The woman holding the rice spoon had rough hands, and her face bore the frost and wind of great hardship.
When she spoke, her eyes shone with pride.
It was evident that she loved the factory dearly.
Lin Tang smiled and said, "The chefs in our factory’s canteen are skilled, and the staff is kind-hearted. It’s their loss for not ing."
The plump auntie’s eyebrows danced with joy at Lin Tang’s words.
"rade Lin Tang really has a way with words."
As she spoke, she glanced at the elevator entrance on the second floor of the cafeteria with a hint of skepticism.
"Who knows! I heard that among the people delivering machines, there’s the head of the transport team. Who knows if they might prefer to go to a state-run restaurant."
"Speaking of the transport team, I just happen to have something I want to ask rade Lin Tang... "
The plump auntie had the curious look of a gossip.
Which made Lin Tang rather astonished.
"What’s the matter?"
The plump auntie lowered her voice, "I heard that rade Zhou from your office wants to exchange sewing machine tickets, is that true?"
This had nothing to do with her; she simply wanted to be at the forefront of the gossip.
Lin Tang didn’t quite understand.
Her beautiful eyes were filled with question marks.
"What has the transport team got to do with rade Zhou?"
She felt inexplicably that something was amiss.
The plump auntie said with suspicion, "You don’t know? rade Zhou’s elder brother is the transport team’s Team Leader."
rade Lin Tang and rade Zhou were in the same office. How could she possibly not know about this?
In fact, Lin Tang truly did not know.
Who would talk about such private matters in the office all day long?
"Oh." Lin Tang nodded, her eyes flickered as if she thought of something, "We don’t really talk about these things, so I’m not aware."
After explaining this, she asked the question she wanted to know.
"Auntie, do you know what rade Zhou is planning to exchange for the sewing machine tickets?"
The young girl’s eyes sparkled brightly.
More brilliant than the stars on a summer night.
The plump auntie took another look at Lin Tang and said, "I’m not sure about that, but, I heard it might be a referral letter for a car driving lesson... just don’t know if it’s true."
Driving?
Lin Tang’s thoughts stirred slightly.
As for what the plump auntie said about ’not knowing if it’s true,’ she didn’t care.
Whether it was true or not, she needed to find out more.
At this point, the canteen suddenly became much more crowded.
Lin Tang and Qin Suqing quickly left the meal service window.
As soon as they sat down, Qin Suqing, biting on her chopsticks, asked with curiosity, "Tangtang, why did you ask about that? Do you have a sewing machine ticket?"
"I do," Lin Tang replied, "It’s not of much use to me, so I want to exchange it."
She had never considered buying a sewing machine for the home.
For one, there weren’t many clothes to be made at home in a year.
Second, owning one would not contribute to harmonious neighborly relations or a happy family life.
It was better not to buy one.
Qin Suqing: "... " You seem to have a big misunderstanding of the word ’useful.’
How precious sewing machine tickets are, and you say they’re not of much use?
It’s just like you, rade Lin Tang.
"Sewing machine tickets are hard to e by; they fetch high prices on the black market. You should keep that in mind," Qin Suqing reminded her.
Even her father, the factory director, had a hard time getting a single sewing machine ticket.
Lin Tang nodded, "Yeah, I know."
Of course, she would exchange the sewing machine ticket for something of equivalent value that she wanted.
Seeing that Tangtang was well aware, Qin Suqing didn’t say anything further.
The canteen grew more and more crowded, as lively as a marketplace.
Sitting opposite each other and talking was almost as hard as hearing each other’s voices.
So the two of them stopped talking and focused on eating their meal.
After finishing their meal.
Lin Tang needed to go back to the office to fetch something, so she parted ways with Qin Suqing, who was headed home for a lunch break.
Since it was the lunch hour, all the rades in the factory had gone to eat.
There weren’t many people in the office building.
At the corner of the stairs.
"I’d advise you not to refuse the toast only to be forced to drink the forfeit," a man said in a cold voice.
"What’s with the airs of a widow who’s bad luck for her husband? You should be grateful I don’t despise you."
"A director like me taking a fancy to you is giving you face, what do you have to be so proud of? Do you still think you are a pure maiden?"
The man’s voice was tinged with unmistakable impatience.
His words demeaned the person opposite him to being worth nothing.
Zhang Yuxiu trembled with anger.
She hadn’t expected the director, who initially seemed decent, to be of such despicable character.
She contained her rage, desperately trying to maintain her dignity.
"I’ve said it already, I don’t wish to remarry.
If Director Zhao is considering remarriage, please look for someone else.
I just want to raise my son properly, so kindly stop bothering me," the woman coldly refused.
She had never given anyone the wrong impression and couldn’t understand why Zhao Xiangrui kept pestering her.
Zhao Xiangrui’s eyes suddenly turned vicious.
He stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
"You don’t want to marry me?" Zhao Xiangrui sneered coldly.
"Who else could you possibly marry?"
"I don’t even mind your burdensome child; what gives you the right to look down on me? Am I not showing you enough respect?"
As he spoke, he shook Zhang Yuxiu’s arms violently.
His gaze was terrifying.
It had been several years since Zhao Xiangrui’s wife passed away.
He had remained unwed all this time.
Zhao Xiangrui’s wife had died because he was too stingy to pay for hospital fees during childbirth, stubbornly insisting she give birth at home, resulting in her death.
Once the murky story got out, Zhao Xiangrui’s reputation was ruined.
Moreover, he was picky, looking down on the uneducated and those he deemed unattractive, so he stayed single.
After learning that Zhang Yuxiu’s husband had passed away, Zhao Xiangrui began to harass her.
Her arm was seized, and Zhang Yuxiu struggled frantically, using all her strength to try and shake off the man’s restraining grasp.
But the difference in strength between men and women is substantial.
Thin as a monkey as Zhao Xiangrui might seem, her struggles were futile.
"Let go of me!" Zhang Yuxiu shouted angrily.
Fear caused a faint mist to veil her eyes.
The woman was filled with furious indignation.
A faint blush spread across her fair, delicate face.
It was as if she had dabbed on rouge.
This straightaway captivated Zhao Xiangrui in his lustful reverie.
He held Zhang Yuxiu tightly, lewdly leaning towards the woman’s lips.
"Don’t move! Let me kiss you, or I’ll deal with you right now," Zhao Xiangrui threatened in a cold voice.
Although he held a minor leadership position, he was famously miserly.
He rarely spent any money.
He even skimped on food.
Not to mention things like toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Therefore, his breath was foul enough to kill.
Zhang Yuxiu felt her breath catch, nearly fainting.
"Get lost! Let go of me, or I’ll scream for help," she screamed in panic.
She beat against Zhao Xiangrui with thumping sounds.
Yet it was all in vain.
Zhao Xiangrui had deliberately sought out Zhang Yuxiu at a time when no one else was around, planning to take advantage of her vulnerability.
Hearing the woman’s terrified voice, he revealed a vile and libidinous smirk.
"Ha ha ha, go ahead and scream. If you can bring someone here, I’ll take your last name," he taunted.
Zhang Yuxiu couldn’t break free, nor could she summon help with her cries.
She felt utter despair.
She wished she could just bash her head in and end it all.
Tears gushed forth like a fountain.
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