Chapter 50

The deputy director's office was simply furnished, but it had everything one could need. Behind his desk stood a tall bookshelf, brimming with books. The walls were hung with banners, the lower half wooden, the upper half white. The window was open, and on the windowsill sat a pot of emerald green orchids, their slender, delicate leaves swaying gently in the breeze outside.

In the middle of the room was a rectangular coffee table with three sofa chairs around it. Bai Fengyao poured Pei Xingzhi a glass of water, and the two sat down and talked about their experiences after they broke up.

When Pei Xingzhi heard Bai Fengyao say that Xu Huizhu's husband had been promoted, his eyes flashed.

He once had high hopes for Xu Huizhu, but she had shattered them. Before marrying Meng Wanqiu, he resented her, but with the company of Meng Wanqiu and the Meng family, Pei Xingzhi finally felt relieved.

He had family, he had a lover, and soon, he would have his own child. The place of Xu Huizhu in his heart had completely vanished.

When Bai Fengyao mentioned Xu Huizhu, he looked at Pei Xingzhi's face cautiously, as if he was afraid that the other party would make him sad.

Pei Xingzhi smiled nonchalantly, his hands casually resting on his knees. "Master, don't worry about me. She's just a stranger to me now."

Bai Fengyao was stunned. Thinking of how Xu Huizhu had abandoned Pei Xingzhi several times, it was not surprising that Pei Xingzhi had such thoughts now.

It's ridiculous that as a mother, I'm treated as a stranger by my own children. Xu Huizhu, I wonder if you will regret it later.

"Okay, let's not talk about her." Bai Fengyao changed the subject and asked about Pei Xingzhi's situation over the years.

What happened in recent years was that he was on the list of people going to the countryside by the street office instead of Xu Huizhu's stepson. Pei Xingzhi didn't know about this until the street office came to his door after not seeing him report for a long time. Only then did Pei Xingzhi understand.

That night, Xu Huizhu packed a set of bedding for him and gave him a few dollars, and he was sent on the train the next day.

Come to think of it, Xu Huizhu didn't seem to be that ruthless.

Pei Xingzhi held the cup in both hands, rubbing his fingertips against the cup wall. The cool touch of the ceramic was gradually covered by his body temperature. "It's okay. Going to the countryside, it was definitely not easy at first, but you get used to it after doing it more. Besides, I'm not a spoiled young master. During the years I lived with my master, I did a lot of rough work, so I got the hang of it quickly. After I got married, my father-in-law and his family treated me like their own son, and life became easier and easier."

At the end, Pei Xingzhi touched his nose and smiled.

Now he looks more cheerful than before and more like a young man of his age.

Pei Xingzhi's words were evasive, highlighting the good news but not the bad. He was a young man, barely sixteen, betrayed by his family, and now alone in the countryside, with no one to turn to. No matter how mature he was, he must have been terrified.

It’s your own responsibility to take care of your own child, but since Pei Xingzhi didn’t want him to worry, Bai Fengyao didn’t ask any further questions, but he felt even more dissatisfied with Xu Huizhu in his heart.

"Speaking of your father-in-law, is he the old comrade-in-arms of Commander Song?" Bai Fengyao leaned back and asked Pei Xingzhi.

Pei Xingzhi nodded and placed the cup on the coffee table, gratitude in his eyes. "Yes, my father is an old comrade of Commander Song. It was because of my father's help from Commander Song that I had the opportunity to leave the countryside and come to the 715th."

Pei Xingzhi told Bai Fengyao why he came to July 15 and the efforts made by Meng Aiguo.

Pei Xingzhi's tone was filled with emotion as he spoke later. He hadn't expected such a fate to happen. Meng Aiguo contacted his old comrade Song Zhen, who in turn contacted Bai Fengyao. This allowed the long-lost master and apprentice to meet again.

Pei Xingzhi couldn't help but sigh, wondering if he and Meng Wanqiu really had some kind of wonderful fate. Ever since he met her, he had been lucky.

Feeling the intimacy in Pei Xingzhi's tone, Bai Fengyao understood that it seemed that the Meng family was really good to him, otherwise Pei Xingzhi, who was always introverted, would not have mentioned them all the time.

It is rare to find such a sincere person in the world who can ask people for help to find a job for a son-in-law from another family, or a son-in-law with "problems" at that, and in order to prevent the capable son-in-law from wasting his time in the countryside.

Bai Fengyao felt relieved when he knew that after Pei Xingzhi left him, he had a family again who could understand his heart.

He then teased Pei Xingzhi, "Didn't you come here with that girl? Where is that girl?"

Speaking of Meng Wanqiu, Pei Xingzhi's eyes softened, like the melting ice and snow in spring, the tender buds breaking through the soil, and the gurgling stream flowing again.

"We just arrived today, and she's busy with other things late at night."

The cold voice lowered and softened, and stars melted into his eyes, twinkling and shining like the Milky Way, and his whole temperament became gentle.

Bai Fengyao had no doubt that he must be deeply in love with Pei Xingzhi.

"Oh, Wanwan?" Bai Fengyao raised his voice and looked at Pei Xingzhi teasingly.

Pei Xingzhi lowered his eyes and his ears turned slightly red. When the trusted elder heard him address Meng Wanqiu affectionately, he couldn't help feeling a little shy.

"Wanwan's full name is Meng Wanqiu. Master, you can just call her Xiaowan from now on. The elders all call her that."

Wanwan is a name that belongs only to him, Pei Xingzhi added secretly in his heart.

"She has two older brothers and a younger brother. The eldest is Meng Yanchun, who is taking care of the elders in Qinghe Village. The second brother, Meng Mingxia, used to be a soldier in another place, but was recently transferred to the Y Province Military Region, where he serves under Commander Song. It was the second brother who picked us up at the train station when we came this time, and he even drove us here today to report. The fourth brother, Meng Fengdong, is still studying and is a smart kid."

Bai Fengyao listened, nodded, and praised: "Your father-in-law is not only good at educating children, but also good at naming them. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter have good meanings."

Hearing Bai Fengyao praising Meng Aiguo, Pei Xingzhi bent his index finger and touched his nose, hiding the upturned corner of his mouth. Of course, the four siblings' names were not chosen by Meng Aiguo, but by Grandma Meng.

Meng Aiguo was extremely famous. Originally, people wanted to give him names like "Ai Dang Jing Ye" or "Ai Ye" but Li Lanxiang firmly opposed it, which led to the names Meng Wanqiu and others have today.

The two chatted for a while, and finally the topic fell into business. Bai Fengyao's face became serious. "We haven't seen each other for these years. Have you forgotten what I taught you?"

Pei Xingzhi straightened his back and said, "I haven't forgotten it. I've always kept it in my heart."

"It's not enough to just remember it. In just a few years, things have changed so rapidly that what you know is already outdated. You're in the technical department, and there are many people who are better than you. If you can't catch up in time, don't tell others that I'm your master."

Bai Fengyao said this cruel fact with a cold face.

Pei Xingzhi pursed his lips. The six years in the countryside were the golden time for learning. It was difficult to get a book in the countryside, let alone professional books.

"Don't worry, I will catch up soon." Pei Xingzhi said in a firm tone, and his confidence was revealed in just a few words.

Yes, this is Pei Xingzhi's confidence. Even though he has not been exposed to this knowledge in the past six years, he is still confident that he can catch up quickly and gain an advantage.

Seeing the high spirits in Pei Xingzhi's eyes, Bai Fengyao's expression softened. He didn't care about Pei Xingzhi's backwardness in recent years, but rather whether Pei Xingzhi's time in the countryside had smoothed out his edges.

Bai Fengyao felt gratified and proud to see that he was still as confident, motivated and driven as ever in his profession.

"By the way, Master, there is something else I want to tell you?" Pei Xingzhi suddenly remembered that there was something important that he had not told Bai Fengyao.

Bai Fengyao raised an eyebrow, "What's the matter?"

Pei Xingzhi raised the corners of his lips, and the smile spread from his eyes to his eyebrows and even to every strand of his hair. "Hey, Master, Wanwan is pregnant. I'm going to be a father."

Bai Fengyao was stunned and sat up from the sofa in shock, "What did you say?"

Bai Fengyao, who is usually gentle and rarely loses his composure, now has a voice that resounds throughout the room, even causing ripples in the water in the cup.

Pei Xingzhi smiled, "I said I'm a father now."

After listening to this, Bai Fengyao's face changed from shock to complexity, surprise to helplessness. His eyes were slightly red and his chest was heaving violently. He seemed to want to say something, but he swallowed it back.

Finally, he patted Pei Xingzhi on the shoulder with a trembling voice, "Good boy!"

Bai Fengyao has no wife or children, and has always treated Pei Xingzhi as his own child. Now that he hears that Pei Xingzhi has become a father, he also feels excited about becoming a grandfather.

At the same time, Bai Fengyao was also happy for Pei Xingzhi. His relatives left him one by one, and as an elder, he felt sorry for the child.

There is nothing more joyful than seeing Pei Xingzhi get married, start a family, and have a blood-related child.

"Haha, it's getting late. Let's go to the cafeteria to eat. Your wife should be there too. Master is treating us today, so let's consider it a welcome dinner for you."

Pei Xingzhi did not refuse. He looked at the sky outside and saw that it was time for dinner.

The canteen of the 715th is right next to the square. The factory building is a few hundred meters in front of the canteen. On the left and right of the canteen are male and female staff dormitories, and further to the right is the family building.

The family housing is a tube-shaped building, most of which have one bedroom and one living room. Two-bedroom and one-living room apartments are rare. Only the bigwigs in the factory, such as high-end technical personnel like Bai Fengyao or factory directors, can live in three-bedroom and one-living room apartments.

To the left of the family building, there is a large open space. These are the sites of the July 15th, and will be gradually built into family quarters in the future.

Across this open space, there is a large river with willow trees planted on both sides of the river bank. The branches flutter in the wind and gradually merge with the flowing water in the river to form a flat surface.

After listening to Bai Fengyao's introduction, Pei Xingzhi learned about the future development of 715. 715 is directly under China Heavy Industry Corporation and is highly valued by the higher-ups. In the future, the infrastructure of 715 will gradually be improved.

In a few years, the staff hospital, children's school, etc. will be built one after another. Both the leaders above and the factory leaders plan to build July 15 into a complete living area.

Now 715 relies on the neighboring town, but in the future 715 will in turn nourish the seven towns and even be integrated into 715.

After hearing this, Pei Xingzhi couldn't help but admire the foresight of the 715 Factory leaders. They transformed an ordinary machinery factory into a living quarters that could accommodate everyone in the factory. This not only laid the foundation for the present, but also provided security for the future.

After all, no one can guarantee future changes, so building 715 better is simply adding weight to it. Only by increasing its inherent value can it achieve better development in the future.