When Fang Baoyu saw everyone pointing at her, she finally backed down. “Sister-in-law, we’re all family. You know how useless Laosan is. What’s the point of reporting anything? Just tell me what you want, I’ll do anything. But don’t make things difficult for me, okay?”

Su Xiangwan was surprised.

She didn’t expect Fang Baoyu to back off so easily.

She stood in front of the stall and asked loudly, “Have I been bullying you just because I’m the head of the Women’s Federation?”

Fang Baoyu had a thick layer of snowflake powder on her face, both because of the cold and the tension, and it was falling off in clumps. She didn’t respond.

“Did your daughter, Chen Xiaoli, falsely accuse my son of hitting someone, when it was actually her who had hives? Did she apologize to my son?” Su Xiangwan asked again.

Fang Baoyu took a deep breath and turned to look at Chen Xiaoli.

Chen Xiaoli didn’t seem to care at all.

She sniffed and even sneered.

Though young, this girl was far more cunning than Fang Baoyu.

Fang Baoyu rubbed her hands together and said, “Sister-in-law, it’s just a kid. Does it really matter?” She wanted to let it go.

Su Xiangwan kept staring, determined to make Chen Xiaoli apologize.

This was too good of an opportunity to miss.

“It does matter. As for you and Laosan’s business, you two can figure it out. But tonight, have your daughter come to my house and apologize to my son. If not, I’ll take the Women’s Federation and investigate your cohabitation with Chen Jianguo,” Su Xiangwan said firmly, raising a kitchen knife.

Then, she left the crowd.

She didn’t buy the meat, but watched a big spectacle.

Afterward, Su Xiangwan managed to squeeze her way home with her two kids.

Not long after, there was a knock at the door.

She thought it was Song Qingshan returning with the two sons.

However, when she opened the door, it was Song Laosan and behind him, a sniffling Song Fu.

Both father and son were trembling with the cold. But since meeting Song Laosan, Su Xiangwan had never seen him so happy.

“Sister-in-law, what do you think of this pork rib?” Song Laosan placed several large chunks of ribs on the table and rubbed his hands together to warm them before covering Song Fu’s ears. “If it weren’t for you today, our Fuwa would still be lost.”

Song Fu, being a fool, was happily jumping around on the ground.

Clearly, he preferred being with his father, Song Laosan, rather than his mother, Fang Baoyu.

Su Xiangwan had only acted to defend her son against the false accusation by Chen Xiaoli, so she refused to accept Song Laosan’s pork ribs.

But Song Laosan was too excited to hide his emotions. “Sister-in-law, you have to take them. They’re small ribs with the vertebrae chopped up. Chen Jianguo gave them to me as compensation. To be honest, that woman Fang Baoyu used to teach me to fake illnesses for money. I’ve had enough of her. I just wanted to give these to Chen Jianguo. You have to take them.”

With that, he grabbed Song Fu and seemed ready to leave.

“Stay for dinner, Uncle Laosan,” Zhi Zhi said, smiling at the door.

After turning over a new leaf, Song Laosan looked at his only little girl.

He touched her rosy little cheeks and said, “Uncle Laosan doesn’t have any candy for you now, but after the New Year, I’ll earn some points and get you candy.”

With that, Song Laosan took Song Fu and the two father and son left happily.

Su Xiangwan wasn’t sure how Song Qingshan had disciplined his sons, but she was standing with Li Chengze and Zhi Zhi, both of them watching eagerly from the kitchen door, waiting for them to return.

Meanwhile, firecrackers were already popping in the distance.

The radio played enthusiastic New Year greetings, and several channels were singing popular songs like “My Motherland,” “Support the Army,” and “On the Golden Mountain of Beijing.”

Finally, Li Chengze rushed in and exclaimed, “Aunt Su, they’re back, they really came back!”

“Oh, what do they look like?” Su Xiangwan and Zhi Zhi both stuck their heads out from the kitchen.

Li Chengze didn’t know how to describe them. “One has his neck pulled to the left, the other to the right, but they’re both being carried by my uncle.”

Sure enough, Song Qingshan entered the door, one son in each arm.

Song Qinshan was sweating, his forehead shining with moisture. He originally had a stern look, but when he saw Su Xiangwan, his expression softened.

At the same time, he shook his head, clearly meaning that these two stubborn sons were difficult to deal with.

It must be said, these two boys had a lot of spirit.

They had been out for twelve hours and still hadn’t made up, clearly still angry at each other and their father.

They didn’t even look at each other, nor at their father.

In short, the father and two sons were in full-on combat mode.

This was good, Su Xiangwan thought.

After Song Qinshan had used his big stick, it seemed the brothers not only were angry at each other, but also at their father.

Now, it was her turn to give them some candy.

Sister Chen happened to want to keep Li Chengze around for dinner, so she started the meal on the other side.

Over here, only Song Qinshan and Su Xiangwan remained, specifically to deal with Lu Dan and Gou Dan.

However, the steaming half basin of pig’s feet, along with some fried dough rings, remained untouched by the two children.

“If you’re not going to eat, the two of you can go stand outside,” Song Qinshan said.

He had spent the whole day walking with the two kids, asking them many questions along the way, but both stayed silent.

By this point, he was getting frustrated.

Lu dan stood up abruptly and dashed outside.

Gou Dan followed closely behind, and once outside, they both stood as straight as soldiers.

“We walked a full twenty kilometers today, the same route we usually take for military training. These two only had dry food along the way, and when we were coming back, Lu Dan fell first, and only then did Gou Dan sit down,” Song Qinshan explained. “I originally planned to put them in solitary confinement for 24 hours to see if they’d soften up, but now it seems that even if we lock them up for 24 hours, they won’t yield.”

The two kids were stubborn by nature. They had simply been too young before for their personalities to fully show.

Su Xiangwan gestured for Song Qinshan to eat first, then stepped out.

The two little ones stood, one on the left and one on the right, standing straight as a board.

However, Su Xiangwan stretched out her arms to each side, and both of them rushed into her embrace.

Lu Dan cried out, and Gou Dan quickly followed suit, crying even louder than him.

“If you two don’t eat now or speak up, or tell me the truth, I’ll stop eating too, and I’ll starve and freeze with you two,” Su Xiangwan said.

She had been busy in the kitchen, wearing only a sweater, and when she stepped outside, she was already shivering from the cold.

Lu Dan didn’t say anything.

He walked straight inside, grabbed a large pig’s trotter from the bowl, and with half a fried dough ring, he immediately began chomping down.

Gou Dan couldn’t be outdone by his brother either, and grabbed a big bite of pig’s trotter, his mouth covered in grease.

“Song Xiling always envied Song Donghai for one thing—his father Song Qingshan always only hugged Song Donghai, never him, right?” Su Xiangwan suddenly said.

Gou Dan was holding his mouth shut, not yet having swallowed, and suddenly his face, which had been red from the cold, became even more flushed.

He glanced around and saw Gou Dan staring at him.

“Actually, Song Donghai really loves his younger brother, but there’s just one thing—he envies him for being good at studying and for his mother loving him more,” Su Xiangwan continued.

At this, Lu Dan’s face immediately turned red, even his neck.

“Mom always looks at Song Donghai, but she looks at Song Xiling three times. Donghai, do you know why?” Su Xiangwan said again.

Lu Dan really wanted to know but remained silent.

“Because I know my Lu Dan doesn’t need my worry. He’s a good kid and will never make mistakes. He’s the most worry-free one, and I love and care for him the same. But I need to watch over Song Xiling, who is always prone to making mistakes,” Su Xiangwan smiled, and Lu Dan’s face gradually showed a smile too.

At this point, Su Xiangwan changed the subject again, saying, “Now that we’ve all been honest with each other, Song Qinshan, tell us, why is it that you always hug Song Donghai but never Song Xiling?”

Song Qinshan, who had been wolfing down his food, suddenly looked up, staring at Su Xiangwan.

Lu Dan and Gou Dan also stared at him.

“Really?” Song Qinshan paused for a moment, then put down his pig’s trotter, washed his hands with soap, and then, after wiping his hands dry, he turned to Gou Dan and said, “You want me to hug you, huh?”

Before Gou Dan could respond, Song Qinshan picked him up and ran out the door.

He ran around the yard a few times before stopping. “Is this what you wanted, to be hugged and have fun?” he said.

Gou Dan laughed non-stop, but as he laughed, Song Qinshan suddenly felt something warm on his chest. He reached down and, realizing what happened, quickly set Gou Dan down. “You didn’t just pee on me, did you?”

Gou Dan, determined to outdo his brother, had held in his pee all day long.

When he got startled, he couldn’t hold it any longer and ended up wetting his pants.

“So, Song Tuan, the problem isn’t with the kids; it’s with us. I love Donghai a bit more, and you love Song Xiling a bit more. Maybe, by the time the new year comes, both these kids could even be tied for first in second grade,” Su Xiangwan laughed and drew a big mooncake on the table.

Gou Dan suddenly spoke out against Song Qinshan: “It’s your fault, Dad. I think it’s all your fault.”

Lu Dan quickly nodded in agreement: “Anyway, my mom’s not at fault.”

“Su Xiangwan, we agreed that you’d play the ‘good cop’ and I’d play the ‘bad cop.’ Why do I feel like you’ve switched sides and are now leading the charge against me?” Song Qinshan felt bewildered as he suddenly found himself under attack.

The two kids, finally no longer upset, exchanged a playful punch, with both of them sneaking glances at each other and secretly enjoying the moment.

In the meantime, Song Qinshan took the opportunity to briefly explain to Su Xiangwan that he might be transferred to Shanghai after the new year.

The mission, codenamed ‘571’, had been personally communicated by Gu Bei, and he was likely to head to Shanghai for training after the new year before joining the mission.

The codename 571 sounded oddly familiar to Su Xiangwan, but she couldn’t quite place where she had heard it before.

At that moment, someone walked in through the open gate.

Without a doubt, it was Fang Baoyu.

Today, she had brought some of the finest small ribs to appease Song Laosan, and she was also carrying two large thick pieces of fat meat.

Chen Xiaoli followed closely behind her, and as soon as she entered, she waved her hand at Gou Dan, acting like a love-struck young girl, standing on her tiptoes.

Su Xiangwan felt that her mood at the moment was the same as that of all the wicked stepmothers in the world.

She couldn’t help but want to expose the true nature of this little girl to Gou dan.

As for Chen Xiaoli, she kept casting her provocative glances, with that same defiant expression.

This little girl had a kind of carefree, Buddhist-like attitude toward everything, not afraid of anything, like a dead pig not fearing boiling water.

Sure enough, Fang Baoyu was chattering away, first crying and cursing Song Laosan for being useless, and then going on to say how pitiful she was.

In short, now that she had hooked up with the son of the meatpacking plant director, as a former sister-in-law, she felt that Su Xiangwan shouldn’t cause trouble for her.

“I don’t care about your messy affairs. I only ask Chen Xiaoli, did my son Song Donghai hit you?” Su Xiangwan asked Chen Xiaoli.

Chen Xiaoli, timidly, hid behind Gou dan and rolled her sleeves, saying nothing.

At that moment, Gou dan revealed his domineering personality: “Making mistakes is not scary; the most important thing is to correct them. Chen Xiaoli, go apologize to my brother.”