Chapter 521: Zheng Juan: I'll arrange this investigation!

At dawn, the urging voice of Liu Haizhong came from the central courtyard of the siheyuan.

Liu Guangfu wore a faded old jacket, dragging a cloth sack unwillingly—today was his day to work at the building materials factory; the thought of hauling cement and unloading bricks made him shudder inside.

"Buck up!" Liu Haizhong frowned, smacking his son's back, "Your third uncle went to great trouble to get you this job—if you dare slack off, I'll break your legs! Work honestly, earn money and save it; that's better than sponging off home."

Liu Guangfu pursed his lips and muttered, "I know, I know—it's just moving something, what's hard about that?"

Though he said that, his reluctance showed in his eyes.

Yan Bu Gui, watching from the side, said lightly, "Guangfu, the factory work doesn't tolerate slackers—if you can't take the hardship, speak up now, don't hold up my nephew's affairs."

"Third Uncle, I can endure hardship!" Liu Guangfu hastily straightened his back, afraid of being rejected.

Liu Haizhong quickly smiled and thanked Yan Bu Gui, "Old Yan, thanks for the trouble—I'll send him over right away, I'll make sure he works properly."

As they talked, they wheeled their bicycles out; Yan Bu Gui watched their retreating backs and shook his head—he knew Liu Guangfu was lazy and fond of comfort, and whether he could last long on the job was truly uncertain.

Xu Damao leaned on his windowsill, taking it all in, a sly smile curling his lips.

Yesterday's thought of dumping trash at the Lin residence was interrupted by Yi Zhonghai; he had been holding a grudge all night, and finally came up with a "good idea."

Lin Shengli himself and his wife aren't easy to mess with, but Lin Shengli now has over twenty children—spreading rumors about them would annoy him while posing little risk, a perfect two‑for‑one.

After Liu Haizhong and his son left, Xu Damao slipped a cigarette into his pocket, sneaked to Shazhu's door, and knocked.

Shazhu had just woken up, opening the door with a messy mop of hair; seeing him, his face immediately darkened.

"What do you want? I'm not going to cause trouble at the Lin residence!"

"Who said you're causing trouble?" Xu Damao squeezed in, lowering his voice, "Shazhu, let me tell you something—we don't need to cause trouble; we'll just chat with the neighbors, saying the Lin children, who isn't Lin Shengli's?"

Shazhu's eyes lit up; jealousy surged instantly—he envied Lin Shengli's house full of children, and these words hit him right where it hurts.

But he still hesitated: "What if Lin Shengli finds out? We'll be done for."

"What's there to fear?" Xu Damao thumped his chest, "We'll just whisper it—who'll know it's us spreading it? The neighbors love gossip; pass it around enough and they'll believe it, and Lin Shengli will surely lose face."

Shazhu pondered for a while, thought Xu Damao made sense, and nodded in agreement.

"Fine, then I'll chat with the old folks at the hutong entrance."

They hit it off, split up—Xu Damao went to the vegetable stall at the lane entrance to chitchat with the vendor lady, while Shazhu squatted at the hutong entrance, chatting with a few old men playing chess, both intentionally and unintentionally spreading rumors about the Lin children.

Before long, the gossip spread; several old women gathered, pointing and chattering, their eyes full of curiosity and suspicion.

Meanwhile, the Lin family's large siheyuan was already filled with the aroma of home‑cooked life.

Zheng Juan and the others continued to carry out their respective duties, working in perfect harmony.

Zheng Juan and Lou Xiao'e were busy at the stove preparing breakfast, simmering millet porridge and steaming white flour buns.

Chen Xueru and Ding Qiunan sat in the corridor checking the children's homework, occasionally correcting the little girls' pencil grip.

Qin Jingru, Han Chunyan, and He Yushui took the younger kids to the yard to water flowers, teaching them the names of plants.

"Mom, look—my little flower has sprouted!" the youngest daughter, Lin Nian'an, ran to Zheng Juan holding a tiny shovel, proudly pointing at the tender shoot in the flowerpot.

Zheng Juan put down her spoon, smiled, and rubbed her head: "Really impressive, Nian'an, you're great."

The other children gathered around, chattering as they showed off their "achievements," the yard filled with kids' laughter and chatter.

Lin Shengli and Lin Zhengpeng finished breakfast, were about to head to the research base, when Lin Shengli's phone rang.

He answered, heard a few words, and a relieved smile appeared: "All right, I got it—we'll be there right away."

After hanging up, he told everyone, "The Military Industry Department has approved it—the J‑20's test flight is scheduled for early next month; today we'll go to the base to refine the test‑flight procedure."

Zheng Juan and the others broke into happy smiles; Chen Xueru handed him his briefcase: "Take care on the road, stay safe."

Qin Jingru added, "Don't scrounge for food at the base at noon—I've asked Su Qing to bring you lunch."

Lin Shengli nodded, patted the heads of the nearby children, and left with Lin Zhengpeng.

Su Qing was clearing the dishes, about to go wash them in the kitchen, when He Yushui walked over holding a little boy's hand, her expression grave.

"Su Qing, I just went to the lane entrance to buy soy sauce and overheard some old women gossiping about our family—saying… saying the kids aren't all his, and spouting all sorts of nonsense."

Su Qing froze for a moment, then frowned.

Chen Xueru and Ding Qiunan, who were checking homework, also heard it; Chen Xueru put down her pen, speaking calmly:

"Ignore them; the neighbors just love to chew over baseless gossip, idly spinning wheels when they've got nothing to do."

Ding Qiunan nodded: "Yeah, we know our own children inside out—no need to stoop to their level."

Qin Jingru and Han Chunyan also came over, Qin Jingru's face somewhat grim.

"It's definitely Xu Damao and Shazhu up to no good—aside from them, nobody would be so vile as to spread rumors about the kids!" Han Chunyan chimed in, "Should I go confront them? This is outrageous!"

"Don't go," Zheng Juan said, stepping forward with a steady tone, "If we go confront them, it'll only look like we're guilty and give them more satisfaction. The kids are right here—don't let the gossip affect them. Besides, the innocent need no clearing; rumors are rumors, they'll collapse on their own before long."

Everyone heard her and nodded in agreement.

He Yushui laughed, "Big sister's right—we shouldn't let these unrelated people ruin our mood. This afternoon I'll take the kids to the park, so they won't hear the gossip."

"All right, I'll go with you," Qin Jingru agreed, and the others also said they'd watch the kids, making sure the gossip didn't reach them.

Chen Xueru said, "But we definitely need to get to the bottom of this—we can't just let it slide, or they'll really think we're easy to bully."

Zheng Juan thought for a moment, then said:

"That's right, but don't tell Shengli, don't add to his worries—I'll arrange this investigation myself."

"Whoever it is, I won't let them off."