Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Thinking about not disturbing others...

Thinking that she must not disturb others, Lin Wan muttered softly, then sat up straight and stared intently at the big screen in front of her, immersed in the plot of the movie, without noticing the stiff expression of the man next to her.

The popcorn bucket was still in Lin Wan's arms, half of it was gone by her, but Fu Xiuhuai didn't touch a single bit. When the movie ended, Lin Wan was still muttering to herself.

Sure enough, mature men don’t like to eat popcorn.

Fu Xiuhuai: "..."

The lights in the cinema were turned on, the screen was pitch black, and the sound of audience members leaving the room could be heard, accompanied by the sound of people discussing the plot, making the room lively for a while.

It was at this moment that Lin Wan accidentally caught sight of two familiar people in front of her. The memory was fresh in her mind. She thought for a moment before remembering their names. She reached out and tugged at Fu Xiuhuai's sleeve: "Your childhood friend."

Fu Xiuhuai followed Lin Wan's gaze and saw Chen Jun, who had always loved to follow him around since he was a child, and his wife Fang Xia, whom he had been married to for a few months.

This was the first time Lin Wan had seen the newlyweds since she had attended their wedding. It was quite a novelty to see them sitting at the same table for dinner after meeting each other.

Chen Jun was a very outgoing, cheerful and talkative person. He kept mumbling about all sorts of things at the dinner table, which made Fang Xia grumble, "You're the one who talks the most."

Chen Jun chuckled: "That's nothing, we're all family! Right? Brother Huai, sister-in-law!"

Chen Jun started talking and reminiscing about the past: "Back then, I always followed Brother Huai. Unfortunately, his family later went to the farm, so I couldn't..."

When the Fu family was sent down to the countryside for reform, the Chen family was one of the few who came to their aid. Even Chen Jun secretly gave Fu Xiuhuai his pocket money, which he had saved for a long time. Later, when the Fu family was rehabilitated and returned to the city, Chen Jun was extremely excited.

But he never expected that the elder brother he had known since childhood was so promising. After going through what he had experienced before, he was able to rise quickly and become a well-known boss in Jiangcheng. By the way, he also helped him and introduced him to some business.

Chen Jun loved talking about his childhood with Fu Xiuhuai, going up mountains and down rivers. It was exciting and interesting. When Fu Xiuhuai's pager rang and someone left a message waiting for a reply, Chen Jun left to find a nearby public phone and said in a low voice, "Sister-in-law, don't look at Brother Huai as a big boss now. He looks impressive, but he used to be a bit of a jerk."

Lin Wan was curious: "Really?"

She really found it difficult to connect the mature and steady Fu Xiuhuai with the unrestrained, youthful and immature image described by Chen Jun.

"Of course it's true! We used to fight a lot with those bullies in the city!" Chen Jun talked about the past non-stop. "Then Huai Ge came back, and I didn't expect him to change. He wasn't like this before. He really loved taking care of us little brothers. Later... Well, the days of being sent down must have been hard. When I saw him again, Huai Ge didn't like to talk much, and there was a cruel look in his eyes."

The family was so well-off that they almost lost their home, and one person was enough to change that.

Chen Jun sighed, "But everything is fine now! I still remember one year when I heard that Brother Huai was out doing business, I followed him to look for him, and that's when I saw you in that village. It's true, this is fate. Who would have thought that you would be married now?"

When Lin Wan heard Chen Jun mention this again, she couldn't help but think of the last time she attended a wedding, when she also heard Chen Jun mention this. She asked Fu Xiuhuai at that time, but he just said he didn't remember.

"Chen Jun, what happened back then? You've seen me, and your brother Huai has also seen me?"

Chen Jun nodded: "Yes, sister-in-law, you may not remember it because you are young. At that time, Huai Ge went out to do business. I heard Ming Jun secretly followed him and was left by him at a distant relative's house in the village. I followed him too. A week later, Huai Ge came back. Oh, I didn't expect that his face was bruised. The three of us stayed in the village for a few more days. Huai Ge felt bored after staying for a long time and didn't play with us. He went to stroll in the mountains by himself. I was not young at that time, so I followed him secretly. Who would have thought that he would go to the human mountain and saw a little girl cutting pig grass.

Chen Jun took a sip of tea and continued chatting. "At that time, I didn't know you yet, sister-in-law. I just saw Brother Huai helping me cut a basket of pig grass. At the end, he squatted down to give you candy. His palm was full of candy, but you picked one. It seemed to be a gummy candy. Oh, yes, yes, corn-flavored gummy candy. Why do I always remember it? Because of this incident. All the other children took a handful of candy and left, but you were so polite that you only picked one. You were different from the others. Later, I continued to play and asked other children in your village. After a little description, I knew you were from the Lin family. Your name was Lin Wan. I thought it was the bowl you used for eating. It left a deep impression on me. Then Brother Huai suddenly said he was getting married. The bride's name sounded a little familiar to me. It took me a long time to remember it!"

Lin Wan was shocked beyond words. Had she really met Fu Xiuhuai as a child? Had he even helped her cut grass for the pigs? He even knew her name!

Lin Wan tried hard to recall, but her memory was covered by a thin layer of fog and could not be seen clearly.

Fu Xiuhuai had something urgent to do, so someone from the company called and left a message on his pager. It took more than ten minutes for Fu Xiuhuai to answer the call.

In the small restaurant, Chen Jun talked about everything under the sun, but before he could finish his talk, his wife Fang Xia pulled him away: "Brother Huai, sister-in-law, let's go first. We still have to go buy some things."

Lin Wan smiled at them and said, "Goodbye."

But he kept thinking about Chen Jun's words, and his mind was full of thoughts and he couldn't make sense of it.

"How is it?" Fu Xiuhuai's voice seemed to come from the horizon. It took several calls to bring Lin Wan back to her senses.

"What's going on?" Lin Wan came back to her senses.

"What are you thinking about?" Fu Xiuhuai pulled the corner of his mouth, "I have something urgent to do and need to go back to the company. Will you come with me?"

"Oh, okay." Lin Wan nodded in agreement without thinking.

Fu Xiuhuai returned to the company and was busy for a while, holding a meeting with middle and senior management. Lin Wan was still kept in his office.

But Lin Wan was bored waiting because she had something on her mind. Even the mysterious and vast world in the man’s office computer was boring.

Lin Wan got up and strolled outside, looking at the deserted company on Sunday. The workstations were basically empty, with only a few employees who came back to work overtime due to sudden circumstances.

"Boss, do you need any help?" Employee Jiang Li had met Lin Wan several times and was quite familiar with her. She had just come to work overtime today and was very motivated thinking about the generous overtime pay given by the boss.

Lin Wan shook her head: "I'm just taking a look around. Are you guys busy lately?"

Jiang Li had nothing to do at the moment, so she spoke non-stop, "Yeah, it's been pretty busy lately. The company has a lot of projects and engineering, but no matter how busy we are, we're not as busy as the boss. The boss is so busy that he often doesn't even have time to eat."

Lin Wan: “…”

What a great employee, very talkative.

"How is the commercial building invested by Hong Kong businessmen built by your company?" Lin Wan had participated in this project. Together with Fu Xiuhuai, she invited Mr. Yang from Hong Kong to dinner at the Jinzhuang Hotel.

"Oh, Xitian Commercial Building!" Jiang Li smiled. "It's already finished. The completion and acceptance ceremony will be held next month. I heard that they will invite Hong Kong businessmen to participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and representatives from the Jiangcheng government will also be there."

Speaking of Hong Kong businessmen, Lin Wan recalled that Fu Xiuhuai had insisted on learning Cantonese from her, and smiled: "Then your reception work is still a problem. In terms of language... I wonder if the Hong Kong businessmen who come here can speak Mandarin well."

"That doesn't matter. We have people from Guangdong City in our company, and we can communicate with people from Hong Kong City easily." Jiang Li said unintentionally.

Lin Wan listened with interest. Fu Xiuhuai had said last time that there was no one in Kaihua who was knowledgeable in Cantonese, so that was why he had to pester her to learn it.

Lin Wan: “…”

After Fu Xiuhuai finished the meeting and resolved the emergency, when he returned to the office, the sun had set in the sky and the crescent moon was quietly climbing up the treetops.

The woman lay quietly on the sofa, looking down as she flipped through the newspaper, focused and calm.

Hearing the movement at the door, Lin Wan raised her eyes and asked, "Are you done?"

"Have you been waiting for a long time?" Fu Xiuhuai hurried into the office. "Are you hungry?"

Lin Wan shook her head: "I'm not Doudou. I get hungry after a while."

After saying this, Lin Wan herself was surprised by the comparison and couldn't help laughing.

"Not necessarily." Fu Xiuhuai's smile matched Lin Wan's, "After all, children look like their mothers."

The two of them left Kaihua Company and when they went down to the first floor, they happened to run into a group of people who had come to work overtime. A dozen or so employees greeted Lin Wan one after another: "Hello, Madam Boss!"

Lin Wan was a little embarrassed, nodded in agreement, and hurried towards Fu Xiuhuai's car.

But before getting in the car, Fu Xiuhuai held the door, raised his eyebrows and asked, "Do you want to try driving?"

Lin Wan instantly glared at him: "What nonsense are you talking about? I've only been behind the wheel for a few days!"

Fu Xiuhuai chuckled twice. Perhaps he had never seen Lin Wan so surprised, with her eyes wide open. It was quite vivid, and he couldn't help but look at her a few more times: "Your level is not bad, but you are too nervous."

Zhang Qinghua, Vice President of Kaihua, heard this and said, "Boss, you need more practice to drive. Back then, Brother Huai was so ruthless when he taught us. He'd tell us to drive after just a few words, and if we didn't do something right, he'd glare at us without mercy. Our hands were shaking! Although he didn't curse, the pressure was too great! For a while, I was so scared and nervous just looking at the car, afraid that I'd make a mistake."

This is how Zhang Qinghua learned it quickly. After all, there were no such things as driving schools at that time, so he could get the hang of it after just a little practice.

Lin Wan was surprised. Why did she feel that Fu Xiuhuai was... quite patient and gentle when teaching her how to drive?

Sitting in the Santana, it was already dark. Lin Wan saw the stars and street lights twinkling outside the car window, and stared at Fu Xiuhuai's driving movements.

Fu Xiuhuai drove with a bit of uninhibitedness, his bony fingers loosely gripping the steering wheel, and he seemed to turn casually and with great ease. The man looked straight ahead, and only his well-defined jawline was sharp, which was softened a bit in the night.

"When you become a master, I'll let you drive this car." Fu Xiuhuai suddenly spoke, not knowing whether he noticed the vague gaze or not.

"No need." Lin Wan didn't really want to drive such an expensive car to and from get off work. That would be even more high-profile than the director of a garment factory. "I just want to learn a variety of skills. Besides, I'm worried about bumps and bruises."

After hearing what Lin Wan said, Fu Xiuhuai didn't try to persuade her any further: "Then tell me when you feel more relaxed."

Lin Wan nodded, hesitated for a moment and asked, "Does your company have people from Yue City?"

Fu Xiuhuai was stunned for two seconds at this random question. Suddenly, he thought of something and smiled knowingly: "I just found out, do you believe me?"

Seeing him playing dumb, Lin Wan puffed her cheeks in anger and said, "Do you think I'll believe you?"

Fu Xiuhuai quickly glanced sideways, his eyes swept across Lin Wan's slightly angry face, and his thin lips raised slightly.

"Last time you said that there was no one in the entire company who could speak a few words of Cantonese, and asked me to teach you... and asked me to help receive Mr. Yang." Lin Wan would unconsciously raise her voice when she was accusing someone, and her crisp and flexible voice became slightly thicker, serious and earnest.

However, Fu Xiuhuai's words made Lin Wan's accusation disappear into thin air, and she couldn't even find a way to refute it.

Fu Xiuhuai: "After all, Comrade Lin Wan is too difficult to pursue. There is nothing I can do if I don't say this."

Lin Wan bit her red lips lightly, the words in her mouth rolled over and over, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Lying in bed at night, Lin Wan's heart was in turmoil. She always felt that this man was neither real nor fake. Now he even said all kinds of disgusting words. It was really...

Covering herself with the quilt, she took a deep breath to calm the ups and downs of her heart. Lin Wan suppressed the emotions that seemed to be about to burst out and fell into a deep sleep.

***

The pilot project at the garment factory was launched in a big way, splitting the factory's decades-long step-by-step operations into two halves. One half followed the regular procedures, while the other half was like an outlier, attracting people's attention.

The people in the pilot project department didn't care and just worked hard. The great success of the first batch of clothing was exciting. All major department stores and buildings in Jiangcheng had sold out, and applications for additional orders kept coming in.

Li Bangde excitedly said, "Hurry up, reschedule production as soon as possible, our profits this quarter will be sky-high!"

Just think about that scene: the first batch of clothing is produced in larger quantities, and then the second batch of clothing is launched on the market. It’s incredible, really incredible!

There were many people in the office who responded, but Deputy Director Wang was lost in thought.

Lin Wan also remained silent.

Holding the application documents sent by major shopping malls, Lin Wan looked up at Deputy Director Wang, only to see that he was also looking at her.

Deputy Director Wang paused for a moment. "Xiao Lin, what do you think? Speak freely."

"Deputy Director Wang, I don't think we can increase production." Lin Wan's soft and gentle words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing a thousand ripples.

Zhou Chuanfang exclaimed in surprise: "Xiao Lin, what are you talking about? Why don't you increase production? You'd be a bastard not to make money!"

Li Bangde nodded vigorously: "That's right! Why not increase production? We were worried before because we couldn't sell it, now we must increase our efforts to produce more!"

Most people in the office agreed with this view.

Deputy Director Wang remained silent. After everyone finished talking, he fixed his gaze on Lin Wan's face again: "Xiao Lin, you are in the minority."

Lin Wan smiled and said, "It's mainly because our current clothes have high production costs and long production cycles. We rely on quality and high-end products to sell well. If we really have an unlimited supply of goods, firstly, it will be easy for the rush to produce to cause workmanship problems, and secondly, the high value that has been inflated in the hearts of the people in the city will have to be reduced."

Zhou Chuanfang suddenly realized, "You mean we should deliberately not increase production? The rarer, the more precious?"

"That's right!" Lin Wan found herself becoming more and more cunning. She didn't know if it was because she had been around a big boss for too long, and she had been influenced by him. "Only things that are hard to buy have value. The more difficult it is to buy, the more it makes people want to buy them. I can use my remaining energy on the next batch of clothes."

Li Bangde was confused, but he seemed to understand a little bit.

Deputy Factory Director Wang smiled and nodded. "Xiao Lin, that's a good idea. I agree. If it's for short-term gains, increasing production is certainly fine. However, from a long-term pilot project perspective, it would be more beneficial to not increase production for the first batch, or to increase it only slightly. This would allow us to directly launch the second batch of new clothing, creating a more virtuous cycle."

Everyone in the office was skeptical, but in the end the majority obeyed the minority and allowed the proposal led by Deputy Director Wang and Lin Wan to take effect.

Jiangcheng Department Store is bustling with people, and the counters are filled with dazzling displays of jewels, brocade clothes and gorgeous clothes.

The sales clerks in the women's clothing section, all dressed in uniform blazers, grumbled idly, "What's the Jiangcheng Garment Factory thinking? They're not increasing production. We've had so many people asking about clothes lately!"

"Not making money is crazy!"

"I heard that production won't stop at all. There will be a slight increase, but with so many shopping malls in the city, it would be great if each one could get a few pieces."

Several salespeople were completely baffled, muttering to each other, "I think they've lost their minds."

Before they could discuss for long, a small truck brought the goods into the warehouse. The store manager then verified and proofread them, and finally asked the store staff to sort them. "The goods from Jiangcheng Garment Factory have arrived."

A shout startled everyone, and the salespeople all popped their heads out, "Quick, quick, quick, where is it?"

When they saw that it was just ordinary clothes, they were extremely disappointed: "It turns out it's not some high-end brand."

Jiangcheng Garment Factory launched a high-end brand, and one of its clothes sold as well as imported goods. The sales clerks and customers were surprised, but it became a hit just a few days later, which was truly shocking.

The salespeople were shocked, but they were also happy to see it. The clothes were selling well and the unit price was quite high. One piece sold could replace two other pieces. They got a high commission, so they worked even harder.

It is really puzzling that the garment factory did not increase production.

Seeing the disappointment of the few people, the warehouse clerk could not help but tease them, "You guys are so picky. Didn't you complain about the high prices of those high-end brands sold by Jiangcheng Garment Factory before?"

"The past is the past, and the present is the present. And what brand is called? People call it—Yixia." The salesperson had a pretty good grasp of the situation. Whoever could bring him sales was the winner. "Old Liu, hurry up and rush them. A lot of wealthy customers are inquiring about it, and we're waiting for the opening too."

The distributor was also counting on it, so he could only report it again. Not long after, he finally received the increased production of clothing from Yixia, a high-end clothing brand under Jiangcheng Garment Factory. The quantity was scarce, and he only got a few pieces in total. I heard that they were snatched away by those who had pre-ordered them before they were even put on the shelves.

It was not until a few days later that Yixia's second batch of high-end clothing arrived, which alleviated the urgent need. The clothes were expensive, but the quality details were so good, and the styles were fashionable. In addition, Yixia had made a name for itself before, so customers who did not buy the first batch of clothes flocked to the store to grab the second batch of clothes.

Director You and Secretary He of Jiangcheng Garment Factory both have the latest production data sheets in their hands, and their confidants are reporting the situation to them. It is really a headache to hear that major shopping malls have repeatedly proposed to increase the production of Yixia's clothes.

I originally thought that Deputy Director Wang and a group of people were messing around and were determined to go against the factory, but I didn't expect... they actually made a name for themselves!

The leader's face looked grim, and the balance in the hearts of the workshop workers had also tilted. They had originally been watching the fun, thinking that the pilot project department would collapse sooner or later, but now they heard that the two workshops following the pilot project department were thriving, with strict production requirements, but the salaries and bonuses were really high, and they couldn't help but envy them.

Before long, supermarkets in nearby cities in the province also came to purchase goods, specifically asking for Yixia. For this reason, the workshop worked overtime and made every effort to produce, and its reputation became known throughout the province.

At the end of the month, Lin Wan received this month's salary. The basic salary did not change and was still the standard of a third-level worker, but the bonus was surprising.

The pilot project department was not stingy at all. Based on performance, the bonus was as high as 500 yuan. Lin Wan received a total of 980 yuan this month, which was more than what the sixth-level workers in the factory earned.

Lin Wan, in a good mood, was having dinner with her second sister Lin Hong. She said proudly, "Hurry up, hurry up, order whatever you want."

Lin Hong laughed at her: "You are no different from a nouveau riche."

Lin Wan's face lit up. "That's just like being a nouveau riche. I'll buy some clothes and nutritional supplements for my uncle and aunt later and send them back. Oh, and my eldest brother and his wife's family as well."

Lin Hong nodded: "I want to send it too."

Lin Hong has saved more than a thousand yuan in the past six months. She is basically a wealthy woman. She is willing to buy anything and celebrate her money-making with her girlfriends.

After shopping at the department store, the two of them were so full that they had to go to the post office to mail the packages before they could relax. When passing by Xitian Department Store owned by Fu Xiuhuai, Lin Wan took a few more glances at it.

The flat ground that was empty ten months ago has now been turned into a high-rise building, soaring into the sky. It is one of the rare high-rise buildings in Jiangcheng. The exterior is decorated with blue transparent glass, which is beautiful and generous, attracting people to look up.

"Wow, this building is so beautiful!" Lin Hong exclaimed repeatedly, not forgetting to praise, "Your man built it~"

Lin Wan curled her lips, thinking that this place was not far from Fu Xiuhuai's company. After parting with Lin Hong, she went straight to Kaihua Construction.

After practicing driving with Fu Xiuhuai for another half a month, Lin Wan had become much more proficient and was more calm when steering the wheel.

Fu Xiuhuai was generous with his praise, which almost made Lin Wan feel proud. She immediately made an appointment to take the driver's license test in half a month.

This year, the Ministry of Public Security promulgated and implemented the "Regulations on the Management of Motor Vehicle Driver's Licenses". Lin Wan applied for a small car C2.

For this reason, after Kaihua and Fu Xiuhua got off work, the two of them chose a place with few people to practice driving.

Lin Wan has been an excellent student since childhood, even when learning to drive. After mastering the theoretical knowledge and practicing diligently and accumulating practical driving experience, she can drive with ease.

After running a lap, Lin Wan stopped the car steadily, her palms dry, and looked at the man with a smile: "How is it?"

Fu Xiuhuai took something out of his suit pocket and spread out his palm: "Not bad, this is a reward for you."

Lin Wan stared blankly at the handful of candies lying quietly in the man's broad palm: White Rabbit milk candies, orange candies, Xu Fuji crispy candies... and golden corn candies.

Lin Wan lightly flicked her green fingertips and took the corn candy away. She looked up at Fu Xiuhuai and said, "Thank you."

A white mist suddenly flashed in her mind. Lin Wan held a golden corn candy in her palm and suddenly thought of something.

The mist dissipates, and forgotten childhood memories flash back.

Lin Wan suddenly remembered that she seemed to have met Fu Xiuhuai when she was eleven years old. He was the same at that time, but his face was a little immature and green, which was very different from his mature and steady appearance now.

Eleven-year-old Lin Wan looked at the big brother squatting in front of her, with seven or eight candies in his big palm.

Xiao Linwan heard him say: "These candies are for you, don't cry."

"I'm not crying." Xiao Linwan picked up the most golden and eye-catching corn candy from her palm, sniffed, and whispered, "I want one, thank you."