161. Adulterated with rat poison
Just half a month after the National Day holiday, the new residential compound of the Five Star Automobile Factory was also burgled by a gang of thieves.
Fortunately, the loss was not significant. It is said that the workers living in the Ginkgo Hutong area deposited their money in the bank, and the workers living in the new family compound followed suit, all laughing and saying that the bank's locks were definitely stronger than their home locks.
Thanks to the efforts of the workers and their families at the Wuxing Automobile Factory, the Changhu Subdistrict Office is now promoting the idea to banks every day, reminding everyone to deposit their savings in the bank.
I heard that someone hid their money so well that they never took it out to use it. Now that it's been dug up, it's been discovered that a lot of the money has been chewed up by rats.
This adds another negative example to the Changhu Subdistrict Office's publicity efforts.
These publicity efforts have been effective; thieves no longer steal from Changhu Street, but instead go to other places.
But the people whose money was stolen went to the police station to cry every day. In order to catch the thief and get the money back, the only two red motorcycles of Changhu Police Station were out running around every day.
At the same time, Gu Mannian's appointment as head of the logistics department of Zhuoyue Garment Factory was finally announced.
On an ordinary workday, neither a holiday nor a festival, Guan Yuehua suddenly rushed back from school. She first picked up Gu Yu from the nursery class and took her to buy meat and vegetables. She ignored Gu Yu's coquettish words about wanting to buy a new frog and then went to the factory gate to wait for Gu Mannian to get off work.
Despite the weather already starting to cool down, Gu Mannian was sweating profusely with panic. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the factory gate and saw Guan Yuehua and Gu Yu.
“I went to pick up Gu Yu from the preschool class, and the teacher said you were there to pick her up. I thought there was a kidnapper.” Gu Mannian breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Thank goodness it’s not a kidnapper.”
Guan Yuehua almost blurted out, "The child welfare class is located inside the factory. What human trafficker would be so blind as to run into a factory?"
Zhuoyue Garment Factory rented a new factory area from Changhu Street and specially set aside a section for a children's education class and after-school care class. The security department's duty room in the new factory area is right next to it.
Two-thirds of the security personnel at the Zhuoyue Garment Factory are retired military personnel, and they are exceptionally skilled fighters. If human traffickers were to enter, they would likely never return.
But when the words were about to come out, they were all changed: "There aren't many children in the preschool class, and the teachers all remember the children's parents. They won't let children from those they don't know well pick them up."
Furthermore, the teacher who taught Gu Yu's class lived in the same building as them, so it's not like she wouldn't recognize what Gu Yu's biological mother looks like.
Gu Mannian explained, "There were human traffickers posing as parents to pick up children near the machinery factory. Luckily, the teachers were vigilant, otherwise the children would have been kidnapped."
After explaining, he decided that when he went to pick up Guyu the next day, he would remind the teacher that no one else, except him, Yuehua, and his mother-in-law, would be allowed to pick up Guyu.
"Why are you back today?" Gu Mannian noticed that she was carrying meat and vegetables, took them from her, and patted Gu Yu's round head. "What's wrong? Want to hang an oil bottle on your mouth?"
“He Shuangshuang said you’ve become the head of the logistics department, so I came back to celebrate with you.”
"My mom went to the supply and marketing cooperative but didn't buy me a frog. I haven't had a new frog in a long time."
The mother and daughter spoke at the same time, one smiling and the other puffing up in anger.
"I was planning to go to your school this Sunday to tell you," Gu Mannian said, his mouth already stretched to his ears in a wide grin before he finished speaking. "How about we have braised pork ribs tonight? We still have half a chicken at home, how do you want to eat it?"
He bent down and picked up Gu Yu, exclaiming, "Ouch! I almost couldn't lift you, you chubby girl!"
Gu Yu immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, afraid that she would fall.
"Dad, we've gone the wrong way. The supply and marketing cooperative is behind us."
"Let's go, let's go home and eat meat." Gu Mannian also didn't respond.
After Guan Dahu amassed a drawer full of tin frogs, his savings were finally depleted.
Gu Mannian also reminded his parents, brother, and sister-in-law not to secretly give her pocket money.
Gu Dahu is now penniless.
"Oh, Guan Qing... Section Chief Guan is back?"
Guan Yuehua glanced over and greeted her neighbor.
Turning her head, she saw Gu Mannian and Gu Yu hugging and giggling, and she knew that the two troublemakers were secretly laughing at her.
Gu Yu would occasionally say outside that her biological mother was a righteous and upright official, which some neighbors in the family compound found amusing, and secretly called Guan Yuehua "Guan Qingtian" in private.
However, this was actually the first time Gu Mannian had heard someone call her that.
Although only two words were called out, the complete nickname is not hard to guess.
Guan Yuehua's eyes pierced the father and daughter in front of her, but they just laughed louder and louder.
Guan Yuehe is the one who deserves the most criticism.
—
"Achoo!"
Guan Yuehe sneezed suddenly as she went downstairs. She touched her forehead and found her temperature was normal.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Li Xuelian reached out and touched her forehead, then touched her own. "Wear an extra jacket when you go to and from get off work. It'll be windy in a while, so you should probably take the bus."
That's what I'm planning to do too.
She can still ride a bicycle, so she continues to ride back home.
The two went to the bicycle shed together. Li Xuelian said enviously, "Long legs are great. You can even put your legs on the ground." You don't need to put one foot on the wheel, but instead take a few steps with the other foot and then sweep your leg across.
Guan Yuehe smiled. Before she was pregnant, she would sometimes jog a few steps to get into the car. She just felt that getting into the car that way was more comfortable.
As she left her workplace, Li Xuelian casually greeted the security guard.
She often ate in the canteen with Comrade Yuehe and left work together. Gradually, she also got used to greeting the old men in charge of serving meals, cleaning, and guarding the gate.
With her workplace far behind, Li Xuelian asked her if she knew about any recent major events at her workplace.
Guan Yuehe thought about it for a while, but couldn't think of anything serious, so she jokingly asked, "Could it be that our unit's staff quarters have also been burgled?"
"Hey! No. Access to the government compound is strictly controlled, and thieves aren't stupid."
But Li Xuelian also felt depressed for a while when the topic of thieves came up.
She lived in the coal mine's residential compound. Her house wasn't robbed, but her neighbor's house was. The old lady had half of her life savings stolen, and she was furious and regretful. Every day, she cursed the thief's ancestors at her doorstep.
Because the family compound was burglarized, her family now has several more locks. Not only do they have to lock up their bankbooks, but they also have to lock up their TV and radio in the cabinet after they're done using them, just in case the thieves take them away.
My frustration was interrupted by Guan Yuehe's question.
"What could be so serious?"
“Someone went abroad on official business and secretly ran away, staying overseas,” Li Xuelian said. “The news came back yesterday. The whole family of the person who ran away will be investigated, and those still working at their jobs may be fired. His family is really unlucky to have such a relative.”
Li Xuelian sighed, "In the future, when our company sends people abroad, the political vetting will definitely be more stringent than it is now."
The political vetting process is very strict now, but it still can't stop some people from secretly staying outside.
"You know, once you get a job in our company, the salary must be pretty good, right? There's even an extra allowance for business trips abroad, which I heard is much higher than the salary. What's the point?"
Guan Yuehe was in charge of joint venture projects and had dealt with foreign businesses quite a bit, so she knew how some people gradually fell into their trap.
While working, she often encountered managers of foreign companies who deliberately told her how high the wages and benefits were abroad, how convenient life was overseas, how common appliances such as color TVs, refrigerators, and air conditioners were, how almost every family owned a car, and how people lived in Western-style houses.
Although she felt her own country was better, she had to admit that conditions in some foreign countries were indeed much better.
"Your inability to understand shows that you have a firm will and have not been corrupted by the enemy's sugar-coated bullets. Comrade Li Xuelian, the organization has not trusted you in vain."
Li Xuelian couldn't help but laugh when she heard such a serious compliment, but she quickly suppressed her laughter and said seriously, "I'm not that kind of person. I can't let down the trust of the country and the people."
“But then again,” Li Xuelian sighed, “the work we do involves dealing with a lot of sugar-coated bullets.”
"Take our equipment import and export business for example. If we buy equipment from abroad at a high price, it's a waste of the country's foreign exchange. We have to make sure that every penny is well spent, right? But then there are always those sugar-coated bullets from abroad that come knocking on our door, promising to give us a lot of money if they let us have some leniency. Once, someone stuffed a big file bag into my hand, and when I opened it, it was full of US dollars. I was stunned."
At this point, Li Xuelian finally understood what those who insisted on secretly staying abroad were after.
Guan Yuehe pouted: "This sugar-coated bullet is mixed with rat poison. If you swallow it, you'll be doomed sooner or later."
Although no one ever slipped her large file folders, she received plenty of hints at work that she could gain considerable benefits if she made slight concessions when signing contracts.
Each time she received a hint, she became even more unyielding.
If she makes even one concession, it's as if someone has something on her hands, and she'll have to make concessions every step of the way from now on.
—
In the evening, Lin Yiku came home from get off work, busied herself in the kitchen, and brought her a still-warm roasted duck leg.
Guan Yuehe was pleasantly surprised, "Where did you come from? I knew you were acting strange today, you smelled especially good."
My stomach rumbled in agreement, its cravings awakened by the aroma.
Lin Yiku didn't believe her lies. When he came back, she was only watching the news on TV and didn't even look up, as if she hadn't smelled the fragrance.
"The political commissar is hosting dinner at his home tonight, and I asked him to save me a roasted duck leg."
Guan Yuehe gave him a thumbs up, "You're really something, taking both food and money."
"I delivered the roast duck to him as an extra dish."
Guan Yuehe pinched the roasted duck leg between two fingers, smelled it, and said, "This is a sugar-coated bullet without rat poison."
Lin Yiku was stunned for a moment, "What do you mean by rat poison?"
The unit's major events had not yet been officially announced, so it was not appropriate to spread them outside. Guan Yuehe did not mention them, but she did mention that a foreigner had tried to bribe Director Guan during their work.
The enemy's sugar-coated bullets were laced with rat poison. Lin Yiku's sugar-coated bullets were laced with honey.
"I'll give you a bite too," Guan Yuehe said generously.
Lin Yiku pushed the food back to her, jokingly saying, "You can have the sweets."
Guan Yuehe criticized him, "Being a picky eater is bad; you must reflect on that!"
"Okay, bring it over here, I'll take a bite."
"Oh dear, you didn't eat it just now, so you can't back out now." Guan Yuehe couldn't maintain her generosity and turned her back to him, devouring the whole roasted duck leg by herself.
"Is one enough for you? Or should I make you a bowl of noodles?"
"If we can't finish one bowl... shall we share it?"
Lin Yi nodded and got up to walk to the kitchen. The TV in the living room was turned up, and Guan Yuehe asked him if he could hear it.
"I heard you."
"Time for the weather forecast."
The next second, Guan Yuehe said again, "Lin Yiku, add an egg for me."
—
The next day, when Guan Yuehe went to No. 3 Courtyard after get off work, she saw Guan Yuehua at home and wondered why her sister had taken the day off and gone home, since it was only Friday.
Little Guyu answered her question with her mouth full of nonsense, "My mom came back to celebrate with my dad. Auntie, my dad became a big leader!"
Guan Yuehe understood, and under Gu Yu's expectant gaze, she complimented, "Your dad is amazing! A big boss!"
After Gu Yu was satisfied, she ran happily to Courtyard No. 1 to find Yuan Bao.
Gu Mannian blushed as the praise was given; his daughter had gone too far.
Guan Yuehe's expression changed quickly; she turned to Guan Yuehua and Gu Mannian and clicked her tongue, "Look at you two, so lovey-dovey, ugh..."
Guan Yuehua glanced at her indifferently, and decided not to scold her for the time being, considering that she was pregnant.
Is this considered sticky?
Jiang Guiying didn't dare to expose her, and she and Yiku became even closer.
Suddenly, Guan Yuehe heard Zhang Desheng, Zhang Ersao, and Aunt Xie talking. She pricked up her ears and heard Aunt Xie's sour tone, "It's good that you're moving away."
Guan Yuehe looked at Jiang Guiying, "Is Teacher Zhang's family moving away?"
“Zhang Desheng got a house from his work unit and is preparing to move out, but he hasn’t returned the house here, so Zhang Quanbin is still living here.”
The neighbors in the alley whispered among themselves that Zhang Desheng's official career had just begun when he separated himself from his son. They said that he would probably only care about his younger son and forget about his older son in the future.
In fact, Zhang Desheng wanted to return the apartment here so that he could apply for a two-bedroom apartment at his workplace and partition off a small room, so as not to delay Zhang Quanbin from dating and getting married in the future.
"Then why didn't you get a refund?"
“Zhang Quanbin is not happy. He said he grew up in the No. 3 compound and wants to live here from now on.” Jiang Guiying didn’t believe it and snorted. “I guess this kid has someone he likes and probably lives in our alley.”
No sooner had they finished speaking than Zhang Desheng and Zhang Ersao went to the Guan family's house.
The couple each carried a bag of candy and a pack of cigarettes, intending to share them with their neighbors.
"Oh my, we've been neighbors for so many years and you're still so polite. It's not like we've stopped seeing each other after you moved away." Jiang Guiying said politely, but she accepted the candy and cigarettes without hesitation.
"When are you planning to move? Just say so if you need help."
"We'll just bring our clothes, and leave all the furniture for Quanbin. We don't have much stuff, so we'll stay at the company's place tomorrow."
"Oh, congratulations! Is your new house an apartment building? Apartment buildings are great, they're much brighter than single-story houses."
After a few polite greetings, Zhang Desheng finally revealed his purpose.
"Quan Bin lives here alone, and I'd like to ask our old neighbors in the compound to look after him..."
"You don't even need to tell me that. Quanbin grew up in our compound. If he needs any help, we can't just stand by and watch, can we? You two can relax and live in your new house. Come back and visit often when you have time."
“I will definitely come back often. Our courtyard has good feng shui. If it weren’t for the fact that we couldn’t get a house here, I wouldn’t be willing to move away.”
Jiang Guiying smiled and waved her hand, saying that it's better to live in an apartment building.
Guan Yuehe watched them being polite but didn't learn anything from them. When Zhang Desheng and Zhang Ersao handed her candy and cigarettes, she said sincerely, "Teacher Zhang, don't worry. Zhang Quanbin lives in our courtyard. I can't say for sure about other things, but at least no outsiders will come knocking on our door."
Zhang Quanbin, who had just stepped into the backyard to find his parents, paused in his steps.
Outsiders won't come knocking, but Sister Yuehe will.
Author's Note: [Newbie]
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