Chapter 64: Visitors from the Hometown

Tongtong had long anticipated this day might come, so she specifically asked Dad Gu to help her find the girl whose place Shen Wei had taken all those years ago. She had the girl contact a newspaper office, which published a feature interview.

Coincidentally, the state had been strictly investigating academic fraud cases over the past two years, and the newspaper seized this opportunity to harshly criticize the domestic chaos.

The article even included testimonies from victims harmed by Shen Wei’s mistakes.

Tongtong puffed out her little chest, her childish voice righteous and stern: “Eldest aunt, this is a state-run newspaper! Tongtong didn’t fabricate anything—you’re the one lying!”

A nearby aunt who had read the newspaper sneered coldly: “A fake nurse like you, who stole someone else’s exam results and disregarded patients’ health, is nothing but a tumor gnawing at the foundations of socialism! The hospital merely firing you was letting you off easy!”

The crowd erupted in scorn and contempt.

A young woman in the group seized the moment to incite: “Every household deals with headaches and fevers. If we went to the hospital and encountered a nurse like her, it could cost someone their life!”

“Exactly! We absolutely cannot tolerate people like this. And to think she dared pose as a martyr’s widow to deceive us—pah! What a disgrace to your ancestors!”

“What a pity for the original girl who could have become a nurse—such a good person, ruined just like that!”

Some hot-tempered sisters-in-law had already started tearing into her. Once one took action, others quickly followed suit.

Lin Jiaojiao and Lin Ruihu were terrified, having abandoned Shen Wei and fled at the first opportunity.

Some pulled her hair, others yanked at it, and a few even secretly pinched her hard.

Their eyes gleamed with excitement.

Even Tongtong took advantage of the chaos to land two solid kicks on her.

Hmph! Serves her right for bullying Mother!

Shen Wei howled in pain, utterly bewildered.

She never imagined things would escalate like this. She screamed, “Help! Let me go!”

An old woman reached out, grabbed her hair, and slapped her twice across the face.

“Shameless wretch! If it weren’t for your meddling, my son would have married the girl whose exam results you stole. She went back home and married someone else, and my son still hasn’t found a partner to this day. I’ll beat you to death!”

Talk about a small world.

To think there was even an acquaintance among them—Shen Wei suffered even worse.

The staff at the supply and marketing cooperative watched with glee, shouting, “Stop fighting! Don’t fight!”

while secretly passing them handy tools like feather dusters and brooms, which were promptly put to use.

After all, when it came to harmful acts like stealing exam results, everyone had zero tolerance.

The enthusiastic sisters and aunties were fired up, rallying to seek justice for the girl Shen Wei had framed.

Shen Wei was thoroughly beaten.

Her face was bruised and swollen, not a patch of skin left unscathed, and tufts of her hair were flying everywhere.

By the time the patrol officers arrived, the crowd had already scattered.

Shen Wei cried and accused Yu Wanqin and her daughter of causing her harm.

But there was no trace of them left at the scene.

When questioned, the staff at the supply and marketing cooperative remained silent, claiming they knew nothing.

With so many people involved, the law couldn’t punish them all.

Shen Wei had no way of identifying anyone.

She had no choice but to accept her misfortune.

Every part of her body ached. When she went to the hospital for treatment, she was met with scornful looks.

The nurse assigned to change her bandages happened to be Zhang Yanfang—once her subordinate, now her sworn enemy.

Intentionally pouring hydrogen peroxide on her wound, and then always accidentally using too much force when bandaging, causing Shen Wei to howl in pain: “Zhang Yanfang, are you doing this on purpose!”

Zhang Yanfang sneered: “Oh, this is just standard wound care procedure. Sorry, I forgot—your nurse certificate was stolen, so you wouldn’t know about this.”

This provoked a round of suppressed giggles from the surrounding nurses.

Shen Wei returned home seething with anger, her heart, liver, and lungs all aching with rage!

Why? Why was she living like a dog!

While Yu Wanqin could shine brightly as a doctor, and her daughter could attend school and enjoy nice things.

The more she thought about it, the more resentful she became. She felt she couldn’t just sit back and let things continue like this!

After tossing and turning all night, early the next morning, she made a phone call back to her hometown…

Tongtong had no idea that Shen Wei was up to her tricks again.

It was her first day of school, and she was super excited!

Tongtong woke up early, dressed in a little red overalls printed with sunflowers, with two flower-like buns on her head—so adorable it was almost unfair.

Before she could even finish breakfast, Gu Jingnan and Si Muchen were already waiting for her at the door.

Chen An’an, who had been dawdling at home all morning, was now hopping with impatience: “Tongtong! Hurry up! We’re going to be late!”

“Coming!”

Tongtong stuffed a fried dough stick into her mouth, her little cheeks puffing out as she bounced along to catch up with her brothers.

Si Muchen grabbed her, looking her over from left to right, then pulled out a little red hair clip from who-knows-where and clipped it onto her hair, finally nodding in satisfaction.

[Wow~ My little golden patron is absolutely adorable~]

The System’s flirty voice echoed in his mind.

This time, Si Muchen didn’t bother bickering with it. Instead, he smiled broadly, in a great mood as he took Tongtong’s hand and set off.

Gu Jingnan had to go to middle school, and Chen An’an’s first-grade class was relatively close by. In the end, only Si Muchen was left to escort Tongtong to her classroom door.

He reached out and gently pinched his sister’s soft little cheek. “If anyone bullies you, come find me, okay?”

Tongtong’s eyes were curiously peeking into the classroom, and she nodded somewhat absentmindedly.

“Mm-hmm~ Brother Muchen, hurry up and go to your own classroom!”

Seeing her like this, Si Muchen sighed, watching her bounce into the classroom before he finally left.

Tongtong was the youngest in the preschool class and was seated at the front by the teacher.

Her deskmate was also a little girl, very shy and hardly daring to speak.

Tongtong took the initiative to share the snacks her mother had prepared with the classmates around her, instantly winning over a whole group of little friends.

The children gathered together, chattering excitedly.

Tongtong, too, seemed to transform into a genuine little kid, sharing happy stories with her new friends.

She was really happy.

So this is what it feels like for a child to go to school—so much fun!

By the end of the day, Tongtong had made five or six good friends, and they all agreed to do homework together the next day.

When school let out, Tongtong saw Si Muchen and Gu Jingnan waiting punctually at the gate to pick her up.

Chen An’an had been kept behind by the teacher again for being slow with her classwork.

On the way back, Gu Jingnan teased her playfully: “Tongtong, did you cry at school today?”

Tongtong wrinkled her little nose and huffed, puffing out her chest proudly. “Brother! Who do you think you’re looking down on! Tongtong didn’t cry at all. The teacher even praised me for being smart! And I made new friends—I’ll introduce them to you tomorrow!”

Si Muchen nodded lightly, gave a soft “mm,” and secretly slipped her another imported candy exchanged from the System.

He said succinctly, “A reward.”

Tongtong’s big eyes lit up, a special sweet fragrance spreading on her tongue. She beamed happily, “Thank you, brother~”

The three little ones chatted and laughed all the way home.

Today, to celebrate her daughter’s first day of school, Yu Wanqin had specially taken them to eat at a State-run Restaurant.

Since Gu Yanbin had training in the evening, she brought Si Muchen and his brother along too.

After a satisfying meal, Tongtong was overjoyed on the way back.

She chattered away to her mother about the fun things that happened that day, then wrapped her arms around Yu Wanqin’s neck, nuzzling affectionately against her, her voice soft and sweet.

“Going to school means making friends and eating delicious food. Mom, Tongtong loves going to school~”

Yu Wanqin’s heart melted into a puddle. She pressed her cheek against her daughter’s little face, saying, “Tongtong is the sweetest~”

She hoped her daughter could grow up happily.

As their figures gradually faded into the distance, Lin Zhiguo finally stepped out from the corner, his heart filled with bitterness.

His daughter and wife were now living better and better, yet he, as the head of their family, received no respect at all.

Now, Yu Wanqin was even determined to divorce him.

That feeling of losing control and jealousy was driving him almost mad.

Just as he was about to go talk to Tongtong, an orderly hurried over: “Deputy Battalion Commander Lin, someone from your family is here, waiting at the Military District gate!”

Lin Zhiguo was startled.

Why had his family come?

He rushed over and, sure enough, saw his father and mother, along with his useless younger brother Lin Laosan, waiting at the Military District gate.

When they saw him approaching, they started grumbling, “What’s going on! Making us wait so long—it’s scorching hot out here!”

Lin Zhiguo felt a headache coming on. “Mom, Dad, why are you here?”