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Chapter 209: Chapter 209: Division Chief
Tong Yao joked, "I know a bit about basic nursing care and bandaging, but I’m not much help there."
"Your intention alone is already appreciated. I won’t lie—when you didn’t show up, I was a bit angry," Jiang You abruptly switched his tone, then added, "However, the fact that you were doing disaster relief is understandable. You still remembered to bring dumplings for my father when you returned, which proves that you are a trustworthy person. I was the one who was narrow-minded."
Once Jiang You learned that Tong Yao didn’t come because she was involved in disaster relief in Qing City, he was no longer angry. Instead, he measured his broad-mindedness against that of a little girl and found himself wanting.
"Even so, I genuinely was at fault for failing to keep the promise, and I’ve disappointed the old man." Tong Yao apologized.
Just as Jiang You was about to speak, the old man laughed and continued, "You both aren’t wrong. You are both good kids."
Seeing the old man’s cheerful demeanor, Tong Yao and Jiang You didn’t dwell on the matter anymore. Tong Yao stayed in the ward and chatted with the old man for a while. Noticing that he was starting to look tired, she left the hospital with the lunch box.
After resting at home for more than an hour and noting the time, she went to the Bureau of Industry and Commerce, accompanied by Si Boyi and his sister.
"What are you here for this time? I’ve told you before, your submitted materials and site aren’t up to standard and thus you can’t get the paperwork done. No matter how many times you come, it won’t change anything. You should just give up!" Upon seeing Tong Yao, Jia Aizhi’s face had an expression as long as an old shoe, criticizing Tong Yao’s submitted materials right away.
Upon hearing this, Tong Yao did not leave. Instead, she questioned, "You only say my paperwork doesn’t meet standards. Why don’t you specify what the reason is?"
Si Xiaohui and Si Boyi didn’t expect Tong Yao would dare to confront the staff directly. They were scared and tried to pull Tong Yao away. They hadn’t dealt with this kind of scene before, so they had an instinctive fear of the staff, similar to students fearing their teachers.
They always felt that when the staff said the problem was on their side, then it must be their problem. After all, the staff can’t be wrong. If there was a mistake, it must be on their part.
Jia Aizhi slammed down her dossier on the table and said sharply, "Let me tell you, don’t create a scene here! If your materials and site do not meet standards, they simply do not meet standards. No matter how many times you come, nothing will change. We’re busy here, don’t waste my time."
This commotion attracted many people’s attention. The people queuing behind were even urging, "Young lady, if your documents are not up to standard, just prepare a new set and come back. Don’t waste our time!"
"Sister-in-law, maybe we should go back and avoid making a scene." Seeing Jia Aizhi getting angry, Si Xiaohui became scared. After hearing other people urging them to leave, she blushed, feeling as if she was a monkey in a zoo.
Si Boyi was also blushing, standing by the side wordlessly, feeling like everyone’s gaze was filled with disgust, as if they were the ones being unreasonable.
Seeing Si Xiaohui not supporting her and even berating her for making a scene, Tong Yao became somewhat irritated. She held back her temper and asked, "The shop is all renovated, and the fridge has already been bought. If we just leave now, does that mean you don’t want to open the shop anymore?"
Before Si Xiaohui could speak, Tong Yao continued, "If you think it’s embarrassing here, then wait for me at the door."
Anyway, she didn’t expect Si Xiaohui to be of any help.
Besides, she hadn’t been making a fuss. She was just following the procedure to handle some business. What was so embarrassing about that?
"..." Si Xiaohui’s face reddened even more after Tong Yao’s rebuke. Seeing everyone looking at them impatiently, she pouted, "Why are you losing your temper with me! It’s not my fault! You can stay here if you like. I’m leaving first."
After saying that, she ran out to the main road outside.
Seeing that even Si Xiaohui couldn’t stand Tong Yao, Jia Aizhi felt buoyed, "Don’t hold up others trying to do business. Can’t you see that there’s a queue behind you?"
Tong Yao didn’t argue back, instead, she laughed coldly, "Alright, since you don’t want to tell me where the problem lies, I’ll ask someone else." After saying that, she picked up her documents and went to join the queue at the next window.
Seeing this, Jia Aizhi was infuriated. Quickly standing up, she yelled at Tong Yao, "If you continue to make a scene, I will call the police." She felt threatened by the fact that Tong Yao was going to ask other colleagues, which suggested that she was incapable.
"When did I make a scene while normally conducting business?" Tong Yao seemed to become more aloof as she watched Jia Aizhi become flustered. There was no way she was going to allow Jia Aizhi to bully her. She was not a person without knowledge of the laws.
Jia Aizhi glared in fury, "You bring two people here. Is it not to make trouble?"
Tong Yao retorted, "Does buying a kitchen knife mean you’re going to kill someone?"
Jia Aizhi didn’t expect the young Tong Yao to be so articulate. While it was clear she couldn’t out-argue Tong Yao, that didn’t mean she was going to back down. Suppressing her temper, she sat down and said to the queue, "She’s causing a disturbance here. I can’t process your paperwork until she leaves."
Upon those words, the faces of the people queuing immediately changed, and everyone started to talk. They dared not confront Jia Aizhi directly and could only blame Tong Yao together and urge her to leave.
Jia Aizhi was smug watching all this, while her colleague looked uncomfortable.
No matter what people said, Tong Yao acted as if she didn’t hear, standing with great poise at the back of the queue. As Si Boyi was with her, no one dared to physically push Tong Yao away.
Seeing that verbal attacks didn’t affect Tong Yao, Jia Aizhi picked up the phone to dial 110.
However, a man walked in from outside. "What’s happening here? What are you all fussing about?" the man asked seriously upon seeing the commotion.
Everyone turned to look at the man. He scanned the crowd with a stern face, imposing a sense of awe.
"Director." Jia Aizhi called out nervously. She immediately started to blame Tong Yao, "Her site isn’t up to standard, so she can’t get a business license. But she’s causing a scene. I was just about to call the police."
The man followed Jia Aizhi’s pointed finger to look at Tong Yao. His brows furrowed as he asked, "What’s not up to standard?"
"..."
Jia Aizhi was caught off guard; she didn’t know how to respond. She hadn’t even visited the site to check, so she really couldn’t say what the problem was.
"She hadn’t even visited the site. She just didn’t want to proceed for personal reasons. She wanted to introduce me to her nephew as his wife. After finding out that I’m married, she’s been seeking personal revenge." Just like Jia Aizhi, Tong Yao too wasn’t a mute and leveraged the opportunity to explain the whole incident.
However, she hadn’t expected that Jiang You would be the Director of this place. It was such a co-incidence.
Seeing that Jiang You’s expression suggested that he didn’t recognize her, Tong Yao quickly understood something and pretended not to know him either.
