Just as Xia Canglan finished tidying up and was about to head home after work, Zhou Fumei quietly slipped over to her side, her round eyes sparkling with excitement, clearly eager to share some juicy gossip.
“Lanlan, let me tell you—Deputy Director Rao, the one we hate the most, was taken away by the Red Armband people today! I heard what they found was pretty serious. He probably won’t ever be able to come back to the hospital again. Hahaha, this is just too satisfying!”
As she spoke, she handed Xia Canglan a few White Rabbit milk candies, looking utterly delighted, as if gossiping was only truly enjoyable when paired with sweets.
If Xia Canglan didn’t know that this silly girl was simply spoiled at home and naturally carefree, with no ulterior motives, she might have suspected that Zhou Fumei had some hidden agenda in getting close to her.
After parting ways with Zhou Fumei, Xia Canglan headed home. Usually, she went to work with her father, but since he was a doctor and finished earlier than the nurses, he would head home first while she stayed behind for overtime.
The Xia residence wasn’t far from the hospital—only about a five-minute walk.
As she approached her home, she noticed from a distance that a crowd had gathered in front of her house, shouting loudly, the scene bustling with commotion.
She was wondering who could be causing such a disturbance at their doorstep when she heard a familiar, shrill wail.
“I can’t go on living! As elder brother and sister-in-law, you don’t even care whether your niece lives or dies! Now that you’ve got money, you look down on us ordinary folk, don’t you? Waaaah!”
“With the Xia family in your hands, how are we, the younger brother’s family, supposed to survive? Wuuu…”
The surrounding neighbors were whispering among themselves, some even stepping forward to help the middle-aged woman who was rolling on the ground in a tantrum.
“Hey, aren’t you Doctor Xia’s younger brother and his wife? Why are you here making a scene? What happened?”
“Exactly! You’ve been here for quite a while but haven’t explained anything clearly. You just showed up and started crying about how Doctor Xia’s family looks down on you. I don’t believe that for a second—they’re such good people.”
“Right? We asked what happened, and you won’t say. Honestly, if my relatives dared to make a scene like this at my house, I’d chase them away immediately.”
The one crying and throwing a fit on the ground was from the Xia family’s second branch—Xia Canglan’s second aunt. Hearing the neighbors’ remarks, her expression turned unpleasant.
Good people? What nonsense. The Xia family had only two sons—why was everything given to the eldest, while their branch got nothing?
At that thought, her eyes darkened. If not for the fact that the eldest branch had produced the first grandson, Xia Cangyun—Xia Canglan’s older brother—before them, while their branch had tried for years but ended up with only two daughters…
A week ago, their younger daughter, Xia Zhaodi, had hit her head and somehow become smarter and more likable than before. She had even managed to please her grandfather, who began treating her better.
Who would have thought—
Not even two days after that, they received notice from the Red Armband authorities that Xia Zhaodi had behaved indecently and had been arrested.
Her father-in-law had been furious, ordering them to find a way to get her out immediately. After that, they could marry her off or send her to the countryside—anything, as long as she didn’t appear before him again.
But how could ordinary people like them have any means? Only the eldest branch had that kind of influence.
So—
“Tell Xia Hongping to come out! I want an explanation today! His niece is in trouble—shouldn’t he, as her elder uncle, think of a way to get her out?”
Second Aunt glared viciously at the tightly shut door, shouting at the top of her lungs.
“Oh? Really? I’m quite curious—what kind of explanation does Second Aunt expect from our family?”
A clear, cold voice rang out. Almost instinctively, the surrounding neighbors stepped aside, revealing Xia Canglan.
She slowly walked up to her second aunt, who was sprawled on the ground throwing a tantrum.
“If Second Uncle and Second Aunt hadn’t come here, your family’s reputation might not have been this ruined. And now you want an explanation from us? Shouldn’t this be Xia Zhaodi’s own doing? After all, I heard she was caught completely naked with two hooligans—”
“Shut up!” Second Aunt cut her off immediately, glaring at Xia Canglan with venom, as if ready to bite her to death if she said another word.
Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. The neighbors had heard everything.
“Hey, isn’t that what happened the day before yesterday? The incident where a woman and two men were caught naked on the street?”
“Sounds like it. Who would’ve thought? That bold woman was actually Xia Zhaodi. You really can’t tell from her usual appearance—cough, cough…”
“What nonsense are you spouting? That wasn’t Zhaodi, absolutely not! You believe Xia Canglan’s lies just like that?” Second Aunt snapped, glaring fiercely at the neighbor who spoke.
Then she turned to Xia Canglan and tugged at the usually silent Second Uncle.
“Xia Canglan, we’re still your elders! Your great-grandfather and great-grandmother are still alive at home. Is this how you speak to your elders? No upbringing at all—clearly ruined by your mother—”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
“Aaaah! You’re hitting me—ugh—ahhh!”
Before she could finish her venomous words, Xia Canglan’s mother rushed out from inside the house, having heard everything. Without a word, she delivered several loud slaps, then grabbed Second Aunt’s hair and pinned her to the ground so she couldn’t fight back.
What no one noticed was that when Second Aunt was spewing insults, Xia Canglan had also felt the urge to strike. She paused, then casually withdrew her hand as if nothing had happened. When she saw Second Uncle about to step forward to intervene, she quickly blocked him.
“Second Uncle, that wouldn’t be appropriate. My mother and Second Aunt are having a discussion. As a man, how could you involve yourself in women’s matters? If word gets out, wouldn’t people laugh at you?”
Second Uncle glanced at the surrounding neighbors watching the spectacle, then at his niece who was blatantly twisting the truth, and felt utterly speechless.
He opened his mouth to say something, but just then, Grandpa Xia stepped out. He froze.
“Elder Brother… I… Father told us to come. Zhaodi… she’s been taken in. She’s not that kind of person. She said she was framed…”
His voice grew quieter as he spoke, until even he sounded uncertain. With so many people watching, he simply didn’t have the face to continue.
Meanwhile, Xia Canglan’s mother, finally venting her anger, stood up. She glared at the bruised and wailing Second Aunt on the ground, then looked at the silent Second Uncle.
“Get out, all of you. I haven’t forgotten what Xia Zhaodi did to my Lanlan yesterday. And you still have the nerve to come here? Let me make this clear—what happened to Xia Zhaodi today is entirely her own fault. She deserves to be sent away for re-education, to fix that twisted brain of hers. Otherwise, she’ll only harm others and herself. Hmph!”
After saying that, she pulled her daughter inside, ignoring Second Uncle’s darkened expression upon hearing her words.
Xia Canglan looked at her still-fuming mother and smiled.
“Don’t be angry, Mom. It’s not worth hurting yourself over people like that. I’m hungry—has dinner been prepared?”
As soon as she finished speaking, her father and grandfather came in as well. Hearing her words, they both smiled indulgently, relieved that she wasn’t affected.
While eating, Xia Canglan noticed her grandfather’s poor appetite. After a moment’s thought, she said,
“Dad, Grandpa, Mom—you have no idea, something big happened at our hospital today—”
She stopped mid-sentence, saying nothing more.
Grandpa Xia and the others, who had been listening attentively, looked up in confusion when she didn’t continue.
“Lanlan, just say it already. What exactly happened? Why are you leaving us hanging like this?”