Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

Such a commotion in the middle of the night kept everyone in the Koizumi Brigade awake.

After the village chief and the police took the person away, the onlookers gradually dispersed.

Wang Cong and Mei Fang, a married couple, hurried over, wearing cotton-padded coats.

When they arrived at the gate of Zhang Yujuan's courtyard, they ran into Song Xianglan, who had come to cause trouble.

Song Xianglan braced herself against the courtyard gate with one hand, preventing Zhang Yujuan from closing it.

"You were the one who instigated Old Fang to deal with me, weren't you?" Song Xianglan stared into Zhang Yujuan's eyes, her tone certain.

Zhang Yujuan gritted her teeth, gripping the doorframe tightly. "Don't try to pin this on me. You made money through dishonest means and made enemies; you'll get your comeuppance sooner or later."

"Retribution?" Song Xianglan laughed.

She looked Zhang Yujuan up and down, observing her cowering and resentful appearance.

"Zhang Yujuan, I love your cowardly way of being jealous of me, hating me, but powerless to do anything about it. Jealousy has turned you unrecognizable. I live a life of luxury, while you're penniless and can only marry one old man after another who can't find a wife. This is your retribution."

Zhang Yujuan was hit where it hurt.

The wrinkles on his face twitched.

"You ruined my life. Song Xianglan, I will never let you get away with this."

Song Xianglan curled her lip in disdain. "You're all talk. You can't beat me in a fight, and you're no match for me in insults. You're a defeated opponent, and you didn't gain the slightest advantage in words either."

Song Xianglan spat on the ground.

She didn't just give a verbal warning; after saying that, she smiled and kicked Zhang Yujuan into the yard.

He poured the icy well water on her.

Hit the clothes with a laundry stick, again and again.

Zhang Yujuan screamed in pain.

A look of heartache flashed in Wang Cong's eyes. "Aunt Song, you're bullying me too much."

"I bullied you. If you're not happy about it, just keep it to yourself."

Song Xianglan didn't know how many times she hit him, but she put down the washing stick when her wrists ached.

She stood up and left, spitting disdainfully at Wang Cong as she passed him: "Useless piece of trash. Your family's reputation is rotten to the core. Still dreaming of being a dutiful son and grandson?"

Wang Cong: ...

Zhang Yujuan was trembling with anger; the pain from being beaten on her back and legs had made her numb.

For a moment, she couldn't tell if it was pain or numbness in her back; she only felt a burning sensation under her skin. "You're a dead man too, watching your mother being bullied without saying a word."

Wang Cong frowned, his face full of impatience.

Why are you making things difficult for her? Have you had enough of a peaceful life?

"She took what was rightfully mine," Zhang Yujuan shouted in a low voice. "Song Xianglan must have taken all those treasures from back then."

"There's no treasure here."

Wang Cong simply didn't believe it. "Back then, I went to that place and turned it upside down, but I didn't see a single hair."

Can you please stop going crazy here?

"Mom, if you don't think about your son, you should at least think about your grandson. You're always causing trouble; do you want to drag our whole family down with you?"

Wang Cong was too lazy to listen to her nagging anymore.

He grabbed Mei Fang and turned to leave.

Zhang Yujuan lay prone in the yard, her face as black as the bottom of a pot.

Wang Cong and Mei Fang walked onto the main road and bumped into Yang Jianjun.

Yang Jianjun also ran out after hearing the commotion.

The half-brothers met face to face in the cold wind.

No one spoke.

Disgust flashed in Wang Cong's eyes as he turned his head and brushed past Yang Jianjun's shoulder.

In his mind, Yang Jianjun's existence was living proof of Zhang Yujuan's infidelity.

It was the shame of his life.

Yang Jianjun looks much older than before, with gray hair, making him look older than his peers.

He glanced back at Wang Cong's retreating figure and clenched his fist.

Song Xianglan went home and tidied up the entrance to the courtyard.

I thought this matter was finally over.

Unexpectedly, the next day, right after breakfast...

The police car was parked on a nearby village road.

The policeman who led the team yesterday was at the very front.

Following behind were Qiao Zhaodi's cousin, who had a pointed mouth and monkey-like face, as well as Old Man Qiao and his mother.

Walking at the very back were two well-dressed, arrogant strangers.

A large group of people blocked the entrance to Song Xianglan's courtyard.

"Officer, it's her." Qiao's mother pointed at Song Xianglan's nose, spitting everywhere. "I saw with my own eyes that her family had a Jianzhan teacup, which was the Cai family's heirloom."

Song Xianglan leaned against the door frame, coldly watching the group of people.

"You saw it with your own eyes?" Song Xianglan scoffed.

Liu Chounu and Lin Fang rushed over upon hearing the commotion, still holding their rice bowls.

"Are you talking to a deity or are your left and right brains fighting?" Liu Chounu's voice was extremely loud. She pointed at Qiao's mother and cursed, "Did your ancestors appear in a dream saying that Song Xianglan hid a broken teacup from your family?"

Song Xianglan picked up the conversation.

"The Cai family ancestor is dead and still appears in dreams? What's with all the busyness after death? Didn't he get any work to do in the underworld?"

The two strangers at the back immediately turned pale.

They were members of the Cai family.

Back then, the commune carried out various movements, and the Cai family, who were wealthy, had a lot of their possessions confiscated.

Some members of their family were sent to labor camps, while the rest were sent to the worst places to suffer.

I only came back three years ago.

Later I heard that not all of those things were handed in; a lot of them were lost.

This time, the Qiao family came to our door saying that what happened back then was man-made, and they also had some clues.

They immediately used their connections at the local police station, hoping to trace back to the person who reported and embezzled the Cai family's property years ago.

The police looked at Song Xianglan.

"Comrade Song, these people are testifying that you stole from the Cai family. How can you prove you didn't steal?"

"That's an interesting statement."

Song Xianglan crossed her arms and said, "From now on, if anyone loses a cat or dog, come to my house to search. You'll all get a taste of what it's like to empty the chamber pot."

The Cai family's old house is gone; the family has been relocated for renovation.

"You think it's reasonable for someone from another village like me to specifically go to the ruins of his house to steal a broken teacup?"

"outrageous."

The ugly woman chimed in, "Lanlan's been set up. Someone's jealous of her wealth and took the opportunity to go to her house and accuse her of stealing a broken teacup. It's clearly extortion."

Lin Fang ran back next door, grabbed a rough porcelain teacup, and stuffed it into Qiao's mother's hand.

"One cent each, here you go. They say the rich used to make money through dishonest means, and it seems their hearts really were blackened to the core, even blaming others for a broken cup."

Qiao's mother was so angry that she shoved the teacup into her hands.

"You're being unreasonable. Officer, go in and search her. Let's see if she's still so stubborn after we find her."

The police officer stepped forward.

"Comrade Song, since there are victims who have reported the case and witnesses who have identified the suspects, we need to follow procedures to search the premises."

Song Xianglan stood up straight and stood directly in the middle of the gate.

"After a few good years, the Cai family has started to get cocky again."

"What if we don't get what you want? If you search us whenever you want, how can I, Song Xianglan, face anyone in the village after this?" Song Xianglan's eyes were sharp.

One of the men from the Cai family spoke with a cold expression.

"Don't obstruct the investigation. If you haven't done anything wrong, what are you afraid of being searched for?"

"So what if I stopped you?" Song Xianglan said arrogantly, without backing down. "I know the laws and regulations better than you do."

"If you have legal permits, then go ahead and search my house. Anyone who dares to force their way in today will face my wrath and I will file a complaint with higher authorities."

The ugly woman jumped up and down, cursing:

"Wearing uniforms and hanging out with scum like the Qiao family who sell their daughters. Are you pimps hired by the Qiao family?"

The police officer was so angry he was red in the face.

If it weren't for the director's instructions that this matter involved overseas Chinese investment, they would have left immediately.

When the other man in the Cai family realized that force wouldn't work, he softened his stance.

"If we can't find it, we'll write an apology letter and compensate you with 100 yuan. Consider it compensation."

"One hundred yuan?" Song Xianglan curled her lip, her face full of disdain. "One hundred yuan isn't even enough for me to buy snacks for the chickens and ducks at home. Are you trying to send me a beggar?"

How many do you want?

Song Xianglan held up one finger.

"First, if you can't find it, you must cooperate with the police to find the culprit who framed me."

Second, your Cai family must publish an apology letter in the Qingyang newspaper for a week.

Third, compensate me with two thousand yuan for emotional distress.

"Agree to these three conditions, and you can come in freely. If you disagree with any one of them, no one is allowed to step into this courtyard today. At worst, you can say I'm obstructing official business and arrest me; I'll stand my ground to the very end today."

Liu Chounu, Lin Fang, and Song Tingting were all standing at the door.

"Step over us, or arrest us."

Villagers outside shouted, "Don't be afraid, Song Shazhu! Our village has plenty of old women and children who haven't gone to school yet. Unless they can all cross over..."

The two Cai brothers exchanged a glance, their faces turning ashen.

I never expected this old woman to have such a good reputation in the village.

They turned their attention to Qiao's mother.

Mrs. Qiao felt uneasy under her gaze, and forced herself to shout:

"She's just a pig butcher, where would she get the money to build high-rises, buy sewing machines, and televisions? That money must have come from shady sources." Every word made no mention of Song Xianglan owning a factory.

At this moment, Granny Yu came over, leaning on her cane.

She said with a sarcastic tone, "Song Xianglan used to be so poor she couldn't even afford food, but she suddenly became rich in recent years. She must have done something bad."

I saw with my own eyes that her house was filled with valuable old items. She's a master of petty theft; she might have actually taken someone's family heirloom.

"Stop talking nonsense, you old hag."

Liu Chounu pointed at Granny Yu's nose and cursed, "Your eyes are on the rocks in the latrine. Lanlan's family earned everything they have, penny by penny. You're just jealous that they're doing well, and you've lost all shame by barking like a dog."

The older man in the Cai family gritted his teeth:

"Okay, I agree to your terms."

Song Xianglan turned to look at the police.

"Officer, could you please write a statement? Please write down the conditions we just agreed to in black and white and have it signed. This will prevent anyone from going back on their word later."