Chapter 331: What’s Going on with Su Taotao Now?

Chapter 331: What’s up with Su Taotao now?

Su Taotao shut her mouth.

Ugh, why did I even open my mouth? She shouldn’t have asked.

Why stick my nose where it doesn’t belong?

But since she already did, there was no turning back. She had no choice but to babble: "Like I need someone to spell it out? I’ve got eyes!"

Zhou Weining practically leapt out of her seat: "That’s not true at all! I don’t like him!"

Su Taotao gave her a *Yeah, right* look, her expression clearly saying, "Let’s see how you try to talk your way out of this."

Zhou Weining fidgeted, suddenly guilty.

"Alright, alright, I admit I used to have that idea. Blame my grandpa—he’s been hounding me to marry, and he’s tall, strong, and a decent guy.

But once we hung out more, I knew it wouldn’t work. We never even got close!"

Su Taotao was surprised—she hadn’t expected such honesty.

Zhou Weining eyed her warily: "It’s not like just because we met a few times and he gave me a few flowers, I have to marry him, right?"

No wonder Su Taotao called Zhou Weining a breath of fresh air in these times.

She had the old-school manners girls were raised with, but she also valued her own feelings and knew what she wanted.

In this age of arranged marriages, men and women often didn’t have many choices. Plenty of couples tied the knot after one date—or none at all.

Of course, there were also those who married for love, but most people struggled just to survive and never stopped to think about what love or affection truly meant.

That was just how life was. Two could scrape by better than one. Marriage and kids were just the default path.

But with her family’s money, Zhou Weining had the luxury to pursue things beyond material needs. She went all-in when she liked someone—heart on her sleeve. But if not? Not a chance.

Su Taotao nodded: "You don’t have to. Just make it clear if you don’t like him."

She winced inside—poor Mo Jiazhe was in for heartache.

Zhou Weining let out a *whoosh* of relief. She’d braced for Su Taotao to be all *tradition this, tradition that* and think she should marry Mo Jiazhe.

Look, Mo Jiazhe’s a total catch, Zhou Weining sighed, "but… I can’t explain it. It’s nothing like what I had for Fu—"

She clammed up, realizing her slip-up, and quickly waved her hands to correct herself: "I didn’t mean it like that! I just, I just—"

Su Taotao found it amusing: "Oh please, spare me the backpedaling. I know the drill. Hands off my Fu, got it?"

Zhou Weining huffed: "I’m not pining after your Fu! If I were pining, it’d be for Chenchen! I just meant that I know what it feels like to like someone!"

"Wait—you’re into him?" Su Taotao pressed.

Zhou Weining shook her head: "I don’t know. Su Taotao, do you believe in love at first sight?"

Su Taotao nodded: "In theory, sure. Never seen it myself."

Zhou Weining didn’t buy it: "Uh-huh. And what was *your* thing with Fu—slow burn?"

Su Taotao fell silent. She wasn’t, but the original character was. According to the book’s description, the original character had indeed fallen in love with Fu Zhengtu at first sight, to the point of being dead set on marrying him and no one else.

“You hesitated! You’re not being honest—you totally are!” Zhou Weining felt she’d caught her out. “It’s Fu we’re talking about—falling for him at first sight is completely normal!”

“Alright, enough already. I’m busy and don’t have time for this romantic chatter here. But let me warn you—Zhang Jing’an is unfathomable and might not be a good match. Don’t let love at first sight burn you,” Su Taotao warned her.

This girl fell hard and fast. Her thoughts were clear as a mountain brook—you could see right to the bottom.

Zhang Jing’an was like a deep pool—a bottomless well—with no telling what lurked beneath.

They were from completely different worlds. If anything actually happened between them, it would take a miracle.

Zhou Weining shook her head vigorously. “No no, who said anything about him? I meant Fu, Fu!”

Su Taotao: “...” Have you considered how Fu’s wife might feel about this?

Reading her expression, Zhou Weining clamped her mouth shut and strategically studied the clouds.

...

The number of submitted job applications sent numbers soaring.

Previous recruitments had almost always required urban residency, but to accommodate farmers living harvest to harvest, Su Taotao lifted this restriction—anyone registered in this township, rural or urban, could participate in the open recruitment.

For farmers, this was a godsend.

If nothing else, when it came to manual labor in production workshops, they were just as capable as city dwellers.

Thus, from nearby villages, young men with spare hands at home and some education came to apply.

This sent numbers soaring.

The new factory offered good benefits, most importantly providing dormitories—attracting even those already employed elsewhere.

In these times, urban housing conditions were poor, with seven or eight family members packed into tiny apartments being commonplace.

Even the worst dorm would be an upgrade.

But on this point, Su Taotao held firm—those already employed shouldn’t compete for these positions, reducing some competition.

On the return trip, the vehicle carried piles and piles of application forms.

Auntie Zhong was drowning in paperwork: “Director Su, this round of hiring won’t be easy—just screening and interviews will take many days.”

Su Taotao said, “Separate office jobs from general workers first. Admin roles will take written tests directly, while we’ll just interview workshop workers—focusing on young, able-bodied workers, with appropriate preference for veterans and disabled individuals.”

“For clerical positions, I’ll prepare the test. We’ll administer another written exam to shortlisted applicants and select the best.”

Previously, the base factory hadn’t administered written tests because Su Taotao’s original purpose was providing jobs for most family members.

Thus, she’d brought them on in waves as long as they had no major behavioral or physical issues.

This public recruitment would have relatively stricter criteria.

Auntie Zhong nodded: “This method works. For clerical work, the pen proves the person. But will every question have standard answers? What if candidates score equally? Or for questions without set answers? What’s the grading standard?”

Su Taotao smiled: “You know why they say ‘In literature there’s no first place, in martial arts no second’? No standard answers needed—we’re the employer, suitability is the standard.”

“Of course, we’ll look for neat work, clear writing, and real substance.”

"Skills like painting, using an abacus, or bookkeeping are all pluses. As long as the basics are met and they fit our hiring criteria, the best candidates will naturally stand out."

Everyone in the car, including Zhang Jingan, nodded in agreement.

Auntie Zhong sighed in admiration, "Director Su, you're really sharp. Listen to how I put that—of course, if it weren’t sharp, how could you have led us to build such a big factory in such a short time?"

Thinking back to the beginning, they had only planned for a small workshop to help family members earn some extra income. No one expected Su Taotao would actually establish such a massive factory—the biggest factory in the whole county. It was something they wouldn’t have dared imagine before.

Su Taotao chuckled, "We're just getting started. Above the county, there’s the city; above the city, there’s the provincial capital, then the capital, then the whole country, and eventually the entire world. When there are branch factories in every corner of the globe, looking back, you’ll realize this was just a tiny speck of a factory."

Auntie Zhong gasped, "You really dare to dream big!"

Su Taotao grinned, "Dreaming's free—why not? Look back now at that little workshop at the base—isn't it tinier than a speck?"

Auntie Zhong burst into laughter, "True, it wasn’t even one percent the size of the new factory!"

Xiao Lu chimed in, "From the first time I met Sis Su, I knew she was going places. See? I was right all along."

Auntie Zhong teased, "Yes, yes, your judgment is the best. Back when there was nothing, you were already following Taotao around like a puppy, doing whatever she asked. Folks thought you'd lost your marbles."

Xiao Lu chuckled, "Now they're all green with envy. Too bad—it’s too late. Even if they wanted to follow her now, they wouldn’t get the chance."

Auntie Zhong rolled her eyes, "Get a load of you, Mr. Big Shot…"

……

Zhang Jingan listened quietly, not uttering a word the entire time.

In truth, from the moment Su Taotao stepped into the driver’s seat, he'd been completely blown away.

This woman was way more capable than he had ever imagined.

The way she talks and thinks doesn’t seem to belong to this era. Could she… have also come back with memories?

But Zhang Jingan quickly dismissed the thought. Useless mud, even if given a second chance with memories, would still be mud—at best, a plain brick if it even made it onto a wall, never turning into shiny tiles overnight.

So then… what was really going on with this Su Taotao?

……