Chapter 25: Choking Up, It’s Your Dad’s Decision

"Chapter 25: Choked Up: This Was Your Father’s Decision"

"It was just one chicken," Doctor Lin said. "When the child turned one month old, we were there too. One chicken is one chicken—where would six chickens come from? They couldn’t have hidden them—it’s impossible. You sent over one chicken, and Song Fenglan’s aunt slaughtered it for her to eat. The count is the count—you can’t inflate the number."

After saying this, Doctor Lin thought of another question. "Back then, did you have your eldest son’s wife deliver it?"

"Yes," Mother Qin nodded. "I wasn’t feeling well, so I couldn’t go myself. I had her take it."

"Whether it was one chicken or six, it’s obvious," Doctor Lin said. "They’d have no reason to lie about six chickens being one. Could they have hidden the chickens?"

Doctor Lin didn’t believe Song Fenglan’s maternal family would do something so vile. Even if others craved meat while Song Fenglan was in confinement, they wouldn’t have hidden five chickens.

"Even if her aunt’s family lacked meat, they wouldn’t have eaten that much," Doctor Lin said. "Did you ever ask Song Fenglan about this?"

"As long as it was delivered, isn’t that enough? Who would ask how many she ate? At most, I’d ask if she ate it. If she said yes, I wouldn’t press further," Mother Qin replied.

Mother Qin wasn’t foolish. She suspected the issue lay with her eldest son’s wife, who disliked Song Fenglan and had even suggested sending fewer things to her, claiming Song Fenglan didn’t visit the Qin family and didn’t consider herself one of them—why throw kindness at someone ungrateful?

The atmosphere grew silent, cold, and tense.

"This is ultimately your family’s matter," Doctor Lin said. "Some things should be clarified within the family first. Don’t go asking others—it’s too embarrassing."

Doctor Lin stood up. He had come to speak to Mother Qin about the Song family to prevent the Qins from taking undue credit. The Qin family hadn’t supported the Songs, so they shouldn’t claim otherwise.

"Yesterday, I visited the Songs," Doctor Lin said. "Yi Zhou also said they don’t need to come see you. Traditionally, the groom’s elders visit the bride’s family. Now that their reputations are rehabilitated, they live in their own home."

Doctor Lin supported Yi Zhou and Song Fenglan. The Song family owed the Qins nothing. As the bride’s family, they hadn’t acted subservient. The bride’s elders should hold their heads higher, not let the groom’s family think they could be bullied.

Over the years, Doctor Lin had noticed the Qin family’s attitude toward the Songs—none of them liked the Songs.

"Times have changed," Doctor Lin said. "Handle this as you see fit. The truth will come out eventually. People won’t always assume the Qins deserve credit."

At first, some might think the Qins helped the Songs, but once the truth spread, any explanations from the Qins would be useless. People would see the Qins hadn’t supported the Songs yet still tried to claim credit.

Doctor Lin didn’t stay for dinner. He wanted Mother Qin to have time to resolve these issues.

After he left, Mother Qin stormed into the kitchen with a hardened face, startling Sister-in-law Qin.

"Mom, why are you here? I’ve got this under control," Sister-in-law Qin said.

"When Song Fenglan was in confinement, I told you to deliver six chickens. How many did you actually take over?" Mother Qin demanded coldly.

"S-six... six," stammered Sister-in-law Qin.

"Speak plainly. Was it six or one?" Mother Qin pressed. "Do I need to dig into this myself?"

"...One," Sister-in-law Qin admitted, realizing further lies were pointless. Mother Qin already knew—if she asked Song Fenglan, the truth would come out. But it was just this one incident. Other secrets remained hidden. "At the time, I thought since my sister-in-law’s background wasn’t ideal, eating so many chickens during confinement might make her seem to have bourgeois tendencies. It could’ve drawn criticism—I was looking out for her."

She fabricated an excuse. "Given the circumstances, the more she did, the more she’d be faulted."

"Then where are the other five chickens?" Mother Qin asked. If Sister-in-law Qin had brought them home, she would’ve known.

"I sold them," Sister-in-law Qin lied. "I gave one to my parents—they’re elderly and don’t get much good food. I thought they could use the nourishment."

In truth, she had given three chickens—one to her parents, one to her pregnant sister-in-law, and one she cooked and took her children to eat. She swore her son to secrecy, not even letting Eldest Brother Qin know.

But it was all in the past. Sister-in-law Qin doubted Mother Qin would investigate further. She couldn’t let her think she favored her birth family too much.

"The rest, I sold on the black market," Sister-in-law Qin said. "Mom, back then, I didn’t want to trouble you, so I handled it myself. If you must blame someone, blame me."

"..." What could Mother Qin say? She’d always believed their family sent six chickens.

"Mom," Qin's wife said, "if she wants to blame anyone, let her blame me. She can’t blame you. I’ll go explain to her, I—"

"What’s the use now?" Mother Qin said. "What good would it do?"

She was furious. Only one chicken had been sent, and the other five—how could Qin’s wife be so greedy, keeping five for herself? And she dared say it was for Song Fenglan’s sake! How dare she?

"Mom..." Qin’s wife hesitated, seeing the dark expression on her mother-in-law's face.

"Does your husband know?" Mother Qin asked.

"No, he doesn’t," Qin’s wife said anxiously. "Mom, please don’t tell him. If he finds out, he’ll be furious. I knew none of you would be happy about it, that none of you could bring yourselves to do it—so I did it. Song Fenglan’s parents and brother were sent to the labor farm. So many people avoided them. I did it for the sake of our whole family."

"..." Mother Qin fell silent, thinking it over.

"Mom, I’ve been in this family for years. You know I’ve always put the family first," Qin’s wife pleaded. "Please, Mom, don’t tell my husband. Don’t let him know. I can’t burden him with this. It was my doing, all of it."

Mother Qin sighed at her words.

"Qin Yizhou—you know how he and his wife treat us, Mom," Qin’s wife pressed. "Even back when you objected to him marrying Song Fenglan, he refused to listen. He insisted on marrying her. When he comes home on leave, it’s always about her. Mom, do you want my husband to end up like that too?"

She left the words hanging, sure Mother Qin would catch her meaning.

Mother Qin’s heart ached. She knew Qin Yizhou had distanced himself from her, but if she helped cover this up, her younger son would only drift further. She decided then that anything she gave to her younger son’s family in the future couldn’t go through Qin’s wife. The woman was worse than a thief—keeping so much for herself.

"Mom, Song Fenglan knew what her situation was back then," Qin’s wife said. "It’s all in the past. She never said anything, so why should we bring it up now?"

She wanted Mother Qin to bury the matter. As long as they didn’t openly claim to have sent six chickens, there’d be no issue.

Mother Qin looked at her, deeply disappointed. She had once believed Qin’s wife was a model daughter-in-law. Now, she saw the truth—this was a woman with no conscience.

"We still have to tell your husband and your father-in-law," Mother Qin said. "They knew it was six chickens we meant to send. Back then, we had to keep quiet, but now that the Song family has been rehabilitated, do you think they won’t speak up?"

Even without considering Qin and his father, she herself had just boasted to Doctor Lin about how well they’d treated Song Fenglan—when in truth, they hadn’t. She’d felt guilty, trying to pretend she’d done enough.

"Mom!" Qin’s wife cried out, clutching her sleeve. "Mom, please, don’t tell them. Dad and the others are men—they won’t spread this around."

"This isn’t spreading," Mother Qin said. "Do you want them to hear it from someone else? Secrets don’t stay buried forever. They’ll find out eventually. If you own up now, at least it shows remorse. If you wait, it’ll only make things worse."

Despite everything, she still cared for Qin’s wife. They’d shared a home for years, and the younger woman had always been diligent with chores. She couldn’t turn her back on her now. By addressing it now, she hoped to resolve it before outsiders exposed the truth—that would be disastrous.

"..." Qin’s wife fell silent, letting go of Mother Qin’s sleeve, her hands falling to her sides.

Had she known it would come to this, she never would’ve done it. But it had all been too tempting—not just the chickens, but the money too. She’d skimmed off more than half of what came her way.

Now that Song Fenglan had left to join her husband, would she talk? If she did, it would prove she was petty, clinging to old grievances.

But Song Fenglan knew nothing of the Qin family’s mess. She’d never dwelled on such things. Counting on them? She’d rather stand on her own.

After Song Fenglan left for the research institute, Mrs. Su came to take care of Qin Zihang.

He was at the Qin family home today, not the Su residence. Excitedly, he told Mrs. Su, "Auntie! We’ve got a telephone now!"

"Good, your family has a telephone now," Mrs. Su said, smiling at his enthusiasm.

"It’s a telephone, a real telephone!" Qin Zihang counted on his fingers. "I’ve already called Great-Aunt and Grandma!"

"Good, call them, call them," Mrs. Su said. "Did you call your grandmother too?"

"I don’t want Grandma." Qin Zihang pouted. "Grandma doesn’t like me, and I don’t like her either."

Mrs. Su reached out and patted Qin Zihang's head. "Then don’t like her."

Mrs. Su didn’t know how Qin Zihang’s grandmother treated him, but judging by Song Fenglan, she wouldn’t badmouth Qin Zihang’s mother to a kid. It was more likely that the kid picked up on it himself—that was why he disliked his grandma so much. If Qin Zihang’s grandmother had treated her grandson well, the kid would’ve known.

"Grandma likes her golden eldest grandson," Qin Zihang said. "She doesn’t like me."

"If she doesn’t like our little treasure, then Auntie loves our Hangbao," Mrs. Su said. "Everyone adores Hangbao."

"Mhm, of course! I’m so great, so of course everyone loves me," Qin Zihang said. "Mom says feelings are mutual. If they don’t like me, I won’t like them either. It goes both ways."

"..." Mrs. Su had never heard 'mutual feelings' put that way before. "Your mom is smart."

"Mom’s the smartest ever!" Qin Zihang said. He adored his mother—she always stood by him and doted on him. "Mom knows so much, and she tells me stories too."

Whenever Mrs. Su spent time with Qin Zihang, he always talked about his mother. She could tell how much Song Fenglan loved him.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Mrs. Su went to check and found Granny Fang, Gao Xiuxiu’s mother-in-law.

"Can I come in to make a phone call?" Granny Fang asked. "I need to call my son in the countryside..."

As she spoke, she tried to step inside but was stopped.

"No," Mrs. Su refused firmly. "There’s a payphone outside. Use that."

"We’re neighbors! Just let me use it for a bit..."

"Phone calls are expensive. Are you going to pay for it?" Mrs. Su said. "This phone was installed by Fenglan’s institute, and the institute covers the cost. If you use it without paying, that’s embezzling public resources."

Granny Fang loved mooching off others. She had heard last night that Song Fenglan’s home had a phone installed and immediately planned to come over to use it. Payphones cost money, but at Song Fenglan’s place, she didn’t intend to pay—after all, she was old. Would Song Fenglan’s family really have the nerve to ask her for money?

"Embezzling public resources is illegal," Mrs. Su said, glancing at Qin Zihang, who was clutching her sleeve. "Hangbao, did you hear that? Don’t let anyone use the phone at home. It’s only for your family. If others use it, they’d be cheating the system."

Of course, in a real emergency, exceptions could be made.

But Granny Fang clearly wasn’t in an emergency—she just wanted a free ride.

Mrs. Su wasn’t about to let her get away with it. Her own home had a phone too, and she followed the same rule: no outsiders using it willy-nilly. Their phone was paid for by the institute—public funds. Sometimes, even when Mrs. Su called home, she still used a payphone.

"Fine, forget it!" Granny Fang shrank back at the mention of breaking the law. She wasn’t going to push her luck.

As soon as Granny Fang left, Auntie Fatty came over.

"Was Granny Fang here to use the phone?" Auntie Fatty asked.

"Yes, I told her to use the payphone," Mrs. Su said.

"You did the right thing," Auntie Fatty said. "It’s only the first month. If people start making calls freely, the bill’ll be sky-high. What would people think of Fenglan then? She’d get all the blame."

"My mom didn’t do anything wrong," Qin Zihang piped up. "Why are they so mean?"

"They bank on your mom not wanting to say no," Auntie Fatty said. "They think, 'You’d be a fool not to take freebies.'"

"Turtles live forever!" Qin Zihang said seriously.

"The bad ones stick around forever," Mrs. Su remarked.

"You have to refuse from the start. If you don’t, one person will lead to another. If you let one person use it but not others, they’ll accuse you of favoritism," Auntie Fatty said. "No matter what you do, it’s wrong. Better to just turn them away from the beginning. Back when Staff Officer Xu’s family criticized Fenglan, none of them dared to come near, afraid of getting caught up in it. But now that they know there’s a phone here, they all want to mooch off it."

The wording’s rough, but the logic’s sound. That's just how those people are. Most of 'em aren’t educated and don't feel ashamed—they just think pinching pennies for their own families is all they care about.

If Song Fenglan and her husband had agreed, those people would keep coming back over and over. It would be like turning Song Fenglan's phone into a free public line—since they wouldn’t have to pay, they’d milk it dry.

"Once they come, they’ll argue, 'It’s not like Fenglan is paying for it, so why can’t we use it?'" Auntie Fatty said. "Some folks’ faces are thicker than a brick."

"Just keep an eye out when you're around," Mrs. Su said.

"Just lock it when you’re out," Auntie Fatty suggested. "They won’t bust the lock—that’d be straight-up theft."

"We lock it," Mrs. Su confirmed. "Sometimes, if we’re not paying attention, just keep an eye out—no need to hover. If there’s really a problem, there are other ways to handle it."

Song Fenglan and her husband both work—they aren’t home all the time.

Mrs. Su stayed put by evening instead of going home and cooked at Song Fenglan’s place. Professor Su had mentioned early that morning that he wouldn’t be back for dinner, leaving Mrs. Su to her own plans. When Song Fenglan returned and saw Mrs. Su cooking, she rushed to lend a hand.

"Go check on Zi Hang—you don’t need to help here," Mrs. Su said. "I can handle the cooking."

"Auntie," Song Fenglan said sheepishly, "I’m lousy at stir-frying, but I can chop vegetables."

"All prepped—done in a sec," Mrs. Su said, gently pushing Song Fenglan out of the kitchen.

Qin Yizhou came home just as the food was being served. Mrs. Su planned dinner just right, figuring this was when Qin Yizhou and his wife would return from work—assuming Song Fenglan wasn’t working overtime.

At the dinner table, Mrs. Su brought up the matter with Granny Fang.

"I shut her down hard," Mrs. Su said. "These folks are something else. Auntie Fatty next door was right—if you don’t refuse, more will come."

"You did the right thing," Qin Yizhou said. "They shouldn’t be allowed to use the phone."

"It’s not like it’s an emergency—they can use a payphone," Mrs. Su said. "They’re bullying Fenglan for being young and soft. They think they can push her around."

As she spoke, Mrs. Su glanced pointedly at Qin Yizhou. Some guys play the big shot, making decisions for the household without considering the consequences.

Though Professor Su sometimes made decisions unilaterally, Mrs. Su knew his choices were always sound—he’s no fool.

"My title changes nothing," Qin Yizhou said, understanding Mrs. Su’s implication. He wasn’t about to play nice—he had no intention of using the institute’s phone for favors. He served Song Fenglan more food. "Eat up."

Qin Yizhou noticed Song Fenglan looked exhausted—work must’ve worn her out.

"Eat up," Song Fenglan said, serving Qin Zi Hang.

Qin Zi Hang looked at his parents, then served Mrs. Su. "Eat up, Auntie."

"Good, let’s all eat up," Mrs. Su said with a light laugh. "Come on, let’s eat."

While Qin Yizhou and his family enjoyed their meal, meanwhile, back in the capital, things weren’t as cheerful.

At their dinner table, Sister-in-law Qin confessed to Qin’s father and Eldest Brother Qin that she’d pocketed five chickens for herself—as for the rest, since they didn’t know, why bother mentioning it? If they found out later, she could explain then. After all, when they told her to give money to Song Fenglan, they hadn’t specified an amount.

Cash talk’s taboo—no one would likely mention exact sums.

Sister-in-law Qin hadn’t expected Doctor Lin to know about it. Had she known her uncle was aware, she’d have booted him out long before, not let him sit there talking.

"What?" Eldest Brother Qin was stunned. "Five out of six? You greedy—!"

Old Man Qin stayed silent, while Eldest Brother Qin slammed his hand on the table.

"Plenty of women don’t get even one chicken for their month-long recovery," Sister-in-law Qin said.

"You still won’t admit you were wrong," Eldest Brother Qin said sternly.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Father Qin’s silence, and he knew the situation was dire. He never expected his wife to do such a thing. He knew she disliked Song Fenglan, but he never imagined she would withhold the chickens meant for Song Fenglan’s recovery—chickens meant to nourish her body.

What will people think of the Qin family? The Qins had prepared so many chickens, yet only gave Song Fenglan one for her recovery?

As the eldest son, Eldest Brother Qin burned with shame. If his little brother ever heard about this, there’d be hell to pay.

"Dad, Mom, I was just worried Sister-in-law might attract unwanted attention, with her family’s political history..."

"What political history?" Father Qin glared coldly at Sister-in-law Qin. "Besides the chickens, what else have you done?"

"N-nothing," Sister-in-law Qin lied.

But Father Qin wasn’t buying it. Such behavior never stopped at just one incident. Song Fenglan hadn’t said a word to them, so they assumed she had received everything. Who would’ve thought their eldest daughter-in-law had withheld so much?

"Really, nothing," Sister-in-law Qin insisted. As long as Song Fenglan didn’t speak up, they wouldn’t know. "Well, if you’re gonna make me say something, it’d be when she came by once before joining the army..."

She had thought it through—if she denied everything, they wouldn’t believe her. If she had to confess something, she’d pick the least consequential incident.

Old Mrs. Qin’s face fell. When she had called her younger son before, she had implied that Song Fenglan had left to join the army without informing them—only finding out through Aunt Yu. She looked at Sister-in-law Qin with mixed emotions, realizing she had trusted her eldest daughter-in-law too much.

"Get out," Father Qin ordered.

"Dad!" Both Eldest Brother Qin and Sister-in-law Qin were stunned.

"This house belongs to your mother and me. You’re moving out," Father Qin said firmly. He didn’t want to argue further—nothing could undo what had already happened.

The Qins owed the Songs an explanation, even if the Songs might not know the full extent. Father Qin couldn’t pretend ignorance.

The Song family’s rehabilitation had nothing to do with the Qins—they’d done nothing to help. Yet Sister-in-law Qin had been resentful, even believing Father Qin had intervened. He feared that keeping Eldest Brother Qin and his wife around would only lead to worse problems. Better to cut them loose.

"Yi Zhou didn’t live at home after marriage. It’s time you moved out too," Father Qin said.

"Dad, we’re your retirement plan!" Sister-in-law Qin protested. Father Qin was retired but still influential. She begged not to go—what would people think if the firstborn got kicked out? "Qin Yi Zhou is the youngest, but my husband is the eldest. He—"

"First son, last son—same rules," Father Qin interrupted. "You’ll move out in two days."

He didn’t bother listing Sister-in-law Qin’s faults.

"Old man..." Mother Qin pleaded. She had expected him to scold their eldest son’s family, not kick them out.

"Do you want to move out with them?" Father Qin asked.

"Let them move out," Mother Qin conceded. She knew his mind was made up—nothing she said would change it.

Father Qin threw down his chopsticks and walked away, too angry to eat.

The shame of it ate at him. He had connections, and people had congratulated him on having such an outstanding daughter-in-law. At first, he thought they meant Sister-in-law Qin—only to learn they meant Song Fenglan. He hadn’t been upset then; instead, he had sat in his study for a long time, lost in thought.

Back then, Father Qin had opposed Qin Yi Zhou’s marriage to Song Fenglan. Her family’s political stain was trouble, and they knew it would harm Yi Zhou’s future. As parents, they had hoped for a brighter path for their son and had urged him to break it off.

Now, he was grateful Yi Zhou had stood his ground. If he hadn’t, and things had turned out like this, the Qin family’s disgrace would have been even worse.

"Mom..." Sister-in-law Qin pleaded. She begged not to go.

"This is your father's decision," said Mother Qin. "Find a place within the next two days and move out."

"Mom, isn't two days too short notice?" Sister-in-law Qin still hoped Father Qin would cool off in a few days and wanted her husband to persuade him. "And there are the children too—what about them?"

"Your father is aware," Mother Qin replied. Father Qin had seen the children, but they weren’t enough to sway his resolve.

After dinner, Father Qin asked Mother Qin to call Qin Yizhou—this still needed to be discussed.

After the call, Qin Yizhou learned of Sister-in-law Qin's actions, and his face fell. How could she be so greedy? She’s a woman too—she should know how hard childbirth is on a woman’s body.

"Your father wants your eldest brother and his wife to move out," Mother Qin said. "We’re also to blame. We didn’t take them over ourselves but had your sister-in-law do it, which led to such a big mistake."

Mother Qin had questioned Sister-in-law Qin afterward, and she had said, "Mom, don’t you trust me? The things were delivered!"

Since Sister-in-law Qin insisted they had been delivered, Mother Qin couldn’t push it further. If she had, the reply would’ve been, "Mom, if you don’t trust me, you should deliver them yourself next time. Don’t worry, I handed them to Sister-in-law personally."

"You really messed up," Qin Yizhou said. He understood that if the Song family hadn’t gotten their status back, his mother would have turned a blind eye to this matter. As for when she actually found out, he wasn’t sure.

Qin Yizhou couldn’t comprehend Sister-in-law Qin’s actions. He just couldn’t. Song Fenglan didn’t even live with the Qin family and received very little—why would she pull such a shameless stunt?

"Kicking them out—that’s on you," Qin Yizhou said.

"Yi Zhou..." Mother Qin’s voice cracked, worried her younger son would blame her.

Qin Yizhou understood her concern. "Mom, I’m a person with feelings, with people I love. Fenglan is my wife, the mother of my child."

Who does she think she is? Why should they have to sympathize with Sister-in-law Qin?

Sister-in-law Qin had borne children for Eldest Brother Qin, but Qin Yizhou felt no blood ties to her—they were only connected through him. And yet, she had acted so despicably. He couldn’t muster any sympathy for her. He even wondered if Eldest Brother Qin had known about this.

His trust in his family had dwindled—he’d lost faith in them.

"I... We failed," Mother Qin admitted. "Have you eaten?"

"Yes," Qin Yizhou replied. "Anything else?"

"No, nothing," Mother Qin said.

Then, the call ended without further words.

Song Fenglan noticed Qin Yizhou’s troubled expression.

"Mom said she meant to send you six chickens during your confinement, but Sister-in-law pocketed five," Qin Yizhou told her.

"Pocketed five?" Song Fenglan was stunned. She’d only gotten one.

"Yes," Qin Yizhou said bitterly. "Back when I visited, they at least pretended. I was foolish to think they’d maintain even that much. Who knew..."

That Sister-in-law Qin could be so greedy. Qin Yizhou wondered if there were other things she had taken.

He wasn’t the only one thinking it—Song Fenglan had the same suspicion. But she hadn’t confronted Sister-in-law Qin. They rarely saw each other, and what good would arguing do? Back then, everyone would’ve taken Sister-in-law Qin’s side.

"She’s not family to us," Song Fenglan said. "It’s better not to dwell on it."

"Is that how you feel?" Qin Yizhou asked. "She hurt you. You were weak after childbirth, and she—"

"She’s always hated me," Song Fenglan said. "Do you think your mother didn’t know that? She did. They all did. Yet they still had your sister-in-law deliver things—like feeding a dog and expecting leftovers."

"True." Qin Yizhou's heart ached as he saw Song Fenglan's calm expression. He tightly held her hand, "I didn’t protect you well enough. Back then, I..."

At the time, Qin Yizhou had been on an important mission and was injured. He wasn’t by Song Fenglan’s side when she gave birth. When he returned wounded, he didn’t dare let her know.

"No use talking about the past," Song Fenglan said. "Some things, once known, are just known. What good would arguing do? Did we really need those few chickens? With the money and coupons you gave me, I asked Auntie to buy chickens. I still got to eat chicken. Since we were prepared ourselves, there’s no need to expect anything from others."

"You’ve suffered," Qin Yizhou said. "I..."

"You’re not some superhuman," Song Fenglan replied.

"Nezha! Are you telling a Nezha story?" Qin Zihang, hearing "three heads and six arms," immediately thought of the legendary figure.

Children loved tales of Nezha, and Qin Zihang’s eyes sparkled as he stared at Song Fenglan.

"Ask your dad to tell you the story of Nezha," Song Fenglan said, giving Qin Yizhou a playful poke.

"Dad," Qin Zihang turned to his father eagerly.

"Alright, I’ll tell you the story of Nezha," Qin Yizhou agreed.

Meanwhile, Grandma Fang was at home complaining to her son about Qin Yizhou’s family refusing to let her use their phone. "They jumped straight to ‘that’s illegal’!" Grandma Fang exclaimed. "I just wanted to call your brother—it’s not a crime, and yet she..."

"Was it Professor Su’s wife there?" Gao Xiuxiu asked.

"Yes," Grandma Fang admitted.

"She’s not wrong," Gao Xiuxiu pointed out. "If you want to make a call, go to a public phone booth. Why push to use theirs? Their line is for official use—fine if their own family uses it, but who are we to use it?"

Gao Xiuxiu thought her mother-in-law was pushing it.

"What do you know?" Grandma Fang glared at her. "It’s a public line—it’s not like they’re paying for it."

"The office checks the records," Gao Xiuxiu wasn’t foolish. She worked outside and knew better. The public office would surely review the phone records. If they noticed, how’s that gonna look?

"I just wanted to make one call, not dozens," Grandma Fang argued. "A quick call—what’s the harm?"

"If everyone takes 'a few minutes,' it adds up," Gao Xiuxiu felt ashamed. Auntie Fatty had even mentioned this issue when chatting with her. Gao Xiuxiu found it disgraceful—Song Fenglan’s family had just installed the phone, and already their own relatives were acting like this. "It’s never just 'a few minutes.' Mom, if it’s really just a short call, go to the public phone booth."

"Pfft," Gao Xiuxiu snorted. How shameless her mother-in-law was.

Meanwhile, Sister-in-law Qin and Eldest Brother Qin were in their room. Sister-in-law Qin couldn’t bear the thought of moving out of their spacious house—a standalone property with multiple rooms and a courtyard. It was a fine house, and she’d already claimed it in her mind.

As the eldest son of the Qin parents, Eldest Brother Qin was in line to inherit it all. Sister-in-law Qin had never imagined she and her husband would be forced to leave.

"If we leave now, we may never get back in," Sister-in-law Qin said. "Face it—we’re better off staying. If we leave, won’t your parents hand the house to your brother, won’t they?"

"..." Eldest Brother Qin remained silent.

"Well?!" Sister-in-law Qin pressed. "Ask your aunts to persuade your father. We should stay—we’re the ones looking after them! If we live outside, visiting will be troublesome. We..."

"Even if my aunts come, it won’t change anything," Eldest Brother Qin sighed. "The Song family has just been rehabilitated. Father’s mind is made up."

"Does he have to put on a show for the Song family? Are they that important?" Sister-in-law Qin snapped. "Now the Songs are off the hook, and I’m the bad guy? Back then, even your parents opposed your brother marrying Song Fenglan. And now? Everyone’s playing dumb, dumping it all on me?"

She refused to be the scapegoat. "If nothing else, call your brother. Ask him to talk to your parents. He’s far away—he hasn’t lifted a finger for them—why should he screw us over? If you, as the eldest brother, speak up, he should agree."

"If we bring this up with Yi Zhou, he’ll only get angrier," Eldest Brother Qin said. "Don’t involve him. Even Mom’s call didn’t help—what good would ours do? Let’s move out first. If we want to return later, behave better, and maybe Mom and Dad will cave."

"Behave better? Haven't I behaved well enough? Do you think all those chickens went into my family's mouths? Some even went into your son's mouth," Sister-in-law Qin said. "I did it all for this family."

"Go say that to Mom and Dad then," Eldest Brother Qin snapped, irritated by his wife's constant complaints.

"If my words had any effect, would we be in this situation?" Sister-in-law Qin retorted. "I told your mom not to tell Dad or you, but she insisted—she even made me say it myself. If I didn’t, she would. I had no choice—I was backed into a corner, so I had to confess to you all. Given the circumstances back then, what I did was understandable. Does your dad really have to kick us out?"

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. If her husband wouldn’t handle this, she would.

Early the next morning, Sister-in-law Qin rushed to her parents' house, refusing to move out and insisting on staying there. She wanted her family to back her up and even sought help from Aunt Qin.

"I’m staying with my family tonight—I won’t go back," Sister-in-law Qin told Aunt Qin. "Aunt, is this really all my fault? Mom keeps handing the best things straight to Song Fenglan—do you think Song Fenglan even appreciates it? We’ve got kids at home who are starving for meat! If I don’t care for them, who will?"