After returning home and picking up little Zhi Zhi from her mother, Su Xiangwan made dinner, especially waiting for Song Qingshan and his brother.

She had to confirm whether Liu Minli was a spy before taking any further action.

When Song Tingxiu arrived, Su Xiangwan usually made something special for him to eat.

At home, there was some beef brought from the reservoir. Su Xiangwan simmered it again to make soup, then cut it into large chunks.

Each person got a bowl of beef noodles, and on a hot summer day, she prepared two cold side dishes.

It was a full meal.

However, after waiting for a long time, only Song Tingxiu arrived, not Song Qingshan.

Apparently, Song Qingshan and Li Yifan had been urgently called back to the provincial capital for a meeting.

“As of now, I can’t find any connection between Liu Minli and the explosion at the reservoir,” Song Tingxiu said, picking up a piece of beef with his chopsticks.

He looked back at Lu Dan and said, “Song Donghai, your mom’s cooking really tastes great.”

“My aunt’s cooking is also very good. You probably haven’t tasted it,” Lu Dan grinned and said.

Song Tingxiu blushed slightly, not knowing how to respond to the child’s comment.

He genuinely had some feelings for Su Xiangwan, but the problem was that she was focused on her career and studies.

At seventeen or eighteen, she was not thinking about marriage.

Su Xiangwan served the noodles to everyone and then scooped out the last soft noodles from the pot, feeding little Zhi Zhi. “So, if you say you can’t find anything, the police can’t charge her, right?”

“Yes, and I’ve eavesdropped on several of her calls. She and her brother Liu Zaiye talked about how to deal with you, as well as the issue of adopting Chengze. Big Sister, what exactly did you do to offend Liu Minli?”

Song Tingxiu also couldn’t understand this situation.

It seemed like some misfortune had fallen from the sky.

These two women, who had barely met, Liu Minli had been investigating Su Xiangwan’s files everywhere, trying to dig up her past.

“What about the theft accusation against Chengze? That should be solvable, right?” Su Xiangwan asked.

Song Tingxiu had a plan: “For now, I’m going to take Chengze to talk to Liu Minli. This issue definitely can’t be let go. She needs to go to the school tomorrow and publicly clarify that Chengze didn’t steal but acquired it legally.”

“Alright, let’s eat and then head over to the guesthouse to find Liu Minli,” Su Xiangwan said.

Li Chengze, at that moment, was just like Lu Dan, completely surrounded by happiness.

However, when he saw that Su Xiangwan was bringing Zhi Zhi along, he immediately objected. “Mom, leave Zhi Zhi next door. If we get into an argument, she might get scared.”

Song Tingxiu also said, “The girls from the cultural troupe can speak ten times more powerfully than ordinary people. Big Sister, why bring Zhi Zhi? Quickly find someone to take care of her.”

“This is my daughter. Whatever I do, she sees it from a young age. When she grows up, she’ll be just like me,” Su Xiangwan said.

Song Tingxiu was a bit scared. “Big Sister, Zhi Zhi is such a beautiful girl. Let’s not have her turn out like you, who’s too fierce for most people to handle.”

Su Xiangwan thought to herself that Zhi Zhi, born in 1966, would grow up just in time for the reform and opening-up period.

Back then, society would be full of mixed forces, and a woman who was a bit tough wouldn’t get bullied.

Seeing that Su Xiangwan was determined to argue, Song Tingxiu thought for a moment, then quietly whispered in her ear, “I’ve been with Liu Minli for a while and know a little of her unspeakable secrets. I’ll tell you now, but Big Sister, let’s try not to use it unless we really have to, okay?”

Su Xiangwan looked at Song Tingxiu in surprise. “Tingxiu, you’re quite capable. You’ve learned how to use your skills effectively.”

For someone who was usually focused on policies and principles, getting this kind of inside information from a police officer wasn’t easy.

Alright, Song Tingxiu did reveal a piece of unethical information about Liu Minli.

If Liu Minli was really stubborn and didn’t apologize, Su Xiangwan was prepared to use it.

Meanwhile, Liu Minli and a few of the girls from the cultural troupe were chatting in the guesthouse.

Usually, the girls talked about clothes, the latest dance rehearsals, and the handsome, capable young men in the military region.

Liu Minli never paid attention to those young men in their twenties with acne.

She always preferred mature men like Song Qingshan.

Of course, if Su Xiangwan’s background wasn’t questionable, Liu Minli wouldn’t care, but given that Su Xiangwan’s background was very poor and her mother and brother were still in a labor camp in Haixi, Liu Minli had to think twice.

But Song Qingshan was so clueless when it came to romance.

He had rescued them from a fire, scolded them all, and then brought them to the command center to do a half-day drill.

Now, the girls were all cursing Song Qingshan and Chen Aidan.

It was said that in the Reservoir Brigade, all the men were clueless and completely lacked any sense of romance.

Liu Minli deeply believed in this point.

Moreover, the more hope she had once held, the deeper the disappointment she felt now.

She had once thought rather highly of Song Qingshan.

She believed that if the organization pressured him to divorce Su Xiangwan and he was left with just one child, she wouldn’t mind being introduced to him and forming a family together.

But now, even if he knelt and begged her a hundred times, it would barely soften her heart.

“Comrade Liu, there’s a police officer surnamed Song outside, with a female comrade. They’re asking to see you,” a receptionist knocked on her door and said.

“Not seeing them,” Liu Minli waved her hand dismissively.

It was obviously about the belt incident, but to her, it was just a small matter she used to vent her anger.

She hadn’t taken it seriously.

Seeing that the other girls in the troupe had stopped talking, she prompted, “Go on, keep talking! I was enjoying hearing you all curse Song Qingshan—why stop now?”

Xiao Qin from the troupe said, “Forget it. Didn’t you hear that his family member is here? We’re all unmarried women. If his family hears us, won’t they say the girls in the art troupe are unruly?”

The girls in the art troupe were already a thorn in the side of military spouses throughout the entire Qinzhou military district.

Reputation mattered. It wouldn’t be good to ignore it.

After all, while the young men in the military liked watching them dance, when choosing a wife, they often preferred quieter, steadier women with more stable jobs.

At that moment, the door was suddenly flung open. First to enter was Song Tingxiu, followed by Su Xiangwan.

The girls, who had been lounging around lazily on the bed, all straightened up at once when they saw such a handsome man walk in.

Liu Minli wasn’t unprepared.

Besides, her brother was a revolutionary in Qinzhou and was skilled at flattering others.

She had learned by example.

Sitting upright, she said sharply, “Su Xiangwan, don’t think I’m afraid of you. Let me tell you something—your mother and brother are in Haixi County. If I want, I can immediately have someone from the labor reform farm in Haixi testify that you’re problematic.”

Then, seeing that Su Xiangwan wasn’t leaving, she pointed at her and said, “Get out! It’s after hours, and I don’t welcome you here.”

Song Tingxiu, seeing that Liu Minli looked ready to fight, reached out a hand and said, “Comrade, calm down. Let’s talk this out. No need to get physical.”

“Who’s getting physical? You barged in here while the girls in our art troupe aren’t properly dressed! You’re even wearing a uniform—don’t you understand human rights? Privacy rights?” Liu Minli certainly knew her rights.

Unexpectedly, Su Xiangwan walked straight past her and yanked up the bed sheet on Liu Minli’s bed.

Lifting the sheet wasn’t enough—Su Xiangwan began rummaging through the straw-filled mattress beneath it.

“What are you doing, Su Xiangwan?” Liu Minli screamed.

Seeing her continue searching, Liu Minli shouted, “Xiao Qin, grab her hand! Stop her!”

After searching for a while, Su Xiangwan suddenly pulled out an empty hand.

She said, “When you bully others, you don’t talk about human rights or privacy rights. But when we come to seek justice, you start preaching about rights?”

“What do you want?” Liu Minli demanded.

She quickly shifted to sit on the spot where Su Xiangwan had just been rummaging. Clearly, there was something hidden there that she didn’t want exposed.

“Apologize to my son,” Su Xiangwan said.

“He’s a thief! Why should I apologize?” Liu Minli, feeling confident that what she had hidden was safe, refused to budge.

Su Xiangwan said, “You’ve hidden a banned book, Dream of the Red Chamber, under your mattress, haven’t you? That’s classified as part of the Four Olds. I didn’t take it out because I don’t think it’s right to condemn someone over a book. But tomorrow morning, you need to publicly apologize at the school and clarify that my son isn’t a thief.”

“What if I don’t?” Liu Minli, raised by a brother who was fearless and wild, had always been a willful person.

She had never apologized to anyone.

Su Xiangwan replied, “Then I’ll call the Revolutionary Committee right now to search this dormitory and see what other contraband the girls in the art troupe might be hiding.”

This threat worked—while Liu Minli remained defiant, the faces of her subordinates turned pale.

After all, who among them didn’t have something hidden under their beds that they didn’t want discovered?

The chairman of the Qing River County Revolutionary Committee, Cao Jinwang, was known as a relentless stickler.

When criticizing people, he didn’t care about age or beauty—he showed no mercy.

“What do you want, then?” Liu Minli asked, sitting stiffly as though there were a firecracker under her.

“Tomorrow morning, go to the school and apologize, publicly clearing my son of theft accusations,” Su Xiangwan said.

This didn’t seem like too big of an ask. Xiao Qin and the others began shaking Liu Minli, urging her, “Captain, just agree to it. The child didn’t steal anything—he even helped us paint posters for so long.”

After thinking for a while, Liu Minli bit her lip and finally nodded.

If she didn’t agree, she could see that Su Xiangwan would expose what she had hidden under her mattress.

“One more thing—report to the Women’s Federation tomorrow morning and accompany me to the countryside to promote contraception policies to unmarried women,” Su Xiangwan added.

This, however, Liu Minli outright refused. “Why should I? Our art troupe belongs to the military district. What does it have to do with the Women’s Federation?”

Promoting policies meant exhausting legwork.

Her legs were already swollen today!

Su Xiangwan gave the group of girls a glance and said, “I’ve reviewed your performance reports. Over the past two months, there have been no new programs scheduled. What have you been doing all day in the troupe, causing trouble or fooling around?”

“Why should we?” Liu Minli retorted.

Su Xiangwan looked them over carefully, saying, “Because I am the head of the Women’s Federation in this county, and as women, all the women in this county fall under my jurisdiction.”

Liu Minli was infuriated, her fists clenched as if ready to charge at Su Xiangwan.

Several of the girls hurriedly restrained her. “Liu Troupe Leader, calm down. Let’s hold back for now, alright?”

Liu Minli ground her teeth in fury. “Su Xiangwan, you’ll pay for this.”

As Su Xiangwan watched the girls leave, Li Chengze carried little Zhi Zhi on his head.

She was unusually quiet, her large, dark eyes staring thoughtfully at Su Xiangwan.

Fuming, Liu Minli glared at the little girl, tilting her head.

The little girl mirrored her movement, both maintaining a silent, intense stare with unblinking black eyes.

Liu Minli bared her teeth at the child, who responded with a silent showing of her baby teeth.

As for Song Tingxiu, the deputy head of the police station, he seemed to silently approve of what was happening.

Liu Minli watched them leave, then grabbed the phone and dialed a number in the provincial capital. “Brother, I don’t want to stay here anymore. Hurry up and transfer me.”

She thought she could act arrogantly as the troupe leader.

Who knew that Su Xiangwan could use her position as the head of the Women’s Federation to control her?

Liu Zaiye’s voice came over the phone. “Silly girl, hold on for a little while longer. I’ll come and rescue you soon.”

“Why not come now?” Liu Minli snapped.

Liu Zaiye hurriedly ended the call, leaving his sister stranded there.

Having a new ally changed everything.

Coming out of the guesthouse, Li Chengze seemed to walk with a lighter step.

Just then, a jeep screeched to a halt in front of the guesthouse.

The window rolled down, and there sat Song Qingshan. Beside him was Li Yifan.

Upon seeing Li Yifan, Zhi Zhi reached out her tiny hand and said, “Cat, cat.”

Li Yifan’s face darkened immediately.

Why? Because during their return to the provincial capital, she overheard from Gu Bei that Li Yifan had privately referred to her as an “owl.”

When confronted, Gu Bei nonchalantly admitted it: “Owls are kind of cute. I don’t see what’s wrong with calling you that.”

This confirmed Li Yifan had been secretly calling her that.

Li Yifan hurried back to Qingshui County, too annoyed to argue with her on the way back.

Now, her mood soured further when Su Xiangwan filled the car with her three sons, reeking of sweat.

She said, “County Mayor, tomorrow our Women’s Federation has an event. We’ll coordinate with the cultural troupe, getting them to the grassroots—factories, middle schools, and residential areas—to promote the importance of underage girls protecting themselves. You’ll approve, right?”

“No,” Li Yifan replied, frustrated and giving Su Xiangwan a cold shoulder. “The cultural troupe has its own responsibilities. Why should they be involved with your work? Protecting underage girls is your task, not theirs.”

Then she turned to Song Qingshan. “You need to manage your sons. They can’t even take a bath without smelling like this.”

Her words clearly conveyed her irritation, using this as an excuse to vent her frustration.

Song Qingshan suddenly slammed on the brakes. “Li Jie, the girls in the cultural troupe are paid by the provincial military district. But all day long, they come to disrupt our operations at the reservoir. You know that, right?”

“That’s their duty,” Li Yifan retorted.

Song Qingshan, in front of the children, gave no quarter. “Yet they waste the provincial budget with their performances. Why should we tolerate that? I’m the one making the decision. Tomorrow, they’ll all work under Su Vice-Director.”

“Song Qingshan, are you the mayor, or am I the mayor?” Li Yifan grew even angrier.

“I only know that there are principles in work. In times when people are barely surviving, what’s the point of dancing?”

Song Qingshan stepped out of the car and personally opened the door for the others.

This left Su Xiangwan and the children a bit shaken.

They feared Song Qingshan might forcefully remove Li County Mayor from the car.

Although disputes like these were common in work, being too blunt with a woman wasn’t considered appropriate.

Unexpectedly, Song Qingshan opened the rear door and gently lifted Lu Dan, saying, “Get out. Dad will walk you all back.”

Lu Dan and Gou Dan sniffed themselves, discovering they did smell bad, and quickly got out of the car.

Su Xiangwan hugged Zhi Zhi and followed.

Within moments, only Li Yifan remained in the passenger seat, staring out the window as the family walked away.

She couldn’t help but feel bewildered: “Qingshan, are you okay? Just kick the kids out of the car? Hurry up and drive; I want to go home.”

Song Qingshan said nothing, lifting Lu Dan and holding Gou Dan’s hand as Su Xiangwan followed close behind, lifting her son.

Together, they walked away from the car.

Gou Dan kept biting his lip and wiping away tears, reflecting on the thought that even if life felt unbearable, he no longer wanted to return to another world.

At this moment, in this world, Song Xiling was the person he loved most—his father!