Chapter 17: The Arrival of the New Director

Xiang Chen and Chen Xiaohua returned home not long after, and Chen Guoliang and Cai Zhen came back shortly after.

Cai Zhen didn’t even have time to cook, as she pulled Chen Guoliang to start tidying up the clutter at the door. Soon after, Chen Fen and Chen Fang returned, and Cai Zhen hurriedly urged them to come out and help.

Chen Fen put down her schoolbag, grumbling that she had homework to do.

Chen Guoliang glared at her, “What time do you think it is? Go help first, you can finish your homework during dinner. Don’t even think about eating.”

Chen Fen, feeling aggrieved, was too scared to argue, and reluctantly went to help with the moving.

Seeing this, Chen Fang didn’t dare to say anything and obediently followed, helping out.

The clutter outside wasn’t heavy, but there was a lot of it, which is why Chen Guoliang had asked the two girls to help. He wouldn’t have let them do the heavy lifting.

As they were cleaning, the neighbors on the first floor saw them and asked a few questions. Cai Zhen, fearing that others might steal her thunder, pretended to smile and said, “Oh, we’re just tidying up. This wood needs to be sorted. Let our Old Chen make a stool for our eldest son.”

As if she was fond of Xiang Chen.

After sending the neighbors away, the Chen family continued working, only to have someone come up from the floor below just as they were halfway done.

Although Cai Zhen was insignificant in the machinery factory, she knew who the leaders were and who not to offend. She remembered everything clearly. Like the young man who came up, Wu Guangming, who, though young, worked as a messenger for the factory director, was not someone to be offended. Cai Zhen remembered him.

“Well, well, Wu Guangming, what brings you here?” Cai Zhen called out enthusiastically as Wu Guangming approached the Chen family’s door.

“No, no,” Wu Guangming waved his hands, smiling, “I have a task, I won’t disturb you.”

Cai Zhen couldn’t stop him, as she knew who Wu Guangming was, and the other workers in the factory knew him as well. The people on the first floor watched him curiously, wondering what his task was.

Wu Guangming walked to the house at the end of the corridor and knocked on the door.

Other neighbors didn’t understand, as the house was empty, why was he knocking? Cai Zhen and Chen Guoliang exchanged a glance, realizing that the factory director had already arrived.

The door opened, and a youth of about ten years old, tall and dignified, stepped out. Wu Guangming smiled at Xu Hengzhou, “Director Song is waiting for you in the canteen, and I’m here to escort you there for dinner.”

Xu Hengzhou nodded, locked the door, and followed Wu Guangming out. As he passed the Chen family’s door, he seemed not to notice Xiang Chen squatting there, and walked past without a glance.

Only after the two had gone down the stairs did the corridor come back to life, buzzing with chatter. They had heard what Wu Guangming said, and knew that the new arrival was the factory director.

The neighbor who had earlier asked Cai Zhen what she was doing, now realized he had been tricked, and approached, teasing, “Auntie of the eldest daughter, you sure are lucky, cleaning up on the day the new director arrives.”

Cai Zhen’s face was white, “Yeah, yeah, lucky…” knowing she was being mocked, but had no choice but to take it. Ingratiating oneself with the director was not wrong, but being caught and ridiculed was embarrassing, especially for Cai Zhen, who cared about face, even Chen Guoliang’s face was red.

Cai Zhen stood stiffly for a moment, clutching a piece of rotten leather in her hand, and turned to go inside, accidentally bumping into Chen Fen, who was holding a broken flowerpot, and it fell to the ground.

“Daydreaming!” Cai Zhen frowned, “Check if it’s broken!”

“N-n-not…” Chen Fen stammered, not knowing what to say, her face red, not reacting earlier when others called Cai Zhen “Auntie of the eldest daughter,” but if it were normal, she would have retorted, showing how distracted she was.

“No, no…” Cai Zhen, seeing her dazed state, got angry, and slapped her on the back, picked up the flowerpot, and pulled Chen Fen inside.

Chen Fen, her face flushed, glanced back at the staircase.

In the corridor, the neighbors were still talking about the young man they had just seen.

“No wonder he’s the son of the director, he’s really impressive…”

“Yeah, tall, good-looking, really impressive…”

“Director’s son, could he be like our family’s, eating, playing, and being silly…”

…

Back at the Chen family’s house, Cai Zhen, as soon as she entered, threw the leather on the ground, “Gossipy old woman, what’s it to her what we’re doing, it’s just jealousy that we live near the director, if she’s got the guts…”

“Enough, enough, say less,” Chen Guoliang interrupted her, and bent down to pick up the leather.

Cai Zhen grumbled a few more times before suppressing her anger and going out to continue cleaning. The remaining clutter was little, and the whole family worked together, finishing in no time.

After cleaning, Cai Zhen started cooking, Chen Fen went to look for her clothes, and after a while, ran out to ask Cai Zhen, “Mom, where’s my red jacket?”

“Jacket?” Cai Zhen thought for a moment, “I gave it to your cousin, you can’t wear it, can you?”

“Mom, what are you doing!” Chen Fen angrily shouted, “That was my best jacket, you said you’d keep it for me!”

The red jacket had been brought back by Cai Zhen’s second brother from a business trip, and Chen Fen had loved it, taking great care of it, and it was still in good condition. It was her best jacket.

“What’s the point of keeping it if you can’t wear it!” Cai Zhen was angry, “That jacket was brought back by your uncle, it’s only right to give it to your cousin!”

“I can wear it, you can alter it, why can’t I wear it?” Chen Fen was so angry that her eyes turned red, “Mom, go get it back for me.” She had not given it to Chen Fang when she wanted it, intending to have it altered and continue wearing it, how could she give it away?

“What nonsense,” Cai Zhen brushed off Chen Fen’s hand, “It’s already given, how can you ask for it back, it’s embarrassing, your uncle bought you so many things, what’s the big deal about a jacket? Go away, don’t bother me.”

“Mom!” Chen Fen called out again, but seeing Cai Zhen ignore her, she could only stomp her foot and return, fuming.

Even at dinner time, Chen Fen still had a sullen face. Her little temper was not important to the two adults, and the younger ones shrank in fear, afraid that her anger would fall on them.

Cai Zhen portioned the porridge, and Chen Fang, holding her bowl, gulped it down, always the first to finish, afterwards looking longingly at others’ bowls.

Chen Fen sometimes looked down on her, scolding her, more often than not, ignoring her.

As the lowest in the family, Chen Xiaohua, like Chen Fang, quickly ate when there was food, because whether it was Chen Fen or Chen Fang, as long as they wanted to take it, she could not keep it.

But today, Chen Xiaohua held the bowl without eating. She was not not hungry, but the sweetness of the milk candy still lingered in her mouth, she did not want the wild vegetable porridge to wash away that sweetness, and wanted to keep it a little longer.

Chen Fang gulped down the porridge, biting the bun, her eyes rolling, mainly focusing on Chen Xiaohua and Xiang Chen’s bowls, these two were the only ones she could get a little advantage from.

Looking and looking, she noticed something was wrong. Xiang Chen was fine, although he drank slowly, but the porridge in his bowl had already gone down half. In Chen Xiaohua’s bowl, there was not a single sip taken!

Chen Fang stared at Chen Xiaohua, watching her stick out her tongue and lick her lips, her gaze fixed on a bit of white on the corner of Chen Xiaohua’s mouth.

“What did you steal to eat?” Chen Fang widened her eyes and questioned Chen Xiaohua.

Chen Xiaohua was startled and immediately panicked, saying in a soft voice, “I, I didn’t steal…”

“You’re lying!” Chen Fang pointed at Chen Xiaohua and shouted, “Dad, Mom, Sister, she stole food!”

Chen Guoliang glanced and didn’t want to speak. Cai Zhen, like Chen Guoliang, thought it was unlikely, as the child was timid, and would not dare to steal food.

Cai Zhen, like Chen Guoliang, thought so, and impatiently told Chen Fang not to make trouble and to hurry up and eat.

Chen Fen raised her eyelids and glanced at Chen Xiaohua, then returned to eating with no interest.

Only Xiang Chen, who knew the situation, was taken aback. He turned to look at Chen Xiaohua, and upon close inspection, he discovered a faint white mark on her lip.

It was from eating a Big White Rabbit, and the sugar cube was too big, causing the sugar water to spill out. But it was hard to notice unless you looked closely, and Xiang Chen secretly sighed in relief, “Chen Fang’s eyes are too sharp!”

Chen Fang, after being scolded, shrank her neck, but was not convinced, and suddenly directly scraped Chen Xiaohua’s mouth with her hand, and then put her fingers in her own mouth and sucked.

Xiang Chen’s gaze hadn’t withdrawn, and was shocked by Chen Fang’s action, “You can do that?!”

On this side, Chen Fang tasted a little sweetness, her eyes lit up, but because she had been scolded by Cai Zhen earlier, she didn’t dare to shout, so she leaned over to Chen Fen and said in a low voice, “Sister, she stole sugar to eat, there’s a sweet taste on her mouth!”

Chen Fen was excited, and turned to look at Chen Xiaohua seriously. Chen Xiaohua trembled and wanted to hide, but didn’t dare, and stood stiffly, letting the two sisters scrutinize her.

Chen Fen quickly also discovered the white mark on Chen Xiaohua’s mouth, and leaned over to sniff, a faint milk fragrance.

“Milk candy!” Chen Fen exclaimed. She was not as ignorant as Chen Fang and Chen Xiaohua, she had eaten milk candy with Cai Zhen at her grandfather’s house, and it was exactly like this, with a cow’s milk fragrance, and very sweet. But such candy was very expensive, and their family could not afford it.

“Dad, Mom, she stole and ate milk candy!” Chen Fen was both shocked and jealous, the little brat actually ate milk candy, and the candy of their family should be hers!