As for Qi Zhifang, these past few days she would deliberately take a detour home after get off work, passing by the street. Her efforts paid off, and she finally caught a chance to see Liu Dahai again.
She turned halfway to the side, her lips pressed tightly together, her eyes revealing the grievances she felt, like a small flower swaying in the wind and rain.
Liu Dahai took a closer look, a perfectly measured expression of concern on his face, and stepped forward gently, saying, "Comrade Qi!"
Qi Zhifang smiled shyly, then her face filled with melancholy. She lowered her head and turned to leave, looking as if she were about to commit suicide. How could Liu Dahai, a street-level official, let her leave like that? He quickly stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong? You look so troubled. Did something happen?"
Qi Zhifang's tears streamed down her face, but she stubbornly wiped them away and said, "It's nothing, I just feel a tightness in my chest. Officer Liu, you go ahead with your work!"
Liu Dahai didn't leave. He just looked at Qi Zhifang, frowned slightly, and asked, "Did someone bully you?"
Qi Zhifang sobbed softly, "Isn't it normal for me to be bullied? I know that even you look down on me deep down, just because I'm a widow. They'll throw all sorts of dirty water on me. If I weren't so strong-willed, I would have been drowned in their spittle long ago. I'm sad when people insult me or give me the cold shoulder, but I can still get through it. But now I really can't go on anymore." As she spoke, she squatted down, curled up into a ball, lowered her head, covered her mouth, and began to sob.
Liu Dahai looked around and, finding no one watching, quickly whispered to comfort her, "Don't cry! Besides, I don't look down on you. Even Chairman Mao allowed comrades who made mistakes to correct them, and once they corrected them, they were still good comrades! Don't get stuck on this!" Seeing Qi Zhifang still crying, he had no other choice but to say helplessly, "If you trust me, come to my office and tell me what happened."
This is the most perfect solution Liu Dahai could think of. Qi Zhifang is a released prisoner, and her psychology, life, and neighborhood all need to be closely monitored.
Qi Zhifang looked up and asked, "Won't this bother you? I'm afraid your family will misunderstand!"
Liu Dahai quickly shook his head and said, "It's okay, it's okay. My wife and children are back in my hometown! I'm usually alone, so it doesn't matter whether I go back early or late."
Qi Zhifang's heart tightened. Two tiny, winged figures, one black and one white, were speaking in her mind. The white figure said, "So Liu Dahai got married and has a wife and children!" The black figure replied, "What's wrong with not living together? As long as you swing your hoe well, you can dig up any corner!" The white figure was, after all, a good person, so he was right.
Without even a three-second hesitation, the two entered the office one after the other. Liu Dahai poured him a glass of water, and after they both sat down, Liu Dahai said seriously, "Comrade Qi, what's wrong with you? You can tell me what's wrong, and I'll take care of it for you."
Qi Zhifang wiped away her tears and said, "Officer Liu, I consider you one of my own, so I'm not afraid to say anything that you might laugh at, and I won't hide anything from you. Please be the judge. It's one thing for outsiders to bully me, but I never expected my own family to bully me too. My youngest daughter graduated from junior high school this year, and according to policy, she should go to the countryside. My family wants me to give up my job, but you know how I got this job, I..." She couldn't continue, crying heartbrokenly for a while before finally saying, "If I don't give up my job, they scold me, say they don't recognize me, and won't let me go home. I won't even have a home anymore..." She then buried her face in the back of the sofa and started crying.
Liu Dahai was also dumbfounded. He knew that Qi Zhifang had committed several hooliganism crimes, the most serious of which was recently. She was sentenced to labor reform and it was suspicious that she could come back to work at the arsenal in less than a year. However, he was not a novice in the workplace who had never seen anything before, so how could he not understand the trickery involved?
He thought to himself, "This woman is truly heartless and ruthless. No wonder she's a woman who can commit indecent assault. She doesn't even try to hide her promiscuous and worldly ways!" He knew perfectly well that children with such records would definitely be sent to the most difficult and impoverished places in the countryside. Even if they were lucky enough to come back, they would be skinned alive or dead. A junior high school graduate is only fifteen or sixteen years old. This woman actually sent such a young child there, even if she had a way to do it. Just thinking about it made him shudder.
But he still comforted her, saying, "Comrade Qi, you did the right thing. Educated youth should go to receive re-education from the poor peasants. Flowers that can withstand wind and frost cannot be grown in a greenhouse."
Qi Zhifang looked up at Liu Dahai with tears streaming down her face and said, "I just wanted to comply with the national policy, thinking that I could at least stay for two years and then come back to take over my job. But they just don't understand me, and I feel so choked up!"
Liu Dahai nodded and said, "It's alright, you did the right thing." Then he glanced at his watch and said, "Let's leave it at that for now! It's getting late, Comrade Qi, you should go back first!" Qi Zhifang wiped away her tears apologetically and said, "Oh! I'm so sorry to have bothered you."
Liu Dahai nodded, and after Qi Zhifang swayed out, he couldn't help but chuckle. At this moment, she was acting all serious. Everyone knew that she had switched jobs with her son on her very first day at the arsenal. However, Liu Dahai felt sorry for his old boss because of Qi Zhifang's behavior.
Saving such a spineless woman might cause endless trouble in the future, so I'm also considering whether to tip off my boss.
After talking with Liu Dahai, Qi Zhifang felt refreshed and happy, as if she had found a kindred spirit. Liu Dahai was a really good person. Even after what happened to her, he didn't take advantage of her and kept his distance. Then she happily walked home.
After returning home, she made herself a hot noodle soup with pork lard and scallions; she needed to take good care of herself. Just a few days after returning, Li Nianjun's bodyguard brought her twenty yuan and thirty jin of grain coupons, telling her to come to him if she had any difficulties. Qi Zhifang, however, shamelessly claimed she had to support her child and her salary wasn't enough.
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