novellhall Chapter 141 What We Want
Chapter 141 What We Want
Niu Jianzhong took Xiao Qianyue home. Sun Yongxian was worried at home, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she had returned safely.
"Yueyue, you can't just run off without saying goodbye anymore, you know? What if something happens? How am I supposed to explain this to your mother?" Sun Yongxian was so angry she wanted to hit the child.
Little Qianyue quickly hugged her and apologized, her little face full of joy: "Uncle Lu is coming back soon."
Sun Yongxian exclaimed in surprise, "What? How did you know?"
"It was I who begged Uncle Lu to come back," Xiao Qianyue said happily.
Sun Yongxian looked at Niu Jianzhong, who nodded: "That's what Director Lu said."
Sun Yongxian immediately beamed with joy: "That's wonderful! Director Lu will definitely find a way to bring Sister Zhuang back when he gets back."
"Is Director Lu coming back?" Li Shengnan, who had just arrived, asked in surprise.
"Li Shengnan? When did you arrive?" Sun Yongxian looked towards the door upon hearing the voice and asked in surprise.
"Just arrived." Li Shengnan's face was full of joy. "It's wonderful to hear this good news as soon as I get here."
Sun Yongxian nodded with a smile.
While laughter and chatter filled the air, Zhuang Qingxiang sat there, her hair almost turning white from exhaustion.
What exactly are these people trying to do?
She clearly has nothing to do with the dealers anymore, so why are they still targeting her?
Is this how Lu Congyue treated her?
We can't force her to fabricate some baseless charges and pin them on us, can we?
Only a fool would do that.
These wild thoughts were almost blasting Zhuang Qingxiang's head apart. Just as her head was about to split open, the warehouse door opened and Wang Shengli walked in alone.
"It's been several days, and you still haven't figured it out?" Wang Shengli asked, his hands behind his back.
Zhuang Qingxiang was utterly bewildered: "Comrade Wang, I really don't know what you're trying to make me think. Although my surname is Zhuang, I have absolutely no connection with the Zhuang family."
"Looks like she hasn't figured it out yet," Wang Shengli sighed. "She really is an ignorant peasant woman, insisting that I bring it up with you."
Zhuang Qingxiang was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Yes, I... I've been slow-witted since I was little, Comrade Wang, please teach me."
Wang Shengli didn't expect her to be so easy to talk to. These past few days, he thought he had met a tough nut to crack, but it turned out she was just a bit dim-witted.
What's the point of them working so hard here for several days?
Remembering what Minister Lu had told him before he came, Wang Shengli's face darkened: "Zhuang Qingxiang, I've seen many cases like yours. If we say you're guilty, then you're guilty, and I can send you straight to a labor camp! But... if we say you're innocent, then you're innocent, and you can live your peaceful life."
"Yes, yes, I understand, Comrade Wang, please speak." Zhuang Qingxiang looked at him expectantly.
Even after being locked up for several days, she remained beautiful, yet also looked pitiful and disheveled.
Wang Shengli: "..." This widow is so beautiful... I've never seen anything like her in the capital.
"Comrade Wang?"
Wang Shengli snapped out of his daze, coughed lightly, and said with a straight face, "To tell you the truth, as long as you leave Lu Congyue, I can pretend I don't know anything about your background."
Zhuang Qingxiang was stunned.
"Zhuang Qingxiang, you should be aware of your position. If you continue to entangle yourself with Lu Congyue, you could very well implicate him and get him investigated, ruining his future! He will hate you then, sever ties with you, and report you to prove your innocence and seek a way out..."
They've seen this kind of thing countless times. Let alone two people who aren't engaged, even couples who've been together for half their lives, or biological fathers and sons, or fathers and daughters... so what? They'll still turn against each other.
Zhuang Qingxiang had no time to listen to what Wang Shengli was saying.
Her mind was in complete turmoil, and she instinctively interrupted Wang Shengli: "Didn't Director Lu send you to investigate me?"
Now it was Wang Shengli's turn to be dumbfounded.
What's going on? Wasn't it said that this widow had a close relationship with Lu Congyue, and that Lu Congyue even filed a marriage application for her? Why does this sound like something else?
Wang Shengli reacted quickly, his face immediately darkening: "Zhuang Qingxiang, don't you know whether Lu Congyue sent us to investigate? Lu Congyue received a transfer order to return to the capital, how could he let you block his way?!"
These words were ambiguous, and Zhuang Qingxiang felt as if a huge stone was pressing on her heart, making it hard to breathe.
Why bother?
Wasn't she clear enough? She won't bother him!
Thinking of her two children, Zhuang Qingxiang quickly calmed down.
No matter the reason, staying alive is the most important thing.
"Comrade Wang, I have absolutely no relationship with Factory Director Lu. He adopted a nursing baby and couldn't take care of him, so Village Chief Qian introduced me to help take care of the child. That's all we have, really, I swear!"
Wang Shengli sneered: "A string of lies!"
"It's true, everything I'm saying is true! If you don't believe me, let me go and immediately take the child and leave Director Lu's house back to Dongya Village!"
Zhuang Qingxiang wanted to raise her hand and swear an oath, but she was afraid of being accused of feudal superstition, so she looked at Wang Shengli earnestly, hoping that he could understand her determination.
"Are you willing to leave?" Wang Shengli raised an eyebrow.
In his view, any woman would probably not want to let go of someone with such excellent qualities as Lu Congyue.
Zhuang Qingxiang showed weakness, her eyes glistening with tears: "I had a very good relationship with my late husband, and I still can't let him go... I just want to live a good life with his two children, and I haven't thought about other men."
"Then you can think about it." Wang Shengli smiled. "If you get married, Comrade Lu Congyue will be more at ease, don't you think?"
Zhuang Qingxiang's mind went completely blank.
They actually forced her to marry?
"Zhuang Qingxiang, we've investigated you, and now there's a man surnamed Jiang who wants to marry you. Would you consider it?"
"I...he..." Zhuang Qingxiang was speechless.
Using Jiang Weihai to get away with it? She couldn't do something like that.
This is so unfair to Jiang Weihai!
"Zhuang Qingxiang, I don't think you've given up yet!" Wang Shengli sneered. "Then think it over again. I'll give you one more day!"
The door closed again, and Zhuang Qingxiang felt so overwhelmed that she wanted to cry.
Half a day later, the door opened again, and this time it was Qian Dayou who walked in, his neck hunched over.
"Qingxiang, Comrade Wang asked me to persuade you. I've looked into that guy surnamed Jiang, and he seems like a good match. If you go with him, you'll be living the dream."
Zhuang Qingxiang initially thought that Qian Dayou had also been arrested, but she didn't expect that he was sent to act as a persuader.
"With your background, being able to marry that Jiang guy is already a blessing from your ancestors. What are you still so stubborn about?" Qian Dayou wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and patiently advised, "His family are all workers, and they're good at cooking. They're much better than the man we found for you before. Don't be so fixated on him."
Zhuang Qingxiang listened silently to his long-winded rambling.
Finally, she said unwillingly, "So what if I come from this background? What's wrong with my background? My mother's surname is Zhuang, and I take my mother's surname, not Zhuang Luping's!"