Chapter 311: Coax Her Nicely And Get The Money Back
The finance office was somewhat quiet, with the others looking at Old Zhang in great surprise.
She and Wei Xia didn’t even know each other, so why was she speaking up for her?
Director Mei couldn’t be bothered to ask the reason and just scolded, “Don’t just stand there talking without getting tired of it. Production tasks are so tight and heavy, everyone’s gone to study, so who’s doing the work? Besides, this is a family matter, how are you going to manage it?”
After saying that, he slammed the door and left the finance office in annoyance.
Meanwhile, Lu Qiaoge had already sent Grey Pigeon and Xiao Cangcang to Wangjiang Shoe Factory to gather news.
She and Sister Qiao took the rice, flour, grains, and oil into Wei Xia’s home, then handed her one hundred yuan.
Perhaps it was a deep-seated fear of that man Jiang Chusheng, but Wei Xia hesitated and didn’t even dare to reach out and take the money.
Lu Qiaoge recalled the malice that occasionally flashed in Jiang Chusheng’s eyes.
She directly said to Aunt Han, “Aunt Han, you can be a witness for this. We’ll keep the money at Xiangyang Neighborhood Committee for now, and once everything is resolved, we can handle it then.”
Cadre Liu hated her for not fighting for herself, but there was no method; with four children needing their mother, he could only comfort Wei Xia: “Don’t be afraid. Jiang Chusheng won’t dare do anything to you. Besides, if he really dares to lay a hand on you, go to the neighborhood committee and find me. I’ll lock him up.”
Aunt Han took the initiative and said, “I’m almost always at home every day. If there’s any commotion, I’ll come out and take a look.”
The timid little girl Qiqi suddenly reached out and held Wei Xia’s hand, mustering her courage to say, “Mom, my younger brother and sister and I will all protect you.”
The youngest boy, with his big eyes as pure as a little deer’s, hugged Wei Xia’s leg and said in a childish voice, “Mom, Mom, don’t be angry. Dou Dou is obedient, no hitting, Mom doesn’t hit!”
Wei Xia suddenly burst into tears like rain.
These past few days, she had been taking out her anger on her four children, scolding and hitting them at the drop of a hat, even her favorite youngest son was an eyesore to her.
She wasn’t a good mother!
But her eldest daughter was saying she would protect her.
No one in the courtyard spoke, quietly watching her vent her emotions.
Also watching as she held all four children in her arms.
As long as her heart still loved the children, this family wouldn’t fall apart.
Though she had many problems, there were four children here, none of them adults yet, the oldest only ten years old, especially with three girls. It was impossible to count on Jiang Chusheng and Du Wanqing, and even the neighborhood committee couldn’t handle every little detail.
So, Wei Xia, as their biological mother, was the key to this family and had to be rescued.
For someone with Wei Xia’s personality, this kind of progress was already very hard-won.
Wei Xia wiped the tears from her face and took the initiative to say, “Give me the money. This is for the children, and it’s only right that I hold it.”
Aunt Han happily took Wei Xia’s hand and said to her, “See, the three cadres from the neighborhood committee ran around all day for your matter. Next, they’ll still need to sort out your job issue. You really need to pull yourself together, or else you’ll let down the cadres’ good intentions.”
After they left Wei Xia’s home, on the road, Lu Qiaoge still felt a bit uneasy—not worried about Jiang Chusheng committing violence, but worried he would play the emotional card and ruin the efforts of this day, and even more worried about endless troubles later.
But it didn’t matter; her little cuties could help.
She didn’t specify who to send, just told Hua Hua about it.
Hua Hua was very smart. Though it often acted spoiled and was proud and arrogant, if this matter was handed to it, it would handle it very well with Rat Big and the others.
After getting off work in the evening, Jiang Chusheng, with a face full of gloom, originally wanted to go find Wei Xia, but he thought of the one hundred yuan taken out today and also of the relatives at Wanqing’s home in Wangjiang Shoe Factory.
He had to go home first and discuss it with Wanqing.
Du Wanqing, carrying her small shoulder bag, got off work.
Her half-high-heeled leather shoes went click-clack-click-clack when she walked. In this era, people who wore leather shoes took good care of them; some even specially fitted shoe heel protectors on the heels, made of iron and very sturdy.
Protecting the sole was one aspect; on the other hand, walking on cement roads made a click-clack sound.
It also meant the person was wearing leather shoes, since cloth shoes couldn’t be fitted with shoe heel protectors.
Du Wanqing deliberately walked slowly, so others would know she was wearing leather shoes.
She walked through the corridor and entered her home.
Several grannies and aunts started gossiping behind her.
“The third party who breaks up someone’s family, I don’t know what she’s so smug about all day.”
“Smug that she found a good husband who basically handles all the laundry, cooking, and housework.”
“To say Wei Xia is also pitiful, raising four children with no one to help, too tough!”
“Jiang Chusheng is just a bastard turtle, doesn’t support his own children but enthusiastically supports someone else’s.”
“Sigh, who knows what he’s thinking; we can’t understand it.”
“…”
Jiang Chusheng had cooked the meal, and the boy Du Wanqing brought was doing homework. Seeing Du Wanqing enter, Jiang Chusheng hurriedly told her about the one hundred yuan and the Xiangyang Neighborhood Committee matter.
Du Wanqing was startled inside. The workshop director at the shoe factory wasn’t a relative of her family; it was a man who had once pursued her.
She had just complained casually, never thinking he would actually get it done.
Then thinking of the one hundred yuan they were forced to take out, she couldn’t help getting annoyed, pointing at Jiang Chusheng: “Are you stupid? Why did you give the money to the neighborhood committee on the spot? Couldn’t you tell those cadres it was a private matter, that you and Wei Xia would handle it privately, and then they wouldn’t interfere?”
Jiang Chusheng’s face looked a bit ugly: “Director Mei was right there in the office at the time, and those neighborhood committee cadres were aggressive, especially that Lu Qiaoge, talking about calling the public security and going to the court. What could I do? Also, you think of a way; tomorrow I still have to pay back the money to Director Mei.”
He did have savings, secretly saved ones that Wei Xia didn’t know about.
Nearly over three hundred yuan. He had also borrowed two hundred, then the Du family pulled strings through relations to arrange Wanqing into the propaganda section.
But like this, he had no money left on hand.
Salary was about to be paid, and he still had to give Wei Xia half; now he owed another one hundred yuan. Jiang Chusheng felt a headache coming on.
Du Wanqing flew into a rage out of humiliation: “You… if you just don’t give it, can they rob you? Besides, as long as Wei Xia doesn’t speak up, they’re just meddling.”
Jiang Chusheng’s face was ugly: “What if Wei Xia doesn’t agree?”
Du Wanqing gritted her teeth: “Then just coax her. Doesn’t she like you? That day you told her to go die, and she seemed like she didn’t want to live anymore.”
Jiang Chusheng said angrily, “I’ve said it before, you shouldn’t have messed with her job. Without a job, she has no money and can’t survive—who would she come to if not me?”
He had lost his head at the time too; why had he agreed to let Du Wanqing do such a stupid thing?
Du Wanqing felt a bit guilty; she had only said it casually…
“They’re going to the shoe factory to investigate; quickly tell your relative.” Jiang Chusheng irritably exhorted.
Du Wanqing frowned: “It’s so late at night, how am I supposed to go? Tomorrow.”
Then she added, “Neighborhood committee people are always dragging their feet; they won’t move that fast. Chusheng, you should go find Wei Xia right now, coax her nicely, and get the money back.”
