Mrs. Sun opened her mouth, glanced at Director Sun, then at Gu Hai, and finally lowered her head guiltily.
Director Sun snorted and ordered, "Go out right now and explain things to every household. Tell them Gu Hai's girlfriend is not an older woman. If you can't make it clear, don't come back!"
At this, Mrs. Sun immediately became furious, raising her voice. "Why should I go explain anything? I didn't make it up—they misunderstood it themselves. Why should I take the blame?"
With that, she turned and stormed into her room, slamming the door shut. "I'm not going! Whoever wants to go can go!"
Her behavior made Director Sun lose face.
He immediately turned to Sun Xiaoping. She pursed her lips, glanced at him pitifully, and then, just like her mother, turned and went into her room, slamming the door shut with a bang.
Her attitude was clear—she wasn't going either.
Left with no choice, Director Sun could only apologize to Gu Hai. "Xiao Hai, don't worry. I'll go around and explain everything myself in a moment…"
Gu Hai smiled and gently interrupted him. "Uncle Sun, there's no need. I can do it myself. Over the years, you've helped me a lot, and I haven't had the chance to repay you. I really don't want something this trivial to create a rift between us."
"That won't happen. You know what your aunt is like. Her little schemes won't affect our relationship."
Director Sun sighed. "Xiao Hai, even though your aunt isn't very tactful, I still hope you can be a bit more tolerant of her for my sake. As for Xiaoping, rest assured—I'll keep her in check from now on. She won't bother you again."
With that, Director Sun firmly accompanied Gu Hai, going door to door to clarify the situation.
When they reached the second floor, Grandma Gu, who had been sitting at her doorway, saw Gu Hai approaching. Her expression instantly changed. She didn't even bother grabbing her fan—she jumped up and hurried back inside, slamming the door shut!
It was as if she feared Gu Hai would step into her home.
Inside, Grandma Gu peeked through the crack in the door. Only after hearing that Gu Hai and Director Sun had gone into the neighbor's home did she finally breathe a sigh of relief, patting her chest in lingering fear.
"Good thing I reacted quickly! Otherwise, that unfilial brat Gu Hai might have latched onto us!"
"Earlier, when I saw him carrying so many nice things, I thought he'd made money and was hiding it from us. Who would've thought he's being kept by someone? And it's an old woman who collects scrap, no less! Bah! That cheap bastard—just like his shameless mother—doing nothing but disgraceful things. He's an embarrassment to my late eldest son!"
Beside her, Second Aunt Gu said nervously, "Exactly. Gu Hai already makes a living picking up scraps, and now he's found someone who does the same. I heard that woman is greedy for money—she even demanded 250 yuan from Sun Xiaoping! If she finds out we're Gu Hai's relatives, what if she shamelessly comes to demand a bride price from us?"
Hearing this, Grandma Gu's eyes widened. "What? She dares to ask us for a bride price? We have nothing to do with that bastard! Let her go ask his shameless mother! Don't expect a single cent from me—she can take my life instead! If she dares to come, I'll tear her mouth apart!"
After saying that, Grandma Gu issued a firm order to the entire family. "Listen carefully—all of you! From now on, stay as far away from Gu Hai as possible. Don't give him any chance to latch onto you, or I won't forgive you!"
Gu Wang was the first to respond. "Don't worry, Grandma. I won't have anything to do with him. If people find out I'm his cousin, I'll be humiliated along with him!"
The others quickly chimed in agreement.
Gu Hai never expected that the rumors spread by Mrs. Sun would actually save him a lot of trouble.
---
The next morning.
Chen Xiue took a day off and went to the steel factory with Su Wenshan.
At that moment, several department heads were gathered in the factory director's office. Seven or eight of them were lined up, reporting their monthly work to Factory Director Qin Aiguo. Among them was Xia Xingguo.
After finishing his report, Xia Xingguo turned around and saw Su Wenshan and his wife standing at the doorway.
"Hey, Old Su, Sister-in-law, what brings you both here together?"
At his question, everyone in the office instinctively looked toward the door.
Su Wenshan hesitated, unsure whether to wait until the others had left before going in. But Chen Xiue had no such reservations. She strode in confidently, lifted her chin, and addressed Factory Director Qin Aiguo directly:
"Director Qin, I am the wife of Su Wenshan, the warehouse director of this steel factory. I'm here today to file a complaint! I want to accuse Deputy Factory Director Jiang Zhengyi of having low political awareness and corrupt moral character—and of attempting to restore capitalism!"
Her words were forceful and resounding, instantly shocking everyone present.
The seven or eight department heads froze in place. Only Director Qin Aiguo recovered quickly and asked, "Comrade, you've come here to accuse the deputy factory director—do you have any evidence?"
Chen Xiue replied confidently, "Of course I have evidence. I'm a witness, and so are all our neighbors in our courtyard!"
"They all know that Deputy Director Jiang's eldest son is about to marry He Hua from our courtyard. But at a time like this, he approached my husband and said that if we didn't marry our daughter to his son, he would remove my husband from his position!"
With a look of righteous indignation, she continued accusingly, "Tell me, isn't that abusing power to bully others? Isn't that an attempt to restore capitalist practices?"
"His eldest son is already getting married, yet he still insists that my daughter marry into their family—what does that mean? Is he trying to have multiple wives? Does he think his family are landlords or capitalists? I believe his ideology is seriously flawed. That's why I came here to report him—I can't let you all be deceived by him!"
After hearing this, Qin Aiguo looked surprised. "Deputy Director Jiang did something like that? That seems unlikely. Could there have been some misunderstanding on Director Su's part?"
Over the years, Deputy Director Jiang had maintained a good reputation and was skilled at flattering his superiors, so it wasn't surprising that Qin Aiguo was skeptical.
Although Su Wenshan was an honest man, he still knew how to defend himself. "Director, this is indeed true. Deputy Director Jiang personally told me that if I didn't agree to the marriage, I shouldn't come to work anymore."
At this, Qin Aiguo fell silent.
The others exchanged glances, communicating silently with their eyes.
Only Xia Xingguo stepped forward to support Su Wenshan.
"Director, I know Director Su's character well. He has worked at our steel factory for over twenty years and has always been diligent and responsible. He's never formed cliques or factions. And during the last 'Outstanding Worker' selection, Director Su was originally the candidate—but Deputy Director Jiang accepted a gift from Section Chief Wei and gave the title to him instead. I think—"
Before he could finish, Section Chief Wei, who was present, immediately stepped forward and cut him off angrily:
"Section Chief Xia, I don't mind you siding with Director Su, but you can't just make baseless accusations! I never gave any gifts to Deputy Director Jiang. That was just normal professional interaction—you can't slander me like this!"