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

"Xiaoyu," Song Xianglan took the girl's hand, "What grade are you in?"

"Fourth grade," Xiaoyu answered honestly.

"How were your grades?"

"It's alright." Xiaoyu lowered her head. "I'm thinking of dropping out of school in two years and finding a factory job. My mom works too hard all by herself, and I need to help her share the burden."

Song Xianglan's face darkened.

"Nonsense. You'd rather skip school and work at a factory operating a sewing machine? Your mother works herself to the bone just so you could work at a sewing machine?"

Xiaoyu was stunned by the scolding.

"But...I want to share some of the burden."

"No need. At your age, you should just focus on your studies and improve every day."

Grandma Wu sighed beside her, "Young lady, it's not that Xiaoyu is being unreasonable. It's just that the tuition is too expensive, and it's really difficult for Yao Hong to support two children on her own."

Song Xianglan spoke earnestly and patiently.

"Sister-in-law, whether it's Xiaoyu, Xiaoxiang, or your grandchildren, remember that only through education can you find a way out."

You adults must urge your children to study; only through education can they escape our current lives. They can even go on to vocational school or university.

Xiaoyu raised her head, her eyes glistening with tears, and nodded emphatically, biting her lip.

Everyone nodded.

No one thought Song Xianglan was wrong.

Poor families especially want their children to escape the life of peasants.

The meal in the shantytown was unusually lively.

The old hen soup was simmered until golden brown, and the stir-fried salted pork with garlic sprouts smelled delicious.

Braised crucian carp, salted river shrimp, stir-fried pumpkin tips, and braised pork with tofu knots.

Several elderly women squeezed around a table, eating and cursing their husbands for the humiliation they suffered outside.

Song Xianglan didn't put on airs like a rich lady.

I joined in their cursing and also shared a few tips on how to deal with scoundrels.

Until the sun began to set.

Song Xianglan finally left the shantytown with satisfaction.

Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiang escorted her to the alley entrance, one on each side.

Song Xianglan touched the children's faces. "Alright, go back now. Lock the door. Remember not to let anyone in, and you two sisters should come and go together. I've told Grandma Wu to let her stay at your house."

"Grandma Song, we know."

Seeing the two girls turn and run back into the alley, Song Xianglan then waved and hailed a pedicab.

Get in the car.

The smile on her face vanished completely.

They needed to resolve Fu Qingnian's matter quickly, and Yao Hong also had her first sum of money to improve the children's lives.

……

At eight o'clock in the evening, the neon lights had just come on.

Fu Qingnian sat in his usual spot at the Western restaurant, with a half-finished cup of coffee in front of him.

This was the fifth time he had looked at his watch.

It's been three days.

Ever since that night when I brought Yao Hong back.

This woman seemed to have vanished into thin air.

He went to the front desk to inquire, but the receptionist was tight-lipped, only saying that the guest had requested confidentiality and could not reveal his whereabouts. He waited in the lobby for two days, but didn't even catch a glimpse of him.

Fu Qingnian grew increasingly anxious as he waited. Was this piece of fat meat that was already in his mouth going to fly away?

"Boss Fu, who are you looking for?" A teasing female voice came from the side and behind.

Fu Qingnian suddenly turned around.

Yao Hong was wearing a fitted black pencil skirt and carrying a Louis Vuitton bag.

She possessed an unapproachable air of nobility.

It's even worse than a few days ago.

Fu Qingnian quickly stood up and gestured for her to stand. "Where have you been these past few days, Miss Yao? I thought I'd never see you again, and I felt so sorry for you."

Yao Hong glanced down at him.

"Mr. Fu, what brings you here to inquire about my whereabouts?"

"Too many men want to drink with me, but I'm very busy."

Fu Qingnian, having been rebuffed, quickly smiled apologetically, "It's just that I haven't seen you for a few days, and I've been thinking about you. You drank too much that night, and I've been wanting to ask how you're feeling these past few days."

"No need for you to bother." Yao Hong said coldly, turning and walking towards the elevator.

Fu Qingnian quickly followed and stood in front of the elevator door.

"Miss Yao. There's a banquet hosted by the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce tomorrow night. The attendees are all prominent local business owners." Fu Qingnian offered his bait. "You mentioned before that you had some idle funds and wanted to look for projects in China? That's a good opportunity."

Yao Hong stopped and turned to look at Fu Qingnian.

"A chamber of commerce dinner?"

She raised an eyebrow, her tone critical, "Go drinking with a bunch of local bullies who talk nonsense? I don't have time for that."

Fu Qingnian was taken aback.

He thought that if he offered the bait of finding projects, Yao Hong would definitely take the bait.

"Miss Yao, there are many opportunities in Haishi. Within the Chamber of Commerce..."

"Whether there are many opportunities or not, I'll see for myself." Yao Hong interrupted him, raising her hand to glance at her newly done bright red nails. "I don't invest in those fancy, superficial businesses. I'm only interested in real land and real estate. Everything else is out of the question."

Fu Qingnian was overjoyed.

Buying real estate is a good idea.

Even a tiny leak would be enough for him to eat for years.

"Miss Yao has good judgment. Buying land and buildings is the safest bet."

Fu Qingnian quickly continued, "I happen to be free tonight too. The weather is nice outside, Miss Yao, would you do me the honor of going to the Huangpu River for some fresh air? By the way, I can also tell you about the property market in Shanghai."

Yao Hong looked him up and down a few times, then glanced at the night outside the door.

A slight smile played on her lips. "Alright. Let's go."

Fu Qingnian was overjoyed.

The frustration of not seeing him for several days vanished instantly.

He quickly walked ahead to lead the way.

Yao Hong wanted to give him a little treat today; to her, men were nothing more than stepping stones.

Song Xianglan has been looking at properties these past two days.

She wants to buy more properties.

She had arranged to meet Shen's mother to go see an apartment together in the afternoon, but Gu Qingping came to see her in the morning.

"Aunt Song, that kid Fu Huanian is ruined." Gu Qingping sneered, "We set a trap for him and he got addicted to gambling. He's been losing for days. The more he loses, the more his eyes turn red. In desperation, he's borrowing money from loan sharks everywhere."

Song Xianglan put down the account book in her hand.

"Is it ready?"

"This kid was complaining to me that his family's old house had some good stuff hidden away, antiques that his grandfather had stolen from someone else years ago. He was planning to steal them and sell them to make a profit."

Song Xianglan frowned. "The antique business is a deep rabbit hole. None of us know anything about it. It wouldn't be worth it if it turned out to be a fake or if we got scammed."

Gu Qingping nodded.

"I'm also worried about this. But Liu Yukun has a lot of connections. He used to help an old man surnamed Tan. That old man knows his stuff; his ancestors were in this business. People in this circle call him Master Tan the Ninth. If you ask him for his opinion, you can't go wrong."

Song Xianglan immediately dialed the landline on the table.

Call the store.

"Come to the restaurant."

I hung up the phone.

Less than half an hour later, there was a knock on the door.

Gu Qingping got up to open the door.

The door had just been opened.

Gu Qingping was so frightened that he took a step back.

"Holy crap, Liu, did a female ghost suck your life essence in the middle of the night? Or did you go to the cemetery and hug a female ghost every night as your groom?"

Song Xianglan looked up.

I almost dropped the teacup I was holding.

The person standing at the door was so thin that he was just skin and bones.

His eyes were sunken, with dark circles under them, and his face was deathly pale, even his lips were bloodless. There was a stubble around his mouth.

When they walk, their steps are unsteady, and they could be blown away by a gust of wind.

Liu Yukun walked in slowly, slumped into a chair, and didn't even have the strength to speak.

"Godmother, what do you want?"

Gu Qingping circled around him once, then lowered his voice and asked, "Brother Liu, what have you been up to lately? Have you started using that stuff?"