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

Although the five Pan brothers said they were not filial to their parents, they absolutely did not like to hear others say that they would suffer the same fate in the future.

Just as she was about to argue with Grandma Xia, two people walked in through the door, making the already crowded little house even more cramped. Seeing the people who came in, Grandma Xia felt like going out for some fresh air.

"Dad, Mom said you came to Grandpa's to talk about something today. Did you finish the discussion?" The person who came was Pan Mei, and behind her was Chen Xiangbei.

How did those two end up together? Old Mrs. Xia was very puzzled. She remembered that they met through a blind date in her past life. How did they end up together now?

"Third son?" Old Mrs. Xia stood up and walked to the door. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

Chen Xiangbei had also been a little nervous. The moment he saw Grandma Xia, he sensed something was wrong. Pan Mei had come to his door, saying that his father had run into some trouble and had been called to the factory because of his retirement. Not only had he been given a lecture, but it seemed that she was also demanding money from them.

Chen Xiangbei was thinking that it was not normal for grandparents to take care of their elderly parents, when Pan Mei said that her grandparents did not care about her father's life or death at all. They gave the jobs to her eldest and second uncles, and the money they had was given to her fourth and fifth uncles in private. Only her father was stuck in the middle and did not get any benefits.

Moreover, Pan Mei said that her father was the only worker in her family, and it was already difficult for him to support several children. Not to mention that her grandparents would come to ask for money from time to time, which made things even worse.

She portrayed her family as extremely pitiful, as if someone in her family would die if her father gave her grandparents this little bit of support money.

Chen Xiangbei wanted to investigate first before coming here, but Pan Mei said there was no time, the issue of support had to be settled today, and hurriedly dragged the person over.

As soon as Chen Xiangbei entered the room, he saw a room full of people. He immediately spotted his mother standing there, seemingly having just had an argument. Everyone looked grumpy.

He was suddenly unsure of which side his mother was on. Based on his past understanding of her, his mother would definitely investigate very carefully when dealing with this kind of dispute, so following her was definitely the right thing to do.

"Mom, I just came to help a friend." Chen Xiangbei leaned closer to her somewhat guiltily and whispered behind her back, "Mom, have you made a decision yet?"

Pan Mei was furious when she saw Chen Xiangbei talking to an old woman. She had paid someone to do this, and he wasn't even on her side. "Chen Xiangbei, don't forget you came here to help me."

Chen Xiangbei shouted, "I know, I know, I need to find out."

Pan Mei pointed at everyone present except her father, Pan Li, and said angrily, "Didn't I make it very clear to you on the way here? Why should my dad, a son who has never received anything, be responsible for his old age? Why should he share his old age with the other uncles? This is not fair to my dad."

Grandma Xia: "Are you Comrade Pan Li's daughter?"

Pan Mei: "Yes, what's wrong? Can't I speak up for my dad?"

Director Shao recalled the documents in his hand and sneered, "Your father didn't get anything, so where did the money for your father to marry your mother come from? Who helped your father find a job by putting in money and effort? You don't think your father got into the factory on his own, do you?"

"In our food factory, it's not easy to get a job like your dad's. He's been here all these years and hasn't contributed anything; he doesn't even do as much work as a new apprentice. If this factory weren't state-owned, someone like him would have been fired long ago."

Pan Mei glared angrily: "Who are you? What gives you the right to say such things about my dad without any basis? Whether my dad got in on his own merit is not something you can just say with a few words."

Director Shao laughed and said, "It's true that I can't just say things like that, but your father's matter isn't something you can just say whatever you want. I'm the women's director of the factory's labor union. Your father's matter was reported to me. Before coming here, I had already read through all of your father's records over the years. Over the years, your father has never been selected for any awards or commendations."

Pan Mei: "That's because my dad was unlucky in love and encountered a leader who suppressed him."

Director Shao took out a stack of things from his cloth bag and casually flipped through a few pages. "Last year, your father made a mistake because of drinking. He damaged some machine parts. The factory spent a lot of money on repairs, and it also delayed the production schedule. Our factory leaders were called in by their superiors to be criticized."

Two years ago, your dad was assigned to another production line, and he refused, almost assaulting the workshop foreman. The year before that, he was docked bonuses for slacking off and caused a scene at the factory manager's office. Over the years, what contributions has your dad made to the factory? His supervisor is here; let him tell you for himself whether he's just had bad luck with his employer or if there's something wrong with him.

Pan Mei looked at her father and said, "Dad, tell me, don't you always say that you are a thoroughbred horse that just hasn't met a good mentor? Now, in front of so many people, you're saying that even if you haven't made any great contributions over the years, you've still worked hard. Everyone in your workshop has been recognized as an advanced worker, except for you. Why are you the only one being bullied?"

Pan Li's lips trembled as he racked his brains trying to recall what contributions he had made to the food factory over the years.

After thinking for a long time, all he could think of were the other bad things he had done.

For example, secretly taking substandard products out to sell.

For example, having a new employee cover his night shift.

For example, bullying female comrades.

Under everyone's gaze, he said sheepishly, "I've dedicated most of my life to the factory, treating it like my own home. I never shirk my responsibilities when there are difficulties, and I'm meticulous and patient when training new employees..."

Soon, Pan Li's superior couldn't stand it anymore. What he was babbling about had nothing to do with him. "You still won't shirk responsibility, and you're still meticulous and patient. You say I'm targeting you? Fine, when I was seconded abroad for two years, Director Wang was in charge of this area. The evaluation he wrote for you was much harsher than mine. You were called in for a talk back then, do you remember?"

Pan Li kept his head down and didn't say anything. Let them say what they wanted; he wouldn't admit it anyway.

The two people from the food factory were furious.

Grandma Xia steered the conversation back on track, "Let's not talk about that for now, let's focus on the present. Pan Li, you said your parents didn't do anything for you, but you got this job on your own merit?"

Pan Li remained silent, but Pan Mei couldn't hold back any longer. "Of course it was my dad who took the exam. My grandparents gave away all their jobs back then, so where would they get the money to buy my dad a job?"

Pan Fu, being the eldest son, was unhappy. "How can we not have money? After your second uncle and I took on jobs, we gave most of our earnings to household expenses. Otherwise, your father and your two uncles wouldn't even have enough to eat, let alone work."

Pan Mei: "Impossible, absolutely impossible. My dad said that our family was so poor back then that we almost couldn't survive. He said that my grandparents didn't give him a way to live and didn't give him anything when the family divided the property. It wasn't until he worked for a few years and had my younger brother that things got better."

The leaders exchanged glances; it seemed this girl had been deceived by her father.

Chen Xiangbei also sensed something was wrong. He didn't care about anything and said loudly, "Comrade Pan Mei, is it possible that your father is rich, but because you are his first child and a girl, and your father's previous children were all girls, he didn't give you money to use and would rather let you go hungry until your brother was born, then he started spending money?"

Pan Mei was stunned.