Chapter 128 Dirty Tricks
Li Aiying's fingers were tightly digging into the corner of her clothes, her lips were trembling, but she didn't say a word.
"Is it because of that fabric salesman from yesterday?" Gu Qiuyue asked softly, "Did he... say something to you? Or did he threaten you?"
"No! No threat!" Li Aiying blurted out, and only then realized that she had let the cat out of the bag. Her face turned pale in an instant and tears streamed down her face.
"Aiying, don't be afraid." Gu Qiuyue held her cold hand. "What's going on? That man is not Li Caifeng's cousin at all, right?"
Li Aiying's psychological defenses completely collapsed, and she sobbed intermittently. "He... he came after me... It's my disappointing brother-in-law... He ran away from home after owing gambling debts... Those people came to our house... The one from yesterday was one of them... He said... that if I was willing to do them a small favor, the debt would be paid slowly..."
"What's the small favor?" Gu Qiuyue's heart was in turmoil.
"They...they asked me to secretly give them a copy of the workshop's customer list, or...or to mix the cheap, inferior thread they brought with the good thread next time I get in..."
Li Aiying's voice was so low it was almost inaudible, filled with shame. "I refused... I really didn't agree. Teacher Gu, believe me, I just... I was afraid they would come to our house every day and make trouble, scaring the children and mother-in-law... That's why I'm so uneasy every day and keep making mistakes at work..."
After hearing this, Gu Qiuyue took a breath and felt a little scared.
She shook Li Aiying's hand vigorously. "Aiying, you did the right thing! You were right not to agree to them. This kind of thing will happen again. Once you start, you can never get rid of it."
She never expected that what Li Caifeng attracted was not simple business competition, but rather shady tactics involving threats and coercion, which had already exceeded the scope of workshop management.
"But...but they won't let it go..." Li Aiying was at a loss. "If my mother-in-law knew that my brother-in-law owed so much debt, she would be so angry that she would die...My head of the family is out on a mission again...What should I do, Qiuyue..."
"Don't be afraid. We can't handle this on our own." Gu Qiuyue calmed down, her thoughts racing. "Aiying, listen to me. If they come looking for you again in the next couple of days, just pretend you're still hesitant and try to delay them. I'll figure out the rest."
After comforting the almost exhausted Li Aiying, Gu Qiuyue hurried home. She needed to tell Xie Shiyu about this matter immediately. This was not just a problem at the workshop, but also threatened the safety of military families.
Pushing open the door, Xie Shiyu was about to go out, his military uniform neatly trimmed.
"Shi Yu!" Gu Qiuyue called him hurriedly, "Something happened!"
Xie Shiyu paused, and seeing that her expression was not right, he immediately closed the door: "Tell me slowly, what's going on?"
Gu Qiuyue tried to recount as concisely as possible how Li Aiying's brother-in-law owed a debt and how the creditor, posing as a fabric merchant, had sneaked into the compound and threatened and bribed Li Aiying to cause trouble.
Xie Shiyu's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, his expression darkening. "You bastard, you actually dared to threaten the military compound."
He pondered for a moment and said decisively, "Don't worry about this matter. Don't make it public yet, especially don't let Li Caifeng find out. I'm going to a meeting at division headquarters soon, so I'll report this to the security department. These people must be caught."
Gu Qiuyue felt relieved. "Okay. I'll keep an eye on the workshop and keep Li Aiying safe."
Xie Shiyu nodded, walked to the door, and turned back, his eyes sharp: "Yueyue, that Li Caifeng, is she just unhappy about being laid off, or... is she already involved with this group?"
This question was like a stone thrown into Gu Qiuyue's heart, creating ripples.
Yeah, what role did Li Caifeng play in this matter? Was she simply trying to cause trouble for the workshop, or was she... herself deeply involved?
Gu Qiuyue felt heavy-hearted as she watched her husband hurried away.
The storm seems to have just begun.
Gu Qiuyue watched Xie Shiyu leave. Her husband's calm back made her panicked heart calm down a little. She knew that as long as he knew, he would never sit idly by and watch.
When the army security department intervened, the nature of the matter became completely different.
But she couldn't just sit there and wait. Xie Shiyu was in charge of the "outside," and she had to keep the "inside" stable.
She took a deep breath, sorted out her thoughts, turned around and went to the workshop first. Everything in the workshop was normal, the sewing machines were clattering, and the sisters were busy and chatting at the same time. The atmosphere was harmonious. When Zhang Xiumei saw her come in, she gave her an inquiring look.
Gu Qiuyue shook her head slightly, signaling her to be patient.
As usual, she made a round inspection, checking everyone's work progress, and deliberately stopped for a moment beside Li Aiying's empty seat. There was a half-finished shirt on the sewing machine, and the stitches were obviously a little messy, which showed that the owner was uneasy.
Gu Qiuyue sighed inwardly.
"Sister Xiumei," she walked over to Zhang Xiumei and lowered her voice, "Sister Aiying has some urgent matters at home, so she's taking a day off today. Please help divide up the work she has on hand and pick out the simple ones for everyone to do."
Zhang Xiumei nodded immediately: "Okay, don't worry." She hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but lower her voice even more, "Qiuyue, what's going on? Is it really related to Aiying? She..."
"It's indeed a bit troublesome, but it's not Sister Aiying's fault." Gu Qiuyue said concisely, "She was dragged into this situation. I'll tell you the details after I've dealt with it. The key now is that the workshop must not be in chaos and everyone's hearts must not be scattered.
Keep a close eye on them, especially those who have a good relationship with Li Caifeng. Keep an eye on them."
Zhang Xiumei's expression shuddered, and she immediately understood: "I understand, don't worry."
After arranging the workshop matters, Gu Qiuyue felt relieved. After thinking for a while, she did not go home directly, but went to the service center of the family compound, weighed two kilograms of egg cakes, and bought a can of malted milk.
Carrying the things, she knocked on Li Aiying's door.
The one who opened the door was Li Aiying's mother-in-law, Aunt Chen. Her expression was still not very good, but when she saw what Gu Qiuyue was holding, her tone softened a little: "Teacher Gu? What are you doing..."
"Auntie, I came to see Aiying." Gu Qiuyue smiled gently, "She looked unwell this morning. I'm afraid she's tired. The workshop has been busy lately, and it's probably because we haven't paid enough attention to her."
As the saying goes, you shouldn't hit someone who smiles at you. Aunt Chen stepped aside to let her in, but she still said stubbornly, "She's just worrying about nothing. I can handle everything at home. Why do I need her..."
Gu Qiuyue entered the room and saw Li Aiying sitting by the bed wiping her tears, with the two children timidly snuggling beside her. When they saw Gu Qiuyue, Li Aiying hurriedly stood up, her eyes full of panic and questioning.
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