"Comrade, these are the people who caused trouble at our cargo station and forcibly took away the goods. Their behavior is extremely bad and they must be severely punished," Station Chief Zhou said with a dark expression. He had been a station chief for so many years, and he had never seen such arrogant people. He had to have them all arrested to quell his anger.
"It's good that the public security comrades are here. This is Director Chen from the Reform Office. He's here to investigate Zhou Jianjun's corruption. These are our work permits," Secretary Zhang said, taking out two small booklets.
Zhou Jianjun, standing nearby, turned pale at the mention of this. However, he quickly reacted, pointing at Secretary Zhang and Chen Guoping, and said to the public security officers, "The credentials in his hand must be fake. They just want to scare you with this. Comrades, don't listen to his nonsense. How could such a coincidence happen?"
The public security comrades made their own judgment. After taking Secretary Zhang's work permit and looking at it carefully, they returned it respectfully. Zhou Jianjun was dumbfounded by their reaction. "Are they… are they really leaders?"
"I have basically gathered evidence of his corruption and bribery, as well as the matter of illegally detaining the equipment. You can wait to be dismissed and investigated," Chen Guoping said. Hearing this, Zhou Jianjun's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed.
"Leader, I… I am being wronged. This is actually a misunderstanding. We have a rule that a unit introduction letter is required to pick up goods. They didn't have one, so we naturally couldn't easily give it to her," Zhou Jianjun, showing some quick wit, found an excuse for himself at the critical moment.
"Why didn't you say so earlier? You only brought it up now," Chen Lishu said, looking at him. "Did someone tell you to withhold my equipment? Who was it?"
"N-no one, don't talk nonsense." If he kept his mouth shut now, his crime might be lighter. If he revealed anything, it would lead to more trouble. He wasn't stupid.
Soon, Station Chief Zhou was taken away for investigation. Meanwhile, Chen Lishu, Chen Guoping, and the others were preparing to leave. Chen Guoping looked at Chen Lishu with lingering fear and said, "You're heavily pregnant. Aren't you afraid something might happen?"
"After all, the goods are worth tens of thousands of yuan, so there was no other way." Since Wang Dazhu had already driven away, Zhou Jianjun might be enraged, but no matter what, in front of so many people, Zhou Jianjun wouldn't dare to do anything to her due to his status. At most, he would call the police and have her arrested. But what did that matter? The goods were already in her hands. Would they really lock up a pregnant woman? For what reason? Was taking her own belongings illegal? However, she couldn't say that in front of Chen Guoping. She still had to express her difficulties.
Chen Guoping shook his head helplessly. "You really are brave. If you encounter any problems you can't solve, you should come to me. Why go through all this trouble? Do you think I'm called 'uncle' for nothing?"
"I just didn't want to trouble you, Uncle. What if others used it against you and said you were showing favoritism…"
Before she could finish, Chen Guoping interrupted her. "How is this troubling me? This is a normal and reasonable request. If officials are incompetent, what are they officials for? They might as well go home and farm."
Chen Lishu nodded and seized the opportunity. "I understand, Uncle Chen. Next time I encounter such a situation, I will definitely come to you for justice."
As they walked towards the courtyard gate, Chen Lishu glanced at Secretary Zhang. The latter understood, and they both slowed down.
"Why is Uncle Chen being transferred?"
"You know the Director's thoughts. He is determined to revitalize the economy, so his opinions might differ from others." Secretary Zhang had already shown Chen Lishu great courtesy by saying these few words. Therefore, Chen Lishu, being sensible, did not press further.
After parting ways with Chen Guoping and Secretary Zhang, Chen Lishu and Lin Qi turned a corner and almost bumped into a figure rushing out. Fortunately, Lin Qi reacted quickly and shielded Chen Lishu behind him. Lin Qi frowned displeasantly. Just as he was about to scold the person, he looked up and realized it was Wang Dazhu. "Why are you back so soon?"
Seeing the two of them, Wang Dazhu raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and said, panting, "After I drove the car to the company, I was worried about Sister-in-law's safety. I told Uncle Li at the gate and rushed here. By the way, Sister-in-law, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Chen Lishu felt a warmth in her heart seeing his concern for her and said, "The matter has been resolved. Let's go back."
On the way back, Chen Lishu roughly explained Liang Chunsheng's situation to Lin Qi.
"Sister Chen, I still have some money. Our family hasn't had many expenses in the past few years, and we don't need money now. Why don't you take it to use first?"
Chen Lishu did not refuse. "I'll think of a way. If it really doesn't work out, I'll tell you."
Wang Dazhu's gaze fell on Chen Lishu's bulging belly, and he suddenly said, "Sister-in-law, I think this should be reported to the battalion commander. These scoundrels only know how to bully us. The battalion commander is very capable, and he can definitely solve this problem immediately."
He was so used to calling him battalion commander that even though Gu Xingdong had been promoted, Wang Dazhu couldn't change his habit.
"No, I can't tell him." Chen Lishu said with a serious expression, "You two must not mention a single word of today's events. He is currently busy leading the team in flood control and is already working hard enough. I can handle this little matter myself." Another reason Chen Lishu didn't mention was that Gu Xingdong's identity was sensitive, and the discipline there was stricter than anywhere else. She did not want her affairs to involve him or have any negative impact on him.
Wang Dazhu scratched his head. "But if the battalion commander knew about your situation, he would definitely worry even more."
"Don't worry, I know my own body. If I feel unwell, I definitely won't push myself. After all, nothing is more important than the child in my belly."
Lin Qi, who thought more than Wang Dazhu and guessed Chen Lishu's concerns, said nothing. Seeing that it was getting late, Lin Qi and Wang Dazhu sent Chen Lishu home and then parted ways. Chen Lishu stood for a good part of the day, and her legs felt numb. After dinner, she soaked her feet for a while and then went to bed early.
The next morning, she had class. With the final exams approaching, Chen Lishu tried her best not to miss any classes. After a class ended, Chen Lishu was packing up her things to go home when Li Zhiwei suddenly patted her on the back. Seeing her turn around, he took out a package from his desk drawer. "Here."
"What?" Chen Lishu took it curiously. To her surprise, when she opened it, she saw two sea cucumbers. "This is called sea cucumber. It has very high nutritional value. I specifically inquired about it. It's good for both the mother and the child if pregnant women eat it. After you take it back, soak it first. After soaking them until they are soft, wash them clean, and then cook them… I saw my mother do it, so I remembered the instructions."