She won't clear her name; she'll throw away all the scum.

Mr. and Mrs. Fang waited for two weeks straight, and a mountain of chores piled up at home with no one to do them. Mrs. Fang wanted to do them herself, but when she thought that Fang Yingdi would come back to help, she didn't want to lift a finger. All the chores at home fell on Fang Yingdi's youngest sister, and she was almost worn out by the stress.

Today, the two of them finally couldn't hold back any longer. While they went out to collect their wages, they planned to give her a few words of advice. If it weren't for them, how could this brat have the respectable life she has as a worker?

The two set off early in the morning, carrying homemade pancakes, which they ate as they walked.

“This mountain road is so tiring. That brat doesn’t care about us at all. I’ve heard that workers get bicycle vouchers, but it’s been years and she still hasn’t gotten one for us. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have to work so hard, and we could show off in the village.” Mr. Fang sat under a tree, exhausted from walking.

Whenever they went to Fang Yingdi to ask for their wages, it was usually Fang's mother who went. Fang's father was too lazy to walk, or he would only go if there happened to be an oxcart going to the city.

If Fang Yingdi hadn't lost control this time, her father wouldn't have gone to such lengths to go.

Fang's mother was panting heavily. "That brat has really grown up. She thinks that after being a worker for so many years, she's settled and wants to cut ties with us and not listen to us anymore. I'll beat her to death later."

Mr. Fang: "You'd better eat something good later. The meat buns you brought with you when you got money last time were really delicious."

Mother Fang nodded: "Yes, the meat buns are delicious, and the vegetarian buns I ate were even better than the ones we make ourselves. The ones made by the chefs at the state-run restaurants are just better than the ones we ordinary folks make. How exactly do they make them?"

Mr. and Mrs. Fang walked and cursed as they went, and it was almost noon when they finally reached the gate of the textile factory.

Fang Yingdi and Qiao Yi had just finished eating and were about to go to their dormitory for a while when they heard a coworker from next door calling her. Fang Yingdi turned pale and felt a little nauseous.

"They...they're here." Fang Yingdi grabbed Qiao Yi's hand. "What...what should I do?"

Fang Yingdi no longer felt the joy of seeing her parents as before. Firstly, she had already returned some of the money to Qiao Yi, and after deducting her own living expenses, she still had to save the rest for Comrade Xia and Comrade Jiang. Jiang Wenhua's words had made her unwilling to spend a single penny.

Secondly, she had just imagined that her parents would only bring her some pickled vegetables and spoiled meat, then tell her how good they were to her, and after taking the money, they would say that their whole family depended on her and that she should come home more often to help out. Fang Yingdi had heard these kinds of words since she was a child, and the more she heard them, the more uneasy she felt.

Thirdly, she hasn't been home for two weeks. Given their personalities, they might really hit her when they come back, and throw a tantrum to embarrass her in the entire textile factory. If that attracts the attention of the factory leaders, she will definitely be criticized.

Fang Yingdi was genuinely scared. Her parents were like that; if she really stopped paying them, and they completely broke off all relations with her...

It doesn't seem like a big deal. At most, she'll just lose face. We can't just fire her, can we? Last time, Comrade Xia made such a big fuss and still managed to get a house in the end. She'll definitely be fine with this. Besides, she's already hired Comrade Jiang and Comrade Xia, so there's absolutely no way anything could happen to her.

Fang Yingdi calmed herself down after thinking it over, her complexion regained its rosy hue, and she even became a little excited.

Qiao Yi had just run out to call Grandma Xia and Jiang Wenhua, worried that things might get out of control. They had many plans, so the two most important participants absolutely couldn't be missing.

Today, Old Lady Xia was forced to have dinner with Jiang Wenhua. Damn it, she was just getting her food when this bastard found out and insisted on sitting with her.

Jiang Wenhua wouldn't sit with the young female workers, fearing that bad rumors might spread and affect others. But it had nothing to do with Old Lady Xia. She was an old lady, so there couldn't be any rumors about her. Besides, both of them had bad reputations, so who would offend them?

He knew all too well the trouble Old Lady Xia had caused at the factory right after her divorce, and that incident was quite gratifying. To be honest, he'd disliked Director Yuan for a long time too.

Ever since Old Lady Xia disciplined her, she's become much more obedient. Now she finally acts like a proper director. Before, she was so pretentious; who was she trying to impress? Anyone who didn't know better would think she was the factory manager. Even the factory manager is more docile than her.

Today, when he saw Lao Xia getting her food, he immediately ate with her. He was just about to ask her if she would like him to have a piece of meat when he saw Lao Xia stuffing meat into her mouth as if she hadn't eaten meat in eight lifetimes.

Jiang Wenhua was stunned.

"Old Xia, what are you doing?" Jiang Wenhua asked.

As Grandma Xia swallowed with difficulty, she scolded, "Don't think I don't know why you little brat are eating with me. Give up, I won't let you get any meat."

The longer you spend with Jiang Wenhua, the more petty she seems to become; everyone feels the same way.

Jiang Wenhua stammered, "I haven't even said anything yet. I don't want your meat, okay?"

Grandma Xia: "That's because I've finished eating. If I hadn't, you would have tried to persuade me to give you meat. You're even better at bluffing than the factory manager."

The factory manager, who was sitting in the back, engrossed in his food and not very noticeable, paused and coughed lightly.

Then, Grandma Xia and Jiang Wenhua both looked at him with clear eyes.

The factory manager felt a moment of discomfort. Although they were talking badly about him, the situation felt as if he were eavesdropping on their conversation. The factory manager was a little embarrassed. "Hey, Lao Xia, Xiao Jiang, you two seem to have a good relationship."

Jiang Wenhua swiftly sat down next to the factory manager, holding his lunchbox and gazing longingly at the meat in the manager's bowl. "Manager, I want to eat meat."

The factory manager picked up a piece of meat and handed it to him, then scolded, "You're the only one who saw the meat!"

Jiang Wenhua: "Old Xia saw it too."

Grandma Xia immediately waved her hand, "I don't like eating meat."

The factory manager sighed, regretting coming to eat at this time. He had only returned to the factory a few days ago, having attended a meeting elsewhere. He had just returned yesterday when he was told that the troublemaker in that compound was causing trouble again. While he was still praying it wasn't their factory, Director Yuan directly shattered his hopes.

It was someone from their factory, or rather, two and a half people were involved; the other half was Tian Chengping, a former worker at their factory.

The factory manager's head started to ache again. He planned to call them over and ask them questions after he finished dealing with his own affairs. He felt a little regretful that he had arranged for the two of them to be together. Was that the right thing to do?

But now that he'd run into them, he had no choice but to say a few words. "Comrade Xia, you two... reported to the police station again a few days ago?"