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

The lingering warmth of the evening had not yet faded.

Song Xianglan returned to Song Xiangdong's residence.

As soon as the door opened, Shen Huijun came out to greet them.

She had just returned from grocery shopping and was cutting the fins of a yellowfin tuna in the kitchen.

"Mom, why are you only just getting back?" Shen Huijun scrutinized Song Xianglan's face. "You look so pale, what happened?"

Song Xianglan settled down on the sofa.

He countered with, "Has Yang Liu been coming here more often lately?"

Shen Huijun sat down next to Song Xianglan. "I haven't seen him much. Xiang Dong is always busy and never around, not even on weekends."

Since my two children started school in Beijing, I go to the library after get off work, or I stay home tinkering with my plants. Yang Liu is such a chatterbox, I can't keep up, so I've basically ignored her. What happened?

Song Xianglan snorted coldly:

"She's using the guise of 'going east' to set up some insider information groups and swindle money everywhere."

"Has she gone mad? This is a matter of life and death."

Shen Huijun's voice trembled with anger, "How dare she use Xiang Dong's name to swindle and deceive people? If this gets out, what will become of Xiang Dong's career?"

"How dare she lie to people when she's someone I have no connection with at all?"

Song Xianglan: "When I was beating her on the ground today, she still had the audacity to say that if anything happened, she would put all the blame on Xiang Dong."

Shen Huijun's chest heaved violently.

"How can there be such a shameless person in the world? She's trying to kill us."

"What kind of relative is she? If acquaintances don't harm you, it's very difficult for others to do so. A scoundrel with questionable character is a living minefield hidden right next to you."

"Be careful in the future. Those relatives or associates of the Song family who want to associate with you must call me first."

"Don't associate with them anymore."

Shen Huijun nodded repeatedly, "I don't like associating with people I don't know well. There are no people from my family in Shenzhen either. I'm just afraid of causing trouble for Xiang Dong."

Song Xianglan patted her daughter-in-law's hand.

The children raised by the elderly couple in the Shen family are all sensible and clear-headed.

In Song Xianglan's eyes, these relatives from outside were far less important than the future of her own children.

Song Xianglan stood up. "Let's go cook."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went into the kitchen.

Shen Huijun prepares seafood.

Song Xianglan was in charge of cooking.

The stone olive and pork rib soup was simmering in the casserole. When it was almost done, I put the abalone in and cooked it for a few more minutes before turning off the heat.

The oil sizzled.

Stir-fried bean sprouts with daylily and stir-fried squid with green and red peppers were served one after another.

Steamed yellowfin tuna is drizzled with hot oil.

Finally, add a dish of braised pork belly with pickled cucumber.

The mixed grain and sweet potato rice in the rice cooker also switched to the keep-warm setting.

The food had just been served.

The sound of a door opening came from the entryway.

Song Xiangdong came in.

Shen Huijun stepped forward and took his bag.

"Why are you home so early today?"

"There wasn't much to do, I came back as soon as I finished." Song Xiangdong loosened his tie, walked to the sink to wash his hands, "I was thinking of coming back early to have a meal with you guys."

Shen Huijun glanced at the dishes on the table.

"I assumed it was just Mom and me, so I didn't do much. Since you're back so early, I'll go downstairs to the roast meat shop and get another half a poached chicken."

"Stop bothering."

Song Xiangdong sat down at the dining table, looking at the dishes on it. "Home-cooked meals are the best. These dishes are enough."

"Eating a little less is fine. People these days don't starve; they're all sick from overeating."

Song Xianglan carried a bowl of mixed grain and sweet potato rice out of the kitchen.

He handed a bowl to Song Xiangdong.

The family of three started eating.

Song Xianglan ate a bite of green vegetables.

He recounted in detail how he went to Yang Liu's house that afternoon to call the police and have someone arrested.

Finally, Song Xianglan put down her chopsticks.

"Yang Liu is inherently greedy and lustful, but her brain is completely rotten. She would never come up with such a convoluted scheme to swindle money from insiders. I suspect someone is teaching her this."

Song Xiangdong had already thought of that.

He sits in that position year after year.

His keen perception far surpasses that of ordinary people.

He could sense danger as soon as something started to emerge.

"Mom," Song Xiangdong's gaze darkened, "You recorded the whole thing?"

"Yes. This concerns your reputation, how could I not have a backup plan?"

Song Xianglan picked up a piece of pork belly and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly. "I've been recording since she knocked on the door. She admitted to using your name to make money."

Song Xiangdong nodded.

"Keep that voice recorder safe. I hope it will never be used. But my sixth sense tells me I might need it."

The Song family is not short of money.

The industry is clean and tidy under the sunlight.

Song Xianglan donates large sums of money to charity every year, and there is not a single fault to be found with her.

But it's precisely because its foundation is so clean.

There are always some shady characters who want to stab you in the back.

Shen Huijun's heart pounded as she listened to the conversation.

She put down her rice bowl and carefully examined her husband.

At some point, more and more white strands appeared in Song Xiangdong's hair at his temples.

"East." Shen Huijun's voice trembled slightly. "Have you encountered some insurmountable obstacle recently?"

Song Xiangdong picked up a piece of the tenderest fish belly meat, removed all the bones, and put it into Shen Huijun's bowl.

"Don't overthink it. I haven't done anything illegal or disorderly; the sky isn't going to fall."

After dinner.

Shen Huijun cleared away the dishes.

Song Xianglan leaned back on the sofa and watched TV.

The phone rang in the living room.

Song Xianglan answered the phone.

Before she could even speak, Song Qiang's voice, distorted, came from the other end: "Third Aunt, something terrible has happened!"

"What are you yelling about?" Song Xianglan turned down the TV volume.

"I went to the police station to inquire."

Song Qiang was panting heavily on the other end of the line, "Yang Liu's insider group has swindled tens of millions of yuan."

A significant amount of money didn't go into the stock market; instead, it was transferred abroad through underground money changers via a man named Hui.

Song Xianglan frowned.

"Money laundering?"

Song Qiang rambled on, "That stupid woman Yang Liu insists that all her money was lost in the stock market, and she can't contact that Brother Hui either. Someone deliberately set her up. Third Aunt, that's a hole of tens of millions, and I can't fill it."

Song Xianglan's tone was stern:

"Fill in the hole? Are you out of your mind? Let her go to jail for the trouble she caused."

"Did you think your money came from thin air? Everyone has to bear their own consequences. You and she divorced a long time ago, so legally it has nothing to do with you. You have seven daughters to support, so stay out of their business."

Song Qiang hung up the phone hesitantly.

He cursed Yang Liu in his heart, thinking she was something special just because she made a little money.

The next few days were uneventful.

Early Thursday morning, someone from above came to Song Xiangdong's workplace and called him away for a talk.

Shen Huijun was restless at home.

Song Xianglan remained calm.

Go grocery shopping, go grocery shopping; cook, cook.

in the afternoon.

Lei Li has arrived.

Lei Li entered the room. "Mom, my flight from Beijing was this morning. The plane was delayed, so I only just arrived."

"Have some water first." Song Xianglan poured a glass of cool boiled water and handed it to her.

Leili Quick Report Guide:

"My grandfather heard rumors that someone had submitted a report with their real name."

The materials claim that the elder brother was a protector of underground banks and illegal fundraising groups. The materials specifically name Yang Liu, the ringleader, as a relative of the elder brother.

Song Xianglan gave a cold laugh.

Lei Li continued:

"Those people timed it perfectly. They wanted to use Yang Liu's mess to stop Big Brother from making any progress."

Song Xianglan entered the bedroom.

A moment later, he came out holding the black voice recorder in his hand.

Song Xianglan stared at Lei Li, "Find someone to hand this over. Yang Liu admitted in person that he was using Xiang Dong's name to deceive people outside."

Lei Li grabbed the recording pen.

He let out a heavy sigh.

"My grandfather is too old and has been retired for so many years. His old comrades-in-arms from back then are either dead or living in nursing homes."

The children of my old comrades-in-arms each have their own agendas. Some harbored resentment, which led them to devise a grand scheme.

"They found Yang Liu, that blockhead. It's a good thing for us."

"My brother has a clean record. They can't find a single problem with him. They're just trying to stall for time."

Song Xianglan hit the nail on the head: "After being delayed for ten or fifteen days, it's too late. Hand over the recording pen; we can't let those scoundrels lead us by the nose."

Lei Li nodded: "Understood. I'll take care of it right away."