Chapter 052 Lessons
No one expected that Qiu Paner would drop such a huge bomb out of nowhere.
Did Qiu Pan'er think of all this? Yes, but not entirely. She'd simply casually revealed her family situation to Tian Jiaguang. Tian Jiaguang, a man obsessed with the idea of a "Phoenix Man" (a type of man who's always looking to make a fortune), naturally understood men best. He'd learned that Qiu Xiangdong hadn't been home for ten days or even a month, and he'd immediately known something was amiss. He'd hinted at something, and Qiu Pan'er, no fool, naturally got it. She was a love-brained person, to be sure, but that didn't mean she was completely clueless in other areas. The fact that she'd gotten into high school showed she had some intelligence.
Qiu Pan'er had originally held some hope for her parents, but after hearing what Tian Jiaguang said, she completely gave up. Her father had someone else outside, and maybe even had a son. Although he hadn't entered the family yet, that day would come sooner or later. If she didn't act quickly and take what was hers, she would end up with nothing.
She figured it out, but everyone in the Qiu family was stunned. Old Mrs. Qiu roared, hitting Qiu Pan'er again and again, scolding, "You shameless girl! How could you do such a thing? Wasn't your father good enough for you? All these new clothes and shoes you're wearing, and the fact that you were able to go to high school—wasn't each of these thanks to your father? How can you say such a thing?"
Qiu Xiangdong glanced at his eldest brother's family and knew he was definitely not innocent. Pan'er had been living in his hometown for a month, and now he was in such a state. If it weren't for Old Lady Qiu's sudden return, they would still be in the dark. If this wasn't a deliberate attempt to tip him off, then there must be something fishy going on! This must be because their last honey trap didn't work, and they're plotting against him.
He sneered in his heart and didn't rush to argue with his eldest brother. Instead, he glanced at Qiu Pan'er coldly and said calmly: "Okay, you want to marry that gigolo, right? Dad will agree to your wish. If you want your mother's job, Dad will agree too. However, you have to move out of the house. My family doesn't accept sons-in-law. From now on, you will be a member of the Tian family and have nothing to do with my Qiu family. I won't care what you want to do."
Qiu Pan'er was stunned. She hadn't expected her father to agree so easily. She panicked for a moment, but she quickly calmed down. Jiaguang had said that her parents would definitely react in various ways once they found out, and severing ties was one of them. As long as she persisted and slowly admitted her mistakes to them, they would eventually be able to reconcile. She was her parents' only child, and even if her father had someone else outside, he wouldn't dare bring it to light, so she still had a chance of winning.
On the other side, Tao Meiyu panicked after hearing this. If Pan'er got married, she would have nothing. She grabbed Qiu Xiangdong's arm and said with a sad voice, "Xiangdong, don't be angry. Let's persuade Pan'er again. Pan'er has always been sensible. She..."
No one expected that at this moment, Qiu Xiangdong gently patted Tao Meiyu's hand and said softly, "Meiyu, don't be afraid. We will have a son. Believe me, okay?"
"Son? We'll have a son?"
There was a hint of confusion in Tao Meiyu's eyes. The Qiu family's eldest sister-in-law's eyes suddenly lit up, and she hurriedly said, "Yes, Meiyu, you can adopt my third son. He is only eleven this year. You can raise him for a few years. When he turns eighteen, he can go to work. Then let him take over his brother-in-law's job and take care of you in your old age..."
Qiu Xiangdong glanced at his sister-in-law with disdain, then looked straight at his eldest brother, Qiu Xiangnan. He said, "Brother, you'd better pretend you didn't hear what Pan'er said just now. Otherwise, even if your eldest brother and his men can get the job, I can get them fired, understand?"
"I know, I know." Qiu Xiangnan grabbed his wife. He had plotted against his niece, and that was enough. This little brother was a scheming person. If he did anything else, his family would suffer.
Old Mrs. Qiu hit Qiu Paner a few more times. If it weren't for this damn girl, how could the eldest brother and the others have had a conflict? It was all her fault!
The Qiu family had their own thoughts, and by now, it was already late. Qiu Xiangdong and Tao Meiyu had not returned home, and were temporarily sleeping in Mrs. Qiu's room. Mrs. Qiu went to squeeze in with her granddaughters.
On the kang, Qiu Xiangdong gently persuaded Tao Meiyu, his voice carrying a hint of bewitchment. He said, "Meiyu, you've seen that Pan'er is unreliable. She's been bewitched by that educated youth, and she no longer has us in her heart. We still have to plan for the future. What I'm thinking is, how about we adopt a child from outside and raise him as our son? You can give Pan'er a job, and you'll have time to raise the child. You can raise him yourself, and he will definitely be close to you in the future."
Tao Meiyu was silent for a long time. She raised her head and asked, "Hold...whose child? You..."
Qiu Xiangdong was stunned. After sleeping together for so many years, he knew that he couldn't hide it. He continued to coax her, "Don't worry, even if... Pan'er is my flesh and blood, I won't ignore her, okay? Just think of her as having another son. Let's live a good life in the future. I will never go there again, okay? We will raise him as our own son, as your son. You... just pretend to be pregnant. After six months, we will have a son, okay?"
Tao Meiyu: "How can you be sure it's a son?"
Qiu Xiangdong told the truth: "The child has just been born. When the time comes, pretend that you gave birth to it back home. We can raise it for a few months and then go back. No one will find out. Okay? Just tell everyone that it was you who gave birth to it. No one in the building will know."
Tao Meiyu had longed for a son for so many years, drinking black dog blood and boy's urine, her obsession ingrained in her bones. She had considered adopting a child before, but she was still concerned about her daughter and figured the worst-case scenario was finding a son-in-law. But now Pan'er had clearly been bewitched. Just as Tao Meiyu was wavering, Qiu Xiangdong stirred things up again. Without much hesitation, she nodded and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say. I'll pretend to be pregnant tomorrow."
Qiu Xiangdong smiled. He had never expected that the silly girl would save him a lot of trouble. Otherwise, Tao Meiyu would not have spoken out so easily.
Although there was one less job, the oil field was about to recruit workers, and his son would definitely be hired. Tao Meiyu's job was originally intended for Pan'er, and as for that woman's daughter, she was not Qiu Xiangdong's child, so he didn't care.
The Qiu family was busy with the drama of getting married and having a son, but they didn't know that on the other side, in the public toilet of the family compound, a white floating "ghost" appeared again.
Early the next morning, people who had just come out of work in the family compound discovered that the public toilet in Courtyard No. 1 was haunted again.
Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing made their way through the excited elderly people reporting the crime, repeatedly assuring them they would investigate, before finally squeezing out, sweating profusely. It was truly, truly difficult.
"Why is Old Cheng so anxious? We finally had peace for a month, but now that the people from headquarters have left, he's making trouble again." On the way, Zhou Zhixing made a rare complaint.
"I guess Cheng Dazhu has spent too much money recently, and Old Cheng is a little short of money. Also, there are too many people in the family compound now, and the public toilets are not that safe." Jiang Nan told Zhou Zhixing the results he got from the system.
Zhou Zhixing understood that the two hundred yuan was just the price for exchanging Cheng Gaigai. Secretly, Cheng Dazhu wanted Cheng Gaigai to marry into a leader's family. He had recently spent money on several pieces of clothing, waiting to arrange a blind date as soon as the rural service was over.
The two were helpless. Old Cheng started causing trouble as soon as the investigation team left. They really couldn't wait even a moment.
Arriving at the police station, the two men told Wen Qiang and Zou Li about the public restroom's recent haunting. Wen Qiang and Zou Li lost their excitement about hunting ghosts after work that evening and both groaned. Last time, they'd spent three days without catching anything. Not only was it all in vain, but they'd also been exhausted. It was simply not worth it.
There was no point in wailing, and the four of them quickly started their day's work.
Guan Shun left. Zhou Zhixing was very generous on his first day as team leader. He was always generous and when he was out on the field, he bought a bottle of Beibingyang for everyone as a formal gift for taking office.
After a month of public relations presentations, everyone's vigilance is high. This morning, we received several reports from concerned citizens who saw someone sneaking around, seemingly trying to resell oilfield supplies. The first to report the crime were two young men, Wang Zili and Wang Gengsheng. They seemed determined to get sent to the police station, patrolling the streets daily for free, hoping to earn another letter of commendation.
Unfortunately, my luck was not so good this time. The uncle was just secretly observing his "future son-in-law" and had no idea about the supplies.
The case was handled quickly. After all, it was just a misunderstanding. The uncle and the "future son-in-law" both knew the brothers Wang Zili and Wang Gengsheng, so they taught them a lesson and then left.
Wang Zili: "Well, Officer Zhou, Officer Jiang, we're leaving now. You guys are busy. We'll make sure to find out more about the case before reporting it. We won't let you make a wasted trip."
As soon as he finished speaking, he was about to trot away with his brother. Zhou Zhixing quickly grabbed them and said, "Zili, Gengsheng, you two are still young. If you see anyone suspicious, you must not be reckless, understand? You can't go up to them and confront them. If you find anything, feel free to go to the police station to find us. We can go there without any problem. You must not act on your own, understand?"
He also knew the obsession of the two young men and understood that they would not listen even if he advised them. So he had no choice but to ask them to pay attention to their safety. It was their responsibility as police officers to catch bad guys, and they could not let anything happen to Zili and Gengsheng.
The brothers Wang Zili and Wang Gengsheng scratched their heads, hummed, turned around and ran away.
Wen Qiang: "These two guys are crazy about becoming police officers."
He complained and shouted at their backs, "Don't be impulsive, understand? Otherwise, don't blame me for spanking you two!"
Wang Zilii and Wang Gengsheng covered their buttocks and jumped even faster.
Zhou Zhixing and the other three laughed heartily, shaking their heads and preparing to ride off on their bikes, when unexpectedly a woman, clutching a child, came running over, whimpering and shouting, "Comrade police, comrade police, I want to report a crime. I want to report my husband for being an adulterer. He's having an affair with my sister! They have no shame."
The man in the white shirt who was chasing closely behind him turned pale upon hearing this. He didn't care about the looks everyone was giving him and quickly said, "Officer, don't listen to her nonsense. Her sister and I are innocent. We were just talking in the house. She's wrongly accusing us. Officer, don't listen to her one-sided story. I'm innocent."
Six groups of four and passersby whooshed over after hearing the noise: "Uh, before you say that, put on your clothes, okay?" Tsk tsk, one side of his shirt was tucked into his belt, the other side was sticking out. Even a fool would know what he had just done.
Zhou Zhixing was about to say something when a few more people came running up from behind. Leading them was a middle-aged couple, followed by a young, unhurried woman. The middle-aged woman ran while shouting, "What nonsense are you talking about, you shameless little whore?! You're just wrongly accusing your sister? You can't bear to see her well off? You have no conscience! I raised you up, and this is how you treat me? Your sister and Guoqiang are innocent, how could you wrongly accuse someone!"
She then approached the woman and, while beating her, told the police, "Officer, she's just making this up. I can testify that my daughter and Guoqiang are innocent. They were talking in the room, and my husband and I were outside. We heard it all. Don't listen to her nonsense."
"Yes, yes, what my wife said is true. She is making a false accusation. Arrest her, arrest her quickly." The middle-aged man ran over breathlessly and glared at the woman who made the "false accusation" with a gloomy face.
Zhou Zhixing frowned and spoke seriously, "We'll investigate whether this is a false accusation. Don't just rush into convicting someone. Since someone has reported the case, we must investigate. Please be patient."
Someone in the crowd following behind murmured, "If this isn't their biological child, then they have no feelings. They want the police to arrest them the moment they open their mouths. Tsk tsk."
Zhou Zhixing glanced at the person who was speaking, then looked at Jiang Nan and said, "Jiang Nan, go ask that woman what's going on."
Jiang Nan nodded, knowing that this kind of family dispute was the most difficult to handle. She took a deep breath, walked over to the woman, and said, "Hello, I'm Jiang Nan, a police officer from the Oilfield Police Station. Could you please tell us what happened so we can investigate?"
The woman's eyes were red as she held the child and nodded, saying, "My name is Wang Meixing, and I live in the fiberglass area. I took the child to buy groceries this morning, and when I came back I saw my husband sleeping with that bitch Meilin. How could they be so unfaithful to me? I gave birth to a son for the Sun family, how dare Sun Guoqiang do this to me? And that bitch Meilin, I raised her, how could she be so shameless?"
"Bah." The young woman called Meilin held her head high, looking down on others. "Please don't make false accusations. Look, there are five people involved here, and you're the only one who said you saw me and Guoqiang sleeping together. No one else saw anything. You're making a false accusation. Let me tell you, false accusations are subject to legal consequences. Humph, I'm a high school student, I know a lot."
Jiang Nan looked up at Wang Meilin. She was pretty, but the harsh look on her face was hard to hide. She asked, "You graduated from high school. Do you have a job? Are you going to the countryside?"
Wang Meilin's face was a little stiff. She forced herself to say, "I... I don't have a job, so what? I'm capable and will find a job soon. I won't go to the countryside."
Jiang Nan nodded, understanding the woman's plan. She asked Wang Meixing, "What does your husband do for a living?"
Before Wang Meixiang could answer, Sun Guoqiang, who was watching closely, spoke first: "Comrade, I'm the deputy director of the supply and marketing cooperative. You see, I'm a decent man and would never have an affair with my sister-in-law. Comrade police officer, can I have a few words with my wife? She's unconscious and I need to comfort her."
Jiang Nan glared and was about to refuse, but was pulled back by Zou Li.
Zou Li nodded at the man and said, "Go ahead. Don't stay too long. We still have some questions to ask."
Seeing the two of them whispering in the corner, Zou Li whispered, "Xiao Nan, this case is not punishable. We caught the adulterer but didn't arrest him in the act, and the person involved doesn't admit it, so there's nothing we can do. Besides, look, that Wang Meixing went out to buy groceries early in the morning. It's obvious that she doesn't have a job. She also has a child who looks less than two years old. If her husband goes to jail, what will happen to the child? You'll see, she'll change her story soon. Don't worry about it. For the sake of the child, we can't put that Sun Guoqiang in jail."
Jiang Nan nodded helplessly. As expected, Wang Meixiang handed her son to Sun Guoqiang, lowered her head and whispered, "Officer, I...I was impulsive. I...was angry after arguing with my husband, so I said that. My husband and Meilin were just chatting. I won't report the case. I really won't report it."
She wiped her tears and her voice was filled with tears.
Jiang Nan asked, "Have you thought it through? Are you sure it's nonsense?"
"Yes, I was talking nonsense." Wang Meixing nodded. "My husband is a good person. He...he wanted to find a job for my sister. Officer, you know that educated youth who don't have jobs now have to go to the countryside, so they've been in contact a lot these past few days, just chatting. I was just jealous and said nonsense."
"Hmph, you're smart." Wang Meilin held her head high, looking as if she had known this would happen.
Jiang Nan had no choice but to hand over the interrogation record for Wang Meixing to sign. However, she was listless on the way back, obviously very angry.
Wen Qiang comforted him, "Okay, Xiaonan, you'll get used to this kind of thing after you see it more often. Family matters are the most difficult to deal with. Many people report crimes and then go back on their word. You'll get used to it in the future."
"I can't get used to it. The ones who get hurt are all women. You men have enjoyed the benefits, so of course you're used to it." Jiang Nan snorted, still looking angry.
Zhou Zhixing consoled her, "Well, Wang Meixiang's outburst actually has some upside. At least her husband won't be so brazen anymore. Her adoptive parents won't dare to go too far either. Her life will be much easier for her."
"You mean, she caused the trouble on purpose?" Jiang Nan was a little bit unbelievable.
Zhou Zhixing shrugged: "Who knows, but she changed her tune so quickly, without any struggle at all. Besides, she has her own benefits, so don't worry about her."
"Okay then." Jiang Nan nodded, thinking she still thought he was naive. However, she suddenly clenched her fists and said firmly, "One day, we women will stand up and not swallow our anger. Humph."
The other three men exchanged glances. Wen Qiang and Zou Li patted Zhou Zhixing's shoulders sympathetically, saying in unison, "Thank you for your hard work, Team Leader."
Zhou Zhixing smiled and said proudly, "Jiang Nan is a very good person. Please stop trying to sow discord between us."
He smiled brightly and said, "It's noon now. Let's go eat. Wen Qiang's father made braised pork today. It's delicious."
Jiang Nan's eyes lit up with joy, and she happily confirmed with Wen Qiang, "Is there really braised pork?"
Seeing Wen Qiang nod, Jiang Nan immediately pedaled the bicycle twice: "Go, braised pork."
Well, good food cures everything, and if not, then have another meal.
The four of them worked hard all morning, operating like tigers, but looking down, they only managed two small cases. But no matter, eating was the most important thing.
Sure enough, when going to the cafeteria to get food, follow Wen Qiang and don’t shake the spoon!
Wen's mother was a middle-aged woman with a somewhat wealthy appearance. She had a very kind smile. When she saw the four people getting their meals, she gave them a full spoonful of braised pork out of courtesy, which made the five groups envious.
Thinking of last night's plan, Zhou Zhixing calmly led the three of them to sit next to Wan Xiang.
Yes, Wan Xiang, because he's not popular, eats alone in the group. The police station is full of tough guys and gals, they don't want to flatter anyone. No matter how capable your big brother, Wan Xiang, is, he can't get his hands on anything in the police station. They're regular employees, what are they afraid of? They'll just ignore us and isolate us, so what?
Wan Xiang ate his lunch with a grumble. They were all a bunch of idiots, he didn't bother to get angry. Seeing Zhou Zhixing standing nearby, he snorted and tried to sit further away. Suddenly, he heard something about "textile factory" and "security department," so he sat down again and listened carefully.
After the six groups of four sat down, Jiang Nan casually asked, "Brother Zou, how is your sister-in-law doing lately? When is she giving birth?"
Zou Li didn't get married early. After all, he had attended university, and it wasn't until two years after graduation that he met his wife, Luo Minjuan, through a blind date. Three years into their marriage, Luo Minjuan got pregnant. It's no exaggeration to say she's the darling of the Zou family. It's said that Zou Li's parents almost asked their daughter-in-law to quit her job so she could focus on the pregnancy. However, Luo Minjuan, who also had a high school education and a regular job in the oil field, refused to listen. She continued working despite her pregnancy, and now, nine months pregnant, she's about to give birth.
"It's almost there, hehe." When Zou Li mentioned the child, his eyes narrowed with joy and he ate the meat in big mouthfuls.
"Brother Zou, do you want a son or a daughter?" Jiang Nan asked.
"It must be a son. Who doesn't want a son?" Wen Qiang was a man who spoke without thinking, and he started yelling in front of Jiang Nan.
Jiang Nan rolled his eyes: "Brother Qiangzi, I'm still here."
"Hehe, well, ask Zhou Zhixing if he wants a son? Who doesn't want a son, right, Team Leader Zhou, the guy with the glasses?" Wen Qiang chuckled foolishly and looked at the other two with his little eyes asking for help.
Zhou Zhixing immediately made his position clear: "My sons and daughters are the same. I am extremely opposed to favoring boys over girls. The great man said that women hold up half the sky, right? We must listen to the great man's words."
Zou Li also quickly said: "Yes, I also think that sons and daughters are the same. It is better to have both sons and daughters. I am not picky about this."
Jiang Nan snorted, "That's more like it. So, Brother Zou, have you prepared the baby's clothes, diapers, and other things? If you don't have enough, you can go to the textile factory in the city. I heard they sell scraps of cloth there. It's no problem to sew them together to make a diaper ring."
"I know, my parents have prepared a lot." Zou Li took a sip of soup and replied.
"Hey, speaking of the textile factory, do you know anything about it?" Zhou Zhixing lowered his voice and whispered, "I heard the deputy chief of the security department there has been transferred. I don't know if they'll promote someone new or parachute in another deputy chief from outside."
"I heard about it too," Wen Qiang whispered. "Someone upstairs got married to someone at the textile factory. She even went back to her parents' home yesterday to share the news."
You see, this kind of news can't be concealed at all. It's perfectly normal for Zhou Zhixing to talk about this.
"What's the matter, Team Leader Zhou? You just became the team leader and you're already thinking about becoming a deputy section chief in the factory?" Jiang Nan teased.
"Then I don't have any connections. If I did, I would definitely go," Zhou Zhixing said. "The textile factory isn't a small one, with over a thousand employees. The security department has at least twenty people, and this deputy section chief is in charge of more than ten people, so he's quite a high-ranking official. It's a pity I don't have any connections."
Zhou Zhixing sighed, and out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Wan Xiang's thoughtful expression. Knowing that the boy had listened, he changed the subject, "Let's not talk about that anymore. Let's talk about catching ghosts in public toilets at night. Zou Li, you can stay home and take care of your sister-in-law, so you don't have to come. And Qiangzi, your home is far away, so you don't have to come either. Xiaonan and I are enough."
Ghost hunting, as it were, required no technical skill at all; it was simply a matter of waiting in the dark, preparing to catch the culprit in the act. Even without Wen Qiang and Zou Li, Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing could have easily completed the task.
But I never expected that the ghost caught this time was Wan Xiang!
It's really true that someone is eager to take the blame. Old Cheng should really give Wan Xiang a banner to thank him for his selfless spirit.
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