nucmednet Chapter 17 Eavesdropping
Chapter 17 Eavesdropping
"Hello comrade, I live across from you."
A gentle female voice came from outside the door.
Lin Shuyao opened the door, and there stood the woman who had been with Cheng Zheng earlier, holding two rosy apples.
The other woman smiled slightly and handed over the apple. "My name is Su Wan. I work in the technical department's data room. I just started working here today. This is fruit I grew myself. Here, have a taste. We'll be living across the street from each other from now on, so please take care of me."
"Thank you, Comrade Su. This apple looks sweet." Lin Shuyao was angry but had no problem with this Comrade Su Wan. She took the apple, smiled and introduced herself, "My name is Shen Qing. I am a technician in the technical department. Let's guide each other in the future."
"Great! Now we can go to work and eat together!" Su Wan was delighted, but then suddenly felt disappointed. "But I can't go with you to military training. I'm not participating."
Lin Shuyao's eyes lit up, as if she had seen a glimmer of hope: "I can skip military training?"
Her delicate skin couldn't handle any hardship. Although she was exempted from running laps for the next few days, the military training would last for a month, followed by shooting, combat, obstacle courses, weighted cross-country running... I heard they would have to experience all the drills in a regular military camp.
Su Wan sighed softly, helplessly: "Actually, I still want to participate, but my physical condition isn't very good. The representative said that the military training is very intense and they're worried that I won't be able to handle it, so they won't let me participate."
"I see." Lin Shuyao understood. So someone knew that military training was intense and that female comrades couldn't handle it.
Yesterday, she just asked to take a break, and he harshly criticized her in public, saying she wanted special treatment. But in the end, he still gave others the green light.
"Comrade Shen, what happened to your foot?" Su Wan then noticed that Lin Shuyao's foot was bandaged.
Lin Shuyao explained, "I got a minor injury during military training yesterday, but it's nothing serious."
Su Wan felt sorry for you: "Then you should rest well. If you need any help, just call me anytime. I won't bother you anymore; I'm going back to pack my things."
"Okay, thank you, Comrade Su." Lin Shuyao felt quite lucky; the colleagues she had met since joining the factory were all easy to get along with.
Except for that vengeful spirit who targets her from time to time.
snort!
Thinking of Cheng Zheng made Lin Shuyao feel annoyed. Then she thought of those leather shoes. Although she didn't believe that he was the one who gave them to her, what if he really was?
No, she needs to figure this out quickly.
Lin Shuyao went out wearing slippers. As long as she didn't touch her wound, she could walk without any problems, but she walked a little slowly, like an old lady.
She went to the department store first.
The last time I went shopping, I went to the supply and marketing cooperative. The shoe counter there didn't sell lambskin shoes; they mostly sold pigskin. So, I must have bought those shoes at the department store.
Sure enough, when I went to the shoe section of the department store, I soon saw the same style in the glass display case.
"Comrade, how much are these shoes?" Lin Shuyao asked the sales clerk.
The sales clerk glanced at her dismissively, but when she noticed the plastic slippers she was wearing, her tone became extremely impatient: "45 yuan plus a foreign exchange certificate."
"Do you still need foreign exchange certificates?"
"Of course, this is an imported shoe."
Lin Shuyao never imagined that a pair of shoes could be worth an average person's monthly and a half salary.
She works in the technical department and earns 65 yuan a month, which is already a mid-to-high level salary in the factory. Tingting works in the personnel department, and her salary should be one level lower than hers, definitely not more than 50 yuan. It seems that Cheng Zheng must have bought these shoes.
This man scolded himself like a dog one minute, and then bought himself shoes the next. Is he schizophrenic?
Forget it, whatever he thinks, she doesn't want to take advantage of him anyway.
"Thank you, comrade." Lin Shuyao turned and left after inquiring about the price.
The sales clerk practically rolled her eyes to the heavens, muttering behind her, "Why are you asking around if you can't afford it? You country bumpkin, tsk tsk..."
Lin Shuyao heard it, but after glancing at the sign on the wall that read "No hitting or scolding customers," she decided against it.
At least they didn't lay a hand on her. If she really went to argue with them because of a few disdainful looks, she might be accused of deliberately causing trouble.
Is this an overthrow of the Heavenly Gang?
But there's nothing we can do about it; that's just how times are. Goods are scarce these days, so every salesperson keeps some stock on hand, only selling to people they have connections with, or selling at a higher price to those they like.
If you dare offend the salesperson, the item you want to buy will never be available.
After returning to the factory, Lin Shuyao took the money and went to find Cheng Zheng.
It's not like she's never worn nice shoes before; she's bought shoes worth tens of thousands of yuan in later years, spending money like water. But this is the 50s, and she's so poor that she can't even afford a mattress. She still sleeps on a bare wooden plank bed. Under these circumstances, spending 70 yuan on shoes is too extravagant, even for someone as wasteful as her.
Besides, she bought it with money she had overspent, and that money would have to be taken from her monthly salary.
The thought of the next few months of financial hardship gave her a huge headache.
Damn Cheng Zheng, why did he have to buy such expensive shoes?!
Don't they know she's poor?!
Administration building.
Lin Shuyao held the envelope containing money in her hand. Turning forward and passing through another corridor would lead her to Cheng Zheng's office.
She had injured her foot and dared not walk too fast. Just as she was about to take a step and turn the corner, she suddenly heard a familiar voice. Her outstretched foot inexplicably retracted, and she leaned against the wall.
"What's the progress on the matter I asked you to investigate?"
"We've made a discovery; it's about her adoptive parents—"
"Wait, let's talk in the office."
The conversation abruptly stopped.
The next second, a shadow fell over her. Lin Shuyao subconsciously looked up and met a pair of dark and deep eyes.
Cheng Zheng's tall, muscular frame loomed over her, exuding an imposing aura: "What are you doing here?"
Caught eavesdropping, Lin Shuyao felt inexplicably guilty. Her long eyelashes trembled, and she quickly waved the envelope in her hand: "I...I've come to return the money to you. Tingting brought me a pair of shoes this morning, saying they were from you. I can't accept something for nothing, so I'm returning the money to you."
Cheng Zheng's gaze subtly swept over her feet; the size was just right. The image of her delicate, white feet he'd seen in the infirmary flashed through his mind, and his eyes darkened almost imperceptibly for a moment, but his tone remained coldly businesslike:
"No need for money. The shoes were a gift from someone else, and I have no use for them. I just happened to see Comrade Gao, so I asked her to help me get rid of them. It's her freedom to give them to whomever she wants."
She knew it all along; why would this devil be so kind as to give her shoes? It turned out that Tingting had arranged for them to be given to her.
Lin Shuyao tightened her grip on the envelope slightly and then lowered it to her side.
"Then I'm sorry to bother you."
Having figured out what was going on, she nodded and prepared to leave.
"Wait," Cheng Zheng called out to her.