Chapter 51

Xia Juan was stopped by her colleague Gao Lan, and the questioning words were swallowed back hard.

Coming back to her senses, her complexion turned a bit sour.

Their trip this time seemed like a joke.

Gao Lan had figured it out; could she not have figured it out?

For a moment, she stood awkwardly in the Lu family's courtyard, not knowing whether to leave or stay.

Old Lady Lu snorted coldly and asked the two: "What else do you want to ask me?"

Xia Juan shook her head and could only say dryly: "No... nothing."

What was there to ask the old lady? Didn't they see that Representative Qin had already called her Grandma Lu?

Old Lady Lu rubbed her forehead and said impatiently: "Qiao, you entertain the guests. I have a headache and am going into the room to lie down for a while."

Xia Juan and Gao Lan exchanged a glance. The old lady was old, and if they angered her, it would be hard to say what might happen.

Lu Qiao's eyes rolled, and she walked up with a smile: "I still don't know which unit you two comrades are from. Let me introduce myself first. I work at the neighborhood office, and my name is Lu Qiao."

Xia Juan had no choice but to state her name and unit, as well as Gao Lan's.

Lu Qiao said enthusiastically: "So you are comrades from the Women's Federation. You've come from so far away; thank you for your hard work. Sit down and have some water."

Saying this, she was about to pour water for the two.

Gao Lan hurriedly stopped her. Lu Qiao had indeed passed the exam for the neighborhood office; it turned out the rumors were true.

"No trouble, we should be going."

How could Lu Qiao let them just leave like this? She retracted the smile on her face and said: "I heard some things at the door just now, so can you tell me why you came to my house to find my grandmother?"

Xia Juan didn't speak, but Gao Lan was quite straightforward and stated the purpose of their visit.

Lu Qiao frowned: "Who is this 'someone'? They are clearly stirring up trouble and destroying the relationship between comrades. If Representative Qin hadn't happened to pass by, my grandmother might have been splashed with dirty water."

"It was our misunderstanding, sorry, Comrade Xiao Lu." Gao Lan apologized proactively.

"I wouldn't dare say that someone used your Women's Federation or the two of you as a gun, but it's close enough. My grandmother didn't have this thought at all, nor did she ever say a word she shouldn't have to anyone. My family members are the same. But you came to question us so solemnly; this is too much. My father will be back tonight, and I will definitely mention this to him. Although he is an old worker without power or influence, it should be fine to go to the factory director to report that someone is framing us, right?"

Xia Juan was stunned for a moment and hurriedly said: "Didn't we say it was a misunderstanding?"

Lu Qiao shook her head: "It won't do if the person spreading rumors isn't caught. What if this person has ulterior motives and is a special agent trying to destroy the relationship between the military and the people? Do you still call it a misunderstanding?"

Special agent?

Both of them changed their expressions in unison.

"You also know that my father is a level-seven worker in the No. 1 Workshop, and the No. 1 Workshop is a key workshop. My father's welding technology isn't necessarily the most amazing, but it has been specifically praised by Representative Qin and high-level leaders."

Gao Lan immediately said: "When your father comes back tonight, you tell him. We will definitely handle this seriously and ferret out the person who spread the rumors."

Lu Qiao smiled slightly.

Will they handle it seriously?

Not very likely.

Since it could be heard by Deputy Factory Director Lin, it couldn't be some auntie on the side of the road, right?

Let's make a scene first; once it's out in the open, it will be easier to handle.

After the two left, Old Lady Lu ran out to look at Lu Qiao.

Lu Qiao was washing the mud off the tabby cat's paws; after washing, she wiped them dry with an old towel before letting it go down to eat the fish.

Among the cats and dogs nowadays, there are almost none that are pampered. The tabby cat was originally from Engineer Chen's family, but after Engineer Chen was transferred, it was abandoned, much like the old black cat's fate.

Xiao Si brought the chipped sea bowl that Huahua used specifically for eating, and put a few small fish that had stopped moving into it.

The rest were carried by Lu Qiao and poured into a large water basin in a cool, shaded place.

Old Lady Lu hesitated, seemingly thinking about how to ask.

Lu Qiao still had to write the plan to hand over to Director Hu in the afternoon.

She said straightforwardly: "Grandma, Qin Hengzhi must have known in advance that the Women's Federation was coming to talk to you. He didn't want the situation to escalate, so he simply came to our house himself. Nothing is better than appearing in person to speak, right?"

Old Lady Lu glanced at her second granddaughter, thought and thought again, and finally shook her head and stopped asking.

Meng Xia wasn't at home. Although she had filled out the form, she still had no bottom in her heart, so she took Lu Qiaoling to the First Residents' Committee to paste paper boxes.

Su Hui was the one cooking. Lu Da and his wife had told Su Hui not to do odd jobs, but how could Su Hui stay still? She started preparing lunch early.

Steamed buns made of two-grain flour, cabbage and tofu soup, and a plate of sliced salted vegetables.

Seeing Lu Qiao come in, Su Hui hurriedly said: "Qiao, you don't need to do anything. You should do whatever you need to do."

Lu Qiao asked with concern: "Sister-in-law, how do you feel? Is there anything you want to eat?"

Su Hui hurriedly shook her head: "This is very, very good."

According to the standards of ordinary families nowadays, it was actually quite good.

Lu Qiao smiled: "When I'm not busy, I'll go to Guzitun to get something delicious for you, sister-in-law."

Lu Qiao wasn't just saying it casually. When she handed the plan to Old Hu, she had already thought about what the first thing the service station should do.

This is what she said to Old Hu.

"Director Hu, I've asked around. The approval for this kind of grassroots spontaneous organization without establishment is very simple. As long as you agree, I want to report to you first about what we will do if the service station is established."

Old Hu held the three-page plan in his hand and had to admit that Lu Qiao's fountain pen handwriting was really good.

But strictly speaking, it was truly the first time he had seen a "plan."

But the service station didn't even have a shadow yet, and Lu Qiao already had things to do?

Old Hu became interested: "Then tell me about it."

This girl, he didn't know where she got all these ghost ideas, making him feel like he couldn't keep up with the situation.

"The first thing I plan is to organize a 'Serve the People' fair for the Xiang Yang Neighborhood Office, lasting for three days. We can cooperate with the commune members of Guzitun, still in the form of barter, but this time it will be face-to-face. The exchanged materials must be approved by you before they can be traded. Specify the trading standards in advance to avoid conflicts due to the amount of materials. Of course, all the prerequisites are that you approve the establishment of the service station."

Old Hu only felt his scalp tingling.

Having worked for so many years, he had always worked according to the rules.

It was the first time he had a feeling of doing things without following the rules.

Lu Qiao continued: "Director Hu, the return of educated youth to the city and the increase in unemployed youth is an undeniable fact. Therefore, our neighborhood office must think ahead. However, even if it is approved, there is no salary, no establishment, and no benefits; it is basically voluntary contribution. How many people do you think will sign up? So, when the time comes, Director Hu, you must lead by example and call your second son back to build his hometown. Of course, I will definitely sign up my younger sister."

Director Hu gripped the plan tightly.

He only felt that Lu Qiao's every sentence was a trap, as if she were waiting for him to jump in.

If he let his second son come back, wouldn't his old wife be so happy she'd cry?

Finally, Director Hu told Lu Qiao to hurry up and continue the investigation; he wanted to discuss it with Deputy Director Huang.

Director Hu was drumming in his heart. Factory Director Hao asked him to assess Lu Qiao's character; how should he report back after a week?