Xu Shuyi knew about this. Taking the floor from her mother, she said, "Let me tell you, this whole thing is hilarious. First, he went on a blind date with the Ning family’s eldest daughter. Now, she is an honest sort who never brags about her family background to outsiders.
"So, the guy assumed she was just an ordinary girl. Seeing that she was pretty, they slowly started getting to know each other. Then one day, the Ning family’s second daughter went to look for her dad, and coincidentally set her sights on her older sister’s partner."
It was quite a coincidence, but that man was far from honorable. He clearly had a prospective partner already. Even though they hadn’t made their relationship official, he hadn’t rejected her, had he?
At first, he had no idea that the Ning family’s second daughter was interested in him. It wasn’t until a colleague accidentally brought it up later that he found out. After that, they bumped into each other a few times and exchanged a few words. Who knows what he was thinking, but he gave the second daughter some misleading signals, which led her to tell everyone that they were dating.
It was laughable. Old Man Ning didn’t even know his eldest daughter had gone on a blind date with the guy. He only knew she had met a comrade from the compound. Seeing his second daughter making eyes at the young man he favored, he was actually quite happy to see it happen. But the man was a piece of work, stringing both sisters along at the same time—clearly, he was no good. Yet, it was because of this very scumbag that the two sisters became enemies.
After hearing this, Bai Jiu laughed. "Well, that’s simple enough. What’s the point of keeping a man like that around?" If it were her, she would have slapped him across the face ages ago.
"Exactly! That’s what outsiders think too," Xu Shuyi rolled her eyes, clearly disgusted. "But those two sisters are acting like they’ve lost their minds. They’re completely bewitched by him, and both are insisting on marrying him."
"I really didn’t expect the Ning family to raise two fools like that. You have no idea what a massive joke they made of themselves in the compound back then. That man was something else too; he claimed he wasn’t good enough for either of them, yet he still refused to outright reject them." Just talking about him made Xu Shuyi feel sick.
Aunt Xu also sighed. "We tried to persuade them and talk some sense into them, but those two sisters are dead set on this man. What do you expect your Uncle Ning and the others to do?" If it were up to her, daughters like that should be married off early to save the family from such embarrassment.
Whenever this matter was brought up in the compound, who wouldn’t mock them a little? Not only did they ruin their own reputations, but they also dragged their parents down, making it impossible for them to hold their heads high.
"So their dad is just ignoring the situation?" Bai Jiu felt that as parents, they should step in and resolve the matter.
"How could he ignore it? Uncle Ning was almost angered to death," Xu Shuyi curled her lips. "He even threatened to disown them. But they’d rather lose their parents than give up on marrying that man. The two sisters even got into a massive physical fight over it."
Bai Jiu was speechless. What use were such troublesome daughters?
"Does Uncle Ning only have two daughters?" Bai Jiu asked.
"No, the Ning family also has a youngest son who’s still in school," Hong Menglin chimed in. "Uncle Ning’s family doesn’t favor boys over girls; they treat all their children quite well, and their family’s financial conditions are good. It’s just a pity they raised two such worthless daughters. Aunt Ning has cried over this more times than I can count."
While the women were busy gossiping, the conversation on the men’s side was just as lively.
"Old Xu, you have to look out for Zhijun in the future. His project is about to be approved, so make sure nobody holds him up when it comes to materials." After exchanging pleasantries, Mr. Mu brought up the project.
He knew a bit about the new project Gao Zhijun was working on. Fortunately, everyone here was an insider from the same industry and bound by confidentiality regulations. Even Mr. Xu’s son-in-law worked for a state department, so there was no fear of the information leaking.
"Of course," Mr. Xu agreed immediately without fully processing it. When he finally realized what he had just agreed to, he pointed at Mr. Mu and started scolding him. "You sly old fox, so this is what you were waiting for! You want me to play the bad guy. Fine. But I heard Zhijun’s wife bought a lot of good liquor, so you’d better contribute a bottle." Mr. Xu wasn’t genuinely angry; he was just teasing.
"The liquor is easy. As long as you get this done, I’ll make the call and have Zhijun send you a whole box," Mr. Mu said. He had seen firsthand how much his disciple’s wife loved stockpiling liquor. There was an entire wall in their home lined with bottles. If they didn’t lack space, she probably would have taken them all out and displayed them for everyone to envy.
"You old geezer, this liquor doesn’t come cheap," Mr. Xu sighed. "Old Lin never used to be like this. I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately." Mr. Xu had naturally heard about what happened that morning. "In the past, I just thought he couldn’t handle the hardship, but I never expected him to throw away his dignity entirely."
Mr. Mu shook his head, not wanting to talk about the man. "Anyway, keep an eye out. Even though we forgave him for what happened this time, I don’t think he’s fit for that position anymore."
"What are you planning?" Mr. Xu set down his teacup and looked at the man beside him with a serious expression.
"What else? He’s getting on in years, and it’s time for him to retire. He should yield his seat to someone more capable. Right now, he’s just lacking the energy to do the job," Mr. Mu said. He was a straightforward person; if he was wronged, he would naturally retaliate. He couldn’t just swallow his anger.
"Heh, and here I thought you had changed your temper. Turns out, you’re exactly the same as before. But you’re right. We’ll hold a meeting to discuss it when the time comes," Mr. Xu agreed with a smile.
Gao Zhijun, Chi, Xu Zongxi, and Mr. Xu’s youngest son-in-law sat there listening without saying a word. It was only after the two old men paused that they dared to speak up.
"What new project is Zhijun working on?" Xu Zongxi, Mr. Xu’s eldest son, asked.
Xu Zongxi and Gao Zhijun weren’t actually close; in fact, they didn’t know each other at all and had only heard of one another.
"You brat, what are you asking around for? Is this something you should be asking?" Before Gao Zhijun could answer, Mr. Xu immediately scolded his son. "That mouth of yours—someone ought to slap it so hard you can’t speak." He knew his own son perfectly well. Of course, it wasn’t that they absolutely couldn’t tell him; they just couldn’t reveal the finer details.
"Dad, give me some face. There are outsiders here," Xu Zongxi wasn’t angry at being scolded and immediately begged for mercy. "It’s just an occupational habit." He really couldn’t be blamed. Anyone who could establish a firm foothold here was formidable, so he naturally wanted to cozy up to them. Who told his department to be so short-staffed?
Knowing his son, Mr. Xu was well aware of what he was scheming. "Don’t even think about it. Even if Zhijun agreed, do you think it would be your turn?" After saying that, Mr. Xu rolled his eyes at him.
Afraid that Gao Zhijun might misunderstand, Mr. Xu briefly explained Xu Zongxi’s position. Upon learning that he was the director of the Military Science Department, Gao Zhijun understood.
Mr. Mu, on the other hand, was quite pleased because his disciple was so promising.
"Alright, enough about that. Has the list of people going abroad from your Military Science Department been finalized yet?" Mr. Mu changed the subject.
Bringing this up made everyone’s mood grow a bit heavy.
"It’s been finalized, but who can guarantee anything?" Xu Zongxi replied. It could be said that they sent talent abroad every year, but the number of those who actually returned was truly pitifully small.