Some families experience joy while others face grief; this was destined to be a sleepless night.
Just as Jiang Conghe and his wife were nearly going gray with worry for their daughter, unbeknownst to them in Beijing, trouble ignited right behind their backs.
As soon as Ning Ge returned to Beijing, he immediately made arrangements to meet a few childhood friends and, through them, he also invited a scion who served as a deputy director in the Cultural Work Troupe.
A group made up of second-generation officials, the third generation of old revolutionaries, or the rich second generation gathered in a private room of a club, drinking and chatting.
Ning Ge, who was the ringleader, had come with the clear intention of stirring things up—he was responsible for setting the atmosphere. Soon after, he began sharing the Chiang Family’s secrets in a tone full of mystery.
A female military doctor stole someone else’s husband; Director Lu came to help but ended up causing a company commander’s wife to miscarry.
"Such a respected director of the Cultural Work Troupe, unable to distinguish right from wrong, even causing someone to miscarry; such a director has a poor image, with a profound impact on the Cultural Work Troupe..." Ning Ge deliberately addressed these words to the offspring of the deputy director, who seemed contemplative.
Ning Ge paused, and his childhood friend mysteriously added, "If the top beam isn’t straight, the bottom ones will go awry. Back in the day, Commander Chiang also had a wife, and Director Lu took her away—so the story goes."
Ning Ge ’accidentally’ mentioned an incident from Military Doctor Chiang’s childhood, and someone with a loose tongue let it slip.
The gathering was lively, and once it dispersed, the topics discussed quickly spread to the various families involved. Those who were scheming started to take action.
On Ning Gang’s end, he didn’t halt his actions and formally presented Qi Taiguo’s "petition for punishment" up the chain.
When Ning Ge gleefully returned home, he was intercepted by his eldest brother and Old Master Ning.
"How is Xiao Cheng feeling?" Old Master Ning’s first question concerned Cheng Su’s health.
Ning Ge replied, "What’s so good about a woman having a miscarriage? When I got to their place, she was lying on the floor, blood everywhere, like a dead person."
As he spoke, a look of distress crossed his face; he couldn’t shake off the unease he felt remembering that scene.
Ning Gang gave him a glance.
"A young woman—take good care of her, and she can still bear children in the future. Older brother, have your wife prepare some nutritious tonics. I’ll have the fourth brother take them back later as a token of my concern," Old Master Ning sighed.
"Yes."
Ning Ge was taken aback, then said, "I’ll thank Old Master Ning on behalf of Cheng Su."
Old Master Ning nodded. He didn’t want to hear about such unpleasant matters, so he changed the subject and asked Ning Gang, "How are things on your end?"
"The report has been delivered, and Director Wang is very angry," Ning Gang exhaled.
Ning Ge’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Old Master Ning saw this, and a glint of sharpness passed through his eyes, saying, "Just delivering it is enough; don’t do anything more to avoid accusations of not caring about the image of a soldier, only seeking to overpower your superiors."
Ning Gang nodded in agreement.
"I added fuel to the fire for big brother!" Ning Ge interjected.
"What have you done now? If you are in business, just stick to business honestly; don’t always cause trouble," Ning Gang scolded.
Old Master Ning said, "Let’s hear what he has to say; it can’t hurt."
With a smug raise of an eyebrow, Ning Ge shared how he spread the Chiang Family’s scandal, "Big brother, you don’t have to do a thing. Just wait and reap the profits. Now, that Chiang’s face is covered in mud."
"You really are causing trouble!" Ning Gang huffed dismissively.
Old Master Ning, however, nodded with a degree of satisfaction, saying, "The fourth child may be reckless, but the result is the same. There are things he can do that you can’t. The fourth is right—you don’t need to do anything, just wait!"
"Yes!" Ning Gang, who always obeyed Old Master Ning without question, then cast a glare at his overtly pleased younger brother.