Chapter 175 The New Director Arrives; Several Middle-Aged Women Gather...
A group of middle-aged women gathered together and loved to tease young people like Mingxi and Weining. They spoke without any restraint, saying anything and everything, whether it was crude or not. Before long, the two young people, Mingxi and Weining, were blushing and retreating in defeat.
Mingxi considered herself to have a fairly thick skin, but in front of this group of middle-aged women, it still wasn't enough.
She kept her head down and pretended to be a quail for half an hour, but she couldn't keep it up any longer. She made an excuse and dragged Wei Ning out the door.
Once outside the courtyard gate, the cold wind made Mingxi feel her face cool down a little.
Mingxi rubbed her cheeks and turned her head to look at Wei Ning. She saw that Wei Ning's face was also as red as an apple. His skin was fair, so the blush on his face was even more obvious.
She smiled but didn't say anything. She simply took Wei Ning's hand and shook his arm.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, everything was closed for the holiday, so Mingxi and Weining had nowhere to go. They strolled aimlessly through the streets hand in hand.
After walking for a while, Wei Ning made conversation by asking, "When I came over just now, I saw a family of three coming out of your house in a huff?"
Mingxi: "Oh, then you might just have run into my aunt's family."
"Your aunt's family?"
Wei Ning was puzzled; he had never heard that Ming Xi had an aunt.
It's not surprising, after all, Zhao Sumei's family hadn't had any contact with Mingxi's family for the past twenty years. Not to mention Wei Ning, even those who lived in the same courtyard as Mingxi probably didn't remember that Zhao Sulan had such a sister.
“This is the first time I’ve met my aunt today.” Mingxi shrugged. “My aunt has never gotten along with my mom since we were little. After my dad passed away, she heartlessly tried to introduce my mom to a domestic abuser. My mom got angry and cut off all contact with her. In the years since, she has never come to my house again.”
Wei Ning: "So, why did she come here today...?"
Speaking of this, Mingxi couldn't help but start complaining: "I'm speechless about this. You wouldn't believe it, she brought her son and daughter-in-law here today to ask my mom to find a job for her daughter-in-law. She's got her eye on Aunt He's job and wants my mom to fire Aunt He and replace her with her daughter-in-law..."
Honestly, if Zhao Sumei had only asked Mingxi to arrange a job for her daughter-in-law, she might have recommended that she check out the labor service company out of consideration for their kinship.
But as soon as Zhao Sumei arrived, she set her sights on Aunt He's job and bossed her around. She took it for granted that Zhao Sulan should fire Aunt He, so Mingxi immediately gave up the idea of introducing a job to Zhao Sumei's daughter-in-law.
They're clearly begging for help, yet they act like they're the boss. What's going on?
Mingxi and her family don't owe Zhao Sumei's family anything.
Mingxi didn't want to give her face.
However, Mingxi now knows that she underestimated the shamelessness of Zhao Sumei's family. They came for the matchmaking agency, and probably already considered it their own property on the way here.
Mingxi rattled off like a machine gun: "No wonder my mom doesn't like my aunt. She's really out of her mind. She actually thinks that since I'm a girl, I'll have to get married sooner or later, and when my mom gets old, no one in our family will be able to take over the matchmaking agency. Her son, as my mom's nephew, is my mom's only hope. Let alone when I'll get married, even if I do get married in the future, I'm not going to die. When will the matchmaking agency ever be in the hands of my aunt's son?"
In reality, Zhao Sumei was overthinking things. The matchmaking agency was actually under Mingxi's name, but to outsiders, the owner was Zhao Sulan. Mingxi, wanting to avoid trouble, didn't bother to explain. Zhao Sumei also assumed that Zhao Sulan was the owner, which is why she created this whole mess.
Wei Ning echoed in unison, "That's right, that's right, they're just being delusional."
Mingxi: "You have no idea, my aunt said you're definitely unreliable. She's never even met you, how does she know you're unreliable? That's too much!"
Wei Ning: "That's too much!"
It's really too much to talk bad about him in front of his girlfriend!
Wei Ning lowered his head and pretended to be aggrieved as he pouted at his girlfriend, "Don't listen to her. I'm very reliable. After we get married, I won't interfere with your work."
Mingxi smirked and patted Wei Ning's head: "Don't worry, I won't listen to her."
Of course, she would trust her boyfriend, a complete stranger.
Besides, she's not dead. If Wei Ning dares to interfere with her work, she'll definitely kick him out without saying a word.
Wei Ning felt a chill run down his spine. Although he didn't know what his girlfriend was thinking, he could sense danger from her smiling face.
He said cautiously, "Don't worry, I support your work. After we get married, I will definitely be the man behind you, take good care of the family, and let you focus on your work."
Mingxi smiled and asked, "Aren't you afraid people will say you're a gigolo who lives off women?"
Wei Ning: "What's the big deal? Others might want to be kept men, but they don't even have the means to do so."
As he spoke, he straightened his back and deliberately brought his face, which seemed to have the potential to be a kept man, forward, as if to say that only good-looking people like him are qualified to be kept men.
Mingxi: "...Okay."
It's clear that Wei Ning is genuinely proud.
The young couple circled the alley twice before finally choosing to seek refuge at the Wei family's house because it was too cold.
After all, nobody knows whether the "fierce" aunties have gone home yet.
Many relatives of the Wei family came to pay New Year's respects today. When Mingxi opened the door, she saw a room full of people sitting there.
She almost turned around and left, but Ding Yumei pulled Mingxi into the house.
Ding Yumei enthusiastically introduced Mingxi to everyone in the room: "This is my third son's partner, Mingxi, an outstanding cadre of our Women's Federation."
"Oh my, so this is the mistress's boyfriend."
"I've heard Yu Mei talk about it for a year, and I've finally met her."
"He's handsome, no wonder he's the mistress's boyfriend. He's really good-looking. When the two of them stand together, they look like a golden boy and jade girl standing next to Guanyin Bodhisattva."
"..."
The Wei family relatives were also very enthusiastic, surrounding Mingxi and talking all at once.
Ding Yumei pulled Mingxi aside and introduced her: "This is Aunt Weining, you can call her Aunt. This is Third Aunt, you can call her Third Aunt. This is..."
Although Mingxi was momentarily stunned when she entered, she quickly recovered and wasn't shy at all. She immediately greeted everyone with a smile, "Hello, Auntie, Third Aunt, Auntie..."
She called out once and received a round of red envelopes.
It wasn't that Mingxi wanted to accept the red envelopes; it was just that the Wei family relatives were so hospitable that they stuffed them directly into Mingxi's pocket, leaving her no chance to refuse.
After receiving the red envelopes, Mingxi and Weining were pressed down to sit on the sofa. Weining's older brother and sister-in-law sat on the side. Weining's sister-in-law was afraid that Mingxi would feel uncomfortable seeing so many relatives all of a sudden, so she whispered to her, "Don't be nervous, all of these relatives are very easy to get along with."
As she spoke, she handed me an orange, saying, "Eat this orange, it's so sweet."
Looking at her smiling face, Mingxi felt much less nervous.
Everyone chatted and laughed, creating a harmonious atmosphere, which made Wu Yue extremely envious.
She stood at the doorway, gritting her teeth, and pinched Wei Lao Er's waist. Wei Lao Er turned his head in pain: "Ouch, what are you doing?"
Wu Yue: "Look how biased your family is. When I first came to visit, your family didn't gather all together to welcome me, and no one gave me a red envelope."
Wei Lao Er frowned: "Isn't the situation different?"
When Wei Lao Er led Wu Yue back to the city, he didn't tell his family. Of course, his family wouldn't leave relatives at home in advance to wait for Wu Yue and Wei Lao Er to return.
It was just a coincidence that I happened to be here today.
"Besides, you're quite unreasonable. Your parents gave you plenty of red envelopes back then."
Wei Lao Er wasn't referring to after returning to the city, but rather to when they got married in the countryside.
When he and Wu Yue got married in the countryside, the Wei family elders gave Wu Yue a generous red envelope as a "change of address" gift.
Wu Yue: "That's different!"
“The money your parents gave you was for changing your address to your parents, while what your aunt and uncle are giving you now is a gift for meeting them.” Wu Yue made the distinction very clear.
Mingxi and Weining aren't married yet, and when they get married, their parents will definitely give them a "change of address" gift. But she and Wei Lao Er are already married, so their relatives definitely won't give her a red envelope as a wedding gift. In comparison, doesn't she receive one less gift than Mingxi?
If this isn't bias, then what is?
If Mingxi knew that Wuyue was fussing over this red envelope, she would definitely roll her eyes.
Aunt Wei Ning and the others hadn't prepared anything beforehand. They gave this red envelope simply because it was the first day of the Lunar New Year and they wanted it to bring good luck. In reality, it didn't contain much money at all.
Not to mention that Wu Yue's family has children, and her aunt and uncle had already given the children New Year's money. In fact, the second branch of the family received every penny that was due.
But that's just how Wu Yue is.
She never thinks about how much she has received from others, but only about what others have given her less.
Never satisfied, always wanting to compete with others.
After listening to Wu Yue's long-winded explanation, Wei Lao Er said dismissively, "Auntie and the others don't put much money in their red envelopes, maybe not even as much as our little Bao's New Year's money."
He had just secretly checked; his aunt and uncle hadn't been stingy at all, giving out a generous amount of New Year's money.
Seeing her husband like this, Wu Yue was exasperated. She gritted her teeth and was about to stand up and say something when Ding Yumei pulled her back.
"Wu Yue, I think Xiao Bao is crying. Go back to the room and see if he's awake."
"What? I didn't hear that..." Wu Yue was about to deny it when Ding Yumei pushed her back into the house.
Ding Yumei had noticed her second daughter-in-law whispering with her second son, looking rather unwilling.
It's Chinese New Year today, and she just didn't want to invite bad luck by arguing with the two of them.
Mingxi smiled as she watched Wu Yue enter the house.
Not only did Ding Yumei notice Wu Yue and Wei Lao Er's movements, but Ming Xi also noticed them. She was prepared to confront Wu Yue if she caused trouble, but Ding Yumei beat her to it and sent Wu Yue back into the house.
Yes, as expected of Ding Yumei.
Mingxi pretended not to have seen what had just happened and continued chatting with Sister-in-law Wei with a smile.
-
During the three-day Lunar New Year holiday, Mingxi and Weining visited the Wei family on the first day, and the young couple spent the remaining two days playing outside.
The temple fair that was held last year was held again this year. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Mingxi and Weining rushed to the temple fair early in the morning to join in the fun.
It was cold in the north of the city, and the moat was frozen solid. Mingxi and Weining spent a whole day skating on the moat.
The holiday ended the next day, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, and it was time to go back to work.
The day before, Mingxi was full of energy, but as soon as she stepped into the office, she felt weak and listless, as if she was covered in the smell of the office.
She dragged her feet to the desk and sat down. When Sister Wang saw Mingxi like this, she laughed and teased, "Oh, Mingxi, what were you busy with these past few days of the New Year? Why are you so listless as soon as you get back? Did you go out to play?"
Mingxi put down her bag and said, "I didn't do much. I just strolled around the temple fair on the second day of the Lunar New Year and went ice skating yesterday."
Sister Wang: "Hey, you've got quite a lot of activities going on!"
Mingxi chuckled twice and asked, "Sister Wang, did you plan any activities for the Chinese New Year holiday?"
Sister Wang waved her hand, looking pained, and said, "What activities are you planning? Just visiting relatives is exhausting. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, I went with your brother-in-law to visit his relatives. On the second day, your brother-in-law went with me to visit my family's relatives. On the third day, I finally had a day off, but that little rascal of mine caused me trouble again."
She rubbed her forehead and smiled wryly: "To be honest, I can't wait for the holiday to end so I can come back to work."
Yu Xiaomin drifted in like a ghost, and upon hearing Sister Wang's words, silently echoed, "Agreed."
Mingxi turned her head: "Huh? Xiaomin, why are you saying that too?"
Sister Wang: "Yeah, Xiaomin, what are you agreeing to? You're not even married."
Yu Xiaomin said with a bitter face: "I was looking forward to coming back to work because I'm not married. For three days in a row, I was pressured to find a partner and get married. My aunts and uncles urged me, my parents urged me, it was like they were chanting a mantra, it made my head hurt."
When it comes to this topic, everyone feels the same way.
Even Xiao Li couldn't help but chime in: "Me too. In previous years, my parents only urged my brother, but this year they probably think there's no hope for him, so they simply gave up on him and turned their attention to me instead."
Speaking of this, Yu Xiaomin looked at Mingxi with envy: "Xiaoming, you have a boyfriend, so you definitely don't have this problem."
Mingxi said with a straight face, "Who said I don't? It's because I have a boyfriend that I'm being pressured to get married."
She said, "This year during the Spring Festival, everyone who saw me urged me to get married, even my aunt whom I haven't seen for over 20 years. She's quite interesting; while urging me to get married, she also said that my husband Xiao Wei is unreliable, implying that I should hand over my mother's matchmaking agency to her son and daughter-in-law."
Speaking of Zhao Sumei, Mingxi couldn't help but complain again.
Sister Wang and the others had never seen such a shameless person before, and they were extremely shocked.
How could she even bring herself to ask?
"If it were me, I wouldn't even have the face to say that."
"Xiaoming, your aunt is really something..." Sister Wang pursed her lips, wanting to complain, but then felt that the other party was, after all, Mingxi's elder.
Mingxi waved her hand: "Although she is my aunt, this is the first time I've met her. We haven't had any contact for over twenty years."
She meant to vent freely, as she wasn't familiar with Zhao Sumei.
Sister Wang couldn't help but complain, "Your aunt is really no good, her character is terrible..."
Yu Xiaomin: "Absolutely, they're even more shameless than my relatives."
The office was bustling after the Lunar New Year holiday, with everyone talking non-stop until it was time to start work again.
As Mingxi spoke, she realized something was wrong. She glanced at her watch and said, "Wait, it's already eight o'clock. Why hasn't Director Shen arrived yet?"
Upon hearing this, Sister Wang also felt something was amiss. Director Shen had always been punctual in his work over the years and had never been late. Why hadn't he arrived yet today?
Sister Wang frowned: "Could it be that Director Shen had something come up at home and was delayed?"
As they were talking, someone came in through the door and announced, "Your office director, Mr. Shen, is sick and hospitalized and has taken a long leave. The leadership asked me to come and inform you."
The man ran away after delivering the message, leaving everyone in the office dumbfounded.
"Huh? Director Shen is hospitalized? What's the situation?" Mingxi was taken aback.
Sister Wang wasn't sure what was going on either, but since Director Shen wasn't there, she, as the most senior colleague in the office, had to step in and take charge. Fortunately, the work arrangements for returning to work after the New Year holiday had already been made before the holiday, so Sister Wang carried out the arrangements in an orderly manner, preventing everyone from being like headless flies.
Director Shen fell ill suddenly, but before leaving get off work that evening, Sister Wang managed to find out some details and knew which hospital Director Shen was hospitalized in. She suggested that everyone go to the hospital to visit Director Shen after get off work.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
So, after get off work that evening, everyone brought fruit to the hospital together. When Director Shen saw us all, he was a little surprised and sat up to ask, "What brings you all here?"
Sister Wang: "Director, we heard you were sick and hospitalized, and we were worried about you, so we came to see you. Are you alright?"
"It's nothing," Director Shen smiled, seemingly unconcerned.
Mingxi was worried. When she came over, she noticed that the floor where Director Shen was staying was the oncology department. She couldn't help but ask, "Director, what's wrong with your health? Why were you suddenly hospitalized?"
Director Shen: "It's not a serious illness, it's just cancer, liver cancer."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the ward changed their expressions. These days, cancer is basically associated with terminal illness, and everyone looked at him with pity.
Mingxi's heart skipped a beat. Although she had a general idea after seeing the words "oncology department," she still couldn't help but tear up when she actually heard it.
Although she was the last person in the ward to meet Director Shen and had spent the least amount of time with him, she was personally recruited into the Women's Federation by Director Shen. During the two years she worked and spent with Director Shen, he taught her so much, and she had long regarded him as her elder.
Seeing everyone's serious expressions and somber atmosphere, Director Shen smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm lucky. I was diagnosed early, and it's still in the early stages. The doctor said that if I have surgery, there's a high chance I'll be cured."
She said, "It was a coincidence. I had an upset stomach on New Year's Eve and was about to give up, but my children were worried and insisted that I come to the hospital for a checkup. As it turned out, the checkup revealed a problem. But I never expected that it wasn't a stomach problem, but a liver problem."
Hearing what Director Shen said, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Mingxi had read some popular science articles in her previous life and knew that liver cancer could indeed be treated if detected early. Seeing that Director Shen was in good spirits and could chat and laugh with everyone, she realized that Director Shen's condition might not be as bad as she thought, and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Director Shen was indeed in good spirits and even had the energy to assign tasks: "I fell ill suddenly and didn't have time to assign tasks, but I've reported to the leadership, and they should be able to arrange for a new leader to take charge soon. Until the new leader arrives, please continue with the arrangements we made before the holiday. Xiao Wang, you'll be responsible for keeping a close eye on the ideological learning work of the women's federation cadres from each factory. Xiao Yu and Xiao Li, you'll handle the paperwork. Mingxi, you'll organize the activity plan for this year so that it will be easier to hand over when the new leader arrives..."
Director Shen rattled off a series of arrangements for everyone, and hearing these work plans reassured them considerably.
Director Shen: "Don't worry, I'll go back once I'm feeling better."
Everyone knows that Director Shen's words were just a well-intentioned lie. Even if she recovers well after surgery, she probably won't be able to return to work until next year. Director Shen was originally scheduled to retire next year, and even if she went back, she wouldn't be able to lead the work for very long.
The organization will most likely process her early retirement due to her illness.
But no one pointed this out at the moment. They all looked at Director Shen and said, "Director, we'll wait for you to come back."
Leaving the hospital, everyone was still somewhat heavy-hearted.
How could someone as good as Director Shen get such a disease?
A somber atmosphere spread through the crowd, and Yu Xiaomin tried to lighten the mood: "So, which leader do you think will be sent from above to replace Director Shen?"
Mingxi: "I don't know."
Yu Xiaomin: "I hope the person sent over is easy to get along with."
Mingxi casually chimed in, "I hope so."
Nobody wants a difficult leader.
Mingxi just said it casually, never expecting the new office director to be difficult to get along with, but things just don't always go as planned.
The next day, as soon as Mingxi arrived at work, she saw a woman in her forties with short hair standing at the office door.
The man put one hand on his hip and pointed into the room with the other, instructing the people inside: "Yes, move this table to the very back. Don't, don't put it upright, put it horizontally. It looks more comfortable this way. Yes, this is suitable. Hey you, what's your name again? Xiao Yu, right? Move that pile of garbage over there and throw it away."
Yu Xiaomin's weak voice came out: "Director, these are not garbage, they are our work summary report from last year."
The middle-aged woman standing at the door raised her eyebrows upon hearing this: "Aren't those all last year's work reports? It's almost February this year, why are last year's work reports still piled up there? Move them out, move them out."
The next second, Yu Xiaomin came out carrying a pile of documents: "Where am I supposed to move all these documents?"
"How could you be so stupid? You should put this in the archives!"
"Oh," Yu Xiaomin replied, carrying her things out. Mingxi immediately stepped forward to help Yu Xiaomin with half of the documents, and asked in a low voice, "What's going on here?"
Yu Xiaomin gestured towards the middle-aged woman with her lip and whispered, "The new leader is here."
Mingxi's eyes widened as she turned around and asked, "Is this our new office director?"
Yu Xiaomin nodded with a look of utter despair.
Mingxi felt the same way.
This new leader doesn't seem very easy to get along with.
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