Jiang Weidong: “I saw that the restaurant had an early breakfast stall while I was out running, so I bought some to try.”

If it were before, Lin Shu wouldn’t have thought much of it, but now she felt Jiang Weidong looked at her older sister differently.

Wasn’t it yesterday at breakfast that she mentioned her older sister really wanted to eat fried dough sticks when she was young but could only have them once a year?

Lin Shu chuckled to herself and quietly nudged Lin Xia, saying, “Director Jiang bought fried dough sticks. Have an extra one.”

Lin Xia glanced at Jiang Weidong, who smiled at her.

Old Lady Jiang: “Why are you grinning like that? My adopted daughter is going home tomorrow. Go help me buy some things.”

Jiang Weidong stopped smiling. “What should I buy?”

Old Lady Jiang: “You say having a son is useless, and nothing you do ever meets your expectations. I need some fabric with defects, yarn, white thread gloves, kerosene soap, and other daily necessities. Just buy those.”

Jiang Weidong: “Okay, if I go out…”

Old Lady Jiang: “What day don’t you go out? After breakfast, take Lin Xia to the power supply bureau and then go buy the things for me.”

Jiang Weidong fell silent.

Although he didn’t know why, he could clearly sense his mother was particularly displeased with him today.

He obviously didn’t know that Old Lady Jiang was taking her anger out on him because of Han Xiaofen.

She had trouble sleeping last night, feeling a sense of dread as if she almost got her son into trouble.

To find a partner for him, she chose Han Xiaofen, but it turned out Han was like that.

What if they had problems after marriage?

She nearly caused family discord.

Who else could she blame?

At her age, having no partner, and just when she found someone she liked, she almost made a mistake.

If she ended up like Han’s sister-in-law, rolling around in the family compound complaining and throwing tantrums, she’d rather go back to her hometown.

Jiang Weidong originally wanted to find an excuse to send Lin Xia to work, but now his mother gave him a ready-made reason.

However, he did need to go out today, to the branch factory.

The branch factory mainly produces special parts, and they needed to ship out recently.

He and Factory Director Hu would visit the factory every few days.

Factory Director Hu twisted his ankle a few days ago, so he had to make more frequent visits.

When the Jeep stopped at the gate of the power supply bureau, Lin Xia got out of the car.

When Jiang Weidong thanked her, he noticed that he also got out of the car.

He thought he might be going to the power supply bureau, so she waited for a moment.

Jiang Weidong took out a small charcoal stove and a bag of charcoal from the car and said to Lin Xia, “Add this to the items you’re taking to the countryside. It will allow you to cook hot meals even when you’re out there. Avoid eating cold food and drinking cold water.”

Lin Xia was taken aback; she hadn’t expected Jiang Weidong to mention this.

Previously, when the engineering staff went to the countryside, no one specifically managed their meals.

They often got so caught up in work that they forgot to eat, sometimes having just one meal a day, with the rest of the time spent eating cold food and drinking cold water.

This was especially tough during the winter and early spring.

Colleagues fell ill one after another, and she wasn’t spared either; it was Jiang Weidong who took her to the hospital that day.

Jiang Weidong had also suggested to the power supply bureau leadership that they should pay more attention to the accommodation and meals of the staff sent to the countryside.

They needed to ensure the safety of female staff and provide them with hot soup and meals.

“Since we’re sending comrades to support your work, you should take good care of them, shouldn’t you?”

Thanks to Jiang Weidong’s suggestion, the leadership at the power supply bureau finally remembered this issue.

They arranged for nearby production teams to provide meals, and if the distance was too far for meal delivery, they were instructed to bring iron pots and drinking water, and dig a pit to cook meals on site.

However, digging a pit and making a fire outside wasn’t very convenient; it took a long time to boil even a little water.

Some even suggested bringing coal stoves, which were also not very practical.

This small charcoal stove was actually quite handy.

It didn’t require a large iron pot; a small aluminum pot could be placed on it to boil water, cook noodles, or make porridge.

This was convenient!

Lin Xia was very pleased, smiling with her eyes squinting, “Director Jiang, you really have practical experience.”

Jiang Weidong gave her a helpless look, “Lin Xia, if you need anything in the future, just ask over there. Don’t be embarrassed to speak up. We’re going to support them; they should properly take care of logistics.”

Lin Xia replied, “I thought if they paid us more, we should try not to be too troublesome, so they don’t think we’re too demanding.”

Jiang Weidong said, “Your health is the most important asset. Poor health will affect your work. If you’re not feeling well, rest and go to the hospital if needed. Don’t worry about what the power supply bureau says; I’ll handle communication with them.”

Lin Xia agreed.

She reached out to move the stove, but Jiang Weidong directly carried it for her.

Shen Meizhi, who was arranging a matchmaking for Lin Xia, couldn’t help but sneer.

Shen Meizhi wanted to introduce her cousin to Lin Xia but didn’t tell anyone that her cousin had a hereditary illness.

She felt somewhat embarrassed and annoyed that Lin Xia refused to even meet him.

After Jiang Weidong left, she couldn’t help but speak sarcastically to Lin Xia, “No wonder you don’t look at my cousin. You must have a better choice, right?”

Lin Xia replied, “Sister Shen, this is our Factory Director Jiang. Don’t you know him?”

Shen Meizhi gave a half-hearted smile, “I’m not blind. If you’re really involved with Factory Director Jiang, you should let everyone know. It would save us from being kept in the dark.”

Lin Xia frowned and said unhappily, “Sister Shen, what are you implying? When have I been keeping anyone in the dark? In the few months I’ve been at the power supply bureau, I’ve mostly been out in the field, and I’ve barely spent half a month here. If it weren’t for the May Day holiday, I wouldn’t even be in the city.”

Seeing her reaction, Shen Meizhi became more convinced that Lin Xia was deliberately showing off.

Was it not just pretending with her, but also with Jiang Weidong?

Shen Meizhi couldn’t help but sneer, “Lin Xia, we’re all women and understand how things are. You don’t need to act with me. Who doesn’t know you’re trying to win favors in Huang County? People are taking sick leave, but you insist on working, just so you can fall into Factory Director Jiang’s arms when he appears and have him take you to the hospital.”

Lin Xia was so angered she laughed.

She grabbed Shen Meizhi’s arm and said, “Shen Meizhi, let’s go to the leaders and clear this up. What do you mean by me falling into Factory Director Jiang’s arms? Did you see it yourself, or are you just spreading rumors? And why shouldn’t I take leave? It’s people like you who gossip and stir trouble. Don’t you remember what you said? When someone asks for leave, you sarcastically say, ‘So delicate, why go to the countryside? Isn’t that just to cause trouble for us? Don’t you just want to gain some benefits?’ Wasn’t that you? How could I dare to take leave with you talking like that?”

She dragged Shen Meizhi towards the leader’s office.

Shen Meizhi’s face changed dramatically, but she refused to admit anything.

At that moment, several colleagues from other units who came to provide support testified, “We’ve heard Shen Meizhi say this more than once. One of our colleagues contracted dysentery from drinking unboiled water and was bedridden, and Shen Meizhi mocked him for avoiding work and coming to the power supply bureau just to get a subsidy.”

Although it had only been a few months, there was already significant friction between the supporting colleagues and the employees of the power supply bureau.

The power supply bureau employees felt that the outsiders were receiving subsidies and had to work first! Why should they also enjoy their benefits?

Moreover, they feared that these supporting colleagues might covet the bureau’s benefits, trying to establish connections to stay and take away potential jobs and benefits for their relatives and themselves.

Seeing support for Lin Xia, Shen Meizhi was unwilling to back down and continued to focus on Lin Xia’s personal relationships.

“Among all the dispatched workers, why is it that only your factory director comes to deliver things to you every day? And you say you’re not involved with him? If you’re not involved, then who is?”

“Why should I?”

“Because I admire Comrade Lin Xia and am pursuing her,” Jiang Weidong suddenly appeared at the door, looking coldly at Shen Meizhi. “Who do you think you are to meddle in other people’s personal matters and spread rumors?”

Lin Xia was stunned to see Jiang Weidong coming back.

Wait, what did he just say?

He must have said that to help her out, right?

She didn’t have the energy to deal with Shen Meizhi anymore.

Jiang Weidong then personally went to meet the leaders at the power supply bureau, expressed his dissatisfaction with Shen Meizhi, and hinted that they should handle the coordination between different staff members properly.

In the end, the leaders felt that Shen Meizhi was just making trouble and decided to send her to the countryside to handle accounts and oversee the transportation of necessary materials for the power supply, rather than letting her stay idle in the office and cause trouble.

As long as she wasn’t in the office stirring up problems!

Lin Xia saw Jiang Weidong off and said, “Director Jiang, thank you for helping me out.”

Jiang Weidong looked at her seriously, “Lin Xia, I wasn’t just making excuses. I’m serious. If it were just about helping you out, I wouldn’t need to say it like this.”

Lin Xia was completely confused, “???”

Jiang Weidong gently said, “It’s getting late. Let’s head back to work for now. I’ll explain everything in detail when I pick you up in the evening.”