She immediately shook her head like a rattle: "Yes! Why should I accept your things?"
"You've worked so hard in this family and have made the greatest contribution, so you deserve it. Don't refuse," I insisted.
She still shook her head, her tone was distant: "I am in your house, Yue Mingyuan pays me a salary, what do you want from me?"
I put down my bowl, slowed down my tone, and said solemnly: "Xiao Min, since you entered this family, I have treated you as my own. We are a family, so what is yours and mine?" I paused and looked at Xixi in her arms, "Xixi is six years old now. It will be a problem for her to go to kindergarten or school in the future. I will leave this responsibility to you."
She didn't say anything, just carefully wiped the oil stains from the corners of Xixi's mouth with a piece of paper, then took the child into her arms, her eyes lowered, never looking at my face, and she muttered vaguely: "...I didn't sell myself to your house."
Hearing that the resolute refusal in her tone had softened, I felt relieved and half-jokingly continued, "Then when you get married, this will always be your parents' home. Come back whenever you want."
Her cheeks blushed slightly, and she lowered her head and smiled: "Who said I'm getting married? I'm getting married!"
At this point, this long-lasting cold war finally came to an end. She regained her enthusiasm towards me.
When the lights in the garage came on, illuminating the silver-gray Audi A4, Xiao Min instantly fell in love with it. Her eyes curved, her love was beyond words, and when she got into the driver's seat, she exclaimed, "How can this be considered a second-hand car? It has only run more than 2,000 kilometers, at most it has just passed the running-in period!"
I said, "It doesn't matter whether it's a new or old means of transportation. Just go ahead and take Xixi to the countryside. Drive slowly."
Her hands on the steering wheel dropped, her eyes misted, and the corners of her mouth trembled slightly. She was obviously moved by this generous gift: "Guan Hongjun...thank you."
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly leaned into my arms, her forehead resting on my shoulder, her back rising and falling with suppressed sobs.
I patted her back gently, but said something to spoil the mood: "Ahem... your body smells of sweat, go back and take a shower, Xixi will be looking for you soon."
She suddenly jumped away from my arms, burst into laughter, and hit me in an angry tone: "I'm so annoyed by you! You really ruin the atmosphere!"
I couldn't help but laugh. She was still too young, and this little embarrassment in front of an old hand like me would make her back off. After all, I had promised her sister that I could touch her.
But there was another voice in my heart mocking me: What kind of gentleman am I, Guan Hongjun? The warmth and tenderness just now almost made me lose my composure, and I was afraid that if I stayed any longer, I would control myself and do something irreversible.
That night, my excitement-seeking heart drove me to do something bold.
I was relieved to learn that Peng Xiaomin drove Xixi safely to her hometown in the countryside.
As the workday was about to end, Xiao Yubo knocked on the door and entered the office. He sat down opposite me calmly, smiling: "County Magistrate Guan, I saw that Xiao Hu hadn't left yet, so I guessed you must still be here."
I smiled back, "Director Xiao is so smart. I admire you."
He waved his hands repeatedly: "County Magistrate Guan, please don't look down on me. I am just a little clever, but you are very wise."
I could tell there was something else behind his words, so I pretended to understand, "Why did Mr. Xiao say that?"
She put away her smile and looked at me sharply, "I have read the official letter from the Finance Bureau. County Magistrate Guan's move was brilliant! It was a complete move. County Magistrate Tong was slamming the phone and cursing in his office."
My heart tightened. I was actually afraid that he would see through my intentions, but he actually revealed the master's misconduct to me so bluntly - the meaning of this "surrender" was too obvious.
I didn't want to beat around the bush, but said, "I'm doing this out of public interest. I don't want to embarrass County Magistrate Tong. If we can really talk about this kind of thing, it will look better on the surface."
Wang nodded and sighed: "To be honest with you, I have reminded County Magistrate Tong that Zheng Tong and his gang are greedy and we should keep our distance. But you ignored me. I am so anxious and helpless." Wang's face showed some sincerity instead of waiting for any tricks.
I wanted to go deeper into this topic, so I changed the subject: "It's really not easy for you to be the 'Grand Chamberlain'. You have to deal with various forces and pay homage to various gods."
A trace of gratitude flashed across his eyes: "It's a pity that County Magistrate Guan is considerate of the people. To put it bluntly, I'm just a worker, how can I offend any Buddha? But I believe in my heart that you are a good leader. If you have any instructions in the future, I, Xiao Yubo, will never say no and will do my best to support your work."
Oh? Are you really going to change your allegiance and join me?
Seeing that I seemed to have doubts, he continued to extend an olive branch: "What do you think of Xiao Hu...Hu Jia, County Magistrate?"
I nodded: "Yes, he is smart, down-to-earth, and a promising person."
He then continued, "This kid is very lucky. He chose the right job. It's a rare blessing and experience to be able to serve you and learn from you."
I hesitated, tapping my fingers rhythmically on the table, waiting for the next step.
놛 leaned forward slightly: "The former deputy chief of the secretarial department has been sent to the township, and there is a vacancy. What do you think? 놆놊놆..."
I understood what he meant: "Hu Jia is still young. Can you convince others if he is promoted to deputy section chief now?"
He laughed out loud, revealing a certainty: "The office is an institution that serves the leaders. It values real talent and knowledge, not seniority. I think there is nothing wrong with that!"
I smiled knowingly: "Then let me thank Director Xiao on behalf of Hu Jia."
He shook his head modestly: "It's all for work. If there are good things in the future, County Governor Guan, don't forget me."
"Of course." I replied.
Seeing that the time had come, he stood up and said, "Are you free tonight? I'd like to go out with you to relax?"
I smiled and waved my hand: "Let's do it another day. I'm on flood control duty tonight, so I'll sleep here."
He slapped his forehead and said, "Look at my memory! After going through this process, the leadership team will come."
I said, "Anyway, I have nothing else to do, so I'll go home and feel at ease."
Wang nodded: "I understand. Then I will ask the guard not to patrol this floor tonight, so as not to disturb your rest."
I smiled and said, "Okay. By the way, let Hu Jiaxiao go back."
The fluorescent tubes were buzzing, and we smiled at each other across the desk. A thousand words were all in our mouths.
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