Fourth Sister Chen dared to say this because she’d seen Tang Hongwen following Liu Fen to the Liu family graves.

The significance was enormous – things must be settled with Liu Fen, and discussing their relationship openly before the villagers gave Liu Fen legitimacy!

If they hadn’t been involved before, why would he spend New Year’s with the Liu family?

Let alone joining the grave-sweeping – what other role besides future son-in-law would justify his presence?

Some sons-in-law weren’t even this attentive. Fourth Sister Chen thought Liu Fen was truly fortunate – not only had she found a high-ranking official for her second marriage, but he valued her for doing all this for the Liu family.

Seeing Liu Fang’s pretense, Fourth Sister Chen couldn’t resist needling her.

“Don’t be skeptical – would the whole village lie about what we saw? Uncle Da even recognized Magistrate Fang and chatted with him for quite a while.”

Watching Liu Fang’s face change colors, Fourth Sister Chen felt satisfied.

Fen had found such a high-ranking official yet remained so modest during her visit home. She worked as hard as anyone in the kitchen, spoke to everyone without putting on airs, and didn’t go around bragging.

What about Liu Fang?

Since marrying into the Liang family, she’d become a city person, occasionally returning in a car, seemingly eager to splash mud on the villagers.

Forgetting her roots, and losing her humanity – Fourth Sister Chen had endured Liu Fang’s behavior for too long!

Liu Fang and Liang Huan were stunned.

Higher ranking than a county magistrate?

Even when Liang Bing’an’s career was at its peak, Liang Huan hadn’t dared dream of her father becoming a county magistrate. Becoming a bureau chief was the highest aspiration of the entire Liang family.

Now her Second Aunt had found an official higher-ranking than a county magistrate.

How was that possible? Her Second Aunt was on her second marriage, previously married, that old, and couldn’t even bear sons – what official would want her?

While these thoughts ran through her mind, Liang Huan couldn’t help asking:

“Mom, are officials as common as cabbages in the field now, that you can just pick one to take home?”

How could there be so many officials and young cadres, and Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan just happened to encounter one? If someone of her Second Aunt’s status could attract a high-ranking official, Liang Huan felt she wouldn’t need university – she could just find a high-ranking cadre’s son.

Fourth Sister Chen cracked sunflower seeds while eyeing Liang Huan with amusement:

“No matter how many cabbages are in the field, they grow in other people’s gardens. Do you think you can just pick them? Better focus on tending your plot first!”

Being envious of others’ good fortune – that was exactly Liu Fang and Liang Huan’s problem, mother and daughter cut from the same cloth. Fourth Sister Chen’s words made Liang Huan feel guilty; she did indeed harbor some unsavory thoughts.

Liu Fang, never one to back down, came to her senses and wanted to argue with Fourth Sister Chen, but after mocking them, Fourth Sister Chen had already walked away, munching on her seeds.

She tugged at Liang Huan, “Come on, let’s follow and see.”

Liang Huan’s heart was clawing like a cat.

She had previously looked down on Xia Xiaolan for being a farmer’s daughter while she was a bureau chief’s daughter.

Now her father was no longer bureau chief, while Xia Xiaolan was about to become a leader’s stepdaughter.

Liang Huan hadn’t considered that someone might reject Xia Xiaolan as baggage. After half a year at Anqing No. 1 High School, her grades hadn’t improved, but Principal Sun and others had constantly indoctrinated her. Though she disliked Xia Xiaolan, she knew Xiaolan was formidable – even a leader’s biological daughter wouldn’t easily become the top scorer in the college entrance exam.

When she followed Liu Fang to the graves, Tang Hongwen was offering incense.

His expression was solemn, the atmosphere dignified, truly resembling a new son-in-law paying respects to his deceased parents-in-law.

Presence was a mysterious thing – intangible and invisible, yet palpable. Looking carefully, Liu Fang felt alarmed. Even discounting Fourth Sister Chen’s exaggeration, this man, if not more powerful than a county magistrate, was certainly no ordinary person.

No one paid attention to the mother and daughter; even Liu Yong treated them like air.

While Tang Hongwen offered incense, Liu Yong stiffly knocked his head on the ground:

“Don’t worry about us down there, honorable parents. Your granddaughter Xiaolan got into Huaqing University as the top scorer. Fen and Xiaolan’s lives are secure. I’ve been unfilial, wasting time not doing proper work before, but I know my mistakes now and am working hard to support my family… Your son has been unfilial; you never enjoyed a single day of comfort.”

The saying “When children are ready to care for their parents, the parents are gone” perfectly describes Liu Yong’s current feelings.

When Xia Xiaolan’s maternal grandparents passed away, Liu Yong had been an idle youth. The elderly couple had fled famine to Qijing Village and died one after another without experiencing a single good day.

Liu Yong had been worthless then, lacking responsibility, though admittedly everyone was poor in that environment, making filial piety impossible.

Now with reform and opening up, living conditions had improved, and Liu Yong had learned to be ambitious, but it was useless – his parents had been dead for so many years!

Xia Xiaolan watched as her uncle, a grown man, broke down crying at the painful memories.

Unlike Liu Fang’s fake crying at the graves last year, Liu Yong’s quiet sobbing was genuine and even infected Liu Fen.

Xia Xiaolan’s eyes were moist too. She had never met her maternal grandparents and logically should have no emotional connection, but her feelings for her mother and uncle were real. No wonder Chinese tradition included grave-sweeping ceremonies – this was how one developed a sense of belonging to the ancestral family.

The memories of her previous life had faded; Xia Xiaolan was increasingly immersed in this era and identity, which was why her eyes were wet.

“Mom, don’t cry. It’s New Year’s – let Grandfather and Grandmother be happy too.”

Just as Liu Yong and Liu Fen managed to stop their tears, Liu Fang pulled Liang Huan down to kneel. Not wanting to watch the drama queens perform, Xia Xiaolan supported her mother as they walked back. Liu Fang’s eyes kept darting to Tang Hongwen, and Liang Huan was equally curious. Neither tried to hide their curiosity, yet Xia Xiaolan’s group completely ignored them, treating them like air… mother and daughter were about to burst from frustration.

Liu Yong didn’t want to look at them either. Only Li Fengmei stayed behind to clean up after the ceremony. Liu Fang’s eyes darted around:

“Sister-in-law, Brother built Second Sister a house while you’re still living in the old one – you’re so generous.”

Li Fengmei hadn’t wanted to engage with her, but seeing her self-righteous attitude, she couldn’t help responding: “Who told you your brother paid for the house?”

“If not Brother, then who? Second Sister’s boyfriend, or Xiaolan…”

As Liu Fang probed, Li Fengmei sneered:

“Stop fishing for information. Fen and her daughter earned the money themselves – they’re the major shareholders of Blue Phoenix. You look down on people, thinking they must rely on men? And stop pretending to be a filial daughter. Drop your schemes – everyone can live in peace. You think Fen and her daughter are still as easy to bully as before?”

“Not relying on men, yet she’s hooked up with an official-“

Liu Fang blurted out. Li Fengmei thought this person truly couldn’t change her ways, like a dog returning to its vomit. Liu Fang had schemed her way into the Liang family and assumed Tang Hongwen was also Liu Fen’s calculation. But could someone like Mayor Tang be manipulated?

Mayor Tang was attracted to Fen because she was honest, kind-hearted, resilient, and willing to learn new things – a progressive rural woman!

Meanwhile, Liang Huan had caught a key point – Blue Phoenix belonged to Xia Xiaolan’s family.