The voluptuous and beautiful nanny, Technician Shen fell for her.

After observing him overnight, Shen Wanshan's blood pressure stabilized completely.

The next morning, after the doctor finished his rounds, he signed the discharge form with a flourish.

Shen Tao ran around handling the paperwork, while Liu Huizhen busied herself packing things up in the ward.

Shen Huai, carrying two thermos flasks, leaned against the wall in the corridor and waited for them.

After a whole morning of running around, the family finally got back to the municipal government compound.

Although Mayor Shen was only hospitalized for one night, the news spread quickly. Just after 2 p.m., people kept coming to visit him in the compound.

On the coffee table in the living room, canned fruit and malted milk powder were piled up like a small mountain.

The doorbell rang again.

Wang Liping, cracking sunflower seeds, ran to open the door, where Director Zhou from the Armed Forces Department greeted her.

Following behind Director Zhou was his daughter, Zhou Xiaoman, who was studying at a university in Beijing. She had just returned to Jiang City a few days ago because of summer vacation.

Today, Zhou Xiaoman wore a stylish light yellow dress and white leather shoes. Her hair was tied in a neat ponytail, and she looked energetic and vibrant.

"Old Shen, I heard you were in the emergency room last night, so I came over to check on you right away." Director Zhou said in a loud voice, putting down the net bag he was holding.

Shen Wanshan sat on the sofa, looking much better, and even managed a rare smile: "It's an old ailment, nothing serious. Please sit down."

Zhou Xiaoman walked forward confidently, her voice clear and melodious: "Hello, Uncle Shen, hello, Aunt Liu. My dad was so worried when he heard you were hospitalized yesterday that he didn't sleep a wink all night."

That sounds much more appropriate.

Upon hearing this, Liu Huizhen's smile almost overflowed.

She took Zhou Xiaoman's hand and looked her up and down: "Xiaoman, you're back for summer vacation? You've been studying at university in Beijing for two years, and you've become even more beautiful."

Zhou Xiaoman smiled, her gaze sweeping around the living room before finally settling on Shen Huai, who was sitting on a single sofa.

"Brother Shen Huai." Zhou Xiaoman's voice softened a little.

Shen Huai raised his eyelids to look at her, nodded, and skipped even a pleasantry.

Zhou Xiaoman didn't feel embarrassed at all.

She grew up with the boys in the compound. Shen Huai, this aloof and unapproachable girl, was always indifferent to everyone.

She liked his nonchalant attitude.

She insisted on trying to pick it even though others couldn't.

Liu Huizhen saw all of this and her mind was racing with calculations.

These past two days, she's been so angry about Shen Huai wanting to marry a country housekeeper that her heart aches.

Now, seeing Zhou Xiaoman and Shen Huai standing in this living room, she felt the knot of anger that had been accumulating in her chest finally loosen.

That's more like it.

The son of the Shen family deserves a girl like Zhou Xiaoman. They know each other well, are well-matched, she's a respectable person to be seen with, and she's tactful in her words and actions.

Shen Wanshan held his teacup, looking at the two young people, and his thoughts were exactly the same as Liu Huizhen's.

"Xiao Huai, Xiao Man just got back and isn't familiar with the changes in Jiang City over the past few years." Liu Huizhen went along with it. "Take her for a walk in the yard; you young people have common ground."

Shen Huai didn't even change his posture, leaning back on the sofa.

"I took leave from the factory. I have a technical meeting to attend later, so I don't have time to work."

Zhou Xiaoman quickly replied, "It's alright, Brother Shen Huai's work is important. I happen to have a few mechanical principles questions that I can't figure out, could I ask you for ten minutes?"

Since things have come to this point, it would be unreasonable to refuse again.

Shen Huai stood up. "Come to the study in ten minutes."

Shen Huai didn't linger in the living room; he strode straight up to the second floor.

Zhou Xiaoman followed half a step behind, holding a thick book on mechanical engineering principles in her hand, talking about the gear transmission structure that an old professor at Beijing University had talked about, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

The front door to the foyer was pushed open at that moment.

Vice Mayor Li walked in front, followed by Li Lianhua, the nanny who helped carry things.

Li Lianhua was holding a large net bag in both hands, which contained malted milk powder and two heavy boxes of royal jelly.

As soon as she stepped across the threshold, she looked up and caught a glimpse of the couple's backs at the corner of the stairs on the second floor.

The man was tall and wore a neat shirt, while the woman wore a yellow dress and white leather shoes. Even from behind, they looked like a perfect couple.

Zhou Xiaoman spoke with her face turned to the side, her laughter clear and crisp.

From Li Lianhua's angle, she couldn't see Shen Huai's face at all, let alone know whether Shen Huai had responded or not.

The living room was crowded with people; Shen Wanshan and Director Zhou from the Armed Forces Department were discussing his hospitalization.

Vice Mayor Li told Li Lianhua to put the tonics in the corner of the coffee table and waved for her to go back first.

Since the mayor and the bureau chief are both here, they should stay and discuss the situation. There's no need for a maid to wait on them.

Li Lianhua put down the net, nodded in agreement, and slipped out of the Shen family's house.

The moment Li Lianhua stepped out of the iron gate, the bell in her heart began to toll wildly.

The children of high-ranking officials in the compound are the most adept at saying one thing to your face and another behind your back.

This morning I overheard people in the compound spreading rumors that Shen Huai was determined to marry a nanny.

It's not even halfway through the afternoon yet, how come he's already leading a pretty female college student in leather shoes upstairs?

Li Lianhua felt increasingly uneasy, fearing that Su Nianhe, that pushover, would be taken advantage of and even help the victim count the money.

She jogged out of the compound and headed towards the quiet alley behind the textile factory.

The red-lacquered wooden door of the new courtyard was not closed tightly, leaving a gap about half a finger's width.

Li Lianhua pushed open the door and walked along the eaves to the main room.

The room was dark, and Su Nianhe was sitting cross-legged on a straw mat, surrounded by a bed of red and green plastic hair ornaments.

"Lotus! You've come at the right time." Su Nianhe looked up at the noise, holding a handful of sequined hair ties. "I've already sorted the goods by color. Brother He's batch is really high-quality. Look at these styles, they could definitely sell for 50 cents each at the factory gate."

Li Lianhua had no interest in looking at the hair ornaments.

She plopped down on the edge of the bed, grabbed a glass of cold boiled water from the table and gulped down most of it. After catching her breath, she looked Su Nianhe up and down.

"Put the hair accessory aside for now." Li Lianhua took the things from Su Nianhe's hands. "I'm asking you, where exactly are you and Technician Shen at now?"

Su Nianhe was taken aback by her question, and her ears began to burn: "What do you mean, what step... I told you before dawn that he told the old lady that we were dating."

"Didn't you even keep an eye on things?" Li Lianhua said, her voice low and exasperated. "People like us from the countryside are easily swayed by a few sweet words. Has he ever asked you for that before?"

"Which one?" Su Nianhe was confused.

Li Lianhua thought for a moment, then said simply and bluntly, "I'll just take off your clothes."

Su Nianhe's cheeks flushed red instantly, and she reached out to push Li Lianhua's shoulder: "What nonsense are you talking about? Nothing like that happened. He usually teaches me how to do accounts, and he even helped me rent this courtyard."

"Renting a courtyard only costs a few dollars," Li Lianhua snorted, deciding to take a drastic approach. "I just went to Mayor Shen's house to deliver some tonics, and guess what I saw?"

Su Nianhe stopped picking up the hair clip: "What did you see?"

"I saw a female college student, who looked like a movie star in a magazine, wearing a yellow dress, following Shen Huai to his room on the second floor!" Li Lianhua slapped her thigh loudly. "That girl was all smiles, calling Shen Huai 'Brother Shen Huai' over and over. I'm afraid his family is forcing a girlfriend on him, and he's keeping you as a kept woman in this little courtyard. So I'm asking you."