Grandparents and grandchildren meet but do not recognize each other.
Chapter 51
As soon as he said that, the room fell silent.
It was as if there was a deathly silence.
"who?"
Chen Xiulan thought she had misheard, "Meng—Yingying?"
Her tongue felt like it had been scalded by boiling water; the two words rolled around between her teeth before she finally managed to squeeze them out, trembling.
Grandma Song raised her eyes and calmly watched her change of expression. "Meng Yingying, my Song family's granddaughter, Song Fenfang's daughter."
As she spoke, seemingly still not satisfied, she said, "Song Fenfang's only daughter."
She wondered if Chen Xiulan had ever thought of this day when she went to find Meng Yingying, intending to kill her.
It turned out to be Meng Yingying.
She felt a sudden blackout before her eyes, and the waxed floor beneath her feet suddenly turned into cotton. She swayed and almost plopped down next to the gleaming radio.
Qi Changcheng was equally stunned; his face instantly went from flushed red to ashen, and his lips twitched as if an invisible whip had lashed his face.
"impossible……"
He caught Chen Xiulan as she was about to fall, and then murmured, "Meng Yingying—wasn't her father a pig butcher? And from the countryside of western Hunan?"
They all know about this.
Even his father personally went to Mengjiatun in western Hunan, which was located in a remote mountain valley. To get to Meng Yingying's home, one had to transfer multiple times, making it extremely remote. What does this have to do with the Song family?
These are people who have absolutely nothing in common.
Grandma Song said coldly, "She lives in the countryside with her father, but that doesn't mean she's not a child of the Song family."
Chen Xiulan froze on the spot, "Song Fenfang's child?"
She didn't even have the courage to mention the name Song Fenfang. In their generation, the name Song Fenfang was like a genius, suffocating everyone.
A sixteen-year-old Tsinghua University student, dropped out at eighteen, and still got into Tsinghua University after taking the entrance exam again.
There are some people who, even if their lives hit rock bottom, can turn things around anytime they want.
At least, that's how Song Fenfang is perceived by everyone.
unattainable.
Grandma Song answered decisively, "Yes."
"Fragrant child, Fragrant's only child."
This is the second time it has been repeated, but it is so real that everyone can hear it.
Qi Changming, who had been silent all along, suddenly erupted. He roared, "Yes, Meng Yingying is a child of your Song family, so what? Why did you invite all of us here?"
"No, I know what you're up to. From the very beginning, you called us here just to humiliate us and avenge Meng Yingying, right?"
Three people came this time, and only Qi Changming, who never fantasized about currying favor with powerful figures, had the courage to question Old Madam Song.
Faced with Qi Changming's questioning, Chen Xiulan was afraid that he would anger Old Madam Song, which would then implicate their whole family and cause them to be harassed at work.
In truth, with the Song family's power, it would be too easy for them to make things difficult for them after they leave home to become monks.
They didn't even need to give orders; those sycophants, upon learning of the feud between their family and the Song family, would proactively step on them as a way to curry favor with the Song family.
Faced with Qi Changming's question, Old Mrs. Song answered without any hesitation, "Yes."
Shouldn't I?
"Qi Changming, I ask you, as Meng Yingying's maternal grandmother and relative, shouldn't I seek revenge against you for her sake?"
Grandma Song walked gracefully up to Qi Changming, her gaze filled with doubt and scrutiny. "I've checked the records. You and Meng Yingying have known each other since childhood. Even if you weren't childhood sweethearts, there was still some affection between you."
“I’ve also checked the records. Meng Yingying’s father, Meng Baichuan, became a cripple while saving your father and had to retire from the army and return to his hometown.”
"You two have a history of mutual gratitude, including the debt of saving your life and the promises you made to each other. This is the bond between elders. Meng Yingying and you have known each other since childhood. You also know that after Meng Yingying's father died, she was exploited and left with no other choice but to come to you, her childhood sweetheart, all alone."
“Come on, Qi Changming, if you’re not satisfied and think that as someone in a superior position and as an elder, I shouldn’t seek revenge on you or vent my emotions on you, then come on, tell me.”
"Did you do the first day of the month, and I only did the fifteenth?"
"Was it because you drove Meng Yingying to the brink of despair that I came to you?"
Qi Changming's face was ashen, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "I know you have a problem with us, but we've already suffered the consequences of what we did to Meng Yingying. We've paid compensation, gone to jail, and in the end, we're even."
"It's even."
He emphasized this point: "You are now seeking revenge against us, which is an act of bullying."
Grandma Song suddenly turned her head, walked to her seat and sat down, showing a strong sense of ownership.
"Bullying others by abusing one's power?"
She scoffed, "Qi Changming, you're telling me you're bullying others by relying on your power? Don't you think that's ridiculous?"
"You bullied my child to death, and when we fought back, you accused us of abusing our power?"
"Excuse me, who started this bullying?"
"Excuse me, was it too much for me to invite you here today to humiliate you?"
"Didn't you teach me first? I treated you the way you treated Meng Yingying, so what, you can't even stand that?"
"You're all locals from Harbin, you have houses, jobs, and salaries. You're all from the same family. How can you not accept this? Have you ever thought about how Meng Yingying, an orphan who had just lost her father, felt when she came to you all alone?"
"Qi Changming, I think you're the only one in your family who's still somewhat clear-headed. Think about what I've said. Who's really abusing their power? Who's really breaking their promise? Who's repaying kindness with enmity?"
"Think these things through before you come and discuss bullying with me."
Qi Changming staggered, unable to speak.
"Furthermore, if I weren't surnamed Song today, and Meng Yingying didn't have a relative surnamed Song, would it have been a waste of your time to bully her?"
"How many people in this world are as lucky as Meng Yingying?"
"Ask yourselves honestly, have you really only ever bullied Meng Yingying?"
No, that's not it.
With Chen Xiulan being such a shrewd and calculating person, and having given birth to a son, she began to choose her daughter-in-law in the manner of a mother-in-law.
It's safe to say that the young women she bullied were definitely not just Meng Yingying.
Sure enough, experience counts.
Grandma Song saw it immediately.
This left Qi Changming speechless.
Even Chen Xiulan was wondering if this was her retribution.
She was picky about one woman after another, feeling that they were not good enough for her son.
Now that her son has come to the Song family, he is being criticized for not being good enough for Meng Yingying.
This is like a joke.
"alright."
Looking at the three distraught people, Old Mrs. Song said, "I've made myself clear. My Song family are upright and honest people. We've avenged our grievances. As long as you don't provoke my Yingying in the future, I won't seek revenge on you again."
This is a warning.
It also carried a hint of reassurance.
No one understands the principle of giving a beating followed by a sweet treat better than Old Mrs. Song.
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiulan felt not relieved, but rather even more bitter.
She didn't know how she got out of the Song family's house.
Chen Xiulan had spent half her life in Harbin, always being fawned over wherever she went. But today, she was publicly humiliated, leaving her no room to retaliate.
Chen Xiulan had already walked far away when she turned back to look at the Song family's Suzhou-style red building. The red bricks, high tiles, and bright glass windows looked like an open mouth, mocking her.
"mom……"
Qi Changcheng called out in a low voice, his face even more ashen than if his father had died.
He was just dreaming, imagining how he could rise in rank by riding on the coattails of the Song family. Now his dream is shattered, not even a trace remains.
"Let's go back. We've only gotten this far because the Song family showed us mercy."
Otherwise, if the Song family really wanted to avenge Meng Yingying, it wouldn't just be a matter of humiliation; if they used even more despicable methods, their entire family would be targeted and lose their jobs.
Chen Xiulan murmured, "I'm not reconciled."
"Any granddaughter from the Song family will do, but how could it be Meng Yingying?"
Qi Changcheng felt a deep bitterness in his heart. If he had known that Meng Yingying was the granddaughter of the Song family, he would not have given his mother such a bad idea to drive Meng Yingying out of Harbin.
"Changming, what do you think?"
He and his mother were so anxious that they developed blisters on their lips.
Qi Changcheng felt uncomfortable that his own brother, the person directly involved, didn't express any opinion.
Qi Changming didn't say a word, his face was as white as paper, his eyes were blank, and he was unsteady on his feet. When he heard his older brother's question, he was still a little dazed, "Huh? What did you say?"
I didn't hear a thing.
Because he never imagined that the person he was going on a blind date with today would be Meng Yingying—the one he had once preferred to leave the army rather than break off the engagement with, because he felt she was not good enough for him.
Ironically, this time, it was she who didn't fancy him.
Seeing him like this, Qi Changcheng didn't know what to say. He lifted his leaden legs and walked out, glancing back at the beautiful Suzhou-style building as he went.
Red brick houses, wide roads—every single one of them seemed to beckon him.
He had a wonderful dream last night: if his younger brother became the son-in-law of the Song family, he, as the eldest brother, would also benefit.
But this dream was shattered in no time.
"How...how did she become the Song family's granddaughter?"
Even now, Chen Xiulan still felt it was all unreal. Her lips trembled, and her voice seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, "Isn't she from the countryside? Isn't she an orphan?"
“She’s the Song family’s daughter, Little Song’s daughter,” Qi Changcheng said in a low voice, his throat dry. “Mom, we’ve really messed up this time.”
Chen Xiulan's legs went weak and she almost fell to the ground, but luckily Qi Changcheng caught her in time.
"I did it all for Changming, okay?" Her voice trembled, tears welling in her eyes, a mixture of anxiety, anger, and regret overwhelmed her. "How was I supposed to know she... she was from the Song family..."
My granddaughter.
If she had known it was her, she definitely wouldn't have treated Meng Yingying that way.
"What's the point of saying all this now?" Qi Changming suddenly spoke, his voice frighteningly low. "They look down on us."
She didn't say a word to him, nor did she even show her face. She only had Old Madam Song pass on a message: "The Qi family is too poor and doesn't deserve him."
These words hurt him more than being directly insulted.
He was completely ignored from beginning to end.
Clearly, he was the one who looked down on Meng Yingying back then.
The three of them walked in silence until they reached the gate of the motor factory compound.
Chen Xiulan suddenly stopped, glanced back at the tall building, and said through gritted teeth, "That Meng Yingying, she's deliberately slapping us in the face!"
“They have the means to do so,” Qi Changcheng said with a wry smile. “Our family has become a complete laughingstock this time.”
Chen Xiulan didn't say anything more, but just gripped the bag in her hand tightly, her nails digging into her palm.
if.
If only there were a way to undo mistakes.
Unfortunately, no.
Meng Yingying, who was still stationed at the base and focused on rehearsing for the joint performance of the three northeastern provinces, had no idea about this.
She was practicing dance in the practice room. It was hot and humid at the end of July, and the whole practice room felt like a giant furnace.
However, the usually lazy rehearsal room of the performing arts troupe was unusually full of people this time.
Winning the championship at the last Heilongjiang Provincial Cultural Troupe's performance was like a carrot, tethered to each of them.
This forced them to move forward.
Because they were representing Heilongjiang Province in the joint performance competition of the three northeastern provinces, they couldn't let Heilongjiang Province down.
"Everyone should take a break; we can't train too hard."
Coach Zhao walked in, carrying a large watermelon from who-knows-where, and cut it open with a knife. "Come and have a slice of watermelon to cool off."
The practice room was like a furnace; Coach Zhao felt it was at least forty degrees Celsius as soon as she entered.
As soon as she called out, Lin Qiu, a foodie, was the first to get off the horizontal bar and run over to help cut the watermelon.
When I saw this watermelon with its thin skin, sandy flesh, and lots of juice...
She couldn't help but swallow hard. "How come we'll have watermelons to eat this year?"
The cultural troupe used to be extremely short of funds; they couldn't even afford to buy watermelons, let alone watermelons.
Coach Zhao knew some of the inside story, so she said, "It was donated by a kind person."
"They said a kind person had a relative in the countryside who donated twenty watermelons to our performing arts troupe."
Don't underestimate these twenty watermelons; they're enough to make every student in the performing arts troupe who works hard in dance practice feel comfortable for a long time.
Ye Yingtao also came over and asked curiously, "Who is it?"
Coach Zhao shook his head. "I don't know. I just heard Secretary Xu mention it. He said it was some big shot in Harbin who suddenly started to care about the living standards of our Harbin Cultural Troupe."
Meng Yingying was the last to arrive. She had to stretch her legs for half an hour before she got up.
As she moved, she felt as if she had been pulled out of the water, sweat dripping from her chin onto the ground, rising in small wisps of white smoke.
Meng Yingying wiped her sweat with a towel, walked over and looked at the bright red watermelon, and subconsciously teased, "This important person must be a really good person."
"They even know to care about the living standards of our grassroots members in the cultural troupe."
She had just finished practicing her martial arts, her face was covered in fragrant sweat, her complexion was as beautiful as a peach blossom, and her eyes were clear and bright.
As soon as she arrived, the crowd eating watermelon quieted down for a moment.
Everyone unconsciously looked at Meng Yingying's face.
Meng Yingying didn't pay attention. She took a slice of watermelon, took a bite of the sandy flesh, and found that the watermelon had a thin skin, was juicy, and melted in her mouth.
The coolness of the watermelon slid down my tongue and down my throat, then rushed all the way to my chest, instantly plunging my aching heart into ice water.
The fire went out with a "sizzle".
Meng Yingying, feeling comfortable, couldn't help but squint her eyes, looking completely satisfied.
She had just finished eating watermelon when she looked up and saw everyone staring at her. Meng Yingying touched her face and asked softly, "Why are you all looking at me?"
Ye Yingtao quickly reached out and touched her face, "Everyone is practicing martial arts, why is your skin the best?"
The whitest, pinkest, and most tender, it looks just like a juicy peach.
It's clear and fragrant; you can't take your eyes off it just by looking at it.
Meng Yingying pushed her hand away, "Don't try to take advantage of me."
Coach Zhao, however, snapped out of her daze and explained, "They said that an important person wanted to know about the living conditions of our performing arts troupe."
"I'd also like to come and interview you to offer my congratulations. You're the champion, aren't you?"
Meng Yingying exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise, "A big shot wants to interview me?"
Why are you interviewing me?
She had just finished being interviewed by reporter Hu.
Why another interview?
Coach Zhao shook his head. "I heard it's because a big shot wants to understand the level of the grassroots. And didn't you win the championship and make the newspapers?"
"So you're thinking of using your side as a starting point?"
No sooner had she said that than Officer Xu came in, sweating profusely. "Yingying, have you finished eating? Come out with me for a bit. An important person wants to see you."
As expected, what I said came true.
Meng Yingying put down the watermelon rind. She had just finished eating the watermelon, and her lips were still bright red and moist.
She asked, puzzled, "Officer Xu, what does the big boss want with me?"
You'll see when you get there.
Officer Xu then added a cryptic remark, "I noticed the big leader brought over a newspaper; he seems quite concerned about you."
"Let's go, let's go. It's definitely a good thing you're going."
Meng Yingying then followed, muttering to herself the whole way.
She doesn't know any important people in Harbin.
She is just an ordinary person.
In Commander Fang's office, Old Mrs. Song brought Du Xiaojuan with her. Du Xiaojuan was from the Northwest Base, and she even had identification.
Most importantly, the weapons produced at the Northwest Base are mostly supplied to their stationed troops.
Clearly, Commander Fang would do anything to treat this kind of influential figure who could build connections and generate wealth as a god of wealth.
"Comrade Du, what brings you here?"
Despite her youth, Du Xiaojuan is still Song Fenfang's person.
Who is Song Fenfang?
They are the pioneers of domestic weaponry, and more than half of the weapons assigned to their station were designed and supervised by Song Fenfang.
With this connection, it would be difficult for Commander Fang not to try and get closer to Du Xiaojuan.
Sure enough, as soon as she received the news that Du Xiaojuan was coming, she even went to inform Commander Chen, asking him to hurry over as well.
If we can build a good relationship this time, their troops might get priority access to weapons compared to other troops in the future, right?
These are our bread and butter, so please be careful with the supplies.
Du Xiaojuan was used to being treated with such formality, but this time she really wasn't used to it.
She explained, "Commander Fang, I came here with Comrade Song. She came to say something—"
In the end, he didn't say the rest of his words.
Grandma Song continued, "I'd like to meet one of my relatives."
"However, please ask Commander Fang to keep it a secret for me for now, and just say that I came here to offer my condolences."
Commander Fang asked tentatively, "Who?"
Before Old Mrs. Song could answer, Meng Yingying followed Officer Xu in.
She was wearing a black, form-fitting dance costume, her brows were relaxed, and her temperament was pure and clean; just standing there was enough to make people unable to look away.
Especially Old Mrs. Song, when she saw Meng Yingying, she was somewhat dazed.
Because she saw in Meng Yingying what her daughter Song Fenfang looked like when she was young.
"Commander, you wanted to see me?"
Meng Yingying came in, glanced at Old Madam Song and Du Xiaojuan (whom she did not recognize), then looked away and asked Commander Fang.
Commander Fang nodded, her mind racing. "Let me introduce you. This is the elderly comrade who donated watermelons to our cultural troupe."
Meng Yingying looked over and smiled sweetly at her, "Thank you. The watermelon is very sweet. If it weren't for you, so many of us in the art troupe wouldn't be able to eat any watermelon."
Grandma Song stared at her features, reluctant to look away. "Child—no need to thank me, I am..."
After stammering for a while, he still didn't dare to reveal his identity; he was too ashamed and too afraid.
I'm afraid that if I anger her, I'll never see her again.
Thinking of this, Grandma Song changed her tone, "Comrade Meng, if you don't mind, would you like to call me Grandma Song?"
When Meng Yingying heard the character "Song," she felt a little sensitive, but then she wondered if she was overthinking it.
After all, there are too many people in the world with the surname Song.
"Grandma Song".
The shout was crisp and clear, without any hint of reluctance.
But it coaxed Grandma Song so much that her eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Good child, good child?"
She didn't dare reveal too much, and could only turn to look at Director Fang, "Is there anything else the cultural troupe is lacking? I'll donate, I'll donate everything."
Commander Fang, "?"
Did a pie fall from the sky?
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Author's Note: I couldn't sleep, so I added an extra chapter. Surprised? Unexpected, right? Haha~ Goodnight, my darlings, love you all!
P.S.: The noon update will be delayed. I'm experiencing writer's block and need to work out the outline, plus writing is slow. I felt like I was bursting with inspiration yesterday, but I'm proven wrong today. I'll probably update around 1 PM today.
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