novellhall Chapter 248 You didn't make a mistake, did you?
Chapter 248 You didn't make a mistake, did you?
Zhuang Qingxiang was so frightened by the sudden offer of money and tickets that she wanted to leave.
If she had known that Sister Li was here to talk about this, she wouldn't have let anyone into the house.
"Comrade Zhuang, don't be nervous. We didn't mean anything by it; it's just a small token of our appreciation," Sister Li quickly said. "It's also a way of making amends to you."
"No need, no need," Zhuang Qingxiang said, avoiding her. "It's all in the past, no need for any compensation."
All she wanted was a safe identity, one that wouldn't be implicated by Zhuang Luping. Now that the organization had affirmed her, and she had published a statement in the newspaper to sever ties with Zhuang Luping, she was already very content, as she wouldn't have to fear anyone's scrutiny anymore.
Seeing that she really didn't want it, Sister Li sighed and said, "Just take it. They won't feel at ease if you don't take it, and they still need your help."
"Beg me?"
"Yes." Sister Li lowered her voice and pointed outside the door, "Please, Director Lu, have mercy. He keeps bringing this up, and those people are now stuck in a limbo. They put in a lot of effort but don't get any credit and are even being punished. They're about to cry."
Zhuang Qingxiang was slightly surprised.
She knew Lu Congyue was very angry and had said he would hold those people accountable, but she thought he was just saying it; she didn't expect him to be serious.
So many people were offended because of her...
"Sister Li, I'll talk to him," Zhuang Qingxiang said immediately. "He's just worried about me."
"I understand, I understand. If it were me, I would have done the same," Sister Li said with a smile. "I was just thinking that even if they didn't do anything outstanding, they still put in a lot of effort. It's fine if they don't get a reward, but at least they shouldn't be punished."
Was he disciplined?
Zhuang Qingxiang was even more surprised. Was it that serious?
"I...I didn't want them to be punished," Zhuang Qingxiang said in a low voice.
Wasn't the agreement made at the time that merits and demerits should offset each other?
Sister Li could tell at a glance that Zhuang Qingxiang was a kind and gentle woman, but Director Lu outside looked stern and didn't seem easy to talk to, so she pulled Zhuang Qingxiang aside and said nice things to her for a long time.
That way, Zhuang Qingxiang's problem will be solved with a little gentle persuasion.
Inside the house, Sister Li was chatting away with Zhuang Qingxiang, while in the main room, Meng Shuisheng and Ma Ting were holding Xiao Chenglin and staring at him intently.
Even Dai Hongying, who was holding Xiao Donghua, kept glancing at Xiao Chenglin and then at Lu Congyue.
"You know...it does look a bit like it."
"I said before that they looked somewhat alike," Ma Ting couldn't help but say. "Hongying, don't you feel the same way?"
Dai Hongying shook her head: "I don't know."
Meng Shuisheng watched for a long time before pulling Lu Congyue, whose face was dark, aside to talk.
"I'm telling you, this really isn't your and Zhuang Qingxiang's child? Have you been keeping quiet about your mistakes all along?"
Lu Congyue glared at him: "What nonsense are you talking about? The first time I saw her and the child, the child was already a month old."
Meng Shuisheng scratched his head: "That's really strange. If we're talking about who raises a child and they resemble them, then Donghua doesn't look like you at all, so how come Chenglin looks like you?"
Lu Congyue looked at the two children, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
Whether it was because these people's words had such a great influence on him or not, Lu Congyue felt that Xiao Chenglin really did resemble him.
After Sister Li and Meng Shuisheng left, Lu Congyue still held Xiao Chenglin tightly.
Dai Hongying had to leave after completing her mission. She packed her luggage, reluctantly said goodbye to Zhuang Qingxiang and the children, and said that she would come to visit in a couple of days before leaving with Ma Ting.
With only the five family members left at home, it was finally quiet, and Zhuang Qingxiang breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Congyue lifted Xiao Chenglin up, placing their faces side by side, and asked, "Do we really look alike?"
"How could that be..." Zhuang Qingxiang's denial was interrupted.
Others said she always thought they were joking and didn't take it seriously.
But now that the two faces are placed side by side, she suddenly feels that they do look somewhat alike.
Zhuang Qingxiang thought it could only be a coincidence, so she said, "The child won't look like him anymore once he grows up."
Lu Congyue nodded thoughtfully.
"Sister Li just talked to me about some things..." Zhuang Qingxiang put aside the matter of the child and talked to Lu Congyue about serious business.
Lu Congyue interrupted her directly: "You just want to plead with those few people? You're going to help them?"
"I didn't intend to help them either," Zhuang Qingxiang said softly. "Sister Li made it sound quite pitiful, saying those people would be punished..."
"They deserved to be punished anyway," Lu Congyue sneered. "One of their missions in bringing you to the capital was to protect your personal safety, and what was the result?"
"Didn't you say last time that their merits and demerits canceled each other out?"
Lu Congyue shrugged: "Yes, that's exactly what I asked for, so the disciplinary action has nothing to do with us; it's an internal matter for their Public Security Bureau."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Qingxiang immediately felt at ease.
"Then I won't worry about it. Anyway, I didn't take the money or the tickets that Sister Li offered."
"No, I have a salary, I can support you." Lu Congyue looked at her and said seriously.
Zhuang Qingxiang's cheeks flushed slightly under his gaze. She tilted her head slightly and whispered, "The mission is complete, so what about us..."
"We're still a couple." Lu Congyue raised an eyebrow. "What? You want to start something and then abandon me? I don't want to be a divorcee!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhuang Qingxiang subconsciously scolded, glancing at the curious little Qian Yue beside her, "In front of the child."
Xiao Qian Yue: "I know about second marriages. Mom is remarried, and Dad is going to remarry too? So you're both remarried, which means you're a match made in heaven."
Zhuang Qingxiang: "..."
Lu Congyue laughed and said, "Yueyue misheard. No one is a second-time bride. Your mother has only ever married me, and I have only ever married your mother."
Xiao Qianyue was a little confused; her mother had clearly married her own father first.
Zhuang Qingxiang, however, understood what he meant.
She and Qian Quan didn't get a marriage certificate. They were supposed to get one, but various things delayed it. She didn't think much of it, since everyone in the village knew they were married anyway.
For both she and Lu Congyue, this was their first time being husband and wife in the true sense of the word.
This topic wasn't suitable to discuss with a child, so Lu Congyue simply changed the subject to get Xiao Qianyue to stop thinking about it.
When night fell and the child was still awake, he openly climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed).
A family should naturally sleep on the same kang (heated brick bed).
When the child is older, they will move to another room, leaving only him and Zhuang Qingxiang on the kang (heated brick bed) in the main room.
After the children fell asleep, Lu Congyue went to hug Zhuang Qingxiang.
Zhuang Qingxiang patted him on the shoulder: "Your injury hasn't healed yet."
Lu Congyue buried his face in her back and said in a muffled voice, "It's been so many days... Don't you want to?"
"I want your injury to heal quickly, so stop making a fuss," Zhuang Qingxiang gently advised.
Zhuang Qingxiang was very determined. She was really afraid that his wound would reopen and the doctor would scold him again if they went to the hospital.
The main problem is that he acts like a wolf when he's doing *that*, and he doesn't care about his health at all.
After being rejected several times, Lu Congyue finally relented: "Okay, I'll listen to you, but you have to make it up to me once I'm healed."
Zhuang Qingxiang was so persistent with him that she could only coax him, "Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say."