“You say that my daughter hit you first? Then let’s talk about evidence. We must set aside those people who are on good terms with Yang Xin and Xia He respectively and only hear from those who are not familiar with the two of them. So you can forget about that Zhou Ling you’re talking about,” Xu Lan said.
“How can we just ignore what Zhou Ling said!” Bian Zhuo said angrily.
“If you really don’t believe me, then let’s make a police report and let the police deal with this matter. At the end of it, we’ll accept the police’s conclusion, be it paying compensation or issuing an apology,” Xu Lan said nonchalantly with her hands spread out.
“Aren’t you worried that the Xia family’s reputation will be damaged! I’ll go to the streets and kick up a fuss! I’ll ruin your Xia family’s reputation!” Bian Zhuo said as he pointed at Xu Lan.
Xu Lan looked at Bian Zhuo coldly. The Xia family had always been open and aboveboard and was not afraid of being investigated at all. The Xia family’s money was all earned by the Xia family’s menfolk through honest and hard work.
Back when Xu Lan first took over the reins of the household, whenever something happened to the Xia family, she valued the Xia family’s reputation more than anything else. If she could settle the matter quickly, she definitely would not overly pursue it. She felt that it was not a big deal to lose some money and she did not want to waste time on unimportant people. Time was the most precious thing to her.
However, it was precisely because of what she did that made many people misunderstand them. They said that the Xia family was timid and only knew how to use money to smooth things over. Initially, Xu Lan just thought that by losing some money, she could also make these less well-off people feel better, but she did not expect to get such an outcome. From then on, Xu Lan changed completely.
Did these people really think that the Xia family, who had been established in the capital for so many years, was a family to be trifled with?
“Go ahead. You can publicize it for my family. Our family did not do this. When word gets out, everyone will know that our family brings up our children well. Go quickly!” Xu Lan said.
“You’re really not worried that others will misunderstand your family?” Bian Ding asked curiously.
“Hmph. What’s there for me to worry about? In our family, the couples get along harmoniously and we are a happy family. No one does anything sneaky, not like some couples who have so many lovers outside and even have two or three illegitimate children. Some people are still being kept in the dark!” Xu Lan said loudly and purposefully towards the bed.
Bian Zhuo’s face instantly turned pale. How did Xu Lan know about all these? He had clearly kept it a closely guarded secret and made sure that no one would find out!
Xu Lan did not come to confront the Bian family without any background information. Otherwise, she would be in a disadvantaged position. The Xia family’s investigators usually dealt with work-related matters. It would still be quite difficult for them to find out about such private matters. Only women knew women the best.
The Bian family was not prominent but also not unknown. There were many wives of rich families in the capital who stayed at home full-time. Xu Lan only needed to ask around to find out about the Bian family’s shameful doings. These women were usually very free and their only hobby was to find out about the various prominent families’ deep and dark secrets.
Actually, these rich women were no different from the women who gossiped at the village entrance. The only difference was that one group wore tattered clothes and sat at the village entrance, while the other group wore expensive clothes and sat inside luxurious houses.
“Hurry up and get lost! Get lost!” Bian Zhuo said as he pointed at the door.
Xu Lan laughed as she walked out of the ward. As soon as she left, she could hear Yang Xin kicking up a fuss in the room and her mood improved greatly.
Xia He sat at the side and gave Xu Lan a thumbs up. This was the first time she had seen Xu Lan go into battle with full force. In the past, Xia Wen was always the one who handled these things. She had almost forgotten that Xu Lan was the one who handled all these household issues, big and small, before Xia Wen reached adulthood.
Their mother, who was usually gentle to them, was actually a very strong woman. Motherhood served to make a woman strong. Xu Lan would fight to the death with anyone who bullied her daughter, even if it meant risking her own life.
By the time Qiao Mei arrived, Xu Lan had already left the battlefield.
“Mother! Are you alright?” Qiao Mei looked at Xu Lan and Xia He worriedly.
“Oh you. You’re still so disobedient. What can happen to us two?” Xu Lan said as she tapped the tip of Qiao Mei’s nose dotingly.
“I… Aren’t I just worried about Mother?” Qiao Mei said as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.
Xia He quickly came over to Qiao Mei and said, “You didn’t see how fantastic Mother was just now. She’s even more impressive than our father!”