Although the United States had ended its trade embargo against China that had lasted over 20 years in 1971, and the two nations had formally established diplomatic relations at the beginning of this year with international trade relations gradually normalizing, the U.S. Department of Commerce still maintained export control requirements on advanced equipment destined for China.
Guo Weihua had originally assumed that Lu Chuyu's production equipment would come through the transit channels of Hong Kong and Lotus Island, and would not arrive until at least the end of the year. He never imagined that the equipment would arrive right after recruitment had just concluded.
The instant noodle production equipment was exchanged by Lu Chuyu for Emotion Points in the System Mall, and the System naturally perfected the rationale for this equipment appearing in Lu Chuyu's possession.
After reading the System's explanation, Lu Chuyu couldn't help but marvel inwardly—truly, this was high-tech from a High-Dimensional Space. For those living in Three-Dimensional Space like themselves, it was a Dimensional Reduction Strike. The logic was so seamlessly interconnected.
Lu Chuyu naturally wouldn't pass up the opportunity the System had handed her on a silver platter to "borrow authority from the mighty." After all, the stronger her "personal background" appeared, the more seriously she would be taken.
She was well-versed in the art of flying a false flag. Facing Guo Weihua's curiosity, Lu Chuyu put on an air of inscrutable profundity and said with a smile, "Secretary Guo, you should be aware that my grandmother comes from the Vanderbilt family of the United States. In the early days of America, the Vanderbilt family accumulated their capital through monopolizing shipping and railroads.
Although they have gradually withdrawn from direct operations and shifted the family's development focus to investment and asset management, since their fortune was built on shipping and railroads, even if the core of those related industries no longer remains in the family's hands, they still command some respect. While I'm not particularly favored by my grandmother, for something so trivial to them, they would naturally be willing to grant me personal convenience."
Lu Chuyu emphasized the words "personal convenience" with deliberate weight.
After all, her cheap grandmother most likely didn't even know she existed. Even if she had learned of Lu Chuyu's existence because her cheap father had gifted her 0.3% of Caesar Palace's shares, she wouldn't pay her any attention or care—let alone help her.
Guo Weihua naturally understood the implication behind Lu Chuyu's words. The words he was about to speak were forcibly swallowed back down.
When he had just heard Lu Chuyu mention that her grandmother's family had once monopolized the entire American shipping and railroad industries, his heart had pounded with excitement. His first thought was whether he could ask Lu Chuyu to approach her grandmother's family to help with certain matters, since many advanced equipment and technologies were subject to U.S. Department of Commerce export controls on China.
Although everything could ultimately be routed through the Hong Kong and Lotus Island transit channels, the process was still extremely difficult.
Though somewhat disappointed, Guo Weihua could understand. In the old society, how many grandmothers had personally drowned their own granddaughters in chamber pots? Even now, there were still plenty of grandmothers who didn't treat their granddaughters as human beings.
But just as Lu Chuyu had said, since her father's side and grandmother's side would offer some convenient assistance on such small matters, then what she had mentioned earlier about exporting Master Lu Instant Noodles overseas would definitely succeed!
"I see. By the way, Ms. Lu, I heard from Deputy Factory Director Guo that our food factory intends to continue expanding?"
Lu Chuyu nodded. With her current Emotion Points, she could easily exchange for production equipment for products like spicy dried fish, pork sauce, and ham sausages in the System Mall. Additionally, she was considering establishing a pig farm, poultry farm, and a mineral water beverage production plant at Beiquan Production Brigade.
The cold spring water from the mountain behind Beiquan Production Brigade was a gift from nature, and she naturally didn't want to miss out on it. However, she wasn't in a hurry about the mineral water beverage plant—after all, there was already a beverage factory in the town. There was no need for her to compete with a state-owned factory right now. Moreover, the beverage factory's profits had been declining year after year. Once the policies came down in a few years, she could simply acquire the beverage factory outright.
Before building the pig farm and poultry farm, she planned to first invest in an aquaculture farm in Dayu Town. All of these could be directly affiliated under the food factory.
Shanghu Town was nestled between mountains and rivers, and she loved the environment and climate. Combined with the fact that it was her original body's hometown, she planned to make this her base for her future business empire, gradually expanding outward.
"As a food factory, we naturally can't produce just a single type of food. I'm quite interested in Dayu Town's specialty snack—spicy dried fish. It would also be well-suited for selling as a small snack. I've already arranged for my special assistant Amelia in the United States to purchase the necessary production equipment. However, since it requires customization according to my specifications, the earliest it can arrive is after the New Year, so it's still in the planning stages for now."
Receiving Lu Chuyu's affirmative response, Guo Weihua couldn't control his excitement once again, his face beaming with joy. "Ms. Lu, rest assured, I've reserved all the land surrounding our food factory for you." This was shaping up to be a full industrial chain.
If Shanghu Town could have a thousand-person factory, and one that earned foreign exchange for the country, it would completely drive the development of the entire town.
Shanghu Town becoming the leading economic development town in the city—no, in the entire province—was within reach.
Most importantly, after the food factory expanded and increased its investment, Lu Chuyu definitely wouldn't be poached away in the short term, since the investment was substantial.
After all, the sensation caused by their food factory's recruitment drive had already caught the province's attention. There were plenty of outsiders eyeing them covetously, eager to snatch people away.
"Then I'll trouble Secretary Guo to keep a close eye on things. Regarding the food factory's development plans, I'll arrange for Deputy Factory Director Guo to liaise with the commune on our behalf."
"Rest assured, Ms. Lu. The commune will fully cooperate."
Lu Chuyu smiled with satisfaction.
When the equipment for producing bucket and bagged instant noodles arrived at the factory, it caused quite a stir, and many locals came to watch the commotion.
The reason was simple: along with the production equipment came over a dozen foreign technicians. The folks of Shanghu Town had never seen so many "foreign devils" at once, so naturally it drew crowds and lively discussion.
These dispatched technicians were responsible not only for assembling the production equipment but also for training the food factory workers on how to use the equipment and how to make minor repairs if problems arose.
When Vice Mayor Wang learned of this, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sour jealousy again.
The city's state-owned factories had imported equipment before too, but those accompanying foreign technicians walked around with their noses in the air. Forget hands-on training for the technical workers—they'd consider themselves generous if they didn't deliberately loosen a small screw during assembly out of spite.
As for how to use the equipment, they'd just toss over a manual written entirely in a foreign language.
It truly was infuriating to compare—one person's fortune was another's misfortune. How could such preferential treatment not make one bitter? It only strengthened his resolve to keep a close eye on Lu Chuyu, seize every opportunity, and find any opening to invite Ms. Lu to develop her business in the city.
After two rounds of screening, especially for the high-paying technical positions, the selected workers were all sharp-minded individuals with unquestionable learning ability and hands-on skills. During training, each one was more diligent than the last, crowding around the foreign technicians to ask all sorts of questions while meticulously jotting notes in their little notebooks.
The several interpreters Lu Chuyu had brought in through the city's Overseas Chinese Affairs Office were nearly worn to the bone.
Of course, at first those foreign technicians still put on airs of superiority. But Lu Chuyu wasn't about to indulge them. She didn't even show her face—she simply sent Sun Yueying over to say one sentence to them: "Our boss comes from the Haas family, and her grandmother is from the Vanderbilt family. What, didn't your superiors brief you on that?"
That single sentence straightened them right up. After all, if they had connections and backing at the company, they wouldn't have been dispatched to what they considered a backward country like China.
Only after the technical workers had thoroughly mastered the knowledge did the foreign technicians leave China. Then it was time for the workers to officially begin their shifts at the factory.
The food factory's employee dormitory was a three-story building. The interior layout featured a long central corridor with small private rooms on either side. Each floor had a communal washroom and a partitioned public toilet.
In each room, employee lockers lined both sides of the door—four on each side, all with locks. There were four bunk beds, and a long table sat by the window. Every bed came with a complete set of mattress, quilt, and pillow, all brand new and stamped with "Lu Shifu Food Factory." Each worker also received two sets of sheets, quilt covers, and pillowcases for rotation. More importantly, every room was equipped with heating and electric fans.
Today was the day workers moved into the factory. Although they'd been told in advance not to bring bedding, some workers' family members still worried and showed up lugging large bundles.
The moment they arrived at the employee dormitory building, they were all dumbfounded.
"Sweetie, oh my, look at these white walls—I don't even dare touch them for fear of getting them dirty. And this bedding, they didn't skimp on the soft cotton. Mama's not capable, but you've made something of yourself. From now on, it's all good days ahead."
"Da Qiang, this living situation is pretty nice—way better than home. Don't blame your brother; he's had it tough too. There just wasn't any room at home. You work hard at the factory, and once you've put in your years, you'll have a place of your own."
"Oh my, they even gave every dorm room two thermoses! And this washbasin—it's plastic!"
"Look up—there are even electric fans! We don't even have one at home. When summer comes, it'll be nice and cool."
Of course, some were genuinely happy for their children, while others felt bitter and envious inside.
Li Tengyue was one of the latter. His family was of modest means, and as the youngest son, with both older brothers already married, there was no room at home for him to bring in a wife. When his younger sister returned to town from the countryside, matchmakers came calling. The prospective groom was older and had two kids, but he offered a generous bride price.
Li Tengyue started scheming to use his sister's bride price to fund his own marriage, completely forgetting that it was his sister who had gone to the countryside in his place.
He'd been watching his sister on the verge of caving in and agreeing, when the food factory recruitment drive came along.
His younger sister had signed up together with him, but he was rejected, while his younger sister actually passed and became a worker at the food factory. Now his younger sister had confidence and flatly refused to marry. His eldest and second brothers were also selfish—afraid that if he married, there wouldn't be enough room in the house—and actually supported his younger sister in becoming a worker.
Today he had come along with his younger sister, also intending to watch her make a fool of herself. The family hadn't prepared anything for her, not even a drinking cup. He wanted to see how she'd manage to live.
But after one look, he felt terrible.
All the daily necessities had been issued in a full set, and the sheets and bedding were clearly stuffed with good cotton. The washbasin was even the most popular plastic style on the market.
Why should a girl get to live such a good life? Without a second thought, Li Tengyue snatched the washbasin and towel from Li Hongping's hands. "Our parents haven't even used such good things. I'll take these home for them. And these sheets and bedding—you only need one set. I'm taking the other one too."
Li Hongping's eyes reddened and she pressed her lips together, but she didn't dare argue with Li Tengyue, afraid that if she made a scene, she'd lose her job.
Lin Shengnan, who had been assigned to the same dormitory as Li Hongping, lost her temper and snatched the things back. "The factory has regulations—these all belong to the factory's assets and workers aren't allowed to take them away. It's posted right there at the entrance. If you take them, that's robbery—stealing factory property. If you don't want to end up in jail, get out of here right now. This is the women's dormitory; a man like you has no business hanging around here."
After saying that, she handed the things back to Li Hongping, whose eyes were full of gratitude.
Li Tengyue was the type to bully only those at home. He actually turned around and went to check the worker regulations posted at the entrance, and sure enough, there was a rule stating that workers were not allowed to take factory-issued living supplies away.
He shot Li Hongping a vicious glare, slammed the door, and left.
"What a piece of work." Lin Shengnan rolled her eyes.
Li Hongping whispered to her, "I'm sorry."
Lin Shengnan looked at Li Hongping, baffled. "What are you sorry for? Wait—your temper is way too soft. Was that really your biological brother?"
Li Hongping nodded. She felt terrible inside. Back when she was only sixteen, because she was a girl and not valued by her family, she had been sent to the countryside as a sent-down youth in place of her third brother, Li Tengyue. Fortunately, she wasn't good-looking and was skinny and scrawny—in the eyes of the country folk, she seemed like someone who couldn't bear children—so she managed to survive safely until the opportunity to return to the city came.
After finally making it back to the city, her second brother had already gotten married. The house was too small with no place for her, so she could only sleep on the floor in the living room.
She had never been good-looking to begin with, and after years of farm work in the countryside, exposed to wind and sun, her face and body were two different colors. It was hard to arrange a marriage for her, and on top of that, her parents wanted a higher bride price. In the end, they found her an old man with two children. She had been ready to resign herself to that fate.
Fortunately, she had passed the food factory's recruitment. Her mother had originally not wanted her to come—she wanted her to give the spot to her third brother, Li Tengyue. But the food factory was a foreign joint venture, not like the state-owned factories, and the job couldn't be transferred. Besides, her eldest and second sisters-in-law had their eyes on her high wages—35 yuan a month for the first three months, and 60 yuan a month once she became a regular worker—so they put in a good word for her.
When her mother heard that the factory provided meals, she told her to hand over her wages to the family every month from now on. She agreed, and only then was she allowed to come work at the factory.
Li Hongping had been bottling things up inside, and since Lin Shengnan had just helped her drive off her third brother and the two of them were alone in the dormitory, she quietly poured it all out.
Lin Shengnan was even angrier after hearing it. What kind of people were these? Favoring sons over daughters—rotten feudal thinking.
"You're not really going to give your wages to your family every month, are you?"
"If I don't, they'll come to the factory and make a scene. Then I'm afraid I'll lose my job, and I'll have no choice but to follow their arrangements and get married. If I give them the money, at least I can have a bed of my own here, eat my fill, and not have to marry some old man around the same age as my father."
Li Hongping hung her head, tears falling. Seeing her like this, Lin Shengnan felt a pang of sympathy.
"Don't be afraid. I read the factory regulations—it's only because today is the workers' first day that family members are temporarily allowed to accompany them. They won't be able to get in after this. Also, our factory's logistics department has a worker consultation office. Look, it says right there—workers who encounter difficulties can go to the consultation office for advice, and the factory will provide help. Do you want to go ask? If there's really no other way, then you can give them the money. Don't worry—I'll go with you later."
Li Hongping nodded firmly, a glimmer of hope appearing in her eyes.
The news about Master Lu's food factory—the environment, especially the dormitory conditions, and the fact that employees weren't just given work uniforms but even daily necessities—spread through the family members who had come to see the workers off.
Workers at state-owned factories had originally looked down on joint-venture factories. Although the pay and benefits at joint ventures were higher than at state-owned factories, they weren't "iron rice bowls"—if you didn't perform well, you could be let go at any time. But state-owned factories were different: once you got in, unless you committed a major error, even the factory director didn't have the authority to fire you.
Besides, jobs at state-owned factories could be passed down from generation to generation—how could a joint venture compare? Not to mention, the benefits at their state-owned factory were pretty good too; they handed out stuff every holiday.
But who could have guessed the joint venture's benefits would be that good?
They weren't envious about the worker dormitories—that place was so remote, where else would the workers live without them? And unless you were a leading cadre who got a private room, the state-owned factory had worker dorms too—several people crammed in one room, reeking of sweat all summer, stuffy and sweltering.
Who could have imagined the joint venture would install electric fans in every dorm, even provide bedding, and on top of that, workers didn't even have to wash their own clothes? There was a laundry room on site, with dedicated workers whose job was to wash clothes for the factory staff.
Were they going there to be workers or to live like young masters and ladies? How could someone else be washing their clothes and sheets for them?
"You guys don't get it—my brother-in-law told me, because their factory produces food, they have to emphasize personal hygiene. The workers in the production workshops have to change into special work uniforms and wrap themselves up tight before entering every time. My brother-in-law is a loader—and we all know loading is hard physical labor. Even in the dead of winter, you work up a sweat, let alone summer. The factory requires them to shower every single day."
"Tsk tsk, then that money's not easy to earn. It's fine now in winter, but when summer comes and they're wrapped up head to toe in the production workshop, how much are they suffering? No wonder they give all those benefits—turns out it's just the capitalists' sugar-coated bullets."
"What do you know? I went with my wife to send my brother-in-law to the food factory, and you know what? Their production workshop has air conditioning—central air conditioning."
"Central air conditioning? That stuff's expensive as hell. Those foreigners sure have money. But why are you getting all excited and showing off here? Your brother-in-law doesn't even get to enjoy it, and they require daily showers—that's a few yuan a month in bath tickets, right?"
"No charge. The food factory's bathhouse doesn't have bath tickets at all—hot water runs nonstop all day. I even went in for a look; it's tiled floor to ceiling. And it's not just the bathhouse without tickets—the worker cafeteria doesn't have meal tickets either. You don't even need to bring your own bowls and chopsticks; the factory provides trays. Have you ever seen trays? I heard they only exist in the big cities."
"If there's no meal tickets, what good stuff could they possibly serve?"
"There's a menu on the blackboard outside the cafeteria—meat at every meal."
At the mention of meat at every meal with no money out of pocket, everyone's hearts soured a little. Even the iron rice bowl couldn't comfort them anymore.
"What are you all crowding around here for? Get back to work, get back to work. And you—what are you showing off for? Your brother-in-law's the one enjoying himself, not you."
Similar scenes played out in state-owned factories across Shanghu Town and even Nanhu City—after all, who didn't have a relative a few connections removed working at the food factory? The food factory was the hot topic now, and everyone wanted to show off how much they knew.
.
Lu Chuyu's establishment of a worker consultation office in the logistics department was also a precautionary measure. After all, she couldn't stay in Shanghu Town long-term. Now that Huaxia's policies toward foreign investment were extremely favorable—especially in the coastal special economic zones—once she accumulated experience and strength, she would definitely go there.
But Shanghu Town, as the base of her business empire, naturally had to be taken seriously. So even if she wasn't physically in Shanghu Town, her eyes and ears had to be.
The worker consultation office served two purposes. First, if workers encountered difficulties in work or life, they could come to the office for help. This also prevented the possibility of malicious individuals exploiting factory workers to sabotage the factory in the future, causing major losses.
After all, in this era, there were still plenty of "rats" hiding in the shadows in Huaxia.
Moreover, Lu Chuyu had great confidence in her factory. Once the product range expanded in the future, it would inevitably affect the interests of other state-owned factories, joint ventures, and even wholly foreign-owned enterprises.
State-owned factories were national entities, so they naturally wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics—at least not dirty tricks in the shadows.
But the foreign-invested joint ventures and wholly owned enterprises—Lu Chuyu didn't trust them one bit. They'd use any dirty means available. Buying off workers was something she'd seen all too often in her previous life.
Second, if corruption emerged in the factory—if leading cadres abused their power to line their own pockets or oppress workers—workers could report it at the consultation office.
Of the four staff members in the worker consultation office, two were veterans discharged due to injuries: Sun Zhenghai and Cheng Guoqiang. The other two were Liu Mei, the widow of a soldier who had died at the front lines, and Yang Yuxiang, a deputy director who had just retired this year from the Shanghu Town Women's Federation.
With Lin Shengnan's encouragement and company, Li Hongping knocked on the door of the workers' consultation office. None of Sun Zhenghai's four colleagues had expected that a worker would come seeking help at the workers' consultation office right at the start of operations. It was Yang Yuxiang, with her rich experience in women's federation work, who first had Liu Mei pour two cups of hot water for Li Hongping and her companion, then asked in a gentle tone what difficulties Li Hongping was facing.
Li Hongping was very nervous and spoke haltingly. Lin Shengnan, who was standing by, found it hard to watch and directly spoke up about her situation.
"That's absolutely outrageous!" Sun Zhenghai roared in anger after hearing this, startling Li Hongping so much that she trembled.
Cheng Guoqiang quickly tugged at Sun Zhenghai, signaling him not to frighten the young woman.
Sun Zhenghai realized his mistake—he had been too loud—and smiled apologetically.
Yang Yuxiang, who had worked at the Women's Federation for years, was somewhat accustomed to such matters. She patted Li Hongping's shoulder reassuringly and said, "You don't need to worry about this. As long as you work diligently and don't violate the factory's rules and regulations, the factory won't fire you just because your relatives come to cause trouble. On the contrary, as a member of our food factory, the factory has a responsibility to protect you.
But you should also understand that iron must be forged while hot. Although the factory will shield you, if you can't bring yourself to cut ties with your family, the factory won't play the villain either. Do you understand?"
Li Hongping nodded with red-rimmed eyes. "Thank you, leaders. I'll definitely work hard for the factory."
After Li Hongping left, Liu Mei, who had remained silent throughout, sighed. "I wonder if this young woman can really steel herself." She shook her head as she spoke.
"Hard to say. If she can't stand on her own, we'd be powerless to protect her even if we wanted to—it would just add trouble for the factory."
Sun Zhenghai and Cheng Guoqiang exchanged glances, both wearing puzzled expressions. Seeing this, Yang Yuxiang shared a few cases she had encountered during her time at the Women's Federation, leaving the two men sighing in disbelief.
The worker consultation office reported directly to Sun Yueying, bypassing the factory management, so Lu Chuyu learned of this matter that very evening.
She didn't have much of a reaction to it. Looking at Sun Yueying, she said, "If Li Hongping's family really comes to cause trouble at the factory, notify the commune directly to contact the police station and have the public security officers come to educate them. If Li Hongping then pleads for mercy and makes things difficult for the factory, let her leave together with her family."
She had to respect individual destinies—after all, she wasn't some reincarnated saint.
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Shanghu Town, Liujia Kiln Production Brigade.
Liu Jinfeng rode her red women's bicycle and was surrounded by villagers the moment she entered the village.
"Jinfeng's back? Oh my, that bicycle is gorgeous—what a vibrant color!"
"Feng'er, my eldest boy told me you're now a leader at the food factory, in charge of purchasing for the entire canteen? My hens have laid plenty of eggs—can I sell them to your factory?"
"Jinfeng, when is your factory hiring again? Your Sister Xiaofang passed the written test but failed the interview. You two grew up together—can you pull some strings?"
"Feng'er, when are you and the Lu family tying the knot? Your auntie here is still waiting to drink at your wedding banquet."
Liu Jinfeng's face beamed with a proud smile. "Aunties, although I'm in charge of purchasing for the main canteen, the factory has its rules and regulations. To ensure worker safety, we can't purchase from private individuals. But don't worry, Aunties—I've come back today precisely to discuss a purchasing partnership with the village. You can bring your eggs to the brigade headquarters, and the brigade will handle everything with our factory in a unified manner.
The factory just started operations, and I'm swamped with work—I barely have time to think about personal matters. It'll have to wait until after the New Year. I'll invite all you aunties to the wedding banquet for wedding candy then."
She absolutely loved this feeling of being feted. From entering the village to reaching home, she had been stopped several times along the way, yet Liu Jinfeng showed not a hint of impatience, greeting and chatting with everyone with a radiant smile.
"Father, Mother, I'm back!"
"Feng'er, you're back!" Sister-in-law Liu (Second) was tidying firewood in the yard and hurried over with a smile upon hearing the commotion.
"Second Sister-in-law, I've got good news."
Sister-in-law Liu's eyes lit up at these words. Could it be that the job situation had been resolved?
Liu Jinfeng didn't deliberately drag it out. After parking her bicycle, she said, "Second Sister-in-law, you know the factory's recruitment has even drawn attention from the provincial level, so it wouldn't be appropriate to pull strings for Second Brother—after all, our own family has to lead by example. But now there's an opportunity. Since I'm in charge of canteen purchasing, I have hundreds of mouths to feed the moment I open my eyes each day. The workers' nutrition has to be maintained—every meal needs some meat. So I was thinking of establishing a partnership with the village. The brigade will organize things, and our factory will uniformly purchase agricultural products like eggs.
This requires someone dedicated to collecting and delivering goods. A couple of days ago, I mentioned it to my cousin, and she's kind-hearted and generous, doing her sister-in-law this favor. In a bit, help Second Brother pack a few changes of clothes. He'll come back to the factory with me first to learn driving in the transport team. Once he can drive on his own, the village delivery routes will be his."
"What?! Your Second Brother can become a driver? Oh my heavens! Little Sister, I don't even know what to say. I'll remember this forever. From now on, I'll work like a horse for you and do whatever you say." Sister-in-law Liu jumped up in excitement.
A driver! In this day and age, if you could drive, you'd never have to worry about a living for the rest of your life.
Mother Liu, who had been cooking in the kitchen, and Father Liu, who had been drinking tea in the main hall, both came out upon hearing Sister-in-law Liu's loud voice in the courtyard.
"Feng'er's back, come inside quickly. Look at your face, all chapped from the wind—why didn't you bundle up properly?" Mother Liu said with concern as she pulled Liu Jinfeng into the house.
Brother Liu (Second) also came out of his room and looked at Sister-in-law Liu. "What are you yelling about? Go pour your sister-in-law some hot water to warm her stomach. Jinfeng, next time you plan to come back, send word through someone ahead of time and I'll pick you up from the factory. Riding a bike in the dead of winter freezes your hands."
"Since when am I so delicate?"
"Jinhu, you don't know—our little sister found you a driver's job. You're going to be a driver from now on!" Sister-in-law Liu grabbed Brother Liu's arm excitedly. Even Father Liu and Mother Liu were stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.
When the food factory had announced recruitment, both sons and their wives had signed up, but only the second son had passed the written exam—he'd failed the interview. Because of that, some villagers had been gossiping behind their backs, saying that the Lu family didn't even care about their in-laws' reputation, and that they probably didn't want to acknowledge the Liu family connection anyway, since the marriage hadn't actually been formalized.
If Jinfeng hadn't directly become the purchasing supervisor for the food factory's workers' canteen, Mother Liu probably wouldn't have been able to sleep a wink.
"Feng, did you really arrange something for your second brother?"
"Of course. He's my own brother—how could I not look out for him when I have the chance?"
Father Liu's body trembled with excitement. Even though he wasn't someone who favored sons over daughters and genuinely doted on his daughter, sons were ultimately different from daughters.
If his son made something of himself, the Liu family would rise.
If his daughter made something of herself, it only meant he and his wife could enjoy some comfort—after all, they couldn't have their daughter constantly subsidizing her natal family. How would she manage her own life then? Her husband's family would look down on her.
"Feng, what about your eldest brother?" Mother Liu asked in a low voice. She knew her eldest daughter-in-law didn't get along with her daughter, but the eldest son hadn't burned bridges with her.
Liu Jinfeng didn't answer Mother Liu directly. Instead, she asked, "Where's my eldest brother?"
"He went with your sister-in-law to her parents' house."
Liu Jinfeng nodded, took the warm water Sister-in-law Liu eagerly handed over, and drank a few sips before saying, "Mother, I may not see eye to eye with my eldest sister-in-law, and I won't help her or her family, but my eldest brother is still my own brother. He treated me well growing up. If I had the chance, of course I'd think of him—but he has to show some initiative too. He didn't even pass the written exam. How could I open my mouth to ask? It's a hard requirement. Anyway, the farm work can't be left unattended. Let eldest brother stay home for now and study hard. At least he needs to pass the written exam, and then I'll keep an eye out for him."
"Alright, alright. I'll talk to your eldest brother when he gets back." Mother Liu's face was full of relief.
Nearby, Brother Liu (Second) and Sister-in-law Liu exchanged a glance, everything unspoken between them. Neither said a word.
Sister-in-law Liu was absolutely delighted inside. When the eldest sister-in-law came back tonight and found out her husband was going to be a driver—a driver, no less!—she'd probably throw a fit. She'd be kicking herself with regret. Just thinking about it lifted her spirits.
Nanhu City, Dayu Town.
Wang Mingliang had been scratching his head anxiously lately. The food factory had already officially started operations, so why hadn't Ms. Lu come to their Dayu Town yet? Could that old fox Qian Changjiang be scheming behind the scenes?
The more he stewed over it, the more his heart raced.
He'd snuck off to a distance to watch the spectacle of Master Lu's food factory recruitment in Shanghu Town. Why didn't he watch openly? He simply couldn't bear to face Qian Changjiang's smug, punchable face.
He was genuinely bitter about it. Why couldn't Ms. Lu be from their Dayu Town?
To that end, Wang Mingliang had even made private inquiries about whether there were any former Lu family properties in Dayu Town. After all, the Lu family had run a shop there—they must have had a place to live. What if there was one? He could follow Shanghu Town's example and return the house to the Lu family.
Turns out there had been one, but it had long been demolished to build the supply and marketing cooperative.
Just thinking about it was heartbreaking. Now Wang Mingliang didn't even dare bring it up—after all, there was no way he could return the supply cooperative to the Lu family.
Wang Mingliang was in the middle of his frustration when the office phone rang. He picked it up and found it was Guo Ran, the deputy factory director of the food factory, calling. His mood immediately brightened.
Persistence pays off—their Dayu Town had finally found the right person.