Chapter 49: I'll set her up on a date!

Director Hu waved his hand, silencing the buzzing discussions among the crowd.

"Report the results of the investigation, and then you can get off work."

By the time it was Shao Le and Lu Qiaoge's turn, Director Hu was in a state of shock. He and Old Huang had been busy outside and were not in the office, so they naturally hadn't received the call from Clerk Liu.

Consequently, they didn't know yet that the case had been solved and that all the missing chickens and ducks had been recovered.

Thus, he gave the two of them a round of praise and then waved them off to finish work, though he instructed them to arrive early the next afternoon to continue the investigation.

Meanwhile, Qin Hengzhi had finished assisting the residents with their evacuation and had returned to the Military Representative Office with his comrades.

After taking a shower, his secretary, Xiao Su, reported something to him: "A factory leader asked me today if Master Lu's mother had come to the Military Representative Office to cause trouble. They said word has already spread through the factory area, claiming that Master Lu's mother has declared that you must be held responsible for Lu Qiaoge's reputation. Vice Factory Director Lin said he intends to send Women's Federation cadres to have a 'heart-to-heart' talk with Master Lu's mother around noon..."

Qin Hengzhi's brow furrowed slightly. He had heard Lu Qiaoge mention it, so he wasn't surprised.

After a moment of contemplation, he said calmly, "Go pack some of the wheatfish you caught. I'm going to feed the cat."

This morning, the soldiers of the Military Representative Office had chosen the lakeside for their morning exercises.

Qin Hengzhi had instructed them to bring buckets and nets; after training, they had gathered quite a few fish and shrimp to add to their lunch.

The Military Representative Office had its own canteen and was not located with the large factory canteen.

Xiao Su froze. "Feed a cat? Whose cat?"

"Lu Qiaoge's cat."

The usually sharp-witted Xiao Su experienced a momentary mental short circuit, unable to understand why Representative Qin would go to feed a cat.

However, the habit of executing orders was ingrained in his actions, and he turned to make the arrangements.

But once again, Xiao Su felt that something was a bit off about this.

Yet, he did not dare to speculate recklessly.

At this time, Lu Qiaoge had not left. She said to Old Hu, "Director Hu, I just checked, and the number of unemployed youths this year has increased by about thirty percent compared to last year. The number of educated youths who returned to the cities and refuse to go back is even triple that of last year. If we cannot provide them with job opportunities, I fear the public security department will be overwhelmed in the future."

Old Hu said, "The Municipal Educated Youth Office is about to issue a document. All educated youths staying without reason must return to their assigned production brigades; otherwise, they will be treated as 'uncontrolled mobile personnel.'"

Lu Qiaoge blinked. "Uncontrolled mobile personnel" meant "drifters." If her sister's medical diagnosis were judged invalid, she would fall into this category and would be forced to return to her assigned brigade.

That girl would never go back.

And she didn't want her to go back either.

"Director Hu, forced repatriation is not a long-term solution. It is already quite remarkable that they responded to the call to build the countryside. Moreover, most of these youths were only fifteen or sixteen when they left home. Rural conditions are not like the city; they will return sooner or later. It would be better if we made preparations early."

Director Hu's eyes widened. "What kind of thinking is that? My second son is also stationed in the countryside, and I haven't made him come back. Rural construction is very important; it is only right that they go back."

Lu Qiaoge did not argue with Director Hu, as his view was, after all, the politically correct one.

Director Hu was actually an interesting person.

She simply smiled and said, "Director Hu, I suggest the Sub-district Office establish a voluntary community service station. Initially, we could recruit ten people to work under temporary status, affiliated with the Sub-district Office, but without official permanent positions, fixed salaries, or the same benefits as the military factory. They would also have to volunteer their time occasionally. The mission would be to serve the people wholeheartedly. Most people with low political awareness wouldn't be interested in such a service station. How about this: I will give you a proposal this afternoon, and you can make a decision after you've reviewed it."

With that, Lu Qiaoge left Director Hu's office. By the time Director Hu remembered to ask what she meant by a "proposal," Lu Qiaoge had already walked away with a cheerful stride.

Old Hu grabbed a handful of his graying hair and sat in a daze for a long while.

Just as he was about to finish work, the telephone rang. To his surprise, it was Factory Director Hao.

Factory Director Hao had just decided to call Director Hu.

Yesterday, he and Old He had tried to persuade Qin Hengzhi to stay for a long time, but Qin Hengzhi had said he must follow the organization's arrangements.

But his intention was still to leave.

And it seemed he was going somewhere very important.

However, he had just heard from his secretary that Qin Hengzhi and Lu Qiaoge seemed to be acquainted. Setting aside the debt of saving a life, the way Qin Hengzhi had helped her out at the restaurant inevitably left room for speculation. Then there was the chicken theft incident this morning; the secretary happened to pass by and witnessed the whole thing. He felt that the relationship between Qin Hengzhi and Lu Qiaoge was not that simple.

There were also some details he couldn't quite figure out, but that didn't stop Factory Director Hao from calling Old Hu.

"Old Hu, how is Lu Qiaoge performing? Hmm, you don't need to report to me right now. Observe her for a week, and then come to my office to see me."

Old Hu initially thought Factory Director Hao had realized Lu Qiaoge's capabilities and was trying to poach her.

Indeed, both Old Hu and Old Huang felt that Lu Qiaoge was a very capable comrade.

This didn't require long-term observation; a few incidents were enough to see a person's level of problem-solving.

He hurriedly said, "Lu Qiaoge is a cadre of the Sub-district Office; she is one of our key talents being cultivated."

Factory Director Hao laughed heartily. "Don't worry, I'm not competing with you for her. If her evaluation is successful, I'll introduce a partner for her!"

At this moment, Lu Qiaoge was completely unaware of this.

She pointed at the tabby cat waiting on the wall for fish. "I don't have time this noon. I have to write things after lunch. Let's talk about it tomorrow at noon."

Suddenly, the tabby cat jumped up and ran toward the front of the road.

Lu Qiaoge was puzzled, but as she turned the corner, she saw a jeep slowly coming to a stop, and a tall, upright figure stepping out of the vehicle.

It was actually Qin Hengzhi.

He stood by the car door, looking with apparent interest at the tabby cat jumping around near the trunk.

Before Lu Qiaoge could even get close, she heard the tabby cat cry out happily: 【There's fish in the trunk! Fish! So much fish!】

Lu Qiaoge didn't find it strange; a cat's sense of smell is far more sensitive than a human's.

She had over 240 million olfactory cells alone, and ever since she had raised Hua Hua, the cat had become much more impressive than before.

She watched Qin Hengzhi silently.

Qin Hengzhi also shifted his gaze from the cat to its owner.

After a few seconds of stillness, Qin Hengzhi broke the silence. He opened the trunk and lifted the lid of the iron bucket, allowing Lu Qiaoge to see the fish inside.

"I heard your brother say the other day that Hua Hua likes eating wheatfish. These are mostly that. Consider it rations for Hua Hua."

This time, it was Lu Qiaoge's turn to look at Qin Hengzhi with a searching gaze.

He wouldn't do this for no reason.

Lu Qiaoge said, "You truly are a good person. Not only did you save my life and help me out of a bind, but you also gave my brother a fishing rod, and now you've even driven here to bring fish for Hua Hua. Our family doesn't know how to express our endless gratitude to you; it is truly embarrassing."

Qin Hengzhi ignored her affectation. He closed the trunk, scooped up the meowing tabby cat, opened the car door to put it inside, and then got into the driver's seat himself. He said to Lu Qiaoge, "Get in. There might be guests at your house right now looking to talk to your grandmother."

Hearing this, what more was there for Lu Qiaoge not to understand?

The rumors must have had an effect; the factory leaders couldn't sit still.

Lu Qiaoge climbed into the car decisively.

The corners of Qin Hengzhi's mouth curled slightly as the jeep slowly drove toward the Lu family residence...

(End of Chapter)