After ordering the equipment, Qin Xiaoyu and A Lei headed directly north.

As Qi Si's car drove past Hengchang, Qin Xiaoyu saw the water source. Remembering her embarrassing moment last time, her face turned red.

“Since it’s just sitting idle anyway, let’s fix it up and turn it into a library, open to the public.” A Lei quickly changed the subject.

The villa area was already in sight. Commander Zhou's figure flashed by, and Qin Xiaoyu discovered that he was farming.

"DaDa has found another friend. He gets along very well with XiaoChen's father, and the two of them are working on developing the land here to grow corn," Qi Si said with a smile.

"Then I'm relieved. I was so worried when I came back to see Dad last time."

"He'll get through this on his own. He's seen a lot on the battlefield; he's not that fragile."

The young couple's return brought liveliness back to the house. Wherever they went, their two children, a cat, and a dog followed closely behind, like a mobile little squad.

"Bring the kids over as soon as possible, they miss you," A Lei reminded Qin Xiaoyu, and she understood perfectly well. However, her career was still in turmoil, and even if the kids went over, she would have to travel back and forth, unable to stay in one place for long.

After Zhou Yue returned, Riyue Clothing was already quite presentable. She even took the time to visit the new factory, which moved Qin Xiaoyu but also made her worried.

"Sister, please stop making trouble. Even if you don't want my nephew anymore, I'll still miss him."

"With so many people watching over me, I don't need to be nervous. I'm almost eight months pregnant, and I don't have much breast milk. I want to wean her."

“Then let’s stop. I’ll find someone to bring you milk powder from abroad so my nephew can get chubby.”

"I think the ones from China are pretty good too, so I'll just stick with them."

"Sister, listen to me."

Actually, the 1980s were truly the golden age of domestic infant formula, with many established brands that performed very well. However, their infant formula manufacturing processes lagged behind those of major foreign manufacturers, resulting in less balanced nutrition. Therefore, Qin Xiaoyu ultimately chose a foreign brand.

Qin Xiaoyu took a walk around the garment factory and then sat down in Director Xie's office to listen to her report.

"How are the competition winners doing with their internships at the factory?"

"You know what, he really is talented. The experienced workers all said he picks things up quickly and learns everything easily," Factory Director Xie said with a smile. Qin Xiaoyu thought to herself, "That's called talent."

"That's good. Xu Jingye is doing well in Guangzhou now. I'll find someone else to take him over in a while."

"Let me tell you something funny. If you take Xu Jingye with you, some people in the technical department and design team will be unhappy. They say that outsiders are better at chanting scriptures, and that they have already suffered losses since they came to the factory."

"That's ridiculous. When I organized the competition, I clearly stated that everyone could participate, even the female workers in the workshop. If they refused, it's not my fault. If anyone says that again, I'll record it and punish them. Management must be strict." Qin Xiaoyu realized that being too lenient would make it difficult to manage a company.

The girls in the modeling team had been excited for days about going to Shanghai for a fashion show, and they kept asking Qin Xiaoyu about it.

"It's true. You guys train hard. I'll take you to Shanghai and we'll make a name for ourselves." Qin Xiaoyu encouraged them.

Hu Xing is a very competent captain and leads the model team very well. Qin Xiaoyu discussed it with her and arranged for Da Ya to be her deputy. That girl is hardworking and very steady. Perhaps because she is the eldest child in her family, she is particularly tolerant.

The quality issues at the new factory have been resolved, and Zhang Zufeng is now highly motivated, personally overseeing operations in the workshop and deducting wages directly for substandard products.

"Director Zhang, you also need to attend the Shanghai Fashion Show this time." Qin Xiaoyu came to talk about this personally; these people's horizons need to be broadened.

"You want me to go again?" Zhang Zufeng was overjoyed. She had been a factory manager for over ten years, and the farthest she had ever been was Beijing. She never dreamed that one day she would be going to Shanghai, to watch a fashion show featuring clothes made in her own factory.

Their last stop was Fengcheng, where Xiao Mengting had contacted a factory for her, and they were in talks to acquire it. Now was the perfect time. If successful, it would greatly alleviate their pressure.

As Qin Xiaoyu and A Lei exited the station, they saw Xiao Mengting and Zhu Jiudi standing side by side. A Lei frowned slightly.

"I heard you were coming, so I must greet you, Uncle."

“I mentioned last time that I wanted to see your fashion show, but I couldn’t make it due to other commitments. Now that you and your spouse are here, how could I not extend my hospitality?” Uncle smiled and stepped forward.

"When in Rome, do as the host says. Martial Uncle, please make the arrangements." A Lei suddenly laughed and addressed him as Martial Uncle, following Xiao Mengting's example. Qin Xiaoyu guessed he was up to no good, but since he liked to cause trouble, she let him be and ignored him.

Zhu Jiudi felt a little awkward being addressed as "Uncle-Master," but the smile on his face remained unchanged.

Needless to say, they moved into Zhu Jiujiu's house. Zhu Jiujiu was quite considerate; knowing it was late, he didn't arrange for a midnight snack. Only after settling them in did he have someone bring over hot milk and wheat porridge.

Needless to say, Qin Xiaoyu ate another meal, while A Lei watched coldly without touching it.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, eat up." Qin Xiaoyu picked up the milk and put it to his lips.

"I really don't like him, he's so troublesome!"

"You're so sour, aren't you?" Qin Xiaoyu squeezed into his arms, hugged his waist tightly, pressed her face against his chest, feeling the warmth, and slowly closed her eyes.

A Lei sighed silently, picked her up, and walked towards the large bed.

The next day, Qin Xiaoyu learned that Zhu Jiujiu had arranged the factory, meaning Qin Xiaoyu would have to stay with him for several days. Wasn't her martial uncle supposed to be detached from worldly affairs? He's already involved in business; the change is too fast.

Qin Xiaoyu was quite satisfied after visiting Xiangyang Garment Factory; the factory had a good foundation. The main problem lay with the leaders, who were too inflexible.

We're now stuck in a dead end and have no choice but to ask for outside help.

After two days of running around, Qin Xiaoyu was exhausted. When she got back to her lodgings, A Lei brought her a glass of red wine, which she drank in one gulp, finally able to get a good night's sleep.

Around midnight, she groggily opened her eyes and instinctively reached out to touch the space beside her, only to find it empty.

She woke up instantly; A Lei wasn't there.

Only a dim wall lamp was left on in the bedroom. She got up, put on her bathrobe, and went to the door. Fengcheng was warmer than her hometown, and the temperature had risen again these past few days. Wearing a cotton bathrobe and slippers, she wasn't cold outside.

Qin Xiaoyu took a deep breath of the cool air and stretched.

Strange, where did A Lei go so late?

She suddenly noticed lights in the flower hall ahead and walked over along the passageway.

There were shadowy figures on the window, and she recognized A Lei's silhouette at a glance. What was this guy doing out at night instead of sleeping? Was the internet addict having another episode?

She walked to the door, gently pushed it open a crack, wanting to startle A Lei.

But what startled her was what she saw. It turned out that it wasn't just A Lei who was there; Zhu Jiudi was sitting opposite A Lei, bending down to pour him a drink.

Qin Xiaoyu was so frightened that she closed the door and retreated, but she was still unwilling to give up and wanted to hear what they were saying. However, the room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. What was going on between these two?