"Pah! Pah! You jinx, are you cursing me?" Ding Ding spat several times. "If you really want to thank me, treat me to a lavish meal at Hong Le Men!"
"Okay! No problem!" I assured him, patting my chest.
"That's more like it!" Dingding nodded in satisfaction.
The two were talking enthusiastically when Director Zhou walked in.
"Yuanyuan's back!" Director Zhou greeted me with a big smile. I chuckled back, feeling a chill run down my spine from his laughter.
"Is your leg really fully healed? If not, take a few more days off!" This was the first time Director Zhou had spoken to me so gently, which made me, a woman used to being treated harshly, feel quite uncomfortable.
"It's alright, I'm fully recovered! Thank you for your concern, Doctor!"
"Don't be so polite with me," Director Zhou said with a beaming smile. "We're all family here!"
"One of us? Director Zhou, you're joking." I rolled my eyes inwardly.
After Director Zhou entered his office, Dingding mysteriously pulled me aside and said, "Yuanyuan, do you know that something big has happened in the college?"
"What? What big thing happened?" I nervously pricked up my ears to hear the gossip.
"The evaluation team came to conduct the evaluation in late last month, and right after the evaluation was completed, Secretary Ding was arrested! I heard that he accepted more than three million yuan in bribes during the past two years while he was working on the school's infrastructure project! And this is only the amount that can be listed based on evidence; who knows how much more has not been uncovered!" Ding Ding spoke with great enthusiasm, as if he were talking about some exciting TV drama.
"I thought Director Zhou was definitely going to be in trouble this time, but I didn't expect him to fight back and accuse Secretary Ding of accepting bribes! Didn't expect that, did you? It turns out everyone was wrong, Director Zhou isn't from Ding's faction!"
I gasped, my jaw dropping. This was some huge gossip! I never imagined that just a few months after I broke my leg, such a massive upheaval would occur at the academy. Secretary Ding, who always held absolute power, had been arrested! And for accepting a three million yuan bribe! My third uncle and aunt hadn't let me know a word! And Qu Ling too! The three of them were all calm, as if nothing had happened, unusually composed.
Just as I was about to ask Dingding for more details, it was time for class. Disappointed, I grabbed my briefcase and rushed to the classroom, planning to ask her for more information when I got back.
I finally made it to the end of get out of class and was looking for Dingding everywhere when my third aunt called me to the infirmary. Thinking I could get some information from her, I rushed to the infirmary.
As soon as I arrived at the door, I smelled a pungent, unpleasant odor of vegetables. I pushed the door open and, sure enough, there was my aunt, wearing a white coat, squatting by a small electric stove, cooking vegetable soup.
"Third Aunt!"
"Yuanyuan's here!" Third Aunt didn't even turn around to look at me, but just pointed to the chair and said, "Sit down first, I have something to tell you."
Huh? My third aunt has something to say to me too? Could it be that she's going to tell me some big gossip about the academy?
I sat down expectantly, propping my chin up with my hand, and asked, "Third Aunt, what do you want to tell me?"
Auntie scrambled an egg into the vegetable soup and said with a smile, "While you were recovering from your leg injury, I didn't have time to help you lose weight. The family just took good care of you and made sure you had good food and drink. Now that your leg is better and you're feeling better, it's time to cheer up and start losing weight!"
It's dieting again! I've completely forgotten about it these past two months since I broke my leg! Just thinking about the hunger and thirst makes my mouth water.
"Third Aunt, you can't rush things when it comes to losing weight! You have to take it step by step."
"You're really taking things one step at a time. You've been trying to lose weight for more than half a year and haven't made any progress."
"I broke my leg..." I stared at the vegetable soup with a look of disgust.
"You're engaged now, and according to the Qu family, they're probably planning to hold your wedding with Qu Ling next year. If you don't start losing weight now, do you still want to wear a beautiful wedding dress then?"
"Wedding dresses..." Just thinking about those long, flowing white gowns in the bridal shop makes my eyes sparkle with heart-shaped bubbles.
My third aunt walked up to me, suddenly reached out and pinched the little bit of fat on my waist, and laughed, "If you want to wear a beautiful wedding dress and get married in style, you have to start losing weight now!"
I thought for a moment, gritted my teeth, and looked up, saying, "Okay! Third Aunt! I'm really determined to lose weight this time! Just watch how I do!"
I strode boldly to the stove, ladled out a bowl of vegetable soup, and gulped it down like medicine.
"Yuanyuan! Be careful, it's hot!"
*Pfft*—I sprayed all the soup out, and I screamed in pain from the burns.
"Third Aunt! Why didn't you say so sooner!" My poor little tongue immediately got a big blister from the burn.
My third aunt poured me some cold water to rinse my mouth, patted my head and said, "You reckless child! I have no idea what crazy thing the Qu family and Qu Ling have that has taken a liking to you!"
Author's Note: I'm so busy, so very busy...
Getting married is a very stressful thing...
I'm sorry I don't have time to reply to everyone's messages. Please understand.
The person who updated at 5 AM is logging off~~
ˇHappy Bubblesˇ
After the evaluation, the whole school was like a zither with its strings loosened, listless and unable to produce any sound.
Apart from the leadership.
After Secretary Ding stepped down, the education department has not yet sent a new person to take over. The current president, Qu Ling, went to the province to attend the evaluation results report meeting, and the college's daily work is temporarily being handled by my third uncle, Vice President Su.
Everything proceeded smoothly and calmly, so calmly that it completely surprised us idle soldiers who were waiting to see the leaders make a fool of themselves.
I can only attribute it all to my third uncle's powerful inner strength. With power in his hands, no one dared to challenge him.
That noon, at my third aunt's invitation, I went to the clinic for my diet meal. My third aunt was in a good mood today and put a few slices of salted meat in my cabbage soup. A layer of shiny oil floated on the surface of the soup, which looked very appetizing.
"Third Aunt, Third Uncle has been so busy lately that he hasn't been home much, has he?" I asked while drinking my soup.
"Yes, it will be fine once Qu Ling comes back from the provincial capital." Third Aunt sat next to me peeling corn husks; Northeastern sticky corn is her favorite.
"I never expected that people in the college would respect my third uncle so much. Even that shrew in our department didn't dare to go against him."
“Fool—” Third Aunt lightly scratched my face with a corn husk she had peeled off, “These monsters and demons don’t respect your Third Uncle at all. In terms of seniority and background, there are many people who are more senior than your Third Uncle. They are afraid—” Third Aunt suddenly paused and then stopped talking.
"What are they afraid of?" For some reason, a thought suddenly struck me.
"Sigh," Third Aunt said forcefully, breaking the long ear of corn in two and putting it into the small pot. "They're afraid of your Qu Ling!"
"Qu Ling? Isn't Qu Ling less experienced? Why are they afraid of him?"