Sun Kaixuan: “Absolutely not! Chengguang, don’t worry, absolutely not. The old chief is someone who has been tempered by the revolution and can withstand any test.”

Fang Chengguang stopped asking questions.

Cheng Rushan said, “Since the chief is involved, the case will likely be resolved soon.”

If there were any hindrances, it would take at least three to five months or even a year and a half to close the case.

But with high-level leaders putting pressure, it might be resolved in just three to five days because everyone would stop their other work and focus their efforts on this one case.

Jiang Lin was stunned; she really didn’t expect to become a treasure herself.

Just bumping into a small thug on the street led to uncovering such a huge issue!

Moreover, she was so fated with Fang Chengguang that it directly involved his stepmother’s brother, brother-in-law, and their entire family.

What kind of physique is this?

If a memoir were to be written, there would definitely be a chapter about Uncle Huang.

After Sun Kaixuan left, Fang Chengguang instructed Wensheng on how to wield the sword in a visually appealing way.

Dabao and Xiaobao brought a small gong and a small drum, providing music for Wensheng in the courtyard with rhythmic beats.

While they were talking, someone knocked on the door from outside, calling, “Chengguang?”

It was the voice of his sister, Fang Chengxia.

Fang Chengguang frowned and gave a look to Bie Dongshan.

Bie Dongshan immediately said, “Chengguang is not here; he has gone out.”

However, Fang Chengxia walked in from outside and said, “Don’t try to fool me, I know his temper well enough.”

Fang Chengguang showed no sign of discomfort at being caught, his tone indifferent, “If you’re going to be a lobbyist, please refrain.”

Fang Chengxia felt a bit awkward but wasn’t angry.

She looked at Fang Chengguang and said, “Xiaoguang, will you always be this childish?”

Dabao and Xiaobao immediately stopped what they were doing and stared at her with curiosity.

Xiaobao whispered to Dabao, “Is being childish like us?”

Dabao replied, “Like you, childish.”

Xiaobao retorted, “I’m not childish. Only children are childish.” He was grown-up now.

Inside, Jiang Lin and Yan Runzhi observed and were unsure whether to step forward and greet them.

He Liang subtly shook his head.

Jiang Lin decided to focus on helping Yan Runzhi with the meal.

Outside, Fang Chengxia looked at her brother, deeply saddened by his cold demeanor.

She walked to the doorway and said to Yan Runzhi and Jiang Lin, “Chengguang has caused you trouble.”

Seeing her approach, He Liang quickly stood up to make introductions.

Yan Runzhi simply smiled, leaving everything to Bao’er’s mother.

Jiang Lin asked, “Doctor Fang has something to discuss with Chengguang. Would you like to go to the south room?”

With so many people present, it was somewhat awkward.

Fang Chengxia looked at Jiang Lin and asked, “Jiang Lin, could I have a word with you in private?”

Jiang Lin hesitated for a moment. Not knowing the details of Fang Chengguang’s family matters, she felt uncomfortable intervening and considered declining.

Fang Chengxia forced a smile, “I won’t say anything excessive.”

Fang Chengguang walked over, “Alright, you should go back to your family. You don’t need to persuade me; I’m not buying it.”

Fang Chengxia said, “Xiaoguang, Dad is getting older. You should consider him as well. We no longer have a mother…”

“No, you do!” Fang Chengguang retorted harshly, “You have a mother who’s about the same age as you.”

He could be indifferent towards his father and put on a nonchalant attitude, but when it came to his once beloved sister, he couldn’t control his words, only wanting to use the most bitter words to lash out at her.

He hadn’t accepted Huang Shurou and had a falling out with his father, even moving out in anger.

She had wanted him to go back and apologize to his father.

She didn’t understand why he was so angry about his father coming home for dinner.

He had been most upset when his father didn’t come home before, so why was he even more displeased now that his father was home?

From that moment on, he was deeply disappointed in her and no longer wanted to acknowledge her as his sister.

Her words felt like a slap to Fang Chengxia’s face.

Her eyes reddened instantly, her lips trembling. “Xiaoguang, why don’t you understand? I don’t see her as a mother. I just don’t want to lose Dad too. Our mother is gone; no matter how sad or heartbroken we are, she will never come back. Mom wanted us to take good care of Dad.”

Tears finally streamed down her face. “Xiaoguang, do you really want to lose Dad as well?

He’s getting old, and as his children, we need to be more understanding. I’m not asking you to accept a stepmother, just to get along with her peacefully.

Even if it’s just for appearances, it would make Dad feel at ease, wouldn’t it?”

Fang Chengguang looked at her coldly.

Originally, he was just angry, not sad, but hearing his sister’s words now made him feel a piercing pain.

He instantly lost his composure, as if he were back in his rebellious teenage years, reckless and driven by inner demons.

“Why should I make him feel at ease? As children, we should be understanding of him, but has he ever been understanding of us? When Mom was lying in bed, dying, why didn’t he come to understand our suffering?”

All his understanding went to his young mistress and his later-born child!

Fang Chengxia’s face contorted with pain. “Dad was too busy with work. The situation was so tense back then; he couldn’t… He could only do that…”

“Xiaoguang, without growing up and experiencing those storms, you can’t imagine the pressure he was under. Sister…”

“Stop talking.” Fang Chengguang turned and walked away, not wanting to continue the conversation.

Fang Chengxia said, “Xiaoguang, you can hate Huang Shurou, but you can’t ignore Dad. At his age, he can’t endure such a huge blow a second time.”

Fang Chengguang stopped, turned back, and glared at her. “You’re wrong. I don’t hate Huang Shurou. I never considered her family and never invested any emotions in her. My anger is directed at all of you. How can you forget the past so thoroughly and be so close with another woman who replaced Mom?”

“So you want Dad to live out his days in loneliness? Mom can’t be with him until the end…”

“Wrong! It’s not that Mom can’t be with him until the end; it’s that he never truly stayed with her.”

He didn’t object to his father remarrying; he just objected to him choosing someone like this.

Wouldn’t it be better to find someone closer in age to live with?

Hearing Huang Shurou constantly calling him “Ge” and “Fang Ge” in a coy manner, seizing every opportunity to whisper sweet nothings to his father, made Fang Chengguang want to vomit his dinner from the night before!

“Dad is also in pain. He misses Mom. Can’t you see that? After Mom passed away, he was at his most difficult time, so upset that he couldn’t sleep for nights on end. Why did he start coming home for dinner every day? It was because you wanted him to come home and keep you company. He wanted to fulfill your wish. Why can’t you forgive him?”

Yet Fang Chengguang felt no sympathy, sneering, “Stop trying to nauseate me. Mom is gone. Who are you saying this for? Who are you trying to impress? Besides, are you sure he misses Mom? Or is he just trying to please someone else?”

Fang Chengxia walked towards him, reaching out to grab his arm. “Xiaoguang…”

“Huang Shurou thinks I’m deliberately targeting her, so she sent you to plead on her behalf. Wrong. Huang Xiangyu must die; it doesn’t matter whose brother he is, only whether he is a sinner or not.”

Previously, he had only been avoiding confrontation with Huang Shurou and had not directly clashed with her.

Wasn’t that showing the last bit of consideration for his father?

He stepped aside, allowing the family to enjoy their time together.

Wasn’t that the best repayment he could give his father as a son?

Although he despised Huang Shurou, he had never thought of using any despicable means against her.

He wanted Huang Xiangyu to die because Huang Xiangyu deserved to die!

If he didn’t deserve to die, even if he were Huang Shurou’s brother, nothing would change.

Fang Chengxia choked up, “Xiaoguang, if something happens to her, Dad…”

“If she does something illegal, then she deserves what happens to her. If Dad protects her, then they can suffer together. What’s wrong with that?”

“Are you really so heartless? Have you disregarded father-son and familial relationships?”

“Get out!” Fang Chengguang grabbed her arm and dragged her all the way out, pushing her through the door. “Fang Chengxia, from now on, we are no longer siblings, so don’t delude yourself into thinking you’re here to mediate for someone else!”

“Xiaoguang!” Fang Chengxia, tearful and in pain, rushed towards him.

Fang Chengguang slammed the door shut with force, pushing her away ruthlessly and blocking her sorrowful voice from reaching him.

He wiped his tears fiercely, but the more he wiped, the more they flowed.

A man’s tears don’t fall easily, only because he hasn’t reached the point of deep sorrow.

Dabao, Xiaobao, and Wensheng hid behind the screen wall, peeking at him discreetly.

Wensheng said, “I feel so sad too.”

He touched his chest, feeling a dull ache, then resolutely added, “Fortunately, my mother is fine.”

Xiaobao said, “Xiaoguang is so pitiful.”

Dabao replied, “Don’t worry, he’s a man. Men are very strong.”

Xiaobao said, “I’m a man too. Let’s go check on him.”

Dabao responded, “No, don’t. Men don’t care about their dignity?”

Meanwhile, the others in the courtyard went about their tasks as if nothing had happened.

They didn’t intervene or try to mediate in the argument between Fang Chengguang and his sister.

The words that were bottled up inside could only be shouted out between them; others were powerless to help.

Xiaobao ran over to Cheng Rushan, “Dad, Xiaoguang is so upset. How should I comfort him?”

Cheng Rushan said, “Men don’t need comforting. He’ll be fine in a while.”

Xiaobao said, “But When Dongsheng was unhappy, and Linlin comforted him. Xiaoguang is so pitiful, he doesn’t have a wife.”

Cheng Rushan: … How do you know?

Xiaobao pulled a piece of candy from his pocket and ran to stand in front of Fang Chengguang, offering the candy to him. “You’re so sad. It must feel like there’s a hole in your heart. This candy will help fix it.”

Wensheng once said that when he dreamed of his mother being gone, he felt so sad, as if there was a hole in his heart.

Although Xiaobao couldn’t fully understand this feeling, he almost lost his mother when he was young, so he felt he could relate.

It was like having a bag full of White Rabbit milk candies, but before he could eat any, his mother took them away piece by piece through his fingers.

His heart felt completely empty!

Fang Chengguang leaned against the door.

Initially despondent, he couldn’t help but smile softly at Xiaobao’s words.

He looked down, letting his tears fall to the dusty ground, stirring up small clouds of dust.

Slowly, he slid down to sit on the floor, looking up at Xiaobao’s innocent face. “Kid, if you see a man crying, you should pretend you don’t see it and save face for your buddy.”

Xiaobao pulled out his sweater sleeve and wiped Fang Chengguang’s tears. “I’ll just pretend you’re craving this last piece of candy from me.”

He unwrapped the candy, instinctively swallowing his saliva.

Recently, Linlin had found out about his excessive candy consumption and had banned him from eating any for a few days.

So, this was his last piece.

But for a good buddy, he had to make the sacrifice.

He placed the candy between Fang Chengguang’s lips and generously said, “Eat it. It’ll be better.”

To him, there was no sadness that couldn’t be cured by candy. If one piece wasn’t enough, he’d give another.

Unfortunately, that was all he had.

Seeing Xiaobao’s earnest yet slightly envious expression while offering the candy, Fang Chengguang’s lingering frustration and sadness dissipated instantly, and he couldn’t help but laugh.

He bit into the candy, cracking it in half, and placed one half in Xiaobao’s mouth.

Xiaobao’s eyes lit up, and he rubbed Fang Chengguang’s thick hair, “Good buddies share candy. Alright, don’t be sad anymore.”

Fang Chengguang laughed non-stop from Xiaobao’s antics, “But the hole in my heart needs a whole piece of candy, and now I only have half. What should I do about the other half?”

Xiaobao, chewing on his candy, widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Oh no, I chewed it all up!”

He smiled and said, “It’s alright. The heart will heal itself. Look at my hand; it healed on its own after getting cut. The heart will do the same.”

Then he patted Fang Chengguang’s head to offer comfort.

Dabao and Wen Sheng also came over, with Wen Sheng reaching out to help Fang Chengguang up.

Wensheng said, “Alright, don’t be sad. I’m genuinely offering to lend you half of my mother for now.”

Previously, Wensheng had been reluctant to share his mother with Fang Chengguang, feeling quite unwilling.

But seeing Xiaoguang so upset now, he felt he couldn’t be too stingy and decided it was okay to lend half of his mother to him temporarily.

Fang Chengguang said, “Thank you. I’m sorry for scaring you. Don’t learn from my temper; I’ll control it better in the future.”

Dabao said, “Men all have tempers.”

Xiaobao said, “But you shouldn’t lose your temper with Mom or your wife… Ah, but Xiaoguang’s wife isn’t really his wife; it’s his sister. Should he or shouldn’t he?”

Dabao replied, “I don’t have a sister, so I wouldn’t know.”

Wensheng said, “If the sister is in the wrong, it’s okay to get angry.”

Xiaobao took Fang Chengguang’s hand and said, “Come on, let’s go eat. You’re really a pitiful child.”

Fang Chengguang: “…”

He regretted losing his temper and acting like a rebellious teenager toward his sister.

Now, he felt embarrassed to have been remembered by the children.

Humiliating.

Fang Chengxia stood outside, and although the neighbors heard the commotion, they dared not come out and pretended not to know anything.

As she stood outside, listening to the children and her brother talking, hearing them offer to share their mother with him, and listening as they left… she felt a deep, heart-wrenching pain.

She loved her brother and wanted to improve the relationship between him and their father.

Why had things turned out like this?

Before her mother passed away, she had expressed her greatest concern for Xiaoguang.

Xiaoguang had a stubborn temper, was rebellious, and had a tendency to be obstinate.

Their mother feared that he would become even more rebellious after her death, so she had urged Fang Chengxia to guide him well and take good care of their father.

But she had failed in everything.

Her brother had even turned against her. What had she done wrong?

She felt that everything was pointless.

Fang Chengxia’s mind was in a daze as she trudged out, feeling heavy-hearted and unwilling to return home.

Xiao Lian was waiting outside, “Sister Xia, how did it go?”

Fang Chengxia ignored her and walked away in a state of desolation.

---

After Fang Chengxia left, Fang Chengguang said to Cheng Rushan, “Let’s go to the police station.”

Cheng Rushan replied, “Even if we don’t go, the investigation will still be thorough.”

Fang Chengguang’s smile took on a hint of ruthlessness. “It’s always more satisfying to see them personally face their downfall.”

Cheng Rushan nodded, “Understood.”

Jiang Lin also wanted to go to the school to meet with Zeng Hongjie and others, so she decided to join them.

Cheng Rushan and Fang Chengguang continued to the police station to follow up on the investigation.

When they looked into it, Fang Chengguang was both furious and amused.

Wu Jinshui was a real local despot.

He treated the police station like his own home, a big snake hidden among the officials!

Bribery, selling police positions, colluding with factory leaders to smuggle goods, retaliation, trampling on human life, manipulating cases—Huang Xiangyu’s case was nothing but a small matter to him.

Others came to him for help with their cases, let alone his own brother-in-law?

Cheng Rushan said, “It would be no exaggeration to shoot him a thousand times.”

Fang Chengguang added, “His wife won’t escape responsibility either!”

In such a short time, Wu Jinshui’s wife, Huang Shufen, had been scrambling to find people to help bail Wu Jinshui out, even if it meant pretending to be sick or dead.

Unfortunately, with Cheng Rushan and Fang Chengguang around, no one could make any moves, as they represented the military district’s authority.

Cheng Rushan also took Fang Chengguang to investigate more information around the Huang family’s residence.

They discovered something even more shocking: the Huang family had a tradition of brainwashing their daughters to support their brothers, a practice that had been in place since Huang’s grandfather’s generation and continued into his own.

The family invested significant time and money in educating their daughters, teaching them to be gentle, well-mannered, and skilled in pleasing men.

With five daughters, many suitors came forward even before they reached adulthood.

However, Huang’s parents were not easily swayed.

They rejected matches based on social status and refused poor suitors.

Their goal was to marry off their daughters to powerful, wealthy individuals who could support their son.

The second daughter, Huang Shufen, married Wu Jinshui, who was over a decade older than her.

Their family changed their social standing and helped Huang Shurou secure a position as a nurse at the military hospital.

According to Fang Chengguang’s memory, Huang Shurou met and married a widower who had been grieving his wife for six months.

After becoming Mrs. Fang, her three younger sisters also married, each to increasingly wealthy and powerful men, usually significantly older than them.

The neighbors gossiped behind their backs, but they didn’t care.

Huang’s father’s saying: “In these times, how many people live well through honest labor?”

Ironically, their gains, achieved through exploiting others, fell apart quickly. In less than eight or nine years, their family was destroyed and their reputation ruined.

Jiang Lin went to school to meet with Zeng Hongjie, Su Xingyun, and others to discuss the draft.

Zeng Hongjie and the others only knew that Huang Xiangyu’s brother-in-law was Wu Jinshui but were unaware of his relationship with the Fang family.

Unless one reached a certain level, such connections were rarely known outside, and Jiang Lin wouldn’t disclose more.

However, she assured them that with the military district intervening, both Wu Jinshui and Huang Xiangyu were doomed.

Su Xingyun clapped and cheered, “Eradicating these two scumbags is a great relief!”

He sincerely thanked Jiang Lin, “Jiang Lin, you’re incredible. The classmates really admire you now.”

The shoulder throw Jiang Lin performed last night was nothing short of earth-shattering, startling both male and female classmates.

Many discussed it after returning home, with female classmates envying and male classmates admiring her.

Most importantly, Jiang Lin faced the evil forces with remarkable calm and bravery, which was both impressive and unsettling.

Her composure inspired her classmates, who, despite the fighting, continued to enjoy dancing.

Jiang Lin blushed a little, “I’m not that amazing. I was just really angry with him. Actually, I don’t know how gentle I can be.”