"Really? What happened?"
“I don’t know what happened. I didn’t do anything to upset Grandma. She was just crying secretly. When I asked her why, she said it was nothing.”
"Mom knows, thank you, little sister." Qin Xiaoyu kissed her little sister and put her clothes back on.
Zhou Xing has been gone recently, and there's no smell of Chinese medicine in the house anymore. It seems that she didn't do what she asked Zhou Xing's mother to do: get medicine from Deng Jianyan to help her.
Qin Xiaoyu took her younger sister to the Deng family's house and saw the two Deng sisters returning from school from afar.
The little sister got to know them well, and with her sweet talk, she called them "brother" and "sister" and chased after them.
Xiao Jin was always aloof and ignored her younger sister. Li Sheng, though shy, got along very well with her and took out his new eraser to show her.
Sister-in-law Deng had already prepared the meal, and the whole house smelled of cabbage soup.
"Little Fish is here, come sit down and eat with us." In private, Sister-in-law Deng was very affectionate towards Qin Xiaoyu, as if she were the only person she could rely on in the city.
"Where's my older brother? Hasn't he gotten off work yet?" Qin Xiaoyu then realized that Deng Jianyan might be on duty, so the trip would have been in vain.
"He's away on a business trip."
"Business trip? Where to?"
"He went with Zhou Xing to the south."
"Going on a business trip with him?" Qin Xiaoyu was stunned. Zhou Xing was going south to visit his comrades-in-arms. Deng Jianyan had just been transferred to the military hospital. What business did he need to go on a business trip? Was he just accompanying Zhou Xing? That's too much of an act.
She was full of suspicion and did not stay for dinner, but took her younger sister home.
Zhou Xing's mother has returned, and the kitchen is steaming hot.
"Mom, have you been feeling unwell lately? I told you to ask Brother Deng to prescribe some medicine, did he get it?"
"I'm fine, perfectly fine, no need for medicine." Seeing that she was at home, Zhou Xing's mother was in a good mood.
"Mom, you must take your medicine if you're not feeling well. Don't avoid seeing a doctor because you're sick," Qin Xiaoyu earnestly advised.
"What's wrong with this child? He keeps urging me to take my medicine," Zhou Xing's mother said reproachfully.
"My little sister told me that Grandma was unhappy, she was worried." Qin Xiaoyu pouted, hugged Zhou Xing's mother from behind, and rubbed her head against her back.
"My little sister is just like you, always carrying a heavy heart. I'm fine, as long as you're all alright, I'm fine too." Zhou Xing's mother put down the basin in her hand, turned around and pulled Qin Xiaoyu over, looking at her and unconsciously letting out a sigh.
"Mom, I can tell you're still troubled. Tell me about it, maybe I can help you get over it."
"It's nothing, you said I was going through menopause, that's what caused it." Zhou Xing's mother pushed Qin Xiaoyu away, and at that moment Zhou Yue rushed in.
"I'm starving! Bring me food, and water!"
"Look at you, a starving ghost reincarnated! Little Fish, this girl is probably going to go crazy."
Qin Xiaoyu inquired about the factory's situation and got a general idea of what was going on.
The next morning, she and Zhou Yue went to the garment factory together. Xie Lanhua had arrived early; judging by her dark circles, she hadn't slept well that night.
They met briefly and then went to the workshop.
The people in the workshop had been waiting for a long time. They all knew that a new broom sweeps clean, and Qin Xiaoyu was making an example of someone. If you're going to be a monkey, you have to be prepared. As an audience member, you still have to be enthusiastic.
Wang Lingling's craftsmanship is truly exceptional; the trench coat she rushed out overnight is almost identical to Master Xu's.
Qin Xiaoyu looked at it carefully for a long time and then nodded.
"Let me announce the outcome of this matter."
"Wait a minute, let me do this." Xie Lanhua suddenly stopped her, which surprised Qin Xiaoyu, but she couldn't argue back at that moment.
"This factory is the culmination of my life's work. I even neglected my husband and daughter to create my little sun. If we're talking about love, no one loves it more than I do. Do you know why I came back? It's because I can't bear to see it taken away and destroyed." Xie Lanhua's tone was somber, and the workshop fell silent.
Qin Xiaoyu felt a pang of regret. If Xie Lanhua had said something that disregarded the bigger picture or pleaded on behalf of the workers, all her efforts would have been in vain.
“Now that I’m old, things are different from before. I think more practically. I want my old sisters who have suffered with me to be able to eat meat once a week. I want the younger generation who have struggled alongside me to be able to live without worrying about money every day. But I don’t have the ability to do these things, so I’ve brought in capable people. But look at what you’re doing! If you get rid of Qin Xiaoyu, Xiao Taiyang will be dead! Dead! Do you understand? Then you’ll be laid-off workers, begging on the streets! You guys are so inconsiderate!” Xie Lanhua’s words came from the bottom of her heart.
The workers all lowered their heads, especially those who had something to hide.
"I am now announcing the disciplinary decisions: Cui Xiuying, Wang Ermei, Liu Hua, and Zhang Fen have neglected their duties, resulting in seriously substandard sample garments, constituting a major production accident. All four are suspended from their duties for self-reflection. If they do not repent, they may be dismissed from their public positions. Production manager Fei Xiuxiu has failed in her supervisory duties and is removed from her position, reassigned to the workshop for probation. Wang Lingling has been transferred to the technical department to be responsible for new project development, working with Zhou Yue. From now on, there will be monthly assessments, and workers with outstanding skills may be promoted to technicians."
Qin Xiaoyu never expected Xie Lanhua's punishment to be so severe. Originally, she only wanted to use this incident to suppress Director Fei's power and give him a warning, but this time it turned out to be uprooting Director Fei and his gang. Indeed, the old fox is shrewd.
"Fine, you're ruthless!" Director Fei's face flushed red as he angrily uttered these words before turning and leaving.
As she walked out of the workshop, the large iron gate slammed back with a loud bang, and the workers realized in a daze that something had changed.
With this step completed, things became much easier, and production quickly resumed in the workshop. However, the noise of the machines couldn't drown out the heated discussions. Wang Lingling's meteoric rise had greatly inspired these ordinary female workers. It turned out that honestly relying on skills could also lead to success—who couldn't do it? Let's compete with each other!
It's important to understand that the wages of technicians and workers are not on the same level.
"Little Fish, how did I handle it?" Xie Lanhua asked after returning to her office, a bit of an hindsight question.
"Director Xie is truly amazing; I really don't have your iron fist." Qin Xiaoyu was completely convinced.
"From now on, I'll handle the things that offend people. You'll handle the things that promote people." Xie Lanhua smiled calmly, and Qin Xiaoyu was even more impressed.
"Now I understand what made Xiaoyang Solar rise to prominence—it was all thanks to Director Xie's abilities."
"When Xiaotaiyang (a training center) first started, a few of my older colleagues became arrogant and quickly became unruly. They turned the workshop into a chaotic mess, with cliques forming. I tolerated it for over a month, but then I took drastic measures and sent them all home. At first, they cursed at me, blocked my doorway, threw dirty water and garbage at my door, but I didn't care. In the end, they couldn't take it anymore and came back begging me. When they returned to work, they were more diligent than anyone else. People can be so irrational sometimes, but what can you do? Management is all about understanding human nature." Xie Lanhua's words were deeply insightful for Qin Xiaoyu.
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