Wu Xianglan and Lu Jiahe, Lu Changzhu had just finished work and were heading home when they saw several small cars parked at the entrance of Lu Zhenping’s house, surrounded by quite a crowd. Lu Changzhu’s heart skipped a beat for a moment; he remembered when Bai Shuyu returned to the village in a small car, and now the cars at Lu Zhenping’s front door disturbed his peace for a long time.
He threw the hoe he was carrying over his shoulder down and hurried towards Lu Zhenping’s house, just as the onlookers saw them finishing work and eagerly waved at them.
"Hey, Uncle Changzhu, your oldest daughter-in-law has made something of herself, she saved some important person in the county, and they’ve come over with gifts to thank her. Look at those small cars, how impressive! Your family’s gonna be rich now!"
The voice speaking was really loud, and hearing this, both Zhou Jiaojiao and Lu Jiaxuan in the courtyard were utterly incredulous.
"What’s going on, how did they end up at my elder brother and sister-in-law’s place? Weren’t you the one who saved the person? All my sister-in-law did was take them to the hospital. Can’t they even distinguish the importance of the help? Both actions are saving a life, why do they go to see my sister-in-law and not you!"
Not only was Lu Jiaxuan angry and annoyed, Zhou Jiaojiao’s heart was also filled with indignation. However, she still believed in Lin Rong – that woman was obviously at odds with Li Qianqian, her daughter-in-law, and was easy to coax. Besides, she was the first to see them and the one who took them to the hospital together with her, they couldn’t leave her out of it.
"Jiaxuan, don’t be angry. No matter why they haven’t come to our house right now, we can’t go out. Just pretend it’s not worth mentioning. It’s already noon, you go wash the clothes, and I’ll cook. We’ll just do our own thing, they will surely come, and even if they don’t, the factory director’s wife will come. You believe me."
Lu Jiaxuan took Zhou Jiaojiao’s hand and said, "Okay, Jiaojiao, I’ll listen to you."
The two began to busy themselves with their chores; Zhou Jiaojiao even dirtied Lu Jiaxuan’s clothes inadvertently, prompting him to roll up his sleeves.
When Wu Xianglan heard that some secretary or leader had come, her heart also thumped wildly. How lucky is Shen Meng, just stepping out of the house and managing to save such an important person. She had been to the county twice herself, yet why hadn’t she come across anyone lying in the streets!
Lu Changzhu was relieved, as long as it wasn’t Bai Shuyu, it was fine. Lu Zhenping’s last name was Lu; it didn’t make sense for her to come over and fight over her son after more than twenty years.
Li Chuan and Lu Zhenping were having a great time talking. If it weren’t for his secretary reminding him, he would have forgotten that there was another person to thank. At this moment, Lin Rong volunteered.
"I’ll go personally, bring them over here so we can all talk together."
Li Chuan did not refuse, but Hu Jinbu didn’t dare to let her go alone. With her character, who knows, she might end up pulling up a stool and gossiping with every auntie and uncle in the village.
"I’ll go too, they are all people who saved Qianqian and Bao Guo, I can’t let you, a lone woman, go by yourself. I’ll come with you and bring the things too. Mr. Lu, I’ve arranged a few tables of food at the State-Owned Restaurant, let’s have lunch in the county. It’s also a formal way to express our thanks."
Shen Meng twitched her eyelid. Director Hu sure knows how to maintain his image.
Li Chuan nodded and then turned to look at Lu Zhenping and Shen Meng. They were the ones to host a banquet, but they had to see if the other party agreed or not.
"Zhenping, Xiao Meng, what do you think?"
"Honestly, Uncle Li, my kids still have school in the afternoon so I’m afraid we can’t go to the county. Moreover, you’ve come all the way here in person, there’s no need for a meal. Director Hu, you don’t have to go through so much trouble."
"How could that be, Mr. Lu, Mr. Shen? Without Mr. Shen’s assistance, my daughter-in-law and grandson would be ... It’s just a meal, and if you’re worried about the kids, rest assured, once we’ve eaten, I’ll have the driver take them straight to school first, alright?"
Li Chuan realized that Lu Zhenping really didn’t want to go, so he waved his hand.
"Then let it be, in-laws. You go ahead and invite Mr. Zhou over first, let’s chat a bit and then we can head back. We’ll often visit each other in the future, there’s no shortage of opportunities."
Lin Rong wanted to roll her eyes, but she didn’t have the audacity, so she had to let it go.
After they left, Li Chuan continued chatting with Lu Zhenping and Shen Meng about family matters, glancing over at the few children who were peeking.
"Who are these kids?"
"They’re mine."
Li Chuan’s eyes twinkled with understanding. Holding a high position, he quickly grasped what was going on with the children’s identities since his own family, He Ping, also served in the military.
"Xiao Wang, see if we have any simple, straightforward jobs below, to show to Mr. Shen."
"Uncle Li, what are you doing? I’ve got my allowance from the military, and Xiao Meng can also work. You don’t need to arrange jobs for us."
Shen Meng also flatly refused. She had no desire to work for money. When she used to work, whether it was mentally or physically, she was always tense. Ever since she came here, life had been happy and carefree. Going to work was out of the question. She just wanted to continue living this lazy life, which is very conducive to her longevity.
"Right, Mr. Li. I’m just a rural woman who doesn’t know anything. If I took the job you arranged and didn’t do well, I’d embarrass you. How inappropriate that would be!"
They spoke sincerely from the heart, but Li Chuan had clearly made up his mind.
"Zhenping, I’ve heard about your situation in the military. If the reorganization task comes down, you might have to be reassigned. Then what about the income for your family? You’ve got a wife and kids to support. Even if the military arranges a job for you, you won’t be able to start right away. Don’t worry about this; I’ll take care of it. Also, if there’s any trouble at home in the future, just tell Uncle Li."
Shen Meng opened her mouth, seeing the serious look on Mr. Li’s face, she knew this man was stubborn and it was unlikely that he would change his mind easily. However, she forgot that there was another stubborn person by her side.
"Uncle Li, are you worried that I can’t support my wife and kids? Relax, I have my plans. Xiao Meng needs to take care of the children and the house, going to work in the county is really inconvenient. Let’s just forget about this. Don’t make things difficult for her. She’s got a temper. You’re being kind, but if she offends someone with her rough temperament, it would reflect poorly on you, right?"
"Good one, Lu Zhenping, don’t give me that talk. The people I arrange for, I want to see who would dare to make things difficult. Xiao Shen, don’t worry, Uncle Li will definitely arrange everything for you, you won’t be wronged at all. Humph, in the military you seemed fine, so why are you being difficult now? Not to mention that Xiao Shen is Qianqian’s lifesaver, just her being such a dedicated military family member with great love, the county should arrange a job for her. Stop talking, I’ve already decided. It’s no use who comes to intercede."
Lu Zhenping: "....."
Shen Meng: "...."
This praise is a bit embarrassing!!!