Chapter 1504: Count down to departure
In the evening, Dong Xuebing had dinner with Secretary Meng at the hotel. His wife and children accompanied Secretary Meng. Eventually, several of Meng"s allies, such as the Minister of Organization, Liao Haiwei, and the Director of the County Committee Office, Jiang Hai, also arrived to bid farewell to Dong Xuebing. Since Dong Xuebing and Secretary Meng had reconciled earlier in the day, Dong Xuebing no longer harbored such strong opinions against Secretary Meng and his allies. With his transfer imminent, Dong Xuebing felt unusually calm and even found some appreciation for his former political adversaries. Secretary Meng was still Secretary Meng, and Jiang Hai was still Jiang Hai, but Dong Xuebing"s perspective on them had changed, leading to a s.h.i.+ft in his feelings towards them.
"Here, Mayor Dong, let"s have a drink."
"Sure, Secretary Meng, I"ll toast to you first."
"Hehe, I heard you can hold your liquor well. Drink a bit more tonight."
"Alright, Minister Liao, Director Jiang, let"s drink together."
"Mayor Dong, you have a bright future ahead. I wish you smooth sailing and continuous advancement."
"I"ll take Minister Liao"s good words. By the way, I won"t be staying much longer. I still have quite a bit of tea at home. Since you"re especially fond of tea, I"ll send some over to you later."
"Great, I won"t be polite then."
"Mayor Dong, Old Liao, we"ve been toasting for a while now. Let"s finish our drinks."
"Alright, let"s drink first. Cheers, cheers."
"Sister-in-law, I have not drunk with you yet. You can stick to tea; I"ll drink."
"Why do I need to drink tea? Have a drink with me. Here, cheers."
"Alright, you are straightforward. I"ll down it in one go, too."
After dinner, Dong Xuebing politely declined Secretary Meng"s offer to arrange transportation for him and instead drove directly to Jiang Fangfang"s mother"s house.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door opened, and Jiang Fangfang came out.
Dong Xuebing was surprised. "Oh, you"re here too."
Jiang Fangfang said, "I came to see my mom. What brings you here?"
"I also came to see our mom. Since I"m leaving soon, I wanted to bid her farewell." Although Dong Xuebing and Jiang Fangfang had been in cahoots to deceive the old lady, Jiang Fangfang’s mother was an interesting old lady. Dong Xuebing couldn"t leave without saying goodbye.
"Come in."
"Ah, mom is asleep?"
"Not yet. She just finished taking her medicine."
Inside, the nanny was also in the living room.
Jiang Fangfang told her, "Xiao Zhang, you can go home now since there"s nothing to do today."
The nanny looked at Dong Xuebing strangely, said, "Oh," picked up her things, and left.
Jiang Fangfang then led Dong Xuebing to the bedroom. When the door opened, Jiang Fangfang’s mother sat on the bed. Evidently, Jiang Fangfang had informed her about Dong Xuebing"s impending departure. Jiang Fangfang’s mother didn"t look too pleased and didn"t speak or acknowledge him.
Dong Xuebing forced a smile. "Mom."
Jiang Fangfang’s mother was a little angry. "How come you"re leaving after just returning a few months ago?"
Dong Xuebing chuckled, "It"s the arrangement from the organization. I can"t do anything about it."
"Xiao Tao has been promoted," Jiang Fangfang said, sitting down and patting her mother"s hand. "It"s a good thing."
J Jiang Fangfang’s mother snorted, "Always working, what about the family? What about your wife?"
"Mom," Dong Xuebing hurriedly said, "I promise to return whenever I have time. It won"t take long to fly, and I"ll return to see you and Fangfang."
Jiang Fangfang glanced at him. "How often will you come back?"
Dong Xuebing hesitated, "Once I"ve settled down, once I"ve settled down, I"ll come back."
Jiang Fangfang said, "Mom, don"t act like a child."
Jiang Fangfang’s mother was annoyed. "I am a child; I don"t want Xiao Tao to leave; it"s not okay."
After talking for a while, Jiang Fangfang’s mother anger gradually subsided. She waved for Dong Xuebing to sit beside her. The old lady took his hand and said, "You"re getting promoted so I won"t say anything. You don"t need to worry about me. You don"t need to take care of anything here. The main thing is Fangfang. You two have been living apart for so long, and it"s not ideal. When you go over there, work hard and don"t think about returning often. See if you can arrange for Fangfang to come over with you. That way, I"ll feel relieved."
Dong Xuebing said, "Mom, that"s not a problem. I know some people in Beijing. We"ll work on it as long as things are settled here."
Jiang Fangfang looked at her daughter. "It"s settled."
"I"m leaving, so who will take care of you?" Jiang Fangfang said.
Dong Xuebing interjected, "We can have Mom come to live in Beijing. Plus, the medical facilities in Beijing are good, and she can receive better medical care there."
Jiang Fangfang’s mother said, "You don"t need to worry about me."
Dong Xuebing said, "That"s not okay. If you don"t come, Fangfang won"t leave you alone in Zhen Shui County. We won"t be at ease either."
Jiang Fangfang looked at her daughter. "What do you think?"
Jiang Fangfang thought for a moment and said, "Okay."
Jiang Fangfang held their hands separately. "That"s settled then. Mom can be at ease now. Xiao Tao, you can leave with peace of mind. We"ll talk about it when your work is stable."
"Okay, then you should rest," Dong Xuebing said.
"Hehe, yes, Mom should sleep too." With Dong Xuebing and Jiang Fangfang"s support, Jiang Fangfang lay down in bed, and then the two of them left.
In the living room.
The two sat down and had tea.
Dong Xuebing blinked and said, "Your mother is right. After you finish your work here, when the road construction and experimental base projects are implemented, and you have achieved some political accomplishments, you should come to Beijing."
Jiang Fangfang replied calmly, "We"ll see."
Dong Xuebing nodded, "Anyway, the projects won"t be completed anytime soon. We"ll talk about it when the time comes."
"Have you been drinking?"
"A little bit. I just had dinner with Secretary Meng and the others."
"From now on, don"t drive after drinking."
"Hehe, I know, no worries."
"Are you going back today?"
"Ahem, I don"t have anything to do today. I"m about to leave anyway. Besides dinner appointments, I won"t have any other work this week."
"I see."
"I"m not leaving anymore."
"Whatever, then I"ll take a shower."
"Okay, I"ll sleep on the floor. You don"t have to worry about it."
"Alright, the bedding is in the cabinet, freshly washed. You can take it."
Jiang Fangfang, wearing pajamas and slippers, walked into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water came from inside.
With a smile, Dong Xuebing went to make the bed.
Ring, ring, ring, his phone rang. It was his wife calling.
Looking around, Dong Xuebing quickly removed his clothes, crawled under the covers, and then covered his head with the blanket before answering the phone in a low voice.
"Huilan."
"When are you coming back?"
"I"ll be driving back next week. It should only take a few days."
"Hehe, alright, I am waiting for you."
"How"s your stomach, my dear son?"
"Your little troublemaker keeps kicking me, making me angry, so I give him a little tap."
"Hey, don"t mess around. What are you hitting for? He hasn"t even been born yet. If you mess with him, he might get problems. Don"t do that."
"I"m just teasing your little troublemaker. Hehe."
"You scared me for a moment. Anyway, take care of yourself. I"ll be back to see you and our son in a few days. Although I won"t stay long, I must report to Beijing next month."
"As long as you return, I"m not counting on you. Your mother has moved in with me now, and nothing will happen. Hehe, I have to go now. I have to drink milk now."
"Okay, go ahead."
After hanging up the phone, Dong Xuebing called Qiu Yunxuan, Yu Meixia, Geng Yuehua, and others to share the good news of his promotion and inform them that he would be returning soon. He also arranged a time to meet. The nearly month-long holiday before reporting was for reunions with his mother, Huilan, Yunxuan, and Sister Yu. It had been a long time since he returned, and Dong Xuebing missed them. He needed to spend time with them before going to Beijing for work with peace of mind.
After finis.h.i.+ng the calls, the bathroom door opened.
A wave of water vapor and a faint shower gel scent rushed out, and then Jiang Fangfang emerged from the bathroom.
What surprised Dong Xuebing, however, was how casual Jiang Fangfang was. She had left her pajamas in the bathroom and only wore her underwear. She turned off the light and walked confidently to the floor mattress, took off her shoes, stepped onto it, bent down to crawl into the blanket, and then reached under the blanket, tossing a flesh-colored bra onto the sofa without hesitation. Then, she moved her legs and hands a bit and threw out a pair of flesh-colored panties as well.
"Let"s sleep," Jiang Fangfang tied her hair into a ponytail.
Dong Xuebing nodded and reached out to embrace her smooth and delicate body. The water vapor hadn"t completely dispersed yet, and her plump body was still emitting tiny droplets of water, making her skin feel slippery. There was also the refres.h.i.+ng scent of shower gel. Jiang Fangfang"s whole body was warm, like a freshly steamed meat bun. Dong Xuebing couldn"t help but want to take a bite and devour her whole.
After a while, Dong Xuebing was about to climb on top of her.
But at that moment, Jiang Fangfang pushed him away with her hand. Just as Dong Xuebing was puzzled, Jiang Fangfang shook her long hair, tied the ponytail behind her, and then leaned forward to sit up from the mattress. She raised her chin slightly and looked down at Dong Xuebing. Then, she sat on top of him, facing him directly.
"Um, Fangfang."
"Tonight, whatever you want."
"Um, really?"
"Yes."
Dong Xuebing was pleasantly surprised. He couldn"t believe that Jiang Fangfang, who had always been indifferent to such matters in the past, would take the initiative to change positions and say that anything was fine. It made Dong Xuebing feel honored to have such a privilege and treatment, probably because he was about to leave. Dong Xuebing stopped being polite with Jiang Fangfang, grabbed her waist, and began to indulge in the moment without hesitation.
The night was pa.s.sionate, and Dong Xuebing thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The feeling was beyond words.