“I know your youngest daughter is about to graduate from high school. If she doesn’t have a job, she’ll definitely be sent down to the countryside. She’s young and doesn’t know how tough life in the countryside can be—she definitely won’t adapt. You’ve been so good to me, so I thought about giving this job to my sister. It’s just that… I… sigh…”
Wang Defa sprang to his feet. If this was what she was talking about, he was truly energized!
His daughter had been raised like a treasure in his hands. With this wave of educated youth being sent down to the countryside, he and his wife couldn’t even find a temporary job for her, let alone a permanent one. They had been so worried their hair was turning gray.
Feng Wan’s words were like offering a pillow to someone who was sleepy—wasn’t this the opportunity they’d been waiting for?
“Xiao Wan, are you serious?”
“Absolutely, Uncle Wang. I can write a detailed statement for you, sign it, and even put my fingerprint on it. I’m willing to give the job to my sister, but… I don’t have any connections!”
“I do! I have connections!”
Of course he did. His wife’s younger sister’s husband’s cousin’s wife’s younger sister was the daughter-in-law of the deputy director of the textile factory. Although the connection was convoluted, having any connection at all could make things happen.
After leaving the textile factory, Feng Wan didn’t leave immediately. She waited until mid-afternoon, when the security guard was dozing off, and secretly dumped the broken pots, bowls, underwear, and bras from the Shen family and the logistics director’s household at the entrance of the textile factory. The items were scattered everywhere, and all the workers leaving their shifts saw them.
At first, people were confused by the sight of so many things. But when they saw photos of Shen Baoguo and Wang Xiulan, as well as photos of the logistics director’s family, they understood.
When Wang Xiulan, Shen Baoguo, and the others found out, their faces flushed with embarrassment. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they quickly gathered their belongings and fled.
The logistics director’s reaction was even more frantic. He rummaged through his things but couldn’t find what he was looking for. With bloodshot eyes, he scanned the people around him, determined to figure out who among them was suspicious enough to have taken his belongings.
While everyone was happy to watch the Shen family’s drama—since they were all in similar situations—no one dared to joke about the logistics director. After all, he controlled the distribution of holiday gifts and the meal standards in the cafeteria!
When Feng Wan returned home, she went straight to Grandma Liu’s room and handed the logistics director’s ledger to the old woman.
“Grandma Liu, today I went to the textile factory to see Uncle Wang from the finance department. He was a friend of my mother’s before she passed away. On my way out, I saw a pile of junk at the entrance of the factory. When I went closer, I found this. It scared me a little.”
Grandma Liu gave her a surprised look. When this girl had confronted Shen Baoguo with a stick, she hadn’t seemed timid at all. Now she was scared?
She chuckled softly, took the notebook, and glanced at it. Then her face darkened as she stood up. “This… this…”
“Grandma Liu, is this serious? It looks like a ledger to me, but the amounts are huge. Why would the logistics director’s household have a ledger with such large sums?”
“Xiao Wan, you’ve done a great service. Stay home and rest. Grandma needs to go out for a bit.”
The old woman’s steps were unsteady as she left. To her, this wasn’t just a simple ledger—it was the stepping stone for her two sons’ promotions!
Feng Wan waited until she had left before letting go of her uneasy expression. In the kitchen, Shen Mingzhu was still cooking, completely unaware of what had happened.
Before she could return to her room, the courtyard gate suddenly rattled with knocking. Shen Mingzhu, holding a ladle, rushed out from the kitchen and stared nervously at the gate. Feng Wan waved her off, peeked through the crack in the door, and quickly opened it.
“Uncle Wang, Auntie, what brings you here?”
Seeing it was Wang Defa and his wife, Shen Mingzhu finally relaxed. They had always been kind to her, but Shen Baoguo and Wang Xiulan had forbidden her from interacting with them, causing their relationship to fade over time. In truth, it was her fault—she had let the elderly couple down. After a brief greeting, she hurried back to the kitchen.
“Your Uncle Wang told us you and Mingzhu are going to the countryside, so we rushed over to see you!” As she spoke, she took Feng Wan’s hand.
Wang Defa was carrying several bags of items. Feng Wan understood the situation clearly and promptly invited them into the main room, then poured two cups of hot water.
“Auntie, Uncle Wang, we’re just staying here at Grandma Liu’s place, so we don’t have much to offer. Please don’t mind.”
“Silly child, why would we mind? We’re all family.” Aunt Wang took a sip of water and got straight to the point of their visit. “Xiao Wan, I know what you discussed with your Uncle Wang today. This matter isn’t difficult to arrange, but we can’t just take your job quota for free. Otherwise, we’d have no face to see your mother when we pass on!”
Feng Wan shook her head, speaking earnestly, “I’m doing this willingly, Auntie.”
“Precisely because you’re willing, it shows your sincerity even more. Auntie will give you two hundred extra on top of the current job price—a total of sixteen hundred yuan. Take it.”
After Wang Defa took out the money, he handed over the prepared items as well.
Feng Wan was a sensible girl, giving such a good job to their daughter. Simply offering money couldn’t fully express their gratitude.
“How can I accept this? It really isn’t appropriate…” Feng Wan’s hands moved to refuse the money and gifts, but in the back-and-forth, they smoothly ended up in her possession.
Human favors are the hardest to repay. Only by accepting the money, vouchers, and gifts could she put their minds at ease. Aunt Wang looked at the money in her hands and finally felt relieved.
The couple didn’t stay long. After exchanging warm words and offering Feng Wan a few more pieces of advice, they quickly left.
Meanwhile, Shen Baoguo and Wang Xiulan were at home, weeping uncontrollably and still in shock, when several police officers showed up at their door. Without letting them say much, they were taken into custody along with the logistics director’s family and escorted to the station.