Chapter 42 : A Fierce Wife

“Report!”

Li Zhongxun called out, “Enter!”

“Report, Commander. There’s a comrade named Wei Yan at the door. He says he’s here to present a banner and a letter of thanks.”

Li Zhongxun became interested, “Thanking whom?”

“Captain Shen Zheng.”

Li Zhongxun thought for a moment, “After the inspection, bring him in.”

Xu Zhigang furrowed his brow. What was going on with Wei Yan? Why was he everywhere? Was he deliberately trying to oppose him?

He’d just saved his son, and now, here he was, running over to present a banner, showing off.

After a while, Wei Yan entered, holding the banner.

As soon as he stepped inside, he brightened, “Oh, Xu Factory Manager, what a coincidence! We can meet here!”

Xu Zhigang forced a smile, “Yes, it’s truly a coincidence.”

Shen Zheng introduced Wei Yan, “This is our Division Commander, Li Zhongxun.”

Wei Yan stood at attention, acting as if it were a big deal, “Hello, Division Commander Li. My name is Wei Yan. Previously, Commander Shen and his wife saved my son. I am here to personally thank them.”

With that, Wei Yan unfurled the banner, revealing two large gold characters: “Bravery in Saving Lives, Boundless Love. A Lifelong Debt of Gratitude.”

Li Zhongxun looked at the banner with pride.

Wei Yan clearly explained the rescue situation, “I originally wanted to thank you earlier, but I’ve been too busy. Today, after finishing up, I hurried over.”

Xu Zhigang thought: ‘You would have been better off not coming at all.’

Li Zhongxun solemnly accepted the banner, “This is what we should have done.”

Wei Yan turned to look at Fang Xiaoluo, “Xiaoluo, are you catching up with old times here?”

Fang Xiaoluo’s face instantly fell. Her eyes reddened, and she looked aggrieved. She didn’t say anything, but a tear fell from her eye.

In a soft, pitiful voice, she spoke, “Factory Manager Wei, you know, I was swapped at birth with Xu Yaqiu. I lived in the city for nineteen years, so she has always hated me. Today, when Shen Zheng and I went back to visit, she was also there. She called my son a fool, scaring him into crying. I only said a few words to her, but…”

She looked timidly at Xu Yaqiu for a moment, “But somehow, they hurt her arm and came to the military district to accuse Shen Zheng.”

As soon as Wei Yan heard this, he was immediately displeased, “Old Xu, this is your fault. Why do you keep going against my benefactor? You let your daughter scare someone else’s son, calling him a fool, who would be happy with that?”

“Old Xu, business is all about honesty. If you raise your daughter this way, I really start to doubt your integrity.”

Xu Zhigang’s alarm bells went off in his head, “Factory Manager Wei, you misunderstood. We heard from Yaqiu that Commander Shen’s son had some issues and might need to go to the hospital for a checkup. That’s why we came here with money today.”

“We couldn’t find them, so we just came here directly.”

Saying that, Xu Zhigang took out two hundred yuan from his pocket and shoved it into Fang Xiaoluo’s hands, “Xiaoluo, though you have some misunderstandings with us, your mother and I have always kept you in our thoughts. You never had to worry about money when you were at home, and we can’t just stand by while you’re struggling. Take this money, and if it’s not enough, come to us again.”

Fang Xiaoluo didn’t hesitate and immediately accepted the money.

Wei Yan gave Xu Zhigang a thumbs up, “Factory Manager Xu, you’re truly a good person. No wonder you’re my business partner.”

Xu Zhigang’s heart was bleeding, “Lihong, Yaqiu, Yanwen, let’s go home.”

“Division Commander Li, I truly apologize for the disturbance.”

Li Zhongxun was left stunned by this sudden twist, “Factory Manager Xu, weren’t you just saying that Shen Zheng should apologize?”

Xu Zhigang waved his hands repeatedly, “Division Commander Li, you must have heard wrong.”

After speaking, he led Xu Yaqiu and the others out.

Wei Yan stroked his chin, a smile in his eyes, “Xiaoluo, Commander Shen, I’ll head back now.”

Li Zhongxun narrowed his eyes, “Shen Zheng, stay for a moment. I have something to ask you.”

Fang Xiaoluo said, “Factory Manager Wei, I’ll walk you out.”

As they left the meeting room, Fang Xiaoluo caught a glimpse of Zheng Lanhua and the two children.

Shen Jinxia grinned and made a silly face at her.

After sending Wei Yan to the gate, Fang Xiaoluo said, “Sorry, I was just making up part of that earlier.”

“I know, but you’re my benefactor, so I’ll definitely cooperate without question,” Wei Yan laughed, “Besides, Old Xu is really lacking in character, and I’m happy to see him lose a little face.”

“Thank you,” Fang Xiaoluo said sincerely.

Wei Yan got into the car, “I’m happy to help whenever I can.”

In the meeting room, Li Zhongxun asked, “Did Haiping really bite Xu Yaqiu?”

Shen Zheng didn’t hide anything from Li Zhongxun and nodded, “Yes.”

Li Zhongxun thought for a moment, “You really married a tough wife. She’s quite skilled at turning things around. Plus, with Factory Manager Wei coming in at just the right time, if it had gone any further, they would have kept pressing the issue, and you would definitely be facing punishment.”

Thinking of Fang Xiaoluo, Shen Zheng’s face softened, “It’s all thanks to my wife bringing me good luck.”

“Alright, alright, go find your wife. Don’t stand around here bothering me,” Li Zhongxun snorted.

Shen Zheng stared at the banner, “This banner…”

“This belongs to the division,” Li Zhongxun said, taking the banner and leaving.

When Fang Xiaoluo returned, Shen Zheng was waiting at the door.

“Did you get scolded?” Fang Xiaoluo asked.

Shen Zheng shook his head, “No.”

Fang Xiaoluo smiled, “Well, I’ve been making things up, so of course, I couldn’t fool Uncle Li. Besides, it’s good I didn’t report Xu Yaqiu. They really are something, coming here to make trouble.”

As they walked back, a small figure suddenly ran up and hugged Fang Xiaoluo’s leg, “Sister, you’re amazing.”

Fang Xiaoluo bent down and picked Shen Jinxia up, playfully tapping her little nose, “Let me guess, you were eavesdropping, weren’t you?”

Shen Jinxia smiled, her eyes curving, “Grandma, Second Brother, and I were all really worried about you, afraid you and Dad couldn’t handle the bad guys.”

Fang Xiaoluo kissed her little cheek, “So, I won, didn’t I?”

Shen Jinxia nodded enthusiastically, “Yes, yes! You’re number one!”

Fang Xiaoluo pretended to think, “Hmm… Since I’m number one, should I reward myself with a big meal tonight?”

Shen Jinxia’s eyes lit up, “Sister, are you going to make something delicious again tonight?”

“Yes, and since our Xiaxia is so obedient and sensible, she should eat a lot,” Fang Xiaoluo praised her, and with one hand, pulled a big White Rabbit milk candy from her pocket and handed it to Shen Jinxia.

Shen Jinxia looked down at the candy, swallowing, and sniffed it, “This candy is so sweet.”

Fang Xiaoluo smiled, “Yes, it’s perfect for our sweet little Xiaxia.”