Chapter 37: The Sheng Family?

Chapter 37: The Sheng Family?

Lin Zhijin returned to Wang Xiaofen's house, where Li Bing and his team were still present. She relayed the information she had obtained from Zhao Haihua to them; the specifics would be up to them to investigate.

"Wang Lei? Guo San?" Li Bing turned to ask Wang Xiaofen, "Neither of them is on your list of suspects. You must have seen Wang Lei before. Have you seen Guo San? Compare their builds—could it be one of them?"

Wang Xiaofen pursed her lips and shook her head. "It's not Wang Lei. The height doesn't match—he's a head taller than Wang Lei. As for Guo San, I've seen him a few times, but never got a good look. He does seem taller than Wang Lei, though."

Li Bing exchanged a glance with the veteran police officer, planning to head to North Gate Lane to find Guo San shortly.

"We've got a clear picture of the situation now. Comrade Wang, rest assured, we'll catch the culprit as soon as possible. However, you shouldn't stay here tonight. I've discussed it with Cadre Lin—you can stay at the Women's Federation dormitory for a few nights until we make an arrest, then you can move back." Li Bing closed his notebook.

Wang Xiaofen immediately looked at Lin Zhijin, and upon seeing her nod, grabbed her arm excitedly. "Thank you, Cadre Lin. I'm truly grateful."

After nearly being raped at home, she wouldn't dare stay alone no matter how brave she was. Staying at the Women's Federation dormitory was the best option.

Suddenly remembering her earlier request to the Women's Federation, Wang Xiaofen stood up excitedly. "Cadre Lin, did you come today with news about work?"

Earlier, she had been still in shock and hadn't had the heart to think about anything else.

"Yes—the machinery factory. The specific position will be assigned by the factory leadership." Lin Zhijin handed the letter of introduction to Wang Xiaofen. "I came to tell you to report to the Women's Federation tomorrow morning. I never expected this to happen. Pack your things and come with me—the Federation has dormitories. Stay there for a few nights. If the culprit isn't caught, once you start at the machinery factory, they can arrange housing for you. It's too dangerous here."

Li Bing opened his mouth to say something, wanting to tell them they weren't that incompetent—the culprit had left plenty of clues, and they'd crack the case within days—but then closed it again. Forget it, no point saying more; he'd wait until they caught the guy.

"Then we'll leave Comrade Wang in your hands. We're going to look into the leads." Li Bing nodded at Lin Zhijin.

"Thank you for your hard work, officers." Lin Zhijin nodded back. Once they left, she turned to Wang Xiaofen. "I heard you were bleeding. Where are you hurt?"

The auntie had said there was blood around her bottom. Lin Zhijin was worried it might be a private area, so she hadn't asked while Li Bing and the others were present.

Wang Xiaofen hadn't expected Lin Zhijin to be so attentive. She shyly twisted the hem of her clothes. "My clothes are thick—I wasn't hurt. The blood was all from that bastard."

"Good, as long as you're not injured. Hurry and pack up—the snow is getting heavier, and it'll be harder to walk soon." Lin Zhijin breathed a sigh of relief.

The Women's Federation was in the south of the city. Walking from the east gate, combined with the snow, it took them over an hour to arrive.

"Zhi Jin, you're back? You must be freezing!" Chen Qiuqiu had Wang Xiaoyao pour her some water, then turned her gaze to Wang Xiaofen behind Lin Zhijin. "And this is?"

"Big Sister?" Wang Xiaoyao froze in place upon seeing Wang Xiaofen.

"You're sisters?" Lin Zhijin looked at them, puzzled.

Having worked with Wang Xiaoyao for a while, Lin Zhijin knew her family was well-off, her parents loving, and she had a younger brother. She'd never heard her mention an older sister—especially since Wang Xiaofen was an orphan. Could they be cousins from the same branch of the family?

"We're cousins from the same branch—relatives." Wang Xiaofen glanced at Wang Xiaoyao and explained with a smile.

Lin Zhijin nodded without pressing further. She briefed Chen Qiuqiu on Wang Xiaofen's situation, got the slip, and took her to the dormitory to settle in.

"Big Sister, are you okay?" Wang Xiaoyao chased after them, looking at Wang Xiaofen with concern. "Big Sister, the Women's Federation dormitory is a bit cold. Why not stay at our place? We're relatives—we should help each other out."

"No need. I brought a thick quilt—I won't freeze." Wang Xiaofen seemed somewhat aloof, as if she didn't want much to do with Wang Xiaoyao.

Lin Zhijin's gaze flickered between them. Now that she looked closely, they bore a slight resemblance around the eyes and brows. Combined with their attitudes, there was definitely something going on there.

"Big Sister..." Wang Xiaoyao watched them walk away.

Lin Zhijin opened the dormitory door. "This is a double room. Another woman from the neighborhood committee office also stays here. You can settle in for a few days."

"Thank you, Cadre Lin. You've really helped me out." Wang Xiaofen gave a grateful bow.

"Take your time getting settled. I'll head back to work." Seeing how worn out she looked, Lin Zhijin didn't linger and let her rest.

As soon as she got back to the office, Wang Xiaoyao pulled her aside to ask about Wang Xiaofen's situation.

"It happened in the early hours of this morning. Xiaofen wasn't injured, but she's definitely shaken. I don't know the details—you'd have to ask Xiaofen or the police." Lin Zhijin looked at Wang Xiaoyao suspiciously. "You're so concerned about her, anyone would think she's your full sister."

"She is my full sister—same father, same mother." Seeing Lin Zhijin's surprised expression, Wang Xiaoyao curled her lip. "No point hiding it. My mother's family was well-off. She married my biological father against my grandparents' wishes, then had my older sister and me. But... things fell apart, and my mother went back to her family. She wanted to take both of us, but they wouldn't allow it—I was still nursing, so in the end, she only took me."

Lin Zhijin nodded in understanding. The Wang family must have resented the mother for walking out on her husband and kids, so they told everyone she was dead. They probably also filled Wang Xiaofen's head with plenty of bad things about her mother, which was why she never reached out to her birth mother even when things got so tough, and kept her distance from her younger sister.

"Don't worry—she wasn't hurt. She'll start at the machinery factory tomorrow. Until the culprit is caught, she can stay at the Women's Federation." Lin Zhijin patted her on the shoulder, returned to her seat to switch to a pair of cotton shoes, and breathed a sigh of relief. Cotton shoes were so much more comfortable.

The next day, everyone who had received the letters of introduction arrived, including Sister Li. Su Jianhong gave a few brief instructions, then had Chen Qiuqiu and Lin Zhijin escort them to the machinery factory.

"Don't be nervous at the factory. There's also a Women's Federation office there—if you run into any difficulties, go find them." Chen Qiuqiu said with a smile.

"Director Chen, Comrade Lin, these are the women needing placement?" Director Meng looked over the women the Federation had brought. Most were skinny and scrawny, but they looked spirited and didn't seem like the type to slack off. He nodded, fairly satisfied.

"Xiao Chen, take them to the personnel department and have them assign the work." Director Meng waved Chen Waner over.

"Alright. Director Chen, Cadre Lin, please follow me." Chen Waner was all business.

Lin Zhijin followed along to the personnel department—she needed to make sure the job assignments were properly handled before leaving, lest they go through the motions.

"Well, well, well, Director Chen came personally? What, worried I'd give the women bad assignments?" Section Chief Qin of personnel joked.

"You know it, so you'd better assign them well." Chen Qiuqiu pulled up a chair and sat across from Section Chief Qin, speaking bluntly.

"Don't worry, the jobs are already arranged. Here, take a look yourself." Section Chief Qin handed a form to Chen Qiuqiu.

Most were assigned as fitters; two with poorer health were sent to the canteen kitchen; and one who had received some education was assigned to the union.

"So? Satisfied, Director Chen?" Section Chief Qin asked leisurely.

"Good enough." Chen Qiuqiu nodded approvingly. She watched them finish their hiring paperwork, offered a few words of encouragement, then headed back to the Federation with Lin Zhijin.

"Cadre Lin." Chen Waner chased after them. "After the Mid-Autumn Festival, you never came back. Grandmother misses you very much. The New Year is almost here—she'd like to invite you home for a family reunion dinner."

Lin Zhijin truly admired the Chen family's nerve. How could they be so shameless?

"I've said it more than once—my surname is Lin, and I have nothing to do with the Chen family. Or are you Chens nostalgic for the old days of a house full of concubines and servants? What, not satisfied with the nation's liberation policies?" Lin Zhijin asked with a furrowed brow.

Chen Waner's face changed dramatically. "Cadre Lin, the Chen family is loyal and patriotic, firmly supporting every national decision. You can't just talk out of thin air. My great-uncle on my grandmother's side made mistakes, but the Chen family treated you well."

"Oh? 'Treated me well' by scheming against me at every turn? Enough—we stay out of each other's way, so stop roping me into your mess." Lin Zhijin couldn't be bothered with her. She turned to Chen Qiuqiu. "Sister Chen, let's go."

Watching Lin Zhijin's retreating figure, Chen Waner stomped her foot in anger. If it weren't for Lin Zhijin's good relationship with Secretary Zhang and the others, she wasn't fit to tie Chen Waner's shoes.

"Xiao Chen, what are you standing here for? Where are Director Chen and Comrade Lin?" Director Meng approached with a few others and spotted Chen Waner.

Chen Waner turned to look—it was Factory Director Li Xuegong and a new deputy factory director, Gu Yan.

"Factory Director, Deputy Factory Director Gu, Director Chen and the others have already left." Chen Waner stole a glance at Gu Yan. So young to already be a deputy factory director, he must have a good family background. Highly capable, tall, dark, and handsome—if she could marry him, it wouldn't be a step down for her.

Director Meng noticed Chen Waner's intentions and a slight smirk played at the corner of his mouth. "Deputy Factory Director Gu, weren't you going to inspect the workshops? Why not have Assistant Chen show you around?"

Gu Yan swept a glance at the slightly bashful Chen Waner, then looked at Director Meng. "No need."

"Old Meng, we'll go ourselves. You and Assistant Chen go attend to your business." Li Xuegong glanced at Director Meng, his gaze carrying an inherent authority.

Director Meng immediately caught on—he hadn't taken a liking to Chen Waner. What a pity; he'd hoped to play matchmaker and score some goodwill points.

It was only after Director Meng and Chen Waner left that Li Xuegong smiled and said, "Old Meng's pretty enthusiastic, but you really ought to get on top of your personal life. The old boss has been on my case about it."

Gu Yan smiled lightly and replied, "Director, let's head to the machine shop first."

Li Xuegong wagged his index finger at Gu Yan with a chuckle, then turned the conversation to work matters.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhijin returned to the office. Maybe it was the snow, but nobody came in for help today. After organizing the files, she took out her textbooks to study. Though she already knew it all, she still had to keep up appearances.

"Zhi Jin, where did my big sister get assigned?" Wang Xiaofen leaned over and asked.

"The machine shop," Lin Zhijin glanced at her and continued reading.

Wang Xiaofen seemed lost in thought, thanked her, and returned to her seat.

When quitting time rolled around, Lin Zhijin said goodbye to Su Jianhong and the others, slung her bag over her shoulder, and headed home on foot. But she'd barely made it out the gate when someone blocked her way.

"Excuse me, are you Lin Zhijin, Miss Lin from the Women's Federation?" A woman in her early fifties, neatly dressed with her hair combed back without a strand out of place, asked with a smile.

"Yes, and who are you?" Lin Zhijin looked at her with confusion, certain she'd never seen her before.

"Miss Lin, I'm Granny Qian, caretaker to the Sheng family matriarch. The old lady would like to invite you for a cup of tea at the teahouse just ahead. Would you do us the honor?" Granny Qian pointed to the nearby teahouse and asked politely.

The Sheng family? Sheng Huaimin's household?

Lin Zhijin raised an eyebrow. Since she had nothing better to do, she decided to see what this old Mrs. Sheng was up to. She might as well remind her to keep Sheng Huaimin in check—she was tired of his lovesick glances and chance encounters.

Author's note:

New book seeking favorites: "After Becoming a Factory Girl, I Ran Away Overnight" Synopsis: Waking up, urban white-collar worker Lin Weiwei became Lin Weiwei in 2006... At that time, Lin Weiwei had just graduated from middle school and was forced by her parents to follow her cousin into factory work. She'd dyed her hair yellow and was tangled up with another yellow-haired boy... Looking at the non-mainstream reflection in the mirror, then at the twelve-person dormitory bunk beds, recalling the daily screw-tightening grind from her predecessor's memories, Lin Weiwei shuddered, packed up, and ran away overnight...