Auntie Xu didn’t mean it that way and quickly explained, “Little Sui, what I meant was that Section Chief Meng and his current wife have a generation gap. They’re not well-matched. Marriage is just making do, and this constant entanglement isn’t good either.”
Xie Sui smiled faintly and asked, “Are you and Uncle Xu well-matched now?”
Men generally look younger than women because they don’t have to give birth or nurse children. It’s said that a man at forty is a flower, while a woman at forty is just dregs; it’s truly unfair.
Auntie Xu glanced at her husband. Uncle Xu gave a wry smile, “Why is this about me? My dear, I don’t have any such intentions! You keep an eye on me all day, I don’t have any money, and those young girls wouldn’t be interested anyway.”
Auntie Xu was satisfied. She wasn’t as foolish as Section Chief Meng’s wife, who thought that controlling her husband’s purse strings could curb half of his philandering. She then reaffirmed her claim, stating that if those young girls didn’t throw themselves at him, there would be no problems.
Speaking of Section Chief Meng, he entered with several middle-level leaders, knocking on the door. “Director Xie, you’re finally back. The workers at the factory have been looking forward to your return.”
Xie Sui stood up and shook their hands. “Thank you all for your hard work. Only by working together will the factory get better and better.”
As he shook Section Chief Meng’s hand, he gave him a few extra glances. “Section Chief Meng, we were just talking about you. You need to handle your family issues properly, don’t let them interfere with your work.”
Section Chief Meng’s face turned awkward. “It won’t, Director, rest assured. I will handle it properly.”
“I hope so.”
However, karma came too quickly. Just as he finished speaking, a woman outside started crying loudly, followed by sharp screams, creating chaos. They hurried out to see a crowd gathered outside an office, watching the spectacle.
“Everyone, move aside! Don’t you have work to do? Who’s causing trouble?”
“It’s Section Chief Meng’s wife! She beat up Chen Xiaodie, calling her a vixen. She’s come to cause a scene!”
Section Chief Meng’s face turned green. He rushed in and saw his plump wife pinning Chen Xiaodie down, her face swollen from the blows. Chen Xiaodie looked like a delicate white flower battered by a storm, tears streaming down her face. Section Chief Meng’s heart ached. “You shrew! You lunatic! What are you doing?”
He pushed his wife away and held Chen Xiaodie, whispering words of comfort as if she were his wife. This further enraged the original wife, who lunged at him and started hitting him too. “You ungrateful wretch! You heartless scoundrel! You’re playing happy couples with this vixen, what do you take me for? I’ve borne your children and cared for your elders for so many years, and now you say I’m old, that I’m ugly, and you want to discard me? I will never let you have your way!”
“Security! Call security and get her out! Don’t let her in again! Divorce! We’ll divorce as soon as we get back!”
Section Chief Meng’s original wife’s face turned ashen, her eyes vacant. She walked to the window and said, “You want a divorce? Then I’ll jump from here today!”
Everyone was terrified. Although it was the third floor, she might not die from the fall, but being crippled would be even more troublesome. Moreover, it would have a negative impact on the factory. Xie Sui’s face darkened. What a mess this was.
Lin Wanwan sympathized with the original wife. “What should we do? Call the police and let them handle it.”
“The police can only mediate, they can’t arrest anyone. This is a domestic dispute, the most troublesome kind.”
Xie Sui even considered firing Section Chief Meng and that… Xiaodie. What was all this about? The negative impact on the factory was too severe. In the future, he wanted to build the most reputable large factory. Spiritual civilization and image were also important. How could leaders be constantly thinking about harassing their female subordinates, and subordinates not wanting to focus on work but instead trying to seduce superiors for shortcuts? Any company would be ruined!
“Wanwan, you sit here and be good. Don’t wander around. Don’t let the crowd bump into you. I’ll go take a look.”
“Okay, I’ll have Auntie Xu stay with me.”
Xie Sui went in and first sent away the irrelevant people. He pulled up a chair and sat down. “Sister, please come down first. I am the factory director. Let’s talk properly.”
“Factory director? A leader? Can you help me? I’ve seen my in-laws off, and my family lives far away. No one is supporting me. I have no way to live but to die! For over ten years, I’ve diligently served the whole family, from the elders to the young. Now he says I’m old. When I was tending to his elderly mother, changing her soiled diapers, why didn’t he say I was old?”
“You’re absolutely right! Ungrateful wretch, black-hearted scoundrel, Chen Shimei, you’re worthless! I’ll help you, Big Sister. Have some tea and tell me slowly.”
Section Chief Meng’s original wife came down. Someone was going to stand up for her. Section Chief Meng said, “Director, I’m sorry. I’ll take her home now. I’ll handle it.”
“You go out, both of you get out! I need to talk to Big Sister. Come, let’s go to the office, don’t disturb everyone’s work. As for that… Xiaodie, don’t come to work for now. Await further action.”
Chen Xiaodie said with a wronged look, “Director, don’t! I can still work. I’m the victim, and I cherish this job very much.”
Xie Sui impatiently spoke to her no further and went to the office to appease Section Chief Meng’s original wife.
“What’s your name, Big Sister?”
“Cao Guizhi. You can call me Sister Cao. I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
“Alright, Sister Cao, may I ask you a very private question?”
Inside the office, only Xie Sui and his wife, Uncle Xu and his wife were present, with Lin Wanwan pouring her water.
“Ask away, Director.”
“How long has it been since you and your husband had marital relations?”
Lin Wanwan nudged him. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Xie Sui cried out in pain. “Gentle! This is a serious question. My flesh hurts, don’t you feel sorry for me?”
Lin Wanwan replied, “I don’t feel sorry. I can make you hurt even more.”
Auntie Xu said, “Go home and be affectionate. Isn’t this stimulating Sister Cao?”
Sister Cao gave a bitter smile. “What marital relations? After giving birth, I was so exhausted that I just slept. I had no energy to think about such things. Later, as time went by, he stopped touching me altogether and went straight to those little vixen.” She no longer cared about family shame, having already made such a scene and lost face completely.
Xie Sui said, “Since he can’t bring you happiness, why don’t you live with your children? Is it the same whether you have him or not? Look, how about this: divorce. Take his money, raise the children, let him pay child support. You have money, you have children, and you don’t have to serve him. Can’t you live a good life?”
“But what about the house? We don’t have a house!”
Xie Sui replied, “The house is easy to handle. After the New Year, the factory will build new housing. I promise you a three-bedroom apartment, enough for you and the children to live in. I will directly give you two-thirds of Section Chief Meng’s salary. You can collect the payslips. With money and a house, what are you afraid of?”
Sister Cao was tempted. That’s right, with money, a house, and children, why would she need a man?
“Can you make the decision? Will he agree?”
“If he doesn’t agree, he can scram! Let him go wherever he wants!”
Xie Sui’s domineering attitude pleased Sister Cao. “Okay, I’ll listen to the Director.”