Zeng Xiuyun was taken away for questioning, and Secretary Yang then asked in a low voice, "Who is this old woman?"
Cheng You snorted, crossing her arms. "Secretary Yang, will her identity affect how you punish her?"
Secretary Yang naturally wouldn't admit he judged people by their status, but this old woman was dressed respectably, looked unfamiliar, and didn't seem like she belonged in the family housing. "I don't believe you when you say you don't know her."
Cheng You, with her sharp wit, was quite ruthless when scheming. Just like that, she had easily had the old woman brought in. Cheng You leaned against a nearby table. "Before today, I really didn't know her."
Secretary Yang asked doubtfully, "Then who exactly is she?"
Cheng You rubbed her nose, her gaze flickered. "She's my mother-in-law's stepmother."
Secretary Yang took a moment to process the relationship. Song Qinglan's stepmother! Cheng You was really causing him trouble!
Cheng You tossed the half-broken Mu Xicao in her hand and looked at Secretary Yang. "You're not just going to let her go, are you?"
As soon as Secretary Yang saw the broken piece, his heart ached. "She really did this?"
"Would I lie to you? You saw her when she arrived just now!" Secretary Yang thought about it and agreed; Cheng You wouldn't have pulled up the Mu Xicao herself. "You can go back first. I need to report this matter upstairs." Mu Xicao was very precious, and he couldn't make the decision alone.
After Cheng You left, he realized he had forgotten to ask something. Why did Cheng You have Mu Xicao in her home!
When Cheng You returned home from the Disciplinary Committee, she saw Sister-in-law He peeking out. "Where is that old woman? Where did you take her?" She had been wondering why the old woman had disappeared.
Cheng You smiled. "She's having tea at the Disciplinary Committee." Sister-in-law He was about to ask for details when she heard Qi Chengyan's voice. "Who's at the Disciplinary Committee?" He took off his hat and walked over, his body soaked with sweat from training. His well-defined muscles were clearly visible through his thin shirt.
Cheng You stuck out her tongue. "We'll talk at home." Sister-in-law He wisely returned home, and Cheng You pulled Qi Chengyan inside. She considered her words carefully and chose a suitable way to put it. "Your mother's stepmother came over."
Qi Chengyan clearly didn't care for Zeng Xiuyun either. His brow furrowed, and a fierce look appeared in his eyes. "Why did she come to see you?"
Cheng You said, "She said she wanted to marry her niece-granddaughter to you as a concubine."
Qi Chengyan's face darkened at the news. What kind of feudal rubbish was this! "What else did she say?"
Seeing him angry, Cheng You covered her mouth and giggled, blinking playfully. "She also said I can't have children, and that her niece-granddaughter should have them for you!" Zeng Xiuyun was truly a peculiar person to say such a thing.
Qi Chengyan said angrily, "Where is she now?"
"At the Disciplinary Committee. I just told you, she broke my Mu Xicao, so I sent her there."
Qi Chengyan asked, "Did she really break it?"
Cheng You blinked. "My Mu Xicao is very precious, you know. I wouldn't treat them like that."
Qi Chengyan patted her head, accepting her words. If people knew that Cheng You had sent Zeng Xiuyun to the Disciplinary Committee at the cost of destroying Mu Xicao, they would surely think she was too willful.
He took a quick shower and changed into clean clothes. "I'm going out."
"To see Secretary Yang?"
Qi Chengyan replied, "No, I need to inform my mother." He didn't have the leisure to deal with Zeng Xiuyun's affairs. Besides, the Disciplinary Committee wouldn't make things too difficult for her. However, Song Qinglan needed to be informed, and the elder would have to come to pick her up. After Grandpa Song remarried Zeng Xiuyun, they had no more children together. Zeng Xiuyun's only son was from her previous marriage, and they didn't have much of a relationship. Only Grandpa Song was suitable to pick her up.
Cheng You waited at home. The rest was not her concern. The Disciplinary Committee would surely investigate the matter thoroughly before stopping, even finding the root cause. This investigation led them to Tang Jing, who had been instigating trouble behind the scenes. Tang Jing was not a cadre and held no position, so the authorities couldn't discipline her directly. They could only punish her husband. Originally, Sun Xiaowan's pregnancy had filled the Song family with joy. The disciplinary action that followed turned their happiness into sorrow. The Song family had experienced several incidents due to Tang Jing, and everyone shook their heads, lamenting the importance of choosing a spouse wisely.
Besides Tang Jing, Zeng Xiuyun, the party involved, also had to be dealt with. However, given her age, her punishment became a problem. Grandpa Song approached Song Qinglan several times, wanting her to intercede on Zeng Xiuyun's behalf. An elderly person with white hair had been detained at the Disciplinary Committee for so long, losing all face. Song Qinglan's relationship with her father had become strained because of her stepmother. Seeing him humbled and begging, she sneered, "She made a mistake, and she should be punished! I don't care if she's old. It's not me who is losing face anyway." "Don't you care if your father loses face?" "You're not the one going to jail, so why should you be ashamed?" Song Qinglan pouted. "Besides, doesn't she have a son? Why doesn't she have her son come forward?"
Grandpa Song was furious. "Before you mentioned it, I hadn't thought of it. He's supposed to see your husband regularly. How could you be so heartless as to fall out with him!" Song Qinglan found it amusing. "What do you mean 'see each other regularly'? Which person in the entire military region can make my husband bow his head? Zeng Xiuyun's son's position is not even as high as my son's. What am I afraid of?"
Grandpa Song was so angered by her retort that he felt a tightness in his chest. He felt he couldn't communicate with this daughter and thus went to find Cheng You. He thought that the younger generation should be easier to talk to. Qi Chengyan didn't care about Zeng Xiuyun, but surely he would respect his maternal grandfather, right?
However, he didn't expect Cheng You's tongue to be even sharper than Song Qinglan's. "Grandpa actually wants me to intercede for her? I've never heard anything more absurd. Did Zeng Xiuyun not tell you that she wanted to offer her niece-granddaughter to my husband as a concubine and have children for him? Such shamelessness! You and she truly are birds of a feather."
Grandpa Song was greatly shocked. He swore he had never known about this! Even if he had known, he would never have agreed. When Qi Chengyan was still single, Zeng Xiuyun had indeed brought it up. But Song Qinglan had flatly refused, and the matter was put aside. As for whether Zeng Xiuyun's niece-granddaughter had married later, he hadn't paid attention. "Cheng You, could there be some misunderstanding in this?"
Cheng You said sarcastically, "If there's a misunderstanding, it's probably that I'm deaf."
Grandpa Song: "... You don't have to say it like that."
"The old lady said she was representing the entire Song family to make decisions about my husband's marriage. It seems Grandpa is very dissatisfied with me as his granddaughter-in-law. And you expect me to help you? My brain isn't that broken."
Grandpa Song felt awkward. He hadn't known beforehand that Zeng Xiuyun had said so many offensive things.