As expected, Zhu Jiang looked listless, with a lonely look in his eyes and a face full of sadness after leaving office. During the meal, I sat next to him, drank with him, and comforted and guided him in soft voices. After three rounds of drinks, the conversation started, and I talked to him without reservation about the recent personnel disputes in the county regarding the Standing Committee.
After listening to this, Zhu Jiang was silent for a moment, and suddenly said: "Hongjun, based on my many years of experience in the Organization Department, these two candidates are not suitable."
I took a bite of food and said as I ate, "Whether they are suitable or not is up to me. Who can blame them for having strong backgrounds behind them?"
Zhu Jiang was a little excited when he heard this. He slammed his glass on the table and said loudly, "What if you have a background? Don't we have any? Hongjun, I've retired now, so I have plenty of time. I'll go to the city tomorrow. I've been in the organization department for so many years, so I still have some connections. I'll fight for this opportunity for you even if I have to risk my old bones!"
I quickly waved my hands and persuaded him, "Dad, don't be so anxious. I'm still young and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. There's no need to rush now."
Zhu Jiang frowned and said unhappily, "Hongjun, you don't understand. If you can't catch up with one step in your career, you will fall behind at every step. Listen to me, I will take care of this matter, and you just do your job well."
I frowned slightly and expressed my concerns: "Dad, Thomas Tian and Hu Haitao are fighting for this position. If we intervene rashly and stand in the open, it will be easy to provoke a joint counterattack from the two of them. The risk is too great."
Zhu Jiang held his chin with his hand, pondered for a while, and said slowly: "You are right, I didn't think it through. So, I will go to the city to find out the situation first, and then we can discuss countermeasures after we understand the situation clearly."
After hearing this, I felt warm inside and quickly picked up the wine glass to toast my father-in-law.
I slowly took out a bunch of keys. These keys had opened the home that Qingwan and I used to live in countless times. Now, I gently put it in Zhu Jiang's hand, and said with a hint of melancholy: "Dad, Qingwan has been gone for almost three years. The house has been empty. I plan to transfer it to you. You can rent it or sell it in the future. It's up to you to decide. Just think of it as my filial piety on behalf of Qingwan."
When my father-in-law and mother-in-law heard this, their eyes instantly turned red. The father-in-law pushed the key back, his eyes full of love: "Hongjun, although Qingwan is gone, you will always be our child, there is no need to separate us. We can't have this house, these will all be left for Xixi in the future."
My mother-in-law could no longer control her emotions and picked up a tissue to gently wipe away her tears. Seeing how sad Mr. 괗 looked, I felt like my heart was being grabbed. I suppressed my bitterness and silently picked up some food for my father-in-law and mother-in-law, trying to ease the depressing atmosphere.
At this time, Zhu Jiang suddenly spoke, his tone was a little regretful: "Hongjun, I heard some gossip some time ago, saying that your life outside is a bit absurd. I have wanted to talk to you for a long time, you can't go on like this. I discussed it with your mother and want to introduce you to a girl. A man without a family will have a unstable foundation for his career."
When I heard this, I waved my hands and said anxiously, "Mom and Dad, I really don't want to go home anymore."
Zhu Jiang's eyes widened, and he said seriously, "Do you think you can do whatever you want? If no one is watching over you, you will definitely go crazy."
I didn't want to argue with them, so I had to agree vaguely. After all, whether to get married or not is ultimately up to me.
The mother-in-law continued, "This Xu Tong is three years old this year, two years younger than you. She has never been married. She is now the head of the grade group in the county middle school and she is also handsome. Your father and I think you two are a good match. How about you meet?"
I subconsciously refused: "Forget about the teacher, I'm not very interested in this profession."
When my father-in-law heard this, he was a little displeased: "What's wrong with the teacher? Don't forget that Qingwan is also a teacher."
I blurted out: "In my heart, Qingwan is unique. There is no other one in the world."
As soon as these words came out, the old couple couldn't stop crying. I couldn't bear it, so I quickly softened my tone and said, "Okay, Mom and Dad, don't be sad. I'll go see her."
My mother-in-law's expression eased a little, and she said with relief: "Hongjun, this Xu Tong is a distant relative of our family. If you can start a family with her, your father and I will be completely relieved."
I nodded and let out a long sigh of relief. I know in my heart that my father-in-law and mother-in-law are suffering, so how can I bear to disappoint them?
On Sunday, with the help of my father-in-law and mother-in-law, I went to a Korean barbecue restaurant and met Xu Tong for the first time.
To be honest, I didn't really want to come, but after my father-in-law and mother-in-law repeatedly urged me, I had to come. In order to make her feel disgusted with me, I deliberately dawdled until half an hour after the agreed time.
As soon as I entered the store, I saw her sitting there with an obvious look of displeasure on her face.
Seeing me come in, she said coldly: "Sister, you are here."
This title made my heart skip a beat, and I couldn't help but frown and ask, "How does this title come about?"
She explained slowly, "Sister Qingwan's grandmother and my grandmother are cousins. So if I don't call you sister, what should I call you?"
I felt uncomfortable with her words and responded unhappily, "This relationship is too complicated. I am confused. You should just call me Guan Hongjun."
She blushed slightly when she heard this and said, "You look different than the last time I saw you."
I was stunned. I looked at her carefully, but I couldn't remember when I had met her before. I couldn't help but ask, "When did we meet?"
She said softly, "When Sister Qingwan passed away, I saw you at the funeral home."
Hearing this, my heart suddenly tightened, and that painful scene instantly emerged in my mind. I became more and more irritated and didn't bother to respond to her words.
In order to break this awkward atmosphere, I called the waiter directly, took the menu, and ordered the dishes one by one. Xu Tong was surprised when she saw this, and couldn't help asking, "Can we finish this amount of food with just the two of us?"
I had a blank expression on my face and said in a cold tone: "I have a big appetite, I am a glutton, don't worry, I will treat you."
She seemed to sense my indifference, but still insisted: "It's the first time we're having a meal together, how can I let you pay alone? Let's split the bill."
I looked up at her, feeling quite surprised at her idea, and said, "You don't have to pay, just think of it as my sister treating you to a meal."
She finally smiled a little and jokingly said, "Didn't you just deny this relationship?"
I replied impatiently: "Even if we don't have this relationship, it's nothing if I treat a stranger to a meal on the street."
The dishes we ordered were served one after another. I held the tongs and turned the barbecue on the grill. I kept silent the whole time, eating with big mouthfuls. I just wanted to end this awkward meeting as soon as possible.
She sat opposite me, hardly touching the food on her plate. She just rested her chin on her hand, with a curious look on her face, staring at me as I ate with relish. I felt uncomfortable being stared at by her. I finally couldn't help but raise my head, glanced at her unhappily, and said, "I don't have any edible meat on my face. Why are you staring at me?"
She laughed out loud, her eyes curved, and joked, "Guan Hongjun, I've met many people of status, but this is the first time I've seen you eat so 'boldly' and without any scruples." Hearing this, I subconsciously stopped what I was doing, with some confusion in my eyes, and asked back, "Do you often deal with people like this?"
She sighed slightly, a trace of helplessness flashing across her face: "In the past few years, my family has been pushing me hard. Besides going to work, I have been forced to go on blind dates, and I have met all kinds of people. But you are different from them. Others like to pretend, but you don't. What you think in your heart is reflected on your face. When you are unhappy, you can tell from your expression at a glance; when you don't like something, you don't hide it, it's all written on your face."
The chopsticks in my hand stopped in mid-air, and the meat I was holding almost fell. I really didn't understand what she meant by this, so I asked, "Is this what you call an advantage? Why do I feel like you are insulting me?"
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