"Then it would be best if the two of you held your weddings together."
The two young women exchanged a knowing smile; they had both been considering it. Neither was very young now—Song Qingqing was already twenty-two, and Pan Xiulan was twenty-one. It wasn't late, but it wasn't early either.
Originally, they had planned to go back to their hometowns to get married, but their jobs were assigned here, so going back was unrealistic. Their families had been urging them to settle down here.
Both of their matches had been introduced by Chen Guoliang. Their partners were officers at the police station, both with good jobs and family conditions better than Chen Guoliang's. The young men were particularly spirited.
They'd been dating for nearly a year and got along well, though Pan Xiulan's match was someone who had previously been interested in Jiang Xinyu. However, in the end, he agreed to date Pan Xiulan.
"Ailing, has Director Jiang written to you lately?"
"The last letter was two months ago; there wasn't one last month. She might be too busy studying."
"Director Jiang will be back in two years. I really miss her," Pan Xiulan said with a smile.
"Yeah, she should hurry back. I'll write to her tonight and tell her that I had a son."
"Ailing, are you the same age as Director Jiang?"
"Hmm, I'm half a year older. I was born in '44."
The three of them were happily chatting in the room when Kong Mengjie walked in.
She took out a dollar and handed it to Wang Ailing with a cheerful smile.
"Congratulations, Ailing."
Kong Mengjie exchanged greetings with Song Qingqing and Pan Xiulan, who both responded with cheerful smiles.
Rumors about her never disappeared; her son was almost one year old, but everyone said he looked like Zhao Zhongshuo.
When Kong Mengjie first entered and saw the three women chatting and laughing, she felt somewhat awkward, so after complimenting the child, she left.
The three women exchanged glances, unsure what to say next.
Women are naturally gossipy, but they also know that this isn't the setting to say anything inappropriate.
Chen Guoliang couldn't hide his joy and was thoroughly delighted with his wife; he was satisfied in every way. Now that they had both a daughter and a son, he wore an expression of happiness.
"You've really got it good now,"
"That's right, aren't you getting married soon?" Chen Guoliang asked Zhou Zhaodong with a smile.
"Yeah, my partner's family is coming over next month. We're getting engaged."
"Secretary Song is great," Chen Guoliang said with a smile.
"Yeah, she's great—gentle and sensible."
"Foreign Country, what about you and Secretary Pan?" Chen Guoliang asked him. Actually, their relationship was quite good, but he was really stubborn. Ever since he met Jiang Xinyu, he seemed infatuated.
"Her parents are also coming this month, for engagement."
"Foreign Country, you really need to focus on Secretary Pan. She's really great. You need to step up."
Shen Foreign Country nodded, "I know, I'm adjusting."
"It's been nearly a year, and you haven't adjusted yet?" Chen Guoliang glared at this friend.
Shen Foreign Country was quite helpless about it; he really liked Jiang Xinyu, but she never gave him a chance. He still couldn't get over her. Objectively speaking, Jiang Xinyu didn't look better than Pan Xiulan, and he hadn't even interacted with Jiang Xinyu; it was all based on his imagination.
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Can we drop this subject from now on?" Zhou Zhaodong said helplessly. Everyone at the police station knew Shen Foreign Country fancied Jiang Xinyu, but no one understood why. He himself had met Director Jiang and thought she was just an ordinary girl; he never expected a friend to become so obsessed.
Huang Hongwei stood nearby, holding his son. He had heard people say the child resembled Zhao Zhongshuo, but the child also resembled his second uncle. Huang Hongwei completely trusted Kong Mengjie and, no matter what others said, he simply didn't believe it.
After Kong Mengjie came out, she congratulated Chen Guoliang with a smile.
"Mr. Kong, come over for dinner on the night of July 2nd. Since you're working during the day, we're arranging it for the evening."
"Definitely, it's such a joyous occasion."
After sending off the family of three, there were still many people over here, including their colleagues who also came over.
Kong Mengjie headed back with her family of three, "Mengjie, your friend's life is really good."
Kong Mengjie nodded, "Yeah, it looks like she's doing well at home. Her mother-in-law is nice."
Who knows what luck Wang Ailing has, to jump out of the village and have such a good family. She's been married to Huang Hongwei for several years now. In those years, even though she beautified Huang Hongwei, he aged quickly. He's already thirty-seven, how can he compare to the young and vigorous man that Wang Ailing has?
Watching them stand in the yard and then looking at her own man, Kong Mengjie felt a bit lost.
"Mengjie, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, let's go home; Tiantian is at home alone."
"Hmm, I wonder how Director Jiang is doing. The three of you came out together, and now there's only her who hasn't settled down."
"As for her, I suppose she'll marry someone important, right? Haven't you noticed how well Mr. Qian treats her? Plus, Mr. Qian is already thirty-one, but he still shows no intention of marrying, maybe he's waiting for Xinyu?"
"You might be right; there's indeed a possibility. Aren't they 11 years apart?"
"Hmm, Mr. Qian is quite good. No bad stories have ever circulated about him."
Kong Mengjie was extremely jealous of Jiang Xinyu. She believed herself to be better than her in every way, yet Jiang Xinyu was surpassing her in every aspect. Now, she was lagging behind in comparison.
"Mengjie, is Jianfeng staying at home?"
"He'll go to my mom's. We need to save money to support both of them through school. Look at Jiang Xinyu; because she went to university, she'll definitely earn more when she returns, might even become the deputy director. So, the kids absolutely need to attend school. My mom will help take care of them for a couple of years, and we can save more money. Besides, I'm thinking of having another child." Mengjie said as she unconsciously placed her hand on her belly.
Huang Hongwei, holding the child beside her, looked at her actions and excitedly asked, "Mengjie, are you expecting again?"
Kong Mengjie shook her head, "Not yet, but I'm thinking of having another son. When we're old, they won't be so heavily burdened."
"Alright, whatever you say." Huang Hongwei was truly happy.
The reason Kong Mengjie wanted another son was because she knew Jianfeng was Zhao Zhongshuo's, which was profoundly unfair to Huang Hongwei. She knew that the older two sons wouldn't take care of them in the future, and if he didn't have a son of his own, she'd be doing him a great disservice.
Huang Hongwei returned home happily, bathed their son, and when the boy slept, he wouldn't let go of Kong Mengjie.
This beloved woman's willingness to bear his children proved her love for him and her devotion.