Li Fang didn’t hold back, and Cheng Hui couldn’t afford to be outdone either.
She awkwardly stuffed 10 yuan into Li Fang’s hand.
Li Fang got angry: “Are you looking down on your sister? Would I take money from you for a few eggs?”
Seeing she was genuinely upset, Cheng Hui immediately changed her tone: “Sister, how can you say that? If I looked down on you, would I share everything with you? I thought damaged eggs were also one yuan per jin! Aren’t they? That’s wonderful!”
Li Fang smiled and whispered: “Damaged eggs don’t keep well, so naturally they can’t be sold at the price of good eggs. They’re only 5 mao per jin.”
Cheng Hui promptly took back 5 yuan, happily saying: “Sister, you’ve saved me so much money! Tomorrow I’ll bring you something delicious that I made myself – guaranteed to be tasty.”
Hearing she made it herself, Li Fang assumed it was ordinary and didn’t refuse.
“Sister Fang” had directly become “sister.”
The two became even closer, truly like long-lost sisters, walking downstairs arm in arm.
An hour later, Wang Bin returned carrying a bag of eggs and delivered them directly to Li Fang’s counter.
Cheng Hui was still there. Li Fang directly took out the tickets and money and handed them to him.
Wang Bin didn’t stand on ceremony either, pocketed the money, nodded to Cheng Hui in greeting, and left.
Cheng Hui immediately formed a good impression of him.
Li Fang was busy serving customers. She opened the bag and glanced inside – you couldn’t even tell where the “damaged eggs” were damaged. She nodded in satisfaction and handed the bag to Cheng Hui.
“I won’t keep you,” Li Fang said. “The train will be arriving soon. Go to the station and find Stationmaster Sun – he’s my maternal uncle! Just mention my childhood name and you can wait in his office to keep warm!”
A customer nearby laughed and asked: “What’s your childhood name? I happen to be going on a business trip – let me borrow it.”
Customers who bought famous cigarettes and liquor usually had some status.
That’s why Cheng Hui had been sitting here for an hour without leaving – she’d become familiar with many faces!
The person asking was a regular customer whom Li Fang also knew. She laughed: “Factory Director Zhao, you must be joking! Who doesn’t recognize your face? Why would you need my childhood name?”
“Hahaha.” Factory Director Zhao laughed heartily, clearly enjoying being flattered. Cheng Hui took note.
She bid farewell to Li Fang and left – it really was time to catch the train.
Wang Hui carried 10 bottles of liquor on his back, while the stronger Li Yan carried 10 jin of eggs along with the table and miscellaneous items. Tao Juan supported Cheng Hui as they went to the station.
They arrived a bit early. Cheng Hui didn’t go looking for any Stationmaster Sun – it wasn’t the right time yet.
The station was crowded, and there was heating along the walls, so it wasn’t too cold. After waiting a while, they boarded the train.
The advantage of commuter trains was that they stopped at every station. Hongqi Commune also had a platform with a one-minute stop.
Getting off the train, Cheng Hui saw Guo Dajun and others who had come to meet them.
Her eyes swept over the group – everyone was present except for Lao Xie.
“Sister-in-law! How are you? Are you tired?” Gao Zhi pushed past Tao Juan to support her personally.
But Guo Dajun’s eyes were fixed on the three carrying baskets. Seeing they weren’t empty but contained different items from what they’d carried away in the morning, his expression immediately became quite animated.
He asked directly: “Did you sell everything? For how much?”
Tao Juan didn’t keep him in suspense, holding up one hand: “5 mao each! They were sold out in the blink of an eye… by Factory Director Cheng!”
Guo Dajun’s attention was completely focused on “5 mao each.” His eyes immediately turned red.
The others were similar – fidgeting nervously, their faces flushed red!
Yesterday Cheng Hui said she would sell them for 1 yuan each, but later changed her mind about the price, leaving everyone confused. They stopped asking and waited for today’s outcome.
After all, whether the price was high or low wasn’t the main point—the real question was whether anyone would actually buy them!
Cheng Hui skipped the pleasantries and started assigning tasks as she walked into the factory: “Li Yan, take 5 yuan and send someone to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy kraft paper. I’m not sure if they restocked today. If not, go to another cooperative—get at least 30 sheets.
“And ink—fountain pen ink, not calligraphy ink. Calligraphy ink smells too strong. If the cooperative sells pigments, that would be even better.”
Fountain pen ink still had some odor; the best option would be black food coloring, but that was just wishful thinking—impossible to obtain now.
Actually, these items could have been bought earlier at the Department Store, but she hadn’t done so.
That would have revealed their shortage of production materials.
Buying a specific amount of kraft paper and cutting it into packaging the next day? A clever person would immediately catch on.
Cheng Hui then took out an oil coupon and a sugar coupon, saying, “Take another 5 yuan and send someone else to buy sugar and oil.
“Give the money to Director Guo—he’ll decide who goes.”
Li Yan promptly pulled out the money, efficient and decisive.
After the dumpling meal yesterday, Cheng Hui had entrusted all funds to Li Yan.
From now on, Wang Hui would handle bookkeeping and accounting, while disbursements would go through Li Yan.
Even the money for the eggs she bought earlier had been requested from him.
Li Yan was so moved he nearly recited the “Chu Shi Biao” on the spot to pledge his loyalty! Though he felt it might be inappropriate, it was the only text he had memorized.
Cheng Hui didn’t trust him based solely on his words—this was something she would assess over time.
Director Guo held the money and, as instructed, picked two people, giving each 5 yuan to purchase the items Cheng Hui mentioned.
He felt something was off—was this really how management worked?
But his mind was preoccupied with the Weifeng Cakes priced at 50 cents each, and he quickly dismissed the thought.
The group returned to the factory in high spirits.
Lao Xie was waiting by the gate. Seeing everyone, he hurried over to open it. Noticing their cheerful expressions, he glanced at Cheng Hui, his wrinkled, thin face breaking into a brief smile before he retreated to the gatehouse.
He was just the gatekeeper—other matters weren’t his concern.
Now, it seemed he could continue in his role.
Cheng Hui went straight to the workshop to inspect the items made during the day.
Sixty eggs could be mixed with 10 jin of flour, yielding two and a half batches—250 cakes.
If Gao Zhi had failed, there would still be time to fix it.
But once again, Gao Zhi surpassed her expectations.
The results were only slightly inferior to what Cheng Hui had made herself yesterday—hardly noticeable to anyone but an expert.
“You have real talent!” Cheng Hui praised her repeatedly.
In her previous life, she hadn’t noticed this aptitude in Gao Zhi, only knowing her as a troublemaker.
Gao Zhi blushed deeply, grinning widely, and admitted frankly: “I didn’t dare fail! If I messed up, I’d lose my job! I put everything into doing it right!”
Yesterday, only Cheng Hui’s position as deputy director had been mentioned; Gao Zhi’s role wasn’t addressed, and everyone assumed she was just an assistant.
Now that she had assigned herself a job, no one objected.
Gao Zhi’s importance was clear—no one dared question her status as a factory employee now.
Cheng Hui suddenly realized that perhaps Gao Zhi’s desperate antics in her previous life weren’t for the sake of a man, but for an urban residency status and a job.
Whether that was true or not would become clear in time.
“Alright, let me share today’s results. All the Weifeng Cakes have been sold, bringing in 150 yuan.”
Before everyone could get excited, she continued: “Then I spent 5 yuan on eggs, another 80 yuan on 10 bottles of Maotai as benefits for everyone, and 10 yuan for a dumpling meal for our group. That’s all.”
Everyone was petrified…