...
Director Chen called Li Chuchu to his office alone. He took out a brown envelope from his drawer and handed it to her. "This is your reward this time. I've already had a word with the relevant people. From now on, your monthly salary will be raised from 60 yuan to 90 yuan."
Li Chuchu opened the envelope and saw a full 2,000 yuan.
There were 200 thick "Great Unity" bills. The brand - new banknotes still carried the fragrance of ink, and the smell made her feel refreshed.
It was the smell of luxury.
Li Chuchu quickly put the money away, as if she was afraid the money would run away. She grinned and said, "Thank you, Uncle Chen."
Director Chen saw through Li Chuchu's money - hungry look and waved his hand. "You deserve it. As long as you do well, there will be rewards!"
Director Chen folded his hands on the desk, fingers slightly intertwined.
"Now that the matter is over, it's time to deal with some people."
Li Chuchu knew Director Chen was talking about Su Huan. She didn't say a word and quietly backed out.
...
When she returned to the broadcasting room, Li Chuchu found that Su Huan, who had been absent for a few days, was actually at work today.
She looked much haggard, and her dressing was not as delicate as before. There was a hint of emptiness in her eyes.
It seemed that she had really suffered a lot in these days.
But she would probably suffer more in the future.
Li Chuchu didn't pay much attention to her. She sat down with her back to Su Huan.
By now, the news of the successful negotiation with the foreigners had spread throughout the factory, so it was hard for Su Huan not to know about it. When she saw Li Chuchu, her eyes darkened, and she tightened her fists.
So what if she could negotiate? In the end, she still didn't have the fortune to enjoy it!
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
A foreign man was nothing. Her real target was Shen Yanshan. As long as Li Chuchu was dead, all of this would be hers!
Su Huan finally felt a bit more balanced in her heart.
Everything that Li Chuchu had now would be hers in the future!
Su Huan just sat down at her workstation, pretending that nothing had happened.
Suddenly, several policemen came in from outside.
One of them scanned the room and walked up to Su Huan. He showed his police ID with one hand and said firmly, "Are you Su Huan?"
Su Huan didn't know what was going on yet. She nodded blankly.
The policeman gestured to the policemen behind him, and they immediately subdued Su Huan. Looking into Su Huan's panicked and struggling eyes, the police officer said seriously, "Someone has reported that you are suspected of stealing internal factory information and embezzling the steel factory's interests. You have to come with us."
Su Huan struggled desperately.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Li Chuchu. It was as if a steel bar had hit her head, and she suddenly woke up. She roared desperately, "Li Chuchu, it's you! You reported me, didn't you! Don't think you can frame me successfully!"
"Officer, officer, I want to report too! Li Chuchu is in cahoots with those foreigners! They are all here to frame me!"
Su Huan kicked her legs desperately. Even if she was going to die, she would drag Li Chuchu down with her!
The policeman looked straight ahead. "We will investigate what you said later, but now there is evidence proving your criminal suspicion. Please come with us."
Su Huan's eyes were red. Before being taken away, she glared at Li Chuchu fiercely. "Li Chuchu! You bad luck charm! You will die a horrible death!"
Her voice was so cold and venomous that it gave the policemen goosebumps.
No one could have imagined that a girl in her twenties could harbor such a malicious hatred. They couldn't help but stop and look back.
They saw the girl being stared at by Su Huan standing there calmly.
She said, "Su Huan, people should be responsible for what they have done. You go to your hell, and I'll walk on my bright path."
...
It was said that Su Huan was found guilty of stealing confidential information and was sentenced to three years in prison.
This prison term was neither long nor short.
But it was enough to change a person's fate and become a stain on her life.
It was said that recently Su Huan's parents had been begging for mercy everywhere and had almost knocked their heads off. But Director Chen was really angry this time and refused to give in.
Hearing all this, Li Chuchu could only sigh: Truly, when children do wrong, their parents suffer.
After work, Li Chuchu walked home with a parasol.
The weather was getting hotter. Her clothes would get wet several times a day. The sun in Ningcheng was especially strong. At noon, it was so bright that people could hardly open their eyes.
She passed by the state - owned vegetable market and saw many people queuing up. Most of them were just off - work employees.
The vegetables here were very cheap, only a few cents a catty. But they weren't available every day. You had to grab them. If you came late, there would be none left.
Every morning, long before the state - owned vegetable market opened, there would be a long queue at the door. It was already noon now. It was really too late, and the vegetables were just the leftovers picked by others.
When it was Li Chuchu's turn, there were only a few scattered vegetables left on the shelf.
Li Chuchu managed to grab a bunch of green spinach and a Chinese cabbage. She walked up to the salesperson and asked, "Excuse me, do you have mung beans?"
"Yes, comrade. How much do you want?"
"Half a jin."
The salesperson turned around and weighed half a jin of mung beans from the big cloth bag behind. "One jiao, and you also need half a jin of miscellaneous grain tickets."
Li Chuchu counted the tickets and money and handed them all to the salesperson.
Actually, there was still a shortage of eggs and meat at home, but she didn't dare to buy them here.
The obvious three - jin meat tickets and one - jin egg tickets on her salary couldn't withstand such extravagance. Moreover, they were using a shared kitchen now. If someone saw her buying these, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
In this era, the black market was also risky, so one had to be cautious.
Li Chuchu thought she'd better keep a low profile. When she got greedy, she could secretly take some out from her space to eat. She didn't want to get into unnecessary trouble.
Passing by the department store, Li Chuchu thought that the original owner didn't have many decent clothes.
Now that she was a small millionaire, she could indulge herself a bit.
She decided to go right away.
Li Chuchu carried the vegetables in one hand and rushed into the women's clothing section.
The clothing styles in this department store were still relatively monotonous. They were all shirts and dresses. There were either dresses with floral patterns or doll collars, or checkered skirts.
Li Chuchu was a bit disappointed.
After much searching, she finally took a fancy to the red checkered dress on the mannequin.
The salesperson rushed over to greet her. "Miss, do you like this one? I'll take it down for you to try. All our clothes here can be tried on!"
Li Chuchu just wanted to try this dress.
She put down the vegetables in her hand and took the dress to the fitting room.
When she came out, the salesperson's eyes were fixed on her. Her voice went up a few notes. "Miss, this dress suits you so well! It looks really nice on you! Please come and stand in front of the mirror and take a look."
She led Li Chuchu in front of the mirror.
The red dress made her look much more radiant. Her fair skin was like fine mutton - fat jade, glowing with a delicate luster in the sunlight. Her slender waist, which could be easily grasped, was outlined more attractively by the perfect tailoring.
There was a white lace - trimmed lining under the hem of the red checkered skirt. Every step she took made the flared skirt sway, making her look even more lively.
She was just like a personification of a noble flower in the world.
Li Chuchu looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't move her feet.