"Don't overwork yourself."
She held the thermos, her eyes stinging with tears.
She knew who sent it without even needing to write a name on it.
Shen Mingzhi placed the chicken soup on the table and stared at the note for a long time.
These past few days, with the factory rushing to meet orders, she was so exhausted that she didn't even have the energy to think. She mechanically drank a few sips of soup, then collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
When I woke up again, it was already dark.
She rubbed her sore eyes and noticed a box of ginseng slices next to the thermos.
"You can use it to make soup; it's good for your health."
The handwriting was still familiar; it was Jiang Shao-chen's.
Shen Mingzhi held the ginseng slices, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She didn't want to accept his kindness, but she had to admit that what he did still stirred something within her.
She sighed, put the ginseng slices into the drawer, and got up to wash up.
In the corridor, several female workers were huddled together whispering. When they saw her come out, they immediately fell silent, but their eyes couldn't help but dart towards her.
"What's wrong?" Shen Mingzhi asked.
Sister Wang hesitated for a moment, then leaned closer and whispered, "Little Shen, your ex-husband... oh no, Comrade Jiang has been standing at the factory gate all day. Old Zhang, the gatekeeper, has told him to come in, but he won't. He's just standing there."
Shen Mingzhi was taken aback. She quickly walked to the end of the corridor and looked out of the factory. Sure enough, Jiang Shaozhen was standing at the factory gate, his figure stretched long under the streetlights.
Shen Mingzhi immediately turned around and walked towards her dormitory.
She didn't want to be soft-hearted, but images of their past kept flashing through her mind uncontrollably.
Especially on their wedding night, he talked to himself about his feelings afterwards.
At that time, she believed Jiang Shaochen; he had fallen in love with her first, which was why he treated her so well.
"So annoying," she muttered to herself, hastily wiped her face, and decided to go to the workshop to check on the production of the new batch of products in order to distract herself.
Inside the workshop, workers are filling a new batch of rose-scented face cream.
When quality inspector Xiao Wang saw her arrive, he quickly ran over to report, "Comrade Shen, according to your adjusted formula, the stability of this batch of goods is no longer a problem, it's just that the aroma's persistence is still a little lacking."
Shen Mingzhi nodded and walked to the production line to inspect the samples.
She rubbed a little of the balm between her fingertips, brought it close to her nose, and frowned slightly. "The fragrance is evaporating too quickly; we need to add some fixative."
"But we're out of fixative in our warehouse," Xiao Wang said with difficulty. "The new stock from the purchasing department won't arrive until next week."
Shen Mingzhi pondered for a moment, then said, "I remember the technical department still has some experimental muscone. Although the quantity is small, it should be enough for emergencies."
She turned and headed towards the technical department, but bumped into Director Sun at the door.
Factory Director Sun, beaming with joy, grabbed her arm. "Comrade Chen! Great news! The provincial department store says our rose face cream is selling like hotcakes, and they want to order another five thousand boxes!"
Shen Mingzhi was taken aback. "So fast?"
"That's right!" Factory Manager Sun rubbed his hands together. "Their manager said that many customers are repeat customers, and they even ask us if we have any other new products."
Shen Mingzhi's heart skipped a beat; this might be an opportunity. She pondered for a moment and said, "Factory Manager, I have an idea. We can strike while the iron is hot and launch a high-end series, with exquisite packaging, double the price, and specifically target the gift market."
Factory Director Sun's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! But can we keep up with the technology?"
"Technology isn't a problem," Shen Mingzhi paused, "but we need to wait until our technicians return from the island nation."
Factory Director Sun's smile froze. "You know the factory's current situation... Last month I took out a loan from the bank to pay wages. This month, could we let them use the factory's profits to pay them?"
Shen Mingzhi was well aware that having too much debt could easily lead to serious problems.
Moreover, there's no guarantee she'll get a loan; she needs to have a backup plan. Only when the factory changes and generates income will they be more motivated.
"I'll figure out a way to pay my salary," she said.
Factory Director Sun looked at her suspiciously, "What can you possibly do?"
Shen Mingzhi didn't answer, but simply said, "Give me three days."
Stepping out of the office, Shen Mingzhi let out a sigh of relief, her head throbbing. She knew what she was doing—she was going to find Jiang Shaozhen.
It wasn't for feelings, but for the factory.
She bit her lip and strode towards the factory gate.
Jiang Shaozhen was still standing there, looking down at the ground, only looking up when he heard footsteps. He paused visibly when he saw Shen Mingzhi approaching, then straightened up. "Zhizhi?"
"I need to talk to you about something," Shen Mingzhi said calmly. "It's business."
Jiang Shao Chen's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded. "Okay."
"The factory can't pay wages this month, and I'd like to borrow some money from you," Shen Mingzhi said bluntly. "I put the savings book you gave me under your pillow, and I want to get it to withdraw some money now."
Jiang Shao Chen was visibly happy. "Then I'll bring it to you tomorrow?"
"Hmm, I need to withdraw 30,000, is that alright?" Shen Mingzhi felt that he was like a big dog... the kind of big dog that would immediately become very happy when it saw someone it liked.
Jiang Shaozhen didn't ask any questions, and simply took out a bankbook from his inner pocket and handed it to her, saying, "The password is your birthday."
Shen Mingzhi was struggling internally, but Baoli needed to turn things around and needed money to motivate the workers.
After a moment of silence, he finally took the passbook. "Consider it a loan from the factory; we'll pay you back with bank interest."
"You make the decision." Jiang Shao Chen looked at her, his tone somewhat ingratiating. "Is there anything else I need to do?"
Shen Mingzhi initially intended to refuse, but the words that came out were, "Can you still contact Professor Zhang from the Haicheng Daily Chemical Research Institute?"
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