Chapter 2

The security guard let Gao Jue pass, allowing him to enter. At that moment, the man and woman were still staring at Gao Jue, but their expressions were different. The young man looked furious, while the young woman wore a smile. Gao Jue also looked at them, finding it amusing that on his first day, he had already caused such a scene with his colleagues on the bus.

"You're the new one," the girl in front suddenly said.

"Yes. Hello, my name is Gao Jue," Gao Jue replied politely.

"Gao Jue... You share the same surname as our department head. I heard you graduated from Chunjiang University; that's really impressive. I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Yan Bing, from the Rights Protection Department. He's Lu Dawei, also from our Women's Federation, but he works in the office." Yan Bing spoke with a smile, even showing admiration, as if the incident on the bus had been forgotten. She then said cheerfully, "Our Aunt Wen from the Rights Protection Department is in the hospital, so we're short-handed. You'll definitely be assigned to our department, and we'll be colleagues from now on."

After saying this, Yan Bing extended her hand to Gao Jue.

Gao Jue had already reached the two of them. Seeing Yan Bing's initiative, he also extended his hand and shook hers. Yan Bing's hand was small and her fingers delicate, while Gao Jue's hand was broad and his fingers slightly shorter. After letting go, Yan Bing said, "Your hand is so thick, like a bear's paw. No wonder you could lift Lu Dawei so easily."

Gao Jue smiled, but Lu Dawei's face turned even darker upon hearing this.

"Lu Dawei, our Women's Federation finally has another man..." Yan Bing looked at Lu Dawei, intending to make a joke, but seeing his stern face, she swallowed her words and said instead, "You were at fault today, so don't take it to heart. Let's shake hands and be colleagues from now on."

"Hmph! I don't want to dirty my hands." With that, Lu Dawei turned and walked away, muttering, "I really don't know what the leadership was thinking, letting a guy like this join the Women's Federation."

Yan Bing stuck out her tongue and sighed, "What a small-minded person." She then said to Gao Jue, "He's like that, so don't take it personally. Let's go up together, and I'll introduce you to the Women's Federation."

"Sure, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Gao Jue and Yan Bing walked into the office building together. As they walked, Yan Bing whispered, "Our Women's Federation is a small place, with only a dozen or so people. Besides the two directors, there are four departments, each with a head and one or two staff members. The office has the most people, with three. Our Rights Protection Department has two, while the Organization and Propaganda Department and the Development Department each have only one person." While speaking, Yan Bing also gestured with one finger.

"Now that Aunt Wen is in the hospital, the Rights Protection Department is down to just me. Fortunately, you arrived in time, or I would have been overwhelmed. Our department has the most work and is always busy. Also, I need to remind you that our department head has been in a bad mood lately..." At this point, Yan Bing looked back to see if anyone was around, then continued in a very low voice, "She's been scolded by the director twice. After you arrive, be careful not to upset her, or it will be bad for you."

Yan Bing talked a lot, and by the time they reached the second floor, Gao Jue had heard her speak almost non-stop. It seemed the young girl couldn't find anyone of her age at work, so she was very friendly with Gao Jue. It was fortunate he met her, as it helped him understand the Women's Federation better.

As they talked, they arrived at a room on the second floor. Turning right, they came to an office door. Yan Bing whispered, "This is Director Yang's office. Director Yang is very powerful. I didn't know this before, but I later heard that when she went to the Personnel Bureau to request a position, she gave the bureau chief a good scolding and managed to secure a position. So, when you meet Director Yang, be cautious and don't say anything rash."

"Thank you," Gao Jue nodded quickly. Despite the young girl's warning, Gao Jue felt a strange admiration for Director Yang. Indeed, without her assertiveness, he wouldn't have been able to work here.

"You're welcome," Yan Bing said sweetly.

They continued walking, and Yan Bing continued her introduction, "This is the office. You should report here first. Further ahead are the offices for the Rights Protection Department, the Organization and Propaganda Department, the Development Department, and a meeting room. Our Women's Federation is small, with only these three offices."

As they spoke, they reached the office door. Just as Gao Jue was about to thank Yan Bing, he heard a woman's sobs from inside the office, sounding very sad. Then, another woman's stern voice said, "Crying, crying, all you do is cry. Do you want the entire county committee to know your problems? You're disgracing the Women's Federation! As the head of the Organization and Propaganda Department, you can't even handle your own family issues. How can you have the face to do propaganda and education work for others?"

"Director... I..." a choked voice replied.

"Enough! No more excuses, Shang Jin, go check if everyone is here. If they are, tell them the meeting starts at eight o'clock!"

"Bang!"

As the words ended, the office door was pushed open, and a middle-aged woman in her forties walked out, her face full of anger. Yan Bing, seeing her, shuddered and quickly lowered her head, saying softly, "Good morning, Director."

The middle-aged woman was Director Yang. In her fury, she didn't seem to hear Yan Bing's greeting and stormed off to the meeting room on the right. After Director Yang entered the meeting room, Yan Bing let out a long sigh, patted her chest lightly, and whispered, "Today might be troublesome. You go in and report first, and I'll wait for you in the office. Oh, and don't mention what happened on the bus to anyone else."

With that, she gave Gao Jue a playful smile and, without waiting for his response, ran to the office like a rabbit.

Gao Jue was puzzled. What was going on? Why did he encounter so many issues on his first day? Just as he was about to knock on the door, people started coming out of the office. The one in the lead was the office director, Shang Jin. Seeing Gao Jue outside, she asked politely, "Who are you looking for?"

"Hello, my name is Gao Jue, and I'm here to report for my new job."

"You must be Gao Jue. Welcome to our Women's Federation. I'm the office director, Shang Jin. I have a meeting now, so please wait a moment. After the meeting, I'll assign you your tasks." Shang Jin said.

"Thank you, Director Shang."

Shang Jin nodded slightly and turned to the right. Behind her were five people, four women and one man, the man being Lu Dawei. The other four women were all middle-aged, with the youngest looking over thirty. The last woman had a tear-streaked face, bruised and swollen, clearly having been beaten.

As Shang Jin passed the office where Yan Bing had entered, she called out, and five women, including Yan Bing, came out.

Seeing everyone enter the meeting room, Gao Jue wondered, "What's going on in the Women's Federation? The men have black eyes, and the women have bruised faces. Who beat them? Isn't the work of the Women's Federation just talking? Do they sometimes need to use force..."

Inside the meeting room, Director Yang Shujie's face was grim. She sat in the middle of the table, glanced at her subordinates on both sides, and without any pleasantries, got straight to the point.

"The purpose of today's meeting should be clear to everyone. Our Women's Federation is responsible for protecting women's rights, including resolving family disputes and opposing domestic violence, aiming for zero incidents of domestic violence in Beian County. However..." Yang Shujie's initial tone was calm, but her voice quickly rose, becoming stern, "Domestic violence has occurred in our own homes! You do the work for others, resolving family conflicts, but when it comes to your own, you can't handle it! Cao Shufen, you are responsible for our propaganda work, but look at you now! How can you continue your work with a bruised face? How can you explain it to others? Saying you were beaten by your husband! It's a joke! Do you know that our Women's Federation has become a laughingstock in the county committee? They all mock us, saying we can't even control our own husbands, yet we dare to manage others' domestic violence!"

"Bang!"

As she said this, Yang Shujie slammed her hand on the table, causing many of those present to flinch, especially Cao Shufen, who was bruised and swollen, and the young girl, Yan Bing.

"Minister Yang from the Propaganda Department came to me the day before yesterday specifically about this, demanding a quick resolution. I even held a meeting that day, but look, look, last night, Cao Shufen was beaten by her husband again, with new bruises on top of the old ones. How are you doing your job? Gao Yanhong!" Yang Shujie's sharp gaze fell on a woman in her fifties sitting next to Yan Bing, and she said sternly, "You are the head of the Rights Protection Department, responsible for handling complaints, resolving disputes, and protecting the rights of women and children. What have you been doing?"

Gao Yanhong, under Yang Shujie's gaze, dared not lift her head, lowering it and remaining silent.

"You are a veteran of the Women's Federation, having worked from the grassroots to the agency for many years, resolving countless family disputes. This time, can't you find a solution?" Yang Shujie, seeing that she had intimidated her senior colleague, softened her tone.

"Director, this time I really have no solution. Cao Shufen's husband is like a stubborn donkey, refusing to listen to anything. At the slightest disagreement, he chases people out with a broom, even resorting to violence. Look at what happened to Little Lu. The police have been called several times, but they are no longer willing to help," Gao Yanhong said.

"I don't want excuses; I want solutions. Every task has its difficulties, but is this really so difficult? It's nothing compared to the Red Army crossing the snow-capped mountains, the grasslands, the Dadu River, and the Luding Bridge! The Party has always taught us to face difficulties head-on, to be brave and never retreat! Our work in the Women's Federation is the same! Today, I declare that Cao Shufen's case is a matter of honor for our Women's Federation. We must resolve it as quickly as possible! We will stay here until we find a solution. If we can't, we won't leave the meeting room. If we can't find a solution by noon, we won't eat lunch. If we can't find a solution by evening, we won't go home!"