A few days later.
At dinner, Lou Xiao'e seemed a little distracted.
She usually served both her husband and the children food, but now she seemed lost in thought.
She did not even realize the soup had gone cold.
Lin Zhen placed some food in her bowl. "What are you thinking about?"
"Ah? Oh, it's nothing..."
"You're still saying it's nothing. If you won't tell me what's on your mind, who are you going to tell?"
Lou Xiao'e smiled faintly. "It's not that. You've had a tiring day at work too. I didn't want you to worry."
Lin Zhen's smile faded as he said gently, "Tell me."
Touched, Lou Xiao'e lowered her head. After sighing, she looked back up with a smile. "It's really nothing. It's still about my family background. The district received an anonymous complaint letter opposing my work at the neighborhood office, saying that my background would cause unrest in society."
Lin Zhen frowned. "How did the director handle it?"
Lou Xiao'e said, "Since I don't take a salary, have performed well recently, and am a positive example of repentance commended by the neighborhood office, the director reported everything truthfully. The district only instructed me not to get complacent or impatient, and to serve society well. They didn't pursue the contents of that complaint letter any further, but..."
"But what?"
"They said that if they receive another complaint letter, I'll have to make a self-criticism. If they receive two more, I might be suspended."
Lin Zhen nodded.
He knew that this was not yet the special period, so the higher-ups did not take the matter seriously. They merely assumed someone was jealous of Lou Xiao'e's position.
He and Lou Xiao'e had planned to voluntarily resign and make self-criticisms a few years later.
Working for several years without