Chapter 189
That woman felt her heart instantly melt. Indeed, city girls from affluent families were just too adorable and pretty. So fair and soft, like little snowballs.
In no time, the police officers were before them. Upon seeing Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun, the police were beaming, almost to the point of ear-to-ear smiles.
“Comrades Su and Jiang, we are so thankful for what you did yesterday. If it weren’t for your brave actions, we couldn’t have cracked such a big case,” the head of the police said excitedly, gripping Jiang Yexun’s hand.
“This is what we should do; there’s no need for you to come here specifically,” Jiang Yexun’s tone changed, not as chilly as usual but not overly solicitous either. Instead, he gave off an air of composure, looking nothing like a vulgar person.
“You did a great thing, especially yesterday; if it weren’t for you, someone would surely have been injured. After we complete the formalities and confirm everyone’s culpability, we will immediately apply for your rewards. Besides the certificates and fifty yuan each, considering your actions yesterday, especially risking danger to save someone from the illegal organization, the higher-ups have arranged a job for you in the steel mill here. You can start from the next week, here’s the letter of introduction. Oh, and here are some canned goods, fruits, and coupons, take them both.”
The police captain handed everything over to Jiang Yexun in one go.
“We didn’t do this for rewards,” Jiang Yexun refused.
But the police captain immediately turned serious, saying, “You must accept them. Not only as a reward but also as an encouragement for everyone else to stand up bravely and help when they see something wrong.”
Only when they saw the unwavering attitude of the police did Jiang Yexun and Su Xiaoxiao reluctantly accept the items.
The police officers started to applaud, and the villagers who had been watching the scene snapped back to reality, joining in the applause.
They even openly showed their envy, watching Jiang Yexun with unwavering gazes.
Team Leader Jiang waited for the applause to stop, then, with a fawning expression, he addressed the police officers, “I am Jiang Yexun’s father and also the head of the Hong Feng Production Team. Officers, how about staying for lunch together this noon?”
“No, it’s still early, and we can head back to work a bit more,” the police captain declined with a smile.
Despite the refusal, Team Leader Jiang was persistent. He even signaled Jiang Yexun subtly, urging him to say something.
Internally, Jiang Yexun sneered and directly spoke to the police officers, “Let me escort you out.”
Team Leader Jiang’s smile faded as he couldn’t conceal his disappointment. Yet, as the police officers nodded and turned to leave, he hurriedly repressed his emotions and followed them.
After they left, the people in the team whispered softly, “Seeing this, we’ll surely rank as the advanced production team by the year-end, right?”
“As I see it, Team Leader Jiang has no insight, he just treats the two sons he had with his ex-wife as treasures. If this gets out, it would bring disgrace to our production team.”
As they discussed this, they increasingly felt that Team Leader Jiang wasn’t just short-sighted but also lacked good judgment. Some even doubted whether he could lead the production team and its members forward.
Team Leader Jiang had no idea that in the eyes of the production team members, he was starting to lose respect.
“What did you do yesterday? Rescuing people? Risking danger? Don’t go causing trouble outside; you might end up dragging your whole family down,” Team Leader Jiang scolded Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun.
Jiang Yexun frowned in irritation but leaned down to Su Xiaoxiao and whispered softly, “Don’t listen to him. We have to keep a kind and warm heart. His ideas are incorrect and would be criticized.”
“Okay! I know! My brother is going to be the deputy company commander soon, and I want to learn from him. I won’t listen to Team Leader Jiang’s mistaken ideas,” Su Xiaoxiao nodded firmly.
The two didn’t even spare a glance at Team Leader Jiang, leaving him feeling both embarrassed and angry.
However, Team Leader Jiang was more curious about Su Xiaoxiao’s brother’s sudden promotion. But even before he could ask, Jiang Yexun and Su Xiaoxiao quickened their pace, leaving him far behind.
Jiang Yexun didn’t usually engage in small talk in the production team, so even though people were curious, no one dared to approach him.
Not being able to ask Jiang Yexun didn’t mean they’d abandon the gossip. They planned to rest at home tomorrow and ask Aunt Guo about what her son and daughter-in-law had done.
In the morning, the rocks that Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun had been digging were just enough for one person’s workload. Jiang Yexun, being resolute, marked work points for Su Xiaoxiao and then took her home.
Upon hearing the door open, Aunt Guo wiped her hands and immediately stepped out. Seeing the numerous things in their hands, she raised her eyebrows in confusion, “Did you go to work or go shopping at the store?”
Su Xiaoxiao walked up to Aunt Guo and cheerfully narrated everything that happened yesterday. Hearing about the incidents, Aunt Guo was taken aback, and her brows furrowed in concern.
It wasn’t that Aunt Guo thought Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun shouldn’t have shown bravery; she was troubled by how chaotic the city was.
“Don’t these heartless people have families? How dare they do such wicked things!” Aunt Guo exclaimed in frustration.
“Some people are only after money, not considering others as human. But now that they’ve been caught, our neighbourhood will surely be peaceful for a while,” Su Xiaoxiao said with a smile.
These incidents would definitely be reported. Other human traffickers, hearing about some of them getting arrested in this area, wouldn’t dare to come here in the next few years.
“By the way, what about the job the police arranged for you? Will you go next week?” Aunt Guo casually inquired.
Her nonchalant attitude surprised Su Xiaoxiao. Then she heard Jiang Yexun assert, “No.”
This wasn’t surprising to Aunt Guo; her son had a strong personality, and with Su Xiaoxiao being so good-looking, it was known that the people around the Jiang family weren’t exactly good. Moreover, with Educated Youth Pan and Dong in the production team, she couldn’t trust Jiang Yexun to go and work in the city, commuting for an hour each way. He might even need to stay in a dormitory; it was highly unlikely he would accept it.