Chapter 216: with translation of chapter title

As Zhou Feng and Bai Xinya had expected, Bai's mother could not accept the truth upon hearing it, and she shouted emotionally:

"You're talking nonsense, how could it possibly not be my Xiaomeng? She looks exactly like my Xiaomeng, even the birthmark on her arm is the same."

I know you've always disliked Xiaomeng and liked that impostor, and now you've even fabricated such lies, locking up my Xiaomeng.

My obedient granddaughter is so well-behaved; how can you be so cruel? I'm going to go get my Xiaomeng back right now.

After saying that, Bai's mother tried to struggle out, but Zhou Feng and Bai Xinya naturally wouldn't let her leave, and the two sides kept arguing.

"Mom, listen to me, she really isn't Xiaomeng; my Xiaomeng died when she was abducted, and I saw her corpse with my own eyes."

Only when Bai Xinya could no longer control herself and let out an angry roar did this absurd farce finally end.

Bai's mother collapsed onto the ground and burst into tears; in fact, upon initially seeing her daughter and son-in-law's attitudes, she had already vaguely guessed something.

Outsiders don't know, but Bai's mother knows best how much her daughter and son-in-law cherish Xiaomeng; if that person were truly Xiaomeng, how could her daughter and son-in-law treat her so coldly?

But Bai's mother simply refused to believe it; clearly that child looks almost exactly like her Xiaomeng, how could she not be her granddaughter? Yet reality left Bai's mother no choice but to disbelieve.

But the anguish of this hope being dashed almost tore Bai's mother apart.

Bai's mother, being old, could not withstand this blow and fainted outright.

Fortunately, Bai's father held a high rank, and Zhou Feng had previously notified the family doctor, who immediately stepped forward to treat Bai's mother.

Only after it was determined that Bai's mother had merely been overwhelmed by the stimulus, with her emotions fluctuating too greatly to faint, did everyone finally relax.

Bai's father summoned Zhou Feng to the study, and upon learning that the whole matter was the Feng family's doing, his eyes flashed with a sharp, cold light.

"They actually schemed against me; the Feng family is really something!"

Zhou Feng knew that with only this evidence they could not act against the Feng family, but this matter would certainly not be left unsettled.

Bai's mother lay in bed for a month before her condition slowly improved, but she had visibly aged considerably and no longer possessed her former vigor.

Before, although Bai's mother knew her granddaughter was lost, she at least had a hope, always wishing that one day that child could be found again.

Now, after all hope has been shattered, the blow to Bai's mother is immense.

Although Bai Xinya stayed by Bai's mother's side, it still could not ease her inner anguish.

The elderly woman wanted to fully move on, but that would require a very long time to heal.

Thus, Bai's father's anger and resentment toward the Feng family deepened further.

The police investigated this matter for a week, yet still obtained no useful clues, and that tall man still refused to say anything.

The police directly listed him as a dangerous person and detained him; as for when he will be released, it depends on when he confesses.

If he continues with this uncooperative attitude, then let him stay in there!

Mao Xiaowen, however, confessed quite clearly; although she had deliberately poisoned someone, considering she was coerced and the act was an attempted injury, she was sentenced to five years, and after her release the police will send her back to her hometown.

Upon hearing this verdict, Mao Xiaowen let out a slight sigh of relief; perhaps to others imprisonment seems terrifying, but to Mao Xiaowen, compared to that nightmare-like place where she was daily treated like livestock, beaten and abused, prison is already much better.

Later, the police, based on the clues provided by Mao Xiaowen, cracked down on a major trafficking ring of women and children.

Furthermore, they rescued all the trafficked women and children from the village where Mao Xiaowen was.

From another perspective, Mao Xiaowen's actions also count as a good deed; when she learned that the villains who had abused her had all been punished, she knelt down and kowtowed vigorously to Zhou Feng.

At this moment, Mao Xiaowen felt regret; she thought that if, when she first met Zhou Feng and Bai Xinya, she had chosen to be frank instead of harboring harmful intentions, she might not have to be in prison now.

But there's no medicine for regret; having done wrong, one must accept punishment, and Mao Xiaowen willingly accepts her penalty.

Yet she cannot stop fantasizing: if she could truly be Zhou Feng and Bai Xinya's daughter, she would now be living very happily—too bad she isn't.

After Mao Xiaowen's matter was settled, Su Ruo and the others' life finally returned to calm, but Su Ruo knew this calm was merely superficial; beneath the surface, undercurrents stirred.

Venomous snakes hidden in the darkness stand ready to strike at any moment, delivering a fatal blow.

But there is also good news: the film shot by the mistress and Yu Liang has been completed, and upon its release it was warmly welcomed by the broad masses.

The mistress became a sensation, and consequently Su Ruo and the others' clothing also became wildly popular; especially the ink-wash the ink-wash style cheongsam she wore in film and television instantly sold out.

These days the clothing factory keeps receiving rush orders from various factories, and the whole of China seems to have suddenly sparked a cheongsam craze.

Although Su Ruo and Li Zhaodi are busy, they are happy inside, for nothing is more gratifying than watching their factory grow ever stronger.

Su Ruo and Li Zhaodi know that as long as they seize this opportunity, with the mistress's endorsement, their clothing factory will soon stand out among numerous clothing brands and secure the top position.

But to maintain that, they must have continuous good designs and strictly control the quality of their clothing.

Therefore, while continuously hiring workers and expanding production, Su Ruo and Li Zhaodi have also been strictly controlling quality.

Seeing their business volume continually increase, Zhou Feng installed telephones for their clothing factory and cotton spinning factory.

With the telephones in place, ordering and shipping became more convenient.

At the same time, Zhou Feng informed Su Ruo and the others that the city had plans to construct a commercial district in South City.

Zhou Feng asked Su Ruo whether she was interested in building a department store, as the project had just been launched, so many people were still adopting a wait-and-see attitude.

Originally, such behavior was all governmental; this model of using tenders and private bidding was still the first of its kind.

Zhou Feng asked Su Ruo whether she was interested, and of course he also explained the pros and cons to her; this project requires a large upfront capital investment, and no one knows what the later returns will be.

Many people hesitated due to concerns, delaying action, but while others had such reservations, Su Ruo did not; having come from a later era, no one understands better than she does the value and profit that owning a department store in the Imperial Capital would bring.