Chapter 11. Song Zhao didn't know; wouldn't that implicate him? ...

There's something else? Nie Qingqing glanced at it; the paper packets inside took up half the jar. What could it be?

She squeezed it first; it didn't feel like tea leaves. It was quite difficult to pull out, so Xiaoyin helped her hold the tin box. The two of them worked together to take out the paper package. When they opened it, there was actually a stack of banknotes inside.

Nie Qingqing was quite frightened and exclaimed, "Mom, come and see! There's money in the tea box! There must be a mistake! I have to return it right away!"

Tang Guizhi has been through a lot; this paper package is worth several hundred yuan. How could she possibly make a mistake?

She was terrified: "Wait a minute, this might be a gift for Song Zhao."

Why send gifts to Song Zhao's workplace?

Nie Qingqing felt a pang of panic, thinking of one possibility: "Maybe it was meant for one of our unit's leaders and was given to me by mistake. I'll take it to Director Yu now and ask her to return it."

Nie Weibin stopped his sister: "Song Zhao has only been here for less than a month. People don't know if he accepts gifts or not. They're using this method to test you. Mom is right, it might not be a mistake."

If it really was meant for Song Zhao, then it shouldn't be accepted, nor should Song Zhao be allowed to handle it, otherwise things will get complicated.

She didn't care about anything else: "I can't wait for Song Zhao. I'll go home to my family compound first and ask Yu Wenhui to find out the details."

...

Yu Wenhui is the deputy factory director's older sister. Her husband became the factory's purchasing director. Nie Qingqing lives in the same staff housing building as her; her family lives on the sixth floor, and Yu Wenhui's family lives on the fourth floor.

Nie Qingqing returned to the family compound and climbed all the way to Director Yu's house on the fourth floor. Inside, there was a constant, loud argument.

Normally, she would have slipped away and stayed out of other people's business, but today she couldn't care less. The noise inside made her knock even louder, making sure the people inside could hear her.

As soon as she knocked on the door, the arguing inside stopped immediately, but no one answered, as if pretending no one was home. She didn't care and kept knocking, until the person inside became impatient.

He Tonggui shouted, "What's the rush? Can't we talk about it tomorrow morning?"

Why wait until tomorrow morning? This involves a serious issue of bribery and corruption; we can't wait even a quarter of an hour.

Nie Qingqing also yelled, "I'm from Director Song's family upstairs. I'm looking for Director Yu, not you."

...

After waiting for a while, Yu Wenhui opened the door, still wearing a silk scarf around her neck.

She saw Nie Qingqing carrying a tea bag, and knowing exactly what was going on, she let her in, smiling nonchalantly: "Little Nie, what's the matter that you're looking for me in such a hurry?"

Nie Qingqing placed the tea bag on the table, took out a can of tea, opened it, and showed her the money that shouldn't be inside.

"Director Yu, I put money in the tea I bought today, in both cans. I don't dare keep it. There must be a mistake, right? Can you tell me where the supplier lives? I'll return it to them."

Yu Wenhui smiled, patted her hand, and put the lid back on the tea canister.

"Look at you, it's such a small thing, why are you making such a fuss? Maybe it's a gift for you. Take it home first, and ask Song Zhao what he thinks later. Don't worry, I'll pretend you were never here today and know nothing about this."

Nie Qingqing understood everything. Yu Wenhui knew that the person who gave the gift might have spoken to her beforehand, asking her to make sure she bought the tea. No wonder she was so enthusiastic when promoting it.

Nie Qingqing was blunt: "Since you are unaware and claim you don't know, then I'll send it to the factory's Party branch and discipline inspection commission."

Yu Wenhui was startled and quickly stopped her, changing her attitude: "What are you doing? Making such a big fuss will make everyone lose face. If you don't want to accept it, just take it back. I'll go with you."

Now that she's offering to go with her to cancel the refund, Nie Qingqing is refusing.

"If I return it privately, who can say for sure? What if they say I didn't return it completely? Who can I complain to? I've changed my mind. I'll just send it to the disciplinary committee to avoid any future disputes."

Yu Wenhui stamped her foot. She never expected that Nie Qingqing, this ignorant woman, would be so reckless.

"Xiao Nie, you're inexperienced. Don't make such a big decision on your own. Wait for Director Song to come back and discuss it with him."

Song Zhao is the pillar of the family, and he has just been transferred to the factory. Many eyes are watching him, and she can't let Song Zhao get into trouble because of her negligence.

As long as Song Zhao doesn't know about this, even if it eventually escalates to the higher authorities, it will be Nie Qingqing's own business and has nothing to do with Song Zhao.

Nie Qingqing pushed Yu Wenhui away and jumped out of her doorway to prevent herself from being locked inside. She couldn't possibly fight off the two of them alone.

She said, "Director Yu, you asked me to talk to Song Zhao. He was essentially forced to get involved in this. You and I are colleagues and neighbors living in the same building. Do you want to make Song Zhao suffer so that your brother can take over as factory manager?"

Once the misunderstanding escalates, it's impossible to reason with them anymore.

Yu Wenhui quickly waved her hand: "My brother is destined to be the deputy factory director. Even if it weren't for Song Zhao, someone else would have been parachuted in. I'll tell you which building the secretary lives in. Go ahead, I don't care anymore."

...

Yu Wenhui closed the door and decided to leave it at that.

When He Tonggui saw his wife outside, having done something sordid behind his back again, he mocked her: "You still want to be clever? Who did you take bribes from, trying to help someone test the new factory director? Didn't expect that, did you? You can't corrupt someone's family."

Yu Wenhui denied it: "That's not true, it has nothing to do with me."

He Tonggui didn't want to argue with her about this, since he was "unaware" of what Yu Wenhui had done anyway.

He said, "My sister and your brother's marriage is a mutual decision between them, and your objections are useless."

Upon hearing this, Yu Wenhui exploded again: "He Tonggui, you're already my brother-in-law, what more could you want? What kind of shit do you have on your ass that you want to drag my brother down with your sister? I don't care what you've done, but don't try to implicate me and my brother."

Who is really implicated? Her matchmaking efforts were short-sighted!

Enraged, He Tonggui grabbed her neck with both hands and shook her, trying to snap her out of it: "Your brother's first wife was a woman we introduced him to, a complete stranger. We are his only relatives. If he marries another woman, he'll just have to rely on her. He won't even remember you, his own sister! If I hadn't married my sister to him, would you be the women's director? Would I be the purchasing director? Wake up! We're all in this lucrative department because of your brother!"

Yu Wenhui had no words to refute it.

He Tonggui let go of her hand and warned, "Besides, my sister really wants to! She's already twenty-six. How could she possibly be left single when there are plenty of good men of similar age? She's been on so many dates, but none of them are as good as your brother. She can't handle hardship; she just wants to live in a big house and wait for a job. Our whole family thinks it's a good thing."

Yu Wenhui was furious: "Fine, fine! I'll see how many years they can keep quiet without causing trouble!"

And then there's Nie Qingqing's side, she actually made a scene at the Discipline Inspection Commission, let's see how Song Zhao deals with her.

...

Nie Qingqing's visit left Dai Chengping puzzled. She was Xiao Song's second wife. Like the deputy factory director and others, he gave her a twenty-yuan wedding gift. He had overheard some casual conversations beforehand, saying that since both of them were second-time brides with three children, their marriage would definitely be chaotic. Unexpectedly, the young couple was living a good life.

The two children in the Song family always came home happy, wearing new clothes. It seemed they were doing well under their stepmother's care. Dai Chengping had a good impression of Nie Qingqing.

He came to see her late at night, actually confessing to something. She counted the money in the two tea canisters, and it added up to a thousand yuan. Such a large sum of money meant that she wanted to ask the factory manager to do something significant.

Seeing that the money had been counted, Nie Qingqing was eager to clear herself of any involvement in the bribery in front of the Party Secretary: "Leader, I've been framed. I really didn't expect that being the wife of a factory director would result in such a gift. I haven't touched a single penny of this money; it's all here. Song Zhao doesn't know about it. Will he be implicated?"

Dai Chengping wanted to laugh but felt he shouldn't; the other person was already very nervous, and he didn't want to scare her.

He first reassured me with ambiguous words: "This is the first time I've encountered a situation like yours. I will investigate thoroughly."

Nie Qingqing had complete faith in her leader and nodded repeatedly: "Then I'll go back to my mother's house first and tell her. She's been worried sick."

Dai Chengping was both amused and exasperated by her straightforwardness: "Song Zhao will definitely be here soon, so wait for him. Let's go together late at night."

Nie Qingqing was surprised: "When Song Zhao arrives, aren't you going to criticize and educate him? It's not appropriate for me to be here."

Dai Chengping was even more surprised: "He didn't even know, so why should I criticize him? You did a great job in this regard."

Having received recognition from her superiors, Nie Qingqing felt much more at ease.

She said, "Secretary Dai, I understand. Although he was unaware of the situation, he failed to properly restrain his family members, which is his fault. But I still want to defend him by saying that I was foolish and failed to guard against the enemy's sugar-coated bullets. I hope you won't blame Song Zhao."

Dai Chengping was amused by her nervousness and reassured her, "Okay, I will check carefully. When Song Zhao asks later, I'll just tell him you went back to your parents' home, right?"

...

Nie Qingqing delivered the money to the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission's house. Just as she felt a little relieved, her heart started pounding again. Would Song Zhao blame her for being reckless?

Her mother was home alone, and the house was quiet. Even her brother, sister-in-law, and Tanggao were not there. She hurriedly asked, "Mom, where are Tangyuan, Xiaoyuan, and Xiaoyin?"

Tang Guizhi helped her park her bicycle, stopping several times anxiously before finally bringing it to a stop. She said, "They can't wait any longer. Tangyuan is almost crying and wants to go home to find you. Your brother and sister-in-law have taken four children to your house. Don't rush back. If Song Zhao comes, the children won't be there, so it'll be easier for you to talk."

Nie Qingqing had just returned from the family compound and missed him on the way.

It's a good thing she missed it. If Song Zhao comes, he might blame her for affecting his work. If he really dares to blame her like that, she will never tolerate it. It wouldn't be good to argue in front of the children.

After what happened today, Nie Qingqing was still quite frightened. She sighed softly, "Mom, I made such a big fuss. What if Song Zhao doesn't come to pick me up tonight? I don't want to go back in disgrace and be laughed at by my colleagues and relatives."

Tang Guizhi was more worried than Nie Qingqing. Second marriages are not easy. She couldn't help but ask God, "How could such a good day turn into this? To be fair, this is not your fault. Song Zhao is a reasonable person. He didn't know. If he had known, why didn't he come?"

A note from the author:

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