Chapter 122: The Little Guy Who Keeps Crying and Shedding Golden Tears

Chapter 122: The Little Guy Who Keeps Crying and Shedding Golden Tears

Old Gao scrutinized the strikingly tall and stunningly beautiful young female director.

Not only this base, but all the infrastructure of the entire system's bases had been completed under Old Gao's leadership. During this time, he had met countless directors from various affiliated factories.

Su Taotao was by far the most memorable one he had encountered. She was exceptionally beautiful and young. He didn't have ill intentions towards others, but it was hard not to doubt her capabilities.

But now, she claimed that the blueprint that even the chief engineer had praised was drawn by her. Old Gao found it hard to believe.

"I didn't expect Director Su to have such skills. Our chief engineer praised your blueprint."

"It's just amateur-level work. I only know a little about drawing. The initial draft was done by our Fu Zhengtu, and I just added a few touches," Su Taotao modestly attributed the credit to Fu Zhengtu. She didn't want to draw attention in this area, afraid she might be asked to take on design work in the future. She was practical, preferring business and profit over design work, having been burned by it in her past life.

Old Gao caught on upon hearing this: "So you're Fu Zhengtu's wife, no wonder."

This "no wonder" Old Gao didn't explain further. Was it because she was Fu Zhengtu's wife that she got the director position? Or was it because the blueprint was from Fu Zhengtu's hand, hence it was so well-drawn?

But it didn't matter. Su Taotao didn't plan to ask, nor would she. She simply didn't care about others' opinions of her.

How she got the director position, Fu Zhengtu knew, the leaders knew, Xia Zhiqiu and Auntie Zhong knew, and that was enough.

The rest of the time was mainly spent discussing the placement of stoves, chimney orientation, sewage outlets, and other details.

Old Gao raised a question: "You mainly process candy, so why do you need such a large drying room?"

Su Taotao explained, "Once candy production is up and running, I plan to develop a dried fruit production line, which will require a drying room. This way, we won't need to bring you back again."

Hearing this, Old Gao understood: "So these unused factory buildings are reserved for other production lines?"

"Yes," Su Taotao nodded, "and they won't remain unused for long. If the factory develops smoothly, it will be within a year or two. So, the layout of water and electricity must be planned in advance, especially the electrical points. There must be enough, and we should avoid using extension cords, using the thickest gauge wires uniformly to prevent overloading when adding machines."

Su Taotao aimed to eliminate unnecessary electrical safety hazards at the root.

The island and coastal towns were rich in various tropical fruits. It would be a shame not to use them to produce dried fruits for export.

And fruit juices too. In short, any product related to tropical fruits might be involved in the future. With good infrastructure, having an electrician present when installing production lines would suffice, without needing to mobilize a large workforce.

Old Gao looked at her in surprise: "You even understand water and electricity?"

Su Taotao remained modest: "Just a superficial understanding."

In her past life, dealing with design, these were basic skills.

As the saying goes, laymen watch the spectacle, while experts discern the essence. If Old Gao couldn't tell that Su Taotao was being modest, then his years as a contractor would have been in vain.

Old Gao's impression of Su Taotao, besides being beautiful and young, now included modesty and capability.

This time, he genuinely viewed Su Taotao in a new light, realizing that this young female director was not just a figurehead, nor was it solely because she was Fu Zhengtu's wife.

The following conversation went even more smoothly, with Auntie Zhong and Xia Zhiqiu also offering suggestions, and appropriate ones were adopted.

Old Gao said the project was simple. With their construction team's ample manpower, it could be completed in as little as five days, or at most a week.

Su Taotao had thought it would take at least ten days to half a month, but it turned out to be much faster.

However, seeing the workers on-site, their hands and feet were indeed nimble, each diligently working without needing direction. Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner, more like a well-trained army.

Xia Zhiqiu, the secretary, was very diligent, recording the key points of the entire conversation, which was something Su Taotao hadn't expected.

Once all the details were finalized, Su Taotao picked up her notebook and reviewed it again, asking, "Have you studied shorthand?"

Xia Zhiqiu shook her head and smiled, "No, it's just that our previous department head spoke very fast and liked me to take meeting minutes. After working with her for a few years, I gradually got the hang of it."

Su Taotao felt that she had a keen eye for talent, casually picking a secretary who was both an accountant and a shorthand expert. In these days without voice recorders or video cameras, relying solely on manual records, having a shorthand expert by her side was crucial.

"Secretary Xia, you're a real gem. Keep it up. Once the factory turns a profit, I'll apply for bonuses for you all."

Su Taotao truly felt she had hit the jackpot, with Auntie Zhong as a jack-of-all-trades and mediator, and Xia Zhiqiu as both an accountant and shorthand expert, saving her a lot of hassle.

Xia Zhiqiu was a bit embarrassed by Su Taotao's praise. Compared to Su Taotao and Auntie Zhong's capabilities, her own skills seemed insignificant. Wasn't it just writing a bit faster? Su Taotao could likely do the same.

In Xia Zhiqiu's heart, Su Taotao was the most capable one—beautiful, a great cook, good with children, and the more time she spent with her, the more she realized how impressive she was, knowledgeable, bold, and strong in both action and execution, even more so than her previous factory director.

Sometimes Xia Zhiqiu didn't know whether to envy Su Taotao for marrying Fu Zhengtu or to envy Fu Zhengtu for marrying Su Taotao. In any case, their family was incomparable.

Despite her envy, she felt no jealousy towards Su Taotao; she genuinely admired her.

Before they knew it, it was lunchtime. On the way to the cafeteria, they passed by the elementary school and decided to pick up the children first.

It was only then that Auntie Zhong filled Su Taotao in on Old Gao.

She also learned just how impressive Old Gao was. Base construction was different from urban construction; it involved land reclamation and much harsher conditions, requiring much higher standards for the construction team. Take the bridge connecting the town, for example—it was no exaggeration to say it was like splitting mountains and filling seas. The workers who participated in these projects were all heroes.

No wonder Old Gao said the factory's project was simple. Su Taotao immediately gained a deep respect for this construction team, thinking that once the factory turned a profit, she would request to send them some coconut candies to sample.

The guard, Uncle Dong, already knew that Su Taotao had spoken with Dong Shengping. When he saw Su Taotao, he repeatedly thanked her, never expecting her to personally visit Dong Shengping to discuss the job.

Honestly, he had initially worried that Dong Shengping wouldn't accept the position.

Who would have thought he agreed on the spot, even saying that Su Taotao was an extraordinary woman who would achieve great things in the future.

Of course, she was extraordinary, and so was her entire family.

At that moment, their extraordinary Fu Yuanhang was pursing his lips, his face tense, carrying a little guy who was sobbing uncontrollably. Chenchen, who rarely cried, was now weeping bitterly in Fu Yuanhang's arms.

Uncle Mu was also grim-faced, carrying the wailing Dongdong behind him.

Kangzi was pushing Chenchen's ride behind them, his expression also not great.

Su Taotao's heart ached, nearly breaking. Chenchen almost never cried. Uncle Dong was also startled and quickly made way for Su Taotao...