Chapter 90
Yan Lei held a title in name only.
He certainly wanted to kiss and make up nicely, but it didn’t happen. Qiao Wei wouldn’t make up with him.
It had been a long time since Yan Lei had experienced being rejected when seeking intimacy.
“What is actually wrong? If you have something to say, say it properly. Don’t sulk.” Yan Lei felt quite helpless as he pulled Qiao Wei onto his lap to coax her.
I’m angry that you became a stepfather after marrying a new wife and aren’t treating Xiangxiang well.
Qiao Wei knew herself that this reason didn’t hold up, let alone being something she could say out loud. But her anger was genuine, and it was bottled up in her chest, making her miserable.
“It’s nothing,” she said sullenly. “I’ll be fine in a little while.”
Yan Lei asked, “Is it something about work?”
“Work is fine. I just need to ignore them,” Qiao Wei said.
Yan Lei paused. “What happened with them? Did they bully you?”
“Oh, it’s just the usual routine. The higher-level unit treats people seconded from lower-level units like beasts of burden. I don’t play by their rules, so they isolate me,” Qiao Wei said dismissively.
In Qiao Wei’s view, this behavior was not only snobbish but ridiculous, revealing a kind of indescribable immaturity. In later times, it usually only appeared in high school or college girls’ dormitories, rarely in the workplace.
The topic was successfully diverted just like that.
Because Yan Lei’s face had turned cold.
In an instant, Qiao Wei’s earlier frustration about being in the wrong time and place dissipated, and instead, she began to comfort Yan Lei. “Don’t worry, I won’t let myself be mistreated.”
That was rich… who was it just now sulking for no reason and refusing to explain why?
Although Yan Lei only complained silently in his heart, his gaze was all too clear.
Qiao Wei couldn’t help but get angry out of embarrassment. “I was in a bad mood earlier.”
“Did someone gossip in front of you?” Yan Lei tightened his arm around Qiao Wei’s waist. “Don’t pay them any mind. The sisters-in-law don’t have bad intentions; that’s just how they are, and you know that.”
Since things had reached this point, Qiao Wei simply went with the flow and admitted it. “Mm, I won’t pay them any mind.”
But she straightened her back and became serious. “Yan Lei, I want to discuss something with you seriously.”
“Go ahead, I’m listening.”
“About having children,” Qiao Wei said. “I don’t want to have any more children.”
Yan Lei said in surprise, “Didn’t we agree on this a long time ago? Why bring it up again? Haven’t I always been honest about wearing that?”
That was agreed upon with Qiao Weiwei before. Now it was with Qiao Wei.
Qiao Wei felt she was quite ridiculous; she was an adult, yet she acted like a young girl wanting some sense of ritual, wanting to formally reach this agreement with Yan Lei in her own identity.
Before, when she first took over everything, she only felt like a pie had fallen from the sky, gaining a life for free. Now, she actually cared.
How childish.
But serious matters had to be discussed seriously. “From now on, it must be worn from the very beginning. You can’t put it on halfway through.”
The couple was deeply in love, and there were a few times when they couldn’t hold back, only putting it on at the very last moment.
But in reality, the fluid secreted by a male from the very beginning already contains a small amount of sperm. That is how some accidental pregnancies happen. The safest way is to wear it from the very beginning.
Yan Lei felt helpless, but he still agreed. “Alright.”
Seeing him so accommodating, Qiao Wei felt sorry for him again. She kissed him and thought for a moment before saying, “Let’s not be so frequent in the future. I think once a week is enough.”
Two 40-60 minute one-way trips by bicycle every day, morning runs on Sundays, and sex once a week. Healthy, wellness-oriented, perfect!
Yan Lei directly grabbed her waist and threatened, “Wait until I’m seventy, then it’ll be once a week. For now, I’m listening to you and wearing that properly, so you are not allowed to refuse me for no reason.”
Once a week at seventy? If you can manage once a year at seventy, I’d salute you as a warrior.
However, with Qiao Wei’s emotional intelligence, she wouldn’t say such things that would hurt a man’s self-esteem.
She said seriously, “It’s not for no reason. The Chairman said, young people are like the sun at eight or nine in the morning. The Chairman also said, study hard and improve every day.”
“Young people like us shouldn’t be obsessed with these vulgar interests.”
“We should respond to the call to be pure people, moral people, people who have cast off vulgar interests, and people who are beneficial to the people.”
Qiao Wei broke free from Yan Lei’s embrace, stood up, patted his shoulder, and said earnestly, “Comrade Yan Lei, I acknowledge that you are a war hero, but there is still plenty of room for improvement in other areas.”
Yan Lei not only failed to make up with her, but he was also so angry he fell backward.
What was even more infuriating was that on Monday morning, Zhao Dongsheng’s look at him was off.
Yan Lei: “?”
Seeing Yan Lei look over, Regimental Commander Zhao looked away.
It was too obvious.
Yan Lei said, “Spit it out if you have something to say.”
“Hey, is that how you talk to your big brother?”
“I can tell you’re up to no good.”
“Tsk.” Regimental Commander Zhao smiled mischievously. “You know, my wife and I are both happy for you.”
Yan Lei: “?”
Regimental Commander Zhao: “It’s about yesterday.”
Yan Lei: “What happened yesterday?”
Regimental Commander Zhao smiled even more mischievously. “What Xiangxiang said when she came over yesterday.”
Yan Lei had a bad feeling. He had let Yan Xiang go find Jun Jun to play yesterday. What could Yan Xiang have blabbed about over there?
“Oh, it’s just…” Regimental Commander Zhao gestured with both hands, as if conducting a symphony. “There is strength in numbers, and more people means more production.”
So young people should have more children.
Yan Lei: “…”
Hearing the sound of bicycle wheels from afar, Yan Lei turned on his heel and left.
“Hey, don’t go. I’m not finished yet. I told you long ago, have kids while you’re young, have them together and raise them together, it saves trouble. Hey, are you listening?”
The big brother followed, nagging incessantly.
Early Monday morning, Qiao Wei first returned the Town Committee’s bicycle.
The warehouse keeper said, “Back so soon?”
“No,” Qiao Wei said. “We bought a bicycle at home, so we don’t need the Town Committee’s anymore.”
The warehouse keeper had also seen it on Sunday; the military cadre families were riding bikes all over the streets.
“Whoa, can you handle a 28-inch bike?” The warehouse keeper looked at Qiao Wei’s small frame, feeling a bit worried.
“My family bought a 26-inch ladies’ bike; it’s the same as this one.”
Hearing that she bought a 26-inch ladies’ bike, the warehouse keeper couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. “Sigh.”
Qiao Wei was confused.
She walked quickly back home to push her new bike and went to Sister Yang’s place to pick up Yan Xiang.
Sister Yang said, “You’ve done it now. There are only two ladies’ bikes in total: one belongs to Division Commander Pan’s daughter, and the other is yours. Now, others will definitely talk about you behind your back.”
Qiao Wei: “???”
It was baffling. The warehouse keeper had also sighed for no reason.
Sister Yang said, “Bicycles are so hard to buy; who buys a ladies’ bike?”
First of all, as a means of transport for the main breadwinner of the family, the main breadwinner is basically assumed to be the man of the house.
Then, the carrying capacity of a 28-inch men’s bike really cannot be compared to a sloping-frame ladies’ bike. If you squeeze, you can seat two children on the front crossbar, and the wife can hold another child on the back seat; a family of five can get going with one 28-inch bike.
A sloping-frame ladies’ bike can’t seat anyone on the front; at most, it can only carry three people.
So that was it. Qiao Wei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“The Chairman said that women can hold up half the sky. Everyone talks about studying the Chairman’s ideology, so why not practice it in reality?” Qiao Wei said. “Regimental Commander Zhao is picked up and dropped off by a military jeep for work. If something comes up, it wouldn’t be impossible to borrow a public vehicle from Xiao Zhang. If you bought a ladies’ bike, you and Xixi could ride it to buy groceries. If you put a child seat on the back, it would be so much easier for Wu Nier to sit.”
“Now that you have a 28-inch bike, when will Regimental Commander Zhao use it? Huh, when will he use it?”
“Neither you nor your daughter can ride it, right? It’ll sit at home gathering dust, waiting for the day Regimental Commander Zhao has time to deign to use it? That is the real waste.”
“Look at my bike. Yes, it’s not as good as a 28-inch bike for carrying people and things, but look at me riding it every day. Xiangxiang sits on the back; it’s so comfortable and nice. Right, Xiangxiang?”
Yan Xiang was very supportive and nodded immediately, trying to convince Sister Yang. “It’s very comfortable, and I don’t have to grab onto Mom’s belt anymore.”
“See,” Qiao Wei said. “Whether something is wasted or not depends on whether its utility value is realized.”
“A piece of paper filled with a child’s drawings isn’t a waste; it’s only a waste if it sits there, gets eaten by bugs, and can’t be written on. A dollar taken by a child to buy snacks isn’t a waste; it’s only a waste if you’re reluctant to spend it, hide it in the cracks of the stove bricks, and it gets burned to ash…”
Sister Yang’s face changed. “It could burn to ash?”
Qiao Wei: “?”
Sister Yang turned and headed straight for the kitchen!
Qiao Wei: “…”
There were some noises from the kitchen, accompanied by Sister Yang’s exclamation.
Fortunately, Sister Yang came out holding a roll of banknotes. “It didn’t turn to ash, but the edges turned yellow! Good heavens, thank goodness you reminded me!”
Qiao Wei: “…”
“If it had been there for a long time, it really would have turned to ash,” Sister Yang said with lingering fear. “I didn’t originally put it there. We had a mouse problem before, and I was afraid the mice would chew it up, so I pried open the stove bricks and shoved it in… It hasn’t been long.”
Sister Yang was so grateful that she slapped Qiao Wei on the shoulder. “Thanks to you!”
Qiao Wei almost fell over, bike and all.
On this Monday morning, saving Regimental Commander Zhao’s family savings could be considered refreshing.
Moreover, Qiao Wei estimated that Regimental Commander Zhao’s family savings weren’t as much as hers. Yan Lei was really good at saving money!
In the future, with her own salary added, and with only one child, the money saved could be used to improve their quality of life.
Life was beautiful!
The child seat on the back of the bicycle attracted attention as soon as it entered the county town. All the way to the County Government, people turned their heads to look at the novelty.
Once she entered the workplace, she was surrounded by onlookers.
Many people she didn’t know greeted her. “New bike?”
“The ladies’ bike is really pretty.”
“This chair is really good; it must be so comfortable for the little one to sit in.”
“Look at this part below that protects the legs; the feet won’t get stuck in there.”
“My child once got their leg stuck in the wheel and cried so loudly from the pain. The spokes were bent, and it was such a hassle to find someone to fix it.”
“This is good, this is good.”
Qiao Wei was forced into social interaction and explained a few key points to everyone: “The backrest and leg protection are the most important. As for the rest, armrests are optional, but foot pedals are best to have for leg comfort.”
Those who needed one remembered it well and planned to get one too.
Qiao Wei took Yan Xiang to the Kindergarten.
The teachers were very welcoming to him.
“Xiangxiang is so clean again,” the teacher said. “Are you going to tell a story today too?”
Yan Xiang was full of energy. “Okay!”
If a child isn’t doing well in Kindergarten, it will be directly reflected in their mood; they can’t fake it.
Seeing Yan Xiang like this, Qiao Wei felt reassured about the Kindergarten. After all, it was the Town Committee’s Kindergarten for children of staff, and the quality was somewhat better than Kindergartens in other places.
Qiao Wei carried her bag into the office. “Good morning, Section Chief.”
Section Chief Zhou now had a much better impression of her, thinking she wasn’t the kind of arrogant troublemaker from Qingshan Town. When she returned from the Town Committee Office, she would greet him and report on everything; she respected him as her Section Chief.
As for her and the other staff members, as long as there was no arguing or making a scene, and they didn’t come to him to resolve issues, it wasn’t a problem.
Section Chief Zhou responded kindly. “Morning. The weather is nice today.”
“Yes, the scenery is so nice when riding a bike,” Qiao Wei said with a bright, sunny smile.
Even though she had been ostracized and mistreated for two days last week, she was still so cheerful, which was pleasant to see.
This resilience impressed Section Chief Zhou.
Someone who didn’t like her said sarcastically, “It’s still early? We’ve already been working for an hour.”
Qiao Wei ignored them directly and took the written draft to Section Chief Zhou. “This is what Secretary Meng requested, and it needs to be submitted to him today. Section Chief, please take a look and check it over.”
Section Chief Zhou put on his glasses and read it through, a look of appreciation appearing in his eyes.
Moreover, the manuscript was written in beautiful handwriting, the paper was clean, and there were no traces of corrections. It was clearly proofread and copied over.
Section Chief Zhou nodded. “Go ahead, hurry and deliver it to the Secretary.”
Qiao Wei then headed to the office.
The person who was ignored was very angry and cursed, “Is this person deaf?”
Others felt that Qiao Wei was someone not to be trifled with and advised, “Forget it, just let it go.”
“Forget what? We’ve been at work for an hour, and she’s still saying ‘morning’ here. She really has no shame.” The person was relentless; instead of letting it go, they insisted on saying, “Who is like her? I’ve never seen anyone like this. Section Chief, you say something, speak up.”
If this person hadn’t called out the Section Chief, the Section Chief would have pretended not to hear. But this person insisted on calling out the Section Chief.
Since that was the case, Section Chief Zhou had to say a few words.
He thought about this young woman who had been seconded. The talent overflowing between the lines of her writing was sure to please the leaders above; otherwise, they wouldn’t have specifically requested her to be seconded to the county. Yet, since arriving here, Qiao Wei had not been disrespectful to him in the slightest.
He thought about how this young woman entered the door with a sunny disposition, a feeling that made people feel comfortable. Then he looked at the sour faces of some others.
Which one was pleasing to the eye and which one was not was too clear.
“When she gets back, ask her what time she left. Then look at what time you left,” Section Chief Zhou said. “Your bus ride takes five minutes, while she rides for an hour. When she was leaving, you were still in bed picking sleep out of your eyes.”
Giggles erupted in the office.
“Everyone settle down.” For the first time, Section Chief Zhou spoke up regarding Qiao Wei, who had been seconded, setting the tone. “Colleagues seconded from lower-level units are here to help us lighten the load. She even has a child with her; she overcame difficulties to come here. As long as she doesn’t slack off or make mistakes at work, everyone settle down, and don’t let me hear it again. Colleagues should be kind, friendly, and help each other. In my office, no crooked winds are allowed.”
Before, the leader played dumb, which was equivalent to tacit approval. The people below dared to act as they pleased.
Now that the leader had spoken and set the tone, anyone who didn’t listen would be disrespecting the leader.
The office settled down.
Someone muttered, “Why bring a child when being seconded? Is there no one left in Xiahekou?”
Some people were oblivious, while others listened and were lost in thought.
Section Chief Zhou pretended not to hear and picked up his tea mug to drink.
Life’s cultivation depends on oneself; no one is obligated to be your life mentor and teach you office philosophy. Whether you can figure things out or see through things depends on yourself.
What counts as a good person in an office?
Someone who doesn’t set traps for you or dig holes to push you into is a good person.
Someone who sees a pit but doesn’t warn you, watching you jump in yourself, as long as they didn’t dig the pit, isn’t considered a bad person either.
At most, they are… just an ordinary colleague.
