Chapter 43
Xia Qingtang said seriously, "Secretary Feng, this has nothing to do with you. Who would have thought that someone would sneak into our office in the middle of the day and steal things? Can you see if anything else is missing?"
Losing a speech is a small matter, but losing money or food coupons these days is a big problem.
"I checked my own things. Only the speech manuscript on the table is missing. The other things and documents are all there. As for the money and tickets, I locked them up, so they are fine. But I don't know about the other people's tables..."
"Since Secretary Feng didn't lose anything, then it's okay." Xia Qingtang opened his unlocked cabinet door and checked it. The toilet paper and other personal belongings were all there, nothing missing. He stood up and said, "I didn't lose anything either. It seems that the thief only took the speech manuscript."
Feng Xinhui said with a worried look on her face: "Chairman Qin wants to see it during working hours, what should we do now..."
"Don't worry about the speech. The draft is still in my notebook, and I remember the final revisions. There is still time. I will rewrite it immediately and I will definitely hand it over to Chairman Qin when I go to work this afternoon."
After saying that, Xia Qingtang took out paper and pen from the drawer and started writing.
Seeing that she was concentrating on writing, Feng Xinhui stopped talking and walked to the public cabinet in the office to check the items and documents. After confirming that there were no problems, she fetched a thermos and poured a glass of water for Xia Qingtang.
Xia Qingtang's memory is not particularly good, nor does she have the ability to remember everything she sees, but her habit is to make a draft of whatever she writes. Even a very rough draft is still in her hardcover notebook.
If this notebook had not been stolen, it should be easy to recall all its contents. From then on, just be careful not to make typos and write every word carefully and neatly on the manuscript paper.
As I was writing, Wu Feng came back, holding a few pears in his hands. He walked in happily while humming a little tune: "Xiao Feng, I got a few pears from over there. Let's have one each. This is a good thing. Look how rare it is."
Feng Xinhui immediately pulled him out of the big office, and stopped at the corner before whispering, "Keep your voice down, don't disturb Xiao Xia's work."
"Ah? Is there any work that is so busy today? Xiaoxia also has to work overtime at noon? I thought we had finished all the work for the year-end." Wu Feng was puzzled.
"No, it was the speech manuscript she gave me before lunch that was stolen."
"Ah?" Wu Feng was shocked. "Why did they steal this? Oh... I know. Was it someone from the factory office who did it?"
The people in the factory office have a criminal record, so everyone will think of the factory office first.
"We have no evidence and cannot determine who did it."
"I'm sorry about this. I saw that the sun was shining brightly outside, so I thought about going out for a walk. I thought you might not have brought your office keys with you after coming back from the cafeteria, so I didn't close the door. Mainly because we don't usually close the door at noon. Sometimes I'm alone in the office and I won't close the door when I go to the bathroom. I thought you would be back from lunch soon, so I didn't close the door... Now that the speech manuscript is gone, Chairman Qin will definitely be angry. If he gets angry and asks about it, he'll know it's because I didn't close the door, and he'll definitely blame me."
"It's okay. Xiao Xia will start writing now. She should be able to hand it in when Chairman Qin comes. Put the pear down, and the two of us should not go in and disturb her. Let her write quietly."
"Where are we going to stay then?"
"Go to the factory office, where else can we go? No one else would come to our office to steal things, only people from the factory office would do that. No matter if it's them or not, let's go there." With that, Feng Xinhui took the lead and walked towards the factory office.
Wu Feng passed by the door of the big office, quickly placed the pear in his hand on the chair at the door, and hurriedly followed Feng Xinhui's footsteps.
In the union, although Wu Feng is older than Feng Xinhui, everyone will subconsciously listen to her because she is very capable at work.
People from the union would occasionally go to the factory office, but it was always for work. Almost no one would go there just to chat, so when the two of them walked in, Secretary Wang, who was reading a newspaper, said, "Secretary Wu, Secretary Feng, why are you here? It's not time to go to work yet. Is there any urgent work?"
Feng Xinhui said, "Oh, we have nothing to do at noon, so we came to take a look. Our union has already distributed all the benefits for this year, and the work for the year is almost finished. I wonder if you are busy here and have you finished all the work?"
This was actually quite abrupt, but Wang was young and didn't have that many thoughts. Besides, she was the only one in the office, so she said, "We are almost done with our work, so we should be able to go home on time for the New Year holiday."
There are usually no holidays these days, but factories like this will definitely have a very long break during the Chinese New Year, starting at the end of December and not returning to work until after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Everyone will take advantage of the New Year holiday to visit relatives, go back to their parents' home, go to the countryside... There are many things to do and many people to meet.
However, the factory usually arranges people to be on duty and patrol, usually people at a lower leadership level, such as the workshop director, deputy director, or team leader, and office clerks are occasionally assigned to do so.
Fortunately, no one has any complaints. At most, they will adjust the duty dates privately, and try to let those who go out of town be on duty at the beginning and end of the holiday. Those who stay in the local area and those with higher levels are more likely to be on duty around the New Year.
Feng Xinhui found a stool and sat down. Wu Feng sat down not far from her without saying a word.
When Officer Wang saw that the two of them seemed to be sitting for a long time, he said, "Can I pour you a cup of tea?"
"Oh, no, no, I have tea in my office. I can drink it when I get home. Thank you, Secretary Wang, you are so nice." Feng Xinhui said with a smile: "By the way, why didn't I see the new secretary you brought here today? I remember that she doesn't live in the family quarters and she rests in the office at noon."
For some reason, Feng Xinhui thought of Wu Jinfeng as soon as she came up. Although there was no evidence, she felt that this newcomer was the most suspicious because she had always had conflicts with Xia Qingtang.
Apart from her, there should be no one else who would deliberately take away Xia Qingtang's written speech. This was obviously intended to create some trouble for Xia Qingtang so that she would be criticized by her leader.
"Yes, Secretary Wu usually rests in the office, but I don't know where he went at noon today. He went out just now and hasn't come back since. The sun is nice today, so maybe he went out to bask in the sun." Secretary Wang said casually.
"Oh, so she just came back from dinner and then went out again?"
"Yes, I went to eat with her, and came back together. Then she said she was going to the bathroom, and she hasn't come back since. Oh, could she have diarrhea? Why did she take so long?" Secretary Wang was even a little worried.
Feng Xinhui smiled and said, "That shouldn't be the case. Our factory cafeteria has always been very clean and sanitary. Besides, she's a young person, so her stomach shouldn't be that fragile."
"It's hard to say. I heard that Xiao Wu had been in the hospital for a long time before. I don't know what was wrong with her, but her family was willing to give her money and tickets. After she came here, she ate a lot of meat dishes and ate eggs almost every day. Did you know? Her family even rented a small courtyard for her on Gaoshan Road. She lives alone in a small courtyard. I don't know what kind of family can be so generous. However, I have never been able to figure it out. You say that she has such a good family, why did she come to our cotton mill? I really don't understand this person. But she is usually very generous. She treated me to braised pork on the first day she came here, and then often treated me to scrambled eggs and other things, so I am happy to accompany her." Secretary Wang laughed as he spoke.
Feng Xinhui also laughed: "You are so lucky to have such a generous colleague."
"It's a blessing. She also likes to bring snacks for us. One time, she brought a kind of biscuits and candies that I had never seen before. They were delicious. I also told her that I would ask her to buy some for me after the Chinese New Year. But she said she bought them in Shanghai and might not go there during the Chinese New Year."
"Oh, you've been to Shanghai. That's amazing. I've never been out of the province." Feng Xinhui said with a smile.
"Me too, I don't know when I'll have the chance to visit other places."
"Hey, Secretary Wang, are you two the only ones taking a lunch break in your office right now? Are all the others going back to take a nap?"
"Yes, we are the only two who are still here at noon, because we are the only two who don't live in the family quarters, and we have no choice but to live far away. I was alone before, but now she is here to keep me company, and it feels like there is someone to talk to."
Feng Xinhui knew what was going on now, so she deliberately said, "There was no one in our office just now, but something was lost. I just wanted to remind you that when you go to the toilet at noon, you must remember to lock the door. Otherwise, if something is lost, you won't be able to find it back. If it's personal stuff, it's fine, but if it's work stuff, such as a stamped document, it's a big problem. So be sure to close and lock the door, and never leave the office empty."
Secretary Wang was stunned for a moment: "A thief stole something? Then I have to pay attention."
"Yes, you should also remember to remind all your colleagues to lock the door, otherwise things will really be lost." After saying that, Feng Xinhui stood up, "Okay, I think it's getting late, so we should go back and get ready for work."
After saying that, Feng Xinhui and Wu Feng walked out.
Coincidentally, when they walked out, they met Wu Jinfeng who had just returned. She was wearing a reddish-brown tweed coat today and still looked very elegant. But when she saw Feng Xinhui and Wu Feng, she did not look down on them as usual, but inexplicably lowered her head quickly and just passed by them.
After walking a distance, Wu Feng whispered, "This man bowed his head today."
"Yes, it looks like something is wrong." Feng Xinhui was sure that there was an 80% chance that it was Wu Jinfeng who took it, otherwise why would she feel guilty?
However, they had no evidence, and they came here just hoping that Director Wang could pass the message to Wu Jinfeng to sound her alarm.
Wu Feng said, "I'm afraid Secretary Wang didn't understand what you just said. You know, she has been confused."
"It's okay if you don't understand. After all, it's a small matter, and the stolen money wasn't money. So... let's not tell Chairman Qin or other colleagues for now."
Wu Feng nodded: "I know, it's better to have less trouble than more. This matter is mainly because I didn't close the door properly, so the responsibility lies with me. If you are willing to help me keep the secret, I will definitely not tell anyone. Now, I hope Xiao Xia can finish writing it before Chairman Qin goes to work..."
Back at the union office, Xia Qingtang was still writing furiously. She looked extremely focused, so the two of them tiptoed back to their seats, trying not to make any noise.
Fortunately, her efficiency was still very high. By the time Li Yue and Zhang Ning arrived at the office, Xia Qingtang had rewritten her speech. She breathed a sigh of relief and placed the manuscript flat on the table, waiting for the pen ink to dry.
Li Yuze saw the pears at a glance: "Oh, there are fruits. Whose fruits are these? Can you give me one? It's winter now, and I haven't eaten a bite of fruit for a long time."
You can't blame her for being greedy. Life is really hard these days. Seeing such juicy fruit, who wouldn't want to have a bite?
Wu Feng said: "Old Cheng from the security department gave it to me. I took it and gave one to everyone."
Zhang Ning said, "This is good stuff. It would be a waste to share it with us. Why don't you take it home and feed it to your children?"
"It's okay. My children don't like to eat fruit. There are only a few pears here. Let's share one among everyone. You have all worked hard this year and have always taken good care of me. I don't have anything good to thank you with, so I'll use this pear to thank you all."
Li Yue smiled and said, "Then I won't be polite. I'll take the biggest one."
After saying that, she picked the biggest one and left.
Wu Feng smiled and handed the second largest pear to Zhang Ning: "Vice Chairman, I have a fruit knife, do you want it?"
"No, I don't want to eat it now." Zhang Ning thanked him and put the pear in the drawer.
Afterwards, Wu Feng divided the remaining three pears randomly. Xia Qingtang thanked him sincerely and put the pears in the drawer.
Li Yue couldn't wait any longer, so she borrowed a fruit knife and started peeling the fruit.
While peeling the leather, the sound of Chairman Qin's leather shoes came from the other end of the corridor. Xia Qingtang immediately picked up the speech and walked out, handing it to Chairman Qin on time.
Because the speech was not too long, she stood in the small office and waited for Chairman Qin to finish reading it.
"Just add a sentence here. I added it myself. There is no need to modify other places. You did a good job." Chairman Qin smiled with satisfaction.
"Thank you for the compliment, is there anything else I can do?"
"No, you should go back and have some rest. Just wait for the New Year holiday these days. It was the end of the year when you were transferred here, and you were extremely busy every day, but you kept up and performed well. After that, there was no work, and you were lazy."
"Yes, thank you, Chairman. I'll be there next time." Xia Qingtang turned and walked out the door, but was called back by Chairman Qin.
"Take this and share it in the office. My wife brought it back from her business trip to the beach. It's not a good thing, but it should be useful for the New Year and can be used as an addition to the dish." Chairman Qin handed Xia Qingtang a bundle of dried kelp.
"Thank you, Chairman Qin. I'll take it and share it with everyone." Xia Qingtang returned to the office with the dried kelp and said, "Chairman Qin's wife brought back the dried kelp from the beach and asked us to share it with them."
Dried kelp is indeed not a good thing. They can buy it at ordinary times and the price is not expensive. However, it is a free thing, which makes people happy. So Zhang Ning asked Wu Feng to untie it and then distribute it to everyone.
Wu Feng was a relatively fair person and the portions he divided were pretty much the same, but Li Yue insisted on being picky and finally took the portion that seemed to be the largest.
The others didn't care much about this, and Xia Qingtang even waited until everyone had chosen before taking the last one.
The Xie family had no shortage of food, and Sixth Aunt often used dried shrimps, kelp, seaweed and the like to cook dishes and make soups, and occasionally they would eat scallops, so she was not too craving for these.
There was not much work to do in the afternoon, and Xia Qingtang read the newspaper in the office for the first time.
The newspaper she was reading was an old one. The latest ones were on Zhang Ning's desk. However, because she was too busy with work this month, she didn't have time to read many old newspapers carefully, so she still read them with relish.
If we talk about the big thing recently, it must be the restoration and increase of universities. Local newspapers have also devoted a lot of space to this matter, which has also given more confidence to many people who are preparing to take the college entrance examination. After all, with more schools, the number of admitted people will also increase.
Xia Qingtang thought that maybe both Xie Jinxuan and Hu Yanni could be admitted to university this summer.
I was watching with great interest when I heard footsteps in the corridor. Then someone rushed into the big office and shouted, "Who accused me of stealing? Was it you? It must have been you!"
Xia Qingtang frowned and raised his head, and saw Wu Jinfeng with a red face, pointing at Xia Qingtang's nose with an angry look.
Xia Qingtang didn't say anything. Secretary Wang and another middle-aged female comrade from the factory office had already chased in, and the two of them pulled the person out together.
Secretary Wang said: "No one said anything against you, and no one wronged you. I just told you that the union office was robbed at noon, but I didn't say it was you..."
"You are talking about me! We were the only two people in the office at noon, and there was a thief here. It must be you or me. What you are telling me is that I stole it, right? I know it must be this Xia Qingtang who framed me! She has disliked me for a long time!" Wu Jinfeng seemed particularly excited, and her voice became increasingly shrill and high-pitched, attracting Chairman Qin from the office next door.
"What's going on? What are you doing?" Chairman Qin asked loudly while standing at the door.
Secretary Wang quickly explained the whole story. Feng Xinhui stood up and said, "Chairman Qin, Wu Feng and I went to the factory office together at noon. Wu Feng can testify for me that I did not mention anyone's name. I just reminded Secretary Wang to be careful. After all, our offices are upstairs and downstairs. If we lost something, theirs might also be stolen. I reminded them out of kindness."
Secretary Wang also nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, Secretary Feng did not mention anyone's name, I can also testify."
"But what you meant was that I did it! You know what you are talking about!" Wu Jinfeng screamed, "My family is so rich, and my whole family are cadres. Why would I steal things from people like you? The clothes of all of you combined are not enough for me to buy a coat, and you dare to accuse me of stealing?"
Secretary Wang's expression turned ugly after hearing this. She said with a straight face, "I didn't mean anything. I just told you to remember to close the door when you go out in the future. Because the union has attracted thieves, maybe our office will also attract thieves. If you insist on associating it with yourself, then I can only say that you think too much."
Feng Xinhui said, "Yes, Secretary Wu, why do you think it's you? No one said it was you who did it. Besides, what we lost was not money, but a work document. It has nothing to do with money. After all, you can't get rich by stealing the document."
"Listen to this! Listen to this! Isn't what she said talking about me? Why would I steal your documents? Your union's crappy speeches are just a piece of waste paper to me. Why would I steal your speeches..." Wu Jinfeng became even more agitated.
Feng Xinhui suddenly said, "Secretary Wu, from beginning to end, no one has ever said what the stolen document was, and I haven't said a word to Secretary Wang. How did you know that the stolen document was a speech?"
The room suddenly became quiet, and everyone was staring at Wu Jinfeng's face, which had instantly lost all color.
Secretary Wang and the middle-aged female colleague exchanged a glance, then stepped forward and pulled her back: "Stop arguing, go back first."
"I won't go back! You are bullying me! You guys are ganging up to bully me! Let's set a trap for me!" Wu Jinfeng suddenly screamed.
Chairman Qin asked seriously, "Isn't your Director Huang here? The people below are making a lot of noise during work hours, and he doesn't come to take care of it?"
"Director Huang went to the factory director's place."
"Then all of you get out! This is a workplace, not a place for shrews to curse on the street! I don't care how many cadres you have in your family. This is the office of our cotton mill labor union. Please get out and don't disturb our people's work." Chairman Qin ordered the crazy Wu Jinfeng to leave. "Also, when your Director Huang comes back, please ask him to come over and give us an explanation!"
"I understand. I will." Secretary Wang responded quickly, and then he and his middle-aged female colleague pulled Wu Jinfeng out.
But Wu Jinfeng struggled desperately, gesticulating and shouting, and looked a little too excited.
Xia Qingtang was not surprised at all, because Wu Jinfeng had attempted suicide several times before, so this person's personality should be more extreme, and he would definitely be more excited when encountering such a thing.
However, when she was in such a mood, she could easily faint.
Sure enough, before the two of them could drag Wu Jinfeng out of the office, Wu Jinfeng rolled her eyes and turned away.
Secretary Wang turned pale with fear. The middle-aged female comrade had some experience. She said, "Don't panic. She is just anxious. I will pinch her Ren Zhong point. You can borrow some cooling oil to apply on her."
Feng Xinhui took out her cooling oil and handed it over. Secretary Wang and the other two were busy for a while, but Wu Jinfeng still couldn't wake up.
Chairman Qin said: "Wu Feng, hurry up and call for help to send Xiao Wu to the hospital."
"yes!"
After a panic, Wu Jinfeng was carried out on a simple stretcher by the security department and sent to the nearest hospital. Secretary Wang and two others followed.
After everyone left, Chairman Qin said, "Xiao Xia's speech manuscript was stolen at noon. Why didn't you tell me?"
Feng Xinhui said: "Xiao Xia said she remembered the content and had time to rewrite it, so we didn't say anything."
"Chairman, this is all my fault. I left the door open when I went out at noon." Wu Feng stood up and apologized. "I'm sorry, everyone. I've caused you trouble."
Feng Xinhui said, "No, today's incident was my fault. First, I didn't keep my speech safe. That's the first mistake. Second, I rashly went to Secretary Wang to get the truth, which caused Secretary Wang to ask directly, and the new colleague from the factory office got emotional and came to cause trouble. That's the second mistake. I shouldn't have done such a thing without any evidence. I apologize to you, Chairman, for causing trouble for everyone."
Feng Xinhui's attitude was very sincere. There was no unhappiness or unhappiness on her face. There was only full of apology.
Chairman Qin said, "Something was stolen from our office, so you should go out and ask questions. Besides, you didn't mention anyone by name, so it was the person who stole the things who felt guilty and came here to make a scene, which has nothing to do with you. The factory office was wrong in this matter, and we are the victims, so don't be discouraged. However, this incident also reminds everyone that in the future, when no one is in the office at noon, you must close the door. The factory office has always been against us, and now there is a new person who is not very normal, so we can't rest assured."
"Yes, we will all remember it. I will always bring my keys with me when I go to the cafeteria in the future." Feng Xinhui took the lead in making the guarantee.
"That's it, it's not a big deal. Wait for Director Huang to come back and see how they are going to deal with this matter. You guys continue to work, I'm going back too." Chairman Qin's attitude was still very gentle, and after she finished speaking, she went back.
After Chairman Qin returned, Li Yue said excitedly, "You guys didn't tell anyone about the thief. Isn't that too polite? What if my things were stolen?"
"I see everyone's belongings are locked up, so everything should be fine." Feng Xinhui said, "Or you can check now to see if anything is missing."
"No need to check, I'm sure I didn't lose anything. But why did Xiao Wu steal the speech? Did he want Xiao Xia to be criticized?" Li Yue looked at Xia Qingtang, "I want to ask, what's the conflict between you two? Xiao Wu comes to pick a fight with you almost every day."
Xia Qingtang said: "Secretary Li can wait for her to come back and ask her directly. If you find out the reason, please tell me. I want to know too."
Wu Feng said, "Is Xiao Wu okay?"
"She just fainted. She'll be fine." Feng Xinhui said, "But if someone like her comes to our office again, don't let her in."
Zhang Ning also said: "Yes, this person seems to have emotional problems. Stay away from her in the future."
When Xia Qingtang was walking out after work that day, he heard people talking about Wu Jinfeng fainting and being sent to the hospital.
I went to the mail room to read the mail, and the people inside were also saying, "What a big scene! I wonder what happened to the newcomer."
Xia Qingtang searched for a while and found that there was no letter for him, so he turned around to leave, but happened to meet Xia Qinghai who was walking over.
Xia Qinghai hadn't spoken to her since he asked her for money and things last time. Xia Qingtang originally thought that he would pretend to be angry and ignore her, but unexpectedly, Xia Qinghai still greeted her with a smile: "Qingtang, are you here to pick up the mail too?"
Xia Qingtang squinted to see his expression. Seeing that his eyes were dark, his complexion was dark, and his face was thinner, she knew that he was probably not doing well recently, so she said, "Yes, I'll come and see."
"I came here to pick up a letter for someone." Xia Qinghai said, "The holiday is coming soon. Mom's health has recovered. She also asked you if you want to bring your brother-in-law home for dinner during the New Year."
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "How could your mother ask me these questions? If she did, it must be because you told others about Jinxuan. If you did, don't blame me for being rude."
Xia Qinghai said, "How can you be so rude to me? Are you going to tell Director Ji? It's okay, go ahead. Ji Fangfang and I have already broken up."
Xia Qingtang was slightly stunned: "Bragging? Is it true?"
She didn't believe that Xia Qinghai would give up such a good job so easily. You know, he was promoted to team leader and then team leader thanks to his father-in-law who was the workshop director!
Based on her understanding of Xia Qinghai, even if they got married with a baby, Xia Qinghai would definitely tie up this old father-in-law and not let go. She didn't expect that it would be cancelled now? How could this be possible?
Xia Qinghai said: "It's true. If you don't believe me, you can go to our workshop and ask. We are completely done. Ji Fangfang will be looking for someone to date after the New Year. Although I am very sad, I still hope she can find a suitable partner. I really can't afford such a big gift. I really don't deserve her."
What he said was so fake. Xia Qinghai was definitely not such a person. He couldn't so calmly wish Ji Fangfang to find a suitable match. By saying this, he was actually ruining Ji Fangfang's reputation in disguise.
She is just the daughter of a workshop director, not the daughter of a big leader, yet she dares to ask for so much dowry. Even if she breaks up with Xia Qinghai, no decent man would dare to date her in the future.
So Xia Qinghai is indeed a vengeful person, and if you offend him, he will make your life miserable.
Seeing Xia Qingtang's strange expression, Xia Qinghai smiled and said, "What's that expression on your face? Why don't you believe that I broke up with her? We broke up at the beginning of the month, and Director Ji also received the letter of guarantee I wrote that he would never have any contact with Ji Fangfang again. I was very sad during this period. There was love between Ji Fangfang and I. But there was no way. Our families were too far apart, and her father wanted too much betrothal gifts. I could only let her go. I wish her happiness and hope she finds a man who can give her three turns and one ring and three hundred yuan in betrothal gifts."
"Oh, I see." Xia Qingtang tried hard to suppress her laughter. This Xia Qinghai really kept talking about the word "bride price". Maybe everyone in the factory now knows that marrying Director Ji's daughter is more expensive than selling her.
But there was still something wrong with this matter. Xia Qinghai was sparing no effort in talking about Ji Fangfang's request for a high bride price, which was actually a disguised way of offending Director Ji.
According to Xia Qinghai's character, how could he dare to offend the leader so easily? It was really weird.
"Qingtang, wait." Seeing Xia Qingtang was about to leave, Xia Qinghai stopped her and said, "Dad prepared some for you when he bought New Year's goods. Go to the warehouse before the holiday and take the goods back. No matter what, Dad didn't offend you, did he?"
"I'll think about it." After saying that, Xia Qingtang went back.
Lying on the big bed at night, Xia Qingtang recounted the conversation between himself and Xia Qinghai.
Xie Jinxuan said: "The breakup is indeed strange, but it's impossible to lie about it. Just go to the third workshop and ask and you'll know."
"But how could he let go of such a good old father-in-law?"
"Maybe he has a better goal? You said he is very ambitious. Since this one is really untenable, he might try a more relaxed goal."
Xia Qingtang suddenly turned over and sat up: "I don't know why, but I suddenly had a bad idea."
"What do you think?" Xie Jinxuan quickly pulled her to lie down, "Be careful not to catch a cold."
Xia Qingtang turned over and burrowed into his arms: "I can't tell you now because I think this idea is too bizarre, but I can go and ask around."
The next day, Xia Qingtang took the initiative to go to the warehouse to meet Xia Daming in order to inquire about Xia Qinghai's movements.
Xia Daming had been so tired a while ago, working and taking care of Zhao Meizhen, that he became darker and thinner, looking even more tired and older.
But when he saw Xia Qingtang, he seemed very happy, and hurried over and said, "Qingtang, I have prepared New Year's goods for you, wait, I will get them for you from the cupboard."
Xia Qingtang said: "I am here to refuse the New Year's goods, you can keep them for yourself."
"But..." Xia Daming looked very sad.
Xia Qingtang said: "My husband's family is better off than yours. We spent the New Year at my husband's house and had plenty of food and drink. Xie Jinxuan and I also received a lot of gifts, and we also had all kinds of tickets. You really don't need to prepare anything. You're so thin, you should just eat more."
Xia Daming was happy then: "You know you care about me, I'm fine, don't worry..."
"You're too thin. You should go to the hospital when you have time." Xia Qingtang mentioned it tentatively.
Xia Daming smiled and said, "Don't worry. I felt a little uncomfortable in my waist before. I went to the hospital and the doctor said that I was fine. I was just too tired and needed to replenish my nutrition."
"There is no shortage of food at home, why are you lacking in nutrition?"
"This... hehe, it's nothing."
"Did Zhao Meizhen take it back to honor her parents again?"
"No, no, your mother is not in good health. She hasn't been back to her parents' home since she was discharged from the hospital. Your grandmother and her family haven't come to see her either. Now your mother is angry and says she won't come back to her parents' home during the New Year."
"Then why can't you eat enough?" Xia Qingtang rolled his eyes and understood. "Xia Qinghai spent all his money and tickets when he was dating someone, so you can't eat enough, right?"
Xia Daming didn't dare to say anything and just stared at Xia Qingtang blankly.
Xia Qingtang laughed: "You are really interesting. A family like yours dares to learn the way cadres' children date? He is just a worker. What's the point of spending more money on him? His father doesn't agree, right?"
"Yes, I did try to persuade him that way, but your brother cried so hard at the time, he knelt down and begged me, so I... gave him the money and tickets. Now it hasn't worked, and he's asking for the things and money back. Don't worry, we can get them back, after all, we're a working-class family, not that rich. That girl took so many gifts from your brother and ate so many meals with him, she should give them back, don't you think?"
Xia Qingtang said: "I don't know about this, but considering your son's personality, how could he just give up like that? Didn't he say anything to you?"
Xia Daming was very happy to see his daughter chatting with him and talking about family matters, so he told her everything: "He said that since the other party's father doesn't agree, forget it. A forced melon is not sweet. Besides, he is still young and good-looking. He will always find a girl who likes him and is willing to marry him."
"Has anyone chosen the girl he mentioned?"
"I don't know about that either. He hasn't said anything yet. He just broke up. It's hard for him to find a new partner so soon, right? Your brother is a sentimental person. He will definitely be sad for a while. You will know if you see him. He has been very thin recently and can't sleep well at night. Sigh... I just hope he can find someone similar to ours. As for the girl, she is a good person with a kind heart. That's all."
"By the way, Xia Qinghai, did you go home early after get off work yesterday?" Xia Qingtang asked casually.
"Yesterday? He came back quite late yesterday, and he still smelled of disinfectant, as if he had been to the hospital. But when I asked him, he didn't say anything. He just said that something happened, and then he ate and went to bed. I should have asked a few more questions, maybe your brother went to the hospital alone." Xia Daming told his daughter everything.
Xia Qingtang understood in her mind. Just as she guessed, Xia Qinghai must have gone to the hospital to visit a patient after get off work yesterday. As for who he visited... Xia Qingtang had a bold guess. She thought Xia Qinghai went to visit Wu Jinfeng.
Although Wu Jinfeng had not been at the cotton mill for long, everyone knew that she came from a prominent family and was very generous. She also often talked about her previous experiences working in the government, letting everyone know that her whole family were cadres.
With such good conditions, she is simply the best target for Xia Qinghai to marry. If he can marry such a girl, Xia Qinghai will be able to rise to prominence and change his destiny.
Even though Xia Qinghai came from a poor family and was a poor man, he was very good at coaxing girls. Even someone with a bad temper like Wu Jinfeng could be made happy by him with just a few words.
Of course, this is just Xia Qingtang's guess. Maybe Xia Qinghai really went to the hospital secretly for treatment.
Xia Qingtang chatted with Xia Daming for a few more casual words, then made the excuse of going back to the office for lunch break, said goodbye and left.
Tomorrow is the Little New Year. After that, the factory will stop working. After that, each department will do a thorough cleaning. After everything is done and the wages are paid, we can go back happily to celebrate the New Year.
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