"Tea, please."
Nanny Wang placed cups of brewed white tea on the coffee table in front of the Zheng family.
Zheng Guofang hadn't had water for a long time and was thirsty. She picked up the teacup and took a sip. But then she thought the tea was made with freshly boiled water, and it was so hot that she spit it out immediately.
She stuck out her scalded tongue and fanned herself with her hands.
Old Mrs. Yu hurriedly asked Sister Wang to get some popsicles.
Mother Zheng wiped the water off her daughter's body with a handkerchief. "How can you be so careful, child? Tea is so hot, you should blow on it before drinking it."
"Miss Zheng gives you a popsicle." Sister Wang came over with a popsicle.
Zheng Guofang took the popsicle, quickly unwrapped it and put it in his mouth, which made him feel better.
"Tell me, what brings you here so late?" Old Master Li looked at Zheng Guoping and said.
Zheng Guoping glanced at his father.
Father Zheng closed his eyes and said, "In-laws, we came to see you so late because we need your help with something urgent."
"I'm putting my old pride aside to come and beg you today. Please, for the sake of our family being relatives, do us a favor."
This means that if someone needs help with something, they must help, and most of the time it is something serious.
Mr. Li frowned and said, "Tell me what it is first."
Father Zheng picked up the teacup, blew on it, took a sip, moistened his throat, and said, "This matter is not a big deal. If you are willing to help, it's just a matter of a word."
Mother Zheng nodded and said, "That's right. It's not a big deal. It's just a matter of a word from you, my dear in-law. It's very simple."
Old Madam Yu glanced at the Zheng family and their elderly husband and said, "This one sentence can help. It depends on what it is and what this sentence can do. Stop keeping us in suspense and telling us what it is."
Zheng's father's face froze for a moment, and he licked his dry lips and said, "It's just a little thing about Guofang's work. When I graduated from Guofang Normal School and was assigned to work, I was originally assigned to a school in the suburbs."
"That school is shabby, and the conditions are extremely poor. Guofang is a little spoiled by us, so she wants to go. Let's have Guoping find someone who has been assigned to the same school and swap places with them."
Hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Li's faces turned black.
"This isn't about stealing someone's job. It's just switching schools. It's still a job for both of them. It's no big deal."
"Who would have thought that someone who switched schools with Guofang would suddenly find out about this and report Guofang to the school."
"The school is going to investigate now. If the investigation confirms that Guoping was responsible, both Guofang and Guoping will definitely be punished, and their work will be greatly affected."
"My dear relative, you have great reputation. Bo Wen and Boyan are both very promising. You can give a heads up to the higher-ups. This matter should be investigated. However, the result of the investigation said that there is no quota for exchange."
Old Master Li let out a breath. "Old Zheng, you're a veteran Party member, having worked in the municipal government for decades. You're the most familiar with Party rules and regulations. Asking Zheng Guoping to swap Zheng Guofang's school place is abuse of power for personal gain, and it violates our Party's principles of fairness and justice."
Father Zheng nodded and said, "I know. It was indeed my fault. I should have asked Guoping to do this."
"But this has already happened. There's no point in regretting it. What we need to do now is to make sure that Guoping and Guofang's work are not affected by this incident."
Mr. Li shook his head and said, "You guys go, I will definitely help you with this."
Mother Zheng looked at Mr. Li and said, "My dear, could you help me with this?"
"Guoping is your son-in-law, and Guofang is the one you watched grow up and work. Guofang has loved your boyan for so many years and didn't get married until she was in her thirties. Over the years, she has been more filial to you than us, your parents."
"Can you bear to watch Kunihei and Kuniyoshi's futures be ruined?"
Old Madam Yu said with a dark face, "Don't say that your Zheng Guofang likes our Boyan and waited until she was thirty or so to get married. It's just like our Boyan wasted her time."
"Our Boyan has already said that he has no such intentions towards her. He asked her to pester him, but she kept pestering him. She chose to marry when she was older. That was her own choice and has nothing to do with our Boyan."
"We didn't say it explicitly out of respect for our two families, but we hinted to Zheng Guofang many times that she didn't need to send us gifts or honor us, and she pretended to understand."
"I accepted her gift out of shame, but I will return it to your Zheng family with something of equal value."
"You said Zheng Guofang loves our boyan very much and is filial to us, but her love and filial piety are not what we want. They are a burden to us."
Saying these things explicitly always makes people feel embarrassed, and the Zheng family felt particularly embarrassed at this moment.
The most embarrassed person was Zheng Guofang. Her face was as pale as paper and she was crying while biting her lower lip.
Father Zheng clenched his fists. This Li family member looked down on others too much. He spoke as if his Guofang was shameless and had to pester Li Boyan.
Old Master Li said, "You can't bear to see your own sons and daughters' futures ruined, but why haven't you thought about the future of the teacher whose place you swapped?"
"Through hard work, they could have worked at a school with better conditions and treatment, with a better future and development. But you've sent them to a school in the suburbs. Aren't you ruining their future and erasing their hard work?"
"You think ruining other people's future is no big deal, but why are you so anxious when it comes to your own children?"
The old couple of the Zheng family were speechless after being asked this question.
Mr. Li continued, "If the report is true, then the teacher whose future you ruined would be a false accusation and would definitely lose his job. I, Li Qifeng, will definitely help with this kind of unscrupulous favor."
"You guys hurry up and leave." Old Master Li ordered them to leave again, and sat sideways to look at the Zheng family sitting opposite him.
Zheng Guoping said, "Dad, I know you're aloof and principled! But you know, if my second brother beat Li Zhenzhen to avenge Hou Yongchang and ruined Hou Yongchang's job, his father, Hou Hezheng, would come after me for daring to retaliate against my second brother and bring this matter to light."
"This incident was caused by my second brother. He's fighting like a god, and it's bringing disaster to us two innocent people."
"Li Yunshu was the one who deceived Li Zhenzhen by introducing her to someone. It has nothing to do with us. Why should we be implicated by this?"
Old Master Li said, "My child from the Li family has done nothing wrong, so naturally he can be beaten for nothing. The Hou family kid's work is incompetent. Although it was Boyan who did it, his work was legal. Boyan is doing this to eliminate the pests in the government agencies, uphold justice, and eradicate the bad work style."
"If you two fish had behaved properly, how could you have been in trouble? Who told you that your bodies were clean?"
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