Chapter 513: The Big Gathering – Daily Gossip in the Sickly Aunt’s Compound

Chapter 513: The Mass Gathering—Daily Life of the Sickly Young Woman in the Compound

Next, Sister Hu led them to the cafeteria for dinner, followed by a tour of the office building and workshops.

It wasn’t like she didn’t want them to rest—it was just that time was tight. Their group was running late, and the grand assembly was scheduled for the next day. If she didn’t give them the rundown today, there’d be no time tomorrow.

So, tired as they were, Lin Qing and the others didn’t complain and continued the tour.

Later, they all headed back to the dorm. “Oh, one last thing—about bathing. You’ll each get two bath tickets. Usually, you’ll shower at the public bathhouse outside. The rest of the time, you can grab hot water from the boiler room and wash up in the dorm.”

“Got it!” Lin Qing and the others nodded.

This setup wasn’t bad at all!

“Alright, that’s it for now. One more thing: tomorrow at 8 a.m., you’ll need to gather at the open area in front of the office building. Eat breakfast first!” Sister Hu had already given them meal tickets before heading to the cafeteria.

“Understood, thank you for your hard work!”

“Don’t mention it!” Sister Hu finally completed her task and left.

Lin Qing and the others then began cleaning the dormitory.

Liu Hongyan had already dug out a rag from her bags. “Let’s get this place cleaned up fast!”

The others didn’t delay either, pitching in together. The dorm was small, so it didn’t take long. They each wiped down their own beds, then swept the floor together. Before long, the place was sparkling.

“Huh? Why is it suddenly getting warm in here?”

“Is this… heating?”

“No way! They’ve got heat—this is awesome!”

“I thought it’d be freezing at night, but they actually have heating here!”

The whole dorm was buzzing with excitement.

Feeling the warmth, Lin Qing took off her heavy coat and even removed her scarf.

Liu Hongyan’s jaw dropped. “Holy cow! I knew you were gorgeous, but this is next-level!”

Lin Qing turned to look at her, puzzled. “Hmm?”

For a second, Liu Hongyan wished she were a guy.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m just… a little envious of Cen Gong. That guy hit the jackpot with you!”

Lin Qing smiled shyly.

The others in the dorm also glanced over. Up close, she was downright breathtaking—they couldn’t deny that Lin Qing was stunningly beautiful.

But unlike Liu Hongyan, they kept their gawking to themselves.

Lin Qing knew bedding would be provided, but she had still brought her own sheets and covers. The others had done the same.

“Whew—finally done!” Lin Qing collapsed onto her bed, wiped out from the long day.

Their first night together went off without a hitch.

The next day, they all went together to the cafeteria they had visited the day before for breakfast, then gathered in front of the office building.

When they arrived, they also found Deputy Factory Manager Song, and the male colleagues had already arrived as well.

"You're here!"

"Everyone's present, right?"

Lin Qing and the others nodded.

"Please wait over here for now! Wait for further instructions when the time comes."

"Yes!"

Lin Qing noticed that there were quite a lot of people this time—several hundred, maybe nearly a thousand. Fortunately, the open space in front of the office building was very large, otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to accommodate so many people.

However, they were divided into different departments this time, so the number assigned to each department wasn’t as large, but still significant.

Lin Qing was assigned to the finance department, which had over fifty people. She wasn’t sure how many came from other factories, but if each factory sent one person, that would mean representing over fifty factories—quite an impressive number!

The groups separated one by one, and Lin Qing followed the finance team. They were led to a large office filled with many desks.

"Everyone, find a seat and sit down one by one!"

Lin Qing immediately took a seat near the corridor by the door.

Once everyone was seated, a person stepped up to a raised platform at the front.

The opening introduction shocked everyone in the room. "Hello everyone! I am Li Yuming, Minister of the Central Finance Department."

Lin Qing looked up in shock. The Central Finance Minister? Holy cow! Did she understand that correctly, she thought?

Wait, what caliber was this advanced study program?

The housing was decent!

And now, the Finance Minister no less!

What exactly were they here for?

The others were equally shocked. Wow, they were actually meeting a VIP!

The Finance Minister seemed quite amiable, smiling at the crowd. "You must all be wondering why I’m here, right?"

Everyone nodded—of course they were!

"Don't be surprised! This event was prepared specifically for all of you—a networking event. I believe everyone here is a talented and capable individual from your respective factories. It’s my privilege to host this event!"

The Finance Minister spoke humorously and cleverly, and as he spoke, the atmosphere in the room gradually relaxed.

Just as Lin Qing thought things would proceed in this lighthearted manner, he dropped a bombshell announcement in the next moment.

"Alright, enough small talk! Let’s get to the main agenda. First, we’ll test everyone’s basic knowledge!" As soon as he finished speaking, two staff members came in from outside.

They handed each person a thick packet of exams and two sheets of scratch paper.

Lin Qing froze momentarily. Was this… a test… right on the first day?

Was this the "test" Director Li had warned about?

Lin Qing slowly exhaled and took out her tools—a pen and an abacus—then set the thermos she carried with her on the table, leaning the abacus against it.

Fortunately, although there was no heating in the office, at least they had a stove going, and with the door closed, it wasn’t too cold.

"Alright, the papers in front of you are your task for this morning. I expect everyone to finish by noon—before lunch!" The Finance Minister wrapped up but stayed put, instead sitting down at the front.

The two people who had handed out the exam papers started making rounds.

Lin Qing steadied herself. What else could she do? Just follow instructions and get to work!

Without delay, she flipped through the exam paper in front of her. After reading it, she couldn’t help but let out a quiet gasp—yikes, was this a finance test or a math exam?

There were finance-related questions, but most of them were mathematical calculations.

Lin Qing had her doubts, but she didn’t dwell on it. She was already here—what choice did she have?

First, she flexed her fingers, then pressed down on the exam paper and draft sheet with one hand while using the other to work the abacus and write with the pen, crunching numbers fast.

The sound of the abacus also spurred the others who were still dazed into action.