Chapter 351: Running a Free Nursery!

Su Yue finally put down her pen.

She looked up at the man kneeling on the ground.

"Compensation?" Su Yue smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Director Wang, do you think I need those few broken pieces of equipment?"

She stood up, walked around the desk, and went to Wang Desheng.

"When you stole the formula, did you ever think of letting me go? When you spread rumors in the provincial capital that my product caused cancer, did you ever think of leaving me a way out?"

Cold sweat poured down Wang Desheng's forehead.

"I...I was confused for a moment..."

“No,” Su Yue interrupted him, “You’re bad. You’re not only bad, you’re stupid.”

She crouched down, bringing her eyes level with Wang Desheng's.

"That formula did come from my lab. However, it was the discarded second design. Anyone with a basic understanding of chemistry knows that active enzymes with that structure are extremely unstable at room temperature. You got it and didn't even do any experiments before putting it into production. Don't you think you're stupid?"

Wang Desheng suddenly looked up, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

"You...you did this on purpose? You knew I would steal?"

“I told you, once the bait is in the water, whether the fish bite or not is their problem.” Su Yue stood up and dusted off her hands, which weren’t actually dust. “You were greedy and got your mouth cut by the hook, and now you’re blaming the fisherman?”

"You vile woman!" Wang Desheng roared in fury, leaping up to pounce on Su Yue. "I'm going to kill you!"

A flash of cold light.

A military knife grazed Wang Desheng's cheek and slammed into the door frame with a "thud".

The handle was still vibrating and humming.

Wang Desheng was so frightened that his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

Gu Beichen slowly handed the peeled apple to Su Yue, then stood up and straightened his cuffs.

“You dare to mess with my people right in front of me.” Gu Beichen walked up to Wang Desheng and looked down at him. “It seems the food in the detention center in the provincial capital is too good, giving you the energy to run wild here.”

"take away."

Two military police rushed in from outside, grabbed Wang Desheng who was lying like a dead dog, and dragged him out.

"Su Yue! You'll get your comeuppance! You'll die a horrible death!" Wang Desheng's curses echoed in the corridor.

Su Yue took a bite of the crisp, sweet apple and ignored it.

The marketplace is like a battlefield.

Mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself.

After this battle, "Blue Ocean" made a name for itself.

Not only did the counterfeit goods scandal in the provincial capital subside, but this "anti-counterfeiting education" also brought consumers' trust in genuine products to its peak.

Who wouldn't want to buy the real thing?

The rigorous test that involves coating paper and heating it without it deteriorating has become the most popular method of identification. Even supply and marketing cooperatives from other provinces have sent telegrams requesting to place orders.

The factory machines are running day and night, and orders are booked until next spring.

...

One month later.

Su Yue is inspecting the workshop.

In the packaging workshop, dozens of female workers are busy at work.

In the corner, there were several bamboo baskets.

The bamboo basket contained not goods, but children.

Some were still sleeping in their swaddling clothes, while others had just learned to crawl, gripping the edge of the bamboo basket and watching their mothers work with eager eyes.

A young female worker was carrying a toddler on her back, bending over to seal boxes. The baby was crying on her back, and she was trying to soothe him while bouncing around and working non-stop, her forehead covered in sweat.

"Wow--"

The child cried even harder, clearly hungry.

The female worker looked somewhat embarrassed at the line leader who was patrolling back and forth. She wanted to stop to breastfeed, but was afraid of delaying her piecework.

Su Yue stopped and watched this scene.

She recalled the longing light in the eyes of those women when she was recruiting. They wanted to earn money and be independent, but the shackles they carried were too heavy.

Children, housework, and outdated ideas are all holding them back.

"Chen Xinyue." Su Yue turned around.

Chen Xinyue, holding a report, followed behind: "Sister, what's wrong?"

“Make room in a warehouse,” Su Yue said, pointing to the female worker carrying the child on her back. “Right next to the canteen, in the one with good natural light.”

"Warehouse? What's it used for?"

"Let's set up a daycare center."

Chen Xinyue was taken aback: "A daycare center? This is a factory."

"What's wrong with the factory?" Su Yue turned around and looked at the tired but hopeful faces. "They are our workers, and also mothers. Making them carry their children while working not only reduces efficiency, but also makes the children suffer."

"Hire two experienced childcare workers, preferably retired primary school teachers. The factory will cover the costs. All female factory workers' children can attend the childcare for free. Lunch will be provided."

These few words, though not loud, caused a stir in the workshop.

The female worker carrying the child suddenly raised her head and looked at Su Yue in disbelief.

"Director Su... are you serious? Free?"

"Really." Su Yue walked over, took out a White Rabbit milk candy from her pocket, unwrapped it, and stuffed it into the crying child's mouth. "From now on, you can put the child in daycare so you can work with peace of mind. Earning money is for raising children, don't ruin them."

The female worker's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face.

"Thank you, Director Su! Thank you!"

The female workers around them also gathered around, each one so excited that they were incoherent.

These days, only large state-owned factories offer childcare facilities. For a small, privately-owned joint venture like theirs, such a benefit is something they wouldn't even dare to dream of.

This is not difficult to do; it just means earning a little less profit.

But in the hearts of these female workers, Su Yue was no longer just a boss who paid wages.

That was their support.

Six months later, the province selected "March 8th Red Banner Pacesetters".

That spot was originally reserved for the wife of a bureau chief, but at the final review meeting, a joint letter from Hainan Island was delivered to the provincial party secretary's desk.

The letter was crumpled and covered with red handprints.

Hundreds of female workers, in the simplest of words, recounted the story of the factory on the island, the free nursery, and Director Su, who led them out of the kitchen and to stand tall as human beings.

The day the red certificate was delivered to the Blue Ocean Daily Chemical Factory happened to be the typhoon season on Hainan Island.

Spring in 1971 arrived unusually late and sluggish.

It rained for half a month, and the entire island of Hainan seemed to be soaking in salty brine. Moss grew on the corners of the walls, the clothes on the clotheslines always smelled musty, and even the air was sticky and heavy when you breathed it in.

"Cough cough cough..."

The mornings in the military compound were no longer filled with the resounding bugle calls, but instead with the sounds of coughing.

The sound seemed contagious, spreading from the kindergarten to the primary school, and eventually even reaching the staff quarters.

Su Yue wrapped her two children up tightly and had just seen them off when she heard heart-wrenching cries coming from Wang's house next door. Wang's wife rushed out carrying her youngest son, whose face was flushed red from a fever. She had even lost a shoe while running, and she waded through the mud and water towards the medical team.

"This awful weather." Su Yue shoved the umbrella in her hand into Gu Beichen's hand. "I'm going to the hospital. You keep an eye on things at home."

Gu Beichen took the umbrella and pressed the back of his hand against her forehead.

Body temperature is normal.