Song Jie squinted and carefully examined the woman in front of her with her red lips and white teeth. After hearing Director Jia's name, the harshness and impatience on her face lessened considerably.
"Let's talk in the office."
She showed disdain and restraint, but not much politeness. She knew their identities; they were translators invited by the provincial department. Were they just using her to bully others?
Song Jie, with the aloof expression of a middle-aged female cadre, didn't exchange a single word on her way to the office.
"Have a seat." The door opened, and she casually gestured to a row of stools against the wall. The woman at the opposite workstation immediately got up and picked up the thermos from the windowsill.
"Sister Song, I'm going to get some hot water, do you want some?"
Song Jie flipped through the documents on the table, grunting without looking up.
Ruan Xianxian observed discreetly, "Hmm, his official demeanor is as imposing as his age."
"Comrades, I roughly understand why you've come. Take a look at the price of the three oil presses. If you accept it, you can take them away in a day or two. If you don't accept it, don't waste everyone's time."
Thump thump thump—!
There was a knock at the door, and Xiao Qin from the purchasing department was allowed to enter. After telling the others to think it over before coming to see her again, Song Jie picked up the list that Xiao Qin handed her and skimmed through it.
Xiang Hongjun gave Ruan Xianxian a wink.
The group walked outside the office.
"Captain, what is your expected price and what is the maximum price the brigade can afford?" she asked.
“I brought 1,000 yuan, which is almost all the village office can use, just enough for one machine, this…”
Even the smallest oil pressing workshop had never seen one with only one machine. When the opportunity presented itself, Xiang Hongjun was never one to hesitate.
The scar on his face twitched slightly, revealing a ruthless look. "I'm going back now, to borrow money from the commune."
Xiang Nuan rolled her eyes. "Dad, what kind of wishful thinking are you having? Those good-for-nothings in the commune don't care about making any contributions, they just want to avoid making any mistakes. They'd rather leave the money to gather dust than lend it to us."
Every year during the spring planting and autumn harvest, commune officials would come to the villages, taking food and gifts with them. Asking them for favors could drag on from the beginning of the year to the end.
He didn't seem to have much skill, but he certainly mastered the art of "delaying".
"You won't give it to me?" The captain ruffled his daughter's hair, his scar on his face becoming even more menacing. "Do you really think I'm a pushover? Let them take care of all our food and lodging, and see who can handle it."
With her eyes darting around, the little girl gave her father a bad idea: "It won't do if only you go; you might get accused of being a hooligan."
"Why not send our village's 74-year-old elder? Before he came, he was saying at home that he couldn't stand being in the fields; it was too boring, and his arms and legs were stiff."
The father and daughter looked at each other, their faces, which resembled each other by a third, revealing the same malicious smile.
Mu Xia raised an eyebrow; the answer was quite unexpected.
She thought the captain would back down or borrow from those present. Not to mention her and Chu Li, that guy surnamed Ruan lost two thousand yuan in one go. If she could appease him and offer some benefits, she might actually be able to borrow it.
Ruan Xianxian wasn't surprised at all. Mu Xia hadn't been here long, and her concept of money was still stuck in the later era where buying a piece of clothing could cost thousands of yuan.
Not to mention that Xiang Hongjun had an entire brigade behind him, if a retired veteran really wanted to cause trouble, the commune wouldn't be able to handle him.
The captain knew he had made the right choice when he caught a glimpse of the three men raising their eyebrows.
For a fleeting moment, he considered asking the three educated youths in front of him for money, but he immediately dismissed the thought.
The children had money but owed nothing to the brigade. On the contrary, they were willing to repay the brigade for the small favors they had received.
The more this is the case, the more he needs to maintain a proper balance. Human relationships become increasingly fragile the more they are used; only relationships built on sincerity and mutual benefit can last and remain strong.
"Wait here for a moment, I'll go out and make a call to the commune. Let's try to be polite first, then take action."
As Xiang Hongjun turned to go downstairs, he saw Ruan Xianxian clinging to the office door like a gecko, her hands and feet pressed against the door panel and her ears pressed against it. He couldn't help but twitch his lips.
"What's wrong? Your hands and feet have been neglected for years, need some ointment?"
Ruan Xianxian pressed her ear against the door, listening intently to the sounds coming from inside, and raised her index finger in front of her to make a shushing gesture.
Everyone strained to listen, but couldn't hear anything. Soon after, they saw the guy put his hands and feet down, walk up to the captain, and take the bag containing the money himself.
He grinned in a way that seemed to invite a beating: "Three machines for a thousand yuan, I'll get it done for you."
The oil mill charges 1,000 for one machine, and she buys three machines for 1,000?
Even Chu Li, let alone the brigade leader, didn't believe that.
He understands the current situation better than Ruan Xianxian. As long as the factory and machinery are state-owned, the unit will not sell them off cheaply even if the materials are left to gather dust.
Buying three oil presses for a thousand yuan is simply a pipe dream; even a half-broken oil press wouldn't work.
Facing the skeptical or disbelieving gazes of the crowd, Ruan Xianxian knocked three times and pushed open the door to enter. Inside, a grumpy middle-aged woman was scolding the purchasing agent like a grandson.
"A fountain pen, a briefcase, and a work uniform. The same three items for holiday benefits every year. I'm tired of seeing them even though you don't get tired of them."
Xiao Qin, standing half a meter away from the desk, had his head down and was rolling his eyes so hard they almost reached the sky.
So that's why the director entrusted him with such a great job of purchasing employee benefits for Labor Day!
Everyone knows that Director Song's family is in turmoil over the issue of rural assignment quotas, and he has practically walked into the line of fire.
There are only so many holiday benefits, why don't you come up with something new?
Looking up and seeing Ruan Xianxian who had entered uninvited, Song Jie's face darkened even more. She wanted to yell at her and kick her out, but hesitated because of something, and just impatiently told someone to stand aside and wait.
If she could listen to people, she wouldn't have been chased all over the police station by the captain with his shoe. This guy put on a businesslike expression and stood on the same side as Song Jie to criticize Xiao Qin.
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