CHAPTER 929: CHAPTER 628: ARRIVAL

First Chapter has arrived.

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"No... no need, I don’t crave dumplings, Director, you... you don’t need to worry about me..." Zhang Lizhu hastily waved his hands, "Director, you are so busy, how can you manage without proper rest?"

"Brother, you’re not being honest here..." Li Aiguo sat by his bed, holding his hand, and spoke earnestly, "Your daughter, Comrade Zhang Erniu, is the pride of our commune. To ensure she works in the military without worries and brings honor to our Red Heart Commune, as the commune director, I must resolve all concerns she might have back home."

Zhang Lizhu was honest but not stupid. His daughter was just an ordinary soldier, no matter how outstanding, it was impossible for her to attract such attention from the commune director.

He couldn’t grasp the situation now, but he believed there were certainly complexities he didn’t know about. Whether they were related to his daughter or not, he couldn’t blindly owe too much favor.

"Director, I’m genuinely grateful for the care the commune has shown Erniu, but we shouldn’t be oblivious. If all our commune soldiers were treated like this, how would you have the energy to do anything else?

My wife is here, my sister often visits, and I have my second and fourth younger brothers at home. Please rest assured, we can take care of ourselves."

"Family members of soldiers are indeed different, with a high level of consciousness..." Li Aiguo patted Zhang Lizhu on the shoulder and laughed, "Your sister-in-law’s family is in the county, not far from here. During this time, there’s no need to worry about food and essentials."

The more Li Aiguo did this, the more uncertain Zhang Lizhu felt. He could see that Li Aiguo was determined to look after him.

Could it be because of his future daughter-in-law?

Zhang Lizhu was startled, as far as he knew, Li Aiguo’s son and his own son seemed to be about the same age, both unmarried. Could it be that Li’s son has an eye on his prospective daughter-in-law?

He couldn’t think of another reason.

Though he felt a stronger possibility was that they fancied his daughter, who was just an ordinary soldier. How could the other party possibly... Could it be that they took a liking to his daughter? Want his daughter to marry his son?

In just an instant, Zhang Lizhu confirmed his guess. Compared to fancying his daughter-in-law, he thought the possibility of fancying his daughter was greater.

However, if that was really the case, it was actually a good match.

Relieved, Zhang Lizhu smiled more warmly at Li Aiguo, "It’s really a bother for you, Director, we’re truly embarrassed, Director, you’re so personable, it’s the blessing of us Red Heart Commune members."

"What are you saying, aren’t you being too polite?" Li Aiguo smiled and snuggled closer to him, "During this period, your sister-in-law will stay with her family. If there’s anything you crave, just tell her, let her cook for you, and if there’s any difficulty, tell her to call me. In short, Brother, before you recover, you don’t need to worry about anything."

"Thank you, Director." Zhang Lizhu looked at him gratefully, then turned to his wife and sister standing dazed to the side, "What are you both doing, standing there like logs? Hurry up and thank the Director."

"Thank you, Director Li."

Both Zhang’s wife and Zhang’s sister said in unison.

"Sisters-in-law, oh don’t be so formal..." Li Aiguo waved his hand to the two of them, "Quick, take a seat, don’t be so tense, just see me as an older brother from your village."

"Director..." Zhang Limei smiled gratefully at Li Aiguo, "You truly are a good leader, just like Director Fang."

Li Aiguo’s eyes flickered slightly, then he laughed heartily, "As a servant of the people, receiving such praise is the biggest recognition for me. Thank you, Xiao Zhang."

At this moment, Li’s wife, Liu Guoling, returned with a food container, smiling at Zhang Lizhu and the others, "Don’t worry, Dr. Luo will definitely take care of everything. I asked him, and he said, Xiao Zhang, as long as you take good care of your leg, there won’t be any future issues."

Zhang Lizhu smiled gratefully, "Thank you, sister-in-law, for your efforts."

Glancing at the time, Li Aiguo stood up, "I have to go back to work, Guoling, you should also go back to prepare lunch..." He turned to Zhang Lizhu, "If there’s anything you want to eat, tell your sister-in-law and let her make it for you."

"No, no, we’ll just buy food from the canteen."

"How can that be?" Li Aiguo glared at him, "Again, you’re being too formal with your big brother?"

"Well..." Zhang Lizhu exchanged a glance with his wife and sister, then said a bit awkwardly, "Then we’ll trouble sister-in-law, we eat anything, we like everything."

Li Aiguo looked at his wife, "Then you can plan the meals."

"Alright, I know, don’t worry, I’ll definitely get this done properly."

After sending off Li Aiguo and his wife, Zhang Limei looked at Zhang Lizhu and Li Xiangfen with a puzzled expression: "Brother, sister-in-law, what kind of strange behavior is this? Since he took office, no one has said anything good about him, so how come he suddenly seems like a different person?"

Li Xiangfen speculated: "I suspect that someone who has their eyes on his position is deliberately spreading rumors to bring him down. It’s really just to frame Director Li!"

Zhang Limei’s brows were still tightly knit: "We have no relation with him, so treating us this well doesn’t make sense, right? Erniu is promising, but not to the extent that he’d act like this, right?"

"I think..." Zhang Lizhu then shared his own guess.

The two women pondered for a long time with furrowed brows and agreed that Zhang Lizhu made sense, but Zhang Limei couldn’t help but be conflicted: "But big brother, if that’s really the case, what should we do? Really make decisions for Erniu?"

"We can’t make decisions for Erniu. At that time, we’ll tell Erniu the truth and let her decide for herself..." Zhang Lizhu sighed deeply and continued, "We’re just guessing. Maybe it’s not the situation at all."

...

"Guoling, whether we can establish this connection depends on you. Make different delicious dishes for them these days. When people eat your food, they are more likely to speak well of us." Standing at the hospital entrance, Li Aiguo seriously instructed his wife.

"I know. You’ve said it more than ten times. Do you really not trust me?" Liu Guoling glared at him discontentedly, "If I were someone unreasonable, would I have let you indulge your whims and work all night?"

Li Aiguo quickly flattered his wife with a smile: "Yes, yes, being able to marry Comrade Liu Guoling, who is so understanding, is my greatest blessing."

"That’s more like it." Liu Guoling rolled her eyes at him but couldn’t help asking, "Are you really sure their daughter knows someone important? Can we really benefit from their family’s connections?"

"If they didn’t know someone important, why would they call in the middle of the night to inquire about their family? Even the county mayor is personally involved. If there was no connection, would the mayor inquire about this kind of matter at that hour?"

"Should we go see the county mayor?" Liu Guoling asked.

"No need." Li Aiguo shook his head, "Don’t deliberately appear in front of the leaders. Just do it quietly. Once the leaders know, they will genuinely appreciate it."

"Alright, you handle it. I’ll go home, take a nap, and make them lunch to bring over."

"Have mom watch the time, don’t be late. If we’re doing this, we have to do our best so they see our sincerity." Li Aiguo instructed, still worried.

Liu Guoling glared at him discontentedly: "If you keep doubting me, I won’t bother anymore."

"Alright, alright, it’s all my fault..." Li Aiguo smiled flatteringly at his wife, "Please explain to dad for me that once things settle down, I’ll visit him."

"Understood." Liu Guoling rolled her eyes at him, waved her hand, and headed to the bus station.

Watching his wife’s figure disappear, Li Aiguo finally walked towards a beat-up jeep. It was the only decent transportation in the commune, though it’s drafty everywhere. It’s still more comfortable than taking a tractor.

Li Aiguo is forty-two years old this year. His family belongs to the Red Heart Commune. After graduating high school, he managed to get a job in the county, precisely under Liu Qijin, who was then head of the security department.

Li Aiguo had a way with words and knew how to read people’s expressions, quickly gaining Liu Qijin’s favor, and later marrying his daughter. He originally thought he could climb the ladder with his father-in-law’s help. However, just as he was about to retire, his father-in-law joined the wrong faction, causing him to be demoted as well.

Fortunately, his father-in-law still had some connections, and after some effort, he was finally reassigned to his hometown in the Red Heart Commune.

So, whether it was gaining favor or having a setback, he must be grateful to his father-in-law for life. Though he feels that even without his father-in-law, he wouldn’t necessarily be worse off than he is now.

The clunky vehicle wobbled out of the hospital gate and, in less than five minutes, two military-green off-road vehicles entered the hospital compound, carrying Chuxia and her party.

Zhang Erniu eagerly jumped out of the car and ran toward the inpatient area, her concern for her father’s safety evident. No one minded her rudeness. Chuxia and Luo Xiaoqiong quickly followed.

Zhou Mikang and Lin Wenbin helped unload various gift items before joining others in heading to the inpatient area.

Zhang Lizhu was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, resting, while Zhang Limei and Li Xiangfen chatted quietly at the end of the bed. Both had worried expressions. Although they understood why Li Aiguo was treating them so well, they still felt uneasy. Even if he had an eye on Zhang Erniu, would he go out of his way to please them like this?

But no matter how much they pondered, they could not think of a more suitable reason. Just as they were deeply entangled in their thoughts, the sound of hurried footsteps approached, causing the two to reflexively raise their heads, and Zhang Lizhu on the bed opened his eyes to look as well.

"Dad, how are you? Does it still hurt?" Zhang Erniu rushed in, anxiously scrutinizing her father, who was staring at her dumbly. She wanted to reach out and touch him but didn’t dare. Seeing this, Chuxia, who came in behind her, couldn’t help but remind her, "Erniu, Uncle’s injury is on his leg, not his arm." (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)