Road to Revival

Xu Deyu went to visit Li Suyi. In the afternoon, she heard at work that the Huajin Road incident had been resolved, and after get off work, she decided to go see Li Suyi.

Li Suyi was her brother's classmate and also her friend. Over the years, Li Suyi (and mainly her husband) had helped her a lot. Life is tough for a single woman; if a light switch breaks or a pipe leaks, she needs help. One phone call, and someone comes right away. They never expected anything in return. Xu Deyu felt deeply indebted to Li Suyi and her husband. Now that they were facing such misfortune, even if she couldn't help in other ways, a visit and condolences were essential, weren't they?

In fact, Xu Deyu had already recognized Tao Tang. As the editor-in-chief of the factory newspaper, she was also the deputy section chief. She had attended the cadre meeting where Tao Tang took office and had repeatedly examined the man who had killed her brother while editing the meeting video. She recognized him as soon as they met.

She shouldn't have shaken hands with that person, but she always struggled to follow her true thoughts at the last minute, no matter who she was dealing with. So, on her way to Li Suyi's house, Xu Deyu deeply hated herself. Cowardice was a sin, a very serious one.

Xu Deyu believes her family's misfortune began with her brother's death. Her parents' health deteriorated from that time onward; her mother became mentally sluggish, and her father aged rapidly. She understood the pain her parents endured, yet felt she couldn't fully comprehend it. After she graduated from junior college and returned to the factory, her parents seemed to recover somewhat. Then came her misfortune. Her love life was so sweet, but it abruptly ended after marriage when she was diagnosed with infertility due to congenital ovarian hypoplasia, a condition difficult to treat. Life suddenly became utterly meaningless. Her husband, influenced by his mother, began to beat and verbally abuse her. They endured this for nearly three years before finally divorcing. Her parents suffered another severe emotional blow, their physical health and appearance plummeting like a rollercoaster… They hoped she would remarry, as she was not yet thirty. But she had lost all hope in marriage; her heart was like still water. The meaning of her life lay only in her parents. With their successive deaths, her life ended. Living was equivalent to dying; she had become a walking corpse—that's how she saw it.

Didn't all of this start with that "702"? If her brother were alive, would the family be in such a miserable state? She repeatedly investigated the people involved in "702," especially Sun Dunquan. It was Tao Tang who stirred up the conflict and caused her brother's death.

Now that person has brazenly taken the top position in the company... Why did Han Ruilin introduce himself and mention his brother? Xu Deyu thought resentfully, how dare they mention his brother?

Li Suyi's house was packed with people—her own family, her in-laws' family, and many colleagues. She saw Lü Qi; ​​Li Suyi's family was trying to persuade Li Suyi to accept the "mediation" outcome.

She didn't say anything, just stood there listening to them talk. Lü Qi saw her, greeted her, waved, and called her outside.

"Really, I don't know what to say..." Lu Qi sighed.

"Didn't they promise to give over 70?"

"But what about criminal liability? Su Yi cares more about that. She wants to find the murderer who directly killed her husband and put that person in jail. Su Yi doesn't care about financial compensation, but others don't see it that way. It's like they think everything will be fine once they get the money... You see? Su Yi has a lot more trouble than she thought because of this little bit of money..."

"She's the first in line to the throne. Who's going to compete with her? Besides, she has children."

Lü Qi lowered her voice, "There are so many people arguing about this... who can really understand family matters? Do you have anything else on your mind?"

"No, I just came to see Suyi."

"Let's go then. We shouldn't get involved in their family affairs. Su Yi is being driven crazy by them. Let's wait a few days before coming back. I'll call you." Without further ado, Lü Qi pulled Xu Deyu away.

"Deyu, why are you always like this? I've told you so many times, you should dress up when you need to, don't make yourself look like an old lady." Lü Qi looked at Xu Deyu, who was too plain.

"That's just how I am, I'm used to it."

"Deyu, do you know? You're actually very beautiful. Look at your hands, your skin, and your figure... Why are you still wearing your work uniform after get off work?"

"What's wrong with work clothes? They're perfectly fine, aren't they?"

"Look at those shoes of yours! How many years have you been wearing them?"

"I don't remember. Isn't everything fine?"

She looked at Lü Qi, and Lü Qi looked back at her. They were two extremes. Lü Qi was a well-known beauty in the factory—though now she was past her prime—but everyone in the organization agreed she was the best at dressing up. Her clothes were always striking, her makeup always perfect, and although she didn't own much jewelry, it always accentuated her best features. Xu Deyu, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She never dressed up, wearing her work clothes almost year-round. She was too lazy to buy clothes and didn't even know where boutiques were. She never wore makeup, always going bare-faced. Her bathroom only contained soap and shampoo; there were no cosmetics, let alone jewelry.

"You're a bit like the new General Manager Tao."

"What do you mean?"

"Deyu, you have gray hair, you know? Look at President Tao, so young, but half of his hair is white, making him look like an old man... He wears his work clothes all day, forcing the leaders to wear them too, haha..." Lu Qi suddenly remembered something funny and giggled.

"Sister Lü, you haven't gone home yet, have you?" Xu Deyu changed the subject.

"No. I came straight here after get off work. My goodness, as soon as I heard about the compensation, more than a dozen people from both families swarmed over, all trying to persuade Su Yi to sign. Don't they think about Su Yi's feelings at all?"

"It's not surprising, that's just how people are."

"Come to my house for dinner? You're all alone anyway. Lao Fan isn't here today, so I'm all alone too. Come on, come on." Without further ado, Lü Qi dragged Xu Deyu to her house.

"It's so beautiful..." This was Xu Deyu's first time visiting Lü Qi's home.

"It's been renovated for several years, what's this? It's so ordinary. Go and see Zhao Zhenghong's house, and you'll know that my house is a slum."

"Your home is a slum, my home is a garbage dump..." Xu Deyu felt a pang of pain when he said this. His relatives were all gone, so was his home still a home?

"Your house really needs a tidying up... You've been too easygoing." Last year, when Xu Deyu's mother passed away, Lü Qi came to help with the funeral arrangements. She remembered that the Xu family's house was too simple, as if it had been reverted to the 1970s...

"No need..." Xu Deyu said, but in his heart he still admired how warm and romantic Lu Qi's home was decorated.

"Tell me, what do you want to eat?"

"Where's your son?" Xu Deyu was still looking around.

"Dinner is at my house. My mom has to see him every day, otherwise she'll come over in the evening too."

"Is Section Chief Fan away on a business trip?"

"What kind of business trip could he be on? My mother-in-law is sick, so he rushed back this afternoon."

"Why don't you go and take a look?"

"I already called. My blood pressure is high, it's an old problem... How about we have hot pot?"

"Isn't it troublesome?"

"The ingredients are all ready-made, so please make your choice. I'll prepare them right away." Lü Qi went to the freezer on the balcony to get the frozen lamb and hot pot base.

Xu Deyu's worst skill was cooking. After her mother passed away, she had to make do, often eating instant noodles for days on end. So she hid her lack of cooking ability and didn't help. Bored, she couldn't resist touring Lü Qi's "mansion".

All she knew was that these houses were completed in 06, and some colleagues in the publicity department had bought apartments in the same batch. They were three-bedroom, two-living-room layouts, with an area of ​​less than 130 square meters. The design was very reasonable; the three bedrooms faced south, while the living room, dining room, and kitchen (connected to the dining room) were on the shady side. The innermost bedroom was undoubtedly for Lu Qi and her husband, while the bedroom closest to the entrance had its door open, and its messy arrangement clearly indicated it was Lu Qi's son's room. The middle room, connected to a balcony, was a study. Xu Deyu was drawn to the large bookshelves and strolled inside, carefully browsing the collection.

She discovered that Lü Qi's book collection mainly consisted of poetry collections, travelogues, health and beauty books; she couldn't find any of her preferred novel genres, except for a six-volume supplement of "Long Novels" from 2011, which she guessed Lü Qi had subscribed to. She picked up one, then another, flipping through the table of contents. "Sister Lü, have you finished reading this magazine series?"

Lu Qi, holding a roll of lettuce, came over and said, "That was ordered by Lao Fan in a fit of madness; he only ordered it for a year. Take it if you like."

"Then I'll borrow it. I thought you had subscribed to it." Xu Deyu took down all six volumes of the magazine.

"Take whatever book you like. Nowadays, apart from occasionally reading poetry and magazines, I basically don't read long novels anymore. I just can't get into them."

Xu Deyu, however, was an avid reader, spending his long nights reading.

"Sister Lü, I'm so sorry, I can't help you either."

"No need, you can rest. Everything's ready, just a little lacking in vegetables. By the way, you don't mind spicy food, do you?"

"I don't care."

"Okay, it won't taste good without spice."

It was indeed very simple; in less than forty minutes, Lü Qi called Xu Deyu to start the meal.

"You'll mainly be eating lamb, right? What kind of condiments would you like? Sesame oil or sesame paste?"

"I don't care."

"How can you be so indifferent to everything? Then just do what I do..." Lü Qi worked extremely efficiently, preparing the dipping sauce for Xu Deyu. "Let's eat."

"It's quite spicy, but very fragrant." Xu Deyu picked up a few pieces of mutton, hissing as he spoke.

"I forgot, what should we drink? Soft drinks or wine? How about some red wine? Red wine is good for your complexion." Lü Qi found a bottle of red wine in the sideboard and hurriedly opened it.

"What kind of alcohol do you want? I never drink. Just give me a glass of water."

"Have a drink, have a drink. It's your first time eating here, you have to have a drink." Lü Qi actually shoved the cork back into the bottle. "It's probably not a proper brand," she glanced at the foreign language on the label. "This is what Lao Fan brought back. He never drinks, and I don't drink at home either." She found two glasses and poured Xu Deyu a little less than half a glass. "Deyu, cheers."

"Why is it so sour and astringent..." Xu Deyu said with a bitter face.

"This is what dry red wine tastes like. It's been desugared, after all. Everyone says it's good for the skin, so let's drink more and finish it off."

"That won't do. I only have this much, you drink it."

"If one person doesn't drink and two people don't gamble, what's the point of me drinking alone? Deyu, don't disbelieve me, when it comes to drinking, we women aren't necessarily inferior to men."

"The problem is, I don't like it."

"Deyu, you have some personality flaws. I'm saying this as your older sister, so please don't be offended. You only know whether you like something or not after you've done it. How do you know if you haven't done it? Like when I say I'm honest, that's unreliable. Because I don't have the right to embezzle or accept bribes. When I have the right to embezzle but can refrain from doing so, that's true honesty. As for saying I'm frugal, I'll only have the right to say that after I make a lot of money. Saying it now is just bragging."

"You're quite theorist," Xu Deyu laughed. "Sister Lü, your income is good, much better than most people in the factory."

"That's true. So I'm content. Don't change the subject. What I mean is, Deyu, you should enjoy life while you're still young. What's your zodiac sign?"

"ox."

"Look, she's only forty. She always acts like an old woman. If she meets someone suitable, she should find one, but she can't force it."

"I won't look for it anymore."

"Don't let one bad experience make you overly cautious. An Guoqi is a scoundrel, but that doesn't mean all men are like him. Right?"

"Nobody likes a hen that doesn't lay eggs."

I've never seen you debase yourself like this.

"Sister Lü, you are really lucky. Section Chief Fan is a model husband in our factory."

"Old Fan is good... Let me tell you a joke. Once at a dinner party, I overheard some men talking nonsense, saying that finding a wife is like buying a cell phone. You pick and choose, and finally find one you like, but a few days later you find an even better one..."

Xu Deyu smiled silently.

"Humans, they make choices and regret them, and life ends so quickly. Come on, let's drink to happiness."

"I really can't drink anymore, I'll get drunk if I drink any more."

"Don't worry, if you get drunk, just stay here. Old Fan called; he's not coming back tonight. We can chat then."

"I mainly want to eat more vegetables. You're helping me improve my life, and I can't let you down."

"Come visit me often if you like, I'll get you something." Lü Qi downed her drink in one gulp, then poured herself half a glass. "Deyu, do you think our factory has any hope?"

Why are you bringing this up?

"I have to say it. We're all getting on in years, and our happiness for the rest of our lives depends on the factory. It's truly a case of the factory's prosperity bringing us glory and its decline bringing us misery. What will we do if the factory collapses? Nobody will want us if we go out to work."

"The logic is sound. But what can we do? Our rise and fall are not in our hands."

"Tell me, why can't state-owned enterprises compete with private enterprises? Even a prestigious company like Red Star has to be subservient to East Lake?"

"Ownership, you know. They say it belongs to all the people, but which machine tool is yours? But it's different for private enterprises."

"Yes, you're right... Whether things turn out well or not, it's really not up to us." Lü Qi couldn't help but think of Tao Tang again.