Even if there's no evidence, and even if Zhao Dayong really did have some private deal with Xie Yuyao, it's none of her business.

Having worked for some time, Ren Fei is no longer as naive as she once was.

She witnessed a lot of darkness, and her ideals were shattered, leaving her in a state of confusion, from which she has not yet emerged.

Seeing that Ren Fei had nothing to say, Xie Yuyao said, "Take care of yourself."

Ren Fei's face darkened as she watched Xie Yuyao walk up to Zhao Dayong.

Just now, after Xie Yuyao was dragged away by Ren Fei, Zhao Dayong offered a cigarette to the man who asked the question and, during their conversation, revealed that his boss was Qi Tai.

The man's expression changed slightly, and his gaze towards Xie Yuyao held a hint of resentment. However, not wanting to provoke the "god of wealth" behind them, he had no choice but to let them pass.

After Zhao Dayong and Xie Yuyao entered the department store, the man walked up to Ren Fei, hiding the disdain in his eyes, and said, "Who is that girl? Help me arrange to meet her and have a chat."

"She's not someone you can mess with!" Ren Fei said with a smirk, showing no politeness whatsoever.

"Really? Could she be the daughter of some high-ranking official?" The man stroked his chin, observing Xie Yuyao's demeanor, which indeed seemed unlike that of an ordinary beautiful girl.

"More or less." Ren Fei had already heard that Zhao Honghui had arranged everything before leaving. On the surface, Xie Yuyao was just a female educated youth sent to the countryside, but the power she could mobilize behind the scenes was unpredictable.

Moreover, even without Zhao Honghui, Xie Yuyao was not someone who could be easily manipulated. Her contribution to Qingshantun with dried fruit alone was enough to make the cadres of Qingshantun brigade consider her one of their own.

At the same time, Xie Yuyao and her companion walked to the bicycle shop and saw a 28-inch bicycle in the corner. It was covered with a thin layer of dust, indicating that it had been parked there for some time.

"Comrade, do you have any 26-inch bicycles?" Xie Yuyao asked a female sales clerk nearby.

The saleswoman looked up and sized up Xie Yuyao and Zhao Dayong a few times. Seeing that the two didn't seem to be poor people from the countryside, she replied, "No, if you need it, I can arrange for it to arrive within half a month."

Xie Yuyao then paid the money and asked her to help arrange the goods, telling her that Zhao Dayong would come to pick them up later.

She could ride a 28-inch bicycle, but looking at the dust on it, she felt like she had spent a lot of money to buy an old one, and she was a little unhappy.

If the supply and marketing cooperative in the commune hadn't been so busy selling bicycles, she would have bought one there, thus avoiding the trouble with Zhao Dayong.

These supplies are so scarce right now that even if you have money and ration coupons, you might not be able to buy them.

When Xie Yuyao returned to Hongqi Commune by bus, near Qingshan Village, she found a secluded corner, took out a basket of fruits, vegetables, pork, and other daily necessities from her storage space, and pretended that she had bought them in the county town.

With Zhao Honghui absent and no braised meat being prepared at their residence, Xie Yuyao faced considerable inconvenience in accessing her spatial resources. Fortunately, after some adjustment time, she had gotten used to it.

If she really needs anything, she can ask Yang Shumei or Zhao Jianbin to help her buy it.

The finance work at the dried fruit factory is quite relaxed on a daily basis, which is why Yang Shumei chose this position.

Yang Shumei is already familiar with the work content and processes, and can be said to be handling it with ease. Even though the college entrance examination is not yet here, she no longer feels tormented.

Just as the dried fruit factory was gradually getting on track, Xie Yuyao received a telegram from Dr. Zhuang.

Dr. Zhuang told her that the pills she had taken earlier had been tested by relevant national departments and that they had applied for patents for her, so that they could cooperate with pharmaceutical companies to mass-produce and market them.

For this reason, he also recommended a military-industrial pharmaceutical factory in the provincial capital.

Of course, if Xie Yuyao wanted to open her own factory, she could do so by using the name of Hongqi Commune or Qingshantun.

Xie Yuyao put the telegram away and turned to go to the brigade headquarters to find the brigade leader.

At this time, at the Qingshantun brigade headquarters, Li Weidong and Yang Shumei were discussing with several brigade cadres the matter of expanding the number of formal employees in the factory.

It's spring planting season now, and those temporary workers are getting restless, wanting to get to the fields and complete their work points.

In order to save costs, the wages of temporary workers were calculated based on nine work points for men and seven work points for women. The value of the work points was only known at the end of the year.

Since the maximum work points are 10 for men and 8 for women, some community members who usually earn the maximum work points have started to consider quitting their jobs.

However, factories provide daily work, while farming depends on the weather. On rainy days, farmers cannot work and therefore have no income. Moreover, factory jobs are hard to come by, and many people want to work there but are limited by available positions.

This puts them in a dilemma, leading to a loss of morale and unity.

Li Weidong asked Yang Shumei to explain the factory's recent financial situation to everyone. After Yang Shumei finished speaking, he suggested, "To date, we have cooperated with the supply and marketing cooperatives of three nearby communes, and the sales department is also promoting to other factories, so orders will continue to increase. In order to meet the needs of development, and based on our factory's financial situation, we can consider converting some outstanding temporary workers into permanent employees."

Currently, there are still a few management staff members who are formal employees. If one or two more workers are promoted to formal positions, it will motivate others to work hard and strive to become formal employees as soon as possible.

"How much salary are you planning to pay?" the captain asked after a moment's thought.

“Our factory is a brigade-level enterprise, not comparable to those of the commune. My idea is a monthly salary of eighteen, with a raise to be given as the factory develops,” Li Weidong said.

Nowadays, factory wages are generally divided into several levels: apprentices earn 18 to 20 yuan per month, ordinary workers earn 20 to 30 yuan per month, and those with high education and skills earn even more.

Even the 18 yuan monthly salary that Li Weidong mentioned is much better than working.

In Qingshan Village, ten work points only amount to two cents. Even if you work a full month with all the work points, you'll only earn about six yuan.

As soon as the system of a monthly salary of eighteen yuan for formal employees of the dried fruit factory is established, everyone in the production team will be scrambling to get into the factory.

Party Secretary Liu cautiously asked, "Have you thought this through? Once this floodgate is opened, even if we lose money, we'll still have to pay the workers' wages. Besides, this news will likely cause a lot of disputes. Are you prepared to stand your ground?"

Li Weidong fell silent. He was confident in making the factory bigger and stronger, but he could not withstand the dissatisfaction of the community.

To be honest, in a production team, some people are outstanding and capable, while others are lazy and cunning, and most of the villagers are just average. Now that there is a possibility of high income, it will inevitably attract a lot of envious people.

If he gets bogged down in personnel disputes, he will not only get covered in mud, but he will also be held back.

Ultimately, he underestimated the seriousness of the situation and only considered its incentive effect.

When Xie Yuyao arrived, she found the office empty, so she went to the conference room. From the doorway, she saw several people sitting in the conference room, deep in thought.

She intended to push open the door and wait in the lobby, but the sharp-eyed captain saw her and called out, "Xie Wazi, you've come at the right time, come in and sit down."

Xie Yuyao smiled and nodded in response. After nodding to everyone, she found a seat at the very end of the table and sat down.

"Xie Wazi, the dried fruit factory wants to hire permanent employees. What do you think is the best way to set their salaries?" The team leader threw the question directly at her.