Tao, don't worry. I only give Mom ten yuan a month. We have saved the rest of the money, don't worry. And don't worry about it. You are pregnant with twins now, you can't get angry. And it doesn't matter whether you have a boy or a girl. Don't listen to Mom, I don't care. In the future, don't listen to what Mom tells you to eat or drink alone. I'm here, don't be afraid."
Luo Tao nodded. Although it was inappropriate, she was still glad that she had decided to marry Jiang Gui.
She knew Jiang Gui had once been in love with Tang Xi, and she had been heartbroken, but she knew her own limitations. Tang Xi was so outstanding, so it was okay for Jiang Gui to like her. Besides, Jiang Gui hadn't done anything out of the ordinary. She might face two years of hardship if she married into the Jiang family, but she believed that perseverance would eventually wear away a stone, and she would surely see the light of day.
This is not, God saw her sincerity! After marriage, Jiang Gui devoted herself to her wholeheartedly. Although her mother-in-law was a little confused, the great-grandmother was a sensible person. As long as she pleased the great-grandmother, the mother-in-law would not dare to make trouble.
The young couple was snuggling in the house while the quarrel outside was still going on. Jiang Nan didn't pay attention to the argument between her second uncle and his wife. She took the necklace from her second uncle's hand and looked at it carefully.
Although I despise those who use the "royal relatives" to deceive people, it's so unprofessional, so careless, and I feel a little bit of contempt for them. But these scammers are quite capable of deceiving people. At least in the case of this necklace, the workmanship is acceptable. The colors of the "gems" are very pure, without any impurities, and they even glow in the sunlight.
She had a preconceived notion in her mind that it was fake, and the more she looked at it, the faker it seemed. But for those who didn't know, being deceived wasn't unfair.
Jiang Nan looked at Ying Luo again and again and whispered, "The workmanship is still okay, but is plastic so popular nowadays?"
How could she remember that it would be many years before plastic became widely used?
Jiang Mancheng and Zhou Zhixing also took a closer look. As ancient people, they could tell at a glance that it was fake. Zhou Zhixing explained, "The business of counterfeiting gemstones and antiques has existed since ancient times, and it doesn't necessarily involve plastic. Some stones can even be colored by soaking them in potions. This workmanship couldn't have been hastily made. It's possible this is a gang, with some responsible for the fraud and others for making these fake jewelry."
Jiang Nan nodded. Seeing that her uncle and aunt had finished arguing, she asked directly, "Aunt, are there many people in the village who buy these jewelry? Where do they buy them? Do those people sell them door-to-door or what?"
Ma Honghua lowered her head, knowing she had been cheated. She wanted to settle the score with those people right away. Seeing Jiang Nan asking, she raised her head quickly and told them everything: "A lot of people bought it. The team leader's wife, Secretary Tao's second daughter-in-law, and several young wives of the Jin family all bought it. Jin Qianjin's wife bought 300 yuan worth of it, so mine is already a small amount. We all bought it secretly from the commune. Those people didn't want to sell it. We persuaded them to buy it, and then they agreed. This..."
Ma Honghua was filled with frustration. "Who would have thought this was fake? Xiaonan, you're a police officer, you must arrest them and make them pay! How could these damn liars cheat me out of my money? They're such bastards."
Jiang Nan grew serious. From what Ma Honghua had said, the amount involved was at least five or six hundred yuan. Adding in what Ma Honghua didn't know, the total amount was at least a thousand yuan. A fraud case involving such a large sum was no small matter. She hurriedly asked, "Where do they live?"
Ma Honghua quickly gave an address, and Jiang Nan then asked, "Did they also introduce you to that imperial physician?"
Ma Honghua nodded: "Yes, they said he moved here with them. He is their full-time doctor and rarely sees outsiders."
Jiang Nan: "Is it only on our west bank? When you went there, did you see anyone from other brigades?"
Ma Honghua thought for a moment and said, "I don't quite recognize them, but Qianjin's wife said there's one from the Shan'aozi Brigade, and I think there's also one from Kaoshantun. Oh, come on, they're all from the same brigades that discovered oil! Xiaonan, do you think there's any connection?"
Du Hehua said angrily, "What connection? They just saw that these brigades were rich, so they came here to cheat people! You have a pig brain, you can't even think of that! I said they show off when they have money. Now think about it, those people who built houses are still good. At least they spent money and got a house. Unlike you, you threw your money to the scammers, and you are not sure if you can get it back!"
She glared at Jiang Manpo and said, "Put away your boasting. You can't even manage your own household, and yet you're still bragging about it? What's there to brag about? Okay, I'm too lazy to bother with you. Go talk to your wife about how to manage your family's money from now on. Come up with a plan as soon as possible!"
Jiang Manpo lowered his head and responded with "hmm".
Du Hehua took a few deep breaths and said to Yin Wenjuan, "Old man, go see if the meal is ready. If it is, we should eat early. It's not easy for the whole family to come together once, and all they do is quarrel. It's bad luck! Go get some meat, so we can have more."
Because it was hot, they ate in the yard. Without Ma Honghua causing trouble, lunch was quite peaceful. Du Hehua was eating pork stewed with potatoes when she suddenly asked, "Mancheng, are the dormitories for the oil field finished? Just one building?"
Jiang Mancheng nodded: "We built one this year and it will be completed soon. The detailed rules for distributing the housing should be released soon."
Jiang Gui was intrigued. He and Luo Tao were both working, so there was a chance they could get a room. Jiang Manpo and Ma Honghua also thought of this, perked up, and looked towards Jiang Mancheng.
Jiang Mancheng spoke slowly, "Couples with working parents will definitely be given priority. Other factors like length of service and the number of people in the family will definitely be considered. I don't know the specific rules, so everyone should wait for notification."
He added: "The houses this time are not big. The dormitory is just a large open space. After I get it, I will definitely need to decorate it."
Jiang Manpo was happy: "As long as we can get a share, we won't mind opening a room."
Jiang Gui and Luo Tao nodded heavily. Yes, in the tube-shaped buildings, there is collective heating in the winter, which is very comfortable. As long as they can get one, they are not picky.
They were discussing housing, and who in Courtyard No. 1 wasn't concerned about housing? Take Cheng Gaigai, for example. Why was she so eager to marry Jing Aihua? It was because the Jing family wanted to have a working couple in the family before the housing allocation rules were announced. Otherwise, they wouldn't even qualify for housing.
Although they had argued, couples and lovers all had their share of arguments. Since Cheng Gaigai hadn't considered breaking up with Jing Aihua completely, she'd have to put up with his patriarchal ways. Fortunately, Jing Aihua wasn't without his strengths, his thoughtfulness and gentleness being his greatest strength. To discuss wedding details, she'd gone to the Cheng family's house today to consult with her father-in-law and the two elders.
Cheng Dazhu: "Aihua, have you asked your uncle? How will the house be divided? Has it been decided yet?"
Jing Aihua shook her head: "Uncle, dividing the room is a big deal, and my uncle can't get involved. But it's certain that both of them are working, and the rest should be based on the size of their contribution."
Cheng Dazhu sighed, "Okay, I was hoping you two would have a new house to live in after you got married. So, are you going to hold your wedding back home? And we're not going to set up a few tables at the oil field?"
Jing Aihua poured wine for his father-in-law and discussed with him, "Uncle, I have many relatives in my hometown, so I thought we'd invite them all together. We can set up a few more tables and invite some of our friends from the oil field. Don't worry, uncle. You can make a list of who you want to invite. I'll tell my parents and we'll reserve a few tables for everyone to have a good time together."
Cheng Dazhu was pleased; his son-in-law was quite sensible. He'd worked in the oil field for several years, attending many weddings, big and small, so naturally someone would be invited. He sipped his wine and said with a smile, "Sure, sure. I don't have many people here, just a few leaders I know from my own small group. Don't worry, I won't invite random people. Having them go would be good for you and your wife."
Jing Aihua smiled and poured the wine respectfully.
Across from him, Old Cheng remained silent the entire time. He had rarely spoken since his retirement. Perhaps because he had been working alone for so long, Old Cheng found it difficult to trust others. He narrowed his eyes at Jing Aihua, not intending to interfere with his son's arrangements. He could see that this grandson-in-law had no other abilities, but he would definitely not divorce his granddaughter. He still had this confidence. That was enough, just a granddaughter, Old Cheng didn't take it seriously.
In the family, Grandma Liu was the only one who was happy for Gaigai. Her knowledge was limited, and she only thought that this grandson-in-law respected her son and would definitely be good to her granddaughter.
The Cheng family was a happy place, and the neighboring Fang family was no less prosperous. Although Fang Nanshan and Cheng Meijuan were both working, Fang Nanshan had already met his father's work quota, which naturally meant he also used his housing quota. The Fang family currently only had two workers, so they wouldn't have been eligible for housing. But since he also had Cheng Meijuan and her father, the Fang family naturally assumed they were also eligible.
At the dinner table, Sun Qiaolian urged her daughter-in-law, "Meijuan, go home more often to see your dad these days. The housing allocation rules should be out soon. You should find out more about them. Then you two can get a dormitory. That would be great, right? Mom is not asking you to move out. We can rent out the house we've been allocated. With your dad here, who would dare to say anything? Even if you want to move out, Mom won't object. As long as you're happy, I'll support you. But the prerequisite is that we can get a house."
She said earnestly: "Why are Cheng Gaigai and Jing Aihua next door in such a hurry to get married? Isn't it just to get a room? You should pay attention. Jing Aihua is the nephew of Jing Damu, so it is very likely that he will get a room. We have people in our family, so we can't be too concerned about face at this time..."
Although Cheng Meijuan didn't like her mother-in-law very much, she nodded in agreement and said, "Mom, I know everything. The Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon, so let's make some rice dumplings. I can also take some back with me as an excuse. Don't worry, I will talk to Dad about it. Brother Nanshan is such an excellent worker, and I have been working for two or three years, so I have a lot of experience. We have a big advantage over Cheng Gaigai and Jing Aihua. They have less than a year of experience, so they can't compare with us."
Sun Qiaolian nodded, "Okay, after dinner I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy some more glutinous rice. By the way, do we want sweet or salty rice dumplings?"
It's no wonder she asked that. Her former mother-in-law, Granny Fang, was from the south, and their family used to eat fresh meat dumplings. However, in the north, sweet dumplings are more common, and she wasn't sure what Cheng's father liked.
Cheng Meijuan showed a look of disgust: "How can you eat salty zongzi? Of course it should be sweet. It's filled with candied dates and red bean paste. My dad likes these two."
Sun Qiaolian smiled and said, "Okay!"
Even though these two families are eyeing the house, there are also many other families in the building who are eyeing the house. Unfortunately, these two are the only ones who appear to be qualified.
Take Qiu Xiangdong's family, for example. Qiu Pan'er and Tian Jiaguang aren't both working, so they're not eligible. Of Lin Bing and Tong Lili, only Lin Bing is employed. Wu Jianguo and Wang Jiankun, while both are working, already own a house. Neither Wu Dachui nor Old Wutou are employed, so it's impossible for them to receive an apartment. As for the Sui and Su families, they're even less eligible.
Every time we were assigned a room, it was a battle. At different dining tables in the work area, people would talk about the room.
After lunch, Jiang Nan and his group did not delay for long. They had to tell Chief Chen and Chief Lan about the fraud case as soon as possible. Although it was not their responsibility, they should have informed the commune police station. The amount involved was so huge, and if anything happened, everyone would be in trouble.
The four of them quickly rode their bikes back to the work office. Instead of going back to Courtyard No. 1, they went directly to the homes of Chief Shen and Chief Lan, and told them about the fraud case in detail before leaving.
When they returned to Yard No. 1, it was not yet 4:30 in the afternoon. When the four of them came in, they happened to meet Qiu Paner coming out of the hospital wrapped tightly. She had a normal delivery and stayed in the hospital for two days. She was discharged today.
She held her son in her arms and glanced at Jiang Nan with a haughty look. Her eyes were filled with pride. She said, "Jiang Nan, what have you been doing? Why are you so tired?"
Jiang Nan ignored her, rolled his eyes and walked towards Building No. 4. Qiu Paner thought she was jealous of her and laughed triumphantly: "It's useless for you to be jealous. I was born with the destiny of giving birth to a son. You can't envy me. For a woman, having a good job is not as good as marrying well, nor is it as good as having a son. A woman can't live without a son..."
Qiu Pan'er kept muttering, while Qiu Xiangdong and Tian Jiaguang, like two guardians, remained silent. But they both agreed deeply. Qiu Xiangdong looked at the child in his daughter's arms, his eyes twinkling. Tian Jiaguang's expression mirrored Qiu Pan'er's, a look of pride and arrogance like a peacock with its tail spread.
Jiang Nan rolled her eyes. No wonder they said friends should share the same values. She hadn't felt anything before. After all, in her previous life, people of her age with such weird ideas were basically extinct. She didn't expect to meet so many weird people after traveling through time.
How old is Qiu Paner? Her level of thinking is comparable to that of Old Lady Qiu and Old Lady Sui.
Jiang Nan whizzed forward, she really didn't want to listen to a word, and hearing more would be dirtying her ears.
Qiu Paner felt more and more jealous of Jiang Nan, and her cheeks hurt from laughing. She was so happy. She was better than Jiang Nan. Look, she gave birth to a boy in her first pregnancy.
"Hey, Pan'er is back?" Sun Qiaolian caught up with glutinous rice and hurriedly called out to her daughter-in-law who was enjoying the cool breeze below. "Meijuan, come quickly and share in Pan'er's joy. Pan'er just had a boy. You should spend more time with Pan'er and hope he gives birth to a big, fat boy too."
"Oh." Cheng Meijuan stood up. Although she was not as patriarchal as Qiu Paner, she still hoped to have a son as her first child.
Qiu Pan'er became more and more proud, holding her head high. She said, "Auntie Sun, this is all fate, and it can't be cured by just being happy. But since you believe this, I'm not a stingy person. They say that boy's urine will bring sons. One day I will give your family a piece of Xiaobao's urine ring, and I guarantee that your family will have a big fat boy."
Sun Qiaolian laughed awkwardly. What kind of half-baked custom did Qiu Paner hear? It was about peeing on the new bride to get a son. Who would want your urine ring? It's not dirty enough.
Qiu Pan'er was unaware of the scenery. She glanced at Wang Jian'er, who was also enjoying the cool breeze, and said arrogantly, "Sister Jian'er, do you want one? I'll give you one too. I guarantee you'll give birth to a son..."
Wang Jiannu quickly waved his hands: "No need, I like both sons and daughters, I don't care about this."
Wu Jianguo followed up, "Yes, my family doesn't care about this. Jiaguang, don't delay any longer. It's not good for a woman in labor to get caught in a cold. Hurry up and help Pan'er go back and have a good rest."
Qiu Pan'er snorted, "What an ungrateful thing!" She turned her head and walked towards Building No. 4. Tong Lili rolled her eyes, trotted over and supported Qiu Pan'er, saying, "Sister Pan'er, come here, let me lend a hand. You're going up to the fourth floor, you can't get tired."
Tong Lili was the only one of the young wives who wasn't pregnant yet, and she was incredibly anxious. She'd heard that boy's urine could bring children, and she wondered if she could hold Qiu Pan'er's son so she could get pregnant soon. Now that she hadn't even had her family, she needed to establish herself in the Lin family as quickly as possible and give birth to a son.
Everyone in the building was thinking differently, but with Qiu Pan'er in confinement, things were much calmer. The scammers were quickly apprehended, and no one expected the total amount of fraud to be as high as 2,000 yuan.
Because the case was discovered in time, more than 1,500 yuan in stolen money was recovered. After verification based on the number of victims and the amount of money involved, the Public Security Bureau returned the money to the victims in proportion, which appeased most of the people.
The commune leaders were truly worried. If they allowed this group of scammers to continue their activities, Zaohua Commune would be in great trouble. Therefore, the commune public security bureau sent a special representative to formally thank the Youtian Police Station for their efforts to eliminate this evil from Zaohua Commune.
After the fraud case, the police station fell into a rare period of leisure. As the weather grew hotter, there seemed to be fewer people on the streets, and people became more active at night, and things gradually became less frequent.
Jiang Nan, however, had picked up exercise again. She'd briefly run before, and had also practiced kung fu for a while, but she'd given it up since winter. Now, on these nice evenings, while her parents were enjoying the cool air, she and Zhou Zhixing would run along the First Courtyard, occasionally exchanging blows in front of the building.
I have to say that Zhou Zhixing's kung fu is much better than Jiang Nan's. After practicing for a few days, Jiang Nan obviously felt that his skills had become more agile.
Zhou Zhixing said, "You just stretched your muscles. I practice hard Kung Fu, which isn't really suitable for you. The moves Aunt Chen taught me are more suitable. You don't need to learn anything new from me, just practice what Aunt Chen taught you. Also, as a girl, it's more suitable for you to learn some unique moves that can defeat the enemy with one move, don't you understand?"
Jiang Nan understood immediately. She had seen women's self-defense techniques before. She nodded and made a reassuring gesture: "I know. Just kick where? You don't need to teach me. I know it all."
After spending so much time with Jiang Nan, Zhou Zhixing lost his ancient reserve. He nodded and taught Jiang Nan how to use clever strength: "You are a woman, and your strength is less than that of a man. You should learn how to use clever strength. Let's start with your hands. You can use the strength of your elbows..."
The two men practiced martial arts on one side, while on the other, there were old men and women holding large palm-leaf fans, waving and gossiping. The hot topics recently were Qiu Pan'er's childbirth, Cheng Gaigai's marriage, and the imperial family fraud case.
Yes, Cheng Gaigai got married, not long after the fraud case was uncovered. Because the wedding was held in Jing Aihua's hometown, Jiang Nan didn't attend, but she did give a gift: two pillowcases with mandarin ducks playing in the water, a thoughtful gift.
"I heard that the eldest brother of the Jing family wanted Secretary Jing to pay for a wedding for his nephew, but Secretary Jing's wife started a scene at the banquet. It was so fierce, I heard they almost got into a fight." An old lady said this with details. After that, she winked at Old Lady Liu, not wanting to make a fuss, "Sister Liu, tell me, is this true?"
Old Lady Liu was so angry that she jumped up and down: "You are spreading rumors! You are spreading rumors! The Jing family's banquet was very decent, with ten dishes. Even Secretary Tu gave a gift. Don't say such sarcastic remarks here! I think you are jealous of my daughter Gaigain's good marriage! Don't think I don't know that your daughter Hongxia always dresses up seductively when Aihua comes. Don't think everyone is blind and can't see it! You want to steal my daughter? You wish!"
Although Old Lady Liu scolded her fiercely, she was actually feeling guilty. Although the incident didn't come to light at the wedding banquet, there was a quarrel the day before the wedding, and it was quite fierce. Otherwise, the news wouldn't have spread, and even the people in the No. 1 Courtyard would have known about it. I just don't know how Gaigai is doing in the Jing family.
Cheng Gaigai and Jing Aihua are currently renting a house in the FRP community. Jing Aihua doesn't have a house, and since they both work in the office, they can't live in the dormitory, so they have to rent a house.
However, Cheng Gaigai was still very happy that she didn't have to live with her parents-in-law.
For the first three days after her marriage, she lived in the Jing family's hometown. During those three days, Cheng Gaigai almost lost her temper and started arguing with her mother-in-law. Their living habits were simply too different to get along.
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