Restarting life by going to the countryside to support medical work

Chapter 664 Rejection
At 6:30 pm on January 2nd, inside a state-run restaurant on Qianmen Street.

Tong Xiurong picked up a peanut and popped it into her mouth while looking at the middle-aged man sitting opposite her with a strange expression.

"Second brother, what exactly did you want to see me about today? Don't tell me it's just to treat me to a meal, I don't believe it."

"Hey, I really just wanted to treat you to a meal today," the middle-aged man sitting opposite Tong Xiurong said with a faint smile.

"If that's what you're going to say..."

With a "smack," Tong Xiurong slammed her chopsticks down on the table and made as if to stand up.

"I really don't dare to eat this meal. I'm afraid that if my sister-in-law sees it's just the two of us, she'll think something's wrong and come up and scratch my face."

"Oh dear!" The middle-aged man quickly reached out to stop him upon seeing this.

"Is your sister-in-law that kind of person?"

"No, please don't stop me. It's nothing. Second Brother, you're inviting me to dinner out of the blue. I feel uneasy about it. It's better not to eat. I understand the saying, 'He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding.'"

Tong Xiurong called the middle-aged man "Second Brother," a term she followed after her deceased husband. Before the Tong family left, her husband had a very good relationship with this middle-aged man and several other people. They jokingly became sworn brothers, and her husband was the third in line.

When she returned to Beijing alone from Northeast China, only this middle-aged man, the second oldest among the group of sworn brothers with her husband, remained. Some of the others had gone to other places with their elders, while others had left Beijing for work.

As soon as she got back, she visited her second brother. Her intention was simple: she hoped that he would help her out of consideration for her past relationship with her man. In short, she wanted to reconnect with him beforehand, since they hadn't seen each other for many years and she hoped he could be of help when needed.

But who knew that the second brother's wife was a jealous person, the kind who was extremely jealous, and she treated him with utter disdain.

The second brother was henpecked and didn't dare to say more than a few words to her. Seeing this, she had no choice but to give up on this line of work.

To her surprise, the guy who hadn't contacted her in over three years since she came back actually took the initiative to find her today and even invited her to dinner.

Tong Xiurong isn't short of money; she's rich, quite rich.

After her father-in-law's problems were investigated and clarified, his back wages for those years were paid, and her mother-in-law also received the same. She is now the only widow left in the Tong family, and all that money, including the house the Tong family owned back then, is now hers.

She had previously run a teahouse for a while, so you could say she's quite wealthy now. She could afford to eat at a restaurant every day, let alone just one meal.

The reason she agreed to come today was to see what her second brother was really up to.

But the dishes were already on the table, and they looked quite plentiful, yet not a single word about the important matter was mentioned. They just kept telling her to eat. She immediately lost patience. There were plenty of people who wanted to eat with her, and she could find handsome young men who were pleasing to the eye. Why sit here and insist on eating with a guy with a long face?

Since you won't tell me, fine, I'm not going to serve you anymore.

Seeing that Tong Xiurong wasn't faking it and was really going to leave, the second brother could only say, "Xiao Rong, don't go yet, I have a favor to ask of you."

Have something to ask for?

Tong Xiurong subtly pursed her lips. She knew it; otherwise, why would this person invite her to dinner out of the blue?

Seeing that the second brother admitted that he did have something to do, she was no longer in a hurry to leave. Although she didn't intend to help, she figured it wouldn't hurt to listen and just treat it as entertainment.

After Tong Xirong sat down, the middle-aged man called Second Brother hesitated for a moment, looked around, and seeing that no one was paying attention, lowered his voice and said.

"Xiao Rong, I heard that you and... you have a good relationship with the youngest daughter of the Luo family, is that true?"

Tong Xiurong raised her eyebrows slightly. This second brother of hers has quite a few ambitions!

"The youngest daughter of the Luo family? Second brother, are you talking about Luo Min?"

"right"

"Luo Min and I used to be classmates, and our relationship was alright. What's wrong, Second Brother? Why did you suddenly bring her up?"

improvise?

The middle-aged man rolled his eyes inwardly. If it were just a matter of chance, someone would have seen you frequently shopping at department stores with Luo Min, and even staying at her house.

You wouldn't have already secretly slept with that Deputy Director Li, would you?
The middle-aged man thought to himself with a hint of malice.

"Xiao Rong, what about your relationship with Luo Min's lover, Director Li...?"

"Hey, hey, second brother, you can't just say things like that. Luo Min and I are old classmates, and I have nothing to do with Director Li." Tong Xiurong interrupted before the middle-aged man could finish speaking.

She dared not let anyone spread rumors about her relationship with Li Yancheng, not even the slightest hint.

She knew very well that as long as she maintained a good relationship with Luo Min, few people would dare to mess with her. And out of respect for Luo Min, Director Li would be more polite to her. She believed that if anything really happened in the future, as long as it wasn't illegal or against regulations, Director Li would definitely help her.

Therefore, there's no need for her to try to improve her relationship with Li Yancheng. If she did, it might even cause Luo Min to have a negative opinion of her.

She didn't want to lose this friend.

Although this relationship seemed to be driven by self-interest, she had no choice. She wanted to protect herself from being exploited, so this was the only way, since she was all alone now.

Seeing Tong Xiurong's strong reaction to his words, the middle-aged man smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it was my fault for saying the wrong thing. I was just wondering if you could put in a good word for Director Li."

"Second brother, I find you a bit strange. Didn't I say that Luo Min and I are old classmates, not Director Li? How could I possibly have anything to say to Director Li?"

We're at most acquaintances, but... Second Brother, what exactly do you want? What do you need Director Li for?

"Uh..." To be honest, the middle-aged man wasn't sure what the relationship between Tong Xiurong, Luo Min, and Li Yancheng really was.

He had heard from others that Tong Xiurong and Luo Min were getting very close. His inner thoughts just now were just his own malicious speculation.

He wasn't sure whether it was possible to ask the woman across from him to help him with something.

It's not a question of whether it's possible or not, but rather whether we can help.

If he couldn't help, what was the point of saying anything? But considering that this might be the closest connection he could find to Li Yancheng, he decided to tell him the real reason.

"Xiao Rong, this is what happened. Your sister-in-law's two younger brothers were arrested by the police at home last night..."

Upon hearing this, Tong Xiurong's eyes widened immediately. As far as she knew, this second brother's wife had two younger brothers, and they had all been arrested.

They were taken away from their homes at night. What serious crime did these two guys commit?
Despite her grumbling, Tong Xiurong didn't interrupt the middle-aged man and chose to continue listening.

She already guessed what her second brother wanted her help with.

He wanted to get his wife's two younger brothers out by contacting Director Li himself. No wonder he dared to invite him to dinner today, unafraid of his jealous wife getting upset. It turns out he had gotten permission.

Across from him, the middle-aged man continued speaking, but he didn't explain clearly what his two brothers-in-law had done wrong.

“My wife’s younger brother has his own house. He was arrested from his own home. The younger brother and his family of four live with my father-in-law and mother-in-law.”

The elderly couple were present when they were arrested, and they fainted on the spot from the shock. They are still in the hospital now.

After I found out, I went to the Chengxi branch of the Public Security Bureau this morning to find out what was going on.

I know someone at the Chengxi branch of the Public Security Bureau. Through this friend, I learned that my two brothers-in-law were arrested because of some things they had done in the past.

Starting yesterday, the Municipal Public Security Bureau, in conjunction with several other departments, launched a three-month campaign to improve public order.

My friend told me that this time, the arrests weren't just for those currently committing crimes, but also for those who had previously committed public order or criminal offenses, and who, after being reprimanded and released from labor reform but still repeatedly refused to mend their ways. They would be dealt with severely.

At this point, a slightly embarrassed look appeared on the middle-aged man's face.

"Hehe, let's not talk about whether my two brothers-in-law are good or bad people, they're just loyal. They did get into fights, but that was when they were helping their friends, and they paid all the compensation they were owed afterward. They were also detained for a while when necessary. This happened in November, and I thought it was all in the past, but I never expected..."

What did I expect?
Unexpectedly, the police calculated the consequences for them.

Tong Xiurong didn't believe a word he said. No, that's not entirely true. She did believe where he was arrested, and she also believed that he had gone to the branch office to look for him.

She didn't believe any other information about his two brothers-in-law.

She had heard a rough outline of this joint operation from Luo Min and knew that Li Yancheng was the commander-in-chief of this joint operation.

Having grown up in the Huang family, she was not a clueless novice; she understood exactly what this meant, which made her feel a sense of awe.

She had also heard Luo Min explain the purpose of this operation, so she knew that the second brother opposite her was definitely not telling the truth.

If his two brothers-in-law had only fought once and had already been dealt with, the police would definitely not arrest them again.

The purpose of this operation is to improve public security, not to settle old scores. Even if it were to settle old scores, those who have already been dealt with cannot be arrested again and sentenced once more.

It must be because his two brothers-in-law were incorrigible and had gathered a large group of people, forming a gang, which is why the police took them down.

"Second brother, when you asked me earlier if I could speak to Director Li, you didn't mean you wanted me to talk to Director Li and get your two brothers-in-law out, did you?"

Tong Xiurong now knew what her second brother wanted her help with, and she rolled her eyes several times in her heart.

Goodness, it's true what they say, they only use people when they need them and discard them when they don't. Three years ago, when she first returned to Beijing, she took the initiative to seek help from him. And that guy, his wife treated her like a thief, as if her husband was so popular that everyone was vying to throw themselves at him.

Now you want my help with something? Aren't you worried about me stealing your man? You even dared to have him treat me to dinner all by himself, huh...

Hearing Tong Xiurong's words, the middle-aged man smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"Xiao Rong, could you please help my second brother out?"

Tong Xiurong wanted to tease her second brother, but then she thought it was pointless and replied.

"Second brother, it's not that I don't want to help, but I'm really powerless to do so."

Seeing the middle-aged man open his mouth as if to say something, Tong Xiurong raised her right hand to indicate that he should wait until she finished speaking.

"You know perfectly well what's going on with your two brothers-in-law. Whether they just did something minor as you say, you don't need to explain anything to me."

My relationship with Director Li's wife, Luo Min, is so-so. We've gone out together twice, but that's all. This joint operation is a large-scale operation covering the entire city. You don't think that just because I can talk to Director Li, he'll be willing to help me with this, do you?

This kind of thing has far-reaching consequences. If he dares to open this door, who knows how many people will be waiting in the wings? What, are all those who should have been arrested being released again?

Second brother, if you were in this position of command, would you do this? Would you dare to do this right under the noses of the city leaders, the headquarters leaders, and the other units that were acting together?

In other words, why should they help us? What benefits could you or I bring to them that would make Director Li take this risk?

Second brother, don't be foolish. This operation is such a big deal, no one dares to do anything rashly.

The middle-aged man was initially a little embarrassed when Tong Xiurong directly pointed out that he hadn't told the truth, but his face immediately darkened after hearing what happened next.

He's over thirty, of course he understands these things. Why is he lowering himself to ask for help? Isn't it just because he wants to get special treatment and be taught a lesson? So what, does he know more than you or me?

"Xiao Rong, I've come to see you today because I want to see if you can help your second brother." The middle-aged man suppressed his anger and asked in a deep voice.

"Second brother, didn't I tell you? There's nothing I can do. Even if I could talk to Director Li, he wouldn't give me face. Besides, my face isn't worth much."

"Why don't you talk to Luo Min about it? It's all the talk outside that Director Li is really good to his wife, isn't it? Hehe, she's the youngest daughter of the Luo family, who would dare to treat her badly?"

"I'm sorry, Second Brother, I can't help you with this. I'm really sorry. Please think of another way. By the way, this meal is on me, so please don't have to pay for it."

As she spoke, Tong Xiurong took out a ten-yuan note and a few grain coupons from her small bag and leaned over to place them in front of the middle-aged man.

When the food was served, the clerk had already taken the money. She had enough cash and food coupons, and she still needed to give me a few cents in change.

(End of this chapter)