Zhang Meili nodded repeatedly.

“I understand, Mr. Su.”

"besides."

Su Jianguo added.

"If I find out you're making a false accusation..."

"No, no, no!"

Zhang Meili hurriedly waved her hand.

"I'm telling the truth!"

Su Jianguo waved his hand, indicating that she could leave.

After Zhang Meili left, he stood in the warehouse for a while, his brows furrowed.

Damaged vegetables are disposed of privately...

This method is indeed covert.

There are no problems on the books because the losses actually occurred.

However, the vegetables that should have been discarded were secretly sold for cash, and the money naturally went into someone's pocket.

Su Jianguo rubbed his temples.

Li Hongmei was someone he personally promoted, and she had always performed very well.

If I were to actually do such a thing, it would not only betray his trust but also put him in a difficult position.

He must find out the truth, but he must be careful with his methods.

We must find out the truth, but we must not wrong innocent people, nor should we alert the perpetrators.

Thinking of this, Su Jianguo composed himself, pushed open the warehouse door, and walked out.

Everything in the shop was normal. Li Hongmei was helping an old lady weigh vegetables, with a kind smile on her face.

They don't seem like the kind of people who would do something like this.

But Su Jianguo knew that many things cannot be judged by appearances alone.

He decided to hold back for now and wait for the right opportunity to investigate personally.

"Li Hongmei."

He walked to the counter.

"I have to go now, so I'll leave this to you."

Li Hongmei nodded with a smile.

"Yes, Mr. Su, don't worry."

Su Jianguo gave her a deep look, then turned and left the shop.

Su Jianguo did not confront Li Hongmei directly; in such matters, evidence is required.

Since ancient times, to catch adulterers, you need to catch them in the act; to catch thieves, you need to catch them with stolen goods.

The best way to confirm this is to catch the cousin who was taking the food in person.

Considering that he had just returned and that Li Hongmei would definitely need to hide for a while, Su Jianguo decided to put it aside for the time being.

Soon, Su Jianguo pushed his bicycle back to his own courtyard house.

He leaned his bicycle against the wall and looked up to see his youngest daughter, Su Yuzhen, sitting under the grape trellis, surrounded by Da Mao and Er Mao, the three of them carefully picking beans.

"Dad! You're back!"

Su Yuzhen looked up and saw her father, and a smile immediately bloomed on her face.

She was wearing a light blue polyester shirt, and her hair was tied into two small braids. She looked much more energetic than before.

Su Jianguo walked over, squatted down, and patted his two grandsons on the head.

"Picking beans?"

"Um!"

Da Mao nodded vigorously, then held up a soybean in his little hand in front of his grandfather.

"Make it into tofu!"

Su Jianguo smiled and pinched Da Mao's cheek before turning to Su Yuzhen.

"Haven't you ruined your tofu stall yet?"

Su Yuzhen was displeased upon hearing this and pouted.

"Dad! How could you say that to me! My tofu is delicious; the neighbors are all scrambling to buy it, and they even call me 'Tofu Beauty'!"

"Oh, a tofu beauty?"

Su Jianguo raised an eyebrow, deliberately teasing her.

"Could it be that they bought it because you're good-looking?"

"No, that's not true!"

Su Yuzhen was so anxious that her face turned red, and she stood up to pull her father to see.

"Wait here, I'll go get you a piece to try right away, I guarantee you'll love it!"

Looking at his youngest daughter's earnest expression, Su Jianguo felt a surge of relief.

This youngest daughter, who once loved beauty, was afraid of hardship, and almost eloped with a petty hoodlum, is now able to work steadily and reliably.

It is clear that my education has been quite successful.

He reached out to stop her.

"Alright, alright, I believe you. We'll try it again at dinner tonight."

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open again, and Su Yufen walked in carrying large and small bags.

"Dad, I'm home!"

She wore a tired but satisfied smile.

"I bought a fish and some meat. Let's have a good meal tonight."

Su Jianguo quickly stepped forward and took the things from his daughter's hands.

"Why did you buy so much?"

"You've been away for half a month, so you should definitely get something good to eat when you get back."

Su Yufen wiped the sweat from her forehead.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Wang Xiulan's voice came from the kitchen.

"Yufen's back? Quickly bring the fish in, I'll get it ready right away."

Su Jianguo turned to look at the kitchen and saw Wang Xiulan standing at the door wearing an apron. Although her face was still a little pale, she was in much better spirits than in the morning.

She smiled at her husband.

"Honey, are you hungry? Dinner will be ready soon."

"No rush, you should rest a bit more."

As Su Jianguo was speaking, he saw that Wang Xiulan had already turned around and gone back to the kitchen.

Su Yufen winked at her father, then picked up the groceries and followed him inside.

Soon, the sounds of the mother and daughter bustling about and the aroma of food filled the kitchen.

Su Jianguo sat down on the stone bench under the grape trellis and watched his two grandsons continue picking beans.

Da Mao and Er Mao took turns picking up the stones, competing to see who could pick them faster, and occasionally burst into giggles.

The tranquility of this moment seemed to have dispelled much of Su Jianguo's fatigue from the past few days.

As dusk fell, the aroma of food filled the entire courtyard.

Su Yuzhen carried out a plate of freshly cooked tofu and carefully placed it on the stone table in the center of the courtyard.

"Dad, please try some!"

She said proudly,

"I just made this this morning!"

Su Jianguo picked up his chopsticks and took a piece.

The tofu is white and delicate, melts in your mouth, and has a rich bean aroma.

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