Chapter 89

"Hmm." Gu Yousi put down her schoolbag. "Didn't we say we were going to look at houses? Why aren't we leaving yet?"

"I'm leaving now, I'm leaving now."

Liang Ying said, giving He Chunlian and the others a look, meaning that they shouldn't mention this matter for now, as there was no need to bring up such a discouraging thing at this time.

The Liang Family Old Residence is truly large and impressive. Facing south, it has east and west wings, a large garden, a water-eroded roof, tiled roof, a hanging flower porch, square brick paving, and a moon gate...

This was Liang Ying's first time returning to her home in many years. Pointing to a water vat behind the hanging flower gate, she said, "This is the same water vat we had when I was a child. I didn't expect it to still be here."

"This is a good thing, it's been around for a while," He Chunlian said, touching the moss on the water tank. "We'll ask Jin Shui to buy some goldfish to keep in there; they'll be both pretty and fun."

"That's wonderful! Old Beijing always say 'a rooftop awning, a fish tank, and a pomegranate tree,' and 'a fat husband, a plump dog, and a chubby daughter.' If we build a rooftop awning and plant a pomegranate tree, then we'll have everything we need."

Gu Jinshui knew Liang Ying was unhappy, so he tried to make her laugh.

Liang Ying laughed, "Where did that fat dog and chubby girl come from?"

"This chubby girl..." Gu Jinshui wanted to harm his own daughter.

However, Gu Yousi stared at him with dead fish eyes, as if to say that if he dared to call her a fat girl, she would betray him for the greater good.

Gu Jinshui swallowed back the words she was about to say, "This house is a mess. I'll have to find someone to clean it up later. The water and electricity are convenient though; I can just get them connected when I move in tomorrow."

The Liang Residence is quite large.

The family had spent more than an hour shopping, and seeing that it was getting dark outside, He Chunlian said she wanted to go home. Liang Ying wasn't in a hurry either; after all, the house was now back in her hands, and she could see it whenever she wanted.

She was relieved that the house had been used as a government office before, so it hadn't been too badly damaged, and many parts had been repaired.

Unlike some people whose houses are occupied by others, some Courtyard House housed ten or more families. Now that the situation has been rehabilitated and people are being evicted, they can't be driven away.

He Chunlian brought up this matter at the dinner table, saying, "Your aunt's house has been occupied by seven or eight families who refuse to leave."

"This costs money, doesn't it?" Gu Yinxing said, eating roast duck.

He Chunlian said, "They don't want money, they just want a house. They said they would never move unless they were provided with housing."

"Housing prices in Beijing aren't cheap right now, this isn't a good solution," Yan Ren said. "My workplace doesn't really allocate housing anymore."

"That's right, you two are lucky to have been born in a good time; you even got an apartment," He Chunlian exclaimed. "If it were a few years ago, you really couldn't expect to get an apartment from your work unit."

"What did your aunt say about this?"

Gu Jinshui asked.

He Chunlian scoffed, "Your aunt has nothing to do with this. Her brothers on her mother's side are acting irrationally, saying it has nothing to do with married-out women like them. Your aunt didn't originally intend to divide her family's house and even wanted to lend a hand, but after hearing this, she got so angry that she simply gave up. Otherwise, Old Master Lan has some connections and could have helped a bit."

"No wonder they couldn't be driven away; they brought it on themselves."

Gu Yinxing shook her head.

The family chatted for a while, and it wasn't until evening that Gu Jinshui asked Liang Ying about what had happened that day. Liang Ying, combing her hair and watching her daughter doing her homework at the desk, said, "Well, the leader thinks Lin Lianhua is more suitable."

"Don't be ridiculous, is your boss crazy? How could Lin Lianhua compare to you?"

Gu Jinshui scoffed, clearly disdainful of Lin Lianhua.

Liang Ying said, "You know what, she really has an advantage this time. Last month, our factory caught fire, right? Lin Lianhua happened to be there and put it out, which helped reduce our factory's losses a lot. The factory's idea is that she should be the March 8th Red Banner Pacesetter this year, and she's also more suitable for the position of director."

Gu Jinshui frowned and said, "It can't be just for this reason. If putting out fires could make you a leader, then there are plenty of people in your factory who have done good deeds."

Gu Yousi was also drawn to the couple's conversation.

In terms of ability, Lin Lianhua can't even come close to Liang Ying. Just the awards Liang Ying has won over the years are enough to crush Lin Lianhua.

Liang Ying was silent for a moment, then said, "The leader means that my family background is too good, and if I become the director, my subordinates won't be satisfied."

"What?" Gu Jinshui was stunned, blinked, and couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Gu Yousi suddenly remembered something.

This is no small matter. Originally, her mother only lost a promotion opportunity, but later someone put up Big-Character Poster, which caused a lot of gossip in the factory. The factory's performance has not been very good in recent years, and the workers are not earning as much as before. There are quite a few people who are envious of Liang Ying's life.

Once this Big-Character Poster was put up, claiming that Liang Ying's rapid promotions in recent years were due to bribing and flattering her superiors, Liang Ying immediately ran into big trouble.

"Mom," Gu Yousi couldn't help but speak up, "You had everything agreed on this promotion, so this sudden change of heart by the leader might be a sabotage. You should be very careful."

She was also worried that her mother wouldn't believe her; after all, what parent would take the words of a second-grade student seriously?

But Gu Jinshui immediately said, "Yes, wife, our daughter is absolutely right. We can't take this lightly; we must treat it seriously."

Gu Yousi was stunned for a moment, and the pen she was twirling in her hand fell to the ground with a snap.

Her dad is so savvy!

She hadn't even had a proper chance to persuade her yet.

Gu Yousi's many skills were completely useless; as soon as she finished her homework, her parents sent her to bed.

Gu Yousi quite helpless; she still wanted to see who had put up the Big-Character Poster her mother.

That person knew a lot about her mother's interactions with the leader; they must have been keeping an eye on her mother for a long time.

"Putting up Big-Character Poster is such a despicable thing to do. Someone must really hate you. Do you even know who in the factory has a grudge against you?"

Gu Jinshui asked.

Liang Ying frowned. "I've been promoted quickly these past few years, and I've offended quite a few people. If you ask me who hates me the most, it's Lin Lianhua. But she doesn't need to put up Big-Character Poster about me, does she? From what I've heard from the leaders, this director position is most likely going to her. Why would she bother with this when she's already the director?"

Gu Jinshui, recalling how he had tricked Song Jianshe earlier that day, briefly explained.

Liang Ying looked at Gu Jinshui, Gu Jinshui spread his hands. "You can't blame me for this. They made a mistake themselves. I was just trying to teach them a lesson. You can't hold this against them."

"I didn't say it was because of you." Liang Ying rolled her eyes at Gu Jinshui, her brows furrowed. "The person who did this is trying to get rid of me. If I'm reported for bribery, I'll be investigated at the factory, and that investigation will take at least six months to get to the bottom of things. Even if they do find out, I won't be able to get promoted at the factory anymore. If the leaders want to promote me, they'll have to consider whether people will say they've accepted bribes from me."

That's why this person is considered malicious.

He/She posted such a Big-Character Poster, which only took some effort, but it ruined Liang Ying's future.

This method of dealing with people was very popular more than a decade ago, but unexpectedly, it has reappeared now that there is widespread rehabilitation.

"No, honey, I can't let you do this alone. I have to help."

Gu Jinshui grew increasingly angry. What kind of bastard dared to bully his wife like this? Was he tired of living?

Chapter 90 The Ninetieth Day of Being Eavesdropped On

It would be a lie to say Liang Ying wasn't moved.

She patted Gu Jinshui's arm, paused for a moment, and said, "I reckon if that person really wants to put up Big-Character Poster about me, it'll probably be in the next few nights. The leaders will issue a notice next Monday about who will be the Workshop Director. By then, there won't be any need to put up Big-Character Poster."

"Then I'll have someone go and keep an eye on your factory."

Gu Jinshui, "If anyone catches who it is, I'll skin them alive."

With this matter on her mind, Liang Ying couldn't help but show a hint of nervousness on her face at work. Sister Deng noticed it and made a point of sitting next to her at lunchtime. "What's wrong? Are you nervous?"

"Sister Deng," Liang Ying said, knowing from Sister Deng's words that Sister Deng probably didn't know what the leader meant, so she invited her to sit down. "I'm not nervous, it's just that I've had a lot of things to take care of at home lately."

"Oh my, that's a very happy occasion for your family. You must be so excited you can't sleep, Liang Ying."

Lin Lianhua said jokingly, "You've made a fortune this time, with the Liang Family's stuff returned. Why are you still coming to work?"

Liang Ying's expression darkened slightly. She looked at Lin Lianhua with some displeasure and said indifferently, "I like my work, is that any of your business?"

"It's none of my business, but I really envy you."

Lin Lianhua, while eating stir-fried bean sprouts with meat, deliberately spoke loudly, "The assets your family liquidated this time must be worth at least tens of thousands, right? How much do we earn in a month of hard work? This money is enough to buy our factory!"

Lin Lianhua's words were clearly an exaggeration.

Textile Factory are large and complex; they can't be bought for just tens of thousands of yuan.

But when her colleagues heard that Liang Ying had received such a large sum of money, they couldn't help but look at Liang Ying with envy and jealousy.

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Sister Deng quickly changed the subject, saying, "Why are you talking about this? We should talk about things at the factory, not these irrelevant things."

"Sister Deng, you're right."

Lin Lianhua wholeheartedly agreed, and then sighed, "Actually, I was talking about things at the factory. You see, our factory's bonuses for this month are about to be paid out. Some people aren't short of money; shouldn't they voluntarily give up their share?"

Sister Deng chuckled and said, "We'll have to discuss this with the leaders."

She winked at Liang Ying, signaling Liang Ying to finish eating and leave quickly, as there was no point in getting entangled with Lin Lianhua over this matter.

Liang Ying wasn't in the mood for a verbal battle with Lin Lianhua, so she quickly ate a few bites and left.

Lin Lianhua's face showed a smug expression.

A colleague nearby leaned over and asked, "Lianhua, did Director Liang really get a lot of money back from his family?"

"Of course it's true, we're neighbors, how could I not know?" Taking advantage of Liang Ying's absence, Lin Lianhua went on to exaggerate and fabricate a story about how rich the Liang Family was, how many houses and shops they owned.

Most factory workers barely make ends meet, especially since the factory hasn't shown any signs of providing housing in recent years. Many people are still living in cramped conditions with three generations of their family crammed into one room. Hearing that Liang Ying's family has so many houses, many people are already envious, even if they don't say it.

Gu Jinshui asked someone to keep an eye on the factory.

Late that night, the phone rang. Liang Ying woke up immediately upon hearing the noise. Gu Jinshui was already up and said, "I'll come pick you up."

He went for a while, then came back, put on his coat, and said, "Let's go, someone really put up Big-Character Poster."

Around three or four in the morning.

It was still dark, with stars dotting half the sky. At the entrance of the Textile Factory, He Sanniu's son, He Shengli, squatted by the door, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. Hearing the clanging of a bicycle, he quickly got up and waved when he saw Gu Jinshui and the others, "Hey, over here."

Afraid of alerting the gatekeeper, Gu Jinshui parked his car some distance away, pushed it over, and gestured with his chin, "Victory, how was it?"

"Brother, the Big-Character Poster is right here." He Shengli led Gu Jinshui to the bulletin board near the entrance and took out a flashlight to illuminate it.

Liang Ying's eyes fell on the Big-Character Poster, and when she saw her own name on it, even though she had known beforehand, she was still so angry that she trembled and her face turned pale.

"Who put this up?!"

Her voice seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, "Is it Lin Lianhua?!"

He Shengli had met Lin Lianhua before. He shook his head and stamped his foot, saying, "It really isn't her. It's another woman, who looks to be almost forty."

You can't guess someone is almost forty; there are plenty of female workers that age in their Textile Factory.

Seeing the anxious look on his wife's face, Gu Jinshui asked, "Do you remember what that person looked like?"

He Shengli thought carefully for a moment, then suddenly said, "Yes, I remember now. That person was dressed very sloppily. His sleeves were all black and shiny with oil, and he smelled bad."

Suddenly, a person popped into Liang Ying's mind, "Doesn't that woman have some gray hair?"

He Shengli: "I can't see clearly, but the woman has short hair, which only reaches her ears."