“That’s right, hehehe.”
Xia Mingyu initiated the plan, and Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan immediately followed suit.
The mother and her two sons all looked at Si Konghuai with mischievous smirks, wearing identical expressions as they urged him to hurry up and take action.
Oh, if you don’t act, then you must have been lying just now.
How terrifying that a dignified Head would lie to deceive innocent civilians!
Under the playful and teasing gazes of the mother and sons, Si Konghuai’s body stiffened slightly before he resignedly went to fetch the clothes.
“Fine, I’ll wash them!”
Si Konghuai gritted his teeth.
To avoid losing face in front of his wife and children, he’d give it his all!
Hmm, actually, at this point, it’s hard to say whether washing or not washing would be more embarrassing.
Lu Ning was also suppressing laughter.
“Then we’ll trouble the Head for your hard work!”
Si Konghuai shot Lu Ning a sharp glare.
Just you wait!
Xia Mingyu paid no attention to the silent exchange between Lu Ning and Si Konghuai.
After she and Yuan Yuan finished scrubbing Tuan Tuan clean, they immediately fished him out of the water.
After all this commotion, it was finally mealtime. Zhao Jianguo and his wife had prepared a table full of dishes.
Today’s meal was even more sumptuous than yesterday’s—not only was there egg and chive soup, but also stir-fried cured meat, meatballs, and five different vegetable dishes.
The staple food was refined grains.
Even during New Year celebrations, people might not eat this well. This sufficiently demonstrated how much effort Zhao Jianguo and his family had put into preparing this feast.
Of course, compared to what Si Konghuai’s family was used to, these dishes were still rather simple.
Thus Zhao Jianguo still felt quite embarrassed.
“Head, please don’t mind our humble offerings. Come eat first—you can always wash the clothes after the meal.”
Zhao Jianguo rubbed his hands together as he tried to persuade Si Konghuai.
After all his scrubbing, Si Konghuai had only managed to clean Tuan Tuan’s clothes. The others’ garments remained piled to the side, untouched.
Lu Ning’s clothes in particular had been vengefully trampled under his foot.
With a stern expression, Si Konghuai sat with legs spread wide, washing clothes as if he were commanding troops. Anyone unaware would have thought he was studying some powerful secret weapon.
He nearly scrubbed holes right through Tuan Tuan’s clothes.
Fortunately, Zhao Jianguo finally called him, giving him a way out. Si Konghuai then rose with feigned dignity.
His tall nose, deep-set eyes, and sharp, masculine features—combined with his imposing height—made him appear quite formidable even when he wasn’t smiling.
Even holding Tuan Tuan’s clothes in his hands couldn’t diminish his authoritative presence.
“Then we’ll eat first,” Si Konghuai said calmly. “I’ll hang Tuan Tuan’s clothes to dry.”
“Of course, of course. Please, you can hang them right here on this bamboo pole.”
Zhao Jianguo politely gestured to the drying area.
Si Konghuai truly treated the captain’s home as his own, showing not the slightest hint of embarrassment.
Watching from the side, Xia Mingyu almost felt secondhand embarrassment for him.
No wonder he became a high-ranking official—his thick skin and mental fortitude were truly impressive.
Xia Mingyu snorted coldly, lowering her eyelids to avoid looking at Si Konghuai.
Meanwhile, the Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan brothers watched with wide, curious eyes, thoroughly entertained.
For some reason, they found Si Konghuai’s demeanor particularly special and captivating—they really wanted to learn from him!
Even before understanding what “putting on airs” meant, the Tuan Tuan Yuan Yuan children already wanted to master the art.
Si Konghuai was a high-ranking leader, so he had to take his seat first before others dared to sit down.
Fortunately, during the meal, everyone behaved properly, and Lu Ning helped liven up the atmosphere.
Xia Mingyu, along with Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, quietly focused on eating without saying a word.
Si Konghuai kept watching the mother and her two children out of the corner of his eye, trying to gauge their preferences.
However, the three of them barely touched the meat, mostly eating vegetables instead—likely out of politeness.
Or perhaps they wanted to leave the meat for him and Lu Ning, the guests.
Si Konghuai’s gaze deepened, and he barely restrained the impulse to serve them food.
With so many people around, it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to do so.
During mealtime, the Production Team members also had some free time. They gathered around Zhao Jianguo’s home, bowls in hand, chatting idly and sneaking glances at the high-ranking leader from Jing Shi.
The news that Si Konghuai looked strikingly similar to Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan had already spread throughout the entire Production Team, and now everyone was curious.
They didn’t come inside but instead peered over the wall, watching Si Konghuai and the others eat.
Zhao Jianguo was exasperated, repeatedly waving his hand to shoo them away.
But the crowd didn’t leave, though they remained quiet, so Zhao Jianguo eventually let them be.
Finally, when the meal was over, Xia Mingyu immediately stood up.
“The Head is a very busy man and has already spent a lot of time here with us.”
“He mentioned when he arrived that he would leave right after the meal. Captain, let’s not insist on keeping him any longer, shall we?”
“I’m very grateful to the Head for saving Tuan Tuan, and I wouldn’t dare delay his schedule any further.”
Xia Mingyu had originally intended to take Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan back home immediately, but she realized that leaving Si Konghuai here would only cause more trouble.
Unable to help herself, she resorted to a high-sounding excuse to urge Si Konghuai to leave.
She looked at Si Konghuai, her eyes clear and sharp, carrying a hint of barely noticeable threat and reminder.
Remember what you promised me!
“Alright, I’ll leave now.”
There would be plenty of time in the future; Si Konghuai wasn’t in a hurry to settle everything in a single day.
He nodded in agreement.
He was really leaving?
Since Si Konghuai was determined to go, Zhao Jianguo didn’t dare try to keep him.
Before leaving, however, Si Konghuai gave most of the items he had brought to Xia Mingyu, while the rest were distributed to Zhao Jianguo’s family.
“It’s clear that Captain Zhao and his family are kind-hearted. Captain Zhao has managed the Production Team very well—the people are honest and simple, and the team members are easy to get along with.”
“I believe Comrade Xia and her two children will live happily here.”
“These two children look so much like me—it’s fate. I’ve grown very fond of them, and I hope the Captain will take good care of them in the future.”
“Although I’m leaving the Production Team, I’ll be staying at the Gongshe’s guesthouse to help resolve the matter concerning Qiao Hongye.”
“No matter which military unit he belongs to, as a soldier, I cannot stand by and watch him commit such heinous acts. It is my duty to intervene!”
Si Konghuai’s handsome face was stern, his expression sharp and imposing, his words resolute and forceful.
After speaking, he paid no attention to the others’ reactions and left directly with Lu Ning.
Zhao Jianguo stood frozen for a moment before he finally processed what had happened.
Si Konghuai was going to help Xia Mingyu and her children seek justice!
With a high-ranking leader like Si Konghuai on their side, Qiao Hongye would surely be unable to recover!
They no longer had to fear Qiao Hongye’s retaliation!
Moreover, with Si Konghuai taking such a stance, how could anyone still claim he wasn’t the children’s biological father?
An ordinary person wouldn’t bother getting involved in so many matters.
If Zhao Jianguo thought this way, of course, everyone else did too.
“Ming Yu, you’ve struck it rich! The children’s father is wealthy and powerful, why don’t you chase after him!”
“That’s right! Only a fool would pass up a life of luxury!”
Everyone was urging Xia Mingyu to pursue him.
Some even began to feel envious. Seeing that Si Konghuai had left them many things, they all clamored for Xia Mingyu to open them and let everyone have a look.
“You still owe me some grain, don’t forget! We’ve been so good to you—now that you’re wealthy, you can’t forget us!”
Many people are both kind-hearted and envious: they sympathize when you’re struggling, but grow jealous when they see you living well.
Xia Mingyu had no choice but to try her best to explain.
“He really has nothing to do with Tuanbao and Yuanbao…”
“I’ll repay everything I owe everyone…”
Although Si Konghuai’s words were meant to support Xia Mingyu and her two children, they inevitably brought them some trouble.
Tuantuan could no longer pay attention to the noisy crowd. He anxiously stared in the direction where Si Konghuai and his group had left.
They hadn’t given the money yet!
“Yuanyuan, stay here and protect Mother!”
“Your brother will be right back!”