Chapter 33

Lü Cuilan and Liu Aifang didn't understand and were still confused.

The neighbors in the corridor didn't hear what the two said, but they saw Liu Aifang snatch the things from Zhou Jiani's hand and throw them into the stove to burn.

Apart from anything else, this behavior is a bit impolite.

Then Zhou Jiani turned around and walked home angrily, obviously very angry. She shouted, "This is too much! What kind of family are you? They ruined my reputation and now they say I'm cruel!"

Wu Hong took two steps toward her and asked, "What's going on, Nini? Aren't you reading the letter? What does it say?" She then raised her voice to Liu Aifang, "Aifang, why did you burn the letter?"

Lü Cuilan squeezed out of the door. Afraid the neighbors wouldn't know what Zhou Jiani had just said, she quickly shouted, "It was this kid who said she was going to take the letter to their commune to sue Ai Ling. Ai Fang protected her sister and snatched it away and burned it!"

Finally she caught them. There were less than twenty kids, but they started complaining as soon as they opened their mouths. How terrible!

Zhou Jiani turned around and started arguing with her, "Again, are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? What's so shocking about that letter from your family that I should report it to the commune? Liu Ailing's handwriting is so terrible, and before I could even recognize a few words, Liu Aifang reached out so quickly. What's so shameful about that?"

Liu Aifang was furious.

Lu Cuilan jumped up and down: "That's what you said. You just said you would take the letter to sue Ailing."

Zhou Jiani sneered, "I called you auntie, and you keep making up stories. Liu Ailing made up stories about you in the village, and you're making them up about your daughter here. You both dare to deny it, and now you're spreading rumors in front of me. Fortunately, I'm not mute, I can still defend myself, otherwise you would be wronged to death!"

Don’t you love to spread rumors?

She made sure that no one would listen to this family even when they told the truth.

The neighbors who were watching the excitement were all confused, but they all looked at Lv Cuilan and Liu Aifang with condemning eyes. One aunt asked warily: "Cuilan, what was written on that letter from your family that is so shameful?"

Just take it away, why burn it directly?

For a moment, everyone looked at them strangely.

If it was just to prove her innocence, she had decided to let Zhou Jiani see it. Why didn't she let her see it clearly? In that short time, Liu Aifang probably didn't even finish reading two lines before she threw it into the fire. What was she thinking?

"No, it was Zhou Jiani who said it first. She was the first one..." Lu Cuilan's face turned pale. She cried out in injustice and hit Liu Aifang again: "Why are your claws so fast?"

Liu Aifang's howling sounds could be heard from the corridor.

Normally, the neighbors would have tried to mediate and persuade both sides, but now no one could figure out the truth behind Liu Aifang burning the letter. They were afraid that the letter contained some shocking content, so no one dared to touch it. They all pretended to be deaf and dumb and went home.

Zhou Jiani went back with high morale, put on her messenger bag, and said, "Mom, I'm going to the factory. I'll eat dumplings when I come back."

Yu Huifang wanted to follow and said, "If you want to find a leader to make trouble, I'll go find him. Don't take the lead."

"I'm not going to cause trouble with the leaders. Comrade Zhou Wanli and Comrade Yu Huifang's daughter is a reasonable person. How could she go and cause trouble in front of the leaders? I'm just going to pick up my dad from get off work." Zhou Jiani laughed. "When Liu Jiefang lost the election for team leader, didn't Lü Cuilan go and make trouble in front of the leaders? The leaders must be fed up with such tactics. Why would I want to offend them?"

Jiang Xinfeng smiled and said, "Nini, it's okay as long as you know what's going on. Go quickly and pick up your dad for dinner."

Zhou Jiani went out happily with her small shoulder bag on her back.

Yu Huifang went to pick leeks, and Jiang Xinfeng quickly continued the previous topic: "Who is Comrade Xiao Qiu?"

Yu Huifang suddenly became energetic.

Zhou Jiani went to the gate of the Second Spinning Factory and stood there looking around.

There are thousands of employees in the factory. Even someone who has worked there for more than ten years may not be able to recognize everyone, but the security guard can recognize more than 80% of the children's appearances.

Zhou Jiani was among that 80%. When the security guard saw her, he called out, "Are you the daughter of the Zhou family?"

"Yes, sir."

The old guard, who was nosy and nagging, came out of the message room and kindly advised, "Son, you can't be angry with anyone but your own parents. Many people don't treat their daughters as human beings, but your parents are different. They are well-known in the factory for their love for their daughter. Such good parents..."

Zhou Jiani was helpless: "Uncle, I'm not angry with my parents. It was the Liu family who spread rumors about me. I just had a fight with them before I came here. Now I'm here to pick up my dad to dispel the rumors."

The old security guard was surprised: "What? Why would they make up such a rumor about you?"

Zhou Jiani spread her hands. "I can't tell you. I only found out about this the other day when I was on the phone with my mom. I went back and asked Liu Ailing, and she said her mom didn't like me, so she spread rumors about me behind my back. My mom also asked Lü Cuilan, and she said her third daughter wrote to her and said so. Neither side admits anything. Isn't that ridiculous?"

The security guard was even more puzzled as he listened. "Isn't this ridiculous?" he said, "Let them bring out the letter."

Zhou Jiani sighed and said, "I saw it."

The old man became interested: "What does the letter say?"

Zhou Jiani said helplessly, "I barely read two lines before Liu Ailing's sister snatched it away and threw it into the fire. Isn't that infuriating?"

The security guard frowned and asked, "Why are his family members like this?"

"Who knows? But now I'm exhausted. They say it takes only a few words to spread a rumor, but it takes a lot of effort to dispel it. I didn't understand it before, but now that I've experienced it myself, I understand how difficult it is." Zhou Jiani complained bitterly, "Look, uncle, you advised me as soon as I got here, making it seem like I'm really unfilial. Now who knows how many people still believe that rumor. How long will it take me to dispel it?"

"This is outrageous! If this is true, we should report it to the leadership and have Liu Jiefang write a self-criticism and post it on the bulletin board."

Zhou Jiani shook her head: "Forget it, let's not cause trouble for the leader."

"So you're going to suffer this loss? This girl's family's reputation is very important."

"From now on, I'll come pick my parents up from get off work every day. The uncles and aunts at the factory will see that our family has a good relationship and won't believe those rumors. What else can I do? The boss is so busy. My parents taught me since I was a child that if I can avoid causing trouble for others, I should do it."

The old man shook his head in frustration: "How can you be so honest, kid?"

The honest Zhou Jiani waited obediently at the factory gate.

When it was time to get off work, workers began to leave the factory. Some didn't recognize Zhou Jiani, but some did. When they saw her, they were surprised and asked, "Oh, Jiani, right? I heard a few days ago that you didn't even write home. Why are you coming straight back?"

Although Yu Huifang has spared no effort to dispel the rumors about her daughter during this period, the effect is not as widespread as when it was first spread.

Zhou Jiani didn't say anything, but pouted in grievance, lowered her head and sobbed, wiping the corners of her eyes.

"Oh, kid, why are you crying?"

The old man outside the door yelled, "Don't listen to that bastard Liu Jiefang's bullshit. His family spread rumors about Xiao Zhou, and they've even come to our door to scold him."

Zhou Jiani standing here is a living signboard. Those who know about the incident but don’t know the subsequent twists and turns will either ask her or give her advice when they see her. The security guard next to her is explaining so much that his throat is almost smoking.

It was something that had nothing to do with him, but he actually had an extremely deep understanding of the rumor and the rumor-busting statement.

There were also employees who knew about the reversal and came over to comfort him. The old man silently did some data analysis and found that not as many people knew about the rumor, so he sighed and felt full of sympathy for the girl next to him.

Zhou Jiani did not cause trouble for her leader. In the end, she was invited in by her leader.

Zhou Wanli took a few hours off in the afternoon and was about to work overtime to finish the documents that needed his approval before going home, but a colleague came to ask him to go to Director Zheng.

Zheng Fa was the director in charge of production, Liu Jiefang's direct superior, and Zhou Wanli's previous direct superior.

When he got to the door, he saw his precious daughter there, and he understood a little.

I heard footsteps coming hurriedly behind me. I turned around and saw Liu Jiefang running towards me with sweat all over his forehead.

Liu Jiefang came over and pulled his sleeve, motioning him to go to the side and talk for a few words, but Zhou Wanli broke free and walked in.

Liu Jiefang had no choice but to follow.

When his coworker called him to the office, he learned that Zhou Wanli's daughter was making a fuss at the door and someone had reported it to the leader.

I thought to myself, what a joke that Old Zhou's daughter is. Why did she imitate those old women in their forties or fifties and come to the factory to cause trouble for such a small matter?

He originally wanted to make a big deal out of a small matter, but Zhou Wanli ignored his hint, and he felt depressed.

After entering, he pretended to be confused and asked with a smile, "Director, what are the arrangements?"

Then he looked at Zhou Jiani and said with a smile as if nothing had happened: "Hey, Nini is back? Why didn't you ask Ailing to come back with you?"

Zheng Fa waved his hand and said, "Jiefang, let's stop the small talk. Let me ask you, what did your family say about that little girl behind her back? Spreading rumors about something that didn't happen? And what's the situation with the letter?"

If the employees hadn't reported it, he wouldn't have known that such a thing had spread in the factory, and it seemed that quite a few people knew about it.

"Hey! What's the big deal? It's just a joke between sisters. Nini, you wouldn't take it seriously, would you?" Liu Jiefang showed exaggerated surprise, with a funny look on his face, "Wow, you come here to complain to your Uncle Liu? Kid, if you have any problems, just come to your Uncle Liu directly. Uncle Liu will take care of it for you. Do you have to bother Director Zheng? Don't you know how busy the factory leaders are..."

His attitude hints that the Zhou family is narrow-minded. Is it worth making such a fuss over such a trivial matter?

"Comrade Liu Jiefang! What's the point of complaining? The little girl didn't come here to complain about anything." Zheng Fa's face darkened slightly, and he said coldly, "You think something with such a big reputation is a joke?"

Zhou Jiani spoke softly, "Uncle Liu, I was at the door picking up my dad from get off work, and everyone who saw me kept asking me what was wrong with my family and why I hadn't written to them. The security guard even tried to persuade me to be filial. How come so many people knew about this 'joke' and took it so seriously? This is clearly ruining my reputation. Who spread this rumor?"

Liu Jiefang choked.

I thought to myself, if you want to make a fuss, then just make a fuss. Why are you looking for this excuse? Your dad is already so old, why does he need you to take over his job?

Zhou Wanli frowned and said, "Jiefang, you came to me seriously to tell me about this matter that day. If Nini hadn't called the factory, we would still be in the dark."

"No... Hey, it's a misunderstanding, just a small misunderstanding, a misunderstanding between two kids. It can be resolved by talking it out. Is there any need to alarm the leaders?" Liu Jiefang felt that Zhou Wanli was making a fuss out of nothing. Even if he really got the upper hand in the end, he would leave the leaders with the impression that he was petty. Was it worth it?

Zhou Jiani had no secrets about the Liu family's dirty laundry: "Uncle Liu, Ai Ling said in front of the villagers that she didn't know about this. It was Aunt Cuilan who disliked me and spread rumors about me."

She paused deliberately at this point, then said awkwardly like a little girl, "This is not at all the misunderstanding between the two children you mentioned."

Liu Jiefang finally felt that things were getting really difficult. He didn't expect Liu Ailing to push the blame onto his mother.

But Yu Huifang had gone to his house to make a scene that day, and Lu Cuilan was slow to react. She just kept saying that Eileen Chang said so in the letter, which ended up being a case of passing the buck. How would his superiors view his family?

His mind was working fast, and he weighed the pros and cons between his wife and daughter, and finally decided to sacrifice Lu Cuilan.

Anyway, no one had read the letter, so he burned it when he got home and insisted that it was Lu Cuilan who was talking nonsense. Ailing was better at talking than her mother and could coax the Zhou family's daughter. The two of them were still good sisters.

The main reason is that Lu Cuilan and Yu Huifang have always had a bad relationship. If they had a good relationship, it would be framed as a conflict between the children and could be more easily resolved.

Lu Cuilan is just an employee's family member. If she causes gossip, he can just apologize and make a promise to resolve it. It won't have a big impact on him.

After leaving the factory, I will coax Zhou's father and daughter and smooth over this matter.

So he admitted it and said, "This Lu Cuilan, how can you say such things about a child when you're so grown up? I haven't read the letter. I just believe whatever the women at home say. Wanli, don't be angry. Jiani, don't be angry either. Uncle Liu will scold your aunt when he gets home and ask her to make you something delicious to make up for it."

The person who came to complain to Zheng Fa didn't give any details. Just when Zheng Fa thought it was just Lu Cuilan biting his wife's tongue, Zhou Jiani spoke again, saying, "But Aunt Cuilan also cried out for injustice, saying that it was Ai Ling who said it in the letter!"

Liu Jiefang gritted his teeth and pressed down on Lu Cuilan's head: "Don't you know your aunt's mouth? She's really good at talking nonsense. Ailing has such a good relationship with you, how could she say anything bad about you?"

He even winked at her secretly. "Aren't you two good sisters? Let's solve this matter privately and stop talking about it, okay?"

He was puzzled. Usually Zhou Jiani was the one who protected his third daughter the most, so why was she still holding on to her?

Zhou Jiani felt that playing here was much more interesting than playing in the dormitory area. She said quietly, "But I saw the letter."

Liu Jiefang was sweating profusely. Why was this kid breathing heavily while talking?

The leader looked at him with a strange look in his eyes. Liu Jiefang was so panicked that his mind went blank. He gritted his teeth and said, "Then, you, can't, don't. Did you see it wrong?"

Zheng Fa glanced at Liu Jiefang disappointedly, then turned and said gently, "Jiani, what did the letter say?"

Zhou Jiani frowned and said, "Liu Ailing's handwriting is terrible. I could barely make out a line or two before Liu Aifang snatched it away and burned it." She looked at Liu Jiefang and said, "Uncle Liu, is there some secret in that letter? Why would Fangfang rather burn it than let me read it? What is she afraid of seeing?"

"It was Aunt Cuilan who spread the rumor herself, and you've said it repeatedly at the factory. There are witnesses everywhere, so you can't deny it. Uncle Liu, please judge: was it Aunt Cuilan who lied, or was it Ailing who made it up?"

“Is it the distortion of human nature or the decline of morality?”

As Zhou Jiani asked, she opened her bag, took out a pen and notebook, made a recording gesture, and looked at Liu Jiefang eagerly.