Chapter 6: Concern
When Fan Xia returned home from work, as soon as she opened the door, she smelled a strong scent of smoke. The shoes at the entrance were in disarray, and the living room was crowded with people, including Wen Lan Sheng's parents and her former neighbors from before she moved to the orphanage. A group of women nearing retirement age sat casually in the living room, chatting animatedly, with sunflower seed shells and peanut shells scattered all over the carpet.
Fan Xia frowned imperceptibly.
"Xia Xia, you're back." Wen Lan Sheng emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron. Seeing Fan Xia, his eyes showed both joy and unease. "My mother insisted on being discharged early when she heard you had a day off today. These neighbors found out that mom was injured, so they all came to visit."
Wen Lan Sheng clutched his apron, afraid that she might be angry because he hadn't informed her in advance. In truth, he didn't like this noisy environment either, but he couldn't refuse his parents and the enthusiastic old neighbors.
"Fan Xia, you should recognize all these people. This is your Aunt Zhang, who even held you when you were little. This is Aunt Zou, who lived in the building next to yours," Xie Cen came out with a spatula, introducing them familiarly.
They were all old employees of the same state-owned factory. Once they reached a certain number of years of service, they could be allocated company housing. Thus, they were both neighbors and colleagues. However, Fan Xia's mother held a higher position than them, so the house allocated to her wasn't like the tube-shaped apartments of Wen Lan Sheng's family, but more similar to current commercial housing.
Ordinary employees had a separate courtyard, while those at the director level and above had another courtyard. That's why Xie Cen said Aunt Zou was from the neighboring building.
Fan Xia nodded with a smile: "Of course I remember. Aunt Zou was a key technician at the factory back then."
"After so many years, I'm flattered that you still remember me, haha!" Being called a key technician made Aunt Zou beam with joy. She joked, "You look so much like your mother. Director Fan was the belle of the factory when she was young. When she married your father, it broke the hearts of many young men."
"I heard from Ming Yue that Fan Xia now works at Shanhai Group? As an executive assistant? That's a listed company, isn't it? With many hospitals and sanatoriums under its umbrella. The salary and benefits must be much better than our old crumbling factory, right?" another aunt asked.
Xie Cen waved his hand proudly: "Well, it's not that great. The benefits are all there, and the salary is just about this much."
Xie Cen made a gesture, pretending to be modest.
Everyone's eyes widened, and they almost said in unison: "That much?"
A moment later, Aunt Zou took a puff of her cigarette and sighed, "Truly, the student has surpassed the master. I remember Director Fan was one of the few college graduates in our factory. I knew her daughter would definitely not be inferior... If only Director Fan could see this with her own eyes."
With those words, everyone present was taken back to more than a decade ago.
Director Fan's excellence was well-known. Just a year after getting married, her husband Xie Ying gave birth to their lovely little daughter, Fan Xia.
Fan Xia was smart and well-behaved from a young age, unlike most girls who were mischievous. Her grades were consistently excellent. Because of her good looks and pleasant personality, all the little boys and girls in the family quarters liked to play with her.
Everyone knew in their hearts that if it weren't for that incident, how could Director Fan's child possibly settle for Wen Lan Sheng, the son of the ordinary little cashier Wen Ming Yue?
He could only be described as somewhat handsome, but his family background and education were nothing to boast about. How could he be worthy of Fan Xia?
"Back then, Director Fan was about to be promoted to deputy factory director, wasn't she? I remember the documents had already been submitted. Who would have thought she'd be hit by a damned driver who then fled the scene? By the time she was found, there wasn't even a chance to save her. Xie Ying was a devoted man, he followed Director Fan... It's such a tragedy," Aunt Zhang said with some sadness.
Wen Lan Sheng's hand suddenly tightened, his gaze becoming rigid.
"Oh yes, Ming Yue, you remember, don't you? At that time, everyone from our factory mobilized to help find that hit-and-run driver for Director Fan. But there were no surveillance cameras, and that road was heading out of the city. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, impossible to find," Aunt Zou said, patting Wen Ming Yue's hand.
Wen Lan Sheng listened with a pounding heart, his face turning pale.
Aunt Zhang said, "Old Zou, you forgot, Ming Yue was in her hometown celebrating Jing Jing's birthday at that time, not at the factory."
"Oh, I forgot, look at my memory," Aunt Zou laughed, tapping her forehead.
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