There are many personnel changes within the organization, and the province has many cities and towns under its jurisdiction. Director Li was able to secure a position because the person who was transferred had previously received favors from the Li family.
Director Li's ability to get a job at the supply and marketing cooperative and rise all the way to become the head of the Huayuan Town Supply and Marketing Cooperative was largely due to this.
It's safe to say that if Director Li misses this opportunity, he'll likely have no hope of promotion in the future!
Li Guosheng has been frequently traveling to the provincial capital recently, using official business as a pretext to inquire about various matters.
Director Li can't let his future be ruined by a few fabricated words from others, can he?
After making so many visits, the responses I received were always the same few sentences.
A person who can lead other employees must be upright and free of any negative rumors; otherwise, how can they gain the respect of others? Moreover, no rumors are fabricated out of thin air. Why is it that others are not affected, but the Li family is?
Even the one who was transferred expressed his helplessness, saying that he couldn't cover up the truth unless the Li family could provide concrete evidence to dispel the rumors.
How to debunk the rumors? Unless Dong Ermai can get pregnant and has a report from a hospital.
The Li family even considered that since the young couple had been married for so many years without any news, they might as well have Dong Ermai fake a pregnancy and then secretly adopt a child.
But they thought that if the rumors were exposed, the consequences would be even worse, so they had no choice but to give up.
During this period, Li Guosheng developed blisters around the corners of his mouth from running so much.
Dong Ermai would go to work with red eyes every day and bring up divorce again and again.
Don't tell me that Li Guosheng and Dong Ermai were in a free-love relationship with a deep affection for each other, and that they've never argued about anything except having children. How could they possibly get a divorce?
Moreover, if they were to get divorced through this channel, wouldn't that confirm the rumors?
Li Guosheng's smile now appears forced, his eyes are bloodshot, and the weariness and sorrow between his brows make him look several years older.
Ke Meiyu said with a smile, "A while ago, a group of wild boars suddenly got stuck in the crevices of rocks on the back mountain of our village, and every household in the village got a lot of wild boar meat."
“My mother made these sausages that keep well. My grandmother saw that there was still a month until the New Year, so she asked us to send you some mountain produce.”
“Every time my grandma goes shopping, she always gets a lot of help from Sister Mei.”
Li Guosheng waved his hands repeatedly, "What's the big deal? Serving the people is Mei Zi's duty. How can I accept such a big gift from you?"
Ke Meiyu and Li Guosheng walked home, while Ke Yuanda pushed the bicycle steadily behind them.
"Have Sister Mei and Sister-in-law gone to work?"
Li Guosheng nodded, a doting smile on his face: "Meizi usually lives with a fellow villager and takes a day off on weekends. When she's tired, she's lazy and doesn't come back, so we're the ones who bring big bags of things to visit her."
The Li family has few children, and the siblings have a close relationship. Li Juanmei and Dong Ermai also have a good relationship, without the traditional conflicts between sisters-in-law.
“Er Mai works the day shift and won’t be back until after five,” he glanced at his watch and said with a smile, “It’s rare for Comrade Xiao Ke to come all this way, otherwise I should call her and ask for half a day off.”
"Besides work, she usually stays at home reading and watching TV. She doesn't have many close friends. Last time she came back from watching a movie with Meizi, she talked about Comrade Xiao Ke quite a bit."
"If she finds out you're here but didn't tell her, she probably won't even let me in tonight."
Ke Meiyu didn't stand on ceremony and nodded, "Okay, I also need to talk to you about something, sister-in-law."
Li Guosheng made a phone call to the textile factory, and after two or three transfers, he finally settled the matter.
The textile factory wasn't far from the compound. Ke Meiyu ate three oranges, two apples, and five bananas, and Dong Ermai rode his bicycle back home.
Ke Yuanda, however, was holding an apple in his hand, too embarrassed to take a bite.
"Comrade Xiao Ke, it really is you!" Dong Ermai threw the car into the yard and ran in. His fair face was flushed by the wind, and his eyes were bright and smiling.
Ke Meiyu also saw an even deeper melancholy in her than before.
"Sister-in-law, I've come to visit you," Ke Meiyu said with a smile as she stood up.
"Welcome, welcome," Dong Ermai changed his shoes, took off his coat, and took out a stack of beautiful, soft floral fabrics in various colors from his bag. "These are our factory's new products. They look great whether cut into coin purses, handbags, shirts, skirts, handkerchiefs, or hairbands."
"I gave you a little of each color. Comrade Xiao Ke is good-looking, and everything he wears looks good on him. Ask me for more when you've used them up!"
Ke Meiyu looked at the fresh and clean fabric, and happily accepted it from Ke Yuanda's weak hand, thanking him generously.
She turned around and stuffed the fabric into her brother's hand before pulling Dong Ermai aside and saying earnestly, "Actually, the main reason I came to your house is to find your sister-in-law."
Dong Ermai also listened attentively with a serious face.
Ke Meiyu originally planned to use the fact that Ke Enshu's mother was pregnant to directly provide medicine to help Dong Ermai recover. However, she was afraid that the Li family would be misled by a quack doctor, so she could only say, "I have been learning from an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor in my grandmother's village since I was a child, and I only completed my apprenticeship in the last two years."
"Last time I ran into Sister Mei and her sister-in-law, and when I heard about your troubles, I went back and prepared some herbal medicine. But I never expected that my former second aunt would drink that bowl of medicine. Guess what happened?"
Dong Ermai and Li Guosheng exchanged a glance, their eyes still stubbornly holding onto a glimmer of hope. They shook their heads.
"She's found out she's pregnant!"
Ke Yuanda then spoke up, "It's true. Comrade Dong is over forty years old, and her youngest child is twelve. They've always wanted a boy, but after so many years of trying, they haven't been able to conceive."
“Comrade Xiao Ke, what do you mean?” Dong Ermai pursed his lips tightly.
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