After hearing this, Liu Han hesitated for a moment, then looked at Qiu Jingwen and smiled.

"Okay, as you say, Cobra, but I'll decide where we meet next time."

Without even thinking, Qiu Jingwen hummed in agreement and pushed his bicycle out of the grove.

Honestly, at this moment,

Qiu Jingwen suddenly felt much more relaxed.

He recalled an old saying: if a problem can be solved with money, it's not a big problem.

Back in the workshop office, Qiu Jingwen pretended that nothing had happened.

He quickly changed into his work clothes, put on his safety helmet, and wore a pair of military-style work boots before heading down to the workshop.

As the workshop director, going down into the workshop to check the production safety of each post is basically a daily routine.

While the maintenance team was inspecting the work, Qiu Jingwen happened to run into Zheng Yanshi.

Zheng Yanshi pushed his glasses up and asked in surprise:

"Director Qiu, why are you here again? Didn't you say you had something to do this morning?"

Qiu Jingwen smiled at him.

"There was something else going on, so we made a last-minute change."

This is the only explanation he can give, and there are no loopholes in it.

Zheng Yanshi gave Qiu Jingwen a brief report on his work and told him about his encounter with Jiang Yuping at the factory clinic.

Qiu Jingwen said he already knew, and then asked Zheng Yanshi about the injured employee's finger condition and family situation.

Zheng Yanshi told Qiu Jingwen that the injured employee's name was Wang Liping. The wound was not serious enough to qualify as a work-related injury, so it was not reported. He should be able to return to work after a few days of rest at home.

At the same time, he looked at Qiu Jingwen and continued to add to the story.

"As for his family situation, what I know is that Comrade Wang Liping is from Yunxi Town nearby. His father is a veteran. Wang Liping got his job at our military factory through a connection with a leader in the county's People's Armed Forces Department. I heard that his wife was a sent-down youth. I don't know if they have any children."

After listening, Qiu Jingwen thought for a moment and said to Zheng Yanshi:

“Zheng Yanshi, how about this, after dinner, the two of us will ride over to his house with some gifts to see how things are going and to express our condolences.”

Zheng Yanshi naturally had no objections; he would simply follow the director's instructions.

The two agreed on a time to meet at the supply and marketing cooperative in the dormitory area, then inspected the safety conditions of each work section together before walking back to the workshop office.

Before Qiu Jingwen could even sit down, statistician Zhang Xiaohui walked in.

"Director Qiu, you're back?"

Zhang Xiaohui's voice was gentle, with a hint of sweetness.

Qiu Jingwen looked up at Zhang Xiaohui, but his face was serious.

"Comrade Zhang Xiaohui, is there anything I can help you with?"

Zhang Xiaohui was only slightly unaccustomed to the director's seriousness, because Director Qiu usually always had a smile on her face when she was with him.

She didn't seem to care, and smiled charmingly, revealing two shallow dimples.

"Director Qiu, your Dr. Jiang just called and instructed me to call her back immediately if you return to the workshop office, saying she has something important to tell you."

"I understand, thank you."

Qiu Jingwen thanked Zhang Xiaohui and sat down in the chair behind the desk.

Zhang Xiaohui handed another report to Qiu Jingwen.

"Director Qiu, this is last month's report. It needs your review and signature."

Qiu Jingwen took the report and tossed it aside.

After Zhang Xiaohui turned to leave, she casually picked up the phone on the table.

This is a red telephone. After picking up the receiver, you need to dial.

Qiu Jingwen dialed the switchboard number, asked the operator for the office number of Jiang Yuping at the factory clinic, and waited for a response.

A few seconds later, Jiang Yuping's anxious voice came over.

"Jingwen, are you in the workshop?"

"Yes, I'm here."

"Where did you go this morning?"

“I didn’t go anywhere. I delivered the autumn harvest and cicadas to the school, and then I went back to the workshop. I went down to the workshop for a walk, and just now I returned to the office with Zheng Yanshi. Zhang Xiaohui said you called me.”

"Didn't you tell Zheng Yanshi that you had something to do this morning?"

"I had an appointment with someone, but I had to change it at the last minute."

"What exactly is going on that's keeping me so unsettled for so long?"

"Yuping, don't worry, it's nothing. I'll talk to you when I get home tonight. Bye."

After saying that, Qiu Jingwen hung up the phone.

He felt that his wife should be at ease knowing he had returned to the workshop, at least for the time being.

As a workshop director who has been a junior leader for so many years and is approaching fifty, his behavior and actions after returning home yesterday, including slapping his son and filling the room with smoke, especially his words to his wife that sounded like he was telling her what was to come, must have made her uneasy and worried about him. It's perfectly normal for her to be asking him all sorts of questions on the phone right now.

Qiu Jingwen hadn't figured out how to bring up the matter of Liu Han demanding three thousand yuan with his wife.

Over the years, the family's finances have been managed and controlled by his wife, Jiang Yuping, and the bankbooks and other savings accounts are also in her hands.

Although he hadn't questioned him, he knew that having a savings account with two thousand yuan at home shouldn't be a problem. If he were to borrow three thousand yuan from outside, it definitely wouldn't be possible in three days. However, if he could rely on his connections as the workshop director and shamelessly borrow a thousand or eight hundred yuan, he should be able to manage it.

Of course, Qiu Jingwen also briefly considered whether Liu Han would let him go after receiving the three thousand yuan, and whether he could guarantee that his spy identity would remain hidden forever.

It's hard to say anything right now.

If Liu Han can get the telegram from Taiwan regarding the approved funding for the activity, he might actually be able to get the three thousand dollars back, or at least get it back.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!