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Chapter 602: A Former Colleague is in Trouble
Chapter 602: A Former Colleague is in Trouble
Lu Hongjun practiced Tai Chi in the park. After his routine, he played chess with a few elderly friends. Ever since the incident where he fell while riding the crowded bus, Lu Shan and Da Mai had not allowed him to pick up their children, so Chaoyang Park had become his regular hangout spot.
Glancing at his watch, he realized it was already past five o'clock, time to head home for dinner. He began to gather his things and bid farewell to his friends before making his way back leisurely.
One of the elderly men remarked enviously, "Ah, I used to think having many children was a blessing, but now I realize that having just one would be just as good, with fewer troubles to worry about."
This was because his wife had gone to another province to help their youngest son take care of his children, and now his eldest son was complaining that they were showing favoritism to the youngest, while the second eldest accused him of always siding with the eldest and the second eldest, leaving him feeling like an outsider in his own family.
One of the men, who didn't get along with Lu Hongjun, chimed in, "What's there to envy? His daughter in Hong Kong doesn't even bother to care for him. He'll have to rely on his stepchildren from now on, so he'd better prepare to weep!"
He was not envious of Lu Hongjun, not one bit.
The man who had spoken earlier laughed and said, "Then you don't know the full story. The house he lives in was bought by his daughter, and so was the car. If he needs anything, he just gives her a call, and she takes care of it. As for being bullied by his stepchildren, his eldest nephew lives just three to four hundred meters away, and he drops by to check on him every day."
The man who didn't get along with Lu Hongjun snorted coldly, "If his daughter was truly filial, she would have invited him to live with her in Hong Kong instead of leaving him here."
This was nitpicking, and the elderly man defended, "Hong Kong is a great place, but it's unfamiliar territory. He wouldn't know anyone there and would have no one to talk to. It's better for him to stay here, where he can practice Tai Chi and play chess with us, and visit his grandchildren and great-grandchildren whenever he likes."
Everyone always said that having sons was preferable, and he used to think so too. But now, with his three sons constantly quarreling and his daughter-in-law struggling in her marriage and expecting financial support, he realized that having just one successful child was better than having many.
Lu Hongjun, the man of envy, returned home to find a young woman with red, tear-stained eyes standing in the courtyard. He thought she must be a relative of Tang Sufin's. Annoyed, he said, "How many times have I told you not to bring just anyone to our home?"
He despised Tang Sufin's relatives from the countryside. The last time they had visited, they had taken away the dried shrimp, scallops, and other seafood that Jiajie had sent him. Fortunately, he had locked away Jiaxin's tonic supplements, or those would have been gone too. Later, when his snuff bottle and brush washer were stolen, he concluded that none of Tang's relatives could be trusted.
Tang Sufin retorted impatiently, "She's here to see you."
Lu Hongjun studied the woman, trying to place her, but he drew a blank. "I don't know you," he said. "Why are you looking for me?"
The young woman sobbed as she spoke, "I am Kang Jinzhou's wife. My husband, he's been wronged, and I beg of you, General Manager, to save him."
Lu Hongjun's expression changed slightly at the mention of Kang Jinzhou, his colleague and the chief financial officer of the department store. Now, to hear that he had been wronged and that his wife had suddenly come to plead for his help, Lu asked, "What happened to Old Kang?"
Tang Sufin, upon hearing this exchange, became thoughtful. Her husband was a colleague of Old Lu's, and they were likely of similar age. But this woman looked to be in her early thirties, attractive and slender, probably a second wife. At this age, they would have little in common with Old Lu.
It was only after listening to the young woman's tearful account that Lu Hongjun learned someone had reported Kang Jinzhou for embezzling funds from the department store.
The woman wept, "General Manager, my husband has lived a honest life, and now, just before his retirement, he has been falsely accused. General Manager, please, you must clear my husband's name."
Lu Hongjun corrected her, "Don't call me General Manager. I've been retired for over five years now. Just call me Old Lu."
The young woman readily agreed, "Old Lu, please, I beg of you to help my husband."
Lu Hongjun himself didn't know what had happened to Kang Jinzhou, so he invited her inside to explain the situation in detail. Unexpectedly, Tang Sufin followed them in, curious to hear what had transpired and whether it had anything to do with Lu Hongjun.
Noticing her, Lu Hongjun frowned and scolded, "Is dinner ready? If not, go make it now."
Tang Sufin knew that he wouldn't say anything as long as she was there, so she turned to leave. However, after a short while, she quietly tiptoed back and eavesdropped from the doorway.
The woman poured out her woes for over half an hour before Lu Hongjun asked her to return home. Even if he wanted to help, he needed to find out more about the situation and not just rely on one side of the story. Moreover, he wasn't sure how much he could assist in this matter.
After seeing the woman off, Lu Hongjun went to see Lu Jianguang. He made two phone calls and listened with a surprised expression, "What? He bought a siheyuan in the inner city for over 50,000 yuan? Oh, I see, thank you!"
Before the wage reform, Kang Jinzhou, as the chief accountant, earned just over a hundred yuan, and with benefits, it would have been around 200 yuan. Even if he managed to get his hands on some defective products, he had to support his elderly mother and brothers in the countryside, as well as his wife and six children. There was no way he could have saved that much money. In the second year after the wage reform, his wife passed away, and he remarried a widow with two children. Given his circumstances, it would have been impressive if he had saved 10,000 yuan, let alone 50,000 yuan. This matter had come to light because someone had reported him, and with his income and expenses so mismatched, an investigation had begun.
After hanging up the phone, Lu Hongjun's expression turned grim.
Wang Xiaojie, noticing his somber mood, asked, "Uncle Three, what's wrong?"
Lu Hongjun didn't hide it from her, "I made some inquiries, and it turns out it's not a false accusation. With his salary, how could he afford a mansion worth over 50,000 yuan?"
Wang Xiaojie was shocked, and worried that her uncle, being older and soft-hearted, would get involved, so she quickly said, "Uncle Three, we mustn't get entangled in such matters, or we'll never be able to explain ourselves."
Lu Hongjun nodded, "I'm not that senile yet. I'm heading back, you go ahead with your work."
Wang Xiaojie watched his retreating back, feeling the weight of his burden, but she knew that asking him about it wouldn't yield any answers, so she went to the second courtyard to collect the laundry. With a housekeeper to cook and clean, she didn't need to worry about those tasks.
Now, everyone at the company envied Wang Xiaojie. She lived in a spacious home and had a housekeeper to take care of the chores. Her colleagues envied her so much that their eyes turned red—the house was a gift from her aunt, and the housekeeper was hired by her uncle.
Back at home, Tang Sufin asked, "Old Lu, what did that woman's husband do wrong?"
Lu Hongjun was reluctant to discuss it with her, "No matter what mistake he made, I've been retired for many years. People come and go, and after five years, even more so. There are hardly any familiar faces left at the department store, so there's nothing I can do even if they come to me."
"You really won't help?"
Lu Hongjun glanced at her and said, "I can't even manage my own affairs, let alone someone else's."
Tang Sufin didn't believe him, but seeing his impatience, she let the matter drop.
(End of Chapter)
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