When he received the thin letter, he appeared calm and composed on the surface, but his heart was beating like a drum. He tore open the seal and pulled out a folded letter. He took a deep breath to calm himself before opening it and reading it three times in a row. His slightly frowned brows gradually relaxed and a bright smile appeared on his face. If Meng Zhehan was here, he would definitely joke that another sunflower had bloomed.

Shen Yu happily accepted his status as a "substitute partner". He knew that the little girl was vindictive and was deliberately making things difficult for him. So, let him be a substitute. After all, he was still a partner. He would eventually... no, he would soon become the real partner! After finishing work, Shen Yu wanted to have dinner with Meng Zhehan and announce the good news, but was told that Meng Zhehan had followed the trainees to the training base. So he gave up and went back to the steel plant.

When he arrived at his doorstep, the iron gate of his neighbor's house was just opened, and Deputy Director Yuan and Jiang Yushan came out. Jiang Yushan was holding a net bag in her hand, which contained apples, bananas, milk powder, malted milk and other nutritional supplements.

Seven or eight steps away, Deputy Director Yuan shouted with a smile: "Xiao Yu is back."

Shen Yu nodded towards the couple: "Deputy Director Yuan, Comrade Jiang, good evening."

Deputy Director Yuan paused. He was a shrewd man. How could he not see the aloofness and indifference in Shen Yu's politeness? But sometimes people have to pretend to be confused, otherwise how can they interact with each other in the future? Deputy Director Yuan continued to laugh and said "yes, yes, yes" repeatedly, secretly pulling Jiang Yushan's sleeve. Jiang Yushan had no choice but to put on a smile, walked closer, and said to Shen Yu in a gentle and kind tone:

"Xiao Yu, the weather has been cold these days, you must remember to put on more clothes and don't catch a cold. Look at Fang Fang, she caught a cold from the wind and is now in the hospital getting injections and taking medicine. I went to see her yesterday and she looked so aggrieved, so I'll go over again today and talk to her. Alas, that child is so pitiful."

Shen Yu opened the door, stood quietly and listened to her finish, then said: "Thank you Comrade Jiang for your concern, you two should also take care of yourselves. The cold virus spreads very quickly, you'd better wear a mask when you go to the hospital to avoid infecting each other. In addition, I wish Comrade Xian Fangfang a speedy recovery! Goodbye."

He nodded again and walked into the yard.

Jiang Yushan: “…”

Deputy Director Yuan sighed secretly and had to come over and take Jiang Yushan away.

Jiang Yushan pouted in anger: "Look, a motherless child is really poorly educated! This cold-hearted man, Fangfang is still thinking about him. I was blind before, and I thought he was a good man, and wanted to marry Fangfang to him. After all, we have known each other since childhood. Fangfang was sick and hospitalized, and I told him in person, but he didn't even bother to go over to see her, and he didn't even say anything!"

"Forget it. Boys are careless. He won't think of these things."

"What? What's wrong with boys? We are neighbors and friends. Fangfang has known him since childhood. Shouldn't we care about each other? This is the most basic quality of being a human being! He is so ignorant. He will definitely fall into trouble in the future. No friends will help him!"

Jiang Yushan became more and more angry as she spoke, and she was a little emotional. Deputy Director Yuan could only pat her on the back and said, "Shen Yu was not like this before. He would call me Uncle Yuan and you Aunt Jiang when we met... You were too hasty and did that thing, which provoked him."

Hearing her husband mention Yuan Liqin again, Jiang Yushan became even more annoyed: "Is it all my fault? Did I like it?"

"Okay, okay, you are doing this for our family."

Deputy Director Yuan comforted her, "It's just that Liqin is dividing the property with her mother-in-law, and she doesn't have much time to stay here for the time being. You can just let her and Old Shen meet first. There's no need to bring people into the house directly and say some nonsense to disgust Shen Yu. You should wait until Shen Yu is not around, and then you can do it. It will definitely succeed!"

Jiang Yushan: "What nonsense did I say?"

"Those twisted words you women use were told to me by Fangfang, how could I remember them clearly?"

"...This little girl, why is her mouth so loose? She keeps talking nonsense!"

"The young ones are all unmarried girls, so why would they date a young guy? Who would be interested in a fifty-year-old man with such an annoying son?"

"How can fifty be considered an old man? I am fifty too, do you think I look like an old man? A discerning and smart girl will definitely be attracted to men like us. What else do young guys have except youth and ignorance? And people like us can give a lot of benefits!"

"So you, Old Yuan, also want to find a young girl?"

Jiang Yushan rolled her eyes and glared at him. Deputy Director Yuan coughed, "We are talking about Old Shen now, don't interrupt! I am serious, you have to find a suitable candidate as soon as possible, preferably a relative of ours."

Jiang Yushan snorted, "We only have a few relatives on both sides, and we all know each other, so how can we find someone suitable? Now I really feel... a little overwhelmed with Old Shen. Since Shen Yu came back, Old Shen has become weird and difficult to talk to. I feel nervous when I see him."

Deputy Factory Director Yuan frowned, "I have to cheer up. In the next one or two years, I can still move up a step. Then our lives will be much better. Otherwise, we will always be inferior to others. Under the current circumstances, I can only follow Old Shen's path. He is the only one who can help me. So no matter what method I use, I must strive for it!"

“…”

In the hospital, Xian Fangfang learned from her aunt that she met Brother Shen Yu on the way here. Brother Shen Yu was too busy to come to see her, but he personally wished her a speedy recovery. Xian Fangfang was immediately happy, and the severe cold didn't feel so uncomfortable anymore.

At this time, Shen Yu, who was at home, was so excited. In the middle of the night, he actually received a call from Taohua! He called Taohua twice and heard her answering very seriously, thinking that the line was not good, "Hello? Hello? It's Taohua." Shen Yu felt like he was dreaming, so wonderful that it was unreal!

Taohua did not use the post office phone, as there were no public telephone booths in the small county town. She became acquainted with the nurses in the hospital. When she went to deliver food to Meng Jinniu, she told the nurse on duty that she wanted to make a phone call, and the nurse let her make the call.

Shen Yu learned that it was inconvenient for Taohua to use the phone and that time was limited, so he put other thoughts aside and listened carefully to what she said.

Meng Tao: "I have Chinese cabbage and other vegetables at home, both fresh and pickled. Do you want some?"

Shen Yu: “…Yes.”

The two talked for about ten minutes and then hung up. After all, Taohua was using the hospital office phone and there were other people around, so it was not easy to say too much.

Shen Yu took a pen and casually wrote down two lines with a doting smile on his face the whole time. Fortunately, Old Shen came back late and didn't see it, otherwise he would have thought that his son had been replaced.

Shen Yu has been too busy with work these days to leave, so he will send someone he trusts to drive to Xingyang County and, following Taohua's arrangements, transport a batch of goods.

He made an appointment with Taohua, saying that there were some questions he didn't understand, and asked her to call him at the post office tomorrow. He didn't even say a few words during the call, so it doesn't count.

(End of this chapter)