Song's mother also looked out her window, but heard nothing, which puzzled her. It wasn't that she wanted to hear gossip; after all, working at the Women's Federation, she'd heard plenty of gossip herself. She just wondered if the sudden silence meant something had happened.
Is the old lady sick? Or is it Zhou's wife who is sick?
She and Lao Xiao went to see him a few days ago, and they both seemed to be in good spirits, so it shouldn't be that serious.
Seeing that she was still looking, Song's father said while eating, "Alright, what are you looking at? It's a good thing that you didn't quarrel."
"Isn't this just because I'm worried?" Song's mother walked to the table and sat down.
After finishing his noodles, Secretary Song looked up and said, "What's there to worry about? I reckon the Zhou family won't be arguing anymore."
"How did you know?" Song's mother asked. She worked at the Provincial Women's Federation and hadn't heard any news about it.
"Director Zhou's mother is moving away."
"..."
Mr. Song put down his chopsticks sternly. “What do you mean? Are Mr. and Mrs. Zhou going to kick the old lady out? That won’t do. Even if the old lady has done wrong, she still raised her son, and he’s her only son. How can Mr. Zhou kick her out?”
Song's mother also said, "No, I'll go and take a look later. This can't be done."
Secretary Song rolled her eyes. "What are you thinking? This is what the old lady asked for herself. She wanted to buy a house outside, so Director Zhou and his wife bought her one."
"Why is the old lady buying a house?" Mr. Song asked curiously.
Secretary Song said, "It's for her grandson's education. It's close to the school, so it won't be too tiring. The house that Director Zhou bought for her has already been transferred to her name. Now that the old lady has gotten her wish, she's in a good mood. That's why she's not arguing."
Song's mother asked doubtfully, "Is it really that simple? That sounds strange. There was nothing going on before. I didn't hear any arguments about buying a house, did I?"
In the past, whenever Grandma Zhou wanted something, she would make a scene that the whole compound would know about. For example, buying new clothes for her eldest grandson, or a handful of melon seeds. She would always cause a fuss.
How could something as big as a house remain completely silent?
Secretary Song coughed. "Does it have to be someone else making a scene?"
It's all because his prospective girlfriend is capable; the old lady just falls for her charms.
The Zhou family was also eating quietly. Grandma Zhou was preoccupied with packing for the move, while Director Zhou's wife, feeling somewhat guilty, cooked a nice meal for the family. She also bought Zhou Tao Tao new clothes and shoes.
Grandma Zhou was very pleased with this. She had a house, new clothes and shoes. And her son even gave her living expenses.
Having not held much money for so many years, suddenly having a hundred or so yuan in my hand made me feel at ease, and I no longer had the desire to argue.
"San'er, you must take care of that girl Su from now on. She's a good girl."
Director Zhou's given name is San'er, because he was the only one of three brothers to survive. His mother has been willing to call him that name all these years, so he's obediently accepted it. Fortunately, the old lady is a sensible person; she doesn't call him by that name in public, worried it might damage his official image.
"Mom, Su isn't that kind of person. She relies on her own abilities. Besides, people's cadres shouldn't do things that involve using personal connections."
Old Mrs. Zhou was displeased. "What's the use of being a cadre if you don't help your own people? Even the village head in our village knew to help his own clan. Otherwise, how would you have been raised?"
"..."
Director Zhou's wife didn't want the old lady to start arguing again, and remembering how Su Yu had spoken up for her, she said, "Old Zhou, Mom's right. I don't expect you to help out specifically, but if you encounter any trouble, as long as it doesn't violate any rules, then lend a hand."
"Exactly, your wife is much more considerate. You've become so heartless as a cadre," Old Mrs. Zhou said, pursing her lips.
Director Zhou: "..." I've never seen such harmony before. They only pull this stunt when they're about to move out. If they'd done this earlier, I wouldn't have had to worry.
...
Recently, the people in the secretariat have felt that Director Zhou seems different from before. He looks much more amiable and gentle, unlike before when he always had a stern face.
Everyone was talking about these things behind their backs. Only Li Mei and Su Yu knew the whole story clearly, so they didn't discuss it in the office.
With the housing issue resolved, Su Yu no longer needed to worry about the matter at Director Zhou's house.
Now that this connection has been established, she believes she will be able to use it when the time comes.
Li Mei handed Su Yu the draft paper used to create the questions, saying, "My child can do all the questions you created. Su Yu, your tutoring is really helpful. My Yuanyuan feels that her math scores have improved compared to before, and she feels that the questions are not as difficult to solve as before."
Su Yu checked the questions and found that, apart from some minor mistakes, most of them were correct.
"It's all thanks to her own hard work. To be honest, girls have a harder time studying than boys, but there's one thing boys can't match: girls have more perseverance. Your Yuanyuan is a child with perseverance."
Hearing this, Li Mei beamed with joy. Everyone hopes their children will be successful. Having come from the Women's Federation, she had no such patriarchal ideas. On the contrary, she sincerely hoped her daughter would be more successful so she could have a better life in the future. After all, boys have an advantage over girls at birth.
"You have exams coming up, I hope it hasn't interfered with your studies."
Su Yu shook her head and said, "No, it won't bother me in the office." She's been idle in the office lately and doesn't have much to do.
As the two were talking, Secretary Shi walked into the office.
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