Everyone else in the office turned around.
“Why aren’t you at the hospital taking care of your mom? What are you doing at the Mechanical Factory?”
Bumped into by Leng Hui, Leng Yongkang couldn’t help feeling guilty.
The HR clerk turned to ask Leng Yongkang: “Is this… Comrade Tang and your child?”
Leng Yongkang nodded: “Yes, Xiaolin is injured, and I have to work. We need her to take care of her mother at the hospital these days. I didn’t expect this child to not be at the hospital looking after her mom but to come to the factory instead.”
The Mechanical Factory was a large enterprise with thousands of employees. The HR clerk couldn’t possibly be familiar with everyone and only knew Tang Lin in passing, not well.
So he didn’t think much of Leng Yongkang’s explanation and invited Leng Hui to come in and sit down.
When everyone in the office turned to look at the door, Leng Hui had already noticed Sun Xiaojuan mixed in the crowd.
Sun Xiaojuan was a housewife—what was she doing at the Mechanical Factory?
Her first instinct was that when an elder brother-in-law and sister-in-law got together, they were definitely up to no good.
Leng Hui entered but did not sit down.
She didn’t take the HR clerk’s polite words seriously and found a spot by the wall to stand, waiting to hear what they would discuss next.
The moment Leng Yongkang saw Leng Hui, he didn’t want to continue, but since they had already come and started the conversation, turning around and leaving now would only make Leng Hui wonder why they had come to the Mechanical Factory.
At this point, he had no choice but to press on.
He felt resentful toward Old Lady Leng and Sun Xiaojuan, thinking they shouldn’t have been in such a hurry to handle this today.
Now, they had run into Leng Hui.
Just the thought of Tang Lin’s hawk-like gaze from that day sent an inexplicable chill down his spine.
The HR clerk was unaware of Leng Yongkang’s inner thoughts. He glanced at Leng Hui and asked, “Young comrade, how is your mother’s recovery? Did the doctor say how long it will be before she can leave the hospital?”
“Probably ten days to half a month. The doctor didn’t specify exactly when she’ll be discharged,” Leng Hui answered honestly.
The HR clerk nodded. This timeline was roughly what he had expected. “Your father just told me that during your mother’s sick leave, he wants your aunt to take over her shift. What do you think about that?”
Shift substitutions were common in this era, so the HR clerk didn’t mind. What he feared was if the person involved or other family members had objections and caused a scene at the factory.
Not only would it disrupt production, but it would also create trouble for everyone.
This was unexpected for Leng Hui, but after a moment’s thought, she realized it was exactly the kind of scheme the Leng Family would come up with.
Leng Hui shot a meaningful glance at Leng Yongkang and said to the HR clerk, “Comrade, I don’t agree with this.”
“Oh, your father wants your aunt to cover the shift, but you disagree. This complicates things.”
Sun Xiaojuan, seeing the matter being disrupted by Leng Hui, grew agitated. “What right do you have to disagree? The adults have already discussed and agreed on this. Does a child’s opinion even matter?”
Then, she turned to the HR clerk with an ingratiating smile: “Comrade, you can’t just listen to this little girl. The adults are the ones who make decisions in our family.”
Leng Yongkang shot Leng Hui a displeased glare: “Stop causing trouble here, child. Your mother’s surgery cost a lot of money. If she misses another month of work, our family might have to live on air next month.”
“Hmph, that’s ridiculous. From what you’re saying, it sounds like the Leng Family would starve without my mother? So in the past, the Leng Family relied entirely on daughters-in-law, especially you grown men—you’ve all been living off women.”
Leng Hui was furious.
Both Leng Yongkang and Tang Lin from the main branch had jobs, and supporting just Leng Hui alone should have been effortless. Their current struggles were entirely due to being dragged down by the second branch of the Leng Family.
Not only were the second branch ungrateful, but they had the audacity to scheme for her mother’s job while she was injured.
How dare these ungrateful wretches?
Moreover, Tang Lin’s injury was entirely because of the Leng Family.
If not for Old Woman Leng asking Tang Lin and her daughter to visit Youngest Aunt Leng, would they have tumbled down that steep slope and gotten hurt?
“Leng Hui!”
Facing the shocked, probing, and disdainful looks from others in the office, Leng Yongkang burned with shame and anger: “How dare you speak like that? Who taught you to be so disrespectful?”
Her words were practically grinding the dignity of the Leng Family men into the dirt.
Unfazed by his shouting, Leng Hui retorted coldly, “Did I say anything wrong? My mother got hurt because of the Leng Family, and what have you all done? It’s been two or three days—has anyone gone to see her? Not only did you neglect to visit or care, but you’re also stabbing her in the back, trying to take over her job. What kind of intentions does your whole family have?”
Leng Yongkang corrected her, “It’s just a temporary replacement. Once your mother recovers, she can still return to work.”
Leng Hui frowned, concerned about Leng Yongkang’s intelligence: “You expect anyone to believe that?”
“Big brother, I think Leng Hui just lacks discipline. You’re her father, and she speaks to you without any respect. She hasn’t even greeted anyone since she arrived!”
Sun Xiaojuan had a bad feeling that things might not go as planned today. Even if they failed, she loathed Leng Hui for ruining it all.
Leng Hui had never had a good impression of Sun Xiaojuan. Seeing her not only unrepentant but also stirring up trouble, she fired back without holding back: “And you have discipline? Is it disciplined to meddle in your brother-in-law’s family affairs? Is it disciplined to scheme for your sister-in-law’s job while she’s injured? Is it disciplined to sow discord here?”
Three questions in a row.
Sun Xiaojuan, exposed and ashamed, trembled with rage, “You—how dare you speak to your elder like that?”
Leng Hui scoffed lightly, “What elder? At most, you’re a parasite sucking the life out of the main branch.”
The others in the office were all eyes full of gossip, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. It would have been perfect with a handful of sunflower seeds.
Unable to handle Leng Hui, Sun Xiaojuan turned tearfully to Leng Yongkang, “Big brother, this girl of yours has such a sharp tongue, full of twisted logic and no respect for her elders. If you don’t rein her in, she’ll bring shame to the whole Leng Family!”
“Leng Hui, what exactly are you trying to do today?”
Leng Yongkang couldn’t understand why Leng Hui had come to the factory today, or how she had gotten wind of the news. Had she come specifically to cause trouble?
“What am I trying to do?” Leng Hui snorted coldly, crossed her arms, and circled Sun Xiaojuan, looking as provocative as possible.
Everyone watching thought of one word: gangster sister.
“I advise you all to act like decent human beings and stop scheming against me and my mother. As long as my mother doesn’t agree, if anyone dares let an outsider take over her job, I’ll report it to the leadership.”
After speaking, Leng Hui cast a warning glance at the other staff members in the office.
In this era, before the reform and opening-up, securing a job in the city was crucial for survival. Without work, one would not only lack status at home but also constantly have to endure others’ condescension.
Leng Hui had no intention of letting her mother and herself live under the mercy of the Leng Family and Leng Yongkang after her mother recovered.
Of course, she also knew from the original host’s memories that workers held high status in this era. Tang Lin was a technical specialist at the factory, and even if Sun Xiaojuan took over her position, she wouldn’t be competent for the job.
It was precisely due to these concerns that the personnel clerk didn’t dare agree immediately and kept stalling—which coincidentally allowed Leng Hui to witness the situation.