The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 528 - 499: Playing Chess, Annoyed_1

Chapter 528: Chapter 499: Playing Chess, Annoyed_1

Secretary Guo had already bought some grains, vegetables, and meat early and placed them in the trunk, just waiting to deliver them together when picking up Deputy Mayor Huo.

If he hadn’t bought them in the morning, he wouldn’t have gotten fresh ones.

"You’ve worked hard, Xiao Guo!" Huo Zhekun said with a smile, pleased to see Secretary Guo bringing all sorts of things into the house. After all, this saved him and his wife a lot of trouble.

"Not at all, Mr. Huo. It’s no trouble," Secretary Guo laughed, "Do you have any other orders?"

"None for now," Huo Zhekun said, "Come to my study, and let’s talk about the recent situation in Nan City."

Having been away for nearly twenty days, Huo Zhekun needed to go to work tomorrow and must understand some detailed content today. Certainly, it was more accurate to get this information from Secretary Guo.

Secretary Guo had been working for Huo Zhekun since he first arrived in Nan City. He had started as a young lad and had become a robust man in his thirties. Huo Zhekun did not forget to promote him as he rose through the ranks, making Secretary Guo one of his most trusted subordinates.

Secretary Guo was originally just a minor clerk without family background or experience. Somehow he was fortunate enough to be assigned to work for the newly transferred Huo Zhekun.

Having no family backing wasn’t a problem, as long as the leader valued him.

Lacking experience wasn’t a problem either; he could learn while following the leader.

Over the years, Secretary Guo had faced many challenges with Huo Zhekun and had greatly improved his capabilities. With his rich experience in handling various matters, he had become a competent and highly capable chief secretary.

"Yes!" Secretary Guo followed Huo Zhekun to discuss matters in the study.

Jiang Lifang, meanwhile, prepared all kinds of receipts, ensuring there were more rather than fewer, ready to return them to Secretary Guo later.

Now there were no special privileges, and these items were obtained using Secretary Guo’s family rations. Grateful for the help, Jiang Lifang certainly couldn’t take advantage of Secretary Guo’s family provisions.

No one had lived in the house for a long time, so before starting to cook, she hurried to take out the quilts and mats to air them.

He Tiantian returned home with a chessboard, asking He Jingyu to accompany Huo Yingjie in a game of chess, while she assisted Jiang Lifang with starting the fire and cooking.

With Tiantian’s help, Jiang Lifang’s movements sped up.

In the kitchen, Tiantian often heard the sounds of her father, He Jingyu, being vexed.

When playing chess, Huo Yingjie showed no signs of going easy on He Jingyu. Often less than fifteen minutes into the game, He Jingyu was already driven into a corner.

"Tell me, you little rascal, were you letting me win before?" He Jingyu said angrily. Even if he had improved rapidly, it shouldn’t be to this extent. A game used to last over an hour, but now, he was being slaughtered outright.

Huo Yingjie blinked, seemingly understanding that Uncle He across from him disliked losing.

"I wasn’t going easy," Huo Yingjie shook his head, denying it.

"Then, let’s play again!" He Jingyu insisted on starting over, refusing to believe he’d keep losing to this kid.

However, this time, Huo Yingjie, still somewhat clueless, made some concessions. The only problem was, he made them too obvious, and even He Jingyu could tell.

Now, he understood that Huo Yingjie had indeed been letting him win before.

Ah well, when he thought about it, it made sense. After all, the kid was currying favor with his future father-in-law!

Although this kid hasn’t recovered his former consciousness, his intelligence is still quite high in some areas, and I hope he can recover his health as soon as possible.

It’s not easy to find such a good son-in-law again!

Hearing Dad’s annoyed voice as he played chess with Huo Yingjie, He Tiantian smiled and said, "Aunt Jiang, look at how Brother Yingjie is gradually getting better, you shouldn’t treat him like a patient anymore."

Jiang Lifang had also come to terms with the situation, her son was lively and bouncing around, which filled her heart with satisfaction. He was still outstanding in certain aspects.

"Mm-hmm, I’ve come to realize that I can’t be gloomy around Yingjie all the time. No matter what, life has to go on," said Jiang Lifang. "Look at how smart Yingjie is. He doesn’t look like a fool at all!"

A real fool is dull, drooling, and speaks incoherently.

But Yingjie isn’t like that, he’s just a bit confused. Sometimes, when he doesn’t know how to answer a question, he just looks at you with those deep, dark eyes, making you want to bring the whole world back for him.

"Yes, we as a family must have confidence," said He Tiantian. "We shouldn’t feel pressured."

"Thank you, Tiantian. If it wasn’t for you, Yingjie wouldn’t have recovered to this extent. If you hadn’t repeatedly encouraged me, I wouldn’t have been able to come to terms with it," said Jiang Lifang. "Now that we have returned to Nan City, we are back in our own home, and we can live more comfortably."

He Tiantian smiled and asked, "Aunt Jiang, you don’t like being in Yanjing either?"

"Hehe, although Yanjing is where I grew up, after being away for so many years, I’ve gradually become unaccustomed to the climate there," said Jiang Lifang with a wry smile. In truth, while a person can adapt to the environment, she did not like the atmosphere of the Huo Family Old Mansion.

However, that was the Huo Family’s business, and Jiang Lifang did not feel it was appropriate to speak ill of the Huo Family Old Mansion in front of He Tiantian.

"I don’t like it there either, I prefer Nan City," said He Tiantian cheerfully. "But now, I also like Qijia Village. It is so comfortable there! The environment is great, and with winter approaching, there are hot springs there. Oh my, taking a bath in those is just wonderfully refreshing!"

"Hearing you talk about it makes me a bit curious to go see Qijia Village," Jiang Lifang said with a laugh, but this was just casual talk, as she had already taken quite a few days off and couldn’t afford to take more.

"Sure, now that the road is fixed, it’s easier to get in and out," said He Tiantian. "I’ll take you there for a bath when the time comes."

After preparing the meal, it was half past twelve, time for lunch.

Jiang Lifang called Huo Zhekun and Secretary Guo to come out for lunch.

"Let’s go, we’ve about finished talking. Let’s go out to eat," Huo Zhekun said. "I’ve been away these days, and you’ve worked hard."

"Leader, don’t talk like that. I, Guo Xingda, wouldn’t be where I am today without your support. And besides, this is my job; it’s what I should do," Secretary Guo said with a smile, taking the moment to express gratitude to his superior.

Huo Zhekun nodded and said, "Keep up the good work, be cautious, and we can go even further."

"Yes, yes," Secretary Guo nodded repeatedly, knowing that if his superior was promoted, he too would likely climb the ranks.

It’s good to be in the shade of a big tree!

"Let’s go, if we don’t leave now, your sister-in-law might just come in and drag us out," Huo Zhekun said with a laugh, walking out of the study room with Secretary Guo, one after the other.

Thanks to Secretary Guo’s thorough preparations, the lunch was rather lavish, and with He Tiantian cooking, it tasted excellent.

After lunch, Secretary Guo took his leave, and Jiang Lifang quickly handed him various bills.

"Sister-in-law, I have plenty at home, you don’t need to be so courteous to me," Secretary Guo insisted, knowing that not everyone gets the chance to offer such gifts to their leader.