Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Jin Xiuzhu, seeing Wang Ling standing at her doorstep, asked in pleasant surprise, "How did you come over?"

After saying this, she ran up to Wang Ling, looking her over from left to right, feeling that something was off. Finally, she noticed the slight curls in her hair. "What's this?"

Wang Ling touched her hair self-consciously. "How is it? Is it not good-looking? Oh, I said I wouldn't do it, but they insisted, saying it was a popular style among Hong Kong celebrities. I couldn't resist, so I ended up with this strange hairstyle."

Jin Xiuzhu knew her well enough. If Wang Ling truly disliked something, no one could force her into it. She praised her with a smile. "What's not good about it? I think it looks great, making you look young and fashionable. Where did you get it done? I want one too."

Wang Ling was delighted to hear this. "Really? I got it done in the provincial capital next door. I happened to be here on business and decided to drop by. I didn't expect it to be so far away."

"Indeed, why didn't you call me ahead of time?"

"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I just came when I felt like it."

Jin Xiuzhu invited her inside. Wang Ling looked around the spacious courtyard and envied it. "This is much better than the family dormitory. You don't know how much I miss the old houses with courtyards since moving into the dormitory. They're more comfortable to live in. After dinner, we can visit our neighbors, unlike in the dormitory where we're always locked behind doors, stuck at home."

Moreover, the noise from upstairs and downstairs was unbearable. Every sound could be heard.

Jin Xiuzhu said, "I agree. I thought the same, which is why I specifically rented this house. With so many children in the family, having a courtyard makes it feel more spacious."

"That's true."

After entering the house, Jin Xiuzhu offered Wang Ling a seat, then made her some tea and brought out the mandarins she had bought the day before.

As they ate and chatted, Jin Xiuzhu didn't write to Wang Ling often. She knew that Wang Ling didn't have time to reply, so she usually called directly for any matters. Even if she wrote letters, they were mostly sketches, with only a sentence or two of greeting.

Unlike the letters she wrote to Fang Min, which were filled with details about daily life, even mentioning how Liu Liu had an upset stomach after eating too much meat. She knew that Fang Min enjoyed reading these things and had the time to do so.

Despite this, their relationship remained as close as ever. Even after such a long time apart, there was no sense of strangeness or distance between them. They chatted freely as they used to.

Wang Ling had come this time because she had worries she wanted to share with Jin Xiuzhu. Although Wang Ling had made many friends at work over the years, there were few she could truly confide in. After thinking about it, she still preferred to talk to Jin Xiuzhu.

"The situation is like this: Since the announcement of the restoration of the college entrance examination policy, many people have speculated that individual businesses might also become legal. When that happens, our factories will face significant challenges. Think about it, once individual businesses become legal, anyone can produce and sell fabrics. The market will be flooded with textile factories, competing with us for raw materials, goods, and customers. If our profits decline, the factory will have to lay off workers or even go bankrupt."

Just thinking about it gave Wang Ling a headache.

Jin Xiuzhu frowned. "That serious?"

"It's worse than serious. Don't think I'm exaggerating. Factories in the county are already going bankrupt. Remember the leather shoe factory I told you about before? It went under."

Jin Xiuzhu was surprised. "So soon?"

Wang Ling shook her head. "Other factories aren't doing well either. Currently, ours is the only one still making a profit in the county, but not by much. I wonder if the policies are really changing. The black market in the county is now unregulated. I've been there a few times myself. The fabrics sold there are no worse than those from our factory. I don't know where they source their goods. The prices are the same, and they don't require coupons. You can buy anything with money."

"Do you know how big the black market has become? In the past, you could only buy meat, eggs, vegetables, or handcrafted shoes and baskets. Now, you can find watches, televisions, radios, bicycles, and sewing machines in the black market. Things that require queuing at the supply and marketing cooperative or department store can be bought here with cash, and they'll even deliver them to your doorstep. Isn't that scary?"

Jin Xiuzhu was shocked. She could accept everything else, but the idea of being able to buy sewing machines was particularly surprising. She had wanted one herself, but despite saving enough money, she couldn't get the necessary coupons. It was difficult to purchase one, even in big cities, where people had to queue up.

Hearing Wang Ling describe it, Jin Xiuzhu felt like the world was about to change.

However, she wasn't as pessimistic as Wang Ling. She had experienced a country where individual businesses were free, similar to what Wang Ling described. In her previous life, the Great Jing Dynasty was like that. Although the government suppressed merchants, it didn't stop them from becoming wealthy.

She even believed that the poverty in this place was due to the prohibition of business activities.

Wang Ling sighed. "I came down south this time because I heard that the goods on the black market seem to come from here. So, I took advantage of my business trip to check out the situation. To be honest, I feel that if things continue like this, our factory will go bankrupt too."

In the past, when faced with problems, Wang Ling believed she could find solutions. However, the impact of major policy changes left her feeling powerless.

She genuinely wanted to run the textile factory well. Over the years, the factory had hired many new employees. If it went bankrupt, it would affect the livelihoods of hundreds of families. She felt the weight of that responsibility.

Jin Xiuzhu sensed her distress and understood her feelings. The greater one's ability, the greater their responsibility. From the moment Wang Ling became the factory director of the county's textile factory, her fate was tied to the factory's success or failure.

However, Jin Xiuzhu felt that Wang Ling was limiting herself to a small textile factory. Thinking about this, she couldn't help but say, "Have you considered that if the day comes when individuals are allowed to do business, you could choose to go independent and buy the entire factory?"

Wang Ling was lost in her own worries when she suddenly heard this and couldn't quite process it. She looked at Jin Xiuzhu blankly. "What do you mean?"

Jin Xiuzhu furrowed her brows, trying to express herself more clearly. "What I mean is, if the factory is really on the verge of bankruptcy, we could take it over and run the business as we see fit."

"I've seen many factories go bankrupt, either abandoned or repurposed by the government. Our textile factory had signs of failure before, but you managed to revive it. To be honest, Sister-in-law, your abilities are outstanding, but the others in the factory are holding you back. If the entire factory belonged to you, you could select capable people to serve the factory instead of dealing with all sorts of personalities."

Jin Xiuzhu wasn't very familiar with the factory's affairs; most of what she knew came from Wang Ling's own accounts. Although Wang Ling was the director with real power, she couldn't simply dismiss other leaders. Some were lazy, some were taking advantage of the system, and some had influential backers. She had to turn a blind eye to their actions.

"If someone doesn't listen to you, you could directly dismiss them and hire capable people instead of hiring based on nepotism, where parents pass their jobs onto their children. Without pressure, how can there be progress?"

"Furthermore, the biggest limitation we face is that we can only produce fabrics. But compared to fabrics, I believe ready-made clothing would yield higher profits. We could produce our own fabrics, make our own clothes, and open stores across the country, rather than selling fabrics through department stores and letting others take the lion's share of the profits."

Wang Ling listened in amazement, never having imagined such a possibility. While she was still worried about the potential bankruptcy of the factory, Jin Xiuzhu was already planning how to deal with it after the fact. She was even considering buying the factory.

However, hearing these words stirred a passion within her, even more intense than when she first became the factory director. She could almost envision herself at the top in the future.

Suddenly, she felt like she had found a new goal.

"But the factory is so big. How could we afford to take it over?"

"You could put up most of the funds, and I could contribute a little. We could ask Fang Min to contribute as well. We'd need to seek leniency from the leadership. If we can survive the first three months, we should be fine. Neither of us likes managing things, so you would still be the director, but the profits would be divided according to our contributions."

Wang Ling seriously considered this possibility and realized it was feasible. She often cultivated relationships with county leaders. On that day, even without relying on these connections, the county leaders themselves wouldn't want the factory to go bankrupt, as it would mean a large number of laid-off workers and a decline in the county's overall economic data.

Wang Ling looked at Jin Xiuzhu with bright eyes.

After hearing Jin Xiuzhu's words, Wang Ling was no longer afraid of the factory going bankrupt. Instead, she felt a faint sense of anticipation.

However, the prospect was so vast that she didn't know where to start. "What preparations should I make now?"

"Let's wait. We can only act after the policies are announced. However, I think the south is more liberal than here. If possible, we could open our stores starting in the south."

Wang Ling nodded. "Right, they've already opened stores in the neighboring province. My hair was done at someone's home there. There were many people waiting."

Jin Xiuzhu hummed in acknowledgment.

Wang Ling fell silent, her mind suddenly filled with many thoughts.

At noon, Wang Ling stayed for lunch. When the three children returned home and saw her, they were very happy, surrounding her and chattering nonstop.

During the meal, Jin Xiuzhu asked about Yan Xing's situation. Wang Ling sighed, "He's preparing for the college entrance exam this year."

"Ah?"

He Yan was surprised. "Why?"

Wang Ling said helplessly, "He doesn't like that school. He wants to take the exam himself and get into a better one. Old Yan's attitude is to let him do as he wishes. If he wants to take the exam, then he can. Our family can afford it."

Jin Xiuzhu knew that Yan Xing had been able to attend university using a recommendation from the Textile Factory. However, the university recommended by the county's textile factory wasn't particularly prestigious.

"Ever since news of the restored college entrance exam spread, Stars said that their teachers' attitudes toward them worsened significantly. There were also some students causing trouble, saying they opposed this policy. He feels that the degree obtained through recommendations will be increasingly undervalued in the future. It would be better to take the exam himself and get into a school he likes. If not this year, then next year. He'll eventually succeed."

Jin Xiuzhu nodded. "Stars has a point. Since he made such a decision, he must have confidence in himself."

Wang Ling could only console herself, "I hope so."

After the meal, Wang Ling left. Jin Xiuzhu accompanied her to the train station.

The last time Jin Xiuzhu's family of five came over, they couldn't buy train tickets for the same day and had to take a bus instead, enduring a bumpy ride. Fortunately, they managed to purchase tickets today. Wang Ling bought a ticket to the provincial capital next door and would transfer there to go back to her hometown.

While passing through the city streets, Jin Xiuzhu bought many oranges and sugarcane for Wang Ling to eat on the journey.

Wang Ling didn't hesitate to accept them, smiling as she took them and reminding Jin Xiuzhu not to slack off and to draw more often.

Jin Xiuzhu waved goodbye with a smile.

When Jiang Mingchuan returned home that evening, he noticed the three children wearing new clothes and curiously asked when they had been purchased.

Jin Xiuzhu explained helplessly, "Today, Wang Ling came over and brought these for them. They put them on right away and still don't want to take them off."

Jiang Mingchuan found it amusing and complimented, "They look nice."

Jin Xiuzhu then told him about Yan Xing's decision to take the college entrance exam but didn't mention anything about Wang Ling's factory. She was afraid that Jiang Mingchuan wouldn't accept her suggestions, as he could be rather rigid in some aspects. She doubted he would understand if she told him.

However, he might appreciate Yan Xing's actions.

Sure enough, Jiang Mingchuan praised, "That's good. Getting into university based on one's own abilities makes one stand taller."

On January 26th, Bai Jingzhi returned with Ji Ling.

Since they had given advance notice, Jin Xiuzhu specifically took the three children to the train station to pick them up. Perhaps due to the approaching New Year, the train station was crowded. It was He Yan, with his height, who spotted them first, exclaiming, "I see Auntie!"

Jin Xiuzhu and her two daughters stretched their necks to look but couldn't see anything amidst the crowd.

Bai Jingzhi was also looking around confusedly. It was the tall man following behind her who noticed He Yan waving and couldn't help but remind her, "Isn't that your eldest nephew?"

Ji Ling had seen a family photo of Bai Jingzhi and her brother and sister-in-law before. However, He Yan in that picture was only around ten years old, with a youthful face. The young man waving from a distance now had fully matured features, quite handsome. Still, there was a faint resemblance. It was Ji Ling's keen observation that allowed him to notice these details.

Bai Jingzhi followed his hand and, upon closer inspection, recognized He Yan.

In fact, she had seen He Yan waving earlier but hadn't thought much of it and turned away. She hadn't expected him to grow taller in just half a year.

She hurriedly led Ji Ling over. As they approached, the three children surrounded them, calling out "Auntie" one after another, making Ji Ling's head ache.

He had two nephews, but every time they met, the little ones would hide behind their mother and watch him secretly. Even when they called out, it was in a soft voice.

Watching Bai Jingzhi speak gently to the three children, it was clear that she had a good relationship with her family.

Jin Xiuzhu offered to help carry the items in Ji Ling's hands, but he smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, they're not heavy. I can manage alone."

Bai Jingzhi added, "Sister-in-law, he's strong. Let him carry them."

Jin Xiuzhu could only smile. "Alright then. Let's go home first. My husband will cook dinner for you tonight."

As she spoke, she gave Ji Ling a meaningful glance.

Ji Ling felt a chill at the nape of his neck, sensing that this meal wouldn't be simple.

Bai Jingzhi chuckled beside him and said, "My brother's cooking is the best."