Time flew by and it was already the end of March.
Contrary to expectations, Haishi did not experience another cold snap in spring. Instead, the sky was clear every day and the temperature steadily rose.
The temperature was 27 or 28 degrees Celsius, just like early summer. Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan followed the trend and changed into short-sleeved long dresses.
However, they chose summer clothes made of slightly thicker fabric.
That day, as soon as the two arrived at their workplace, Shen Yanming was called away by Zhu Shiliang.
Seeing the joyful expression on the other person's face, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan both guessed that things had probably really been settled.
They tried their best to remain calm and make sure not to show any emotion until the formalities were completed.
Less than ten minutes after Shen Yanming left, Zhu Ranran arrived.
Just as Bi Qiaoan had suggested, Zhu Ranran would be brought to the office by Director Zhu every now and then, so he was already quite familiar with everyone.
However, every time he came over, his first targets were still Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan. This wasn't just a matter of liking them, but also because the two of them secretly fed him.
Zhu Shiliang and Fu Shuling didn't stop them when they found out. However, they would occasionally cook something delicious and secretly send some to the couple. This kind of give-and-take made their relationship more natural.
Although the sun rises around 7 a.m. and sets around 6:30 p.m. every day, the get off work hours at my workplace remain unchanged, still from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The root cause is still the power rationing. Since the power is only available during the midday hours, it makes no difference to anyone whether you adjust your work hours earlier or later.
Therefore, Zhu Ranran's arrival did not affect anyone's work at all. Anyway, we were just sitting and waiting for the call to come in, and having more children was actually more fun.
Moreover, Zhu Shiliang's pioneering move brought a sigh of relief to his colleagues with children. Many of them were families where all members worked away from home, and they were worried about leaving their children at home every day.
Now it's great, I can bring my kids to work. As long as they don't cry or make a fuss, and they're quiet during lunchtime when everyone is working, no one will object.
Of course, Zhu Shiliang consulted his superiors before doing so. However, they neither agreed nor disagreed, only telling him to do what he thought was best.
Zhu Shiliang thought about it and understood the reason.
Those in power are probably aware of everyone's difficulties, but a workplace is a workplace; you can't turn it into a kindergarten. Therefore, no one will offer to help you with that.
However, you either don't do it at all, or do it secretly. Anyway, the higher-ups will turn a blind eye, as long as you keep a close eye on things.
After Zhu Shiliang figured things out, he would occasionally bring Zhu Ranran over. Other colleagues followed suit, but they were all very careful about their behavior. The little girl they brought was well-behaved and adorable, and she would quietly do her homework while the adults were working.
At this moment, the sunlight outside was dazzling, and Zhu Ranran was holding a small fan, sitting next to Bi Qiaoan and fanning her desperately.
Although it was his initiative, Bi Qiaoan still felt a sense of guilt, as if she were enslaving a child. She said, "Ranran, you should rest now, I'm not hot!"
Zhu Ranran shook her head, "I'm not tired! Mom said pregnant women are most prone to feeling hot. Aunt Qiao An is having a hard time carrying the baby, so I want to do my best to help you!"
Bi Qiaoan was touched, but she still held onto Zhu Ranran's waving arm. She took out a few scraps of paper from the drawer and said, "Aunt Qiaoan is a little bored. How about you play Connect Four with me?"
Zhu Ranran blinked, somewhat confused, "How can we play without a chessboard and pieces?"
“Let’s draw it on paper!” Bi Qiaoan said, turning the scrap paper to a blank side, then drawing a grid pattern with a ruler, and finally drawing circles on it with Zhu Ranran and a pencil.
It seems so troublesome, doesn't it? She would like to just take out a set of Ludo or Monopoly from her space, but the key point is, you are an adult and don't have any three or five-year-old children. Isn't it strange to prepare these things in the office?
To avoid being seen as an oddball, she decided to put in the effort and play this game with Zhu Ranran that didn't require any props.
Zhu Ranran is a very smart child. Even when he's out-brained with an adult like Bi Qiaoan, he occasionally wins a round or two. Moreover, he has a good attitude. Although he's discouraged when he loses, he doesn't throw a tantrum. When he wins, he cheers and then tries again.
Perhaps when people are engrossed in something, they unconsciously ignore their surroundings. So, during the hour that Bi Qiaoan and Zhu Ranran were playing chess, neither of them complained of being hot.
It wasn't until 11 o'clock when the phone rang and Yu Shui turned on the air conditioner that Bi Qiaoan felt a cool breeze, which was incredibly refreshing.
Then she picked up her phone and saw that Shen Yanming had sent her a message saying that she should eat first and not wait for him, as the procedures were complicated and would take at least another hour to complete.
Bi Qiaoan understood the situation and let Zhu Ranran play by herself for a while before finishing her work for the day. Although the apprentice Shen Yanming had mentored had already graduated, she still felt that as long as she worked there, she had to do her job, otherwise she wouldn't feel at ease.
Of course, for experienced users, handling spreadsheets is a piece of cake. Bi Qiaoan can accurately input long strings of numbers without looking at the keyboard, check them instantly, and then quickly obtain the result using a formula.
An hour later, at noon, Bi Qiaoan picked up her lunchbox, called Zhu Ranran, and left the office.
Everyone assumed she was going to the restaurant to heat up her food, but that wasn't the case. She and Zhu Ranran went to Zhu Shiliang's office.
Zhu Ranran gave them the key. After they went in, they closed the door. Zhu Ranran opened the cabinet door on the left side of the desk, took out her own children's lunchbox, and sat down with Bi Qiaoan to eat.
The reason they didn't heat up their food was because Bi Qiaoan brought noodles, while Zhu Ranran brought jelly. Both were cold dishes, which seemed quite a coincidence.
Bright red chili oil, fresh and tender cucumber shreds, blanched mung bean sprouts, fragrant sesame sauce, chewy noodles, and smooth jelly noodles—oh my, it really makes my mouth water!
Bi Qiaoan and Zhu Ranran swapped half of their food so that they could each have an extra dish.
After they finished eating, they slumped onto the soft sofa and simultaneously touched their lower abdomens. Oh my god, they were so round!
However, one of them overate, and the other was pregnant.
After resting, the two went to the bathroom to wash their lunchboxes. As Bi Qiaoan was about to return to the main office, Zhu Ranran stopped her.
He whispered, "Aunt Qiao An, it's so hot, how about we go out and buy some ice cream? I haven't used up my monthly allowance yet, I can treat you!"
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