Chapter 407: Persuading Xu Qiuman!
The car drove through the city for over half an hour before heading north, arriving at an industrial zone in the northern suburbs.
It then came to a stop in front of a massive factory.
Looking at the large characters “Beijing TV Factory” hanging above the entrance, Li Yi asked, “Does your sister-in-law work at the TV factory?”
“Yes, she’s the sales manager there!”
As he spoke, Jiang Longcheng honked the car horn.
Soon, a middle-aged man emerged from the guardhouse at the entrance and approached the car, asking, “Comrade, our factory is already on holiday. Who are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for Xu Qiuman. I know she’s still in the dormitory!” Jiang Longcheng said.
“Oh, so you’re looking for Section Chief Xu. Which organization are you with? I’ll make a call to check…”
Before he could finish, Jiang Longcheng cut him off: “No need to ask. I’m her brother-in-law!”
“Well…”
Seeing that the middle-aged man was still hesitating, Li Yi immediately pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to him, saying, “Comrade, my sister-in-law is currently in a huff with her family and refuses to go back, but her elderly parents are worried about her well-being. Please cut us some slack!”
The middle-aged security guard was no fool. Seeing Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng driving up in a car, he could tell at a glance that they were either wealthy or well-connected.
Besides, the fact that Section Chief Xu Qiuman had fallen out with her in-laws wasn’t exactly a secret at the factory; everyone knew about it behind the scenes.
Since they’d come to visit Section Chief Xu, it was a sign of goodwill, and there was no need for him to get in the way.
He immediately accepted the cigarette and opened the gate.
Once the car had driven into the factory grounds, Jiang Longcheng asked in surprise, “Brother-in-law, when did you learn to smoke?”
“I don’t smoke!”
“If you don’t smoke, why do you carry cigarettes with you? Are you just messing around?”
“Heh, I don’t carry cigarettes to smoke them—I keep them on hand for situations like this. See? They’ve come in handy now!” Li Yi said with a smile.
Jiang Longcheng opened his mouth, then after a long pause said, “No wonder you’re good at everything. With a mind as full of tricks as a honeycomb, who could ever beat you!”
“Is that a compliment? That sounds kind of weird to me,” Li Yi said.
“It is a compliment. Don’t read too much into it…”
Just then, a woman carrying a child suddenly darted out onto the concrete road ahead, causing Jiang Longcheng to slam on the brakes in a panic.
The car came to a screeching halt just in front of her, narrowly avoiding a collision.
Even so, it gave Jiang Longcheng quite a scare.
This guy was always a hothead; he immediately put the car in neutral, jumped out, and prepared to teach this reckless woman a lesson.
Li Yi, fearing he might do something reckless in the heat of the moment, immediately followed him out of the car.
However, when Jiang Longcheng got a clear look at the woman who had nearly been scared out of her wits, two words suddenly burst from his mouth: “Big Sister?”
The woman quickly came to her senses. Upon seeing it was Jiang Longcheng, she hurriedly said in a hoarse, anxious voice, “Longcheng, Xiao Li is hurt. You have to take us to the hospital right away…”
Only then did Jiang Longcheng and Li Yi notice the child in her arms wailing loudly, his hands covered in blood, and the woman herself was splattered with blood as well.
“Sister-in-law, Xiao Li…”
Seeing that Jiang Longcheng was about to ask more questions, Li Yi immediately cut in: “Don’t ask any questions. Get in the car right now—don’t delay the child’s treatment!”
“Alright!”
Immediately, Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng helped Xu Qiuman and the child into the car, then started the engine and sped straight toward the city center.
In the car, Li Yi finally managed to get the full story on how the child had been injured. It turned out the little guy had been playing with firecrackers with some older kids from the factory and had blown his hand up.
Judging by the child’s bloodied and mangled palm, the injury must have been quite severe.
With his own nephew injured, Jiang Longcheng was naturally frantic. He drove at high speed and reached the nearest hospital in less than twenty minutes.
After examining the child’s wound, the doctor immediately stated that although the injury wasn’t life-threatening, there were foreign objects embedded in the wound, along with extensive skin damage and necrosis, compounded by severe contamination. Surgery was required immediately.
Upon learning that the child would need surgery, Xu Qiuman was completely devastated.
Fortunately, Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng were there to quickly handle the paperwork and pay the admission and surgical fees.
Seeing Xu Qiuman’s anxious and helpless expression, Jiang Longcheng hurried to comfort her: “Sis, the doctor said it’s just a minor procedure. He’ll be fine in no time. Don’t worry…”
Xu Qiuman wiped away her tears and said, “If anything happens to Xiaoli, how will I face Longhua? Waaah…”
“Sister-in-law, kids are mischievous—these things are bound to happen. My older brothers and I have all been set off by firecrackers before, and look at us now—we’re all fine,” Jiang Longcheng said.
“Really?”
“Of course it’s true!”
Saying this, Jiang Longcheng held out his palm and pointed to several scars on it. “These were all from playing with firecrackers. I’ve got a few more on my legs too. As long as the wounds are cleaned properly, the worst that’ll happen is a few scars!”
Li Yi chimed in, “Sister-in-law, ordinary firecrackers aren’t that powerful. As long as you don’t grip them too tightly, they usually won’t damage your bones or tendons!”
Xu Qiuman saw that Jiang Longcheng’s hand did indeed bear a few faint scars, and her mind settled slightly.
It was then that she noticed Li Yi looked unfamiliar to her, so she immediately asked Jiang Longcheng, “Longcheng, who is this comrade?”
“Sister-in-law, let me introduce you. This is Li Yi, Uncle San’s son-in-law—our brother-in-law!”
Xu Qiuman said in surprise, “Where did Uncle San get a daughter? Is she an adopted daughter?”
“No, she’s his biological daughter!”
Jiang Longcheng then briefly recounted the events of that year.
Upon learning the truth, Xu Qiuman looked utterly shocked. She never would have imagined that in the less than six months since she’d left the Jiang family, so much had happened at home.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but sigh.
At that moment, Jiang Longcheng looked at her and said, “Sister-in-law, how have you been doing lately?”
“Not bad. Just a little busy, but nothing else!” Xu Qiuman said, looking down.
But Li Yi could still detect a slight tremor in her voice; clearly, life wasn’t as easy as she made it sound.
“Sister-in-law, Grandpa and Mom and Dad all want you to come home to live!” Jiang Longcheng said.
Xu Qiuman was silent for a moment, then said, “We’ll see.”
Hearing this, Li Yi keenly sensed that her resolve seemed to be wavering slightly, and immediately asked, “Sister-in-law, you and Xiaoli came to the hospital—what about Xiaoren?”
Xu Qiuman replied immediately, “He’s at home!”
“Even if Xiao Li’s wounds are treated, he’ll likely have to stay in the hospital. How can Xiao Ren be left home alone?” Li Yi said.
“Well…”
Before she could finish, Li Yi turned to Jiang Longcheng and said, “Third Brother, go back to the factory and bring Xiao Ren to the old house to stay for a few days. Once Xiao Li is discharged, take him back to Big Sister!”
“Got it!”
With that, Jiang Longcheng hurried out of the hospital.
After Jiang Longcheng left, Li Yi looked at Xu Qiuman and said, “Sister-in-law, take my advice—you should go back.”
“I…”
“I know you’re resentful, Sister-in-law. You blame Grandfather and Uncle for not transferring Big Brother from the front lines in time, which ultimately led to his death in battle.”
Then Li Yi changed the subject and continued, “But Sister-in-law, you know that so far, this war has cost us tens of thousands of lives—including the children of high-ranking officials whose fathers and brothers hold positions of power. No one on the front lines has retreated; how could Big Brother possibly have deserted?”
“Besides, even if you don’t think of yourself, you have to think of the two children!”
Xu Qiuman clenched her teeth and said, “I… I can support them both!”
Li Yi shook his head. “Sister-in-law, providing for them and raising them well are two different things! Take today’s incident, for example. If Third Brother and I hadn’t come to find you, Xiao Li would have missed his treatment—and in the worst case, he might have needed an amputation!”
“Besides, when the kids grow up, they’ll need jobs and get married. Can you really provide them with a good life on your own? Don’t let your resentment hold them back—you don’t want them to resent you later!”
Hearing this, Xu Qiuman fell silent.
After a long while, she sighed and said, “Actually, I’ve come to terms with this too. With Longhua’s stubborn streak, even if the whole family tried to persuade him, it wouldn’t do any good.”
“Never mind, let’s not talk about this anymore. Once Xiaoli’s injuries heal in a few days, I’ll take them back.”
“I’m sure Grandpa, Uncle, and Aunt will be thrilled to hear the news!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Hmm…”
………
PS: In the previous text, I mistakenly wrote that Xu Qiuman worked at a steel mill. Upon reflection, that didn’t quite fit, so I’ve changed it to a television factory!