Chapter 10, Chapter 10, it's true, I need to examine Song Zhao's image...
What's wrong with Director Yu's husband? Nie Qingqing immediately perked up her ears to listen.
My colleague gestured with his hands, put his two hands together to form a circle, and whispered the reason behind it.
"Her husband likes to choke her, so every time Director Yu buys a new silk scarf, it means she's been choked by him once. I've seen seven or eight different styles. This one is the one she bought last time. You see, she'll wear this new one next time."
Nie Qingqing clicked her tongue in astonishment: "Choking? She's the women's director, how could she endure that?"
My colleague scoffed, "She's over forty, and her son is getting married soon. What else can she do but put up with it? Everyone puts up with it, right? But my husband has a lot of flaws, but he never lays a hand on me. He's better than Director Yu in that respect."
Nie Qingqing peeled a peanut; it smelled wonderful. She put the rest in her pocket and took them back for the children to try.
"I just have to say, we're doing women's federation work, helping women and children who are being bullied, and yet Director Yu herself is a victim of domestic violence. It's so ironic. She needs to show some of the courage and determination of a women's federation director."
My colleague was knitting a sweater, stitch by stitch, without interrupting her chatter and sneer. Being able to be the women's director doesn't mean you can handle problems well.
"She became the women's director because of her family connections, not because of her abilities. You haven't gone out with her to mediate. She advises people to stay together, not to separate. Sometimes I can't stand listening to her. This job is not easy. Just do your best and don't take it too seriously."
Nie Qingqing cracked her knuckles and snorted, "If I were serious, I would have advised the one who got beaten to fight back long ago."
My colleague chuckled: "I really look forward to you mediating this. I'm so angry every day. I even had nodules when I went to the hospital for a checkup last time. Sigh, your health is the most important thing. You really should have fewer children. By the way, how's your factory manager, Mr. Song? Everyone says he doesn't want an unmarried girl arranged by his own mother. There must be something wrong with him."
“No, that won’t happen.” Nie Qingqing firmly denied it: “I’ve tried it, and it works perfectly in every way.”
Her colleague joked, "You always seem so cheerful; you must be doing well inside and out. If you had a serious illness, you wouldn't be this happy."
Nie Qingqing wholeheartedly agreed: "Exactly, you're a smart person. Do you think Director Yu's sister-in-law would marry her widowed brother?"
My colleague guessed, "She's probably going to get married. If it really happens, we'll all have to give her a gift. Let's all discuss it and give the same amount."
Nie Qingqing spoke first: "My family probably needs more. When I married Song Zhao, Director Yu gave us twenty yuan, so we have to pay back twenty-five."
My colleague said, "That's right. I only planned to give ten yuan. Sigh, these social obligations come up all the time. It's really unexpected. I'll have to tighten my belt again."
...
As they chatted, another colleague came back from buying groceries during a break and joined the conversation. The colleague who had brought peanuts also gave her a big handful.
After chatting all morning, Nie Qingqing stretched and said, "It's time to eat."
"I'm going home to cook. My in-laws and brother-in-law are so lazy. If I don't cook, I'll just buy food outside. We don't have that much money. I'm leaving."
Sister Qian shook her head and sighed, put away the yarn, took her meal tickets and went to the canteen with Nie Qingqing. She complained, "Sister Xiao just can't bring herself to do it. Whoever's parents they are, they should take care of them. That younger brother-in-law has been idle at home for a year and can't be assigned a job. Let him go south to work. What's the point of him eating at home for free every day?"
Nie Qingqing bought herself a serving of cabbage and tofu and a serving of bean sprouts, and complained, "That's right, when it comes to taking care of your parents-in-law, why don't the men say anything? Sigh, there's nothing we can do about it. I feel like our job is pretty stifling."
Sister Qian was used to it. Seeing that she had only ordered two vegetarian dishes, she asked, "Doesn't your factory manager, Director Song, hand over his salary? You don't need to skimp on this little bit of food, do you?"
Nie Qingqing laughed: "Song Zhao and I are going to my mom's house to pick up the kids after work, and we'll eat there too. The dinner was so good, so we'll eat something light for lunch."
"I see," Sister Qian advised her. "Then you should also order a meat dish tomorrow, and eat meat and fish every few days. Otherwise, if word gets out that you're a second-time bride and don't even dare to eat meat, you'll lose face. Your husband, Director Song, doesn't have a good reputation at the factory either. Just put on a show, don't be so honest."
Nie Qingqing thought it made sense, so she quickly made a braised pork dish and shared half with her colleague: "That's right, I have to consider Song Zhao's image."
Sister Qian and Nie Qingqing got along very well, so Sister Qian didn't stand on ceremony with her and ate the braised pork that Sister Qian had given her without any qualms.
After lunch, everyone took a nap at their desks, and some even brought cots. They looked quite comfortable for a nap, and Nie Qingqing thought about buying one when she got her salary.
...
I didn't take a long nap today when Director Yu came back, excitedly telling everyone that another merchant was coming to the company to hold an internal sales event, and that everyone should go and take a look.
She was involved in organizing the internal purchase event, and it wouldn't look good if there weren't enough people, so she came to attract more people: "Today's event is selling tea, all the kinds you usually like to drink, it's all new tea from the place of origin this year, come and take a look, don't let it be a dull event."
Most of the suppliers at the internal sales fair were companies they had previously collaborated with, so regardless of the price, the goods were guaranteed to be of good quality. Nie Qingqing happened to want to buy some tea for her mother, so she went along.
My colleague didn't go, so I took out my yarn and knitting needles and started knitting out of boredom.
Nie Qingqing was puzzled and asked, "Sister Qian, we can go take a look even if we don't buy anything. Let's go together."
Qian Yurong remained calm and refused to go, but gave a reason: "I just bought some tea, and I still have two jars at home that I haven't touched. If I go, I won't be able to resist buying more, which would be a waste of money. I have several wedding banquets to attend this month, so I'd better save some money."
This reason is quite reasonable. Nie Qingqing also felt the same way. After marrying Song Zhao, she did indeed become extravagant. Her colleagues' words taught her that if the tea was good, she should only buy half a catty at most and not waste money.
Nie Qingqing liked to join in the fun, and since she was short of tea leaves, she said, "Then I'll go take a look."
...
Everyone in the office except Qian Yurong had left. She didn't go because she didn't want to cause any more trouble for her man.
Her husband was a low-level cadre. At an internal sales event, someone slipped money into her tea as a gift. She didn't know and only discovered it after drinking the tea for half a month. Her husband scolded her severely and returned the money. Although it was done quietly, she was still worried and never went to any more internal sales events!
This kind of underhanded operation is hard to explain. Nie Qingqing is the factory director's wife, so the goods she receives may be different from those of others.
Whether Nie Qingqing accepted it or not is unknown, but she is a straightforward person, and you can guess from her expression if you probe her.
If she really accepted the gift in the tea, then you should keep your distance from her in the future.
...
Today is a tea-focused event. Everyone smelled and tasted the tea, praising its excellent appearance and pure aroma. Nie Qingqing learned a bit from this experience, and after hearing the praise, she tasted it and thought it seemed quite good.
Director Yu stood by and helped the supplier promote the product: "It's the same quality, cheaper than what you can buy elsewhere, and it's guaranteed to be this year's new tea from the place of origin. You can buy with confidence, and I guarantee you won't lose out."
Half the people followed suit and bought it. Nie Qingqing asked for half a jin (250 grams). She thought there was only one tin can, but the people at the sales fair took out a gift box from below, which contained two medium-sized tin cans.
Nie Qingqing hesitated to take it: "Is this half a jin? It looks like a lot."
The sales clerk smiled and said, "Yes, the tin box is small and can hold two cans."
Director Yu said from the side, "They packaged it well. This iron box alone weighs two ounces. This is an internal sales meeting, so it must be weighed properly."
Nie Qingqing estimated that these two cans could hold at least seven or eight ounces. They might have put them in a medium-sized box to make it look nice, but they weren't actually full. With the rise of private enterprises, there are some superficial tricks.
Her colleagues who bought half-pound packs all received the same gift boxes, so she didn't ask any further questions. She shook her hand when she received it, and it was quite full. She felt she had gotten lucky this time and was quite happy.
...
After agreeing to the agreement a week ago, Nie Qingqing and Song Zhao would go to her parents' house every day after get off work to pick up their three children.
She arrived first today, and before she even parked her bicycle, she took out the tea she had bought that afternoon to show off.
"Mom, this is an internal sales event organized by our company, a special tea sale. Do you think it's a good deal for me to buy this half-pound? Why don't you open it and brew some to try? It's supposed to be West Lake Longjing tea, and all my colleagues say it's very good."
Tang Guizhi loved drinking tea. She picked up a canister, weighed it in her hand, and exclaimed, "This supplier is quite good; it's filled to the brim."
After asking about the price, which was cheaper than at the department store, she regretted, "It's such a good deal! I should have bought half a pound more."
She originally intended to buy a pound, but after listening to her colleague, she decided not to spend too much and bought half a pound first to try it out. If she liked it, she would buy more from the supplier next time.
She laughed and said, "They can't run away, they can just buy more after they finish drinking."
...
Tangyuan is a little rascal, curious about everything. She poked at the tea leaves and even made a plan: "Mom, I want to eat tea eggs. Let's use these tea leaves to marinate the eggs."
Nie Qingqing was reluctant to use good tea leaves to braise the eggs, so she explained to him gently, "This is called West Lake Longjing tea, it's very expensive, it's not for making tea eggs."
Tangyuan protested, "I just want to eat tea eggs cooked with good tea leaves. They'll definitely taste better. Mom, don't be stingy!"
Tang Guizhi was willing to give the children whatever they wanted to eat. She immediately started counting the eggs and urged Nie Qingqing to start a fire and boil water.
"How much tea do you need to make tea eggs? You've been spending money recklessly since you got married, but you're reluctant to use a little bit of tea to make tea eggs for the kids?"
Xiao Yuan nodded in agreement: "Then I want to eat it too."
Xiaoyin wanted to say that her mother had tried it before, but actually, good tea and bad tea will produce the same result when brewed. The quality depends only on the cooking skills and has little to do with the tea itself.
But not wanting to spoil the fun, she said, "Aunt Qingqing, I'd also like to try the tea eggs made with West Lake Longjing tea."
The money Nie Qingqing used to buy tea was earned by Song Zhao, so how could she not let the two children try it? She went to start a fire: "Okay, let's brew it then."
Tangyuan clapped her hands: "Yay! I'll get the tea leaves. It'll taste even better if we add more, right?"
He was quick, and when he opened the tin box, he didn't hold it properly. The box was knocked to the ground with a "crash," spilling at least half of the tea leaves out.
Nie Qingqing was heartbroken. It was her own child. Without thinking, she picked up the broom next to her and decided to teach him a lesson.
Tangyuan was stunned as she spilled the fine tea leaves when she saw her mother coming with a broom. Without thinking, she knelt down on the ground with a thud, pleading, "Mom, have mercy!"
Nie Qingqing wasn't about to let this little rascal get away with it; this trick wouldn't work on her.
Xiao Yuan was worried and stood in front of Tang Yuan to stop her from hitting him: "Aunt Qingqing, you can hit me, but don't hit my brother."
Tang Guizhi couldn't bear to see her grandson get beaten, so she didn't dare to interfere too much in disciplining the child. She could only advise, "Tangyuan didn't do it on purpose. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. I wasn't even angry when this tea was given to me, so why are you angry?"
Xiaoyin went to get a clean bowl, picked up the layer of tea leaves floating on top, and said, "There's no ash on top, you can still drink it, Aunt Qingqing, you didn't actually lose much."
How could anyone drink something that had been soaked in water if it was covered in dust? Nie Qingqing wouldn't drink it, and she didn't want her mother to drink it either. She turned around and went to get a dustpan to sweep up the tea leaves on the ground.
"Never mind, let's open another pot and make tea eggs."
"Mom is the best!" Tangyuan got up from the ground and went to open another tea canister. This time, he and Xiaoyuan worked together to make sure it wouldn't spill again.
Song Xiaoyin picked up the tin box, feeling a pang of regret, but then noticed the weight was off. She looked inside and saw a paper package. She quickly handed it to Nie Qingqing: "Auntie, there's something else in this jar. Didn't they tell you when you bought it?"
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
