"Auntie, let's go somewhere else." Qin Xiaoyu pulled Xie Lanhua into the car and drove out of the factory gate.

She wasn't just going to one place; she first checked out a construction site that was about to start. This large area of ​​bungalows was almost emptied, and if all went well, a large number of apartment buildings would be erected by the end of the year.

She then took Xie Lanhua to Captain Chen's house.

Sister-in-law Chen was making dumplings at home. Although she didn't understand why Qin Xiaoyu had come, she was very hospitable to the two of them and kept inviting them to stay for dinner.

Qin Xiaoyu simply said she was passing by and made up an excuse to leave. This time, she was taking Xie Lanhua home, but instead of parking in front of her house, she went to Aunt Zheng's house.

Grandma Zheng is an elderly woman living in the factory. Her husband has passed away, and her son has taken over her job as a warehouse keeper. Her daughter-in-law was also found in the factory and works in the embroidery workshop. She has a ten-year-old grandson.

This means that the family of four has had no income for the past three months.

Even with Aunt Zheng's tireless efforts, they still lacked rice and oil.

What I just saw at Captain Chen's house was a vibrant and bustling life: watching a Hitachi color TV, listening to Sanyo stereos, eating meat dumplings, and having a fan in the house.

When they arrived at Aunt Zheng's house, the stove was cold and the house was even colder. They couldn't bear to burn coal, so they could only wrap themselves in one tattered cotton-padded coat after another, their hands shivering from the cold. All the decent things in the house were things they had bought before. The sewing machine belt was cracked and split open, making it difficult to walk, just like the house itself, barely holding on, not knowing when it would suddenly break.

“I understand, Xiao Tang.” Xie Lanhua lowered her head.

“Auntie, my surname isn’t Tang, it’s Qin.” Qin Xiaoyu knew that Xie Lanhua’s fortress was crumbling.

"Just say what you have to say."

"Back then, you founded Little Sun with women from the neighborhood who couldn't afford food or clothing, had several naked children at home, and were illiterate. Why are you so timid now?"

"Maybe it's vanity. I'm afraid of failing, afraid that I'm too old." Xie Lanhua's eyes were filled with tears.

"We won't fail. They say those who go with the flow prosper. What we need to do is follow the trend of the times. How can we fail? We'll only ride the wave and go further and further."

"You've made everything clear to me. Tell me, how do you want to cooperate?" It was clear that Xie Lanhua had secretly made up her mind to return to the public eye.

"I'm glad you said that. I'll come tomorrow with the cooperation plan. Would you welcome me?"

"Isn't that obvious? You're quite something, kid. I'm counting on you to give us old ladies a better life. They've been with me all these years, and now they're in this state. I can't bear to see them like this." Xie Lanhua, having been a leader before, managed to make Aunt Zheng cry with just a few words.

Qin Xiaoyu returned home happily and went straight upstairs to write a cooperation proposal.

"Little Fish, come downstairs quickly, Factory Director Fei is looking for you," Zhou Xing's mother said nervously as she knocked on the door.

"How did she end up here?" Qin Xiaoyu was also taken aback.

"The guard post at the gate just called to say that one of your friends came to see you, so I let them in. But when they came in, their expressions seemed a bit off." Zhou Xing's mother looked aggrieved, as if she had accidentally caused trouble.

"Mom, don't worry, everything's fine." Qin Xiaoyu comforted her and ran downstairs in a few quick steps.

Factory Director Fei sat solemnly on the sofa, while her younger sister sat opposite her, holding a rag doll, also with a serious expression. The two seemed to be in a standoff.

"Little sister, go play over there." Qin Xiaoyu shoved her little sister aside and sat in her seat.

"How come Director Fei has time to come over?" she asked with a smile, testing the waters first.

"Although I don't have as much free time as you, I can always find the time to come over. Don't you have any idea how many times you've been to my house?" It was clear that Director Fei was suppressing his anger.

"Have some tea." Zhou Xing's mother interrupted her by placing a cup of hot tea in front of her.

"Yes, I went, and I've already obtained your mother's consent; she's interested in cooperating with us."

"That's where you're wrong. I'm the current factory manager. Why are you talking about cooperation with a retired factory manager? Why are you bypassing me like this? Don't you have any basic respect for me?"

“I’m not trying to beat around the bush. I’ve approached you several times, but you refused to see me.”

"Yes, I refused. My factory, don't I even have the right to refuse? Does this world belong to you, and you have to give me whatever you want?" Factory Director Fei had reached his limit and suddenly stood up.

"Sit down! Have some tea!" Zhou Xing's mother had been watching anxiously from the side. Now, fearing that Qin Xiaoyu would be taken advantage of, she stepped between them in a hurry and forced the factory director, who was a head taller than her, back onto the sofa.

"Mom, you go upstairs first, it's alright. Director Fei is an intellectual, he'll be fine." Qin Xiaoyu quickly pulled Zhou Xing's mother over, as she had been complaining of wrist pain a few days ago and was afraid of accidentally straining it again.

"Are you alright?" Zhou Xing's mother didn't want to leave, but Qin Xiaoyu forcibly pushed her up the stairs.

"Director Fei, let's talk outside. It's not good to talk here." Qin Xiaoyu, still unwilling to give up when she saw Zhou Xing's mother going upstairs, gave Xiao Chen a wink.

Xiao Chen knew that Qin Xiaoyu had a history of fighting, so he stood at the door on guard, afraid that she might get hurt.

When Director Fei first arrived, he was still angry, but now that Zhou Xing's mother had repeatedly interrupted him, he was a bit deflated. Seeing the guards in military uniforms glaring at him, he went along with it and came out with Qin Xiaoyu.

"I'm sorry, my family was a bit too anxious," Qin Xiaoyu said apologetically.

"I can see you're very capable, but I'm warning you, it won't work here. I won't let you succeed!" Director Fei had thought he could act tough once he left the military region, but somehow he seemed a bit weak in front of Qin Xiaoyu, and could only leave after uttering those harsh words.

Qin Xiaoyu went back to say hello, then drove to the Second Light Industry Bureau. This wasn't something she could decide on her own; Director Feng had to intervene.

When she arrived at the Second Light Industry Bureau, she finally understood what it meant to be an easy target for the King of Hell, but a difficult target for his underlings. The secretary simply said that Director Feng was in a meeting and then refused to speak to her again.

Qin Xiaoyu looked at her outfit and realized there was a problem. When she went to Xie Lanhua's house today, she wore a half-length cotton-padded jacket made by her cousin-in-law to appear more low-key, which made her more approachable and less imposing.

"Excuse me, how much longer until Director Feng is out?" Qin Xiaoyu asked politely again.

"How would I know? You can wait if you want." The secretary rolled her eyes at her.

Recently, the Second Light Industry Bureau has been generally in poor financial condition, and many factory employees have been petitioning higher authorities, coming to the Bureau itself. The secretary has to be on guard.

"I'm not here to see Director Feng on official business. I'm her friend. Could you please ask her when she'd be available to see me?" Qin Xiaoyu could tell that the secretary didn't intend for her to see anyone.