Chen Fang said incredulously, "No, really?"

Chen Yan stood at the top of the stairs: "What do you think?"

Ah, Chen Fang couldn't quite grasp this: "But she's been to his house so many times, she clearly knows Chen Kang is married!"

Chen Yan scoffed: "So what? A young lady like her has long been spoiled and is used to getting what she wants."

"..."

Gong Qian's home is similar to Li Huaide's father-in-law's home before, both being on the third floor, but there are only two households in one unit, making the building area much larger.

The fat man and his companions received a warm welcome upon entering.

After exchanging pleasantries, the fat man learned that Gong Qian's family was quite large; her grandfather, her eldest uncle, her third uncle, her fourth uncle, and her maternal uncle had all come today.

The room was crammed full, leaving Chen Yan and Chen Fang with barely any room to move.

The fat man noticed that Gong Qian's parents were looking at him in a strange way, so he tried to brush it off with a few words.

It would be strange if her parents' eyesight was on the same level! Their precious daughter suddenly told them that she had fallen in love with a married man. The fact that they didn't pull out a forty-meter-long machete the moment they saw the fat man today was already a favor to him.

Gong Qian ignored all of that and dragged the fat man to her grandfather, praising him enthusiastically.

Gong Qian's grandfather must have been a soldier; he had an imposing presence.

The old man was also very clear-headed. He looked the fat man up and down a few times and asked him, "I heard from Gong Qian that you are a cook?"

The fat man nodded: "It's a family recipe."

How did you know about the college entrance exam?

"I heard it from Gong Qian. She told my third sister first, and then my third sister told me."

Gong Qian's grandfather was at a loss for what to ask next. Should he ask the fat man, "How come you, a cook, are so well-educated?" or "What are your motives for mentoring my granddaughter and helping her get into university?"

Everyone present knew that Gong Qian was only benefiting from Chen Fang's fame.

After saying a few more words, the fat man finally went into the kitchen.

Gong Qian's mother, as well as her third and fourth aunts, all came in to help Fatty wash and pick vegetables.

The fat man discussed today's dishes with them and then skillfully began preparations.

During this time, they subtly asked the fat man many questions, which he answered very frankly and clearly.

Now Gong Qian's mother was so ashamed she wanted to disappear into the ground—her daughter was completely infatuated with him, while he had no interest in her at all.

This is absolutely outrageous!

In the living room, Mr. Gong had a discussion with Gong Qian and Chen Fang, the two newly enrolled college students.

The sad result was that Gong Qian was utterly defeated by Chen Fang in terms of both knowledge and perspective.

Gong Qian, however, was not ashamed but proud, and said to her grandfather with admiration, "Chen Kang taught me all of this. He's amazing. I've never seen such a talented person before!"

Chen Fang truly regretted it. She regretted bringing Gong Qian home. This girl was completely infatuated with the fat man now, like a toad embracing a carp, impossible to separate.

Faced with the strange looks from her brothers and sisters-in-law, Gong Qian's father had no choice but to run away.

He invited Chen Yan onto the balcony and explained apologetically, "I've spoiled Gong Qian rotten; she's too willful..."

After finishing, he quickly changed the subject: "Comrade Chen Yan, the construction team will officially start work after the Spring Festival. You may need to be at the office for a while in the early stages. I don't know about your situation?"

After Chen Yan found out where she would be working, she agreed. Anyway, her moving team already had a very mature operating system, so it wouldn't matter whether she was there or not.

She usually stays at home and only goes over to check on things when there's work to be done.

Gong Qian's father's arrangement for Chen Yan to work at the office is tantamount to a veiled suggestion that she "work as a substitute for a managerial position."

This term is easy to understand; it means doing the work of a cadre while still being a worker.

From the 1960s to the present, for a long period of time, "working instead of being a cadre" was a shortcut to changing one's status from worker to cadre!

Like Liu Haizhong and Xu Damao in the past, they are nothing more than Li Huaide's two dogs, not even qualified for "working in place of cadres".

The number of people who were "workers in place of cadres" was enormous, and this was a product of a specific period. Later, in 1983, the higher authorities issued a document to abolish this status, and conducted strict assessments and departmental reviews of the existing group of people, officially converting a group of people with the status of "workers in place of cadres" into cadres. This is what is known as "conversion to cadre".

Gong Qian's father's intentions went beyond that. He looked at the overcast sky and then at Gong Qian's obviously over-the-top behavior inside the house.

He rubbed his temples in distress and said to Chen Yan, "In addition, I hope you can also take on the position of liaison officer of the Grand View Garden, specifically responsible for coordinating the relationship between our construction team and them in various aspects."

Chen Yan shook her head repeatedly: "No, no... Director Gong, it's not that I'm refusing you, but I've always been a bit slow-witted and clumsy with words. I really can't do these things. You should find someone more capable and tactful to do the job."

Gong Qian's father sighed upon hearing this: "Sigh, she's so shrewd and charming, but where am I supposed to find someone like that?"

Chen Yan suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "That's right, I know someone like that!"

You know him? That's a pleasant surprise.

Gong Qian's father quickly followed up, "Oh, what's this person's name?"

"His name is Xu Damao. He was our neighbor in that courtyard house. He used to be a projectionist at my younger brother's factory. During that period, he served as a group leader and deputy director. After the reform and opening up, he was among the first to go into business. He was very good at talking to people and to people. The key thing is that he had a good relationship with my family."

This Chen Yan just said she's bad at talking; yet she managed to introduce someone so convincingly, especially in the last sentence, which directly pointed out their relationship.

If they were really not related, why would she introduce them, right?

Gong Qian's father only considered her a lesbian and disliked her showing her face in public. That was the social atmosphere at the time, unlike later when various "career women" emerged, proving that women were just as capable as men...

So he said, "Then bring him over after the New Year, so I can see if he can actually do this job."

Chen Yan nodded her head like a chick pecking at rice, her "I'm afraid of trouble" look only convinced Gong Qian's father of his guess.

Today's meal was extremely awkward.

The fat man's cooking was really good; he made more than a dozen dishes, including the ones he brought and the ones Gong Qian's family had prepared.

His braised sea cucumber with scallions, especially his "zoo" style dish, received widespread praise from Gong Qian's family.