Road to Revival

After having breakfast in the small restaurant on the first floor, Tao Tang left Fang Ke and Xiao He and went to the workshop.

Ye Mei became more enthusiastic. She insisted on hanging the clothes Fang Ke had washed the night before to dry in her duty room, which had a sunny balcony. She also brought Fang Ke and Xiao He a plate of washed peaches, saying, "Freshly picked local peaches..."

Seeing Fang Ke staring at Xiao Ye's back, Tao Xiaohe laughed and said, "Auntie, I think you're too insecure."

"You little rascal," Fang Ke reached out and tapped Xiao He on the head, "what's going on in your little head?"

"Auntie," Tao Xiaohe said with a grin, "Look, for your happiness, I was willing to stay at someone else's house last night, and you still booked a separate room? You didn't seize such a good opportunity, no wonder you lack confidence."

"This is getting more and more outrageous. Do you believe I'll tell your dad?" Fang Ke felt increasingly that he couldn't win against Xiao He.

"Go ahead and sue if you want. If you don't know what's good for you. Sigh, I feel sorry for you. I was hoping you could reform him, but now you're being assimilated by him very quickly. Let me tell you, never be like my dad. He's so boring. He's only in his early forties and he's already completely outdated. But it's good that you don't have to be jealous. He can resist a beautiful woman like you, so he can't resist anyone else."

"Did you see your idol last night?" Fang Ke's tactic was clearly learned from Tao Tang.

"Wait a minute," Tao Xiaohe took the apricot-yellow dress out of her backpack, "Look, this is Lan Ni's autograph."

"What is this? It looks like scribbles. Is Lan Ni a Chinese medicine practitioner?" Fang Ke examined the signature on the skirt, but couldn't recognize the two characters "Lan Ni" no matter what she did.

"How dare you talk like that? This is what you call celebrity style, you know? Sigh, it's really pathetic. You weren't like this before. It's all because of my dad. You've had bad luck with men."

Fang Ke was speechless. Recalling Tao Tang's words about how difficult it is to bridge the generation gap, he suddenly realized that the generation gap between himself and Xiao He was also quite deep.

"Of course I'm going to keep this dress! If my classmates knew I talked so much with Lan Ni and even got her autograph, wouldn't they be so envious? But, Auntie, could you buy me another dress? Nothing too fancy, just something better than this one."

"Go find your dad."

"Isn't that a bit stingy? You're already being stingy before you've even officially become my stepmother. That's really not fair."

Fang Ke's face flushed unconsciously.

"Hey, Auntie, I've discovered a big secret. I hope it's just my imagination, but pshaw, how could that be? It must be an illusion."

"What secret?"

"Tang Tian's dad and Lan Ni have a special relationship... No, how could that be? Sigh, let's not talk about this. Auntie, listen to my grandpa," Tao Xiaohe seemed oblivious to Fang Ke's unnatural expression, "My dad bought them a house in Pingquan. I want to go see it. Would you like to come with me?"

"Did your dad buy a house in Pingquan?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't you think he's incredibly stupid? He shouldn't buy in Pingquan, since he's not going to settle there. You're going to come to Pingquan with him? Really? Isn't that just throwing money away?"

"Xiaohe, are you worried your dad will squander your dowry?"

"I mean that. But it's a bit too far off. Actually, I'm thinking of you. After seeing Tang Tian's family, I realized my dad is just a poor man, yet he's so smug. It's infuriating to compare yourself to others. I need to persuade my dad to get a villa to live in. This isn't for me, it's for you! He'll squander all his money, are you going to support him? He's just brainless."

"Who are you calling brainless?"

"Of course I'm talking about him. He's so smug about reviving Shengdong. What does it matter to him if Shengdong gets rich? Look at Tang Tian's dad, all the money the company makes is his own! Hey, I will never work for a state-owned enterprise in the future, never."

"I won't allow you to talk about your dad like that, it's outrageous! Where did you learn such twisted logic? Wait till I tell your dad, he'll beat you to death!"

"He won't hit me," Tao Xiaohe said smugly. "I have a foolproof way to deal with him, and it always works."

Fang Ke naturally knew that Xiao He's trump card was her mother. She had seen Tao Tang scold Xiao He, but as soon as Xiao He called out "Mom," Tao Tang would lose his temper.

"Xiaohe, you've gone a bit too far," Fang Ke said seriously. "Your father bought the house for your grandparents; that's filial piety, a virtue."

"I didn't object to him being filial, you know? They're not without pensions, and my dad even gives them 3000 yuan a month for spending money! Yet they secretly send money to my aunt and uncle, what kind of nonsense is this? Did they only have my dad as their child? Filial piety is everyone's responsibility, why should my dad pay for the house all by himself?"

"Is that all you told your parents?"

"I'm not that stupid. But, you know, a man really needs a woman to keep him in check. Otherwise, all the money he earns is wasted."

"Xiaohe, I really have to talk to you. Your dad will be sad if he knows you think like this. They are his parents, you know? I think your dad did the right thing."

"Fine, if you don't appreciate it..." Tao Xiaohe rolled her eyes at Fang Ke.

A knock on the door interrupted Fang Ke and Tao Xiaohe's conversation. Tao Xiaohe opened the door and saw her aunt Tao Meiling and her cousin Wu Xiaowei.

"aunt……"

"Xiaohe, you almost scared us to death! Where's your dad?" Tao Meiling hugged her niece, but her gaze fell on Fang Ke. "Who are you?"

"Hello, I'm Xiaohe's aunt, my name is Fang Ke."

"Hello, hello, I've heard of you, I've heard of you, but my brother didn't say you were coming..." Tao Meiling scrutinized Fang Ke intently.

"I'm also worried about Xiaohe..."

"Where's my brother? He should be home for lunch. His uncle is cooking right now..."

"It looks like he went to the workshop. Doesn't the factory have a break?"

"Some units are working overtime... You've never been to the factory before, have you?" Tao Meiling's attention was completely drawn to Fang Ke.

"This is my first time here."

"Let's not stay here, let's go home, we're all family here..."

"There's no need for that..."

"What do you mean by troublesome? Who eats at a guesthouse when they're already home? Come on, I'll call my brother. Hey, Xiaowei, quickly call your uncle and tell him to come straight to our house."

"Alright then..." Fang Ke agreed.

"Xiaohe, why didn't you call me? You have no idea how worried your aunt was about you..." Tao Meiling greeted Fang Ke and began to nag her niece.

"Please stop talking, okay? It's so annoying." Tao Xiaohe covered her ears. "If you keep nagging, I'll disappear right now."

"This child..." Tao Meiling dared not nag any longer.

"Xiaowei, right? Look, Auntie didn't bring you a gift. I'll make it up to you next time," Fang Ke said apologetically.

"What gifts do you need? We're family. Let's go, let's go over there..."

Last night, Fang Ke didn't get a good look at the Hongxing Factory. Ever since she fell madly in love with Tao Tang, she had longed for a chance to visit Hongxing. The tendency to love someone because of them is a universal human emotion, especially for girls. Fang Ke always wanted to see with her own eyes the place where Tao Tang had lived and grown up. As a native of Beijing, Fang Ke considered Pingquan a small place. If it weren't for Tao Tang's birthplace, Fang Ke probably wouldn't even know which province it belonged to. But the impression Pingquan gave her yesterday far exceeded her expectations. The elegant and tranquil environment of the Jinxiuyuan residential area, the luxurious Tang family villa, and the fairly successful concert made Fang Ke feel that Pingquan was a rather charming city. She arrived at the Hongxing Factory late last night and went straight upstairs to rest. When she walked with Tao Meiling and Wu Xiaowei to the Wu family's house, she was amazed by the clean and beautiful environment of Hongxing. The straight roads and towering white poplars standing like sentinels, the groves of trees, the ubiquitous green lawns, and the outdoor fitness areas made it feel like being in a park. No, the parks of Yanjing cannot compare, because they lack the tranquility that Fang Ke cherished most. Indeed, the two strongest impressions Fang Ke had of the Red Star Factory were its cleanliness and its tranquility. These were precisely what Yanjing, suffering from severe metropolitan ills, lacked.

When Fang Ke shared her impressions with Tao Meiling, Tao Meiling laughed and said, "The administrative area is alright, but the residential area is much more chaotic."

"Is this an administrative district? It's huge."

"Yes, our factory covers nearly 10,000 mu. That four-story building in a curved shape across from the small building is the large building. Actually, it's three buildings that have been converted and connected to form an independent courtyard... You see those buildings over there are all company office buildings. The northernmost one is Building No. 3, and Xiaohe's father's office is in that building... This one is the training building, the territory of the employee education department. Further north is the children's school, but all the schools in Hongxing have been taken over by the government..."

"What is that beige, square tower?" Fang Ke asked, pointing to a tower to the south.

"That's the fire station's training tower. The red building in front of the tower is a multi-purpose building, which houses the physical and chemical metrology center and the quality inspection center. That's where I work... To the west is the production area, and to the north is a commercial street, which leads into the residential area..."

Fang Ke knew nothing about the company, only that Red Star was "big." The person she deeply loved was the top leader here; he had come from here, and this place must be filled with his footprints...

"Oh, Director Lü, aren't you going out for some fun?" Tao Meiling suddenly noticed Lü Qi standing under the shade of a tree, smiling at them. "Ah, let me introduce you. This is my sister-in-law's younger sister, oh, and this is my niece, Xiao He... Director Lü is the director of the Development and Planning Department, and she's a management expert at our factory. Oh, and she's also my brother's old classmate..."

"Hello..." Lü Qichong nodded, then turned her gaze to Tao Xiaohe, "Oh, your nose looks like your dad's. What a pretty little girl. Why, isn't your dad with you?"

"You must be Lü Qi... Aunt Lü?" Tao Xiaohe stopped and stared intently at Lü Qi. She naturally remembered the story she had heard at lunch at the Tang family's house yesterday. She hadn't expected to meet the heroine of the story just one day later. "You are really beautiful, no, too beautiful."

Lü Qi asked, somewhat puzzled, "You know me?"

"Ah, ah, I've heard my dad mention it..." Tao Xiaohe stammered.

"Your dad told you about me?" Lü Qi was even more confused.

"Hello, Sister Lü," said Fang Ke. "You look...you're so beautiful." Fang Ke was surprised by Lü Qi's age. No matter what, this elegant and intellectual woman in front of her didn't look like she was over forty. Saying she was thirty-five would be an exaggeration.

"Meiling can testify, I really am Mr. Tao's high school classmate." Lü Qi grasped Fang Ke's outstretched hand. She finally understood Fang Ke's identity, but her mind was still on Tao Tang's deceased wife. "Where are you going? Didn't Mr. Tao go home?"

"My brother's back. He went to the workshop. Xiaowei got through on the phone; she's probably on her way out. I'm picking them up to go to my house for dinner... Sister Lü, where are you going?"

"Just wandering around, heading to my dad's... Oh, why isn't Xiaowei saying anything to Auntie?" Lü Qi glanced at Wu Xiaowei, who was holding Tao Meiling's hand, and smiled at Tao Xiaohe, saying, "Tell Auntie, what did your dad say about me?"

"He didn't say anything... Auntie, does my dad often yell at people? Does he have a bad temper?"

Lü Qi laughed. "Why do you talk about your father like that?"

"That's how he was in Shengdong, seriously lacking in manners." Tao Xiaohe stuck out her tongue as she saw her father walking towards her from the west.

Tao Tang saw the group, stopped, and waited for them to approach. "Lü Qi?"

"I was strolling around when I happened to run into Meiling and the others...are they already back?"

"Isn't it because of her... that we went out to eat together? My brother-in-law is a top-notch cook."

"I have to go see the old man. Lü Wei's family is back too..."

"Oh. We're going that way anyway, let's go then."

Do you know where my dad lives?

"You moved? Didn't you used to live in building 48?"

No. I still live there.

"This is my first time here, what are your impressions?" Tao Tang finally asked Fang Ke.

"Hmm, the environment is quite nice. Much better than I imagined... You went to middle school there?" Fang Ke pointed in the direction of the school.

"Yes." Tao Tang couldn't help but glance at Lü Qi, who was whispering something to Tao Meiling.

"There are quite a few private cars in the factory, so at least we don't need to worry about parking."

"That's right, being backward is, in a sense, advanced. Sri Lanka, which is said to be one of the world's poorest countries, has drinking water quality in every river."

"So I decided to come to Hongxing... Sister Lü, do you think I can come to Hongxing?" Fang Ke asked Lü Qi.

"Of course," Lü Qi smiled and turned around, "Miss Fang is willing to come to a small place like ours?"

"Didn't he say that being backward is being advanced?"

"Don't listen to her nonsense. She's used to being free, how could she stand the discipline of Red Star? Besides, Lü Qi, tell her what the average salary in the company is," Tao Tang interjected.

"Don't scare me... I don't care about the salary." Fang Ke took two quick steps. "Sister Lü, this place feels like a paradise. It's really nice."

"Then let's go, but it's not up to me. Your brother-in-law has to agree. Ms. Fang, what do you do for a living? Mr. Tao said you're a freelancer, is that true?"

"Just call me Fang Ke. Aren't you classmates? Why are you calling him 'General Manager Tao'? If painting enthusiasts can be called painters, then he's a third-rate painter, maybe a part-time print model..."

"Hey, I was just thinking that. With a figure like that, it's a shame she's not a model." Lü Qi looked Fang Ke up and down again.

"I was just kidding... Sister Lü, how do you maintain your skin? What's your secret?" Fang Ke was genuinely envious of Lü Qi's skin.

"The secret is to keep a happy mood... Since you're here, Miss Fang, please stay a few more days. If Mr. Tao doesn't have time, I can show you around. I have a car at home; my driving skills aren't great, but I can guarantee safety," Lu Qi said with a smile.

"Because Xiaohe was willful and insisted on sneaking off to see some concert, otherwise she wouldn't have met you, Sister Lü... But I guess she won't have time, thank you."

They had entered the so-called commercial street, a wide pedestrian street running north to south through the Hongxing residential area, lined with shops and restaurants on both sides, mostly run by Hongxing employees and their families. Compared to the administrative area, the environment here was much worse; the streets were unsanitary and noisy. Even from seven or eight meters away, Lü Qi and Fang Ke could still clearly hear shouts coming from the restaurants.

"...I'm not bragging, Workshop Three can't function without me! What about Zhu Yu? Tao Tang is a load of rubbish! He dares to take away Quan Jianhe's official position, and try taking away mine too?"

Lü Qi recognized the person shouting: it was Wang Guanglin, the director of the third workshop of the sixth factory, a notorious drunkard. Clearly, this was drunken rambling, but it just so happened to fall into Tao Tang's ears.

They really have no eyes... And in front of Tao Tang's daughter and sister-in-law, how can Tao Tang bear this? Sure enough, Tao Xiaohe was unhappy. "What kind of birds are these? They don't respect my father at all? If this were in Shengdong... I'd go and see... Hey, those who don't respect Tao Tang, come out and let me see them!" Tao Xiaohe shouted.

Before Tao Tang could stop his daughter's impulsive act, Tao Xiaohe had already rushed over, shouting, "You who's been cursing behind my back, get out here! Tao Tang is right here, go ahead and curse him to his face!"

The noise inside the store suddenly stopped, and a young man with a shiny shaved head ran out. "Who are you?" he asked Tao Xiaohe, who was standing with her hands on her hips and staring at her.

"I am Tao Tang's daughter. He's right here. What kind of person is he to talk about others behind their backs?"

The young man quickly retreated into the tavern and never showed his face again.

"What are you yelling about!" Tao Tang scolded his daughter with a stern face. "You're getting more and more outrageous."

"President Tao, they've been drinking, don't mind them..." Lü Qi advised, her mind churning. Should she reveal Wang Guanglin's name and identity if Tao Tang asked her about it?

But Tao Tang didn't ask. They reached a crossroads. "How about we go together?" he said.

"No, I have to make dinner for my parents. Goodbye." Lü Qi shook hands with Fang Ke, then said to Tao Xiaohe, "If you have time, come visit me at my house."