"This is outrageous! They dare to do this even at home..." Qian Xue's face turned pale as she listened.

"What are you talking about?" Xiaoling walked in and nodded to Xia Lan when she saw her return. "Welcome back."

"Xiaoling, do you know that Lanlan was almost kidnapped by human traffickers?" Qian Xue asked Xiaoling.

Tell Xiaoling what Xia Lan just said, and Xiaoling looks at Xia Lan with surprise.

Are you alright?

"Luckily, her husband arrived in time, otherwise she might have been moved!" Qian Xue said in horror, as if she were the one who was almost kidnapped.

Xia Lan smiled and shook her head.

"fine."

"It's nothing! Look at Lanlan's body, she has so many injuries!" Qian Xue looked at the bruises on Xia Lan's body and felt that she had really suffered a lot, so she looked at her with sympathy.

Xia Lan gave an awkward smile, covering the bruises on her body.

To others, this appeared to be a reaction of Xia Lan being frightened.

Minister Yang is currently riding high on his success and has gained the appreciation of the factory director. He will soon have the opportunity for promotion and may become the deputy factory director.

This was the information the factory manager had personally told him.

"Comrade Xia Lan, you're back? Are you alright?" Minister Yang asked happily when he saw Xia Lan.

"It's nothing, thank you for your concern, leader. I'm sorry to have troubled you," Xia Lan said with a smile.

"If you're still not feeling well, you can rest for a couple more days." Minister Yang was increasingly pleased with Xia Lan, who chuckled softly.

If he dares to give her this leave, and she actually dares to agree, then she really doesn't know her own limitations.

"I've had enough rest; I can't let this little thing cause me to fall behind at work."

Minister Yang was pleased with Xia Lan's words, but then his brows furrowed as he thought of something.

"Xia Lan, you'll stay with Xiao Ling for now and stay by my side. I've arranged for someone else to take over your counter duties." Minister Yang said, as if he was thinking about something that was giving him a headache.

"As the director arranges." Xia Lan smiled faintly. She wasn't surprised, after all, she hadn't been to work for so long, her position couldn't possibly be vacant.

Xiaoling smiled at Xia Lan.

Minister Yang gave Xia Lan a satisfied look; it was so comfortable talking to a smart person.

Unlike that woman, it's exhausting to even talk to her.

Minister Yang was filled with regret. How could he have agreed to let Lao Liu recruit that person!

When Minister Yang appeared in front of everyone with Xia Lan, Xia Lan saw two new faces during the meeting. They must have been recruited after her. One of the women glared at her when she saw her.

Xia Lan had no idea when she had offended her; she simply glanced at her indifferently.

I didn't take it to heart.

After Minister Yang gave them a pep talk, everyone returned to their respective counters and began preparing to start work.

Xia Lan watched as the woman who had just glared at her went to her old candy counter. The original rainbow colors had been ruined by neglect, and the colorful candy compartments were no longer there.

The entire counter looked very messy, and the woman seemed to be unable to see anything. She just sat on the counter, took out her small mirror, and kept looking at herself.

Xiaoling tugged at Xia Lan, indicating that Minister Yang had already gone to another department and signaled her to hurry up and follow.

Seeing Xia Lan's gaze turn to Zhao Li, Xiao Ling leaned closer to Xia Lan and whispered.

“That’s Minister Liu’s sister-in-law, Zhao Li.”

It's all about connections, I get it.

Xia Lan followed Minister Yang to the factory for a meeting. Standing next to Xiao Ling, she saw all the factory directors in the room for the first time. They were all factory directors from various factories.

The first thing every factory manager does at a meeting is to find out how well their products are selling, what needs to be improved, and the sales figures for new products.

Xiaoling immediately handed the relevant information to Minister Yang, who then informed each factory manager of the sales situation, letting them know how well their factory's goods were selling.

After Minister Yang finished his report, the subsequent meeting proceeded with issuing new instructions and setting monthly targets...

Xia Lan listened to their remarks, noticing the underlying tension in their seemingly calm words. They spoke in a composed tone, vying for resources, quotas, and benefits…

This is what a real meeting of big shots looks like: calm and collected, without any heated arguments, but beneath the surface, full of witty remarks.

Xia Lan was truly amazed and quietly began to learn.

After the meeting ended, Xia Lan left with Minister Yang, who smiled at her and said, "Was it boring?"

"No, I learned a lot and saw what a war without gunpowder is like." Xia Lan shook her head. "And I'm really fortunate to have seen so many factory directors."

"Hahahaha..." Minister Yang was surprised when Xia Lan said that she had learned a lot.

Especially the phrase "a war without gunpowder," which perfectly encapsulates the situation at the conference every Monday. Isn't it a war without gunpowder?

That's really interesting, a very unique perspective.

She made me laugh.

“Resources are limited. The higher-ups have only given us so much. We have to bring more value to the country with these limited resources, but every factory wants them, so they fight tooth and nail for them…” Minister Yang explained to Xia Lan.

With limited resources, we can produce more products and generate better profits.

"Our country needs development, but the problems we face are getting bigger and bigger..." Minister Yang said slowly.

He sighed softly, then suddenly froze. Why had he ever thought of telling Xia Lan these confidential matters and getting her opinion?

"If we want our country to develop, reform and opening up the economy is the most important thing," Xia Lan remarked casually.

If she remembers correctly, reforms will be implemented soon.

It's 1977 now, and the college entrance examination was first opened at the end of the year.

Then, they began to vigorously promote industry and commerce, open up and reform, farmland contracting, and household contract responsibility. Gradually, they implemented the separation of government and enterprise, streamlined administration and delegated power, and allowed enterprises to be responsible for their own profits and losses and operate independently.

The 1980s were the era of business, and the first person to earn 10,000 yuan was born.

The difficulties and hardships faced by each factory over the past three years are unimaginable.

Xia Lan knew, but Minister Yang did not. He looked at Xia Lan with a sharp glint in his eyes and immediately pulled her back to his office.

"Xia Lan, what did you just say?" Minister Yang stared intently at Xia Lan.

Xia Lan paused, looked at Minister Yang, and blinked innocently.

"It's just you and me here, so let's stop acting!" Minister Yang said with amusement. From the first day he met Xia Lan, he knew that this young girl was no ordinary person.

They stirred up the crowd with just a few words, remained unmoved when faced with compensation, and even dared to ask for a job.

Minister Yang had long been aware of her boldness; she seemed to possess a special charm.

It makes people naturally lower their guard around her and confide in her.

Minister Yang never underestimated anyone, but he still felt that he had underestimated Xia Lan.

Her words just now struck a chord with him, expressing his thoughts perfectly.