Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 681 Li Huaide's First Meeting with Qin Huairu
the next day.

Qin Huairu got up early to make herself breakfast and also fed Kuihua while she ate.

The noise woke Jia Zhangshi, and as she watched Qin Huairu obediently getting ready for work, a smile appeared on her lips.

"Hmph, you'd better go to work obediently. You're still too green to mess with me!"

With a sneer, Jia Zhangshi went back to sleep.

After thinking about it for a long time, Qin Huairu finally came to terms with it and had to accept the fact.

With no money or food in hand, and two children to raise, she had no confidence to resist Jia Zhangshi.

Qin Huairu remained silent. After finishing breakfast, she left the house without waiting for Yi Zhonghai to call her.

"Xiao Qin." Yi Zhonghai wanted to say a few kind words as he watched her figure disappear into the distance, but she wouldn't listen.

Steel rolling mill.

"Xiao Qin, are you all packed?"

"All packed up, Master."

Liu Xiaoyan nodded: "Starting today, you'll officially be working. This month, your main tasks will be memorizing things and moving things. Move what you can, but don't move what you can't. Your health is important."

“Yes, Master.” Qin Huairu nodded in response.

"Master, Xiao Qin, good morning!"

"Senior sister!"

The group of masters and disciples greeted each other. Liu Xiaoyan's disciples were all rather burly, with strong and powerful arms, and they looked like they were not to be bullied.

As everyone in the workshop gradually arrived for work, Qin Huairu went to her job.

There wasn't much to do this morning; I mostly just observed.

Although she didn't do much, Qin Huairu's role in the workshop was 'important'.

With such a beautiful girl around, everyone worked with more enthusiasm, wanting to show off in front of her.

"Not bad." Guo Da Piezi nodded in satisfaction, especially seeing how enthusiastic the apprentices were.

"Qin Huairu didn't come for nothing; at least she's somewhat useful."

Time flew by, and it was noon.

Li Huaide was in high spirits today and decided to go to the canteen for a big meal.

Sitting in the office all day, one needs to occasionally show one's face in front of the workers to avoid being seen as out of touch with the masses.

Eating from the same pot is the most people-friendly thing to do!

He can also take this opportunity to observe what people think of him.

The large pot of food at the No. 1 canteen is famous, after all, with a chef named Sha Zhu who has inherited his family's culinary skills, it is naturally the best choice for him.

"Hello, Director Li!"

"Hello, Factory Director Li"

"Good leadership!"

"Okay, okay, everyone's doing well!"

Along the way, whenever a worker greeted him, Li Huaide would wave and smile, appearing kind and approachable.

Suddenly, a beautiful figure swept past him, leaving behind a fragrant breeze that drifted into his nose with his breath.

Li Huaide twitched his nose slightly and couldn't help but take a few deep breaths. It was a woman's natural fragrance, and also a milky scent.

It smells wonderful!

This is the flavor he likes!

Li Huaide immediately looked in the direction he was looking and saw a slender figure in work clothes running briskly, her buttocks swaying just right.

Although he couldn't see her face, she had already stirred his heart and made him restless.

"Wow! When did such a beauty come to the factory? How come I didn't know? Looks like this trip was worth it." Li Huaide thought to himself with secret delight.

My gaze remained fixed on that beautiful figure, and when she turned her head unexpectedly, I was finally able to catch a glimpse of her true face.

"Hmm! This person seems familiar." Li Huaide couldn't help but stroke his chin, his brow furrowing as he pondered.

"Clap!" A hand slapped.

"Isn't this the wife of the worker who died in the accident in the workshop after the New Year? I didn't expect her to come to work."

Li Huaide was the deputy factory director in charge of logistics, so he was naturally fully aware of the accident.

To avoid being harassed by the deceased's family, he sent his subordinates to handle the matter, but he observed it from a distance.

He had his eye on Qin Huairu at the time, but she was pregnant, so he couldn't make a move to kiss her.

More than two months had passed, and he had completely forgotten about the married widow. He only remembered her today upon seeing her again.

"It seems this young lady is in a bad mood; her eyes are red. She must have encountered some hardship. Isn't that just what I wanted?"

Li Huaide's observation skills were astonishing. He noticed that Qin Huairu's eyes were red, and it was clear that she had been wronged and had been crying.

But ironically, this made the beautiful woman appear haggard, which made people feel pity and want to protect her.

Thinking of this, Li Huaide's lips curled up slightly, and his heart began to stir with restlessness.

If the widow were doing well, he wouldn't have had the chance to fawn over her.

Li Huaide wasn't in a hurry to meet the beauty, but instead slowly lined up and mingled with everyone, but he lagged far behind Qin Huairu.

If things continue like this, I might miss out on meeting the beautiful girl.

But Li Huaide was no ordinary man; if once wasn't enough, he would try twice or three times.

When the workers saw Li Huaide lining up, they all gave way to him.

"Director Li, you can go ahead of me in line."

"Director Li, come here."

"No way, you've gone to so much trouble to get in line, how can I cut in line? That won't do, isn't this a privilege? Everyone, don't worry about me, I'll just stay at the back."

The workers readily made way for him, and Li Huaide feigned reluctance, but secretly he was pleased with himself: 'These people really fall for this.'

Hearing these righteous words, the workers were deeply moved, thinking, "This is a good factory manager!"
Li Huaide maintained a smile throughout, taking in everyone's expressions and keeping everything under control.

Hearing the commotion, Qin Huairu turned around and saw Li Huaide. She knew he was a high-ranking official, but she didn't know who he was. She immediately asked her senior sister, Wang Xiuying.

"This is our factory's deputy director, Deputy Director Li."

"Oh." Qin Huairu carefully examined Li Huaide. He was indeed quite handsome, with the ruggedness of a middle-aged man and the fortitude in his eyes, which made her somewhat fascinated.

He seems like a trustworthy and upright man.

He's at least much better than Jia Dongxu!
However, Qin Huairu didn't think too much about it and quickly asked Sha Zhu to get the food so she could take the lunchbox home to eat.

Yesterday's events made Qin Huairu doubt that Jia Zhangshi could breastfeed Kuihua; she had to go back and breastfeed her herself.

When she passed Qin Huairu, she made a point of stopping to greet her: "Director Li."

"Hello, hello." Li Huaide replied with a smile. Since the person had come, he naturally couldn't give up.

"You look unfamiliar. I've worked in the factory for many years, and I've never seen you before."

"Director Li, my husband had an accident after the New Year. I came to work in his place and only started working at the factory yesterday."

"Oh, is that so?" Li Huaide feigned sudden realization: "Please accept my condolences."

Then the topic shifted abruptly: "After the accident after the New Year, were you Jia Dongxu's wife from the first workshop?"

"Yes." Qin Huairu was surprised that the famous Li Huaide actually remembered her, and she was immediately filled with fear.

"Thanks to the factory's care, I was able to come back to work after giving birth and finishing my postpartum confinement."

"It's nothing. Our steel rolling mill prioritizes people and provides necessary care for the workers' families. It's not just you; the steel rolling mill treats all workers equally." "Good!"

Li Huaide's heartfelt words immediately resonated with the workers.

"Director Li is right."

"Director Li is right!"

Li Huaide smiled and nodded in acknowledgment of everyone's praise.

"By the way, could you come to my office this afternoon if you have time? There are still some follow-up matters to be dealt with."

Qin Huairu was somewhat confused, but since her superior had asked her for a favor, she naturally had no choice but to accept.

"Okay, I won't disturb Director Li's meal. I'll head back now; I still need to go back and breastfeed my baby."

"Feeding?" Li Huaide glanced down at her proud figure and said, "Go quickly, don't keep the child waiting."

Nodding, Qin Huairu picked up her lunchbox and hurried home.

As soon as they got home, sure enough, they saw Jia Zhangshi and Banggeng eating, but Xiaodang and Kuihua were nowhere to be seen.

"Ah~" Kuihua's wailing came loudly and was very jarring.

"Don't cry, little sister, don't cry."

"Kuihua!" Qin Huairu was so frightened that she immediately went into the house. She saw Xiaodang imitating Qin Huairu, constantly comforting Kuihua while holding a milk bottle in her hand, but she didn't want to drink it at all.

Qin Huairu immediately ran over, picked up Kuihua, took off her clothes and started breastfeeding, which stopped Kuihua from crying.

Holding the baby bottle, Xiao Dang lowered her head in guilt, feeling helpless and unable to help at all.

Qin Huairu didn't say anything, she just patted Xiao Dang's head.

"Mommy~" Xiao Dang sobbed.

"It's okay, it's okay, I don't blame you. Mom will come back at noon to breastfeed you from now on."

After comforting Xiaodang, Qin Huairu gave her the lunchbox and told her to eat first.

Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng outside didn't even glance at them, continuing to eat by themselves.

After lunch, Li Huaide went to the Labor Protection Department to retrieve Qin Huairu's file and inquire about her situation.

Knowing that the family consisted of five people, including two widows and three little kids, and that the two widows were at odds and Qin Huairu was often harassed, they also found out that Qin Huairu was frequently harassed.

Having gathered all the information, Li Huaide couldn't help but smile wickedly, having already made plans to manipulate Qin Huairu.

At this very moment, he was eagerly awaiting someone's arrival, even picking up a comb and fixing his hair in front of the mirror.

Her fingertips lingered on her hairline for a moment, she frowned slightly, then relaxed: "For men, status is the best medicine."

Li Huaide smiled confidently, quite satisfied with his appearance.

"Dong Dong~"

"Come in!"

The door opened, and in walked the beautiful widow he had been longing for.

"Director Li, what brings you here?" Qin Huairu asked nervously.

Li Huaide wasn't in a hurry to get close to her. After she sat down on the sofa, he started chatting about everyday things under the guise of 'caring for the employees' families'.

Knowing the exact details of Qin Huairu's current situation, he secretly chuckled to himself.

"Qin Huairu, I understand your situation. The most important thing for you now is to look forward. Birth, aging, sickness and death are the natural course of life. We who are alive cannot live in the past."

"For your own sake, for your children's sake, and for the future of your family, you have to look forward."

"I understand, Director Li. I have to work hard for my child," Qin Huairu said, wiping away tears from her eyes.

“You should try your best, but there are ways that don’t require effort. Qin Huairu, how about I point you in the right direction?” Li Huaide said, seizing the opportunity.

Upon hearing the words "point out the way," Qin Huairu's heart tightened, and she gripped the hem of her clothes so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palms.

With her head bowed, her eyes held a mixture of emotions—hope and the bitterness of betrayal—hesitating for a moment.

Dongxu just died, and she dares to act recklessly. If people find out, won't they be ashamed of her?

Qin Huairu bit her lower lip hard until she tasted a hint of blood.

Seeing Qin Huairu trembling with nervousness, Li Huaide knew she was daydreaming, so he immediately fell silent, giving her time to indulge in her fantasies.

It's true that it's easy to win her over at this point, but if you can't win Qin Huairu's heart, what if she has self-respect and pride, and all your efforts are in vain?
How could Li Huaide make such a mistake!

"me."

Qin Huairu pursed her lips, wanting to agree but finding it difficult to speak.

Li Huaide understood that it was precisely at times like these that things could not be forced.

After giving him enough time to fantasize, Li Huaide quickly changed the subject: "You said you just finished your postpartum confinement, how can you go to work in the factory? What an absurd thing to do."

"If this hurts your body, and something happens, I won't be able to explain it to you."

"Give me some time, and I'll see if I can help you switch jobs to something a little easier."

"Ah? Ah!"

Qin Huairu was stunned by Li Huaide's sudden twist of the tongue, and it took her a while to understand his good intentions.

'Qin Huairu, Qin Huairu, what are you thinking? He's the deputy factory director, how could he possibly be interested in you?' Qin Huairu thought to herself, wishing she could slap herself twice.

Seeing Qin Huairu's reaction, Li Huaide felt even more reassured; he was confident he could win over this widow.

"Is this really possible?" Qin Huairu's eyes lit up as she stared at Li Huaide hopefully.

"Of course, as I just said, you're a temporary worker and you've just finished your postpartum period. Our steel rolling mill does have a human touch."

"Okay, you go back and wait here. I'll see if I can adjust it for you."

"Thank you, Director Li!" Qin Huairu stood up excitedly and bowed to Li Huaide.

After bowing, and catching a glimpse of the view through the gap in his collarbone, Li Huaide immediately put on a serious act.

"I don't know how to repay you."

"Forget about repaying, this is what our factory leaders should do. Go back and get busy. I'm afraid this matter can't be resolved in a short time."

"By the way, don't tell anyone about this. There are so many people in the steel rolling mill. If everyone wanted to transfer, it would be chaotic and disorderly. It's only because you just finished your postpartum period that we're making an exception for you."

"Yes! I will keep it a secret." Qin Huairu nodded solemnly.

"Go." Li Huaide waved his hand, and Qin Huairu bowed one last time before leaving.

As soon as the person left, Li Huaide crossed his legs and sneered, "Transferring her to a new job? What's the point of transferring her before we've even got her? Let's leave her hanging for half a month first."

"Once they can't sit still anymore, then we can take it down."

The thought of Qin Huairu's stunning figure made Li Huaide eager to make a move.

"No, I need to find someone to vent to."

He opened the drawer and found a bottle of the top-of-the-line Qianjin Fang (a traditional Chinese medicine formula). He took one pill and swallowed it, then went out to find someone to relieve his internal heat.

When Qin Huairu returned to the workshop, it was almost time for her to start work.

"Little Qin, come here! Let me show you around." Senior Sister Wang Xiuying continued the morning's lessons, showing Qin Huairu how to use the tools.

"Ugh."

Unfortunately, Qin Huairu was already somewhat distracted, and she was filled with anticipation at the thought that she would be transferred away from the workshop soon.

What's the use of knowing these tools? I'll be leaving after a while, so whether I know them or not, I won't need them in the future.

That's what she was thinking, but Qin Huairu wouldn't say anything she wasn't sure about; she just pretended to listen attentively.

In reality, it goes in with the left ear and out with the right.
(End of this chapter)