The Li family had an uneventful day, with everyone getting a good night's sleep.
At the Yu family's residence, Shen Jianrong was so bothered by the incessant phone calls that she unplugged the landline and turned off her mobile phone.
These chaotic calls were either asking why Shen Jianming and Shen Jianhui were kicked out of the Shen family, or from the Tang, Tu, Gong, Huang, and Cai families begging for mercy and seeking Tian Jing's phone number.
What was the point of contacting Tian Jing?
What did Tian Jing have to do with the tax authorities investigating these families for tax evasion?
Absurd!
Little did they know, even after she unplugged her phone and turned off her mobile, people could still find her.
How? They found her through her neighbors, asking them to call her to the phone.
She reluctantly went to her neighbor's house to take a call, only to hear Ma Xingxiang verbally abuse her.
She was called heartless, venomous, and a petty person who had risen too high.
They called Tian Jing arrogant, saying she framed others for imprisonment over mere verbal disputes.
Shen Jianrong listened quietly. When the ranting stopped, she asked Ma Xingxiang if there was anything else. If not, she was hanging up.
Ma Xingxiang's anger, which had just subsided, flared up again due to Shen Jianrong's nonchalant tone:
"Shen Jianrong, you just wait. I'm going to report you and Father for using official power for personal vendettas, and Tian Jing for using official power for personal vendettas."
"Go ahead," Shen Jianrong said unhurriedly.
"No one's stopping you. Hurry up and go. And while you're at it, report on your own family's affairs too." Look at the book.
"However, it doesn't matter if you don't report it. As soon as you go, they will definitely investigate you along with the informants."
"To ensure that the informants are law-abiding citizens and not retaliating against those being reported."
"You?" Ma Xingxiang choked. "Don't scare me. I don't believe they'll just let you run wild."
"How are we running wild?" Shen Jianrong retorted.
"We haven't evaded taxes, nor have we done anything that violates the law. How are we running wild?"
"You might not have, but Tian Jing definitely has," Ma Xingxiang said confidently.
"She has such a large real estate company; there must be tax evasion somewhere."
"Tell her to quickly resolve the issues for my two sons-in-law's families, or I'll report her to the tax authorities too."
"Heh heh," Shen Jianrong sneered. "Ma Xingxiang, haven't you gotten used to throwing your weight around outside using the Shen family as a shield?"
"You even expect Tian Jing to solve problems for the Tu and Cai families? If it's against the law, no one can cover the sky with one hand."
"If your two sons-in-law's families get into trouble, it will inevitably lead back to you, and then to your maternal family."
"I'll wait and see your fate. Tian Jing and I are also waiting for you to report and inform."
"And tell Zhao Qilan, stop calling me. I won't pick up anymore."
With that, Shen Jianrong hung up and told her neighbor, "No matter who looks for me, tell them I'm not home."
The neighbor nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Did something happen to your eldest and second brothers' families?"
"No," Shen Jianrong shook her head. "It's Ma Xingxiang and Zhao Qilan's in-laws who are in trouble. They're acting like the sky is falling, scrambling around for their in-laws. It's madness!"
The neighbor believed Shen Jianrong. "Your two sisters-in-law don't know right from wrong."
"You're right," Shen Jianrong agreed. "I've already severed ties with their families yesterday. Even if Shen Jianming and Shen Jianhui call, ignore them and say I'm not home, then hang up."
The neighbor was stunned. "Severed ties? That's for the best. I couldn't stand the way those two sisters-in-law behaved. It's rare you put up with them for so many years."
"Sigh!" Shen Jianrong sighed. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have tolerated it. My tolerance has made them push their luck."
"I'm going home. Sorry for bothering you."
The neighbor shook her head, saying that distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors, and this small matter was nothing.
Shen Jianrong returned home, pacing restlessly.
Old Master Shen became impatient. "What are you pacing for? You're making me dizzy."
"I'm just uneasy," Shen Jianrong stopped pacing.
"Tell me, should Jingyuan Company have any tax evasion?"
"No," Old Master Shen said with certainty.
"When Jingyuan Company first appeared, it was reported before."
"After the tax bureau investigated, they found some accounts were indeed a bit messy. After the accounts were rectified and taxes paid, Jingyuan Company established two accounting departments."
"The first accounting department handles normal bookkeeping, while the second accounting department verifies all accounts and checks with various departments."
"Whether it's the heads of the first accounting department or the various departments, they are most afraid of the second accounting department discovering any loopholes."
"Because once a loophole is found, the potential financial and reputational losses, as well as possible tax penalties, will be distributed among the responsible personnel."
"Even if no loss occurred, it would be calculated as a penalty. The purpose of the penalty is to prevent employees from taking chances."
"An accountant is fired after two errors, and a department head is also fired after two errors."
"Jingyuan Company offers high salaries and good benefits, and no one wants to be fired."
"Especially as Jingyuan Company's reputation grew, the desire not to be fired increased, and everyone put in their best effort."
Shen Jianrong listened, stunned. "What if the second accounting department makes a mistake?"
"Impossible," Old Master Shen shook his head. "Unless the erroneous result calculated by the second accounting department is the same as the erroneous result from the first accounting department, which is extremely unlikely."
"And the second accounting department is not a company employee. At the end of each month, Jingyuan Company randomly hires several accountants from accounting firms to verify the accounts."
"Sometimes it's accountants from the same firm, and sometimes one accountant is hired from each of several firms; it's very random."
"When paying taxes, the tax officer at the window will also re-calculate whether the taxes payable are correct."
"Everything Jingyuan Company does is being monitored from above; no loopholes are allowed."
"Why?" Shen Jianrong didn't understand the intention from above.
Old Master Shen said in a low voice, "Because Jingyuan Company has a good reputation, and also because Tian Jing has too many business territories."
"The higher-ups allow Tian Jing to hold these territories, as she acquired them legitimately, but they will not allow Tian Jing and Jingyuan Company to engage in tax evasion."
"If she evades taxes, it would prove her character is questionable, and they would have to be wary of her."
Shen Jianrong still didn't quite understand.
Old Master Shen angrily tapped his little daughter's forehead. "Tian Jing's standing is too high."
Shen Jianrong still didn't understand. "Isn't a high standing good?"
Old Master Shen squinted at his daughter. "If her character is upright, it's good. If her character is not upright..."
Shen Jianrong finally understood. "Father, in this world, if Tian Jing's character isn't upright, then no one is."
"How much has she contributed to the country? She sent all three sons to specialized teams, leaving her daughter to marry into the family, while she herself quietly stayed in the Kufeng Mountains."
"Yes!" Old Master Shen sighed. To find a son-in-law who was also from a specialized team, there was no mother as great as Tian Jing.
"I'm just saying this to put your mind at ease. The higher-ups are quite confident in Tian Jing, so don't say this to others."
"If Tian Jing hears this, it will cause her some unease."
"I know, I know," Shen Jianrong nodded repeatedly. "I know what to say and what not to say."
"Now that you've clarified things for me, I feel at ease, no matter how much Ma Xingxiang and the others make a fuss."
"The family is unfortunate!" Old Master Shen sighed deeply.
"Look at the Li family. After marrying Tian Jing, all three siblings' families prospered, and their children have also achieved great success."
"In the future, the descendants of these children will also be positively influenced by this generation. Even if they don't achieve great success, they will still be much better off than children from ordinary families."
"This is the saying 'a wise wife brings prosperity for three generations.' Now look at our Shen family, a typical example of 'marrying an unworthy wife destroys three generations.'"
"Marriage, whether for men or women, should never be compromised."
Shen Jianrong nodded with deep empathy. "In the future, when Ziyu's child gets married, I'll have to keep my eyes wide open."