Ling Xinlan couldn't help but feel grateful for her grandfather's wisdom back then. Who could have imagined that someone would overturn the case twenty years later?
In order to carry out the switcheroo without anyone noticing, they went to great lengths, from abandoning their own granddaughter in the countryside, to developing two or three reliable and capable people in the countryside, and then to the fact that the stone mother happened to break her leg, step by step they wove this perfect net.
Ling Xinlan said calmly, "Old Shi, you must be mistaken. You were the one who brought the child back in the first place, so how can you blame me?"
Shi Jingpei was taken aback, then squinted at her: "What do you mean? Ling Xinlan, we've been husband and wife for a lifetime, isn't it pointless for you to say this?"
"Heh, Lao Shi, these days everything is about evidence. You say I brought her back, what's your reasoning?" Ling Xinlan poured herself some tea and sipped it slowly, admiring the man's dark expression.
Shi Jingpei gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
He was from Kyoto. His elders had some connection with Master Zhao, which is why he went to the south to join the army and gradually gained Master Zhao's support through his own abilities.
When Shi Jingpei received this private assignment, he was at a crucial point in his career advancement and was afraid that he would not handle the matter well, so he planned to go in person.
But man proposes, God disposes; who knew that his own mother would break her leg and need someone to take care of her?
Ling Xinlan is just a pampered young lady who can't even take care of herself, let alone others.
Just when he was worrying, Ling Xinlan took the initiative to take on the task of finding the child.
Shi Jingpei knew that the old man valued his granddaughter, so he repeatedly told him that he dared not be careless in the slightest and that he had to at least do a good job of putting on a good show.
So he and Ling Xinlan agreed that the two of them would accompany his mother to the countryside to recuperate, and then he would come back and make a show of himself in front of everyone, pretending that he was going to the countryside by car.
I said I was going to the countryside, but I actually went to a place I wasn't very familiar with. I rented a house in front of others and stayed there for a short time. More than 20 years have passed, who still remembers this?
His mother is gone, and his mind is filled with too many work-related matters. In addition, the urban and rural areas have changed so much in recent years that he may not be able to find the place.
Moreover, during the ten days the mother and son stayed there, they only went out to buy groceries twice...
Shi Jingpei sneered: "Ling Xinlan, do you think your family is the smartest in the world, and everyone else is a fool who can be fooled by you?"
"Without your grandfather at the helm, the news of the missing Ling family granddaughter has become the talk of the town. Who doesn't know that your family also happens to have a granddaughter with a butterfly birthmark on her back and a jade pendant?"
"And they were all in the same county and the same production brigade."
"I advise you to just confess obediently. There's no point in you denying it to the death. It'll only make everyone lose patience, and then you'll completely ruin the Ling family!"
This time, Ling Xinlan was furious. It was all the old lady's fault. Even though she lived across the street from the Qin family, she still failed to recognize Ke Meiyu.
What gives this old lady the confidence to force Ke Meiyu to agree in public?
Now, anyone with a brain knows the conditions for the Ling family's granddaughter to claim kinship. Lately, quite a few people have come to claim kinship, thinking they can just draw a butterfly on their shoulder and call it a day…
If Old Master Zhao had listened to a few more words and learned about this matter, many of the real Ling family granddaughters living in the Zhao family would have been kicked out of the house.
Everything Grandpa planned has been completely lost, and he might even lose the entire Ling family!
Ling Xinlan's mind was in turmoil, but she stubbornly refused to admit it, insisting that it was Shi Jingpei who had held the child and that she knew nothing about it.
The two remained locked in a stalemate.
However, Old Master Zhao made a phone call and had someone investigate the Ling family, and learned clearly about the farce that Old Madam Ling had done with her granddaughter, including the fact that Ke Enshu had taken her place at the beginning.
With each word he heard, the old man's expression grew increasingly grim. "Who is in the Ling family now?"
The person on the other end of the phone replied earnestly, "The old man of the Ling family is gone, but the old lady is still alive. All the children and grandchildren are crammed into the house. There are many people, but most of them have very ordinary jobs, such as ticket sellers, publicity officers, drivers, and sales clerks."
"Only the eldest son of the Ling family is the director of the municipal government office building..."
Old Master Zhao said directly, "Since they all have jobs, they should enjoy the benefits of their work unit's welfare housing. When will the houses in the four major compounds be allowed to be occupied by directors?"
"Do you think this is still a privileged society where sons inherit their fathers' honors? Or do you want to revive hereditary succession?"
The person opposite him was sweating profusely from his words.
"I haven't heard much about the Ling family's reunion, but they have a lot of conflicts, which are often the subject of gossip among the elderly at the senior university. People like that are clearly having a negative influence on social values and are leading young people and children astray."
"How can retired cadres who have made significant contributions enjoy their later years?"
The old man's tone softened slightly, but he spoke with a hint of exasperation, "Hurry up and write up some documents to properly sort out the housing matters. It's not just the four courtyards; it would be best if other units could come along as well."
"We can't let these parasites grow right under our noses. We must crack down on them. The reason there's a housing shortage is because some people are holding onto their quotas without giving them to those who need them more."
The person on the other end responded repeatedly. After hanging up the phone, they moved their teacup aside, took out paper and pen, and gave a detailed explanation of how to reasonably allocate the housing.
Without using many fancy words, it realistically reveals the current state of housing in general.
They were all from the compound and knew very well what the Ling family's situation was.
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