Chapter 119: Telling Director Li Wanting to Resign
The primary culprit behind the feast, Sheng Wanyan, ate and drank her fill before drifting off into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Grandpa and Grandma Sheng, meanwhile, lay in their bed, patting their full stomachs. The elderly couple still couldn’t quite wrap their heads around the fact that this new life was real. They had actually eaten meat for a midnight snack. What other family in the city lived as extravagantly as them?
Looking back on it now, they felt a twinge of embarrassment. At their age, they still couldn’t control their cravings. How shameful, they thought, though they were both smiling in the dark. Truly shameful!
In the next room, Father and Mother Sheng were also awake. Mother Sheng stared at the ceiling and let out a long, contemplative sigh.
“Old Sheng, I’ve realized that having a daughter is just as good as having a son,” she whispered. “Everyone says sons are the ones who take care of you in your old age, but look at how capable our Wanyan is! She’s as strong as any boy. Sometimes I wish she had been born a boy.”
Mother Sheng felt that if Wanyan were a man, she wouldn’t be a bit inferior to her brother, Sheng Wanze. In this era, girls were simply too restricted by society.
“Can our daughter really be compared to other girls?” Father Sheng replied. “When Wanze has children in the future, whether they are boys or girls, we have to educate them well and treat them all equally.”
“I still hope they have more boys,” Mother Sheng muttered, rolling her eyes. “You know the situation in our family. Wanze is an only son. If the Sheng family doesn’t have more boys, the family line ends with him.”
“Yes, yes, my dear, you’re the one who thinks things through,” Father Sheng soothed. “But it’s ultimately up to the children. Don’t push them too hard.”
“Bah! You make me sound like some wicked mother-in-law.”
She only had these thoughts because the Sheng family line was thin, but if her first grandchild was a girl, she knew she would treat the child like the apple of her eye. Her own daughter was so sensible and well-behaved; she was certain she could raise a granddaughter to be just as excellent—perhaps even a top-tier female worker one day.
Wanze and Pan Yue had been married for five months now, and Mother Sheng was growing anxious to become a grandmother. She decided she had to mention it in her next letter. It was better to have children while the couple was young and she was still strong enough to help Pan Yue through the postpartum recovery.
The next day, Mother Sheng penned a letter to Sheng Wanze, pointedly suggesting that they start a family as soon as possible.
It was more than half a month later when Sheng Wanze received the letter. After reading its contents, he shared the news with his wife. Pan Yue flushed deep red. They were already doing their best, and she hoped to be pregnant soon.
“I want children, too,” Pan Yue whispered, lowering her head in a bashful haze.
Sheng Wanze’s eyes lit up at her admission. It seemed he would have to work a bit harder at night.
“Mom also said that Wanyan is getting married on June 16th and the wedding will be in the Capital. We’ll take leave and head there then.”
“That’s perfect,” Pan Yue said. “Wait—speaking of which, Deputy Captain Gu is going to be your brother-in-law now.”
Wanze’s expression turned complicated. His superior officer was becoming his brother-in-law. It was a strange twist of fate.
Pan Yue hadn’t expected Wanyan’s partner to be Gu Tingxiao. The Sheng family had been tight-lipped about the suitor before, fearing it might affect Wanyan’s reputation if things didn’t work out. It was only because of the formal proposal mentioned in the letter that Pan Yue finally knew the truth.
While the Pan family was well-known in the Capital, they were no match for the Gu family—a lineage defined by generations of loyalty, bravery, and sacrifice for the country. Old Man Gu’s legendary status and the family’s prestigious history were on a completely different level. Even Pan Yue’s own grandfather was exceptionally respectful whenever he stood before Old Man Gu. One was a former top-tier military leader, while her grandfather had been a deputy commander of a branch. They were both “leaders,” but in reality, they were worlds apart.
Wanyan was marrying into the Capital, and it truly felt like a “leap through the dragon gate.”
As her sister-in-law, I have to prepare a grand gift, Pan Yue thought. I want her to feel confident and supported when she enters that family.
“As her brother and sister-in-law, we have to help her,” Pan Yue said aloud. “The Gu family is wealthy and influential; we need to give Wanyan some face.”
“So… what should we give?” Wanze asked. “A dress? Some furniture?”
Pan Yue rolled her eyes. Why was a man’s mind so limited to just clothes? “Money and coupons are the most practical for her to have on hand, but we should give her a red dress as well.”
“I’ll follow your lead, wife,” Sheng Wanze said with a goofy grin.
Pan Yue couldn’t help but smile back. She pulled out a hidden iron box where they kept their savings. “We’ll give her 166 yuan. Tomorrow, I’ll write to my cousin’s wife and ask her to buy a high-quality red dress from the Overseas Chinese Store.”
Pan Yue was not a stingy woman. Over the past few months, they had received packages from Chengdu every month, filled with meat and grain. Mother Sheng’s letters explained that Wanyan was the one sourcing these supplies. Since her sister-in-law was so thoughtful and treated her like a true sister, Pan Yue was determined to return the kindness.
Moreover, Wanyan had sent over ginseng slices she had found herself in the mountains. Pan Yue didn’t even dare to calculate the market value of such a gift—it would far exceed 166 yuan. With both her husband and father being soldiers, she knew those slices could literally save a life one day.
“And when she officially joins the army base, I’ll send her a table and a wardrobe,” Pan Yue added, feeling that the money alone wasn’t enough to show their support.
“Wife, you are so sensible.”
Pan Yue laughed, playful but sharp. “Get lost!” she teased. Her husband was becoming more shameless by the day.
Time flew, and early May arrived.
Sheng Wanyan had been managing the Propaganda Department for three months, and finally, Director Li returned to his post. The logistics director position had eventually been filled by a veteran employee from within that department, which satisfied the factory manager’s desire for stability.
Now that the transition was over, Wanyan knew it was time to speak up. It was best to give her notice a month in advance so everyone could prepare.
“Director, I have something to discuss with you,” Wanyan said, stepping into Director Li’s office.
Director Li looked up with a warm smile. “Comrade Sheng Wanyan! What can I do for you?”
“Director, I’m getting married. After I finish my duties this month, I’ll be resigning to join the army with my husband. My relative will be taking over my position; she’s a high school graduate and very capable.”
“No problem at all… wait, WHAT!?”
Director Li’s brain stalled. He had assumed she had come to ask for a few days of well-deserved rest after working so hard for three months.
“Comrade Wanyan, you don’t have to resign just because you’re getting married!” he blurted out, desperate to keep his most talented employee.
“Director,” she explained gently, “my husband is a soldier stationed far away. I have to go with him.”
