Chapter 8: Confrontation

The others in the office turned around.

"Why aren't you at the hospital taking care of your mother? What are you doing at the machinery plant?"

Being caught by Leng Hui, Leng Yongkang couldn't help but feel guilty.

The personnel clerk turned to ask Leng Yongkang, "Is this Comrade Tang's child and yours?"

Leng Yongkang nodded. "That's right. Xiao Lin is injured, and since I have to work, she’s been the one taking care of her at the hospital these past few days. I didn't expect this child to be here at the plant instead of looking after her mother."

In a large machinery plant with thousands of employees, it was impossible for the personnel clerk to know everyone. He only recognized Tang Lin; they weren't exactly familiar.

Therefore, he didn't think much of Leng Yongkang's explanation and invited Leng Hui to come in and sit down.

When Leng Hui entered and the people in the office turned to look at the door, she had already noticed Sun Xiaojuan tucked away in the crowd.

Sun Xiaojuan was a housewife; what was she doing at the machinery plant?

Her first instinct was that her uncle and her aunt had teamed up, and they were definitely up to no good.

Leng Hui did walk in, but she didn't sit down.

She didn't take the personnel clerk's polite gesture seriously; she found a spot against the wall and stood there, waiting to see what they were going to talk about next.

The moment Leng Yongkang saw Leng Hui, he wanted to stop, but since they were already there and the conversation had started, if he turned and left now, Leng Hui would figure out why they had come to the machinery plant.

Having reached this point, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue.

He felt resentful toward Old Lady Leng and Sun Xiaojuan, having told them not to be in such a rush, yet they insisted on getting it done today.

Now, look at this—they had run into Leng Hui.

Just thinking about the hawk-like gaze Tang Lin had given him the other day made him inexplicably terrified.

The personnel clerk didn't know what was going through Leng Yongkang's mind. He glanced at Leng Hui and asked, "Young comrade, how is your mother recovering? Did the doctor say how long until she can be discharged?"

"About ten days to half a month. The doctor didn't specify exactly when," Leng Hui answered honestly.

The personnel clerk nodded; this timeframe was about what he had anticipated. "Your father just told me that while your mother is on sick leave, he wants your aunt to fill in for her. What is your take on this?"

Filling in for someone was common in this era, so the personnel clerk didn't mind. What he feared was the parties involved or other family members having different opinions and coming to the plant to cause a scene.

That would not only delay production but also cause trouble for them.

This was unexpected for Leng Hui, though after a moment's thought, she realized it was exactly the kind of scheme the Leng family would cook up.

Leng Hui cast a meaningful glance at Leng Yongkang and said to the personnel clerk, "Comrade, I do not agree to this."

"Oh? Your father wants your aunt to take the shift, but you don't agree. That makes things difficult."

Seeing that Leng Hui was ruining things, Sun Xiaojuan grew anxious and angry. "What right do you have to disagree? We adults have already discussed this. Does it matter if a child like you agrees or not?"

As she spoke, she gave the personnel clerk a fawning smile. "Comrade, you can't just listen to this little brat. In our family, the adults are the ones who make the decisions."

Leng Yongkang glared at Leng Hui with dissatisfaction. "Don't you go making a mess of things here, child. Your mother spent a lot of money on her surgery. If she misses another month of work, I’m afraid we’ll be left starving next month."

"Pfft, that’s a funny thing to say. By the sound of it, your Leng family can't eat without my mother? So, all this time, your Leng family has been relying on the daughter-in-law? Especially you grown men—turns out you’re all just freeloaders."

Leng Hui was furious.

The eldest branch, Leng Yongkang and Tang Lin, both had jobs and could easily support Leng Hui alone. Their current state of living was entirely due to the second branch of the Leng family dragging them down.

Not only were they ungrateful, but while her mother was injured, they actually had the audacity to scheme after her job.

How dare these white-eyed wolves?

Furthermore, Tang Lin’s injury was entirely the Leng family’s fault.

If Tang Lin and her daughter hadn't gone to visit the younger Leng aunt at the request of Old Lady Leng, how would they have rushed down a steep slope and gotten injured?

"Leng Hui!"

Facing the shocked, inquisitive, and disdainful gazes of the others in the office, Leng Yongkang was overcome with shame and anger. "How are you talking? You have no respect for your elders! Who taught you to say such things?"

These words were essentially rubbing the faces of the Leng family men into the dirt.

Seeing him dare to yell at her, Leng Hui sneered without a hint of politeness. "Am I wrong? My mother was injured because of the Leng family’s business, and what about you lot? It’s been two or three days—has any of you gone to see her? Not only do you not care, but you’re stabbing her in the back, trying to take over her job. What kind of intentions does your whole family have?"

Leng Yongkang corrected her, "It’s just a temporary substitute. Once your mother recovers, she can still come back to work."

Leng Hui frowned, worried for Leng Yongkang’s intelligence. "Who are you trying to fool with that talk!"

"Big Brother, I think Leng Hui is just poorly raised. You’re her father, yet she speaks to you without any respect, and she hasn't even greeted anyone since she walked in!"

Sun Xiaojuan had a bad feeling that this might not work out today. But even if it didn't, she hated Leng Hui to the bone for ruining everything.

Leng Hui had never had a good impression of Sun Xiaojuan. Seeing that she wasn't even repentant and was still fanning the flames, she retorted without hesitation, "And you have manners? Is it 'manners' to meddle in your brother-in-law’s family affairs? Is it 'manners' to scheme after your sister-in-law’s job while she’s injured? Is it 'manners' to sow discord here?"

Three questions in a row.

Sun Xiaojuan, having her dirty secrets exposed, trembled with rage. "You—is this how you talk to your elders?"

Leng Hui scoffed, "What kind of elder are you? At most, you’re just a parasite sucking the blood off the eldest branch."

The eyes of the others in the office were filled with the light of gossip, watching with great interest; it would have been perfect if they had a handful of melon seeds.

Unable to do anything about Leng Hui, Sun Xiaojuan turned to Leng Yongkang, her eyes reddening with grievance. "Big Brother, this brat of yours has such a sharp tongue and a whole set of twisted logic. If she’s this disrespectful to her elders and you don't discipline her, it’s the Leng family’s face that will be lost!"

"Leng Hui, what exactly are you trying to do today?"

Leng Yongkang couldn't figure out why Leng Hui had come to the plant today, or rather, where she had gotten the news. Had she come specifically to cause trouble?

"What am I trying to do?" Leng Hui let out a cold laugh, crossed her arms over her chest, and circled Sun Xiaojuan, looking as provocative as could be.

Seeing this, the others had one word pop into their minds: *delinquent.*

"I advise you all to act like decent human beings. Don't spend your time scheming against my mother and me. As long as my mother doesn't agree to give up her job, if anyone dares to let an outsider take her place, I will report it to the leadership."

After saying this, Leng Hui glanced at the other staff in the office as a warning.

In this era, before the Reform and Opening-up, having a job was crucial for survival in the city. Without a job, not only would you have no status at home, but you would also have to look at everyone else's faces to get by.

Leng Hui didn't want to wait until her mother recovered only for them to have to live at the mercy of the Leng family and Leng Yongkang.

Of course, she also knew from the original owner's memories that workers in this era had high status. Tang Lin was a technician at the plant; even if Sun Xiaojuan took over the job, she wouldn't be qualified for it.

It was because of these concerns that the personnel clerk hadn't dared to agree and had been stalling, which was how Leng Hui happened to stumble upon the situation.