After finishing the sumptuous dinner, everyone rubbed their stomachs and slumped on the stools with a satisfied look on their faces.

The child seemed to have endless energy. Having just finished his meal, he was not afraid of the cold and ran around the yard.

Damao, the youngest brother, became the object of competition among his older brothers and sisters. Sometimes Dalang carried Damao on his back for a few laps, and sometimes Jinbao and Jinhua snatched him away, asking them to give him a sedan chair.

Compared to their older brothers and sisters, Sanlang and Si Niang are much quieter. The twins can always pair up and chat animatedly in the encrypted language they developed themselves.

Inside the house, the adults were chatting. Liu Bo and Liu Zhong tentatively asked Qin Yao who she planned to let take over the position of general manager. Qin Yao did not say that she had found Yunniang, but only said that she was still considering it.

However, it was also made clear that the three brothers were not among her choices.

Hearing this, everyone in the old house felt a little disappointed, but they didn't say much. After all, they believed that Qin Yao would not forget them if there was any benefit.

Since she has another candidate, they just need to support the person she chooses.

Moreover, the three brothers knew that they could barely read and were not proficient in carpentry, so they were relieved that Qin Yao did not choose them.

Only Liu Ji had many opinions, muttering quietly: "It is said that good things should be kept within the family. If such an important position as the general manager is not reserved for one's own family, how can others be trusted?"

Qin Yao glanced at him coldly, and he finally shut his mouth.

The food was almost digested, and seeing that everyone in the old house was already a little sleepy and ready to leave, Qin Yao got up and went to her room and took out the gifts she had prepared earlier.

He's eyes lit up instantly. She, who was resting because of her injured hand, immediately stood up and went forward to greet Qin Yao, helping her get things and taking a peek at what was there.

Faced with her sister-in-law's behavior, Qiu could only sigh helplessly and call the children playing in the yard in.

"Warm your hands and feet, we'll be back soon." Qiu caught Jinhua, who was trying to lean towards Qin Yao, and pressed her down on a stool. She put her hand in and, oh my god, her little hand was as cold as ice. Qiu shivered with cold.

He gave him a warning look, "Stay by the fire."

Jinhua made an "oh" sound and tilted her head to make a face at Damao. The little girl giggled and jumped behind her sister, hugging her, her eyes fixed on the big table piled with things.

He had sharp eyes and had already seen the exquisite silk flowers in the box, and she couldn't wait to try them.

Seeing her like this, Qin Yao was of course the first to hand her the gift.

He immediately smiled and said, "Then I won't be polite~"

When he opened the box, he saw the two silk flowers that he had just seen and had been thinking about.

These silk flowers are paired together, one large and one small, with similar colors, one is bright red and the other is a lighter orange-red.

He liked this kind of bright things. He took them out and looked at them again and again and could not put them down.

"Sister-in-law, you are so thoughtful!" He said excitedly while looking at Qin Yao.

Qin Yao nodded slightly, and then handed the gifts for everyone in the old house to the children in order of age, asking them to deliver them to their grandparents, uncles and aunts.

Zhang and Qiu also had silk flowers, Zhang's was purple and Qiu's was blue, both of which matched them well.

A pair of leather boots was prepared for Old Man Liu. The size was just right. The old man likes to wear looser shoes because his feet have been deformed due to working in the fields all year round, and wide shoes will not be too tight.

There were three brothers, Liu Bo, Liu Zhong and Liu Fei, each of them had a set of writing brushes and ink.

Qin Yao smiled and said, "You still have to learn to read. If the factory gets bigger and bigger in the future, I'll have to trouble you to help manage it. It won't work if you can't read the accounts or recognize the characters."

Qin Yao said immediately, "This is the foundation that our Liu family has built together. Without any of you, we can't even write the word Liu!"

Old Man Liu was so pleased and moved that tears welled up in his eyes. He looked at Qin Yao and secretly thanked his ancestors for protecting him and sending such a good woman to their Liu family.

Turning around, she saw Liu Ji digging at the ashes with a nonchalant look on his face. She couldn't help but reach out and give him a slap on the face, "Yao Niang is talking, listen carefully, what are you doing!"

Liu Ji glared, who did I offend?

"How dare you glare at me?" Old man Liu raised his hand and wanted to slap him in the face.

Liu Ji's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stood up and ran away, "I'm going to read a book!"

If you can't afford to offend him, you can afford to hide from him!

Only then did Old Man Liu withdraw his palm and yelled, "That's good enough. Look carefully, look more!"

Liu Ji rolled his eyes to the sky and slammed the door shut.

Qin Yao shrugged and continued to give gifts to Jinbao, Jinhua and Damaofa.

A tiger-head hat for Jinbao.

A rabbit fur scarf for Jinhua.

There is also a pair of stuffed sheep as toys for Da Mao.

The hall was bustling with laughter and joy, and the atmosphere was full of joy.

It was not until late at night when everyone in the old house left that the yard became quiet.

The four brothers and sisters of Dalang yawned continuously, quickly washed their faces and feet, and went back to their room to sleep.

Qin Yao got up late today and was not sleepy yet. She washed up, took the brazier back to her room, opened her homemade notebook, and wrote down the process of the year-end summary meeting.

Only when I felt sleepy did I put down my pen, covered the burning charcoal basin, and went to bed.

In the following days, we were preparing for the shutdown before the New Year.

The accounts of various places had to be settled clearly. Qin Yao and Qian Wang drove a horse-drawn carriage and followed Liu Zhong to several raw material suppliers around the county town to settle all the balances.

On the way, he went to the county bank to exchange silver and money so that he could pay the workers later.

We were so busy until the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, when all the chores had been completed. We just had to wait for Bai Shan's people to come and take away the last batch of stationery gift boxes of the year tomorrow morning, and then we could rest.

Qin Yao scheduled the year-end summary meeting for the afternoon of the 24th, when all the workers would gather in the empty square where the materials were piled.

This is something new for the villagers.

Many villagers outside the factory heard the news and came to watch the fun.

Qin Yao did not stop the villagers' curiosity and simply opened the door to let them in.

However, the locks of each production workshop must be locked tightly to avoid unnecessary trouble.

With so many people, someone is needed to maintain order. Qin Yao assigned this task to Liu Bo and Liu Fei's team.

Then comes the venue layout.

On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, after helping Bai Shan's convoy load the goods in the morning and having the last lunch of the year in the cafeteria at noon, Qin Yao personally led the team and directed the 20 workers selected by the managers of each group to start setting up the venue.

Everyone must have a seat, and if there are not enough stools, straw bales can be used as a substitute.

The villagers piled the straw into bundles one by one. Those bundles that had not yet been stacked into straw bales were all borrowed and spread out in the square to form rows of benches.