Chapter 37 Change

Chapter 37: Changes

At first glance, Xie Xinyi didn’t recognize Xie Tingting—the clothes she wore and the placard slung across her back were utterly unrecognizable.

Her garments were tattered, caked with mud, and appeared torn by some force, leaving her appearance thoroughly disheveled.

On her back hung a placard; its words illegible, yet judging by the expressions of the onlookers, its message was clearly anything but favorable.

At the entrance to the neighborhood committee, Xie Tingting stood in a line with several other youths of similar age.

Their padded cotton jackets were torn to varying degrees; their hair unkempt; each carried an identical placard; and all wore tear-streaked faces etched with reluctance.

Opposite them stood a middle-aged man holding a list, flanked by several burly men wearing armbands.

Even without reading the placards clearly, Xie Xinyi could readily infer what was unfolding.

A crowd had gathered thickly before the neighborhood committee, forcing their car to halt—giving Xie Xinyi a chance to peer out the window.

She watched the middle-aged man ascend the steps, methodically working his way down the list while speaking to those beside him. Upon finishing, he pointed directly at Xie Tingting and the others—and the men in armbands immediately began shoving and pushing them.

Already unsteady on their feet, Xie Tingting and the others staggered under the forceful jostling, quickly losing their balance and collapsing onto the ground.

Owing to the distance and the dense crowd, Xie Xinyi couldn’t hear the shouts—but she saw Xie Tingting slump onto the pavement, wailing loudly, offering no resistance as the burly men shoved her repeatedly.

Tears mingled with grime, rendering her face even more haggard. Proud as she was, Xie Tingting could only bow her head now, enduring the pointing fingers and whispered gossip of the surrounding crowd.

“Privately returned sent-down youth”—the gravity of the offense and its consequences were self-evident.

From books Xie Xinyi had read, she knew the standard punishment was confinement. In the village where the original Xie Xinyi had been dispatched, several sent-down youths had fled back to the city without authorization—and all had faced detention.

These youths fled home believing their suffering would end—only to find their closest relatives became the least welcoming of hosts.

For unauthorized return, their state-issued subsidies and food coupons were revoked, turning them into idle mouths to feed at home. Unwelcome, they were inevitably reported.

Once reported, officers from the Sent-Down Youth Office arrived to arrest them. What followed was one month of strict confinement, then reassignment to the most remote, backward regions for intensified labor—and even their future eligibility for urban resettlement was revoked.

Despite such severe penalties, many still rushed headlong into this transgression. That’s why Xie Xinyi had been so stunned to see Xie Tingting at the Xie residence—she’d never imagined this seemingly sharp-witted girl would be so stubborn.

Not only had she broken the rules—she hadn’t even realized she was doing so. Coupled with the trouble Xie Xinyi and the others had stirred up previously, it was only a matter of time before Xie Tingting was apprehended.

Xie Xinyi had anticipated it—but never expected to witness it firsthand, here.

Guozi Alley wasn’t far from Jing City, yet it fell under a different administrative jurisdiction. In principle, Xie Tingting should have been managed by her home county’s Sent-Down Youth Office—so how had she ended up detained by Jing City authorities?

Puzzled, Xie Xinyi nevertheless dismissed the question. After all, “reborn” individuals had their own agendas—beyond her control, and not worth her concern.

Outside the window, chatter and commentary continued amid the cries of the detained youths. The burly men shoved the group onto a repatriation vehicle.

Xie Xinyi rolled up the window and turned away. Back at the Gu family residence, she immediately sat down and wrote a letter to her younger sister.

Recalling her earlier remark to her sister about “taking care,” and now Xie Tingting’s sudden, inexplicable appearance in Jing City—Xie Xinyi didn’t believe in coincidences. She intended to get to the bottom of it.

After sealing the letter, the holiday was nearly over. Xie Xinyi used her final day to adjust her sleep schedule. By the next morning, when she returned to work, she felt no particular resentment—unlike Ms. Liu, who, having grown accustomed to laziness during the break, struggled to suddenly wake early again.

Yawning, Ms. Liu approached Xie Xinyi—who was inspecting machinery—and launched into a casual lament about domestic worries.

“…You know my Sufen—she turns sixteen this year. The Sent-Down Youth Office came to register numbers before New Year’s, and I hid her away. But you can’t dodge it forever—her father’s workplace, the Grain Bureau, hasn’t released any job openings. It’s driving me mad… I haven’t slept well for nights.”

As she spoke, Ms. Liu covered another yawn with her hand. Her anxiety was genuine—yet so was her easygoing nature.

Before she’d even resolved her own concerns, the moment Xiao Jiang arrived late, Ms. Liu instantly dropped the subject and quietly asked Xie Xinyi about what they’d witnessed earlier.

“About Shang Fushun’s case… when are you planning to tell Xiao Jiang?”

Ms. Liu asked cautiously—but Xie Xinyi shook her head.

Better say nothing for now. After all, seeing is believing. Let’s observe a bit longer—what if things aren’t as we imagine?

She signaled discreetly to Ms. Liu, and the two swiftly concluded their conversation just before Xiao Jiang drew near.

It was the first day back after the holiday—no heavy tasks, just workshop cleaning and storage-room organization.

Xiao Jiang arrived precisely on time, changed into her work uniform, and picked up the manual to assist Xie Xinyi with the machinery inspection.

Cui Mama returned from an office meeting and, spotting the two young women working diligently, actually praised them several times.

“What’s got you so cheerful today, Team Leader? Any good news?”

Ms. Liu, having finished cleaning the upstairs room, descended and—seeing Cui Jun’s smiling face and upbeat tone—teased her lightly, completely missing the production team leader walking right behind Cui Jun.

Accustomed to Ms. Liu’s casual manner, Cui Jun didn’t bother correcting her—instead raising her voice to call everyone over: “Come on, gather round! The production team leader’s here for a brief meeting.”

Guohui Food Factory had few workshops, so production matters were generally overseen by Production Team Leader Lin Wei.

Lin Wei—the “Living King of Hell”—was rumored to be even more ill-tempered than Master Liu. Xie Xinyi had heard about him from Ms. Liu upon her arrival at the factory.

Renowned for his integrity and aversion to socializing, the factory entrusted him with its most demanding production assignments. Initially, concerns had arisen about his youth and whether he could command respect—but upon assuming office, he executed three decisive measures that humbled even veteran workers and eradicated the younger ones’ chronic laziness.

Since Lin Wei took charge, the factory’s production efficiency had surged dramatically—and worker motivation had risen significantly.

Deputy Factory Manager Yuan held him in high regard—and Lin Wei lived up to expectations, wielding considerable authority throughout the factory.

Yet this authority was not oppressive—it was awe-inspiring dignity.

Everyone at the factory revered Group Leader Lin, the production supervisor. No matter how grueling or exhausting his assigned tasks, no one dared oppose him.

It wasn’t fear of Lin Wei himself—but because, in this era, efficiency directly dictated wages: the better the team’s performance, the higher the workers’ pay.

By driving productivity upward, Lin Wei indirectly raised everyone’s income.

With real money in their pockets, however exhausted their bodies, workers simply couldn’t bring themselves to blame Group Leader Lin.

Xie Xinyi observed the man standing silently behind Cui Jun—his gaze sweeping over their team since entering—and suddenly recalled her department supervisor from her previous life.

He possessed the same fierce expression, the same intimidating presence—especially in the tone he used when issuing orders: harsh, yet compelling—leaving one breathless, yet unquestioningly compliant.

A true King of Hell—yet remarkably adaptable. Xie Xinyi couldn’t help but wonder: what, exactly, had brought the Living King of Hell here?

“…The price for Doll Head Ice Cream has been finalized. Before April, your Ice Pop Team must raise daily output to one thousand fully packaged sticks.”

Lin Wei held his meeting notes, adjusted his black-framed glasses, and fixed his gaze on them, awaiting their response.

Sure enough—the Living King of Hell never acted lightly. When he did, it was always momentous.

Doll Head Ice Cream had only entered development around New Year’s—and now they were being ordered to scale production to one thousand sticks per day by April.

One thousand sticks per day?

No molds were mass-ordered, and no chocolate was ordered either. This workload is seriously heavy.

Xie Xinyi couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. Ms. Liu and Xiao Jiang also muttered under their breath in dissatisfaction, "A thousand units a day? The machines are going to be worked until they smoke."

Let alone us humans.

They didn't dare say that out loud, because the taskmaster had already shot them a sharp look with his intimidating eyes. "I've calculated it—a thousand units a day is no problem. Big Chen, do you have any issues?"

Ignoring Ms. Liu and Xiao Jiang's complaints, he instead threw the question to the "backbone" standing at the back who hadn't said a word.

Knowing that the Ice Pop Team's productivity was determined by Big Chen and not by the women, Lin Wei cut straight to the chase with his sharp questioning—no beating around the bush, no unnecessary explanations.

Swift and precise, no wonder everyone in the factory, from leadership to workers, was completely wrapped around his finger.

The machines aren't the problem; it's whether you all can handle it.

He deliberately provoked Big Chen with these words, targeting his competitive nature and his never-say-die attitude. Not a single word mentioned coercion, yet every sentence was coercive.

It had to be said, Lin Wei was indeed a rare management talent.

With such careful cunning, how could honest Big Chen possibly be a match for him?

As Xie Xinyi expected, the moment Lin Wei finished speaking, Big Chen was provoked into making a confident promise: "No problem here!"

Xie Xinyi: "........"

Well, another one falls for it.

Looks like slacking off at work will be impossible from now on. Maybe even punching out on time will be affected.

Who would've thought she'd run into another slave driver after switching places? Xie Xinyi deflated like a punctured balloon, instantly losing all her energy.

Xiao Jiang and Ms. Liu were equally drained.

Before the New Year, Xiao Jiang's oddball mother-in-law came to celebrate the holiday and still hasn't left. Under the pretense of taking care of them and helping with cooking, she's actually there to be waited on—even demanding foot-washing water from Xiao Jiang.

Her mother-in-law hasn't mentioned when she's leaving, and Xiao Jiang feels too awkward to ask. Already run off her feet at home every day, and now with the team's workload suddenly increasing so much, Xiao Jiang is exhausted. After sharing a helpless glance with Xie Xinyi, she let out a deep sigh.

Ms. Liu sighed along with her.

Though she doesn't have a mother-in-law to wait on, she has a daughter to worry about.

The Youth Dispatch Office has already visited several times. Being sent to the countryside is imminent, and her daughter's job situation still isn't resolved. She's already stressed, and hearing about the increased production target just poured fuel on the fire.

Ms. Liu isn't one to seek the spotlight; she usually hates having one thing after another pile up. When she transferred to the Ice Pop Team, she was drawn to the light workload and leisurely pace of the older team. She thought her career would be all about knitting and chatting—who would've thought the old team would suddenly kick into high gear, moving so quickly she's blindsided.

With family matters piling up and team tasks to complete, leaving work on time has become a luxury, and Ms. Liu is deeply unhappy.

She shot a dirty look at Monitor Cui across the room, hoping he might help plead their case. But before Cui Jun could speak, Lin Wei closed the meeting notes and strode away satisfied.

His resolve was firm, his movements swift—leaving them not even a sliver of opportunity to object.

"What the hell? We might as well have never developed this new product," Xiao Jiang couldn't help complaining the moment Lin Wei left. Ms. Liu chimed in, "Before the new product, we were busy for a month at most. Now, with this new product, we can forget about resting all summer."

After saying this, they both shot Big Chen a look that said, "Why’d you have to be so gullible?"

"Don't look at me. I... I'm not the brightest bulb."

Big Chen looked away guiltily, not daring to meet their gaze. Though he stammered and mocked himself for not being clever, it did nothing to extinguish Xiao Jiang and Ms. Liu's anger. As the team monitor, Cui Jun had no choice but to step in and mediate. "Alright, enough arguing. Big Chen he was just pressured by Team Leader Lin."

Not wanting to see the team members at odds, Xie Xinyi also tried to smooth things over. "It's fine. If we split up the work and team up, and work efficiently, we probably won't need overtime."

She nodded reassuringly at Xiao Jiang and Ms. Liu, then added, thinking about the era's spending power, "The new product has just launched. We don't know if there's even a market for it. If sales don't pick up, a thousand units a day is just talk."

She had reservations about the future of the Doll Head ice cream and wasn't very optimistic about the era's consumer spending power. She confidently predicted poor sales, only to be thoroughly proven wrong by the fashionable young people of the 1970s.

In May, Guohui Food Factory's new ice cream launched as scheduled. Since the factory had never produced such a novel ice cream before, major department stores and supply cooperatives only reserved one box each just for show.

Beijing had never sold ice cream before, so no one knew if it would sell. Plus, with the early summer weather not very hot, salesclerks casually placed the Doll Head ice cream in a corner.

The factory sales rep glanced at the lonely ice cream sitting in the corner and wanted to say something, but upon seeing the salesclerk's blank expression, silently swallowed his words.

Thankfully, when deciding on the packaging, Master Liu had insisted on using the brighter, more attention-grabbing design. Otherwise, with the freezer full of ice pops, the new ice cream hidden in the corner would've been hard to spot.

Blue and yellow, with a smiling doll printed in the middle—the colors were attention-grabbing and particularly appealing. The moment the salesclerk placed the new ice cream in the corner, a fashionable young girl spotted it and immediately bought one to try.

"So, what did the girl say?" In the factory manager's office, deputy factory manager Yuan eagerly asked the sales rep about the first customer's reaction. "Did she say it was delicious?"

The sales rep shook his head. "She didn't say."

Didn't say it was delicious? Seems the response wasn't great.

Yuan Kang deflated.

Just as he was about to turn and ask Master Liu why that might be, the sales rep added, "She didn't say it was delicious, but after finishing it right there, she bought ten more."

Didn't say it was delicious, but bought ten more!

It's worth noting that few households had refrigerators in those days, and ice cream was hard to preserve since it melted easily. For the girl to finish one and then buy ten more—at twenty cents each—without even considering preservation issues, she must have genuinely liked it.

Yuan Kang's expression shifted from dismay to delight. He grinned and shot a fake glare at the clueless salesman, complaining that he only told half the story while beaming with pleasure and making excuses to Master Liu: "See, I told you—when Master Liu is involved, nothing stays unsold. Look, she bought so many right after trying it. A definite smashing success."

"More than just a smashing success—it's clearly very popular," factory manager Fang also rarely chimed in.

A satisfied smile hung on his face, and the corners of his mouth hadn't dropped since hearing about someone buying ten at once.

The Doll Head ice cream was the first project he had cared about since taking office, and he had worked his tail off to make it happen. For something new to be liked and recognized by everyone—as the food factory's key responsible person, Fang Mingan was tasting an unprecedented sense of responsibility and satisfaction for the first time.

Influenced by the trends of the time, he used to be gun-shy, always avoiding problems when he could—daring not to manage, unwilling to manage. Eventually, it became habit, and he turned into the factory manager everyone saw as the least responsible, losing the courage and boldness he had when he first started working.

Fang Mingan knew this wasn't good and had tried to change, but with too many past failures, his worries only grew.

He hesitated too much to move forward, so even heaven couldn't stand it and sent someone to push him ahead.

In a way, he had to thank Wu Guifen and her husband. If they hadn't made a scene in the office, he might still be stuck in his self-set boundaries, too afraid to step out of line.

Forced out of his comfort zone, he pushed himself to be his true self. He expected the outcome to be disappointing, but instead, it was a blessing in disguise—he finally got to be a real factory manager.

The new product was recognized by the public, and he was recognized by the workers again.

While the Doll Head ice cream was flying off the shelves and the Ice Pop Team was basking in the spotlight, Xie Xinyi and Xiao Jiang were staring in disbelief at the newly delivered packaging.

"How many days has it been since we started working overtime?" Xiao Jiang mindlessly shoveled food into her mouth.

Xie Xinyi took a piece of meat, put it in her mouth, and sighed with no energy.

Ever since April, when production was ramped up according to Group Leader Lin's requirements, Xie Xinyi hadn't spent a single day without longing for the old times.

Although the increase in production had boosted her wages significantly, she still preferred hiding in a corner chatting with Ms. Liu and the others over being so busy she was run off her feet.

In the past, life had been a life of hard labor, and now it was repeating itself. At first, she had held the illusion that sales wouldn’t be high, but reality gave her a harsh reality check. She even dragged Ms. Liu and Xiao Jiang into her pie-in-the-sky promises, and it took them several days to snap back to reality.

Several people who had never benefited from sales bonuses were now burdened with the factory’s assigned tasks, suffering in silence with no one to turn to.

Although ice cream production was largely mechanized by the 1970s, the coordination between stages still required manual operation.

For example, the raw materials for ice cream production were purchased by the procurement department and stored in the team storage room. Before each production run, Xiao Jiang had to carry the bags one by one to the mixer.

The young woman wasn't very strong and couldn’t carry much at a time. Even though the distance wasn’t far, it still took a lot of time.

Then there was the quality inspection work handled by Big Chen. Once the machines started running, they produced nonstop. With his hands full, Big Chen would sometimes get distracted. When defective products reached Cui Mama, who was in charge of packaging, they had to start over.

Despite the high level of mechanization, the daily quota of 1,000 units set by Group Leader Lin required the team to work error-free to finish before dark.

Cui Jun understood everyone’s reluctance to work overtime, but the reality of exceptionally high sales was undeniable. As the team leader, he couldn’t repeatedly plead with the factory leadership for leniency.

Appealing was pointless—Cui Mama saw things clearly. But Xiao Jiang, who still had family responsibilities at home, and Ms. Liu, who wished she could be with her daughter all day, didn’t see it that way.

Thinking that Big Chen was the one who had made the pledge of commitment, and since the factory leadership wasn't working, the two egged him on to swallow his pride and ask Group Leader Lin for a solution.

Big Chen did go, but as for ways to increase productivity, Group Leader Lin was helpless.

When Lin Wei assigned the daily target of 1,000 units to the Ice Pop Team, he never expected them to finish on time. Now that the team had to work overtime every day, he sympathized, but his hands were tied.

The Doll Head Ice Cream selling like hotcakes was something no one had anticipated. With sales soaring, production had to increase accordingly. He had already preemptively set the output at 1,000 units per day—the rest was up to the Ice Pop Team themselves.

Xie Xinyi watched as boxes of packaging materials were carried into the workshop and took another bite of her lunch meat.

Their team’s staffing was fixed, and borrowing people from other teams was out of the question. What else could they do...

As she chewed the meat in her mouth, Xie Xinyi glanced at Big Chen, who was carrying raw materials and pouring them into the mixer.

They couldn’t add more people, and the mixer, cooling machine, and setting machine were interlinked and unchangeable. To free up extra labor, they had to make the most of the manpower they had.

Xie Xinyi looked at the mountain of raw materials in front of Xiao Jiang, then at the slender-armed and thin-legged girl beside her... and suddenly an idea flashed through her mind.

Since they couldn’t change the existing conditions, why not try to find a suitable way out within those constraints?

For example... making the most of their resources.

As the critical link between the major machines, the few people in their team could improve efficiency by swapping job roles.

Each team member had distinct characteristics. By adjusting job assignments based on individual strengths, placing the right person in the right role, and following the management principle of "person-job fit," they could achieve optimal resource allocation.

Matching the right person to the right job not only minimized wasted labor but also greatly improved efficiency.

Take the task of moving raw materials, for instance. Previously, Cui Mama had assigned the mixing job to Xiao Jiang, thinking her methodical and careful nature would prevent errors. But she hadn’t considered that moving heavy materials was too much for a young girl.

Such heavy work could easily be handled by Big Chen, who was strong and alert. Xiao Jiang, with her attention to detail, would be perfect as a quality inspector.

Xie Xinyi mentally reviewed everyone's strengths. Once she had a general idea, she put down her lunchbox and went straight to Cui Mama to discuss it.

Having suffered from overtime in her past life, she was determined not to repeat it in this lifetime. She diplomatically suggested her ideas to Cui Mama, who hadn’t even had time to eat, and proposed concrete solutions based on the current situation.

Cui Jun was taken aback at first, then asked doubtfully, "Will it really work?"

Xie Xinyi nodded. Although she wasn’t entirely sure if this method would allow them to finish on time, she was certain efficiency would improve significantly.

"Since it can’t hurt, why not give it a try?"

After nearly half a month of consecutive overtime, not only were Xie Xinyi and the others dead on their feet, but even Cui Jun was worn to a frazzle.

In the past, when they finished work early, he could go home, cook dinner, and even improvise a dance while listening to the radio. But now, with the sudden surge in sales of the new ice cream, the entire team was so busy they were run ragged, with no time to eat, let alone dance.

Cui Jun had been frustrated for days, struggling to find a way to help the team. He never expected Xie Xinyi to come up with a solution.

Xie Xinyi was clever, and her methods were sure to work. With no better alternatives, Cui Jun didn’t hesitate to implement her job-swapping suggestion.

As proposed by Xie Xinyi: Big Chen, being strong, switched from machine supervision to moving raw materials; Cui Mama, full of energy, went from overseeing operations to being a versatile substitute; Xiao Jiang, calm and careful, shifted from operating machines to quality inspection; Ms. Liu, quick and efficient, moved from quality inspection to packaging; and Xie Xinyi, whose strengths weren’t directly useful in production, took on the role of machine monitor.

The sudden role changes took some getting used to, but after two days of adjustment, their speed improved noticeably.

Big Chen, who was always alert, arrived early to arrange the day’s materials and preheat the machines. By the time Xie Xinyi and the other women arrived and changed into their work clothes, they could start production immediately.

Ms. Liu and Xiao Jiang couldn’t leave their posts, so Cui Mama, as the substitute, handled warming up their meals. Xie Xinyi, as the machine monitor, even ate by the machines, worried they might break down.

Everyone knew their roles and worked seamlessly together, and they finally managed to move their quitting time from after dark to 6 p.m. by early May.

The factory’s official end time was 5 p.m., so now they only worked one extra hour compared to other workshops. Not only did efficiency improve and time spent decrease, but the quality of their work remained high.

The whole team was thrilled and said they would treat Xie Xinyi, the main hero, to a celebration at a state-run restaurant once this busy period was over.

Xie Xinyi didn’t refuse and even joked about what dishes she would order.

They happily dreamed about future celebrations, never expecting that a few days later, unexpected trouble would strike.