Old Master Gao frowned, waved to have the orderly step aside, and let them leave.
He picked up the phone, only to hear a busy signal.
Had he been cut off from above?
He asked for his second son's mobile phone. After getting it, he didn't know who to call.
He actually had no friends he could turn to in times of crisis.
Finally, he dialed old rival Old Master Shen.
After a long ring, the call was answered, "Hello?"
"Old Shen, it's Old Gao."
"Well, well, it's rare for you to remember to call me. What's the matter?"
Old Master Shen's exaggerated tone made Old Master Gao's heart sink. "Is our Gao family finished?"
Seeing his old opponent so direct, Old Master Shen stopped joking.
"Every time we gathered, I repeatedly emphasized self-cultivation and restraining your children."
"You either pretended not to hear or just gave me a few perfunctory words."
"The cost of making mistakes was too low, leading to more and more errors. Tolerance has its limits."
"Instead of disciplining your children, you used underhanded means to cover up their mistakes. Isn't that encouraging them?"
"It's all turned to bubbles, hasn't it? You'd better take care of yourself."
Old Master Gao stared blankly at the phone, which now only showed a busy signal.
"Dad?" Gao Wenshi called out to the dazed Old Master Gao.
Old Master Gao looked up at his second son. The first thing he had personally covered up was a mistake made by his second son, wasn't it?
Then came the trouble caused by the family of his second son's wife.
And the family of his eldest son's wife...
It seemed that only his third son, who was quietly teaching at school, and his third son's wife, who had no influential family, had not caused trouble.
Right! And his third son.
His third son had never been to his liking, and he had always kept him at arm's length.
There was also Ming Xiu.
The Gao family would not be finished.
He threw the phone at his second son. "Wait for the investigation."
Wait for the investigation?
Gao Wenshi panicked. "Dad, I can't afford to be investigated!"
His second son's words made Old Master Gao's heart pound. "You, you touched the supplies?"
Gao Wenshi nodded.
"What about the money?" Old Master Gao asked anxiously. "Quickly put the money back!"
Gao Wenshi remained silent.
"Alright, have you taken the money to support someone else again?" Lou Caiyun pounced on her husband, beating him.
"Do you think you've treated me right? I've given you two sons, why are you doing this to me?"
Lou Caiyun was strong, and wherever she hit, it hurt. Gao Wenshi was annoyed.
"Look at yourself. When you were young, I just fumbled around in the dark with the lights off."
"With your current appearance, if you were posted on a door, even a ghost would be scared to death."
"And look at the two sons you gave me, not only are they ugly, but they're also stupid..."
"Bang!"
Old Master Gao fell to the ground. He was wrong. He should have been merciless and dealt with his second son when he made his first mistake.
"Dad."
"Dad."
"Grandpa."
"Grandpa."
In a hospital ward of a military region.
Old Master Shen brought fruit to visit his old rival. "Look at you, at your age, what's there to be so upset about?"
"Close your eyes, kick your legs, and the affairs of the world will no longer matter. Then, who will care about the floods and storms behind you?"
Old Master Gao raised his eyelids and looked at him. "Are you here to laugh at me?"
"No," Old Master Shen sat by his bed. "I'm here to persuade you."
"Persuade me to do what?"
"Persuade you to go to a sanatorium for recuperation."
Old Master Gao looked at him steadily, then suddenly smiled.
"Hahaha, good, good, I'll go. I'll go for recuperation and not worry about anything."
...
Old Master Gao went to the sanatorium to spend his twilight years.
Gao Wenzhong was transferred from the capital to a remote area in the north to guard it, and his wife followed the army.
His two sons were transferred to remote areas in the northwest and the east, respectively.
Gao Wenshi was removed from his post for investigation.
Gao Mingfei and Gao Mingxue were expelled because their hands were not clean either.
Only Gao Wenqi, who taught at the school, and Liu Ailing, who muddled along in the cultural troupe, were not affected.
Of course, Gao Mingxiu, who was still in school, was safe and sound.
Gao Mingxiu showed no emotion upon learning the fate of the Gao family members, and continued to bury his head in his graduation thesis.
The surrounding whispers and pointing fingers did not affect him at all.
Liu Ailing could not accept it. Even though she and her husband had little status in the Gao family, her identity was still envied by many.
The pointed remarks and mockery from her colleagues made her feel utterly ashamed.
She asked her husband what exactly had happened. How did the Gao family collapse so suddenly?
Gao Wenqi sighed. "It's not that the ice froze three feet in a single day. Various reasons piled up and erupted."
"Mingfei and Mingxue are precise revenge from Captain Tian, because your second brother and sister-in-law designed Captain Tian's daughter."
Gao Wenqi had already learned the whole story from his son.
"Ailing, from now on, don't interfere with the kind of woman our son finds. He's looking for a woman to spend his life with, not a daughter-in-law for you."
Only then did Liu Ailing realize that she had been used as a pawn by her second sister-in-law, and that it had harmed her own son.
No wonder that beautiful Captain Tian had called her a fool who was used as a pawn without knowing it. She was indeed foolish enough to treat the double-dealing second sister-in-law as family.
She nodded. "I understand. I want to apply for retirement."
Gao Wenqi agreed. "Yes, let's do it. It's the right time to do it now."
...
Gao Mingfei and Gao Mingxue were only allowed to take their change of clothes and some personal items.
Their computers were confiscated, and their mobile phones were returned to them after a few hours.
The two brothers, pulling their suitcases, walked aimlessly on the street.
As they walked, they ended up at that upscale residential compound.
The brothers exchanged glances, then walked towards the security guards together.
No matter what, they needed a place to stay.
Their wives had gotten a bit plump and a bit bossy, but they were, after all, families.
They couldn't be left to wander the streets, adding more to the Gao family's shame...
Facing a pile of baggage, Lou Caiyun didn't know what to do.
Her husband had been removed from his post for investigation, they were not allowed to stay in the house, and all the more valuable items in the house were forbidden to be moved.
All she could take were her and her husband's personal belongings, the bedding from the bedroom, and the pots and pans from the kitchen.
She packed everything she could take, but how could she move so much stuff? And where could she move it to?
The women who used to call her "Sister Lou" and "Sister Lou" turned and ran when they saw her. She didn't even have anyone to help her.
Finally, she took out her phone and called her parents' home. With so much stuff, her parents' home would surely want it.
Who knew that as soon as the phone was connected, her elder sister-in-law and second sister-in-law took turns scolding her.
They said that their elder brother, second brother, and several nephews had been arrested because of her.
Lou Caiyun was not someone who would take scolding without retaliating. She not only cursed back, but also said that her elder brother, second brother, and nephews deserved it.
It was precisely because they had covered up their mistakes that the disaster had ultimately fallen upon the Gao family.
Her elder sister-in-law and second sister-in-law, in turn, cursed the Gao family, saying they deserved it. Why was it only the Gao family in trouble while everyone else was fine? It must have been someone from the Gao family who caused trouble and implicated them.
After a volley of curses, Lou Caiyun, full of anger, hung up the phone and called her son to pick her up.
Gao Mingfei had just obtained the forgiveness of his plump wife.
He dared not agree without authorization, so he covered the phone and quietly asked his plump wife.
The plump young woman secretly admired the person who had devised this plan, even calculating that Lou Caiyun would eventually fall into their hands.
The plump young woman nodded. "No matter what, she is your mother, and my mother-in-law. You and your second brother should rent a car to pick her up."
Gao Mingfei told Lou Caiyun on the phone to wait for them to pick her up, then hung up and kissed the plump young woman.
"Wife, you're so good."
The plump young woman smiled. "You're my husband, who else should I be good to?"
Looking at such a smile, Gao Mingfei also felt very happy. He called his second brother.
Gao Mingxue heard that his elder sister-in-law had agreed, but he still had to ask his plump wife.
After all, he had only moved in for a few minutes. Even if his elder sister-in-law agreed, and even if she was his plump wife's cousin, he still had to ask his plump wife.
He had that much common sense.
The plump second young woman nodded. "Go ahead. When mother-in-law comes, she can live wherever she wants."
After Lou Caiyun was picked up and brought back to the capital, she learned that her two sons had only been able to settle down after begging those two plump women.
She gritted her teeth and swore that she would help her sons get their revenge...