Chapter 50 (combined with Chapter 50)

Song Manli really hadn't prepared a gift for the meeting. Fang Yuru hadn't told her beforehand that Yan Ruyi was coming today, and she only came on a whim, without even thinking about a gift.

However, she is an elder, and according to etiquette, it is indeed appropriate to give her a gift upon meeting her.

Fang Yuru said, “You’ve always been very particular about rules and etiquette. I thought I wouldn’t need to remind you about this. I didn’t expect you to be unprepared. Well, it’s fine if you’re unprepared. Ruyi isn’t petty and won’t hold it against you. Others might gossip, but I’ll explain to them and that’ll be fine.”

The more Fang Yuru talked, the more embarrassed Song Manli became.

When she first met Yan Ruyi, she mocked Yan Ruyi for coming from a humble background, being unsophisticated, and not knowing the proper etiquette.

The implication is that they are a wealthy family with many rules and etiquette.

If she doesn't give Yan Ruyi a gift today, it would be a slap in her own face.

Moreover, Song Chengren had been sitting next to them the whole time, and they might need his help in the future.

Since she couldn't avoid it anyway, she gritted her teeth and took off a jade bracelet from her wrist.

She works in a municipal government department, where the dress code is simple and plain, so she doesn't wear bracelets to work.

She only put on the bracelet to enjoy it today because she had a day off.

She bought the bracelet from Shenzhen for 800 yuan through connections, and it had only been less than half a month since she bought it.

Aside from the clothes on his body, the only thing he can show off right now is this bracelet.

She handed the bracelet to Yan Ruyi, saying, "Who said I was preparing a gift for our first meeting? This bracelet is brand new; I only wore it today. Ruyi, please take it and don't be disgusted by it."

Yan Ruyi immediately recognized it as an old Qing Dynasty jadeite bangle with floating patterns, dating back to the Qianlong era.

Emperor Qianlong was obsessed with jade.

Following the example set by the emperor, high-ranking officials and nobles during the Qianlong era also took pride in wearing jadeite, and craftsmen racked their brains to refine the jadeite processing techniques, resulting in the most exquisite jadeite ornaments from the Qianlong period.

Yan Ruyi had heard Xu Licheng say that when appraising jadeite, experts look at the "type" (texture) while laymen look at the color.

The "type" refers to the density of the crystal structure, which is the soul of jadeite. There are different types: bean, glutinous, icy, and glassy. Bean type is the worst and worthless.

Even without color, glass-type jadeite is the pinnacle of jadeite quality.

The jadeite bracelet with floating flowers that Song Manli gave her was of fine, glutinous type, belonging to the mid-range jadeite category. Yan Ruyi hesitated, unsure whether to accept it or not, not knowing where Song Manli had gotten such an antique.

Song Yiping accepted it for her, saying, "It's a token of my aunt's affection, and we won't mind if it's old."

As he spoke, he put the bracelet directly on Yan Ruyi's wrist.

Song Manli was almost furious.

How come she never noticed before that Song Yiping had such a sharp tongue?

It's true that like father, like son.

Fang Yuru's words were unpleasant to hear, and she gave birth to a son who was hers.

Song Yiping didn't inherit any of the good genes from the Song family.

Song Yiping put the bracelet on Yan Ruyi's wrist and helped her up, "Let's go upstairs and take a look."

Yan Ruyi followed him upstairs to Song Yiping's room, where she whispered, "Does Auntie not like me?"

Song Yiping: "Don't pay any attention to her. She only cares about herself, her daughter, and her son. She doesn't care about anyone else. My mother probably didn't call her over; she came on her own."

Yan Ruyi couldn't understand why Song Manli had come here today.

Is it possible to lose an expensive bracelet?

She raised her wrist to admire her new bracelet.

Her skin was already fair, and the emerald green bracelet made it appear even more radiant and jade-like.

Song Yiping was so excited by her sight that his heart and body were burning with desire. He hugged her and kissed her.

Yan Ruyi pointed to the open door, "Mmm mmm mmm."

Why don't you close the door?

Song Yiping picked her up with one arm, went over and closed the door, then pressed her against the door and kissed her again.

The bracelet tapped against the door panel, making a soft sound.

Yan Ruyi exclaimed, "My bracelet!"

The rest of her words were cut off as she was quickly kissed until her heart pounded and her legs went weak, making her forget about the bracelet.

When the kiss ended, she felt her lips were numb and unconsciously licked them. Song Yiping's eyes darkened, and he kissed her again.

After kissing twice, Song Yiping wanted to kiss her again, but Yan Ruyi pushed him away, saying, "You can't kiss me anymore."

If they keep kissing, she might become the first person to be kissed to death.

Song Yiping was completely unharmed, no wonder Qian Shengbing always scolded him, saying that his physique was not human-sized.

Song Yiping rubbed her forehead and said in a hoarse voice, "Okay, no more kissing."

Once she calmed down, Yan Ruyi remembered the bracelet she was wearing and quickly checked it.

"I bumped into the door just now, I don't know if it's broken."

Song Yiping: "If it breaks, just replace it. There are several bracelets in the warehouse, some are jade and some are jadeite. You can wear whichever one you want."

Yan Ruyi: "That's different."

The bracelets Song Yiping mentioned were priceless antiques; she would be heartbroken if any of them were damaged.

The item that Song Manli gave her, although it was also an antique, was much cheaper than those in the Song family's warehouse, so she wouldn't be as heartbroken if it got damaged.

She was so focused on kissing Song Yiping that she didn't even notice what Song Yiping's room looked like.

I only had time to look at it now.

Song Yiping's bedroom faces south and has a balcony outside. From the balcony, you can see a flower bed below.

Yan Ruyi herself doesn't grow flowers much, but she enjoys looking at them.

She likes anything that is beautiful.

Yan Ruyi leaned on the balcony and looked at the scenery outside for a while. Just as she was about to go back inside, she saw Song Manli come out of the house, with Fang Yuru following behind. "It's almost dinnertime. Aren't you going to eat before you leave?"

Having just given away a jade bracelet, Song Manli was heartbroken and had no appetite to stay for dinner.

Moreover, Fang Yuru was just being polite; she didn't genuinely want her to stay for dinner.

She exchanged a few polite words with Fang Yuru, then got into the car and left.

Yan Ruyi whispered, "Auntie is gone."

Song Yiping didn't care at all. "She likes to walk around. It's cold outside, let's go inside."

There are three rooms on the second floor. The one Song Yiping is staying in is not the largest. The largest one is the one opposite him. Song Yiping said it is a storeroom, specifically used to store antiques.

Song Yiping wanted to take her inside to see, but Yan Ruyi refused.

She was afraid her eyes would be blinded by all the treasures in the room.

The two were still in Song Yiping's bedroom.

Song Yiyu's bedroom was simply furnished with a bed, a desk, a chair, and a wardrobe.

The most eye-catching thing was the bookshelf, an entire wall. Yan Ruyi looked at it and saw that it was full of military books, both Chinese and foreign.

There are also many history books.

Unlike Yan Ruyi, who reads a wide variety of books, including professional books, novels, and even secretly romance novels.

She casually picked up a Soviet novel; with her current level of Soviet language, she could only understand the title: "Soviet Blitzkrieg".

The room was well-heated and a bit dry. Yan Ruyi licked her lips and felt a little pain, hissing softly.

Song Yiping lifted her chin. "Let me see if the skin is broken."

Yan Ruyi broke free from him and glared at him. "It's all your fault. I kept telling you to be gentle, but you wouldn't listen."

There was a full-length mirror on the wardrobe. She went over and looked at herself. The skin was probably not broken, but it was red and swollen. Anyone with eyes could see that the two of them had kissed, and the scene was quite intense.

It's unlikely to subside anytime soon.

Yan Ruyi said, embarrassed and annoyed, "How am I supposed to go down and face people later?"

Song Yiping offered a random suggestion, "I'll go downstairs and pour a cup of hot water and bring it up. If my mom asks later, I'll say the water was too hot and I accidentally burned myself while drinking it."

Trying to cover it up only makes things more obvious; it's better not to explain at all.

Yan Ruyi raised her hand and punched him.

Song Yiping chuckled softly, pulled her into his arms, and comforted her, "Don't worry, even if my mom sees it, she won't ask."

Yan Ruyi said angrily, "Don't mention this again."

Song Yiping gently bit her fair neck. "Okay, Aunt Liu has prepared the meal. Let's go down and eat."

The meal was prepared by Aunt Liu and Fang Yuru.

Fang Yuru can't cook, so she just helps out.

Aunt Liu is a skilled cook; she prepared a feast consisting of four meat dishes, four vegetable dishes, and a soup, filling the entire table.

After finishing their meal and sitting for a while, Yan Ruyi said she had to go home.

Fang Yuru took out two red envelopes and gave them to Yan Ruyi.

Yan Ruyi glanced at the red envelope and saw that it was quite thick, wondering if she should be polite and accept it.

Song Yiping took all the red envelopes first and stuffed them into her hand without saying a word, saying, "Just take them."

Yan Ruyi blushed and said, "Thank you, Auntie. Thank you, Uncle."

Fang Yuru said, "Come visit often when you have time. Let's see when it's convenient for our two families to have a meal together."

Yan Ruyi got into the car, opened the window, said goodbye to Fang Yuru and Song Chengren, and then Song Yiping drove away.

Yan Ruyi finally breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the military compound.

Unable to contain her curiosity, she took out the two red envelopes Fang Yuru had given her, opened them, and counted the money. Each envelope contained 2,000 yuan, for a total of 4,000 yuan!

Yan Ruyi murmured, "This is too much. Why don't you return one to me?"

Song Yiping said, "Take it. This is their gift to their daughter-in-law."

Yan Ruyi glared at him reproachfully, "You're not my daughter-in-law yet."

Song Yiping found her glaring eyes particularly endearing and wanted to ruffle her hair.

Just as he raised his hand, he remembered Yan Ruyi's instructions and asked her, "Can I touch your head now?"

Having made a fortune today, Yan Ruyi was in a great mood and waved her hand, "Granted."

Song Yiping smiled and patted her head. Seeing that she was in a good mood, he took the opportunity to ask her, "When will the two families meet?"

The two families have met, so the wedding can be planned.

Yan Ruyi said that this issue was too important and that she should consult Ms. Ye Hongzhen for her opinion.

After all, Ms. Ye Hongzhen always chooses an auspicious day for whatever she does.

After I got home, I told Ye Hongzhen about it.

Ye Hongzhen said that this is not just about choosing an auspicious day, but also about the important matter of the two people getting married.

The two families met, and the next step was to discuss the wedding.

It's almost Chinese New Year, and she still wants her daughter to stay at home for the holiday.

Li Yan noticed the bracelet on Yan Ruyi's wrist. "Ruyi, did Xiao Song's mother give this to you?"

Yan Ruyi: "No, it's his aunt."

Ye Hongzhen asked suspiciously, "Didn't you say that Xiao Song's father is an only child? Where did he get an aunt from?"

Li Yan has her own perspective: "An only child means having only one son, not that you don't have any daughters."

Ye Hongzhen: "An only child is just one child."

Li Yan didn't really want to talk to her mother-in-law. The older she got, the more stubborn she became. Even if there were 10 daughters and one son in the family, she would still call him an only child!

Yan Ruyi: "She's not my biological aunt, she's my cousin."

He told Ye Hongzhen about the relationship between Song Manli and Song Chengren.

Song Manli also told Ye Hongzhen about her attitude.

She could tell that Song Manli didn't like her.

Ye Hongzhen said, "Xiao Song is right. She's not related to us, so why should we care about her attitude? Even if she were our aunt, you're not going to be her daughter-in-law, so there's no need for you to put up with her attitude."

An aunt who's almost a fifth-degree relative was pointing fingers and gesturing wildly; I don't know where she got the nerve to act so arrogantly.

The mother-in-law showed no favoritism and stood up for her daughter in front of everyone, even getting her a jade bracelet in return.

Her mother-in-law was quite agreeable to her temperament.

Ye Hongzhen actually began to look forward to meeting her future mother-in-law.

The bracelet was too delicate and couldn't be worn regularly, so Yan Ruyi locked it in a drawer and took out her account book to record the money she received that day.

After recording and calculating, excluding gold, the total amount from savings and treasury bonds was 28,560 yuan.

Song Yiping said that his grandfather would also give him a red envelope, which would be more than what his parents gave him, never less.

His parents gave him a total of 4,000, and it would only be more, not less, so it would be at least 5,000.

All her money, plus her gold, made her wealth surpass that of Song Yiping!

After they get married, Song Yiping's money will also be hers. She remembers that his savings are 35,800. Together, their money will be close to 80,000!

She was so happy that she rolled around on the bed several times, and then, in her excitement, she rolled off the bed with a thud.

Ye Hongzhen came to the main room to get something and heard a "thump" from Yan Ruyi's room, followed by Yan Ruyi's cry of "Ouch!"

She pushed open the door, which wasn't locked, and went straight in, where she saw Yan Ruyi rubbing her head as she got up from the floor.

"What's wrong?"

Yan Ruyi said awkwardly, "I fell off the bed."

Ye Hongzhen, "..."

I fell out of bed when I was a child, and I still do now that I'm an adult.

It seems necessary to remind Xiao Song that when making the bed, it must be a big one; a small one won't be enough for her to roll around on.

It's easy to stay in bed when it's cold.

The alarm clock rang twice, and Ye Hongzhen heard it from outside, but Yan Ruyi still didn't make a sound. She couldn't stand it anymore, so she went in and dug Yan Ruyi out of bed.

After breakfast, Yan Ruyi was fully awake, slung her bag over her shoulder, and went to work.

It's cold, so she doesn't like to ride her bike to work. By the time she gets to the office, her hands are almost frozen.

She now takes the bus.

Take bus route 22, board at the entrance of the Machine Tool Factory residential compound, and get off at the entrance of the First Construction Engineering Building.

It's convenient, but the bus is a bit crowded, especially during rush hour.

When we arrived at the textile factory's residential compound, seven or eight people rushed out as soon as the car door opened. At the front was a slightly plump woman, followed by a young woman in her early twenties with two braids. She was rather thin and held a cloth bag tightly in her arms.

People behind were in a hurry to get on the bus and kept pushing forward. The little girl lost her balance and bumped into the woman in front of her.

The older sister-in-law turned around, pointed at the little girl, and scolded, "What are you pushing for? Are you in such a hurry to be reincarnated?"

The little girl said aggrievedly, "It wasn't me who pushed you, it was the people behind me who kept pushing me."

Sister-in-law, tell me, who pushed you?

There were several people behind the little girl when she got on the bus, so she had no idea who had pushed her.

Sister-in-law, "Can't you point it out? I think you're doing this on purpose."

After scolding her, he looked suspiciously at the cloth bag in the girl's arms. "You're not planning to steal something, are you? I've heard that thieves do things like this, deliberately pushing and shoving, and stealing people's wallets when they're not paying attention."

The little girl was so upset she was about to cry. "I didn't," she said.

Someone nearby advised the woman, "There are a lot of people, so it's okay to squeeze in. It won't hurt you. Why keep nagging at that woman?"

Sister-in-law, "You make it sound so easy. She stepped on my heel, and it still hurts. Besides, who knows if she was trying to steal something from me?"

After saying that, he snatched the cloth bag from the little girl's arms, saying, "What's in this bag? Is it all stuff you stole?"

The little girl wasn't expecting her to suddenly snatch her bag; she didn't hold on tight enough, and the bag was snatched away by the older woman.

The little girl's voice was trembling with tears as she cried, "Give me back my bag."

The little girl tried to get her bag back, but the bus suddenly braked hard. The woman instinctively reached for the handrail, but her hand slipped, and the bag fell to the ground with a soft "crack".

The little girl hurriedly picked up the cloth bag, opened it, and burst into tears, "My bracelet is broken!"

The older sister-in-law steadied herself, glanced inside, and saw that there really was a jade bracelet inside, which was indeed broken. She felt a little guilty and wanted to sneak to the back of the car, but Yan Ruyi stopped her from leaving, saying, "You broke her bracelet, and you want to run away without saying a word?"

"Exactly, you broke someone's bracelet and then tried to run away!"

"They just think women are easy to bully. If it were a guy, she wouldn't dare utter a sound!"

"Pay up!"

...

Someone else asked the young girl, "Comrade, how much did you buy this bracelet for? Make her pay for it."

The little girl cried her eyes out, "This was left to me by my grandma. My grandma passed away a few days ago, and this was the only memento she left me, which she then broke."

Surrounded by several people and unable to leave, the woman said disdainfully, "It's just a plastic bracelet, how much could it be worth?"

Yan Ruyi said, "This bracelet is an antique, it's over two hundred years old, and it would sell for at least 200 yuan now."

This jade bracelet is indeed an antique, but it's relatively new and not in very good condition. If it were in an antique shop, it would probably be priced around this level.

The older sister-in-law's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, "200 yuan? Why don't you just rob me? You all need to see clearly, these two are in cahoots. The bracelet was broken beforehand. They're working together to swindle me out of my money."

Her shout made the people on the bus unsure of what to do.

Come to think of it, it makes sense. Such a young woman, and she just blurted out that the bracelet was an antique, even mentioning its age.

They're probably really in cahoots to scam people.

Most people believed what the elder sister-in-law said.

Yan Ruyi wasn't in a hurry. She called out to the driver, "Driver, in that case, just drive to the police station and let the police handle it."

Yan Ruyi had been taking this bus frequently during this period, and the driver had a strong impression of her and didn't believe that she was in cahoots with the young girl.

The bus happened to be parked right next to the police station, and the driver actually drove the bus directly to the police station entrance and opened the doors.

A man, fearing that his sister-in-law might run away, dragged her all the way to the police station.

No one pulled Yan Ruyi and the little girl away; the two of them followed behind and got off the bus.

Several onlookers followed behind.

As soon as the woman saw the police, she broke free from the man who was holding her, pointed at Yan Ruyi and the little girl, and said to the police, "These two are in cahoots. They tried to extort money from me with a broken bracelet on the bus."

The police officer looked bewildered, while the people around him chattered on and on, explaining the whole story to him.

The police officer turned to Yan Ruyi and asked, "How do you know her bracelet is an antique?"

Yan Ruyi took out her work ID and said, "I work at the Cultural Relics Bureau, specializing in antique appraisal."

When the sister-in-law heard that Yan Ruyi worked for the Cultural Relics Bureau and specialized in antique appraisal, she was dumbfounded.

She had a fight with her husband when she left home, and she was furious. Just then, the young girl got on the bus and pushed her.

The little girl was thin and small, and looked like an honest person. She used this as an excuse to scold the little girl and vent her anger.

Little did she know that there was a bracelet in the cloth bag, and that it was an antique; there happened to be someone on the bus who knew about it.

If she admitted it, she would have to pay 200 yuan in compensation. How could she dare to admit it? She threw a tantrum and insisted that Yan Ruyi and the little girl were in cahoots and that they were conspiring to cheat her.

200 yuan is already enough to warrant filing a case, not to mention that the jade bracelet was the little girl's grandmother's keepsake.

The police officer returned the work ID to Yan Ruyi, pointed at the woman, and said to another officer, "Detain her first, then notify her family. I'll personally speak with this Comrade Yan, and this one..."

He didn't know the little girl's name, so he turned to her and asked.

The little girl said, "My name is Zheng Fengxia."

Police officer: "I'm going with Comrade Yan and Comrade Zheng to the Cultural Relics Bureau to have their experts re-examine the jade bracelet."

Seeing that Zheng Fengxia was still crying, Yan Ru comforted her, saying, "Our bureau has a cultural relic restoration center; you can ask them to help you with the restoration."

Zheng Fengxia wiped away her tears and thanked Yan Ruyi.

The police drove up in their patrol car, and just as Yan Ruyi was about to get in, a middle-aged man next to her called out, "Comrade Yan."

The man was in his forties and was wearing a black woolen overcoat.

Yan Ruyi didn't recognize him and asked, "Comrade, what do you want with me?"

The man introduced himself, "My name is Xie Dongcheng. When is it convenient for you, Comrade Yan? I have a few things I'd like you to take a look at."

Yan Ruyi readily agreed, "I'll give you my phone number. Call me at 5:30 and we'll get back to each other then."

Xie Dongcheng repeatedly thanked Yan Ruyi.

Yan Ruyi had paper and pen in her handbag. She gave Xie Dongcheng the office phone number before getting into the police car with Zheng Fengxia. The police car headed towards the Cultural Relics Bureau.

When Zhao Dongsheng went upstairs, he heard people in front of him discussing that this year's outstanding workers had been selected, and that Yan Ruyi from their bureau had been chosen.

Zhao Dongsheng stepped forward and asked the person who had just spoken, "Are you sure it was Yan Ruyi who was selected?"

The man laughed and said, "I heard it from my relative. He works at the municipal trade union and is in charge of this. I guess the official notice should be coming down soon. Teacher Zhao, Yan Ruyi used to work at your appraisal center. Let her treat us to a meal later."

Zhao Dongsheng snorted, "She's a big shot in front of the boss now, who would dare to let her treat them?"

Seeing Zhao Dongsheng's unpleasant expression, the man suddenly realized that Cheng Hui from the archaeological team had also been reported along with Yan Ruyi.

Cheng Hui is Zhao Dongsheng's brother-in-law. Yan Ruyi was selected, but Cheng Hui was not, so Zhao Dongsheng must have been unhappy.

He regretted his words. His office was on the second floor, and he had already reached the second floor, so he hurried over to his office.

Zhao Dongsheng entered his office, his anger growing with each passing thought. He stood up and went to Director Liu's office. "Old Liu, I heard that this year's outstanding workers have been selected. Yan Ruyi was chosen from our bureau?"

Director Liu, "You're quite well-informed. It's true that Xiao Yan was selected this year."

Zhao Dongsheng said, "Old Liu, there are no outsiders here. I just want to know the truth. Was Yan Ruyi selected as an advanced worker because of her outstanding work ability, or because she is dating Commander Song and the bureau or the city is taking care of her?"

Director Liu frowned and said, "Old Zhao, the bureau submitted two nominations this year, one for Yan Ruyi and the other for Cheng Hui. This was approved by the bureau and the city also selected candidates according to the selection criteria. This selection was initiated by the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions. The bureau did not interfere at all and could not interfere. If you have any objections to the selection results, you can apply for a review to the Federation of Trade Unions."

Seeing Director Liu's serious expression, Zhao Dongsheng paused for a moment and said, "I think that Yan Ruyi has only been in our Cultural Relics Bureau for less than a year, yet she is already a deputy director and an advanced worker. It may be difficult for her to win people's respect. After all, she is too young and has too little experience. In addition, the honors that have fallen on her one after another may easily lead to complacency, which is not conducive to her future growth."

Director Liu, “My opinion is exactly the opposite of yours. I think these honors are all deserved by Comrade Xiao Yan. She single-handedly established Jialide. When she went to Hong Kong to study, she successfully completed her study mission despite being unfamiliar with the place and not speaking the language. Lao Zhao, think about it carefully. If it were you, could you have completed your study mission in that environment?”

Zhao Dongsheng, "..."

He really couldn't. Putting aside everything else, just the language barrier alone meant he couldn't understand anything, which would force him to give up.

Moreover, even with the Yang Group backing her up, she would inevitably face disdain from others if she went to study.

He can't stand being looked down upon or looked down upon.

Director Liu said, "You see, you know this job is not easy. Xiao Yan came back from Gangcheng without a single complaint. She deserved to be selected as an advanced worker, and no one in the bureau raised any objections. Moreover, in my opinion, these honors are also an incentive for her, which can help her grow faster."

Of course, Comrade Cheng Hui is also excellent, but in any competition, there must be a ranking. Comrade Cheng Hui's failure to be selected proves that he does indeed have some shortcomings in certain areas. I also hope that Comrade Cheng Hui can recognize his deficiencies and make greater progress in the new year.

Director Liu's words were very official.

However, his words were all meant to protect Yan Ruyi.

Zhao Dongsheng knew he couldn't salvage the situation; he was just unhappy to hear that Yan Ruyi had been elected.

After Director Liu finished speaking, he stood up. "It's not that I have a big problem with her, I just wanted to give you a heads-up, young comrade, getting promoted too quickly isn't necessarily a good thing..."

Just as he was saying this, he heard a car horn honking downstairs. He glanced over casually and saw a police car drive in.

"Why are there police cars?"

Zhao Dongsheng went to the window and looked down. He saw a police car parked downstairs. The car door opened, and he was surprised to see Yan Ruyi get out of the car.

Zhao Dongsheng pointed downstairs and said to Director Liu, "Old Liu, look, this is the advanced worker that our bureau recommended. I don't know what trouble he got into outside, but he was brought here in a police car."

-----------------------

Author's note: Today is another sweltering day. I wish someone would say to me, "It's cold outside, come inside."

Hey everyone, is it getting cold where you are?