17
I Went to the Soap Factory (Catching Bugs): It’s Just Selling Soap, Right?
Dr. Chen acted swiftly and took leave the next day to visit the chemical research institute.
Just as Wang Xiao was studying the city map, calculating how to sell her formula to earn an extra thirty or fifty thousand, she was unexpectedly summoned by the senior leader.
The leader skipped the formalities and got straight to the point, asking her what she had in mind.
“Given your expertise, it’s only natural for you to have thoughts about your work. So, tell me your ideas.”
The senior leader’s expression could be described as amiable, but Wang Xiao felt her scalp prickle with anxiety. She could only respond vaguely, “I’ll follow all directives, prioritize the bigger picture, and accept whatever arrangements the leadership makes.”
Chen Yanqiu was exasperated by her foolish daughter. At home, Wang Xiao acted tough and capable, but the moment she stepped out into the workplace, she turned timid—a classic case of being bold only behind closed doors!
Just as Chen Yanqiu raised her eyebrows to speak, the door to the leader’s office opened.
Sister Miao knocked and entered. Spotting Wang Xiao, she smiled and said, “Oh, perfect timing, Director. I’m here to make a request. Xiao Gao is injured and hospitalized, but our project can’t stall. I’m here to recruit help. Xiao Wang, come on, no slacking off. You’re too young to be idling away in the warehouse. Come with me to the testing lab.”
Without giving Wang Xiao a chance to refuse, Sister Miao grabbed her by the arm and pulled her along.
Chen Yanqiu was overjoyed at the sight and quickly pushed her daughter from behind. This silly girl, faced with such a golden opportunity, was moving as slowly as a tortoise—utterly infuriating.
Poor Wang Xiao, caught between two career-driven women, had no way to slack off and could only trudge forward resentfully.
This is the end, she thought. I need to escape quickly.
Her eyes darted around, and she caught sight of a figure slipping past the restroom entrance. She hurriedly chased after them, saying, “Sister Miao, I need to use the restroom.”
Chen Yanqiu was furious. “You girl, always finding excuses to slack off. The moment things get critical, you need the bathroom.”
Sister Miao, however, defended the younger generation. “Oh, perfect timing. I need to use the restroom too.”
Wang Xiao wasn’t sure how men handled bathroom breaks, but women truly loved going in groups. Seeing the two formidable women follow her into the stalls, she quickly spoke up, “What about Xiao Gao? He’s injured, and I’m supposed to go to the testing lab.”
At least eight out of ten researchers were straightforward and didn’t consider the possibility of eavesdroppers in the restroom.
Sister Miao snorted dismissively. “He took your spot. This was originally your position. Why worry about him? Focus on yourself first.”
Wang Xiao played the role of the overly kind person. “But he was injured on the job. It’s a work-related injury. The institute can’t just abandon him.”
Sister Miao grew impatient. “That’s the director’s problem. Why are you meddling? Come on, let’s go. We’re at the final step. If you delay any longer, your name won’t even make it onto the project roster.”
Wang Xiao had no choice but to dawdle while washing her hands and leaving the restroom. She glanced at the distant figure hurrying away and felt slightly reassured. Director Xiao certainly wouldn’t neglect his dear nephew. With him stepping in, things were bound to take a turn for the better.
But for now, she wouldn’t dare go anywhere near the chemistry lab, even if it killed her.
So, Wang Xiao started procrastinating again. “Then I’ll go to the warehouse to pack my things so I can hand them over to someone later.”
Sister Miao, a senior engineer, couldn’t stand the young people’s dawdling: “Why bother with that? Coming with me to the lab is what really matters.”
Wang Xiao immediately insisted: “That won’t do. I must stand my last watch properly, so no one can gossip about me.”
As the factory doctor responsible for the entire medical office, Chen Yanqiu dared not neglect logistical support. She now sided with her daughter: “She should tidy things up properly to avoid being blamed if anything goes missing later. She’s not one to argue and can’t win against others anyway. It’s fine, Engineer Miao, I’ll help Wang Xiao sort things out.”
Sister Miao reluctantly agreed: “Alright, I’ll join you both.”
But in reality, when the three returned to the warehouse, there was hardly any work to be done.
Wang Xiao, the overachieving warehouse keeper, had managed her duties so impeccably that neither senior management nor the office could find any fault. All supplies were perfectly categorized and organized, requiring no additional tidying.
Their only task was to hand over to the next warehouse keeper, simply cross-checking physical inventory against the ledger.
This wasn’t difficult either. The Chemical Research Institute had 165 employees, with two-thirds being technical professionals and the remaining third mostly administrative and support staff. Despite years of streamlining initiatives, they could easily assign an experienced uncle to oversee the warehouse.
The replacement had no objections either—it merely meant moving his tea-drinking and newspaper-reading from the office to the warehouse. Without people chattering nearby, he’d enjoy more peace and quiet.
Despite Wang Xiao’s deliberate stalling, her prior efficiency meant the handover was completed smoothly in under an hour.
Such was the plight of an overachiever—even when trying to slack off last-minute, adequate conditions for doing so were lacking.
The poor transmigrator had no choice but to steel herself and follow Sister Miao toward the laboratory.
Utterly oblivious to her junior’s reluctance, Sister Miao assured Chen Yanqiu: “I’ve watched this girl join the institute and work on projects. She’s quick-witted, focused, meticulous, and reliable—born for chemical engineering.”
Just seeing how neatly she’d organized the warehouse proved the girl was no slacker.
Chen Yanqiu beamed: “Then we’ll have to trouble you more in the future, Engineer Miao. To be frank, when our Xiao Xiao chose chemistry, many made sarcastic remarks about girls not getting anywhere in STEM fields. But our Xiao Xiao is stubborn—she’s always loved chemistry and insisted on this career.”
This struck a chord with Sister Miao.
Despite decades of “women holding up half the sky,” female chemical engineers remained scarce, and high-achievers even rarer.
Take their institute: among 16 senior engineers, only she and another elderly lady were women. The elder colleague was often hospitalized, spending at least half the year bedridden.
Sister Miao was eager to mentor more female juniors.
Hearing Chen Yanqiu’s stance, she immediately adopted a big-sister attitude: “Don’t worry. If the child dedicates herself to research, she’ll achieve results sooner or later. Forget Madame Curie—without Wu Jianxiong, the Manhattan Project would never have succeeded. We’re all women here—why believe such nonsense? Girls in STEM—no, in any field—are no worse than men. Xiao Wang, listen to your Sister Miao: work hard.”
Wang Xiao couldn’t even meet her eyes.
Faced with such a genuinely supportive female leader who practiced true “girl help girl” solidarity, she found it hard to summon the moral detachment to outright refuse.
She could only drag her feet as she followed the woman into the lab, sluggishly changed into a white coat, and then stared in despair at the rows of bottles and containers filling the room.
Somehow, the senior leader wandered over again. Taking in the scene, he merely rubbed his nose and said, “Alright, alright, get to it quickly. Try to get the paper published this week. And that report—hurry up and finish it. It’ll be December before we know it.”
Sister Miao, having gotten her way, was thoroughly satisfied. “I’ve just recruited Xiao Wang for this task. She’s dexterous and writes well—her articles are solid and reliable.”
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor, and Gao Weimin appeared at the lab door, one arm in a sling, his face flushed and pale.
He looked pitifully at everyone in the room and cautiously said, “Director, Engineer Miao, I’ve been discharged from the hospital. If there’s any task, I’ll take care of it.”
Director Xiao chased after him, panting as he scolded, “You little rascal, what’s the rush? No one’s going to steal your job. You’ve had several bags of blood transfusions, and you’re still shaking—go home and rest properly!”
He then smiled at the leaders and colleagues in the lab. “Oh, Engineer Miao, look at him. For anything that needs signing—reports, papers—just sign on his behalf.”
Chen Yanqiu was still confused, but all the other employees at the Chemical Engineering Institute instantly understood.
Why had Gao Weimin rushed over in such a hurry? He was desperate to secure his spot.
The number of positions in a project team was fixed. There was only one slot for new hires this year.
Now that Wang Xiao had taken over, where did that leave Gao Weimin?
Everyone knew that the foaming agent project was guaranteed at least a provincial third-class award. Anyone involved could list it as a standout achievement on their resume—a solid credential for future promotions, impossible to overlook.
Gao Weimin had worked hard to get on board, and now that someone was trying to push him off, there was no way he’d accept it without a fight!
The director was also in a difficult position.
As a leader, he was naturally focused on the institute’s key projects and well aware of the active role Wang Xiao had played. Otherwise, Sister Miao—not one to mince words—wouldn’t have repeatedly advocated for her.
However, public institutions had their own culture—they valued relationships and a sense of community.
Young Gao had also worked diligently from start to finish. Even if he hadn’t achieved remarkable results, he’d put in the effort. Plus, he’d been injured on the job and nearly lost his life.
To exclude him now, just as the project was concluding and rewards were being distributed, would come across as utterly heartless.
Gao Weimin pretended to suddenly understand, his eyes fixed on Sister Miao. “Need a signature, Engineer Miao? Where do I sign? Sister Miao, it’s fine—I injured my left hand. My right hand can still sign.”
Sister Miao’s expression turned grim. She didn’t respond to him, instead turning to the director. “I really need people to get the work done. With Xiao Gao in this state, how can I possibly use him?”
Director Xiao, however, spoke cheerfully, “Xiao Gao should go home and rest. If you’re short-handed, just call Xiao Wu over to help for a couple of days. Their oxidizer project is finished anyway—it’s a good opportunity for him to learn something new. Besides, higher-ups are always talking about cultivating versatile talent.”
Sister Miao fell silent. She couldn’t say Xiao Wu was incompetent—he was a legitimate chemistry graduate after all. Though his intellect was average, he was diligent in his work.
Moreover, he was already credited in the oxidizer project, so there was no need for him to insist on adding his name to the foaming agent project at this point.
The director also realized this and quickly chimed in: “Alright, let Xiao Wu come over. The young man is earnest in his work and deserves proper training. Xiao Gao, don’t worry about your tasks anymore. Go back and rest well. Health is the foundation of revolution.”
Chen Yanqiu grew anxious upon hearing this—so her Xiao Xiao was suddenly out of the picture? Was her Xiao Xiao still meant to do odd jobs in the warehouse? None of that nonsense about being “a brick in the revolution.” Wasting talent was squandering national resources!
Director Xiao smiled amiably: “Oh, my dear sister, our Chemical Research Institute has always valued talent, especially young talent. Xiao Wang is promising material, as everyone can see. How could we not give her more responsibilities? She’s been working on the foaming agent project, so it’s perfect for her to go to the soap factory. Xin County Soap Factory has asked for our help to improve their soap-making process and launch new products to boost sales. Xiao Wang is young and knows what the younger generation likes. She’s the ideal candidate to provide technical guidance there.”
Sister Miao was so angry she laughed: “I’d believe it if you said a shoe factory. But AC foaming agent for making soap? How did you even come up with that? Show me how it’s done!”
Even Gao Weimin, a known slacker in college, felt embarrassed. His uncle was truly ignorant—AC foaming agent could be used in rubber or food processing, but he’d never heard of it being used to make soap.
What a joke.
Hah, and his uncle had the nerve to call him uneducated. His uncle, a worker-peasant-soldier college graduate, was even less knowledgeable than him.
Director Xiao was only embarrassed for half a second before regaining his composure: “What I mean is, given Xiao Wang’s skill level, she’ll have no problem serving as a technical advisor at Xin County Soap Factory. I’m genuinely considering her future development. To turn scientific achievements into productive forces, we must integrate them with enterprises and practical production. Since we don’t have our own factory, we need to collaborate closely with plants, understand their technical needs, and provide corresponding solutions.”
He rambled on without pause. Chen Yanqiu tried several times to interrupt but found no opening. Instead, Wang Xiao stole the show with one sentence: “I’ll go. I’ll go to the soap factory.”
“Ahem—” Director Xiao choked, staring wide-eyed at Wang Xiao, suspecting she had poured all her intelligence into chemical research and was a complete fool in every other regard.
He hadn’t even finished making his case, and she actually agreed to go to Xin County for technical support.
Was Xin County Soap Factory really lacking technical support? They were short on equipment and outdated techniques—their old makeshift methods were no longer viable. If only they could invest 900,000 yuan like Chemical Plant No. 2 to import a set of Swedish equipment, all their problems would be solved.
Expecting the horse to run without feeding it, unable to fork out much money, and hoping the Chemical Research Institute could improve their technology was useless. Technological application requires equipment support.
This girl had no sense of reality and really overestimated herself.
Wang Xiao remained expressionless and repeated: “Xin County Soap Factory, right? I’ll go.”
She truly knew nothing about chemical engineering, but she excelled at sales.
The soap factory’s current problem was that the soap couldn’t be sold—so she just needed to sell the soap.
So easy, no problem!