Chapter 111: Proud Instead Of Ashamed!
In the general office, Huang Juan said about these two people: “I still can’t help but criticize you. Although there’s freedom of love and freedom to break up, people aren’t objects—you can’t just want them and take them, then discard them when you don’t. You being happy is fine; that’s your freedom, and no one can interfere. But people are social animals; this world isn’t just about the two of you. No matter how happy and blissful you are, it’s best to restrain yourselves a bit and not overly stimulate each other.”
Wang Xiaomin frowned: “So does that mean Brother Zhendong and I have to sneak around even after we get married and live our lives?”
Ren Xiaocui said coolly: “Who told you both to not stick to your true hearts and find new partners? Otherwise, wouldn’t clearing up the misunderstanding make everyone happy?”
Wang Xiaomin’s joy seemed doused with a basin of cold water, chilled to the core.
Her smile stiffened on her face as she turned her head, eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Gu Zhendong.
Gu Zhendong gripped Wang Xiaomin’s hand, guilt flashing in his eyes. It was all his fault. If he had insisted on getting a clear answer back then, there wouldn’t have been any misunderstanding, right?
But a neighborhood committee cadre speaking like this was just too harsh.
Still, the other party was a neighborhood committee cadre; falling out would definitely not be good.
Because he still had to go register their marriage with Xiaomin that afternoon.
Suppressing his anger, he said: “Our attitude might have been a problem. We’ll change it.”
After saying that, he pulled Wang Xiaomin’s hand and strode out of the neighborhood committee’s office.
Several people looked at each other. Ren Xiaocui said: “What a mess this is, comparing to Qiao Ge like that—totally inexplicable.”
“Qiao Ge isn’t like her. She broke up and that was it; making a life-or-death scene is so ugly!”
“Yeah, it’s not the same thing at all.”
“I say Gu Zhendong and Wang Xiaomin aren’t anything good either. Although there’s freedom of love, you can’t just do whatever you want. If everyone was like them—dating when they feel like it and breaking up when they don’t—this world would be total chaos, right?”
“Yeah, not a shred of responsibility, no sense of duty at all.”
“They take pride in their shame!”
Huang Juan stopped them: “Alright, no more discussing. When they come to register this afternoon, don’t say any cool words.”
Of course, they had that much propriety.
At this time, Sister Qiao had already taken Lu Qiaoge on the bus to the district government’s general office.
The accounting went smoothly; there were no discrepancies in receiving and delivery.
Lu Qiaoge looked at the documents on the table, her gaze flickering. That was the document from the city approving the district to establish a handicrafts acquisition storefront.
Jiangcheng was in the north. To be honest, in terms of historical heritage and craft inheritance, Jiangcheng couldn’t compare to the south.
Dragon Country’s foreign exchange reserves were still very low now, so they were still promoting the imitation of cultural relics to create foreign exchange for the country.
And in Jiangcheng, perhaps due to her shallow experience and rarely going out, she didn’t know where there was a counter for imitating cultural relics.
Moreover, she didn’t have talent in that area on hand, so taking the high-quality products route for export probably wouldn’t be easy.
However, she didn’t want cultural relics, but if it really came to signing a handicrafts acquisition agreement with the district, it wasn’t impossible.
But Clerk Elder Sister was busy as could be; this was exactly the time for accounting, and behind them, quite a few neighborhood committee clerks were queued up waiting to settle accounts.
Once this side was done, Clerk Elder Sister didn’t even lift her head before shouting for the next one.
There was simply no time to get chummy.
Lu Qiaoge followed Sister Qiao as they walked out, when she heard a sharp, urgent chirping sound coming from the window sill.
【Su Hongmei, Su Hongmei, hurry home! Your mother-in-law locked your daughter in the room; she ran to the backyard to chat and crack sunflower seeds with people.】
【Your daughter is hungry; she went to rummage in the cabinet, the cabinet fell over, and she’s trapped inside.】
【Hurry back to save her!】
Lu Qiaoge abruptly stopped in her tracks. She looked out the window at a sparrow startled into flight by a male comrade opening the window. It wasn’t big, but it felt exceptionally agile.
At this moment, it was squatting on a branch of the big tree outside, chirping away.
Such a call was very normal.
Lu Qiaoge’s expression changed. She wanted to contact Clerk Elder Sister, the one called Su Hongmei.
But she really didn’t want it to be in this way.
Being smashed by a cabinet—whether a big child or a little one—would cause trouble.
Lu Qiaoge didn’t want to see that happen.
But the sparrow’s alarm call had reached her ears—what could she do?
One more thing: going out of the blue to Su Hongmei’s home to save someone, and it wasn’t even the military family courtyard—they didn’t know her. What was her reason?
All these thoughts flashed by in the blink of an eye. Lu Qiaoge felt a bit anxious; this matter was a bit tricky.
But knowing it might involve a human life, she couldn’t just stand by.
Over there, Su Hongmei was still busy.
These few days at month-end and month-start were when she was the busiest.
The sparrow on the big tree was still calling tensely: 【Hurry home! Don’t you want your daughter anymore?】
Lu Qiaoge quietly tossed her work permit into a corner of the office.
Walking out of the district government’s general office, Lu Qiaoge suddenly rummaged in her bag and said: “Sister Qiao, wait for me a bit; I think my work permit fell in the office.”
Without waiting for Sister Qiao’s response, Lu Qiaoge hurriedly walked back into the office building.
The general office was a large office, converted from a former meeting room.
It was at the end of the second-floor corridor.
This place also had lots of people coming and going to handle business.
Lu Qiaoge called out in her mind: “Little Sparrow, Little Sparrow, did you just say Su Hongmei’s daughter was smashed by the cabinet, right?”
The little sparrow, who had been futilely calling out to Su Hongmei over there, was stunned.
Just like all the little creatures Lu Qiaoge had communicated with, it first froze, then let out aaaah calls, before reacting with surprise and flying toward the source of the voice.
The general office was on the second floor. Lu Qiaoge stood at the stairwell corner, facing the window outside, which was that big elm tree. The little sparrow flew over from the tree and tremulously landed on the window sill.
【You you… you can understand me?】
Lu Qiaoge nodded affirmatively, reached out to touch the sparrow’s little head, and quickly started asking questions.
The little girl was four years old, not yet in kindergarten class; it was the girl’s grandmother watching her.
When the little sparrow flew over to report, it heard the little girl crying wah wah.
Lu Qiaoge breathed a slight sigh of relief. Still alive was good. She said in her heart: “I’ll go notify Su Hongmei; you take care of yourself.”
Sparrows were very dangerous now.
Besides their natural enemies, humans wanted to eat them too.
Sparrow meat was delicious; before they were protected, it had even been a dish at restaurants.
After exhorting it, Lu Qiaoge turned and quickly walked toward the end of the corridor.
The little sparrow froze for a moment, then spread its wings and flew toward a place in the city.
It was very smart, knowing how to dodge danger.
Lu Qiaoge walked very fast. She entered the room, picked up the work permit from the corner, and put it in her shoulder bag. The people queued nearby at first thought Lu Qiaoge was cutting in line, but seeing her pick up the work permit, they realized it had just fallen there.
