Lin Ruyuan’s expression darkened—right now, her sister’s safety was the most important thing.
“Eh? Why hasn’t your father come home for dinner yet?” Zhao Guixiang muttered. What time is it anyway?
After finishing dinner and still not seeing Lao Lin return, she guessed he might be working overtime at the factory, and told Ruyuan to take the food to him.
“Go quickly and come back quickly,” Zhao Guixiang said, handing her daughter the lunchbox. Her back couldn’t handle long walks, so she had to send Ruyuan as her “errand runner.”
Lin Baoguo worked at the Jing City textile factory. Although there were many female workers, the factory also needed men to move heavy materials.
Unlike female workers who received a fixed monthly salary, Lin Baoguo and the other laborers were paid daily—they earned according to how much work they did. On days without work, they might wait around for nothing, but a state-owned enterprise like Jing City Textile almost always had tasks every day.
The factory didn’t provide meals, so they had to feed themselves. If they finished early, they could go home for dinner, but sometimes Lin Baoguo had to work overtime moving materials and didn’t even have time to eat. Whoever in the family was free would bring him meals.
It was almost a half-hour walk. When Lin Ruyuan arrived at the factory, the sky had darkened, and the workshop ahead was lit.
As she got closer, something felt off.
“Eh? Isn’t this Lao Lin’s daughter?”
Seeing a familiar face, Lin Ruyuan lifted the corners of her mouth in a slight smile. “Uncle Li,” she called, glancing down. “Where’s my father?”
Li Zhenping, also a laborer, got along well with her father.
“He’ll be here soon!” Li Zhenping chuckled. “You’re here to deliver food again?”
“Yes,” Lin Ruyuan nodded lightly.
Just then, Lin Baoguo arrived.
“Dad, do you have to work overtime tonight?”
Taking the lunchbox, Lin Baoguo sighed, looking despondent. “I don’t know.”
The entrance to the workshop wasn’t a good place to talk, so he motioned for her to move aside.
They squatted against a nearby wall as he explained, “Something came up at the factory today. The director is angry with the workers, and the supervisor won’t let anyone leave. We laborers have no choice but to stay. I don’t know when I’ll get back tonight, so don’t wait for me—just drop the food in tonight.”
Overnight at the factory? Lin Ruyuan frowned slightly. Could her father handle it physically?
Labor work earned hard-won money—enough to cover basic needs, not to make life comfortable.
Although Lin Ruyuan despised the scheming in business, she couldn’t deny the value of money.
“Dad, eat first, or the food will get cold,” she said softly.
Li Zhenping and a few other laborers stood nearby, arms crossed. Some had food brought, others would eat later.
“Looks like we’ll be here all night,” Li Zhenping said casually.
“I’ve never seen the director so furious! He’s scolding the supervisor like he’s his grandson!”
“Why’s that? I heard the supervisor is the director’s brother-in-law.”
“Wasn’t it because of that foreign collaboration? They delivered the goods, but never got the final payment. The director demanded the money, and the other party just pulled out the contract, saying ‘This is what we signed!’”
“So you’re saying the contract’s the problem?”
“Ha! We don’t know the details, but this messed-up deal really cost the textile factory.”
Lin Ruyuan listened, her eyes flashing. The 1980s were the early years of domestic enterprises, and the government encouraged businesses to cooperate with foreign investors to boost the economy.
In her previous life, the Fang family’s garment factory also worked with foreign partners. Later, she shifted the focus to domestic business and, through her own efforts, grew a factory making tens of thousands a year into a publicly listed company worth billions.
Currently, domestic consumption was limited. For a textile factory, foreign collaboration could bring a significant profit.
But why had the contract gone wrong? Lin Ruyuan wondered.
From ahead came shouts of anger:
“Useless! You can’t even handle something this simple! What use are you to me?”
“Brother-in-law, I really don’t know! The contract was reviewed by Translator Feng, and he said it was fine. Now they’re not paying the final amount—what can I do?”
“You dare talk back to me?! Your skin must be itchy! Idiot! If this deal falls through, I don’t want you as supervisor anymore!”
“Even if you beat me to death, I don’t know what’s going on!”
The man in proper clothes with a beer belly scolding everyone was the director, and the thin, obedient man getting yelled at was the supervisor.
Lin Ruyuan watched as Lin Baoguo quickly finished his meal. “Let’s go.”
She nodded softly, lifting the lunchbox, ready to leave—but then more voices rang out.
The director, face drooping, shouted, “Where’s the translator? Bring him here!”
“Going home…” the supervisor said weakly.
The director glared again. “Why are you standing here? Go get the translator! The longer this takes, the harder it’ll be to recover our payment!”
“Yes, I’m going,” the supervisor ran off.
Translators were in high demand and expensive. Translator Feng had come earlier that day, reviewed the contract, and said it was fine. His day’s wages had already been paid.
Now bringing him back meant overtime—and overtime pay.
Lin Ruyuan didn’t hurry to leave. She had a business mind and knew how to seize any opportunity.
After waiting a while, the supervisor returned with a dark expression. “Brother-in-law, that bastard suddenly wants extra pay! He won’t come for less than a thousand yuan, see…”
“He’s a bastard, and you’re an idiot! What time is it? If he wants more, give it! If this deal goes through, what’s a thousand yuan?!” the director snapped, glaring at his brother-in-law. Fool!
“Yes, I understand. I’ll go get him now,” the supervisor ran off again.
The director stood with hands on his hips, visibly irritated.
“Hello, director…” Lin Ruyuan said, a faint smile on her lips, stepping forward. “I’ve roughly understood the issue with the foreign collaboration. May I see the contract?”
Director Chen Zhigang furrowed his brows and sized her up. “Who are you?”