Even though things weren’t as difficult for Han Dongyuan as outsiders imagined, one couldn’t just say that openly.
Take Liao Sheng, for example, when he visited Xu Jianguo’s dorm. The dorm was hosting a feast, and while eating, everyone crowded around Xu Jianguo, asking about the factory.
Xu Jianguo was an honest worker, but very cautious. He would say what should be said, and not let slip a single word that shouldn’t.
As soon as Liao Sheng arrived, he was pulled in and plied with questions.
He wasn’t in a rush—after all, Cheng Ning was over at Han Dongyuan’s place, apparently discussing product drafts with him. Han had said “later,” which clearly didn’t mean an immediate meeting. So Liao Sheng wisely decided to linger a bit before heading back. Dragged into eating, he sat down. Everyone peppered him with questions, and he answered casually between bites.
“Liao Sheng, how exactly is the bamboo-and-wood factory arranging the workers?”
“We haven’t had the meeting yet. That’ll be discussed. Don’t worry—you won’t be left out.”
“What about wages? Can our factory’s pay be tied to outside ones?”
“You’re dreaming. We’re dirt poor—nothing but losses. At best, you’ll get full work points. The brigade has no money; it’s all Dongyuan himself putting in cash so everyone can earn points.”
The crowd looked disappointed.
Liao Sheng glanced at the questioner and added: “But that’s just at the start. Right now we’ve got nothing—no workshop, no technology. Once production gets going and the goods sell, things will definitely improve. So let’s all work hard. If we work, at least we’ll have food and hope. If we don’t, then we’ll have nothing.”
That struck home. Everyone perked up again.
After chatting for quite a while, Liao Sheng finally pulled Xu Jianguo back to his own dorm.
When they returned, Sun Jian, Zhu Xian, and Yang Hongbing weren’t back yet—only Cheng Ning and Han Dongyuan were there.
Han Dongyuan was sitting on the kang, flipping through a book. Cheng Ning was working under the kerosene lamp, scribbling calculations, occasionally turning to ask Han Dongyuan something. He would pause, answer her offhandedly, and then go back to his book. The scene was unexpectedly warm and harmonious.
Liao Sheng wasn’t surprised, but Xu Jianguo was. He hadn’t imagined Cheng Ning and Han Dongyuan interacting like this. He’d heard gossip: Cheng Ning, infatuated with Han, had abandoned a good job in North City, defied her family’s objections, and followed him to the countryside. Han, though often impatient with her, still looked after her since they’d grown up in the same compound.
But now? Impatient? Xu Jianguo had never seen Han Dongyuan so patient with anyone. His face still wore its usual lazy, insolent look, but there was something different—an air of indulgence, even pride.
“Damn,” Xu Jianguo muttered, rubbing the goosebumps on his arm through his padded coat.
When the two men entered, the pair inside didn’t even break off their quiet exchange. Han Dongyuan was pointing at Cheng Ning’s notebook. They were still talking.
Xu Jianguo began to feel a little uneasy.
Liao Sheng, on the other hand, was as carefree as ever. He said, “Brother Yuan, Ning Ning, you two aren’t finished yet?”
Only then did Han Dongyuan lift his head, glance at the two of them, and say, “We’re done. Come over, sit together.”
He stood up naturally, bracing himself on the kang table, and told Cheng Ning, “Move in a bit.”
Cheng Ning understood this meant they were about to sit down for a meeting, so she quickly shifted inward. She left a space beside her, and Han Dongyuan sat down there, motioning for Liao Sheng and Xu Jianguo to sit opposite.
He even pushed Cheng Ning’s papers further inside with a casual hand.
Cheng Ning didn’t mind—she muttered something, probably complaining about his roughness, but just as naturally gathered her things. She showed neither delight nor shyness at him sitting beside her; it was as if this arrangement was simply the way things ought to be.
Xu Jianguo’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Impatient? Disdainful?
Since when had Han Dongyuan ever treated a girl like this? Since when had he ever let one sit on his kang—let alone inside?
He looked at Liao Sheng. But Liao Sheng acted blind, ignoring it all. He simply took off his shoes, sat opposite Cheng Ning on the kang, and casually grabbed a piece of sugar cake to eat.
Yes, of course. The three of them had grown up together. Their way of interacting must always have been like this, which was why Liao Sheng wasn’t surprised.
Indeed, Liao Sheng wasn’t surprised. To him, Cheng Ning was Han Dongyuan’s own sister. No matter how indifferent he seemed, she was still his sister. Would he let Xu Jianguo sit beside her instead? Impossible.
He remembered how Han Dongyuan used to forbid anyone from even mentioning his precious sister, let alone getting close to her. So letting another man sit at her side? That was unthinkable.
The group sat down.
Han Dongyuan handed Cheng Ning’s draft to Xu Jianguo.
Xu Jinguo took it, flipped through, and grew more and more astonished.
And a little ashamed. Earlier that day at the commune, he’d heard Liao Sheng mention that Cheng Ning was helping design the factory.
What was there to design? he thought. Surely it was just her sketching shovels, cutting boards, bowls, and spoons onto paper, marking dimensions so workers could produce them uniformly.
He had never imagined there would be any special styles. Weren’t they just the same shovels and cutting boards you saw every day?
But as he looked at Cheng Ning’s drawings, he realized—these ordinary shovels and cutting boards, how did they look so different when she sketched them?
“Comrade Cheng,” He turned to her and asked, “Did you come up with all these yourself?”
Xu Jinguo was also a sent-down youth from Beicheng. Han Dongyuan had put him in charge of production, and he had reviewed the materials they’d collected. He knew well the styles of wooden spatulas, cutting boards, bowls, and chopsticks sold in the market. What Cheng Ning had drawn wasn’t entirely different—still spatulas and cutting boards—but somehow hers looked far more refined and elegant.
“Yes,” Cheng Ning smiled. (In truth, she was inspired by the kitchenware styles she’d seen in later generations.)
She said, “There are many woodenware factories out there. If we want our products to sell well, they need to stand out a little.”
Xu Jianguo felt ashamed. “Brother Dongyuan, you asked me to manage production, but I never thought of making a booklet like this… sigh, I couldn’t have drawn these anyway.”
Han Dongyuan let slip a faint smile, almost smug, though he quickly suppressed it. Xu Jianguo was certain he hadn’t imagined it—there was definitely a trace of pride in that smile.
Then Han Dongyuan said, “Your job in production is just to manage the workers and oversee product quality. You don’t need to handle administration or design. From now on, Comrade Cheng will take charge of that.” He turned to Cheng Ning. “Can you manage it?”
“Yes!” Cheng Ning straightened up, answering as if making a solemn pledge.
Han Dongyuan’s mouth twitched; inwardly, he muttered, “So silly.” But outwardly, he kept a calm face and added, “And you’ll also handle the accounts.”
Managing money! That was perfect for her plans—of course she wanted it. Her smile nearly split her face, but she restrained herself, nodding quickly. “I can do it. I’m best at keeping accounts—you just saw me!”
Han Dongyuan: “…” Saw what, exactly?
He turned serious. “Alright. For now, Xu Jianguo will be Production Director, overseeing factory output. Liao Sheng will be the Office Director, handling administration and business dealings. Comrade Cheng, you’ll be Assistant to the Factory Director, as well as Finance Director and Product Design Director.”
To Zhu Xikai and the others who had just entered, he said: “Xikai and Sun Jian, start by learning the technical work. Later, when the business expands, you can handle sales. Running sales requires deep familiarity with technology and production cycles; you can’t do it well. Hongbing, you’ll also begin with production. Once you’re familiar, we’ll adjust based on your strengths.”
Everyone agreed—except Cheng Ning. She said, “That string of titles for me is too strange. Assistant to the Factory Director, Finance Director, Product Design Director—who ever holds so many at once?”
Han Dongyuan asked, “Then what do you suggest?”
Cheng Ning thought carefully. “How about Brother Liao becomes Business Director, in charge of procurement and sales, and gives me the Office Director position? That would be better than such a long list.”
Han Dongyuan replied, “Fine then.”
Han Dongyuan didn’t mind. “Let’s leave it like that.”
Then everyone discussed the specifics of production. Design would be handled by Cheng Ning; once the drawings were ready, they would be passed to Xu Jianguo to follow up. Production would be divided into several steps: logging, initial processing of materials, manufacturing, and finally polishing, dehydration, oiling, coloring, and so on.
Han Dongyuan told Xu Jianguo: “As for the sent-down youths, let them sign up for whichever process they prefer. If too many apply for one, select the ones who are suitable and willing to work.”
At this point, Xu Jianguo remembered what Gu Jingwen had said that morning: “Gu Jingwen claims he has some connections in Beicheng and can help us find sales channels.”
Han Dongyuan didn’t react much, but Cheng Ning’s radar immediately went up. Gu Jingwen and Zhao Zhi really were a match made in heaven!
If it were just her and Han Dongyuan, she wouldn’t hesitate to exaggerate and drag out all the bad things about Gu Jingwen from her past life.
Han Dongyuan sat right beside her. He was all too familiar with her bristling posture. He glanced at her, then said to Xu Jianguo: “I know. I’ll keep it in mind. We’ll talk about it later.”
Xu Jianguo was the type who preferred to keep his head down and not meddle too much. Since Han said that, he simply nodded, and the matter was dropped.
After assigning tasks to each person, Han Dongyuan turned to Cheng Ning: “Leave these drafts and sketches here. I’ll review them again. Tomorrow morning, I’ll give you the approved ones, and you can revise them into the final versions. Tonight, go back and organize the points we discussed in the meeting, and draft the factory’s regulations.”
All along, Cheng Ning had been listening and taking notes. She quickly listed out her upcoming tasks and realized there were far too many. She had shortened her job titles, but not her workload. She was now the office director of a brand-new factory, while also doubling as accountant, publicity manager, designer, and assistant to the factory director. Wasn’t that enough to split her into three people?
Of course, if she weren’t planning to devote energy to preparing for the July floods, she could manage all this. But since she had to think of ways to deal with the floods, she couldn’t pour all her effort into these trivial matters.
As she worried over how to solve this, Han Dongyuan noticed her troubled face and said: “If there’s too much work, find someone to help. I’ll give them work points. You’ve still got that extra money from selling jobs, right? Anyway, it’s surplus—you can spend it.”
Cheng Ning: “…” Couldn’t he just say things properly?
No matter how much she tried to recall the lonely, stoic, tragically strong Han Dongyuan from her past life to overlook his current bad temper, the longer she lived after rebirth and the more time she spent with him, the more that past image faded. The present, sharp-tongued Han Dongyuan grew ever more vivid—and impossible to ignore.
Still, finding someone to help her was indeed important. So she pretended not to notice his attitude and said seriously: “Comrade Factory Director, I really do need an assistant.”
From “Brother Dongyuan” to “Comrade Factory Director,” Han Dongyuan: “……”
“Fine. Pick someone yourself and let me know later.” He paused, then looked her up and down. He had meant to say “a girl,” but what came out instead was: “Choose several candidates and bring them for everyone to discuss together. You’ve just arrived, and you don’t know people well yet. Don’t be fooled by sweet talk and make decisions based only on preference.”
Cheng Ning muttered inwardly: *You’re the one who got fooled by sweet talk!*
But she reminded herself that once this became a working relationship, and once the factory started making money, she would need him to contribute funds and effort to build flood shelters and push through various measures. No matter what, she had to keep her attitude proper and get along with him.
So she kept her “work face” on, speaking with utmost seriousness: “You’re right. I was originally thinking of choosing one of my dorm mates, but that might seem unfair and harm unity. So instead, I’ll set an exam and let everyone compete fairly. Comrade Factory Director, what do you think?”
It’s just an assistant, isn’t it? Han Dongyuan looked at her, unsure whether her “Comrade Factory Director” was sarcasm or just silliness.
Forget it. He said: “Fine. Do it however you want. Anyway, the wages are all handed to me by you.”
Cheng Ning: “……” Grinding her teeth!