Nan Sheng not only bought meals for her own family but also got some for Xiao Hou, whom she brought back to the military camp.
Siqi, upon hearing there were new clothes, eagerly dug out her set and spent time admiring herself. By the time she was done, the rest of the family had already finished eating.
Pouting unhappily, she complained, "Mom, Brother, why didn’t you wait for me?"
Eating alone just wasn’t as fun!
Lin Han, realizing this didn’t concern him, immediately went to the kitchen to boil water—after all, he wasn’t her mother or brother.
Nan Sheng didn’t want to suppress her children’s natural tendencies. As long as they didn’t misbehave, they could do as they pleased, but that didn’t mean she would spoil them without limits.
"You’ve been getting a little too full of yourself lately. Finish your meal, then come inside and give me a leg massage!"
The light smack on Siqi’s head didn’t hurt, but sensing the sternness in her mother’s tone, she quickly settled down and sweetly replied,
"Got it, Mom. You go lie down first. Qiqi will come right after eating, okay?"
What a master of adaptability this Lin Siqi was! Sizhe watched the scene in awe, thinking his sister’s quick shifts in demeanor would make her a perfect movie star.
After boiling the water, Lin Han let Nan Sheng bathe first, followed by the kids, and then himself—his place in the family hierarchy was crystal clear. He also took the opportunity to wash the new sets of clothes.
When he returned to the room, he saw his daughter diligently massaging her mother’s legs, her little braids bouncing as she worked, clearly worried she wasn’t doing a good enough job.
"Mom, should I press harder?"
Hearing her husband return, Nan Sheng decided to stop teasing the child. "Alright, Mom’s not tired anymore. Go to bed—you have school tomorrow."
Siqi’s eyes darted around mischievously. "Let me massage you a bit longer? You work so hard."
Lin Han effortlessly scooped Siqi up with one arm and carried her back to her room. He tapped her head lightly. "If you throw another tantrum, your mom will really teach you a lesson."
Siqi clung to Lin Han’s arm, trying to secure an ally. She chattered away, "If Mom hits me, Dad can stop her."
Lin Han couldn’t help but laugh, but he didn’t dare agree. Playing it safe, he said,
"Your mom would turn on me if I tried. You’re on your own if you keep acting up—better pray for luck."
With that, he left. The kids had grown so lively under Nan Sheng’s care, filling him with both gratitude and guilt.
"Brother, what does ‘pray for luck’ mean?"
"It means Dad doesn’t dare cross Mom."
Siqi tilted her head. She was about to ask her brother to help instead, but then remembered how often he’d been on the receiving end of their mother’s discipline back in their hometown.
Sighing, she declared, "Mom’s so amazing. I wanna be just like her when I grow up!"
Back in their room, Lin Han resumed massaging Nan Sheng. Lately, he’d been asking more about her work.
"Sweetheart, why don’t you seem happy about the promotion?"
At home, Nan Sheng could speak freely.
"I waited outside for at least twenty minutes without even a seat. The higher-ups probably don’t like me—they only promoted me out of necessity.
But I didn’t make it easy for them either. I kept poking at their sore spots during the conversation. Bet I annoyed them good."
Lin Han burst out laughing. He’d always known his wife wasn’t one to take things lying down.
"Darling, if you run into trouble at work, just tell me. I can always scare them with my gun."
That thing worked like a charm—who wouldn’t panic with a barrel to their head?
"Don’t worry. After that scene I made, no one in the county would dare oppose me. If anyone tries, I’ll make an example of them."
Lin Han had his own struggles. He’d served as a battalion commander under Commander Ye but was recently transferred to another regiment where his seniority didn’t command much respect, making work difficult.
"Do you think making an example would work for me?"
Nan Sheng shook her head. "I don’t know much about military affairs, but you could ask Commander Ye and Division Commander Yao for advice!
One’s your former superior, the other your current one. Getting closer to them won’t annoy them—they’ll actually appreciate it."
Staying connected meant they’d think of Lin Han first when opportunities arose. That’s just how relationships worked.
Lin Han saw her point. He’d never been good at these things, so following his wife’s advice was the way to go.
"Right. I’ll go talk to them tomorrow!"
Nan Sheng added, "They seem to like ginseng wine. Don’t go empty-handed."
Casual gifts didn’t need to be extravagant. Wine was perfect—every time Commander Ye and Division Commander Yao had a drink, they’d remember who gave it to them.
The city acted swiftly. The appointment call reached the county right after Nan Sheng returned from her trip.
Cao Guoxiang was fuming. "They’ll do anything to keep me in check."
His subordinate was equally baffled. "Director Nan’s qualifications are so thin—how can she head the county’s revolutionary committee? The city’s gone mad!"
"That’s why they said it’s temporary!"
Cao Guoxiang sighed. He’d planned to crush the committee while he had the chance, but with Director Nan now in charge, pushing further would mean direct confrontation.
As the saying goes, even when beating a dog, you mind its master.
"Tell our people to ease up. Hold off on pressuring the committee for now."
He was curious how much Nan Sheng’s rise would shake things up.
After calling Secretary Cai, even the town government learned: Director Nan had been promoted!
The next day at work, Nan Sheng noticed the heightened respect—greetings came with near bows.
"Congratulations on your promotion, Director Nan!"
"Congratulations, Director Nan!"
Entering her office, Chen Tian, Liu Song, and Deng Jun joined in, shouting in unison, "Congratulations on your promotion, Director!" loud enough to lift the roof.
Nan Sheng thanked them with a smile. "I’ll still be working here, so your workloads will increase. I’ll push for your promotions and raises."
Liu Song and the others hadn’t expected such generosity—promoting all three at once—and it fired them up even more.
Secretary Cai dropped by too, so Nan Sheng took her teacup to his office for a chat.
"Secretary Cai, my office is too small for meetings. Let me use the conference room as a temporary workspace."
"Aren’t you taking the county position?"
"It’s too far—inconvenient for going home."
Such a straightforward reason left Secretary Cai speechless.
Director Nan never failed to surprise!
