Seeing that Xia Liang had confessed her crimes in just a few words, Old Mrs. Zhang panicked and immediately started rolling around on the ground, yelling, "I don't want to live anymore! This heartless boss is bullying an old woman like me! There's no justice!" She continued cursing and rolling on the ground, leaving Xia Liang speechless. Such an extreme old woman was truly rare. The police officers were also at a loss, unsure what to do. Xia Liang said, "Officer, I strongly suspect that the Zhang family has prior experience with this kind of staged accident scam, and quite extensive experience at that. I suggest your relevant departments investigate this through legislation." Looking at the man lying on the ground, his mother had just mentioned extortion, and he immediately started playing dead. Xia Liang refused to believe they hadn't done this before. As for whether the police station would investigate, she couldn't care less; she just wanted them to avoid causing her trouble today.
Zhang Lao Er, who had been lying on the ground pretending to be dead, jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, pointing at Xia Liang's nose and saying, "Don't slander people with empty words. If you have the guts, show me the evidence." Xia Liang glanced at him and said, "Oh, oh, oh, weren't you beaten to death? Why are you up again?" Only then did Zhang Lao Er realize that something was wrong. He didn't want to continue lying down, but standing like this also seemed inappropriate, so he was quite embarrassed.
The young policeman initially thought Xia Liang was just trying to settle a personal score and was fabricating stories to slander the Zhang family. But seeing Zhang Lao Er's behavior, he began to think that Xia Liang's claims might not be entirely false. However, since no one had reported it, and the Zhang family wasn't under their jurisdiction, he didn't bother with it and waved for Xia Liang and his group to leave. As Xia Liang and the others were about to leave, Old Mrs. Zhang suddenly sat up, her movements anything but those of an elderly person. She grabbed the young policeman's trouser leg and said, "Officer, you have to make her return our money! Otherwise, our trip will have been for nothing. We're poor, and this trip to Beijing has cost us a lot in travel expenses!" The young policeman was furious: "This isn't your money. It belongs to Comrade Xia. Your daughter took it, so you have to return it." Old Mrs. Zhang wouldn't let it go, sticking to one point: "My daughter has already been punished! She's in jail! Shouldn't we be compensated for this money?" She kept repeating the same argument, ignoring reason and the law. Finally, the middle-aged policeman from yesterday came out and said that if they continued to obstruct official duties, their whole family would be arrested. Only then did they obediently leave the courthouse.
Xia Liang felt utterly exhausted. Dealing with someone like this was even more tiring than working a 24-hour shift with no time to spare. Feeling completely drained, Xia Liang went straight to bed when she got home. When the two children came home and saw their mother asleep in bed, the little ones were very considerate and didn't disturb her. They quietly closed the bedroom door and went to the study to do their homework.
When Xia Liang woke up, it was already dusk. Seeing her get up, Liu Ma put down the sweater she was holding and asked, "What would you like to eat?" Xia Liang stretched and said, "Just a bowl of noodles, anything will do." Liu Ma got up and said, "Okay, wait a moment, I'll bring it to you right away." Xia Liang sat on the sofa watching TV, her mind blank, seemingly absorbed in the show, yet also seemingly not absorbed at all.
After finishing their homework, the two sisters heard their mother's voice and quickly packed their schoolbags to come to the main room. Xia Liang saw them and waved, pulling one into each of their arms. She felt her heart fill with joy and her spirits lifted. The sisters sensed their mother wasn't in a good mood and didn't disturb her, quietly watching TV beside her. When Liu Ma brought in the noodles, she saw the three of them snuggled together watching TV. She didn't know how to describe it, only that it was incredibly heartwarming and she didn't want to disturb them, but she couldn't leave them alone! If she delayed any longer, the noodles would become soggy. She called out, "Director Xia, come and eat your noodles! I'll make more if you want." Placing the noodles on the table, Liu Ma picked up the yarn she had just put down and continued knitting.
Xia Liang got up and walked to the dining table. The chicken noodle soup, sprinkled with scallions, looked delicious. Xia Liang asked her two daughters, "Da Bao, Er Bao, do you want some?" The two little ones shook their heads, "We've already eaten, Mom, you eat!" Seeing that her two daughters weren't eating, Xia Liang picked up the noodles herself and slurped them down. Liu Ma's cooking skills were indeed excellent!
After finishing her noodles, Xia Liang checked the children's homework and had just helped them pack their schoolbags when she heard someone outside call out, "Xia Liang, come answer the phone, your mother-in-law is calling you." Xia Liang grabbed her two daughters and headed into the alley. Things were inconvenient these days; even answering a phone call required running outside.
On the phone, Han Yulan, as usual, inquired about the health of her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, and asked about their recent situation. The two little ones took the phone and chatted with their grandmother for over an hour. After hanging up, the little ones saw Xia Liang pay the old lady who had been watching the phone. When they got home, the little ones asked their mother, "Mommy, why do we have to pay the old lady to make a phone call?" Xia Liang patted her little daughter's head: "The phone belongs to them, and they also need to pay for phone calls, so you have to pay to make a call, understand?" The little ones nodded: "Then Mommy, can we install a phone at home? I want to answer the phone at home too, and if someone calls, we can charge them." The little girl's innocent words made Xia Liang laugh out loud. But thinking about it, it wasn't impossible. If there was a phone at home, communication wouldn't be a problem, and her two daughters wouldn't have to go out to call their mother-in-law. It was fine in the summer, but it was too cold outside in the winter.
However, the thought of how much it costs to install a telephone now still makes my heart ache. After all, it was given away for free in the future, but now it costs tens of thousands of yuan. Oh well, for my daughter's sake and for my own convenience, tens of thousands of yuan is fine!
The next day, she went to the factory to find Ji Xiao and told him about wanting a phone installed. Ji Xiao smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, you're becoming more and more like a big boss." Facing his teasing, Xia Liang smiled and replied, "Didn't I always seem like one before? I think I always have!" They both burst into laughter. Getting back to the point, Ji Xiao said, "I know someone who can install it for you quickly, so you don't have to wait in line." Xia Liang felt a little embarrassed. From finding a house to buying a car, and now installing a phone, she had always troubled Ji Xiao with his help. Xia Liang sincerely said, "Thank you so much, Brother Xiao. I've been troubling you so much, running around all this time." Ji Xiao waved his hand, "If you consider me a brother, don't say that. I grew up with Brother Xiao, it's too formal." Xia Liang could only nod helplessly, "Okay, I won't say it again. If you need anything, just let me know." Ji Xiao nodded, "I'll contact that friend." Then he left.
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