Volume One, Chapter 16: Duan Xiaoqiu Makes Things Difficult
At dawn the next day, the sun was just beginning to rise.
Li Shuhe got up early, applied some ointment, washed her face, and rinsed her mouth.
As usual, she put on a thick layer of makeup, slung her water bottle over her back, took her keys, and set off.
Fortunately, she had collected hot water at the hospital yesterday, which helped her get through the night; otherwise, she would have been parched.
After walking for half an hour, Li Shuhe finally saw people—workers carrying cloth bags in small groups, and occasionally cyclists weaving through the crowd.
It was still early, so the streets weren’t very crowded.
Li Shuhe just caught the early shift bus.
She arrived at the Xiadong Automobile Factory before five in the morning.
First, she went to the factory cafeteria to get breakfast.
Following her memory, she walked to the office building within the factory and entered the finance room.
The door wasn’t closed; she knocked lightly as a formality.
Pushing open the slightly ajar door, a round, chubby figure lunged toward Li Shuhe.
She quickly dodged, and the large ball of flesh crashed into the corridor wall.
“Waaah—”
A loud cry echoed through the hallway. Li Shuhe inwardly sighed—this was Duan Xiaodong’s cousin’s notoriously unruly brat.
Duan Xiaoqiu leaned against the door with a gleeful expression, as if watching a show.
This child was someone she had deliberately brought here. She had tempted him with snacks and coaxed him, successfully persuading this troublemaker to vent his anger on Li Shuhe.
Originally, she had intended for him to bump into Li Shuhe, but she hadn’t expected Li Shuhe to react so swiftly.
Hmph, but now she was even worse off. The one injured was Duan Dazhuang, and given the temperament of the elder brother and sister-in-law, they wouldn’t let Li Shuhe off easily.
“Zhuangzhuang, what happened? Your aunt will stand up for you.” Duan Xiaoqiu helped the little chubby boy, who was crying face down on the ground, to his feet. “Was it Li Shuhe—”
Duan Xiaoqiu looked ready to fight for the little boy’s justice but was dumbfounded when she turned back.
Li Shuhe was curled on the ground, clutching her stomach in pain.
“What are you pretending for? I didn’t even hit you.”
Duan Dazhuang angrily held his head, pointing at Li Shuhe with a strong voice, sharply contrasting with Li Shuhe’s silence as she lay on the ground.
“Why did you dodge? If you hadn’t moved, I wouldn’t have crashed into the wall!”
“Exactly! Li Shuhe, stop pretending. I saw it all—Dazhuang didn’t hit you at all. You made him crash into the wall. You’re in trouble now. I’m telling my brother, and he won’t forgive you.”
Duan Xiaoqiu and Duan Dazhuang both pointed accusingly at Li Shuhe.
“What’s going on?”
Their cousin, Duan Xiaodong, arrived; he was Duan Dazhuang’s biological father and the director of a workshop at Xiadong Automobile Factory.
“Brother! Li Shuhe suddenly opened the door, and Zhuangzhuang lost his footing. At first, Li Shuhe was just going to help him up, but she dodged instead, causing Zhuangzhuang to crash into the wall. What if he hurt his head badly?”
Duan Xiaoqiu, playing the villain, complained shamelessly. She winked at Duan Dazhuang, who immediately clutched his head and rolled on the ground, shouting in pain.
“Well then, don’t think you can act tough here just because you’re engaged to my cousin. Get up! If anything happens to my son today, I won’t let you off!”
“Your son hit me!” Li Shuhe retorted. “I didn’t do anything. He charged at me and knocked me to the ground.”
“If he fell by accident, why would he hit the opposite wall? At worst, he would’ve just fallen on the floor.”
“He was deliberately charging at me.”
Li Shuhe’s face turned pale. In dodging, she had hurt her ankle again. It wasn’t suitable for strenuous activity, and now the injury seemed worse.
She rolled up her pant leg; her pale, delicate face was full of grievance and frailty. “My foot is swollen.”
“Maybe Zhuangzhuang’s head is bleeding too!”
Duan Xiaoqiu’s mind wasn’t as quick as Li Shuhe’s. She looked at Duan Dazhuang writhing on the ground, trying to find a bump or wound.
But the brat was tough; he was completely unscathed.
By nearly five o’clock, more workers had gathered.
“That Li Shuhe seems reasonable. That kid may have cried loudly but has no injury, while Li Shuhe barely speaks but looks worse off.”
“I heard Li Shuhe was brought in to replace Duan Xiaoqiu as accountant. Maybe Xiaoqiu is unhappy and is using Duan Dazhuang to take revenge on Li Shuhe.”
“Very possible. Duan Dazhuang is a fool. Xiaoqiu used him to chase away a female worker before. She’s experienced in this.”
“But the factory director is also involved. Isn’t Li Shuhe an artist? Having her as an accountant is ridiculous. What will happen to the factory’s finances?”
“Who knows? The factory director’s sister and his fiancée—both are about the same.”
“How do you think this will be resolved?”
“Who knows? With a factory director’s niece and a factory director’s fiancée involved, neither will get into trouble.”
Small groups of workers gathered, discussing what they had seen.
“What’s everyone standing around for? No work?”
A cold, low voice came from the back of the crowd.
The workers quickly dispersed.
“Xiadong.” Their cousin spoke first. “Your sister says my son hit his head on the wall because of Li Shuhe. You have to give me a fair judgment—I don’t know what really happened.”
Duan Xiaoqiu cursed silently—she had been so sure when she accused Li Shuhe, but now that her brother had arrived, she was passing the blame to him.
“Brother Xiaodong,” Li Shuhe looked at him with teary eyes, “I believe Zhuangzhuang is a good child. He wouldn’t have meant to hit me. Maybe someone told him something.”
“What do you mean? What does that have to do with me? If you hadn’t dodged, Zhuangzhuang wouldn’t have crashed into the wall.”
Li Shuhe lowered her head and said nothing, only rubbing her injured foot.
“Enough!” Duan Xiaodong commanded. “It was just an accident. What’s all this gathering here for?”
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