Finally, Xu Lixia tidied up the house, prepared a table full of food, and invited Zhan Zhiqiang and Zhan Hongyu to the table for dinner.

Zhan Chunlan also opened the door to eat. Although she had bought a lot of things in her space, she had to eat them back after paying her living expenses every month, even if she didn't need them. She didn't want to give the Zhan family any benefit.

Xu Lixia ignored her; she was exhausted and just wanted to eat and go to bed to rest.

Zhan Hongyu, however, remembered that she had gone on a business trip. He thought about how his classmates would bring back local specialties from other places to show off when their relatives went on business trips to other places. He was a little tempted: "Sis, did you buy any local specialties from Haicheng?"

Without looking up, Zhan Chunlan said in a flat tone, "I've only been working for a short time. My monthly salary has to cover living expenses, so where would I get spare money to buy local specialties?"

Undeterred, Zhan Hongyu pressed on, asking, "But wasn't the place you went to a food factory? Surely they have pastries, snacks, candies, and the like?"

"No." Zhan Chunlan said firmly, leaving him speechless.

Zhan Hongyu didn't believe it. He absolutely refused to believe that anyone would go on a business trip and not buy local specialties; this was just her excuse. He looked at Xu Lixia: "Mom, look at my sister."

Xu Lixia wanted to say a few words in his defense, but remembering Zhan Chunlan and Zhan Hongyu's behavior earlier, she knew it would be a waste of breath. In addition, she was too tired, so she said nothing and just ate her meal in silence.

Zhan Hongyu was at a loss, but he didn't want to give up. His eyes darted around, as if he was thinking of some crazy idea.

Zhan Chunlan knew that the Zhan family, from top to bottom, from the old to the young, including herself, were not so easily given up. She guessed they were trying to find a way to search for the body while she was not at home.

She didn't take it to heart. She had put all the things she cared about in her spatial storage. The things left in the room were just junk that she didn't even want, just for show.

In September, the mornings in Wuhan are already a bit chilly, so you need to wear a light jacket when you go out.

As Zhan Chunlan walked along the familiar factory path carrying her cloth bag, she saw Li Xiuxiu and Fan Hongying looking out from the factory gate in the distance, and she quickened her pace.

"These are gifts for you." Zhan Chunlan smiled and took out two carefully wrapped small boxes from her bag.

Li Xiuxiu eagerly opened it, exclaiming in delight, "Wow! What a beautiful handkerchief! The embroidery from this Jiangnan garden is truly exquisite!"

Fan Hongying also admired her floral and bird patterned handkerchief, saying, "The colors are so beautifully matched, Chunlan, you're so thoughtful."

"And this too," Zhan Chunlan said, taking the two bags from her own and deftly pulling out two bags from her own bag. She quickly stuffed them in, her movements so fast that the two women didn't even see what they were. "These are coffee-flavored and chocolate-flavored milk candies that Haicheng Food Factory specially developed for foreign businesses. They're not on the market yet."

Li Xiuxiu curiously picked up her handbag and peered inside.

"Coffee flavored?" Li Xiuxiu curiously leaned closer to smell it. "I've never even drunk coffee, but I'm already eating coffee-flavored milk candy. I heard coffee is bitter, is this tasty?"

Zhan Chunlan smiled and said, "I've tried it, and it's delicious. It has only a light coffee aroma and no bitterness, making it much easier to accept than drinking coffee directly."

Li Xiuxiu was eager to open the package, but Fan Hongying stopped her in time: "Don't rush. If you open it now and bring it to the office, won't your colleagues take it all? Are you willing to let them have it?"

"Hongying is right," Zhan Chunlan nodded. "These flavors are mainly for export right now; they're not available domestically for the time being. You can take them home and enjoy them at your leisure."

"Oh my god!" Li Xiuxiu's eyes widened. "Is it really that special? Could it be a collector's item?"

"In the short term, it should be," Zhan Chunlan confirmed.

Li Xiuxiu carefully put the milk candy away like a precious treasure, then suddenly scolded, "Chunlan, really, why didn't you wait until after get off work to give it to me? It would be so embarrassing if my colleagues saw it."

Fan Hongying laughed and called her out: "Don't pretend to be innocent after getting the benefit. Chunlan carried it all the way back, and the first thing she thought of was us. And you're still being picky."

Zhan Chunlan also gave a soft hum, pretending to be angry.

"Oh dear~" Li Xiuxiu quickly stepped forward to massage Zhan Chunlan's shoulders, "Thank you for your hard work, our little Chunlan~ Just remember to give it to me after get off work next time~"

"You want a next time?" Zhan Chunlan turned around and lightly tapped her head. "I'll reflect on myself right now; how could I have made a friend like you?"

"Isn't it just cute?" Li Xiuxiu said coquettishly.

The three of them burst into laughter, their clear laughter echoing in the morning breeze.

As soon as work started, Zhan Chunlan was told to go directly to the conference room. Pushing open the door, she was stunned. At the head of the conference table sat Factory Director Qiao Yuanshan, to her right was the familiar Deputy Factory Director Zhou, and to her left were Union Chairman Xie Baoguo, Deputy Party Secretary Liu Yizhong, and Logistics Section Chief Tian Yun. She had only met and recognized the other leaders, but had never spoken to them before.

Such a grand setup, and they were all waiting for her, an ordinary staff member.

Zhan Chunlan took a deep breath and walked to her reporting position at the front of the conference table. She opened her carefully prepared report and began to systematically report on the gains of her trip.

First, there are the results of learning from the Haicheng Food Factory. Although the production line cannot be changed due to lack of funding, there are still many valuable lessons to be learned: how to optimize processes, reduce human intervention, improve product standardization, and reduce the defect rate.

Secondly, she emphasized the previously mentioned points about brand effect and innovative flavors, and gave an example of the export of milk candy from Haicheng Food Factory. She explained that foreign buyers felt that the candy was not sweet enough, had a single flavor, and had ordinary packaging. Although the pastry factory does not currently have any products that can be exported, this is a direction for development.

Finally, regarding product design, she also sent the packaging design drawings she had created in Haicheng, including those for spring, summer, autumn, winter, plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, the twelve zodiac animals, the twenty-four solar terms, and ethnic customs, to everyone present.

"Of course, my designs are just a starting point. The actual implementation still requires adjustments from professional teachers and approval from leaders. These are just some of my humble opinions."

After the report was completed, thunderous applause erupted in the conference room.

Factory Director Qiao first affirmed her work: "Comrade Zhan Chunlan, you have done a great job. You truly consider yourself a part of the pastry factory, which is why you studied so diligently and took the initiative to design so many drawings. This sense of responsibility and initiative of 'the factory's prosperity is my honor' is something that everyone in our factory should learn from!"

Deputy Factory Director Zhou added, "This time, her performance at Haicheng Food Factory not only showcased the capabilities of our Jiangcheng Pastry Factory, but more importantly, her actions helped Haicheng Food Factory exceed its export targets. Furthermore, her proposed 'product customization' solution directly helped Haicheng Factory upgrade its product line, reverse years of declining sales, and open up new prospects for our future cooperation. Such a thoughtful, responsible, and effective colleague is truly a rare talent for our factory!"

As Zhan Chunlan stepped out of the meeting room, she looked at the bustling scene in the factory area and felt a warm current welling up in her heart.

Touching the 500 yuan burning hot in her pocket, she realized it was a reward from the factory for her outstanding performance. But what made her even happier than this "huge sum" was that she had been approved for early promotion!

She was about to go to the labor and personnel department to complete the formalities for becoming a permanent employee. This meant that starting next month, her monthly salary would increase from twenty-two yuan to thirty-five yuan, a full thirteen yuan more!

Zhan Chunlan walked briskly through the factory area, almost skipping along. Her heartfelt joy was clearly written on her face, and anyone could see her good mood at a glance.