Chapter 183
Xia Qingtang was stunned for a moment, turned around, and stared at the other person for a long time before realizing that it was Yang Dachuan, whom he had not seen for a long time.
In recent years, Xia Qingtang has been busy opening a store and doing business, as well as having and raising children. In addition, as the vice chairman of the trade union, she rarely shows up at the municipal trade union, so she gradually forgot about this person.
When Xia Qingtang saw Yang Dachuan again today, she almost didn't recognize him.
Because he has changed a lot. He used to be quite thin, but in recent years, with his promotion in position and a strong marriage, his life is probably getting better and better, so he has gained a lot of weight, his figure is rounder than before, his chin has become rounder, his bags under his eyes have become much bigger, the area under his eyes is dark, his lips are blue, and there are deep lines at the corners of his mouth. He looks much more tired than before.
Yang Dachuan is two years older than Xie Jinxuan and is only 30 years old this year, but looking at his condition, he already looks like a middle-aged man. It is hard to say whether he has lived a good or bad life in the past few years.
Xia Qingtang smiled and greeted politely: "Hello, Comrade Yang."
Yang Dachuan's father has removed the word "deputy" from his title and is now the mayor. She also heard that Yang Dachuan had long been promoted to other departments in the city, but since it is not clear what position he is currently holding, it is more reasonable to call him Comrade Yang.
Yang Dachuan stared at Xia Qingtang's bright, beautiful, fair and tender face for a long time before he slowly said, "How long have we not seen each other? It must have been several years, right? I didn't expect that Comrade Xia, you still look like a schoolgirl. Don't you age?"
Xia Qingtang still smiled politely: "Haha, thank you Comrade Yang for the compliment, but I have always been devoted to my work and have never thought about my appearance."
"Haha." Yang Dachuan sneered, "Only good-looking people have the confidence to not care about their appearance."
"Comrade Yang, I have to go back to the office. Time is urgent, so I won't disturb you." After saying that, Xia Qingtang wanted to leave.
She and Yang Dachuan really had nothing to talk about, and the way he looked at her just now was unpleasant, so she just wanted to leave immediately.
Yang Dachuan called her and stepped forward to block Xia Qingtang's way: "Why are you in such a hurry? We are old acquaintances. We haven't seen each other for such a long time. We should have a good chat."
"I really have something to do at work and I have to go back."
"What does it matter? If Yan Jianshun has any objections, you can ask him to come to me. I will say a word and Yan Jianshun will not dare to criticize you."
"There is something going on at work. It has nothing to do with Assistant Yan. I have to go back to work." Xia Qingtang walked around him and continued walking forward.
Yang Dachuan chased after him: "Xia Qingtang, don't be shameless! Your wife's grandfather has retired, do you think I don't know? Your father-in-law is just a small cadre. I talk to you because I think highly of you. Let me tell you, if you make me unhappy, you'd better be careful about your job! The youngest vice chairman of the trade union in the provincial capital? March 8th Red Flag Bearer? If you offend me and make me unhappy, you won't even be able to keep your job, let alone these so-called honors!"
"Do whatever you want, I don't care." Xia Qingtang turned and left, not taking these threats seriously at all.
Yang Dachuan was surprisingly angry. He grabbed Xia Qingtang's sleeve and said viciously, "Don't think I don't dare!"
"I know you dare. I've also said it before, just do whatever you want. I really don't care." Xia Qingtang's face was calm, in stark contrast to the angry Yang Dachuan.
She really didn't care about having a job or not. There was no such thing as a permanent job in this world. Even if Yang Dachuan really destroyed her job, she would be able to support herself by setting up a street stall. So she would never try to please someone like Yang Dachuan in her life.
"Aren't you worried about your own job? Aren't you worried about fellow student Xie's job too?" Yang Dachuan said gritting his teeth.
Xia Qingtang said, "You are in the city, and he is in the province. I know your father is great, but it's a small matter to affect the job of Xie's daughter-in-law. But if you really want to affect the job of Xie's eldest grandson, will the province agree? I wonder what price your father is willing to pay to help you get rid of Xie Jinxuan's job?"
This matter is very simple. Grandpa Xie has indeed retired, but even Yan Jianshun knows that who doesn't have a few loyal subordinates? Moreover, Grandpa Xie has worked in the province for so many years. Even if he has retired, his prestige is still there. Yang Dachuan can destroy Xia Qingtang's rice bowl, but he can never destroy Xie Jinxuan's rice bowl.
If Grandpa Xie was really angered, Yang Dachuan's father would be in trouble, so Xia Qingtang knew that he was just bluffing.
The only thing this person can threaten right now is Xia Qingtang's job, but Xia Qingtang doesn't care at all because she can resign at any time.
Yang Dachuan stared at Xia Qingtang's beautiful big eyes, and seeing that her eyes were calm, he knew that she really didn't care at all, so he could only let go of his hand in disappointment.
Xia Qingtang smiled and continued to walk forward. After walking a few steps, Yang Dachuan's voice came again. He said, "Xia Qingtang, I won't let you have an easy time."
Xia Qingtang didn't react at all, but just walked quickly to the parking lot and got into the factory's car.
That night, Xia Qingtang told Xie Jinxuan about this.
Xie Jinxuan said: "The Yang family is indeed very proud in the city now, but don't worry, they can't touch your job. I am not completely unprepared here. I have some things in my hands. If I really take them out, the Yang family will be in trouble."
Xia Qingtang was a little surprised: "You have something to deal with them? Have you been keeping an eye on them for the past few years?"
"Of course, I know Yang Dachuan's character. If he can't get his hands on his prey, he will think about it for the rest of his life. Before, he temporarily forgot about you because of his new marriage and the appearance of other women, but I guessed that sooner or later, he would set his sights on you again. So, I have been collecting related things." Xie Jinxuan said lightly.
Xia Qingtang smiled and leaned into his arms: "You are... too amazing."
"It's nothing." Xie Jinxuan lowered her head and kissed her cheek. "I'll go put your award certificate on the wall."
"That's so embarrassing." Although Xia Qingtang said this, she still followed him to the living room.
Xiaoxiao has fallen asleep now. The child needs a lot of sleep, so he goes to bed as soon as it gets dark every day, which makes them less worried.
After putting up the award certificate, Xia Qingtang said, "I really have to thank Assistant Yan for letting me experience the vanity bursting."
"You are already very outstanding, and you deserve such a reward." Xie Jinxuan said softly.
"Then I hope that the rest of my working time in the factory can be worthy of this award." Xia Qingtang yawned, "Okay, let's go to bed too."
Afterwards, Xia Qingtang, who had won the honor, continued to work in the factory. She became more and more serious, and her work attitude inspired other colleagues in the union, and everyone became more motivated to work.
However, Yang Dachuan would find many excuses to come to the Future Electric Appliance Factory, and each time he would specifically ask Xia Qingtang to be responsible for the reception.
But he couldn't do anything out of the ordinary during working hours, so he would block Xia Qingtang's way off the bus at the end of the workday and deliberately say a few sarcastic words.
At the end of March, one day, Yan Jianshun suddenly called her over and said that the person who had reported her by real name was here again.
"Report my business activities?" Xia Qingtang said.
"Yes, it was Comrade Zhang again. This time he mentioned the name of the Xinfeng Clothing Store, saying that as the vice chairman of the labor union of the electrical appliance factory, you opened such a large store outside, which was not in compliance with relevant regulations. I explained to him that our factory did not say that employees in the factory could not do business, and he went back. But I think this person's visit this time is suspicious and he may do something, so I called you here to remind you. What's wrong with you? Did you offend Comrade Zhang again?"
Xia Qingtang said: "Comrade Zhang probably didn't come here by himself, but I did offend someone."
"Who?"
"Yang Dachuan."
"Mayor Yang's son Yang Dachuan?" Yan Jianshun was stunned for a moment, then he immediately reacted, "He has had feelings for you before. Did you run into him when you went to the city's commendation meeting this time?"
"Yes, he said something to me again, and I knew what he was going to do to me."
"So he has been coming to our factory to ask you to be responsible for his reception."
Xia Qingtang said: "Yes... But, Assistant Yan, don't worry, I will never cause trouble for the factory. If I cause trouble, you can deal with me."
Yan Jianshun said, "Let's see what he will do first. Don't be nervous. Go back to work first."
"Okay." Xia Qingtang walked out and continued working.
When she got home from work that day, she told Xie Jinxuan about it. Xie Jinxuan said, "I will go talk to Yang Dachuan's lover tomorrow."
"Hmm? Didn't you say that Yang Dachuan's marriage was a marriage of convenience, and that the couple didn't care what the other did outside?" Xia Qingtang said, "Will it be useful to find her?"
"The combination of interests also depends on the situation. The female comrade acquiesced to Yang Dachuan's keeping women outside, but not women who would cause trouble for their family. Moreover, she always thought that Yang Dachuan only kept one woman, but in fact Yang Dachuan kept three women outside, and found houses for them to live alone. This is also a deception. I don't believe that the female comrade will ignore him." Xie Jinxuan whispered: "In addition, after you came back last time, I handed the report materials to an old subordinate of Grandpa, but they are still investigating, and it will probably take some time."
"I understand. This kind of thing can't be rushed. Besides, I'm not worried about it."
As he was speaking, he saw Xie's mother holding Xiaoxiao and returning to the small courtyard.
"Xiaoxiao said she was hungry. I asked her to eat over there, but she insisted on going home for dinner." Xie's mother pushed open the door with a smile.
Xiaoxiao was wearing a light yellow top and a pair of loose cream-colored pants. Her jet-black hair was braided into four beautiful little braids by her grandmother. With her big black eyes and round little face, she was so cute that everyone loved her.
"Mom, mom, Xiaoxiao is hungry." Xiaoxiao walked in and hugged Xia Qingtang's legs directly.
Xia Qingtang smiled and picked up her chubby daughter, kissed her on the cheek, and said, "Okay, Mommy is already steaming the food, we can eat soon."
According to her age, Xiaoxiao can actually be sent to the nursery in the compound, but her grandmother is reluctant to do so and has been saying that she will not be sent there until September.
During the day, Xia Qingtang and Xie Jinxuan both have to go to work, so Xiaoxiao will be sent to the small western-style building every morning. Now that Grandpa Xie has retired, there are three people at home to accompany her.
They will send Xiaoxiao back only when it is dinner time.
Sometimes Xie Jinxuan had to work overtime, so Xia Qingtang wouldn't cook. After work, she would go directly to the small western-style building to eat with her grandmother and the others. After dinner, she would take Xiaoxiao home, give her a bath and coax her to sleep.
Xie Jinxuan did not work overtime today. When Xia Qingtang came home from get off work, he had already prepared all the dishes, so Xia Qingtang started cooking dinner as soon as she got home.
Xiaoxiao likes the food her mother cooks very much, so whenever Xia Qingtang cooks, she will come back to eat.
Xie's mother said, "I can smell the fragrance. What are you having for dinner?"
"It's just simple steamed vegetables and steamed buns. Prepare a bowl of steamed eggs with broad beans for Xiaoxiao, and give her half a bun." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.
"Okay, then, have your meal. I'll go back too." Mother Xie said and walked out.
Xia Qingtang held Xiaoxiao and washed her hands and face. Xie Jinxuan brought out a simple meal, and the family of three sat at the dining table and enjoyed dinner leisurely.
Xiaoxiao is a child who doesn't like to cry, but she likes to talk very much. Since she learned to speak at the age of one, she can chat with anyone.
She talked even more to her favorite mom and dad, but Xia Qingtang would remind her to eat seriously at mealtime, and only after she finished eating would she slowly listen to every detail of her playing with other children that day.
This child is very brave. Not only is she not afraid of strangers, but she is also very emotionally stable. Occasionally, when she encounters some children coming over to fight, she will calmly assess the situation and either avoid them herself or immediately find an adult to protect herself.
Xia Qingtang felt that although this child looked very much like herself, her personality and inner qualities were inherited from Xie Jinxuan, so she felt that Xiaoxiao would definitely be much more successful than herself when she grew up.
After coaxing Xiaoxiao to sleep, Xia Qingtang accompanied Xie Jinxuan to read the newspaper for a while. The two of them closed the door in the study and intimated for a while. Then they took a shower and returned to the bedroom.
Xie Jinxuan looked at her daughter sleeping soundly in the crib and whispered, "When can Xiaoxiao sleep in her own bedroom?"
The child sleeps in the same room with them, which makes many things inconvenient. Xia Qingtang thought about it and said, "When she goes to the nursery, let's try to let her sleep in her own room. But we can only give it a try. If she doesn't want to, then we can wait another year."
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Xie Jinxuan hugged her, and they fell asleep together.
The next day, Xie Jinxuan went to find Yang Dachuan's lover. With just a few words and a stack of photos, she let the other party know what had happened.
After returning, he told Xia Qingtang that Yang Dachuan must be under control.
Sure enough, for a period of time afterwards, Yang Dachuan never showed up again. Not only did he not go to the factory to cause trouble, but he would no longer be seen on the way home from get off work.
Soon, summer arrived and it got dark late at night, so young people stayed outside, either watching movies or plays.
Those who don’t like going out can also gather in a neighbor’s yard to watch TV series together. After Xia Qingtang coaxes Xiaoxiao to sleep, he will go to the small western-style building to watch an episode of the TV series before coming back.
Xie Jinxuan asked her to buy another TV and put it in the small courtyard, but Xia Qingtang said it was not necessary because she liked to watch TV series with her grandmother and others. If she watched it alone, it didn't seem so interesting.
The accusation materials that Xie Jinxuan submitted in the spring suddenly received a response. Yang Dachuan was investigated. At the end of the investigation, many things were confirmed, but because Yang Dachuan's father and father-in-law strongly protected him, and he returned a lot of the benefits he had gained, he was not further dealt with, but he could no longer stay in the city to work.
The higher-ups made a decision to send him to somewhere lower down, which was a disguised form of demotion.
No one knew what Yang Dachuan was thinking. After getting drunk, he found the compound and cursed Xie Jinxuan and Xia Qingtang at the gate.
Leng Feng happened to pass by, so he asked the security department to control the man, and then he went to call Xie Jinxuan and Xia Qingtang.
"What's going on? Isn't this Mayor Yang's son?" Leng Feng asked.
Xie Jinxuan briefly explained, and Leng Feng asked, "Did you do anything to get this person punished?"
Xie Jinxuan smiled and said, "How could I be that capable? Besides, you can hear him cursing, and it's clear that he doesn't know who did it. He's so arrogant, he must have made enemies everywhere, so who knows who did it?"
"Okay, I'll have someone send him back to the Yang family directly, and you don't have to show up." After Leng Feng finished speaking, he took his people to take Yang Dachuan away.
Originally, Xia Qingtang thought that the matter was over. However, one morning when he arrived at the factory, he saw the same big-character poster posted at the front and back doors of the factory, including many places in the family quarters. It stated that Xia Qingtang was a small leader in the electrical appliance factory, but was opening a shop outside to make huge profits.
Because the name of Xinfeng Clothing Store was written on it, the whole incident caused an uproar and many employees ran to find out what was going on, wanting to know whether it was true.
Yan Jianshun held a meeting with the leadership and finally informed Xia Qingtang that this matter might not be so easy to handle.
"Although it is true that it is not against factory rules for our employees to do business outside, the employees are very emotional. They all think that as a leader, you should not make money outside." Yan Jianshun said in a deep voice: "Now the factory has decided to let you rest for a while and not pay you. This is a disguised punishment for you. The punishment results will also be posted in the factory. Can you accept this treatment?"
"I would like to ask, how long do I need to rest?" Xia Qingtang asked.
"It's not clear yet. You can only come back when the employees in the factory are no longer so emotional. Moreover, when you come back, you probably won't be able to be the vice chairman of the trade union." Yan Jianshun said.
Xia Qingtang said: "Can you give me a day to think about it?"
"Can."
"Thank you, Assistant Yan. I'll be out first."
When she returned to the office, her colleagues looked at her strangely.
Xia Qingtang said: "What was written on the big-character poster is true. Xinfeng Clothing Store is indeed the store I opened."
The room was quiet for a while, and Liu Dandan said, "Will this matter... affect your work?"
"It will have an impact, but it's as it should be. No one can have the best of both worlds. Everyone knows this." Xia Qingtang said, "Thank you for your concern."
"You are a leader I admire very much, so of course I care about you..." Liu Dandan said, "Doing business obviously does not violate factory regulations..."
Wu Lei said: "It's mainly because the emotions of the factory workers are too intense, so we have to take this into consideration."
"I know, so no matter what decision the factory makes, I will accept it." Xia Qingtang said with a smile.
Her expression was relieved, because she had always known that sooner or later, she would leave here.
That night, she discussed with Xie Jinxuan for a long time, and finally, she made a decision.
The next morning, she went to Yan Jianshun's office with a letter of resignation.
"Are you really going to leave our factory?" Yan Jianshun frowned and said, "You can still come back after the storm over this matter has passed, so you don't have to resign in such a hurry."
"No, I've thought about it. I want to leave here as the vice chairman of the labor union. It will be a perfect conclusion to my factory career." Xia Qingtang said with a smile, "I hope Assistant Yan can help me."
She has gone from being a front-line textile worker to where she is today. Every step has been full of opportunities, and every step has been the result of her hard work.
She is grateful for the favor that fate has given her, and for the support and help given by Chairman Qin, Yan Jianshun, Chai Qiaoying and others, and even more grateful for her own hard work and sweat.
If she is going to be demoted later, she would rather end her working career in this position.
Yan Jianshun was very helpless, but he had to approve her resignation. However, because new union secretaries still needed to be recruited, Xia Qingtang had to stay here and continue working for the time being. When the new secretaries came in, she would also be responsible for training them before she could leave here completely.
On the same day, the factory union posted the news of Xia Qingtang's resignation on the bulletin board. Afterwards, the employees, who had been very emotional, calmed down. Many of them even came to the leaders to plead for mercy, saying that they were reluctant to let Xia Qingtang leave.
But Xia Qingtang was determined to leave. When the new clerk came into the factory, Xia Qingtang carefully helped her get familiar with all the work. On the last day of August, she took all her belongings and left the Future Electric Appliance Factory completely.
Many employees went to say goodbye to her, and some brought cameras, so everyone took photos with her during the last moments.
Someone asked, "Vice Chairman Xia, after you left our factory, have you... devoted yourself to business?"
Xia Qingtang smiled and said, "Yes, after leaving here, I can focus on business."
This year, the first joint-stock enterprise has appeared in the country. After that, more and more businesses can be done by individuals. In addition to expanding and opening stores, Xia Qingtang’s next step is to build his own clothing factory.
When she has accumulated enough funds, she will spend money to buy land like some people in her previous life, and wait for the emergence of commercial housing in large numbers.
She hadn't thought about how far she could go in the end, but she wanted to give it a try and see where her peak would be.
She is only 26 years old now, and there are still many things waiting for her to accomplish.
This was her last time taking the bus back to Central Road. When the driver parked the bus, many people stood up.
Xia Qingtang said goodbye to everyone on the bus and got off happily.
On the side of the road, the tall and slender Xie Jinxuan was standing there holding the snow-white and lovely Xiaoxiao. Both the big and the small were smiling brightly.
"Mom, Dad said he would take us to a restaurant tonight!" Xiaoxiao said in a baby voice.
Xia Qingtang smiled gently, ran over, hugged Xiaoxiao, and then kissed her on her little face.
Xie Jinxuan smiled and took something out of her pocket and handed it to her. Xia Qingtang took a look and found that it was actually a rose, blooming brightly.
"What does this mean?" Xia Qingtang didn't understand.
"You once said that foreigners would give flowers to people to express congratulations. I just passed by my neighbor's yard and saw that their roses were blooming particularly well, so I asked them for one to celebrate your new life."
newborn?
Xia Qingtang pondered for a moment and then continued laughing.
"You are right. From tomorrow on, I will be a new person. I have many things I want to do, but I am afraid I won't have time to do them." Xia Qingtang felt very warm in her heart. She looked into Xie Jinxuan's gentle and affectionate eyes and whispered, "Thank you. The luckiest thing in my life is meeting you."
"Me too." Xie Jinxuan took advantage of the fact that no one was passing by and bent down to give her a kiss on the forehead.
"Dad, Mom, aren't we going to a restaurant? Xiaoxiao is hungry. When are we going to the restaurant?" Xiaoxiao's baby voice interrupted the intimate look between the two.
Xia Qingtang retracted his gaze, smiled and pinched his baby daughter's little face, then said: "Okay, I'll take you to the restaurant now."
"Let's go to the Provincial Capital Hotel!" Xiaoxiao pointed forward with her chubby little hand.
Xia Qingtang laughed: "It's the other way around."
"Try again!" Xiaoxiao pointed in the opposite direction again.
Xie Jinxuan and Xia Qingtang both laughed out loud. She hugged Xiaoxiao and Xie Jinxuan hugged her, and the family of three walked forward toward the beautiful sunset.
Not only is there a wonderful dinner waiting for them ahead, but there is also a better future.
(End of text)
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