Chapter 517: Jia Zhangshi lifts a stone and smashes her own foot

In Director Wang's calm tone, there was a hint of indisputable severity.

Too many young people were returning to the city.

The jobs available for these young people to seek employment were pitifully few; describing the situation as "more wolves than meat" is not an exaggeration—even a street‑sweeping job had several people vying for it.

Those young people who wandered the streets all day, unemployed and filled with inner fire, had their pent‑up anger and energy almost like a bomb about to be detonated.

Pull one thread and the whole body moves.

A little carelessness would spark a nasty mass incident; at that point Director Wang reckoned he would have only one road left—being dragged along.

Many people, many voices.

With so many people on the scene, everyone already held a surge of anger inside.

Yet Jia Zhangshi, to their faces, spoke some baseless rumors—claiming the street office had already settled with her and would reserve a cadre position for the Jia family's Bangeng.

True or false aside.

Jia Zhangshi's remarks alone had already piled the Director Wang and the street office's work onto the fire.

Because some people do not examine the essence of things, they only believe the false rumors they hear, using those rumors to corroborate and analyze, feeling they have been treated unfairly.

Jia Zhangshi's words were like the fuse of a lit explosive packet; if mishandled, the result would be utter destruction.

Special times call for special measures.

This is also why Director Wang spoke up to question Jia Zhangshi.

Seeing Jia Zhangshi not immediately faltering, a faint doubt flickered across her face.

Director Wang slightly narrowed his eyes; from the corner of his vision he caught the faces of the job‑seeking youths, noticing a hint of aggression on their expressions, some even clenching their fists; his heart gave a jolt, and he felt he must suppress Jia Zhangshi's arrogance, so he deliberately repeated his earlier question in a loud voice.

"When I handed over duties to the former Director Wang yesterday, he mentioned you, Jia Zhangshi, several times, saying you are lazy and gluttonous, love to stir up trouble, will stop at nothing, and could even discard the basics of humanity; I thought he was exaggerating, but his words were spot‑on—you really are a wicked old woman, not only is your Jia family evil, but the street office is evil as well."

A resounding sound that struck the ground.

It tore through the void.

It drilled into the ears of everyone present.

Many youths instinctively stepped back from Jia Zhangshi; some who had already clenched their fists gradually loosened their grip.

Director Wang's heart.

It could barely land.

The initiative remained in her hands.

"Still that same question—others can line up, why can't you? You rely on your age, playing the old‑timer to swap places with others; when they disagree, you curse their ancestors eight generations back. If I weren't bearing the director's responsibility, I might just give you two punches."

The tone shifted.

Seizing the moment, he pressed on with further questioning.

"Jia Zhangshi, in front of all these youths around us, let's lay out any issues openly. You just said your family's Bangeng would enter the factory as a cadre, that the street office had already settled with you and would give Bangeng a cadre post—let's not beat around the bush. I want to know who gave you that guarantee. As the new street director, how could I be completely unaware? You're presenting something that doesn't exist as fact; youths are impulsive—if they believed you, what do you think they'd do?"

Jia Zhangshi silently thought to herself, "The script isn't quite what I imagined."

She had indeed dealt with the street director before; she told herself to be shameless, to bear any disgrace, making herself like filth in a latrine, disgusting those street officials who discussed work with her.

According to Jia Zhangshi's thinking, even if she had said it, Director Wang should not have denied her face so bluntly.

I am Jia Zhangshi.

Jia Zhangshi, like a pile of stinking dog feces.

Ordinary people avoid her, walking around her.

Yet she did not expect the newly arrived Director Wang to look down on her with a glance.

Jia Zhangshi did not know how to answer Director Wang's question.

Fundamentally, no one had given Jia Zhangshi any guarantee, nor had anyone patted their chest and promised her a cadre position for Bangeng.

Everything was Jia Zhangshi's baseless blabber, fabricated just to deceive that bespectacled, meek woman.

Jia Zhangshi's thought was simple.

If she didn't speak well of Bangeng, his reputation as a Chen Shimei would make the girl unwilling to marry him.

There was nothing to be done.

She wanted to beautify Bangeng as much as possible, but she didn't expect Director Wang to seize on her words, and in front of many neighbors, demand she give a reasonable explanation.

Jia Zhangshi felt like sitting idle.

She suddenly realized she had invited disaster by speaking carelessly.

She became anxious.

"Director Wang, this old woman's nonsense isn't true."

"What do you mean 'not true'? This ought to be taken seriously. So many youths seeking work are watching eagerly; you, Jia Zhangshi, insist your family's Bangeng will become a cadre and claim the street office has already settled with me. As the new director, I have no other demand—I just want you to name the person who guaranteed this for you. Don't use the excuse of an old woman's idle talk to muddle things. I don't believe it; if no one gave you a guarantee, would you dare say such things in this setting? Today is my first day on the job officially, and you're putting on this show for me—I really can't believe it's fake. Jia Zhangshi, speak up."

"Director Wang, this old woman really is just spouting nonsense; I'm a rural woman who knows nothing—please don't hold me to your standards."

"It's not that I insist on arguing with you; it's that you're forcing us street workers—your words, once they reach higher‑level leaders, will make them think our street people are all corrupt and self‑serving. Those who already can't find work—what will they think? Have you considered the consequences? Are you preparing to incite these youths to cause trouble, leaving a record for the police, just so you can feel satisfied?"

Consequences.

Jia Zhangshi truly hadn't considered it.

She had indeed thought of it, but she believed nothing could be done to her.

At worst, she would kneel.

Jia Zhangshi, too, was forced into a corner with no recourse, so she softened her knees and employed the old kneeling trick she used on the neighbors.

She knelt down.

But as soon as her knees touched the ground, Director Wang had two people pull her up, ignoring her frail body, and bluntly snapped a harsh remark.

"You had better come clean; otherwise I'll go straight to the police station and have them investigate you thoroughly."

Jia Zhangshi silently groaned in distress.

Indeed, she hadn't expected her plan to meet a snag; even her usual fail‑proof kneeling tactic had been thwarted, and just thinking of Director Wang's severe words...

Jia Zhangshi no longer had any thought of resistance.

It would even alarm the police station.

What are you still insisting on?

He spoke the truth as soon as he opened his mouth.

「Director Wang, hear me out: no one gave my old woman any guarantee; she just spouted nonsense, and I said this only for our family Bangeng。」

Speaking of Bangeng.

Jia Zhangshi became spirited and lively.

「Bangeng is a good child, smart from a young age; Director Wang, you haven't seen him—he just came back from the countryside. 」

「Get to the point. 」

「Our Bangeng isn't without a wife; I just saw that young lady, she's nice and well suited to our Bangeng, so I wanted to speak well of our Bangeng so that the young lady wouldn't look down on him—I really had no other intention, just thought the young lady was nice; as my grandson's wife she would be more than adequate, and our Bangeng would be worthy of her. If our Bangeng had a job, even as a cadre, the young lady wouldn't have to eagerly come up to curry favor with our Bangeng—I didn't expect you to misunderstand; even if you beat me to death, I wouldn't dare do such a wrong thing. I really have taken a liking to this young lady and want her to give me a great-grandson. 」

In the crowd.

The young lady watching the excitement.

Her mind is dazed.

What the heck?

She took a liking to me, wanting me to be their Bangeng's wife, even fabricating such a huge lie.

Heaven pities her.

I'm just here to look for a job.

How did I end up being forced into a match?

In a group of fifty or sixty people, there were over twenty female students, but only she wore glasses, so she could be certain that the young woman Jia Zhangshi mentioned as suitable for Bangeng referred to herself.

I explained the whole story of Jia Zhangshi's meaning, and then there was nothing more concerning Jia Zhangshi.

She misjudged Bangeng's reputation.

Bangeng, who had returned to the Capital City yesterday, after just one night's fermentation, had already become a celebrity in the Jiēdào; many people knew that Red Star Courtyard had a young man who had just returned to the city, nicknamed Chen Shimei, who, in order to return to the city, abandoned his rural widowed daughter-in-law whom he had feelings for.

The two characters 'Bangeng' have been linked with beasts.

Jia Zhangshi didn't know this; just now she had emphasized praise for Bangeng, saying he was a good child, which instantly made those people burst into laughter.

He hooked up with a widow as soon as he went down to the countryside, and in order to return to the city he divorced the widow—can such a man still be considered good?

Bangeng is a good child.

Pure nonsense.

A graceful, virtuous lady—noblemen seek her.

The bespectacled young lady also had an admirer, who was no stranger—indeed, it was the young man who had just struck Jia Zhangshi, seeing Jia Zhangshi's intention to strike his goddess.

The young man was unhappy.

He specifically brought up several embarrassing things about Bangeng.

「Is the Bangeng you're talking about the Bangeng from Jia Family in Zhong Yuan of Red Star Courtyard? 」

Jia Zhangshi was doubtful.

Could it be that you know each other?

Since you know each other.

You just hit my old woman.

Yet he still nodded honestly.

「The Bangeng that people call Jia Shimei is your grandson. 」

「What Jia Shimei? 」 Director Wang's remark, like a divine assist, gave the young man a boost, pushing the atmosphere to a new peak: 「Don't just randomly give people nicknames. 」

「Director Wang, Bangeng is now called Chen Shimei, Jia Family Chen Shimei, abbreviated Jia Shimei; he stayed in the countryside for three and a half years, originally he should have returned last year, but because this Bangeng hooked up with a widow with three children in the countryside, the widow's parents discovered it, had no choice but to marry the widow; feeling that the widow had disgraced the Jia Family people, he didn't want to bring the widow back to the city, dragging it until now; Bangengniang somehow managed to get Bangeng to divorce the widow, and only then did Bangeng come back. 」

「You're talking nonsense. 」

Jia Zhangshi jumped up and retorted.

Watching the bespectacled young lady's face change.

This is intolerable.

「Our Bangeng isn't married. 」

「You're talking nonsense? Liu Guangfu and Yan Jiekuang from your Siheyuan went down to the countryside with Bangeng, and they were even from the same village; if you don't believe me, let's confront each other face to face. 」

Jia Zhangshi didn't dare to spout nonsense.

Afraid of facing off.

The real can't be fake.

The fake can't be real.

If they don't confront, there's still room to explain, and they'll refuse to admit.

If they did confront, Bangeng's reputation would truly be ruined beyond repair; how could he then marry a female comrade with a job, education, and clean background as his wife?

Jia Zhangshi acted like an ostrich.

「Laoqianpo, you've got nothing to say, right? 」

「I'm your elder; you're speaking to me like this? 」

「When did our family gain an elder like you? 」 the young man spoke harshly, addressing the surrounding fifty or sixty young people: 「Comrades, we all heard Jia Zhangshi's words just now; for the sake of that so-called good grandson she mentioned, we didn't hesitate to fabricate rumors, making the Jiēdào comrades sit through it, and also making us job-seekers sit through it; I can't swallow this anger, and once we leave the Jiēdào, I will surely glorify the names of Jia Family and Bangeng. 」

Everyone was tired of Jia Zhangshi's actions.

Then they all echoed in agreement.

A scene of heightened public emotion.

They looked at Jia Zhangshi, dumbfounded.

How could it be like this?

Just thinking about Bangeng Chen Shimei's reputation being known far and wide, Jia Zhangshi felt like dying; last night, because of work matters, Qin Huairu and Bangeng were going to chase after Jia Zhangshi.

Today they stirred up such a big mess again.

Can Qin Huairu get around Jia Zhangshi?

And Bangeng, it's likely he's also on Qin Huairu's side.

Jia Zhangshi's mind went blank, not knowing what to say, and also not knowing how to stop these people's actions of promoting Bangeng's fame.

I don't know how long passed.

Anyway, when Jia Zhangshi wakes up.

Around there was no one left, only that lame old man watching Jia Zhangshi.

……

Bai Xu Restaurant.

Liu Lan and they were busy with the final preparations before opening.

Cleaning the rooms.

Tables, chairs, and private room walls all need to be wiped down thoroughly.

Busy at work.

Huaihua appeared.

Liu Lan let out a snicker.

Who is this? This isn't the Huaihua from the Jia family, right? The renovation crew has already left; they just left not long ago. If you chase now, you can still catch up—they headed toward the May 1 Market.

Huaihua's face showed a bit of shame.

She smiled at Liu Lan.

Sister Liu Lan.

Alright, alright, alright, don't call me sister. I heard about what happened at your Siheyuan last night—what a mess. You calling out 'sister' almost ruined a girl's reputation. We'd better keep some distance, not be too close.

Liu Lan scolded Huaihua without mercy.

At first I thought this girl was not bad, having a bit of the 'rising from the mud without being stained' quality.

But I never expected that in the end she'd still be of the same ilk as the Jia family people.

Perhaps it's because she is Qin Huairu's daughter.