Chapter 16: Meeting Fu Liye Again 

After arguing with Ji Dahai, Ji Xiaoyue found the gatekeeper and asked him to help her call Fu Liye at the communication room.

“Sir, these two children are looking for Fu Liye. Could you please help me call him back? I have something to do at home.” Ji Xiaoyue was a little anxious, as she had a lot of work to do back home.

The gatekeeper listened to Ji Xiaoyue’s words and was surprised. “You’re not here to see Ji Dahai? I thought you were going home.”

Ji Xiaoyue shook her head. “No. I brought these two children here, and I have to go back to the countryside. The threshold of Chief Ji’s house is too high, I can’t get in.”

The gatekeeper had heard the conversation between Ji Dahai and Ji Xiaoyue just now.

He shook his head. “I don’t know what he’s thinking, not wanting his own daughter and giving her to someone else to raise.”

Ji Xiaoyue replied with a mysterious smile, “Maybe she’s his own daughter, she’s not stupid, why would she do such a foolish thing?”

The gatekeeper’s eyes lit up when he heard this, he got another piece of gossip. He told Ji Xiaoyue, “Xiaoyue, wait, I’ll go call for you.”

He went to the communication room to make a call for Ji Xiaoyue.

While making the call, he had already spread the story of Ji Dahai and Ji Xiaoyue’s argument and the relationship between Ji Qingqing and Ji Dahai in the communication room.

“Oh, I said who wouldn’t raise their own daughter and give her to someone else to raise, it turns out it’s their own daughter. It all makes sense now.”

“Ji Qingqing is not a decent person, look at how seductive she is. They haven’t even gotten engaged yet, Sun Jianbin comes every day, he wants to live in their house.”

The gatekeeper gossiped for a while and then went back after making the call for Ji Xiaoyue.

“Xiaoyue, wait, Chief Fu said he’ll be back soon.”

He told Ji Xiaoyue.

Ji Xiaoyue sweetly thanked him and took out two lard cakes she made from her pocket and gave them to the gatekeeper.

She needed the gatekeeper to spread the word, so she had to maintain a good relationship with him.

Her lard cakes were sweet, mixed with lard and sugar, they melted in your mouth.

The gatekeeper took a bite and praised them, feeling even more sympathetic towards Ji Xiaoyue. He decided right then and there that he would spread the word about Ji Qingqing.

…

At noon, Fu Liye came back on his bicycle.

The two children saw Fu Liye and immediately burst into tears. “Uncle Fu, we finally found you.”

Fu Liye only knew that the two children had come over when he received the call, he didn’t know the situation. Seeing the children crying in his arms, he knew they must have had a hard time.

He saw Ji Xiaoyue was the one who brought the children, and he was even more surprised. “Why are you the one who brought the children here?”

Ji Xiaoyue pointed inside. “Why don’t we go inside and talk about it?”

Fu Liye led her and the children inside.

Just as Fu Liye was taking Ji Xiaoyue and the children inside, Ji Qingqing came out.

Seeing Ji Xiaoyue following Fu Liye, she asked the gatekeeper in surprise, “Grandpa Chen, why is Xiaoyue following Chief Fu?”

Seeing Ji Qingqing outside, he looked at her with a hint of disdain after hearing what Ji Xiaoyue had said earlier.

“I don’t know, she said she came to bring the children to Chief Fu.”

Ji Qingqing wanted to ask further, but seeing the strange look on the gatekeeper’s face, she thought they were still angry about her and Sun Jianbin, so she didn’t ask any more and went back home as if she was running away.

After arriving home, Ji Qingqing told her parents, “Mom and Dad, Ji Xiaoyue followed Chief Fu? When did she get to know Chief Fu?”

Ji Qingqing knew Fu Liye, he was Ji Dahai’s superior.

Although Ji Dahai was also a chief, he was a deputy, while Fu Liye was the real chief.

Fu Liye was the youngest officer in the compound, he was tall and handsome, had a high position, and she heard that his grandfather was an old leader, a whole family of high officials.

She had tried to hook up with Fu Liye before, but he didn’t even look at her.

She changed her plan and wanted to find another chance to get to know him.

Ji Dahai sneered, “A country girl, who in the compound would look at her without us, it doesn’t matter who she goes with.”

Ji Qingqing felt uneasy and hesitated before saying to her parents, “Mom and Dad, I’m going to see Xiaoyue, after all, we are a family.”

Ji Dahai looked at Ji Qingqing with pity, “She’s hurt our whole family like this, and you’re still worried about her.”

Zhang Pingping hesitated for a moment and said to Ji Qingqing, “I’ll go with you.”

…

After following Fu Liye into the house, Ji Xiaoyue told him about how she met the children and how they were sold to the old bachelor.

“Comrade Fu, these two children can’t be sent back, if they are sent back, their uncle and aunt will definitely find a way to sell them again.” Ji Xiaoyue said to Fu Liye.

Fu Liye looked serious, “I wanted to adopt them last time. But they refused because I’m single. They said that a man couldn’t take care of little girls, it wasn’t proper. I also applied to the unit, the political commissar talked to me, saying that I’m unmarried and not suitable to have children.”

He held one child in each arm, feeling helpless.

He had gone to the leaders, the children’s uncle and aunt, and even to their village. He had even thought about finding a woman to marry and adopt the children, but in the end, the children were still taken away.

Ji Xiaoyue asked Fu Liye, “Can you find the children’s mother? Isn’t she still alive?”

Fu Liye glanced at the two children and pulled Ji Xiaoyue aside.

Ji Xiaoyue guessed that there was something he was hiding from the children. She said to Fu Liye, “Comrade Fu, just say it.

The children have already accepted that their father passed away and their mother ran away with someone else. What else is there that you can’t tell them?”

Fu Liye paused for a moment before speaking, “The children’s mother remarried and got pregnant eight months ago. She died during childbirth.”

Ji Xiaoyue sighed and her brow furrowed.

She was an orphan herself and had been dependent on others. Seeing a similar situation, she wanted to help.

She had experienced the rain, so she wanted to hold an umbrella for others.

“Comrade Ji Xiaoyue, actually, there’s a way. Before, the leaders in my unit said that as long as I get married and have a partner, I can adopt children.” Fu Liye said softly.

He had thought about a fake marriage before, and the political commissar had talked to him several times, saying that he shouldn’t joke about his marriage for the sake of adopting children.

“You keep the children for now, I’ll think of a way.” Fu Liye said to her, seeing that Ji Xiaoyue wasn’t saying anything.

Ji Xiaoyue took a deep breath and told herself not to meddle.

She got up and said goodbye to the children and Fu Liye.

Fu Liye took the children to see her off.

At the door, she saw Ji Qingqing and Zhang Pingping standing not far away.

Before Ji Xiaoyue could speak, Zhang Pingping rushed over and pointed at her, scolding, “Ji Xiaoyue, you’ve made us lose so much face, and now you want to do what?

Are you not satisfied with the chaos yet?

Didn’t you leave?

What are you back for?”