Chapter 046 Suspicion
After work, they went to the FRP residential complex to buy some cloth. On their way back, they deliberately took a detour, choosing a less-traveled route. As they passed the cold drink stand at the supply and marketing cooperative, they happened to run into someone they knew.
Oh, I can’t say they are acquaintances. After all, I only met him once, and I ruined this man’s marriage.
This scumbag was so impressive that when Jiang Nan met him again, he immediately remembered who he was.
That's right, this man was none other than the scumbag 'Brother Jianhua' who she met last time in the state-owned restaurant and who wanted to PUA her.
Jiang Nan didn't think it was wrong to break up someone's marriage. Although she would rather destroy ten temples than ruin a marriage, she did save a lesbian.
But she still asked the system: "Is it that scumbag from last time?"
[Yes, host.]
Perhaps the girl finally came to her senses last time and decisively broke up with the scumbag "Brother Jianhua," but this time he's joined by a new lesbian. Judging from the situation, is he trying to teach someone a lesson?
The female comrade's expression was sometimes painful, sometimes submissive, very contradictory.
Jiang Nan knew immediately that the scumbag was using PUA again. She rolled her eyes and whispered, "Let's go buy a bottle of soda."
Zhou Zhixing raised his eyebrows, jumped out of the car and followed behind.
Not far away, the scumbag's voice came intermittently, "We should be frugal. It's not that hot today, so why are we drinking soda? Lingzi, we're all workers, and our family conditions aren't very good, so how can we develop such extravagant habits? Frugality is a traditional virtue of our nation, and we should uphold it in our daily lives. What's the big deal about the heat? Just bear with it and it will pass. Besides, I think this soda is a product of the bourgeoisie's pursuit of pleasure, and it should be banned. Look at it, it's so bright yellow, and I don't know what's in it. Wouldn't it be better to go home and drink plain water? It's thirst-quenching and safe. Let's go, we won't buy it."
The woman called Lingzi looked a little distressed. She said, "I didn't say being frugal is bad. I just wanted to drink a soda. I... I have a salary, so it's okay for me to buy a bottle of soda."
Seeing Lingzi dare to talk back, the man said angrily: "Is this about a bottle of soda? I'm talking about your thoughts. You are greedy for pleasure and don't know the thoughts of hard work, simplicity, diligence and thrift. Yes, you have a salary, but is your salary your own? Don't you want to be filial to your parents and support your brothers and sisters? When you get married in the future, don't you want to be filial to your parents-in-law and support your children? Lingzi, you disappoint me so much. This is not a matter of one or two bottles of soda. Your thoughts have seriously slipped. You..."
Jiang Nan rolled her eyes. She glanced at Zhou Zhixing and said in a very indulgent tone, "It's really hot out here. I'm telling you, I want to drink soda, and it has to be the most expensive Arctic Ocean. Go buy me two bottles. Do you hear me?"
Zhou Zhixing had been in contact with Jiang Nan for such a long time, so of course he knew what she wanted to do. He stammered, "Xiao Nan, the soda is too cold and doesn't taste good. Let's go home and drink boiled water..."
Jiang Nan stamped his feet and snorted, "No, I want to drink soda. Are you reluctant to spend money? Good, you are really stingy. I don't care, I want to drink it. I have a salary. Here, this is the money to buy soda, go buy it. I must drink this soda today!"
Jiang Nan took out a dollar and slapped it into Zhou Zhixing's hand, looking very arrogant.
Zhou Zhixing hesitated: "That's not good. Look, this man said that soda is a product of the bourgeoisie's pursuit of pleasure, it's..."
"You're talking nonsense!" Jiang Nan shouted, a true spoiled girl. She said crisply, "If it's a product of the bourgeoisie, why didn't the country ban it? They even opened factories and allowed supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores to sell soda. Humph, doesn't this prove that the country and its leaders think soda is allowed to exist? What? You're more powerful than the leaders? What a joke!"
She snorted, her eyes full of contempt, and continued with her head held high: "Besides, I drink soda, but it's beneficial to the country and society."
Zhou Zhixing suppressed a smile and showed his confusion at the right moment: "Okay, I'll buy it. I'll buy it, right? Xiaonan, let's stop bragging. Look, everyone is looking at us."
Indeed, Jiang Nan's spoiled look attracted the attention of several young men and women in front of the cold drink stand.
But Jiang Nan doesn't care. It's better to take a closer look.
Look more and make comparisons, then you will know whether the man around you is a human or a ghost.
She said crisply, "How am I bragging? I spend money on soda, so doesn't that help sell it? Otherwise, if it doesn't sell, won't this cold drink stand have to close? And won't the woman selling soda be out of a job? It's because of people like us who drink soda that so many cold drink stands exist, and the soda factory can continue to operate! Think about it, the soda factory has at least a hundred workers, right? If no one drinks soda, won't all these workers be unemployed? If the workers lose their jobs, their families will have a hard time. You see, we're doing a good deed by drinking soda."
She snorted, very proudly: "Tell me, is drinking soda good for the country and society? Humph, I'm not bragging, what I said is reasonable."
Next to her, the eyes of the woman called Lingzi became brighter and brighter.
Yes, it’s not that she doesn’t know how to save money, and there’s nothing wrong with her drinking soda!
Thinking of this, Lingzi ignored the man's dissuasion and resolutely walked to the cold drink stand, taking out the money generously: "Comrade, I want two bottles of Beibingyang!"
The scumbag glared at Jiang Nan with resentment, as if he wanted to burn her with his eyes.
As he was thinking, an idea suddenly struck him. Wasn't this woman the one who had ruined his relationship with Xiaoru at the state-owned restaurant?
The scumbag narrowed his eyes, his expression growing increasingly gloomy. Xiaoru was so good, he was almost there. But then this woman suddenly showed up and got in the way!
Now, the duck that was in his hand had flown away. He could only settle for the second best and found Lingzi, who was neither good nor bad. But why did this woman appear again?
His eyes were so full of resentment that Lingzi was startled when she turned around after buying the soda.
Lingzi was a worker at the oil refinery, taking over her father's shift. Seeing she was single, her team leader introduced her to Jianhua. But after several interactions, she felt uncomfortable with Jianhua. Yet, his words always made sense, leaving her unable to refute them.
She also knew her circumstances were average. If her two younger brothers hadn't been so young, she wouldn't have been able to take over if their father had died. The family had already agreed that once her older brother grew up, he would have to give up the job.
Although Jianhua's mother was unemployed, in poor health, constantly on medication, and had a somewhat difficult temper, he and his father both had jobs, and he had two older sisters who could help out. Every time she thought of this, she couldn't bring herself to refuse, so she had gone ahead with it until now.
But this time, seeing that look, Lingzi had the urge to break up with Jianhua for the first time. This look was too scary, and she stood there for a long time without moving.
Jianhua came to his senses and saw Lingzi didn't move. He forced a smile and walked over to take the bottle of soda and drank it, but he still tried to suppress her. Although he was sabotaged, he would never give up. He said, "Forget it this time, but I won't be so extravagant next time."
He took another sip of soda and continued to lecture her, "I'm doing this for your own good. Your salary isn't all yours. Do you want to support your parents at home? Besides, you have two younger brothers. And after you get married, the household expenses..."
Jiang Nan made a sound inwardly, sipped his soda, and said loudly, "Zhou Zhixing, I'm telling you, after we get married, I'll be in charge of your salary. Women have always been in charge of money, and you, a grown man, can't take it. After all, men become bad when they have money. And don't worry, I'll divide my salary into three parts. One part will be used for daily expenses at home. We live together, so of course both of us will have to pay for household expenses. Another part will be a family fund. If there is anything big or unexpected, it will be paid from the family fund. The third part will be a fixed deposit. This is the foundation of our future life, and it must not be touched unless it is absolutely necessary."
She had an expression that said, 'See, I'm smart, aren't I?' and raised her chin. "Tell me, is this arrangement of mine reasonable?"
Jiang Nan didn't know if this was right or not, but she just couldn't stand men using PUA on women. "You can just say what you want directly. You have to put on a glamorous facade, but inside you're filthier than anyone else. It's really disgusting just thinking about it."
To put it more extremely, real villains are better than these PUA scumbags!
Seeing that the woman called Lingzi had listened, Jiang Nan didn't say anything more.
She was interfering in other people's karma. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any backlash.
Jiang Nan finished her soda, took Zhou Zhixing's arm and left.
Little did he know, the man behind them, Jianhua, was furious. He'd been planning on having the woman support the family! He had to save his salary and not give it to Lingzi! Now that his plan had been exposed, and seeing Lingzi had listened to him, he was furious.
While pushing the cart, Zhou Zhixing pretended to look back casually and saw the man's face was as black as the bottom of a pot due to anger. He smiled and said to Jiang Nan, "He's going to be pissed off to death by you."
Jiang Nan was so happy: "I wish he was mad to death. This kind of scumbag needs to be paired with a scumbag girl who is ten thousand times worse than him. It's a pity, looking at Lingzi's expression, she still doesn't want to let go of him."
Zhou Zhixing nodded: "You've helped up to this point. The rest is beyond our control."
Jiang Nan nodded, "I don't know if I'll get any melon coins for doing good deeds this time. I gave him 500 last time, saying that he saved Xiaoru's life after being PUA-ed to the point of suicide. I wonder how much I can get this time. Slow down, let me see."
Jiang Nan clicked on the system, and the system's electronic sound sounded as expected.
[Host, I've detected that Lingzi didn't commit suicide later in her life. However, without your warning, she would have suffered from depression and passed away from breast cancer. According to the main system's criteria, I'm giving you fifty melon coins as a reward for indirectly saving someone's life.]
Jiang Nan whispered happily, "Fifty melon coins."
Zhou Zhixing's mouth curled up: "That's quite a lot."
Jiang Nan nodded again like a chicken pecking at rice, which made Zhou Zhixing laugh.
It was already dark when the two returned to the family compound. These past few days, they had been commuting together, so Jiang Mancheng and Chen Jinhua hadn't been overly concerned, but they still left some food for Jiang Nan.
"I'm back." Jiang Nan couldn't help but shout as he entered the door.
At home, Chen Jinhua sat on the sofa listening to the radio while Jiang Mancheng was tinkering with carpentry.
These pieces of wood were found at the scrap collection station last time. Jiang Mancheng thought that his daughter's space was still lacking a shelf to store things, so he started working on it.
The two were very happy to see their daughter back. Chen Jinhua stood up and opened the cover on the dining table, revealing the food that had been specially left inside.
Jiang Nan chattered away, sharing the good deeds she'd done along the way. She concluded, "That scumbag is such a jerk! I saw the system, and he's planning on having Lingzi marry him and work like a slave in his house. He's so shameless! Lingzi has a job, too. Why should a woman be the one protecting him, both at home and abroad?"
“对，你这么想就对喽。”姜满城抬头，脸上露出赞许的神情，忍不住附和，“家是两个人的，可不是女人一个人的责任。你以后和周知行结婚了，也不能做那种一把罩的蠢女人！你要是这么蠢，我和你妈可是会揍你的，打也要把你打醒！”
"I know." Jiang Nan picked up the steamed bread and started eating. "Dad, I'm so smart, how could I do something stupid? Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
"What do you think? You've only just met a few times, and you're already saying you'll consider it. Humph." Jiang Mancheng got angry when he thought about it. Why wasn't he there that time? If he had been there, he would never have allowed Zhou Zhixing to treat his daughter like that. Humph, his daughter was innocent, and he wasn't someone to be trifled with.
Jiang Mancheng started to lecture his daughter, "Xiao Nan, as the saying goes, a man's words are lies. You have to know this. If a man is reliable, even a sow can climb a tree. Don't be fooled by Zhou Zhixing's sweet words, okay?"
Jiang Nan's mouth twitched. "Dad, you're exaggerating. Why are you even scolding yourself?"
Jiang Mancheng waved his hand: "Am I the same as other men? I am your father, and I always keep my word. Ask your mother, when have I ever been unreliable? But other men are different. Xiaonan, you have to open your eyes and don't listen to everything and believe everyone, understand?"
Chen Jinhua was dissatisfied: "Can't you teach your daughter something reliable? You just talk about these nonsense all day long."
Jiang Mancheng said seriously: "What I said is the most reliable thing!"
He sat down opposite Jiang Nan and started talking again.
Jiang Nan nodded, and while Jiang Mancheng was taking a breath, she quickly changed the subject: "Mom, look what good things I bought?"
She pointed happily at the messenger bag on the coffee table and said, "Mom, go take a look. Inside is the new Dacron I bought. Do you think it looks good?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jinhua stood up and walked to the coffee table in a few steps. She opened Jiang Nan's bag and found red Dacron inside. Chen Jinhua's mouth widened. "Hey, where did you buy this? Wasn't it sold out at the supply and marketing cooperative?"
She reached out her hand and touched the fabric happily. "It feels really nice. The pattern is nice too. Let me see... No, I don't remember the supply and marketing cooperative selling this pattern."
"Hey, Zhou Zhixing knows an old lady who has this stuff, and we just went to buy it." Jiang Nan said happily, "Mom, feel it, the material is pretty good. I plan to make a dress for me to wear, and one for you too, how about it? We can wear the same thing, and people will know we're mother and daughter at a glance."
"No need. Just make you a long-sleeved jacket. It'll be perfect for the engagement." Seeing her daughter thinking of her, Chen Jinhua was also happy, but she still said, "It's red, how nice. September is cold, and you can't wear skirts, so making a long-sleeved shirt is perfect. Mom will pay attention these two days and buy you a pair of dark-colored pants. It will be perfect to match. You can wear new clothes when you get engaged."
Hearing this, Jiang Mancheng raised his head and interrupted, "Xiao Nan, did you pay for the fabric, or did that guy pay for it?"
Jiang Nan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course I'll pay, Dad. We're not even engaged yet, how can I spend his money?"
"That won't do." Jiang Mancheng curled his lips, clearly very dissatisfied with Zhou Zhixing. "Why should that guy pay for the new clothes for the engagement? And since we're already engaged, he can't just not hand over his salary, right? This man turns bad when he has money. He was an unreliable prodigal in his previous life. He can't have money in his hands. Okay, don't worry about it. I'll talk to him one day."
Although Chen Jinhua always listened to Jiang Mancheng, because men had more ideas than her, she still felt something was wrong. She scratched her head and said, "Mancheng, this is not good, right? We're not even married yet, how can you spend Xiaoxing's money?"
"Xiao Xing?" Jiang Mancheng's voice rose, full of indignation. "Jinhua, how can you call him Xiao Xing?"
He took Chen Jinhua's hand and spoke earnestly, though with a hint of bitterness, saying, "Jinhua, we need to be united. You can't let that pretty boy fool you. I'm telling you, he's a jerk. We need to keep an eye on him. Besides, we're already engaged, and he still doesn't want to get married? He's so happy."
Jiang Nan's mouth twitched. His dad said Zhou Zhixing was a gigolo? Didn't his dad have any idea of himself?
But does his father want her to settle down with Zhou Zhixing, or not?
She scratched her head, so conflicted, so conflicted.
Chen Jinhua didn't hear any contradiction. She blushed a little, glanced at her daughter, shook off the man's hand, and scolded him lightly: "What nonsense are you talking about? Xiaoxing is a good boy. These days, he waits for our daughter to go to and from get off work every morning, and he is happy every day..."
Jiang Mancheng was like he was facing a formidable enemy. He couldn't let this new guy take the first place in Jinhua's heart. He immediately made a sad face, covered his chest, and said, "Jinhua, how can you praise another man, you..."
Jiang Nan wiped her mouth. Fortunately, she finished the porridge, otherwise, just watching her father and mother being so sticky would make her feel full.
She quietly stood up and walked to the sofa, rolled up the red Dacron on the coffee table, and quickly returned to the bedroom and closed the door. She couldn't bear to watch his father being so jealous.
In fact, in her early years, when she was only two or three years old, she didn't feel that her father loved her mother very much.
Indeed, Jiang Mancheng was a slippery man. He'd married Chen Jinhua, probably because of the Chen family's wealth, and Chen Jinhua's simple, unpretentious nature. A scheming Jiang Mancheng, like him, simply preferred such simple people. He didn't want to be tiring all day out and then have to continue his scheming when he got home.
But gradually, Chen Jinhua realized that she was a genuine person, and when she recognized someone, she would treat them wholeheartedly. At the time, they were both helping out with the exploration expert team. During a heavy rainstorm, Jiang Mancheng slipped and fell down the slope. Without a second thought, Chen Jinhua immediately grabbed Jiang Mancheng's hand, and they both fell into the ditch. Even then, Chen Jinhua didn't forget to protect Jiang Mancheng's head.
It took several senior experts from the expert group to work together to pull the two people up.
From that moment on, Jiang Mancheng finally opened up to her. Jiang Nan was only three or four years old at the time, still being raised by Du Hehua. They stayed in the countryside until she was about ten, when the Chaoyang Oilfield was established and Jiang Mancheng became a worker. The family of three finally moved to the city.
Jiang Nan thought back to the past, guessing her father must have been jealous enough, so she opened the door. She had to come out; she hadn't finished her dinner yet. Although she was a little full, she still felt that real food was more nutritious.
Let’s save dog food and the like for real singles.
Jiang Nan, who is not single, followed the investigation team to read the files for nearly ten days and finally had the first meeting.
At the meeting, Director Song of the investigation team singled out several people he considered suspicious and distributed the list to everyone. He said, "These are the ten people I consider suspicious. Let's divide the work and try to investigate as quickly as possible."
Jiang Nan looked at one of the names, blinked, and then looked again. The name was still there. She asked in confusion, "Director Song, why is Zong Fengxian, also known as Grandma Fang, also suspected?"
It was the first time she knew that Grandma Fang’s real name was Zong Fengxian.
Director Song smiled, nodded at Jiang Nan, and explained, "This person is my main suspicion. It's not that I suspect she's a spy, but her background is unknown, so we should investigate. According to the files, she came from Yue Province in the south. She couldn't make a living, so she first followed the opera troupe to the eastern coast, and a few years later she followed everyone to the oil fields. But the people she said could testify for her are all dead, and the rest of them only heard about her from her parents, who actually didn't know her very well. This is the most suspicious part."
Jiang Nan was horrified, thinking Director Song was indeed quite capable. Was he right? Of course he was. Jiang Nan had a cheating tool and knew Granny Fang's tricks, but Director Song had been able to accurately single out Granny Fang from among so many people. It had to be said that he was quite impressive.
She stopped talking as Director Shen and Director Song began assigning tasks. Since Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing lived in the same building as Grandma Fang, to avoid suspicion, the task of looking for Grandma Fang was assigned to Director Shen and Lan Qingshan. Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing joined the only two female members of the investigation team to investigate the Nian family. Yes, that was Nian Weiguo, the family who had married the young widow Liang Chunhua and was linked to the spies.
Why did the widows target the Nian family in the first place? This needs to be investigated, right? Furthermore, the Nian family has three brothers, all working in the oil fields. Who knows if they've been targeted by others? One of the investigation team's tasks this time is to further investigate the Nian family and their social connections. Of course, Lu Jiahui's social connections are also a key focus of this investigation, a key area of focus, and Director Song of the investigation team is personally responsible for this investigation.
Let’s talk about Director Shen and Lan Qingshan first. They went to Courtyard No. 1 in the name of assisting in the investigation.
Although many elderly people had recently moved to other courtyards, fearing the public restroom was haunted and avoiding it, they hadn't been surprised to see the situation disappear again in the past few days. The pain had healed, and everyone was soon gathering in the courtyard to chat again.
When Director Shen and Lan Qingshan arrived, everyone was still discussing the recent lectures. The penalty regulations were quite strict, and the elderly, after attending a few lectures, were very supportive of them.
"The punishment needs to be stricter. Otherwise, it's like digging into the state's resources, which is unacceptable. The oil belongs to the state, how can it be sold privately?"
"That's right. It's time for You Aiqian to eat peanuts. Everyone agrees, right? Hey, Old Cheng? What are you daydreaming about?"
"Yeah, Old Cheng, why have you been so absent-minded these past few days? What's wrong? I heard your Dazhu making a fuss yesterday. What's wrong now?"
"Ah, it's okay. Dazhu has spent all his money and is asking me for more." Old Cheng chuckled twice. He was very thin, with a pointed face and monkey cheeks. When he smiled, his face was full of wrinkles. He was completely different from the plump middle-aged chef Cheng Dazhu.
The old man across the street spoke up, "Old Cheng, I'm not saying anything bad about you two, but you two are spoiling Dazhu too much. Look, he's the only one in the building who's too lenient. I saw him buy a piece of pork liver a few days ago, and he ate it before going upstairs. Didn't you two even try a bite? This child needs to be punished, and your Dazhu, you didn't spank him enough when he was little."
"Stop talking nonsense." Old Lady Liu was unhappy when someone mentioned her son. "My Dazhu is a chef. It's no big deal for him to buy some delicious food and figure out how to cook it. Besides, my Dazhu is a filial son. Don't meddle in his business."
Just as a quarrel was about to break out, Director Shen and Lan Qingshan arrived at this time.
The two of them went straight to Granny Fang, and Director Shen explained their purpose: "Are you Comrade Zong Fengxianzong? According to You Aiqian's confession, his case involves an accomplice named Liu Gengsheng. It is said that Liu Gengsheng's parents originally came to our oil field with you from Yue Province. We are here to learn more about the situation."
Grandma Fang's eyes flashed. No one had mentioned that name for a long time, and she thought no one had remembered it. Now that she heard it, she felt a little uneasy and didn't react for a long time.
The elderly people were also surprised, looking at each other. The police officer was speaking to Grandma Fang, but she didn't respond. Someone asked in confusion, "Zong Fengxian? Who's Zong Fengxian?"
Granny Fang came to her senses, stood up, and said hesitantly, "My...my name is Zong Fengxian. My husband's surname is Fang. It's customary in the south for us to take the husband's surname first. I didn't react for a moment."
She said uncertainly, "Comrade police officer, what do you want to ask? I... I'm old, and I can't remember a lot of things. I don't even remember the names of Liu Gengsheng's parents."
Director Shen smiled and said, "It's okay. Just remember as much as you can. How about we go to the police station and think about it slowly? There are tables and chairs and water there. You can think about it carefully."
Granny Fang hesitated. "Officer, it's almost time to make lunch, and I can't remember anything right now. How about I go to the police station and tell you when I remember?"
"Auntie, this won't do." Director Shen still smiled, but his tone was unquestionable. He said, "The You Aiqian case is the biggest case in the oil field this year. The accomplices he confessed are also major suspects. I hope you can cooperate with the investigation. Don't worry, we won't make things difficult for you."
Old Lady Cao, who was picking vegetables in the crowd, reacted and began to persuade: "Fang family, um, Zong Fengxian?"
She shook her head, no longer agonizing over the name, and continued, "Don't refuse. You Aiqian isn't a good person, so if we can help in any way we can, it will also be a contribution to the oil field, right? Don't worry, your Qiaolian is still home, let her make lunch, and you can come back in the afternoon and everything will be fine, don't worry."
"That's right, Lao Fang, no, it should be Lao Zong, oh, never mind, you don't have to worry about the family anyway, at most our neighbors can help look after the two children, what's the big deal? It's more important to help the police solve the case."
"that is."
At this time, people were generally enthusiastic and talked to each other, which made Grandma Fang helpless. She followed the two policemen to the police station anxiously.
But no one expected that he would never come back after this trip.
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