1994: Starting with unpaid leave

At 4:59 PM, at the gate of the fine knitting and weaving factory.

Just like the previous two days, Dong Jianguo was waiting outside the factory gate on time, pushing his bicycle, ready to pick Xiuyun up and take her home.

When the time came, the factory gates were opened wide.

The workers, who still had little work to do, filed out chatting and laughing.

Dong Jianguo also perked up and searched for Xiuyun's whereabouts in the crowd.

Soon, those familiar braids came into view.

Xiuyun also saw Dong Jianguo, let go of Tian Lina's hand, and was about to run towards her man.

These past two days, she feels like her man has become a different person.

Not only did he stop gambling, but he also picked people up and dropped them off at get off work every day, and even started a business.

This enthusiasm is exactly the same as when the two first got married, and even more considerate.

This made her feel like she had fallen into a honey pot these past few days, and even her dreams were sweet.

"Sister Lina, I'm leaving now. Jianguo is here to pick me up."

"Go ahead, remember what I said, be careful, and don't believe everything a man says."

"Okay, I understand..."

Can't we believe everything?

I don't think so!

Zhou Xiuyun smiled and waved goodbye to her friend Tian Lina. When she turned to Dong Jianguo, a smile ten times more enthusiastic than before appeared on her pretty face.

The person also jogged towards Dong Jianguo's direction.

"Slow down!"

Dong Jianguo pushed the cart and quickly walked a few steps to meet her, afraid that the little orange in his wife's belly would be jostled.

"You have the nerve to tell me to go slower? Why don't you go gentler at night?!"

As she got closer, Xiuyun couldn't help but whisper a complaint in Dong Jianguo's ear.

"How can you blame me? You didn't complain about being tired and tell me to hurry up!"

"Oh dear, you still dare to say that!"

Zhou Xiuyun reached out and gently pinched Dong Jianguo's waist, feeling a mix of ticklishness and sweetness in her heart.

Dong Jianguo chuckled, looking at his wife: "Why do you seem even happier today? Something good happened at the factory?"

"As long as you treat me well, I'll be happy every day!"

Zhou Xiuyun looked up and said, "But something really good happened today, guess what it is?"

"Did you get a raise?"

Xiuyun shook her head, her two braids swaying back and forth: "No, it has nothing to do with money."

"What else could it be?!"

Xiuyun stopped keeping her in suspense: "Wang Gaofei has been reassigned! He's been moved from the factory office to the production workshop as a loader!"

Dong Jianguo raised an eyebrow, understanding dawning on him.

It seems that Director Gao has taken action.

I never expected that my impromptu frame-up would actually work.

It's a pity the factory doesn't have many orders right now, otherwise Wang Gaofei would be exhausted!

Seeing his wife excitedly announcing the good news, Dong Jianguo couldn't help but tease her, "He used to be your suitor, why are you so happy that he was transferred to the production workshop?"

Xiuyun glared at him: "Don't talk nonsense! There's nothing between him and me! Besides, who told him to bully my man?! I think he deserved to be transferred from the factory office to the production workshop as a front-line worker! This is karma!"

Knowing that his wife was saying this to vent his anger, Dong Jianguo smiled and said nothing.

Just as the two were about to leave, several figures suddenly blocked their way, with the leader even placing his hand directly on Dong Jianguo's bicycle handlebars:

"Jianguo, where are you rushing off to?!"

Looking up, Dong Jianguo realized it was Zhao Ruidong and several of his associates, all of whom were workers he used to play mahjong with.

"Haven't seen you for days! Come play a couple of rounds with us!"

"That's right, Jianguo, without our factory's little gambling god, we're not even motivated to play cards!"

"Yeah, I heard you guys who got disciplined actually got paid. Doesn't that make you feel bad if you don't play a few rounds of mahjong?!"

As soon as Zhao Ruidong took the lead, several of the factory's second-generation heirs who followed him spoke up one after another.

Before Dong Jianguo could speak, he felt his wife's hand tighten around his arm.

Turning around, I saw Xiuyun biting her lip, not saying a word.

To appease his wife, Dong Jianguo smiled and patted her hand, which was holding his.

But Xiuyun misunderstood, and subconsciously let go, biting her lip as she said:

"Go ahead then, remember to come home early..."

Seeing how "sensible" Xiuyun was, Zhao Ruidong chuckled:

"Alright, sister-in-law is really understanding. We'll borrow Jianguo for one night and make sure he wins a fortune before he goes home!"

As he spoke, he reached out to put his arm around Dong Jianguo's shoulder.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiuyun felt even more distressed.

It seems my good sister Tian Lina was right; men's words really can't be trusted.

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and her eyes quickly became misty.

But she didn't want to cry in front of everyone and embarrass Dong Jianguo. So she desperately lowered her head and widened her eyes to keep the tears from falling.

Dong Jianguo directly reached out and blocked Zhao Ruidong's outstretched arm:

"What's so great about playing mahjong? I'm not interested. I'm going home with my wife."

"Hey, when can't you go home?! Besides, your wife already agreed, so what are you acting all high and mighty for? Are you going to have us carry you away in a sedan chair?!"

"I've really quit. I'm about to become a father; I should be focusing on something more important."

Seeing that Dong Jianguo remained unmoved, Zhao Ruidong mysteriously moved closer to him and continued to tempt him:

"Are you worried about being caught gambling? Don't worry, I've taken care of everything. No one will come to arrest us again!"

"The culprit who punished you last time was Secretary Wang, and I've already asked Director Gao to transfer him to the production workshop to do manual labor! Now nobody can control us!"

"Besides, what serious business could be more important than playing mahjong? If you win a few more hands at the mahjong table, you can earn a month's salary! Think about last time, if no one had cracked down on gambling, you would have won more money than you would have earned working yourself to the bone for a year!"

"Brother, I've shown you a path to wealth and riches, so don't be ungrateful!"

Dong Jianguo's mind raced; he truly hadn't expected that there was this reason behind Wang Gaofei's transfer to the front line.

However, upon closer reflection, it seems that Director Gao genuinely suspected Wang Gaofei of leaking his privacy and was preparing to take action. It just so happened that Zhao Ruidong, the former director's son, came to him, so he took the opportunity to exile Wang Gaofei.

But... what does this have to do with me?!

Right now, the most important thing is my wife, the second is the little orange in her belly, and the third is making money.

As for the rest, whatever...

Moreover, Zhao Ruidong is no good either. He set up a mahjong game and invited people to play. After the incident, all the players were suspended without pay, but he, the organizer, stayed out of it and didn't get hurt at all because of his connections.

If anything else goes wrong, I might have to take the blame for him again.

He and I were never from the same social class.

After he stopped working without pay and lost his income in his previous life, Zhao Ruidong never contacted him again.

The so-called brothers are nothing more than the fact that I received three months' worth of back wages.

Thinking of this, Dong Jianguo smiled faintly:

"I said I'm not going, and I'm not going. Honey, let's go home!"

"Um!"

Zhou Xiuyun was overjoyed, nodded, and sat on the back of the bicycle...