Chapter 305 What did I do? Wasn't I just a bystander?
“What stories could there be in our compound? As men would say, it’s all just trivial matters. There’s no such thing as Little Qin or Factory Director Qin. Your experiences are as magnificent as the ocean!”
"They've already filmed a sequel! But they still haven't filmed the reform of the Shangpu Textile Factory! We're still waiting to see 'Director Qin outsmarts Liu Manfu'!"
Sister Wang looked at Qin Xiangxiang with eager anticipation, "Can I ask you some detailed information, like what was mentioned in the TV series—he didn't explain it completely!"
"For example, the Canton Fair, and for example, that Factory Director Zheng."
Qin Xiangxiang, with a cold expression that was a carbon copy of Li Jianzhi's, said, "Let's not talk about the past anymore. I can't remember it."
"Okay, then let me tell you some interesting stories about our compound. Most of them are about mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law arguing. The new young wife in the next building argues with her mother-in-law every day, arguing back and forth about who is more wasteful."
"The mother-in-law has a bad memory and always forgets to turn off the lights at night; the young daughter-in-law is meticulous and always washes all her dirty clothes and shoes. Her mother-in-law says she's wasting soap, and the two of them yell at each other, one saying she doesn't turn off the lights, and the other saying she's wasting soap..."
Qin Xiangxiang felt a sense of warmth upon hearing these everyday stories and even wanted to crack some sunflower seeds: "This is what normal mother-in-law and daughter-in-law life is like."
Sister Wang: "???"
"Director Qin, what about your mother-in-law?"
Qin Xiangxiang paused for three seconds: "My mother-in-law loves learning. She's even attending night school now, actively learning English. Oh, and she loves math, physics, and chemistry the most!"
Sister Wang also fell silent for a few seconds.
Suddenly, she also began to appreciate the preciousness of a "normal mother-in-law/daughter-in-law life".
At the same time, Sister Wang also wrote it down in her notebook: Director Qin and Chief of Staff Li's families are traditionally "scholarly families", and the first priority of their family life is "learning".
"There are two young soldiers in our compound, both quite handsome. They've both fallen for the saleswoman at the service center. They're competing with each other, running to her every day to fawn over her. Today I'll sweep the floor for her, tomorrow I'll carry some goods for her. Everyone's guessing who the saleswoman will choose in the end."
Qin Xiangxiang: "Who should I choose?"
"She didn't choose anyone else; the saleswoman chose 'Big Strong Brother' from her hometown."
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
An unexpected ending.
Qin Xiangxiang chatted with Sister Wang and ate a lot of "colorful" gossip. After a while, two more female relatives arrived. One was surnamed Ma and named Ma Xiufen, and the other was surnamed Zhang and named Zhang Aiying.
The first one, Ma Xiufen, was beautiful. She had her hair up, wore high heels, and was dressed elegantly. She was the wife of the propaganda officer and used to be a leading actress in the local county opera troupe. She was also considered a "celebrity" in the naval family compound here.
Because she loves beauty, and because she has relatives who run businesses in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, she always gets to wear beautiful clothes brought from Guangdong Province, making her a celebrity in the military compound.
Yesterday, she walked around the compound wearing a beautiful and fashionable coat dress. The dress cost her a lot of money, which made her wince. But she thought she would stand out in the compound, so she gritted her teeth and bought it, hoping that all the female family members in the compound would envy her.
Who knew that when "Factory Director Qin" arrived, she stole all the limelight in an instant. Yesterday, all the female family members in the compound were talking about "Factory Director Qin," and no one paid attention to her expensive "Western dress."
Ma Xiufen was furious about this.
"Oh my, is this our institute's newest star? Isn't this Factory Director Qin? Is he still here today? Could it be that he'll be staying at our institute from now on?"
"Director Qin, I heard you received hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars in bonuses, which is even more impressive than those who have tens of thousands of dollars. With so much money, why are you squeezing into a small apartment building with us ordinary people? Are you just putting on a show for the leaders? There's no need to do such hypocritical things." Ma Xiufen's words were unfriendly from the start, pointing out that "Director Qin" was hypocritical.
Qin Xiangxiang glanced at her: "Are the clothes you're wearing defective factory goods from Guangdong Province?"
"What? This...this is a dress I bought at a high price."
Qin Xiangxiang said, "Then you might not be very bright. You've been scammed. The lines here are so crooked. The craftsmanship is terrible. It's either from a shoddy factory or a substandard product from a factory that's sold by weight. Many people buy this kind of stuff from night market stalls."
At this moment, Sister Wang's mouth dropped open: "Ma Xiufen, all those clothes you had before, were they all clearance items? You've been fooled! You said they were imported from Hong Kong, but the workmanship of these clothes couldn't escape the eyes of a craftsman like Factory Director Qin."
"If I were you, I wouldn't wear it out and embarrass myself."
Ma Xiufen blushed instantly and turned to leave with Zhang Aiying behind her.
After watching Ma Xiufen leave, Sister Wang whispered to Qin Xiangxiang, "That Ma Xiufen is the most hypocritical. She kept bragging that her son was going to apply to the General Political Department's Art Troupe, and that she had specially hired a famous vocal teacher from Shanghai... She made it sound so fancy."
"But her son, he's not bad looking, but he was eliminated in the first round. I heard he was too nervous and sang off-key as soon as he opened his mouth. Pfft, a famous teacher in Shanghai, her family felt ashamed and wouldn't let anyone talk about it."
Qin Xiangxiang learned a lot about Ma Xiufen from Sister Wang, finding it quite fascinating.
"Xiao Qin, you're the factory manager, could you also give some advice to the female family members in our compound? Many of the female family members accompanying military personnel are unemployed because they need to take care of their families and need flexible hours to earn some extra money..."
Qin thought for a moment: "That's easy. Why don't we set up a 'Military Family Skilled Workshop'? Just like the neighborhood production groups, we can pay by piece. Our factory also has a batch of toy orders, for teddy bears, and for the embroidered eyes of our factory's Hug Swallow, or stuffing cotton... We can do some in our spare time and earn money by piece."
"Oh my—Director Qin, you speak with such authority! You truly have the demeanor of a factory director. You are the most formidable female leader I have ever met."
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
Sister Wang dragged her directly to see the base leaders for a meeting to discuss the establishment of a "Military Family Craft Workshop." Qin Xiangxiang was completely dumbfounded. What was she there for? She was there to visit her dead husband, so why was she suddenly in a meeting?
I was just casually mentioning this "Military Wives' Craft Workshop"... Even if I were to actually do it, there's no need to rush, right?
"Comrade Qin, thank you so much!"
When the base leaders heard that "Director Qin" had arrived, they took the initiative to find ways to help solve the employment problem of military spouses and even proposed flexible employment solutions. They praised her highly and called her a "model of supporting the military".
"Chief of Staff Li's wife is indeed a true iron lady. Wherever she goes, she is thinking about work and serving the people."
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
She thought to herself, "I just want to have some fun."
"Director Qin, you really are something else—you can't sit still." Li Jianzhi gave his wife an admiring look.
Qin Xiangxiang glared at him angrily: You big rascal, you only said that Sister Wang was a "gossip", but you didn't say that this guy was so decisive in his actions. Before you knew it, you had been dragged onto the pirate ship.
“Then I would also like to set up a stall in that little night market.”
"Director Qin, well, welcome, welcome. The small market over there exists to make life more convenient for the families of officers and soldiers. Director Qin, why don't you set up a clothing customization office there so that people in the neighborhood can come and order clothes and even buy your factory's 'Top Scholar' overcoat'?"
"Many people who watched the TV series said that your pig-raising class is really tough—no wonder it can produce talented people."
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
Qin Xiangxiang walked out of the office and stood in the empty base square, her mind suddenly filled with questions.
What am I here for?
What did I do?
Am I just observing from the sidelines?
...
Qin Xiangxiang returned to the family dormitory building. Still shaken, she decided not to go out and just lie down in her "new home" for a while. So she went home, ate something, climbed into bed, and slept until evening.
"Chief of Staff Li, how's it like having an iron lady as your wife?"
Do you and your spouse often discuss work?
"Both husband and wife are completely focused on their work..."
...
Amidst the teasing of those around him, Chief of Staff Li Jianzhi returned home to find his wife had slept soundly all afternoon and was still asleep.
"Mom is still sleeping."
“Sui Sui (older sister) is just like Mom.”
Li Jianzhi: "..."
"Li Jianzhi? You're back? I'm hungry right now." After a good night's sleep, Qin Xiangxiang immediately forgot everything and felt refreshed again.
Isn't it just about setting up a military spouses' handicraft workshop? Isn't it just about setting up a stall in the night market?
Why not just expand her "cabinet"? She can delegate everything to others.
Li Jianzhi crossed his arms and looked at her with a helpless yet indulgent smile. "You look like you're still half asleep. People will say you're an 'Iron Lady'... Want to eat my cooking? Then I'll take Little Fatty to buy groceries now."
Qin Xiang thought for a moment and said, "I'll cook for you. I took a walk around your cafeteria this morning... You've had a tough time."
"I'll make you something nice to eat, so our family can get together. Let's make some wontons."
Li Jianzhi's heart softened, and he stepped forward to hug her, saying sweetly, "Think about it, you really are the best wife in the world."
"However, I can't trouble you. I'll take you out to eat at a small restaurant. We'll go secretly, don't tell the kids, let them eat in the cafeteria."
Qin Xiangxiang hugged the man's waist, poked his side, and pointed to the door.
Li Jianzhi turned his head and saw several children.
Li Qingfeng: "I didn't hear you saying you were going to a small restaurant."
Li Qinghe: "I didn't hear it either."
Li Qinglan: "I want to go to the small restaurant too... I didn't hear you!"
...
Li Jianzhi: "Then let's eat wontons. I'll make the wontons."
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