Li Ye did not drink at lunch, since he still had work in the afternoon. But everyone had enjoyed the conversation so much that they kept talking until nearly two o'clock.
By the time he and Lu Zhizhang strolled back to the First Branch Factory, they found Zhou Ziqing waiting for them.
Li Ye invited Zhou Ziqing into his office, then said with a smile, "Do you know that after you left, everyone at the main factory was praising you? They said you were no ordinary woman, a good wife with responsibility and ability. Old Xie had truly found treasure in you."
Zhou Ziqing froze for a moment, then sighed. "We were all forced into it. Once something like this spreads around, it hurts everyone involved.
If she had not been left with no other choice, that woman would not have come to our door and made a scene. And if I had not seen Old Xie, a grown man, crying in regret, I would not have pressed so hard."
"That's not right! Mercy toward evil people is cruelty toward yourself. Besides, being deceived by the person closest to you was not your fault, so don't go taking the blame onto your own head. Why the hell was Old Xie crying?"
Li Ye poured Zhou Ziqing a cup of tea and said, "Honestly, Old Xie ought to thank that man for running off with Chu Shixiu.
That was practically saving Old Xie from peril and fire and water. By rights, he ought to set up a longevity tablet for that man and thank him for his great kindness and virtue. Otherwise, Old Xie would suffer without end for the rest of his life.
A woman like her would have been fit to be drowned in a pond in the old