"Don't embarrass yourself. The factory has already rejected our village. Why should we go and try to win their favor?"

Li Lide, looking like he couldn't bear the embarrassment, nudged Li Shuxian's shoulder and said, "Go drive the oxcart, there's a ton of stuff to do in the village."

Bai Jiaojiao glanced at Li Lide, and his reaction made her even more certain that Li Lide had something to hide.

Li Shuxian remained where he was: "Village chief, I think Jiaojiao has a point. Why don't we try again?"

Last time, Li Shuxian personally told everyone the bad news, and there was always a hurdle in Li Shuxian's heart.

Seeing Li Lide's resolute attitude, he looked at Zheng Xu and said, "Captain, I was clumsy last time and didn't get the answer clearly. Let's go again, even if it's just to hear a reason, so we can die a quick death."

To be honest, Zheng Xu was also unwilling. Bai Jiaojiao made a good point. After all, she was just a young girl, and perhaps she had been inconsiderate when she was discussing things with others.

This time, these village officials went there in person; what if it works out?

This is arguably the most important thing that happened after the Shili Village Embroidery Factory went bankrupt.

Seeing that Zheng Xu's expression softened, Li Lide immediately said, "Hey, Lao Zheng, you're just leaving things in the fields there, aren't you worried?"

"This..." Zheng Xu hesitated for something that might not even have a result.

Bai Jiaojiao stepped forward and said to Zhou Hongxia, "Auntie, you are the women's director, you have to work harder for the women in our village!"

Zhou Hongxia strongly agreed: "You're right. Village chief, brigade leader, you can go back to the village if you have things to do. I'll go to the factory to ask myself! This is something that I, the women's director, should be responsible for!"

You can't expect these men to be very considerate.

Now that the score is three to two, Zheng Xu made a decision: "Brother, let's go with the majority. Since they all say they're going, what's wrong with us going? It's not easy to come to town, it won't take much time, and the village can still do without us."

Zheng Xu made up his mind, and Li Shuxian nodded to Bai Jiaojiao before driving the oxcart onto the road.

"Village chief, what are you waiting for?" Bai Jiaojiao stared at Li Lide, her eyes seeming to see right through him.

Li Lide grabbed Zheng Xu: "Why are you following their nonsense? Since they said it's the women's director's business, we shouldn't get involved."

Li Lide thought that if only Zhou Hongxia went there, whatever she asked about the rope factory, he could claim it was slander.

At this point, Li Lide's heart was in his throat.

He couldn't stand Bai Jiaojiao's arrogant attitude in the village lately, and the villagers gradually became more amiable towards her.

Zheng Xu went to some meeting outside, and it was said that they should vigorously cultivate female cadres. Bai Jiaojiao was meddling in some trivial matters in the village. Li Lide knew that Bai Jiaojiao was targeting him, so he wanted to suppress her before she rose to power.

So he went to the net rope factory and clearly told them that Bai Jiaojiao had signed the contract behind his back, that it did not belong to the collective cooperation, and asked the net rope factory to stop supplying fishing nets to piecework workers.

Li Lide also threatened them not to talk about the details, otherwise he would expose the fact that the rope factory had cooperated with such a large number of private individuals without authorization.

The factory manager was someone who hated trouble. He learned from Bai Jiaojiao's model and the cooperation with other villages. He figured it was better to avoid trouble, so he immediately agreed to Li Lide's request.

Li Lide thought his plan was foolproof, but he never imagined he would end up in this dilemma.

Li Lide dared not imagine the consequences if someone like Zheng Xu, who had influence in the village, were to learn the truth.

"Village chief, what are you saying? This isn't just a problem for women; it's about the livelihood of every family in our village!"

Zheng Xu was determined to go, and no amount of persuasion could change his mind. He said to Li Lide, "If you're in a hurry to go back, you can drive the oxcart back yourself. We'll get things done on foot."

"No, Captain, we're on official business here. The oxcart should stay." Bai Jiaojiao couldn't bear to walk all the way back to the village from the town!

Upon hearing this, Li Lide glared at Bai Jiaojiao, but Bai Jiaojiao pretended not to see it.

The more Li Lide tried to stop everyone from going over, the more she looked forward to the show that was about to begin.

Zheng Xu thought for a moment and said, "Bai Jiaojiao has a point. There are a lot of us, so why don't you come with us?"

"I'm not going!" Li Lide said, his beard bristling and eyes wide.

"Why isn't the village chief going? Is he feeling guilty? Could this be related to you?"

Bai Jiaojiao asked bluntly, but Li Lide didn't believe she had really figured anything out. He straightened his back and said, "What nonsense are you talking about! I can't bear to lose face like this! Going there would not only make me lose face, but also the whole village!"

Whether you go or not, the outcome won't change.

Bai Jiaojiao looked at Li Lide with a half-smile, which made Li Lide feel uneasy.

In the end, Li Lide was still dragged onto the oxcart by Zheng Xu.

Li Shuxian went to the rope factory with familiarity with the place. Along the way, Li Lide was sweating profusely, hoping that something would go wrong and prevent them from going.

But in reality, there are hardly any people on the road at this time, so it's even less likely that any accidents will happen.

The gatekeeper saw Bai Jiaojiao and stopped the group.

Their factory manager had given instructions that Bai Jiaojiao was not allowed to enter the house anymore.

Because Bai Jiaojiao has fair skin and delicate features, she is highly recognizable, and the gatekeeper always remembered her.

“Grandpa, I’m not here alone today. The factory manager must have some misunderstanding about our village, so the village head, the village chief, and the women’s director are all here today. Please make an exception and talk to the factory manager.”

Bai Jiaojiao pleaded with kind words.

The gatekeeper glanced behind Bai Jiaojiao and said, "Even if the whole village came, it wouldn't make a difference. Our factory manager says he won't see you."

Zheng Xu overheard this from behind: "Jiaojiao, what exactly did you do to offend someone?"

"I don't know either. If I had offended them, I would have done so long ago. Why would they have cooperated with us for a month and a half?"

Bai Jiaojiao is right. The rope factory has no reason to be polite and polite to a small village like theirs.

This time, Zheng Xu leaned against the window of the duty room: "Comrade, we've come all this way, could you please pass on a message for us?"

Zheng Xu introduced himself, and the gatekeeper, seeing that Zheng Xu looked honest and spoke politely, thought for a moment and then said, "Then you wait here, I'll go ask the factory manager."

Zheng Xu breathed a sigh of relief; being able to meet with him meant there was a possibility of continuing the talks.

Bai Jiaojiao looked at Li Lide, whose face and neck were now almost as thick as his, and gave him a smile: "It's already autumn, why is the village chief still sweating so much? Is it really that difficult to ask you to come over? The village chief is really quite proud."

Li Lide couldn't sit still or stand still; he paced back and forth. Bai Jiaojiao's words drew everyone's attention to Li Lide.