Chapter 047 Severing Relationship
Last year, our family hired someone, and things went much more smoothly. Firstly, the three brothers all had jobs and were very cooperative with the police station's inquiries. After all, if they didn't cooperate, it would affect their work. Moreover, they had been investigated once before, and the three brothers were not suspected of being serious. After being questioned at the police station for an afternoon, they were released.
The one with the biggest problem is Grandma Fang Zong Fengxian.
"According to our investigation, several people who could prove that Zong Fengxian was from Yue Province all died within their first year of arriving at the oil field. By questioning their descendants, we discovered a common denominator."
In the conference room, Director Song discussed the findings with everyone: "These people all worked as servants for the Zong family in Yue Province, or did business with them. The Zong family was a notorious traitor in Yue Province, and they were liquidated before liberation. Unable to stay in Yue Province, these people moved to the eastern coast together, and later to the oil fields together. Looking through their early files, they and Zong Fengxian all worked as servants in the Zong family. But I interviewed Zong Fengxian herself, and she didn't seem like a servant."
Director Song nodded at the table and listed several suspicious points one by one: "First, she said she was a vassal of the Zong family, given the surname Zong, and was responsible for some laundry chores, but she couldn't explain how to mix the water for laundry. Second, those who came to the oil field together back then were vaguely led by Zong Fengxian, and several people were injured while protecting her on the way."
Director Song paused, giving everyone time to think, and finally said, "I suspect that Zong Fengxian is a child of the Zong family. For some unknown reason, she escaped the liquidation and fled to the oil fields. Of course, Zong Fengxian hasn't spoken yet, but I believe she will confess soon. She has a case, but I don't know what it is."
The meeting room was silent for a long time before everyone reacted with a buzzing sound.
"Oh my god, even at this time, there are still traitors."
"She's not a traitor, she's the child of a traitor. But it's quite bizarre. How did she escape?"
Director Shen was also extremely shocked. He really didn't expect that their Tenth Operations Department not only had spies, but also traitors.
After a long pause, he coughed lightly and spoke, "Alright, everyone, don't make it public. This kind of thing needs to be thoroughly investigated before we can say anything. Until then, please keep it confidential. After all, this is a serious matter, and everyone needs to be aware of it."
Everyone nodded, and Director Song began to introduce other suspicious persons.
Back in front of Building No. 4, everyone was discussing the matter. It had already been three days since Grandma Fang returned. For the first two days, everyone had dismissed her as assisting with the investigation. But when she still hadn't returned on the third day, everyone was starting to wonder. How could she not return in three days? She should have remembered in two days, right? Why would she need three? Could something have gone wrong?
Old Mrs. Cao picked at some sweet potato leaves and asked Sun Qiaolian uncertainly, "Qiaolian, didn't you go to the police station to ask? Even if your mother-in-law has a bad memory, two days is enough. How could she not come back?"
Sun Qiaolian had a bitter face. She also wanted to know what was going on. "I'll ask Xiaonan later. Aunt Cao, can you also ask Xiaoxing for me? My mother-in-law is in poor health and can't stay in the police station all the time."
Old Mrs. Cao said sternly, "No, we have a family rule. We can't discuss official business at home. If you want to ask, go to your workplace. It's no use asking at home. Don't wait for Xiaonan. There's nothing wrong right now. Why don't you go to the police station and ask? It won't hurt you. What's the point of just sitting here with a sad face?"
"That's right, Sister Cao is right. If you feel bad for your mother-in-law, go to the police station." Old Lady Liu chimed in. She looked Sun Qiaolian up and down and said disdainfully, "Xiao Nan and Xiao Xing are here. What are you afraid of? Only those who have done something wrong would be afraid of going to the police station."
Sun Qiaolian was furious. She hadn't done anything wrong. Although it was consensual, it wasn't clear what was going on, and she was afraid to go to the police station. But now that she'd been cornered, it wasn't like she couldn't just refuse to go. That was her mother-in-law. If she didn't intervene, she'd be drowned in spit.
But she rolled her eyes and said softly, "Of course I'm not afraid, but I'm not very good with words, so I'm afraid I can't explain it clearly. Why don't you all come with me? My family has lived in the building for five or six years, and we're all neighbors. We should help with this little favor, right?"
Old Lady Qiu couldn't stand Sun Qiaolian's behavior. She sneered, "If you want us to go, just say so. Who are you trying to show off to?"
Although they said so, everyone was curious and they didn't have anything to do, so they quickly put the things in their hands back home and went to the police station in a large group.
The police station had finished their meeting and were preparing to visit the residents and conduct further investigations. Chief Shen and Lan Qingshan were still in charge of Granny Fang's situation. They grabbed a pen and paper and were about to leave when they saw the group coming from Building Four.
"Okay, no need to go." Director Shen joked, "This saves us trouble. We don't have to make another trip."
Lan Qingshan shrugged, noncommittal. The two welcomed everyone into the hall. Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing happened to be there, too. Neighbors couldn't help but exchange greetings and chat, while the two men helped serve tea and water nonstop.
After a while, everyone gradually quieted down, and Director Shen spoke up, "I know everyone's here to ask about Zong Fengxian. It just so happens that Qingshan and I were planning to go to Courtyard No. 1 and ask everyone. So, why don't we get started now? Xiaonan, Xiaoxing, you two each take two people. Um, let's take Aunt Liu and Aunt Qiu. Sun Qiaolian and Aunt Cao, you two stay behind, and Qingshan and I will ask them. Is that okay?"
Even though everyone said they wanted to come and take a look, only these four people actually came. Old Lady Liu grabbed Jiang Nan and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Nan, is there really something wrong with this Granny Fang, bah, Zong Fengxian?"
Jiang Nan smiled and didn't respond. Instead, he took her to a corner and asked softly, "Grandma Liu, when did you first meet Zong Fengxian? Do you know where she's from?"
Old Lady Liu patted her chest, clearly a little frightened. She recalled, "About six years ago, her husband and son were still alive, but within a year, they both died. Only a widow and her children were left at home. We felt sorry for her then, but who knew she was so good at pretending to be pitiful and taking advantage of others? Later, everyone just ignored her. As for where she's from, I really don't know. Everyone says she's from the south, and her accent is different from ours. She can't be from here."
Jiang Nan nodded and took notes. Seeing that Old Lady Liu had stopped talking, he continued, "So you didn't know her name was Zong Fengxian?"
Old Lady Liu shook her head. "I don't know. She said it's customary over there to take the husband's surname, so she's always been called Granny Fang. That Xu Dani, Granny Qiu, thinks it's fine that way, so she lets everyone call her Granny Qiu. I guess even Granny Fang's daughter-in-law doesn't know her name is Zong Fengxian. Yeah, why doesn't she tell me her name? Xiaonan, tell me, is she a spy?"
Grandma Liu clutched her chest, a look of fear on her face: "Oh my god, she wouldn't have killed anyone, would she? I've argued with her so many times, she wouldn't want to kill me, would she? Xiaonan, you have to protect Grandma Liu."
While Old Lady Liu had a vivid imagination, Old Lady Qiu and Xu Dani couldn't stop staring at Zhou Zhixing. It was because Zhou Zhixing had fallen for Jiang Nan. What was wrong with her Pan'er? She was a police officer, but she didn't even become one. She was even one step behind Jiang Nan in finding a partner. Jiang Nan was about to get engaged, but her Pan'er still hadn't found a partner. Although she didn't like Pan'er either, their Qiu family was one of the best in the building. She couldn't afford to lose too much to Jiang Nan in front of others, could she?
She pestered Zhou Zhixing, turning a deaf ear to his questions and asking repeatedly, "Zhou boy, do you know any officers in the army? Are there any regimental commanders or battalion commanders? Could you introduce some to my Pan'er? My Pan'er is also a high school student and looks better than Xiaonan. Wouldn't it be a shame for her to be a regimental commander or battalion commander? I'm not exaggerating, even if he was a corps commander, he would be a good match."
Zhou Zhixing was helpless and asked again, "Aunt Qiu, when did you first meet Zong Fengxian? Do you know her real name? Do you know where she's from?"
Old Lady Qiu curled her lips. Seeing Zhou Zhixing was unmoved, she could only recall, "Six years ago, who knew her name was Zong Fengxian? Zong is such a rare surname. If we knew her last name was Zong, would we still call her Grandma Fang? Fengxian, Fengxian, oh, I get it."
She slapped her thigh and said mysteriously, "Isn't she a prostitute? Doesn't she have a nickname like Xiao Fengxian? Is that why she doesn't dare to say her name is Zong Fengxian?"
The two old ladies were more imaginative than each other. Sun Qiaolian didn't dare to think too much. She faced Chief Shen, and no matter how many tricks she had, she wouldn't dare to act recklessly in the police station. She lowered her head, her voice a little weak, and said: "I... I am from the brigade near the oil field. When I married Fang Hongyun, it was also introduced by a matchmaker. She said that their old man was a craftsman and knew some work in the gold and silver shop. Life was easy, so I married him. Later, the brigade discovered oil and recruited workers. My father-in-law and Hongyun both became workers and lived in a tube building. But my mother-in-law and I were unlucky. My father-in-law and Hongyun passed away within a year. There were only two adults left in the family, my mother-in-law and I, and three children."
At this point, she choked and wiped away her tears, raised her eyelids, and glanced at Director Shen. Seeing that he remembered it seriously and had no other expression, she had to lower her eyes and continued: "My mother-in-law is not in good health, and Nanshan and Nansheng are still young, so we thought about selling one job and I will take over the other job. Nanshan graduated from high school this year, so I gave the job back to Nanshan. My mother-in-law is a good person, good to me and the children. Maybe... maybe because our family is in financial difficulty, other families will go over to ask for some of the delicious food they make, but there is nothing we can do about it. I am the only one in my family who works. But apart from this, my mother-in-law has never done anything else."
"Okay, I understand." After Director Shen finished making the final note, he raised his head, looked at Sun Qiaolian seriously, and asked, "Did you know that your mother-in-law is from Yue Province?"
Sun Qiaolian was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "I know. My mother-in-law said that when she was in Yue Province, she worked as a servant in the home of a wealthy family."
"What big shot specifically?"
"I don't know about that. Mother-in-law rarely mentions the monthly budget."
"Then do you know what your mother-in-law does in the house of a big shot?"
"Servants are just doing laundry. My mother-in-law said her hands were so raw from washing clothes that she couldn't touch water for years."
The questioning continued, but the one who knew the least was Old Lady Cao. There was nothing she could do. She was the last to arrive at the building. When she arrived, everyone had already called her Grandma Fang. She had never even seen the two men in the Fang family.
On the way home, Sun Qiaolian's heart was pounding. The thought that something had happened to her mother-in-law became increasingly strong in her mind. When she saw her son coming home from work, she grabbed his hand, her eyes firm and her tone unyielding. She said, "Nanshan, you must put an announcement in the newspaper to sever ties with your grandmother. Do it quickly, or she'll implicate you and your future will be ruined."
"Mom, don't be anxious. Did you see grandma today? What did she say?" Fang Nanshan asked with a flash in his eyes.
"No, I didn't see it." Seeing that her son didn't agree, Sun Qiaolian said anxiously, "Nanshan, it's not that I'm cruel, I'm just afraid that something will happen to you. This family depends on you, and no one can affect your future, not even your grandma. Even if...even if your grandma is wrongly accused, if she is released in the future, I will tell her that this was all my idea and has nothing to do with you. This is just a temporary solution, you have to listen to me. I know you are filial, but you have to listen to me even if you don't want to, understand?"
At the end, Sun Qiaolian spoke in such a strong tone for the first time.
Fang Nanshan patted his mother's arm and said softly, "Mom, don't worry. I'll go ask Cheng Meijuan. Her father is a leader and should be able to help find out. Let's talk about it tomorrow. There's no need to rush, okay?"
It wasn't that Fang Nanshan didn't want to do it, but he couldn't rush it. His grandmother didn't know what was going on yet, and if he rashly published a newspaper to sever ties, he would be called heartless. His eyes darkened as he pondered how to handle his current situation. Now that he had a job, he had to be mindful of the impact. He couldn't do such a shameless thing.
After comforting his mother, he changed into clean clothes. After a busy day at the well, his work clothes were stained with oil. He still had to clean up before meeting Cheng Meijuan. Now that Cheng Meijuan had obediently distanced herself from Jiang Nan, the next step was to distance herself from her other friends, then her brothers and sisters, and finally, her parents and elders. Only then would his voice be the only voice in her life, and only then would she be qualified to be Fang Nanshan's wife.
A lesbian from a well-off family like this must be isolated from the world, seeing him as her only hope and salvation, so she can wholeheartedly dig into her family to support her husband's family. Otherwise, why would he go to such great lengths to please Cheng Meijuan? There are plenty of beautiful girls in the countryside, and he could just wave his hand and get them, but what's the point? It doesn't help him at all, except to vent his frustrations.
Fang Nanshan walked slowly, pondering how to phrase his words. The evening breeze blew on his face, and he smiled faintly.
Grandma, mother, and future wife, weren't these women all manipulated by him? His grandmother thought she was smart, forcing his mother to do those things, but weren't those ideas revealed to her by him without her noticing?
Seven years ago, when he was nearly starving to death, he knew that in this life, he couldn't trust anyone and had to rely on himself for everything. His father would abandon him for his two younger brothers, his grandmother would ignore him for herself, and his mother would neglect him for his father. So why should he care about their lives? He wanted to live, to live well, and no one could make him suffer.
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