Chapter 214: I Can Die, but Don’t Think You’ll Get to Live
Chapter 214: Chapter 214: I Can Die, but Don’t Think You’ll Get to Live
After the car stopped outside the gates of the Cultural Troupe, Jiang Moli turned to Lu Cheng. "Be safe on your way," she said. "Let me know when you get there."
"Okay."
Lu Cheng squeezed her palm, his deep eyes filled with a powerful reluctance to leave. "Just do your best at work. If anyone gives you a hard time, go to Dad."
Jiang Moli nodded, then pushed the car door open and got out.
She had only taken a couple of steps after closing the door when she heard Lu Cheng call her name.
She turned back to see Lu Cheng leaning his upper body out of the car window. He cupped the back of her head with one hand and gave her a firm kiss on the lips.
"Remember to miss me, okay?"
Only after she agreed did Lu Cheng sit back in the car, satisfied. He waved and left.
After watching the jeep until it disappeared into the distance, Jiang Moli turned to enter the Cultural Troupe, only to see Qian Ling standing a few steps away, watching her with a teasing grin.
Jiang Moli grinned. "Morning."
Qian Ling nodded quickly, her eyes full of envy. "You and your husband seem so close. But isn’t he a battalion commander? Are they already assigning cars to people at his rank?"
Even before Qian Ling asked, Jiang Moli had noticed the strange looks from her other colleagues.
As a newcomer to the Cultural Troupe, being chauffeured to and from work every day was indeed a bit ostentatious.
’I should probably ride my bike to and from work from now on.’
While thinking this, she explained to Qian Ling, "The car belongs to my father-in-law. My husband is returning to his unit today, so my father-in-law had someone drive him to the station. I just hitched a ride."
Understanding dawned on Qian Ling.
...
Lu Deyao arrived at the commander’s office. "Sir, you wanted to see me?"
Wu Lifeng gestured for him to close the door, then pulled a letter from a drawer and tossed it in front of him.
"See for yourself."
Lu Deyao opened the letter and read it, his expression shifting from confusion to fury. "What a load of goddamn bullshit!"
Wu Lifeng eyed him. "Who are you yelling at?"
Lu Deyao threw the letter on the desk and cursed, "This letter claims my daughter-in-law got into the Cultural Troupe through backdoor connections! That’s utter nonsense, a complete fabrication! Sir, outsiders might not know the details, but you do! Moli was recommended by the organization and unanimously approved by the Cultural Troupe’s leadership after an interview. If you don’t believe me, call the people from the Troupe over right now. We can confront each other face-to-face."
Wu Lifeng leaned back in his chair and gave him a meaningful look. "Let’s put other things aside for a moment. This business about you using an official car for private matters—I’m not falsely accusing you of that, am I? More than one person has come to me to report this. Lu, you’re a veteran cadre. Don’t do things that are against the rules and give people ammunition for gossip."
...
After work, Jiang Moli walked out of the Cultural Troupe’s gates. When she didn’t see Lu Deyao’s jeep, she didn’t think much of it and went with Qian Ling to take the bus.
Lu Deyao was a high-ranking official, after all, with a million things to handle every day. He couldn’t be expected to dote on his daughter-in-law and be at her beck and call.
When she got home, An Hui was planting garlic.
Jiang Moli went to her room. None of the furniture or objects had been moved, yet with her husband gone, the room felt empty and desolate.
She changed her clothes and went into the yard to help An Hui plant the garlic.
Before long, Lu Deyao returned from work. Seeing his wife and daughter-in-law planting garlic, he rolled up his sleeves to help as well.
Although he didn’t show any emotion, Jiang Moli could still sense the gloomy aura hanging about him.
"Hey, Dad, did you know?"
"Know what?" Lu Deyao stopped hoeing and glanced at her.
"You know, a day is a day whether you’re happy or sad. So if something’s bothering you, just put it off until tomorrow. If you’re lucky, you might just drop dead tomorrow, and then you won’t have to worry about it at all."
Lu Deyao: "..."
Great advice. Please don’t give it again.
Having been married for decades, An Hui had naturally noticed her husband’s bad mood as well.
She just didn’t ask about it because her daughter-in-law, Jiang Moli, was there.
She looked at her husband and asked, "Did you get into a fight with someone at work?"
Lu Deyao continued swinging the hoe, digging furrows in the vegetable patch. "Didn’t fight."
"Oh, right, Dad. I’ve arranged with a colleague to bike to work from now on. She lives in the Railway Bureau’s family compound just a street over."
Hearing this, Lu Deyao added, "I’ll bike to work with you, then."
Jiang Moli had actually already noticed that Lu Deyao hadn’t driven home.
"Dad, did you get bullied at work?"
Lu Deyao snorted. "Who would dare bully me? Do I look like that much of a pushover?"
Jiang Moli: "Then where’s your car?"
Lu Deyao said sheepishly, "I returned the car to my unit..."
He then went on to explain how he had been reported.
The misuse of an official car wasn’t a major offense, but it wasn’t a minor one either. And Lu Deyao certainly wasn’t the only one doing it.
Even Wu Lifeng himself would occasionally let his family use the car.
But once the matter was brought out into the open, it became an official transgression.
So Lu Deyao had simply returned the car to his unit and walked home.
The old man was certainly a stubborn one.
"Dad, I have a terrible idea. Want to hear it?"
Lu Deyao looked at her, his interest piqued. "Let’s hear it."
...
The next day at the office, Lu Deyao went to Wu Lifeng’s office on his own initiative.
"You’re saying you want to make a public self-criticism?"
Wu Lifeng looked at him as if he were an idiot. "It’s such a small matter. You just need to be more careful in the future. Is there any need to blow it this far out of proportion?"
Lu Deyao said with a straight face, "There are no small matters when it comes to discipline. I spent all last night reflecting and have come to a profound realization of my mistake. As a veteran cadre, I should lead by example and resolutely put a stop to these unhealthy practices. If you’ve done wrong, you must admit it. If you’re to be punished, you take it squarely..."
"Alright, alright..."
Wu Lifeng, tired of his rambling, cut him off. "Fine, do it if you want. After the morning meeting, I’ll give you ten minutes. That should be enough, right?"
"More than enough. Thank you, Sir."
After the morning meeting, Wu Lifeng briefly explained the issue of using official cars for private matters. "Lu has decided to lead by example," he said, "and wants to conduct a self-criticism in front of everyone. Let’s hear him out."
Holding such a high-ranking position, Lu Deyao had naturally made his fair share of enemies.
Hearing that he was about to make a self-criticism, they all wore expressions of people ready to enjoy a good show.
Lu Deyao walked to the front of the room, his expression as solemn as a man heading to his own execution. "As a cadre, due to my own ideological laxity, I have committed acts that violate discipline. For this, I am deeply ashamed..."
After finishing his self-criticism, Lu Deyao’s tone suddenly shifted. "I hope everyone will take my case as a warning and resolutely put an end to the indulgent practice of treating official cars as personal perks, wasting public resources, and setting a bad example for the masses. I propose that starting today, all cadres, unless on official business, will use only public transport or bicycles for their daily commute. I personally recommend bicycles. You can get some exercise at the same time. A healthy body is the foundation of the revolution, isn’t it?!"
The entire conference room fell silent.
Who would dare object? To object would be to admit to being indulgent and pleasure-seeking.
They had all come expecting to enjoy Lu Deyao’s humiliation, but he had ended up dragging them all down with him.
The main takeaway was: If I’m going down, I’m taking all of you with me.