Wang Dagou and Yu Weidong hurried into the courtyard in a rush.
The moment they saw the crowd filling the yard, they froze for a second before their eyes locked onto Jiang Qingli.
Without wasting another thought, Wang Dagou wiped the sweat from his forehead. His voice still carried unconcealed excitement.
“Xiao Jiang, why are you still here? Come on, come on! Director Yu is waiting for us to inspect the Hairy Tofu together!”
Before he could finish speaking, he caught sight of Shen Li standing nearby.
It was as if he had spotted a lifesaving straw.
“Ah, Shen Li, you’re back? Perfect! Come with Xiao Jiang. You can help taste it too!”
The courtyard instantly fell silent.
Then a wave of hushed discussion erupted.
“Jiang Qingli was actually telling the truth?”
“She really helped develop a new tofu product?”
“Look, even Director Yu came personally. How could it be fake?”
Listening to the whispers around him, Wang Dagou scratched his head and gave an honest smile.
“You’ve all misunderstood. It wasn’t that Xiao Jiang helped me develop the tofu…”
Before he could finish, Su Keqing let out a cold laugh.
“See? What did I tell you? How could someone as lazy as Jiang Qingli possibly know how to make tofu?”
Only then did Wang Dagou finally notice the strange atmosphere around him.
The expressions on everyone’s faces were unusually meaningful.
He suddenly remembered how surprised everyone had seemed when he first entered.
Combined with Su Keqing’s remarks, it became obvious what had happened.
This woman was stirring up trouble again.
After spending several days with Jiang Qingli, he had already discovered that not only was she clever, she was hardworking as well, nothing like the rumors he had heard before.
There was no way he would allow anyone to continue slandering such a kind person.
The anger he had been holding back ignited instantly.
He glared at Su Keqing.
The superior expression on her face reminded him of those officials’ wives in town who always tried to find bones in tofu.
Without any courtesy, he declared, “Captain Su, what I meant is that this new product, Hairy Tofu, was entirely thought up by Jiang Qingli herself!”
“What?!”
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.
“My goodness!”
The sunflower seeds slipped from Aunt Li’s hand.
“Girl Jiang really knows how to make tofu?”
Team Leader Ma’s wife tugged at her husband’s sleeve.
“Did I hear that wrong?”
The Jiang Qingli everyone knew was lazy, troublesome, and constantly causing problems.
How could she possibly develop a tofu product?
The most dramatic reaction belonged to Su Keqing.
The smug expression on her face froze instantly.
All color drained from her face.
She clenched the hem of her clothing so tightly that her knuckles turned pale.
Impossible! Impossible!
How could that fat woman, who couldn’t even cook properly, possibly…
Wang Dagou must be covering for her.
Yes, that had to be it.
But when she secretly glanced at Yu Weidong, she discovered that the normally stern director of the supply and marketing cooperative was actually nodding approvingly at Jiang Qingli.
His eyes were full of admiration.
Even Shen Li was stunned.
When he had first arrived and seen everyone surrounding Jiang Qingli, he had assumed she had caused another problem and was mentally preparing himself to clean up yet another mess.
Unexpectedly…
Was she actually doing something worthwhile?
And ever since seeing her today, he had felt that something about her was different.
She no longer spoke with bitterness and hostility.
Her eyes no longer shifted around evasively.
And somehow…
There was even a faint scent of pear blossoms lingering around her.
As he was lost in thought, Yu Weidong pushed up his glasses and stepped forward.
“Shen Li, since you’re here, why don’t you come take a look as well?”
Shen Li hesitated. His gaze drifted toward the tightly shut storeroom door.
He had heard that the little girl had broken her leg.
He still didn’t know how she was doing.
Following Shen Li’s line of sight, Zhu Huaiguang immediately understood.
Grinning, he patted his chest.
“Brother Li, don’t worry. Go with Director Yu. I’ll look after Little Xiaohua. Don’t let supply cooperative business get delayed because of us.”
A nearly imperceptible frown appeared between Shen Li’s brows.
Zhu Huaiguang was enthusiastic, but he tended to be careless.
Still, given the current situation…
Shen Li swallowed and nodded.
“…Then I’ll leave it to you.”
He handed over a small oil-paper package.
Inside were fruit candies he had brought back from the province.
The little girl would probably like them.
“Got it, got it!”
Zhu Huaiguang exaggeratedly waggled his eyebrows, drawing laughter from everyone nearby.
“That’s right, hurry and go!”
“We’ve got things covered here!”
Everyone chimed in, and the crowd automatically parted to create a path.
As Jiang Qingli stepped forward, she heard Su Keqing grind out a sentence through clenched teeth.
“Putting on such an act…”
Without slowing down, Jiang Qingli’s smile only deepened.
“Ring ring!”
The crisp sound of a bicycle bell cut through the sweltering air.
With one foot planted on the ground, Shen Li steadily stopped an old-fashioned bicycle in front of her.
Jiang Qingli blinked.
The chrome on the handlebars reflected sunlight so brightly that she had to squint.
That’s right. How had she forgotten Shen Li owned a bicycle?
She had been so used to riding electric scooters in her previous life that bicycles hardly crossed her mind anymore.
Sunlight flowed across the Forever-brand bicycle.
The dark green frame had been polished until it reflected people’s faces.
The chain guard gleamed with a deep metallic shine.
Even every spoke stood perfectly straight, looking as though it had just left the factory.
A cushioned pad had been carefully secured to the rear seat, and the worn edges had been thoughtfully wrapped with matching cloth strips.
A memory from the original owner’s life suddenly surfaced.
Shen Li had bought this bicycle with his very first month’s salary.
Back then, the original Jiang Qingli had complained that he should have bought a Shanghai-brand wristwatch instead.
“Aren’t you getting on?”
Shen Li’s voice pulled her back to reality.
His long legs supported the bicycle steadily.
The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing well-defined forearms.
Ahhhh!
Jiang Qingli had sinned again!
This cursed sense of propriety truly wasn’t worth keeping for even a second.
Modesty? Decorum?
To hell with all of it!
Maintaining an outward appearance of calm, she reached out and grabbed the hem of Shen Li’s shirt.
But when she tried to climb onto the bicycle, disaster struck.
The old-fashioned bicycle was simply too tall.
Her foot slipped.
The next thing she knew, she had crashed directly into Shen Li’s back.
“Mm!”
Both of them froze.
Through the thin fabric of their summer clothing, she could clearly feel the sudden tension in the muscles of his back.
The smooth contours felt like steel wrapped in the finest silk.
A faint scent of soap drifted from him, mixed with the subtle smell of sun-dried sweat.
Unexpectedly, it made her heart race.
“S… sorry…”
Though she apologized verbally, her hands honestly wrapped themselves around his lean waist.
Deliberately lifting her chin, she glanced toward Su Keqing.
As expected, Su Keqing was gripping her newly purchased dacron dress so tightly that deep wrinkles had formed across the fabric.
“Shameless bitch!”
Su Keqing’s eyes were filled with venom.
She bit her lip so hard it nearly bled.
One day, she would find Jiang Qingli’s weakness and use it against her.