Everyone discussed and agreed that it would be most convenient for Jiang Nan Fang to stay there. They put their luggage in the house, and some people went to fetch water for Jiang Nan Fang while others went to visit Old Li.
Using their phone lights to see, they entered the room and found a kang by the wall covered with straw, with a floral quilt spread on top. It was a small space.
"We'll sleep on the floor, and you can have the bed. We need to look after our female colleagues."
Jiang Nan Fang was touched by everyone's kindness. "Okay. We'll make do tonight. Tomorrow, we'll build the signal tower, and once we have a signal, I'll apply for supplies from Vice President Gao."
—
At the Zhan family residence, Zhan Jing Rui and his sister were alone in their room after dinner, engrossed in studying a tablet.
It was a satellite positioning map, with a small red dot flashing on it. Zhan Jing Rui zoomed in, carefully examining the location of the red dot.
"She was with Daddy last night. How did she end up in Gansu Province after a day of lessons?"
"It's still such a remote and harsh desert. Could it be that Mommy and Daddy had a falling out, and she plans to leave here and no longer fight for us?"
Zhan Jing Ge had intended to sneak out with her brother after lights out to find her mother, as she had done before. Upon hearing this, she gasped, and her pretty little face instantly darkened.
"No way? Is Daddy that bad? What did Mommy ever do to him to deserve being driven away like this every day? No, I need to go find him and ask!"
Saying that, she pulled open the door and ran out, only to bump into Zhan Bei Jue, who had just come upstairs.
Fearing he would knock his daughter over, Zhan Bei Jue quickly bent down and steadied her shoulders. "What's wrong? Why are you running around in such a hurry?"
He was always dressed similarly, in a black shirt and black trousers with a neat slicked-back hairstyle. His features were sharp and handsome, making him an unattainable figure of attractiveness among doting fathers.
Zhan Jing Ge used to love him dearly and be very proud of him. But since her mother returned, his behavior had been somewhat disappointing.
"I'm unhappy. I want to go boxing to vent," she pouted.
Zhan Bei Jue looked at his exquisitely carved daughter and patiently asked in a soft voice, "Who made you unhappy? Don't you know that Miss Ge'er is the queen of our family? The consequences of upsetting you are very serious?"
"Hmph." He's still joking? Zhan Jing Ge pushed his hand away. "It's you, Daddy, who made me unhappy."
"Oh?" Zhan Bei Jue was almost amused by her angry, cute expression. He composed himself before asking again, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Where did I upset you?"
"You won't let Mommy come home, and I was mocked at school again today!"
"..."
"Today we learned about tadpoles looking for their mothers. The teacher said everyone has their own daddy and mommy, and then everyone laughed."
"They all said they've never seen my daddy and mommy attend school events. They said my mommy must have died of illness. I told them no, and then they asked why my mommy never sent me to school? Doesn't she want you anymore?"
"Hmph, Daddy, I clearly have a mommy, and she's so beautiful. It's you who won't let her come back. It's all your fault!"
That night, Zhan Bei Jue had another dream.
The dream was filled with the scenes, sounds, touch, and temperature from the previous night, each so real as if replayed. It was so passionate and lingering, so unforgettable...
He woke up with a dry mouth and throat, realizing it was a dream, and again, it was a dream about Jiang Nan Fang. He cursed himself for being weak and rushed to the bathroom for a cold shower.
Why did he keep dreaming of her? He clearly didn't like her and only wanted to settle accounts with her.
No, this couldn't go on. Something would go wrong.
It seemed he really needed to put finding a good match and finding a new mother for the children on the agenda.
The next morning, Jiang Nan Fang and her colleagues got up early, had a simple bowl of noodles, and began their official work.
As they were all professionals, they quickly determined the location for the signal tower construction.
However, the people had arrived by plane first, and the equipment was still on its way. To avoid delaying progress, Jiang Nan Fang paid out of her own pocket for Engineer Li to drive to the county town to purchase supplies. She herself went to the town to arrange for a large excavator to help dig the pits.
Everyone worked hard all day, and by nightfall, a simple signal tower was finally completed. Although the signal wasn't very good, they could finally use their phones, and everyone was very happy.
The sales performance report meeting for the first half of the year for the Electric Power Company was underway. Zhan Bei Jue sat at the head of the table, with Vice President Gao sitting next to him. They were listening to the sales manager analyze sales data when his phone rang.
Vice President Gao grabbed his phone and looked at it. It was a message from the colleagues on the business trip, reporting that they were safe.
Engineer Li: "Vice President Gao, we've arrived. We just got here yesterday and built the signal tower today. I'm sending you a message right away, so you don't need to worry about us."
The colleagues' prompt action and good work attitude greatly pleased Vice President Gao. "Thank you for your hard work, Engineer Li. Please convey my regards to everyone."
Engineer Li was greatly encouraged. "Thank you, Vice President Gao. We will keep up the good work."
"How is Engineer Jiang? The conditions there are quite harsh, and she's a girl. Has she complained about anything?"
"No. Engineer Jiang is no ordinary girl. It's no wonder you recommended her. You have a good eye."
Vice President Gao smiled with satisfaction.
Ordinarily, Zhan Bei Jue wouldn't need to attend such a small meeting as a quarterly sales report for a branch company, but Vice President Gao had strongly invited him.
He was already finding the meeting uninteresting, and now, seeing Vice President Gao leading the way in distraction, he couldn't help but frown.
Vice President Gao, startled, quickly pushed his phone towards him. "Mr. Zhan, someone has finally taken the lead in the northwest project. Seeing everyone's fighting spirit, I feel gratified."
"Mr. Zhan, after Madam, our company is about to have another heroic woman. I scouted this person. Oh, I feel so proud just thinking about it."
Zhan Bei Jue subconsciously glanced at his phone screen and naturally saw the Engineer Jiang mentioned by Engineer Li.
"Engineer Jiang? Are you talking about Jiang Nan Fang?"