Power and Wealth
Chapter 1375 – Returning the clothes
County Government building.
After 9 am.
Everyone started working, and the courtyard became quiet. In Mayor Jiang’s office, Dong Xuebing and Jiang Fangfang sat face to face. He felt there was no need for this pretense between him and Jiang Fangfang, but he ultimately followed his wife’s wishes. Not only did he allow Mayor Jiang to identify and rectify his mistakes, but he also insisted on having their names signed on the plan. At first, he was reluctant to admit it, but after the matter was handled, he had to admit that Huilan’s approach was the smoothest. Sometimes, the closer the relationship, the easier it was to have grievances. The closer the relationship, the more it needed to be maintained.
Sigh.
It turned out his wife was wise. Xie Huilan was only five or six years older than Dong Xuebing. Still, the longer he lived with her, the more he felt he was far inferior to his wife, both in intelligence and emotional intelligence. Fortunately, his combat power and ability to handle emergencies were something Huilan could never surpass, or else he would genuinely be unable to lift his head in front of his wife.
Each has its strengths.
Dong Xuebing consoled himself for a moment.
“Want something to drink?” Jiang Fangfang looked up at him.
“I’ll have tea, and I’ll do it myself.” Dong Xuebing was not polite, got up, found the tea canister, poured some tea, then picked up the water kettle on the table, “Would you like some too?”
“Sure, just a little.”
“Alright.”
“Thank you.”
The room was filled with the fragrance of tea, and the two of them started to drink.
The official matters were discussed, and Jiang Fangfang also naturally changed her attitude. The indifferent face displayed a barely noticeable smile, very subtle, and those unfamiliar with her wouldn’t know she was smiling, but those familiar with her knew. Jiang Fangfang had this kind of indifferent temperament, too light, a slight pull of the corners of her mouth. That was considered a “big” smile from Mayor Jiang, something most people didn’t have the privilege to witness.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“I was fine yesterday.”
“With your spouse taking care of you, I’m also at ease.”
Dong Xuebing thought, when did she take care of me? I am still the one cooking. But he definitely wouldn’t say that to Jiang Fangfang as it would be too embarrassing.
“How many days is she staying this time?”
“Probably a week.”
“That’s not too long. How about this?” Jiang Fangfang said, “I heard your spouse went to the neighboring county for research in the afternoon and will stay there at night. There has been a project in Cheng Gang County in the past two years. Mayor Li Zhixin oversees the construction of a school and building a County Party Committee complex. I’m unsure about the school, but the new County Party Committee complex should have just been completed. We’ve taken on the family quarters project this time, and you can go there for research.”
Dong Xuebing understood that the research was just a formality. Mayor Jiang wanted him to spend more time with his wife. She must have noticed Huilan’s pregnancy. Knowing that her coming over was not easy, he said, “No need, Sister Jiang.”
“Go, there’s nothing much going on here.”
Dong Xuebing was moved and didn’t want to be sentimental, “Alright.”
Jiang Fangfang nodded, “I’ll call them to let them know when the time comes.”
Dong Xuebing remembered something, “By the way, last time, on our way back, we encountered a robbery. Wasn’t it in Cheng Gang County?”
Jiang Fangfang nodded, “That road is in the suburbs of their county.”
Dong Xuebing squinted, “Building a school is fine. Why build a County Party Committee complex, too?”
“Their county isn’t affluent, slightly better than ours but still limited. Even the office building is old and in disrepair.”
“We should consider the actual situation. If the economy is good, it’s okay. But the common people can’t eat well or dress well. They’re considering building a County Party Committee complex, which would cost at least several million RMB, if not more. What’s the point of spending that money on?”
Jiang Fangfang said indifferently, “They have their plans.”
Dong Xuebing snorted. This guy holds grudges. When they asked for money back from the city, those road-blocking people targeted them from Zhen Shui County. They even spat on Mayor Jiang. In the end, when Mayor Jiang called Mayor Li Zhixin of the neighboring county, there was no response. This caused the crisis that led to Dong Xuebing being beaten up by more than twenty villagers to be resolved. This matter was not over yet, and Dong Xuebing remembered it clearly. At that time, the incident was directed at him. They didn’t know that Mayor Jiang was also in the car, and she was implicated. Dong Xuebing felt guilty about this incident and developed a grudge against Cheng Gang County. Sooner or later, they would have to settle the score.
“I’ll go after lunch.” Dong Xuebing said, “What about the other people on this project?”
“Just you go. Take a look around. There’s no need to submit a research report.” Jiang Fangfang’s implicit meaning was that going for research was unnecessary. It was like giving him time off to accompany his wife.
“Thanks.”
“I am assigning you a job. Nothing to thank me for.” Jiang Fangfang observed Dong Xuebing and said, “If you want to smoke, go ahead, it won’t bother anyone.”
Well.” Dong Xuebing popped a cigarette into his mouth and started smoking. However, he moved his chair back slightly, afraid of bothering her with the smoke.
Jiang Fangfang was calmly indifferent, reaching for a drawer to take an ashtray and handing it to him. Suddenly, she paused, pulled out a bag from inside, and placed it on the table, saying, “Here.”
“Hmm, what’s this?”
“It’s for you.”
Dong Xuebing was puzzled, opened the bag to look, and saw a revealing lace lingerie inside. The color was the same as the one Jiang Fangfang took from his home a few days ago.
Dong Xuebing exclaimed, “What are you doing?”
Jiang Fangfang casually said, “I knew your spouse was coming, so I thought the lingerie you brought back last time should be a gift for your wife. I might have been presumptuous, so I’m returning it to you. I wore it twice and washed it, but there might be some washing marks, and the packaging is gone.”
Dong Xuebing blushed, “Oh, are you embarrassing me?”
Jiang Fangfang smiled, “No other meaning. The suit was a gift for me, so I kept it.”
Dong Xuebing, afraid that Li Xiaona outside might hear, whispered, “It was all gifts for you. I didn’t know my wife was coming. She didn’t tell me. Why would I buy a set in advance? Besides, I can see her when she returns to Beijing. If I were to buy anything, I would have done it earlier.” Sigh… Why am I explaining this?”
Jiang Fangfang looked at him, “Really for me?”
Dong Xuebing nodded slightly, feeling it was too ambiguous. He cleared his throat and did not want to explain why he bought lingerie.
Jiang Fangfang thought for a moment, nodded slightly, and slowly reached out to pull the bag back, putting it away in the drawer. She said, “Okay, then. I thought you reserved it for your spouse. After I took it, I was afraid she’d ask you for it, and you couldn’t produce it. I was quite anxious, so I went back to get it, especially this morning.”
“No, she doesn’t know.”
“Oh, then I’ll continue wearing it.”
“Uh, sure.”