Chapter 19: Deputy Factory Director Qin Falls from Power

After Su Yue finished washing up, she returned to the dormitory. She locked the door from the inside, turned off the lights, and went straight to bed.

Once the bed curtains were drawn, she slipped into the Youlan Courtyard. She was curious—what exactly was inside that safe? Grabbing a long spear beside her, she began jabbing it forcefully at the safe. Sparks flew as the spear tip collided with the metal. After some effort, a crack finally appeared in the safe.

Su Yue wiped the sweat from her forehead with the towel hanging around her neck, then used all her strength to pry the safe open. Inside were mostly account books and similar items.

She casually flipped through one, and her eyes narrowed, a trace of coldness flashing in her gaze. Good grief—this Deputy Factory Director Qin was truly audacious. Not only had he been embezzling and accepting bribes on a large scale, but he had also been secretly colluding with foreign agents, engaging in frequent communications.

Su Yue glanced at the time—only 8:00 PM. She stood up and went to the vegetable garden. She picked some worm-eaten vegetable leaves, chopped them up, mixed them with bran, and poured the mixture into the chicken trough.

At this point, there were already more than 30 chickens in the coop, ten of which were laying hens.

Su Yue collected the freshly laid eggs from the laying hens and stored them in the storeroom. Then, grabbing a pair of scissors and a basket, she headed back to the vegetable garden. She harvested all the ripe vegetables and cucumbers and placed them in the basket. If they were left on the vine or in the soil too long, they would either get tough or rot.

Over the years, every time Su Yue ate cucumbers with seeds, she would save the seeds and plant them along the wall of the Youlan Courtyard.

Now, the Youlan Courtyard was filled with fruit trees—grapes, apples, oranges, pears, pomegranates, peaches, bayberries, jujubes, watermelons, and strawberries. Amazingly, the plants in Youlan Courtyard had strong regenerative abilities—so long as the roots remained, the vegetables would flower and fruit again after being harvested.

Leafy vegetables could be continuously harvested by picking the outer leaves, and they would keep growing. What made things even easier was how simple it was to grow vegetables in Youlan Courtyard—just plant the seeds. No need to weed, no need for pest control, and occasional watering was enough.

After finishing all this, Su Yue washed her hands and feet, returned to the dormitory, and fell asleep as soon as she lay down.

When she opened her eyes again, it was already 3:00 AM. She changed into her nightwear and leaped out the window, her figure quickly disappearing into the night.

An hour later
Su Yue quietly returned to the dormitory. She quickly changed out of her nightwear and got back into bed. Before long, the sound of steady breathing filled the room.

In the morning
Sunlight streamed through the dormitory window. Su Yue got up, tidied herself as usual, and went to the canteen for breakfast.

In the corridor of the office building, she ran into Li Shufang and greeted her warmly:
“Good morning, Sister Li.”

Li Shufang looked at Su Yue, a smile in her eyes.
“Little Su, you’re in a good mood today, huh?”

Su Yue smiled and nodded. Seeing that the water from yesterday was still clean, she put the cleaning cloth in and started cleaning the sanitation area with Sister Li.

After fetching a fresh basin of water, Su Yue sat down at her desk, pulled out knitting needles and yarn from her satchel, and skillfully began knitting a sweater.

Seeing this, Li Shufang teased:
“That color—knitting it for your boyfriend?”

Su Yue shook her head with a smile.
“No, it’s for my big brother.”

Seeing how skilled Su Yue was at knitting, Li Shufang smiled.
“Little Su, looks like you’ve knitted quite a bit for your family over the years.”

Su Yue nodded.
“My family really cherishes me. I just want to do what I can for them.”

While they were chatting, Wu Yuxia rushed in with her bag. She gave an awkward smile and sat down before looking up at Li Shufang.
“Sister Li, my kid wasn’t feeling well last night. That’s why I’m late.”

Li Shufang smiled and replied,
“The factory knows your family’s situation. They won’t hold it against you.”
Seeing Wu Yuxia’s exhausted face, she sighed,
“Go rest your head for a bit. I’ll call you if anything comes up.”

Wu Yuxia nodded gratefully.
“Thank you, Sister Li.”

The records room quieted down. Before they knew it, the morning had passed.

Just as Su Yue reached the records room entrance, she saw Wang Qiuya. Wang Qiuya gave her a look—it was clear she had something to say.

Su Yue smiled and said,
“Let’s go get food from the canteen first.”

Wang Qiuya nodded, and they went to the third canteen to get food. When Zhang Cuihua saw Su Yue, she was especially warm and friendly, giving her a big serving of stir-fried eggs with green peppers.

Back at the dorm, Wang Qiuya closed the door behind them.

“Su Yue, something happened to the Qin family. Early this morning, the police came and took the whole family away. And Qin Shanyue didn’t show up for work today either.”

Su Yue lifted her head with a look of feigned surprise, perfectly portraying shock at just the right moment:
“They took everyone from Deputy Director Qin’s family?”

Wang Qiuya nodded.
“My aunt went to ask the factory director this morning. Looks like Deputy Director Qin won’t be coming back this time.”

Su Yue smiled and nodded.

After a good sleep, on her way to work, Su Yue heard more workers gossiping about the downfall of Deputy Director Qin’s family. That only lifted her mood further, and a faint, satisfied smile remained on her lips all the way.

After work, she picked up her dinner at the canteen and walked toward the alley across the street.

Just as she reached the entrance of the alley, she ran into the same girl and Auntie Liang she had seen the day before. The girl’s eyes carried a hint of hostility, while Auntie Liang frowned slightly beside her.

Su Yue pretended not to see them, but it was clear the two had deliberately waited there for her.

“Not even married yet, and already running here every other day,” the girl muttered, just loud enough for Su Yue to hear.

Su Yue curled her lips into a smirk, calmly raised her wrist, tidied her hair, and subtly flashed the watch on her hand. The watch face gleamed under the sunlight. With a composed smile, she walked into the alley. Behind her, she could hear the girl breathing heavily—clearly provoked by Su Yue’s calm confidence.

Li Xiangbei walked toward her, wearing a gentle smile.
“Yueyue, you’re off work?”

Su Yue handed him the lunchbox, just about to speak when the girl behind her called out:

“Brother Li…”

Li Xiangbei cut her off directly, his expression serious:
“You’re the granddaughter of the Liang family, right? An older woman just now looked like she was looking for you.”

The girl’s face instantly turned pale. Startled, she spun around and ran off. Auntie Liang looked embarrassed too, mumbled a few words, and quickly followed.

Li Xiangbei and Su Yue exchanged a knowing smile and walked home side by side.

“That girl is the eldest granddaughter of the Liang family. She was supposed to get married in half a month. But last month, her fiancé was helping repair their roof and accidentally fell. His head hit a stone, and he’s been in the hospital ever since. She’s not interested in me—she’s just desperate to marry someone, anyone, to escape her own family.”

“But all the neighbors know about what happened to her family. Naturally, no one wants to marry her.”

Su Yue nodded. She hadn’t expected that kind of backstory.

As they talked, they arrived home.

Li Xiangbei opened his satchel and pulled out a thick stack of money.

Su Yue raised an eyebrow slightly and asked,
“Where did that money come from?”

Li Xiangbei handed her a pair of chopsticks.
“Yueyue, eat while I talk. Otherwise, the food’ll get cold.”

Su Yue nodded and began eating while listening to him recount how he had gotten the money from his mother the night before.

After he finished, Li Xiangbei gave her a goofy grin.

Su Yue shot him a playful glare.
“We don’t get a break for Spring Festival anymore, but we’ll definitely get two days off for National Day. I was thinking—maybe we can set the wedding date for then!”

Li Xiangbei lit up instantly.
“Really?!”

“You think I don’t know what you’ve been up to? Buying coal, shopping for furniture—you’ve been itching to get married early!”

“But buying furniture isn’t really worth it. My uncle’s a carpenter. I brought some paper, pen, and a ruler. In a bit, I’ll draw up a layout for the room. This Sunday, let’s go to my uncle’s place and see what furniture he’s got.”

Li Xiangbei quickly added,
“I’m off this Sunday too. I’ll go with you!”

Su Yue chuckled.
“Eat your food.”