NOVPUB
Chapter 625: Chapter 615 Grandpa, You Are Really Awesome
"Xiaoshen, are you going to work?" Chen Zhaodi heard some noise from across the way and hurriedly opened the door to poke her head out, "Why so late today?"
She had no idea what kind of job Xiaoshen had, sometimes he would take the child and leave early in the morning, other times he would stay at home all day without going out, and then there were times like now, when it was past eight o’clock and other people’s workplaces had already started, yet Xiaoshen was just leisurely leaving his home.
"Yeah, today I only have the third and fourth classes, so I don’t need to go to school so early," Shen Yunfang lied without batting an eyelid. She thought it was a white lie, because if she said she wasn’t going to work, just you watch, she’d definitely be pulled into a chat about what she was up to.
Sister Chen was not mean-spirited; she just liked to meddle a bit too much.
"Oh, I see, then you better hurry," Chen Zhaodi said with a look that said she understood, urging her to go. "I was just thinking of asking you to come look at the fields with me later. Never mind, I’ll go by myself later, and check on your family’s plot too."
"Sister Chen, you don’t need to worry about our plot. My husband Li has already taken care of it all. Just wait for the weather to get better in a couple of days, and then we can go straight to planting," Shen Yunfang hurriedly made clear.
"Is that so? You and your husband are so capable. Alright, then I won’t meddle with your plot," Chen Zhaodi was well-meaning. Seeing that her help was not needed, she didn’t insist.
"Alright then, Sister Chen, I’m heading off," Shen Yunfang said cheerfully, locking the door and clomping down the stairs.
"Hey, by the way, Xiaoshen, you’re not coming back for lunch, right? What about your little Pangpang, why don’t you let him come eat at my place?" Sister Chen suddenly remembered about the child and promptly called out loudly.
"No need, Sister Chen; my husband Li will come home to cook for the child at noon," Shen Yunfang shouted from the second floor.
Great, now probably the whole building knew she wasn’t coming home for lunch.
Shen Yunfang walked briskly out of the family residential area and reached the roadside just as the bus arrived. After swaying for over forty minutes, she finally arrived at the Capital City Government compound.
"Comrade, what are you here for?"
Shen Yunfang had hoped to sneak in, but hadn’t expected the gatekeeper’s sharp eyes. She pretended to have just noticed the gatekeeper and then put on a smile, approaching the old gatekeeper.
"Old man, you guys are keeping a tight watch here. I thought it was like our county government, where you can just walk in whenever you want," Shen Yunfang shamelessly justified her attempt to sneak in.
"Nonsense, this is the Capital, how can you compare it with your rural area? Here, unless you work in this compound, everyone must be logged when they come and go," the old man said, putting his hands behind his back, making Shen Yunfang feel like he might as well be the governor.
"Wow, such a big place, and there must be quite a number of people working here. Can you really remember them all, old man?" Shen Yunfang said with a look of amazement.
"Of course, what do I rely on? It’s my fiery eyes that can tell gold from sand," the old man beamed as the young lady’s compliments made him feel very comfortable.
"Admirable, admirable! Old man, you are really amazing," Shen Yunfang gave him a thumbs up.
The old man was proud, but he quickly came back to his senses, "Hey, don’t get so cozy there, you still haven’t told me what you’re here for."
"Hehe, sir, I’m here to see Director Bai of the Agriculture Department." Indeed, Shen Yunfang had come today to find Director Bai, whom she met briefly on the train, ready to inquire whether there was any land available for contracting nearby Z Province.
The old man looked Shen Yunfang up and down before he uncertainly asked, "What does a young lady like you want with Director Bai?"
Having a baby face wasn’t always great for Yunfang, as it meant that despite her years of working experiences, everyone still referred to her as a "young lady," leaving her without any semblance of a strong, executive presence.
"Sir, I really do need to see Director Bai for a matter, do I need to register with you before going in to see someone?" Yunfang didn’t want to explain too much to someone she wasn’t related to, so she got straight to the point about wanting to go in.
The old man sized her up again from head to toe before saying, "That won’t do, Director Bai is a very important leader with a busy schedule every day; it’s not possible for just anyone who wants to see him to do so. If everyone came looking for him, would he ever get any work done in a day?"
Yunfang lost her temper, "Then sir, what should I do? I really need to see him, and it was Director Bai himself who told me to come find him."
The old man gave her another skeptical look, and Yunfang tried her best to appear sincere. 𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝒐𝙢
"Come with me, I’ll give Director Bai’s office a call and ask," said the old man. He probably thought that Yunfang, the little lady, didn’t have the guts to lie to him, so he decided to do her the favor of making a phone call to inquire.
Yunfang followed the old man, letting out a breath of relief; there’s a saying, ’it’s easier to meet the king of hell than his little devils.’ If she couldn’t handle this gatekeeper, meeting Director Bai might indeed be troublesome.
The gatekeeper went into the guardroom and made a phone call.
"What’s your name, young lady?" the gatekeeper called out, holding the phone.
"My name is Shen Yunfang."
"She says her name is Shen Yunfang, do you know her?" The gatekeeper turned to call out again, "Director Bai is asking when you two met." At this point, the gatekeeper looked at Yunfang differently; from the conversation on the other side of the phone, he had concluded that she was likely a fraud.
Yunfang hurriedly leaned over and said, "Sir, it’s not convenient for you to be going back and forth like this. Let me speak with Director Bai for a few moments. He’ll remember once I talk to him."
Yunfang mainly felt that it was all incredibly bothersome and wasn’t even allowed to speak to the other side herself.
But the gatekeeper didn’t see it that way. Speaking on the phone with the leaders inside was a privilege he had, "How could that be acceptable? I can’t just hand over this duty so easily... yes, yes, I’ll give it to her right away. You come here quickly; Director Bai wants to speak with you." The gatekeeper handed over the phone somewhat begrudgingly.
Yunfang smiled friendly at the gatekeeper before taking the phone, "Hello, is this Director Bai? It’s Xiaoshen. We met on the train going back to the Capital, do you remember me? Yes, yes, that’s right, I was with my spouse on the train, and my spouse had been injured. Indeed, I’ve come today specially to see you... Alright, I’m giving the phone back to him." Yunfang handed the phone back to the gatekeeper, feeling relieved inside, "Director Bai is asking for you." She was relieved that Director Bai actually remembered her; after all, it had been nearly half a year since their brief encounter, and it wasn’t easy for him to remember a passing acquaintance like her.
The old man took the phone with suspicion, "Okay, okay, I’ve made a note of it and will let her in, rest assured."
Thanks to that phone call, Yunfang was registered by the old man, and following his directions, she quickly found Director Bai on the first floor of the municipal party building.
"Director Bai, good to see you again, remember me? I’m Shen Yunfang, Xiaoshen." Upon seeing Director Bai in his office, Yunfang’s face lit up with a smile, and she began introducing herself as soon as she entered the room.
