Chapter 65 Acquaintance

Chapter 65: A Familiar Face

The Gu family gathered, enjoying the ice cream Gu Ying had brought home. Seeing Xie Xinyi return, Gu Ying quickly fetched one from the fridge. "Here, sis-in-law, try this new ice cream from your workshop. It's so delicious—even Grandma nearly finished one."

Gu Ying’s colleagues had treated her that day. When they first bought this ice cream, everyone doubted how good a product like this could be. Yet, in the end…

Not only did Gu Ying buy a large bag, but her colleagues all made their way to the mall to get more.

"Good thing I was quick," Gu Ying said, "many of my colleagues couldn't get any today."

Gu Ying proudly held her head high, as if victorious. After finishing her ice cream, she even went to the fridge to count the remaining ones.

"Sis-in-law," she called out, seeing only four ice creams left, to Xie Xinyi, who was sharing one with Gu Yu, "Can’t your workshop produce more?"

She had worked hard to get them, and now only four remained. Who knew if she'd be able to get any next time?

Pouting, she sat beside Xie Xinyi. Just as she was about to probe for insider information, Gu Yu cut her off with a single sentence.

"Don’t even think about it, don’t ask. Unless you want to work your sister-in-law to death."

Gu Ying: "..."

The overprotective husband certainly lived up to his reputation.

She hadn’t even said anything, and he was already so defensive.

But her brother had a point. Gu Ying glanced at Xie Xinyi’s noticeably pregnant belly and recalled her sister-in-law’s tired face after long days at work.

Forget it. She could do without ice cream. But if Xie Xinyi got worn out, her brother would probably be furious with her.

Gu Ying shook her head, about to explain herself to Gu Yu, when Zhang Xin’s excited voice rang out from outside.

"Gu Ying, Gu Ying! I waited in line and got you the sandwich ice cream you love!"

Before he could finish saying "a lot," he was already in the living room. Everyone on the sofa turned to look at him. Even Gu Haoting, who had followed him in, couldn’t help asking, "What’s got you so worked up?"

Worked up? Zhang Xin didn’t think so. He launched into a vivid account of how early he had queued, how he had sweet-talked the sales clerk, and how many ice creams he had managed to buy.

"That exaggerated?" Gu Haoting took the ice cream Zhang Xin handed him and took a curious bite.

Sitting back on the sofa, he ate as he asked Xie Xinyi, "Xie Xinyi, is this from your workshop?"

"It’s a new product our team launched this year."

"Hmm… quite unique," Gu Haoting rarely offered praise.

"Your daughter-in-law developed it."

As soon as Gu Haoting finished speaking, Gu Yu, who had been sitting quietly beside Xie Xinyi, interjected expressionlessly.

What? This sold-out new ice cream was developed by Xie Xinyi?

Now it wasn’t just Gu Haoting—even Gu Ying and Grandma Gu turned to look at Xie Xinyi.

"Sis-in-law, did… did you really invent this ice cream?"

Gu Ying asked in surprise, looking down at the ice cream in her hand and then up at Xie Xinyi, who nodded with a smile.

No wonder Xie Xinyi hadn’t reacted at all when they were discussing how unique the ice cream was. It turned out she was the one behind it.

The surprise in Gu Ying’s eyes slowly turned to admiration. Ignoring Zhang Xin, who was still standing there dumbfounded with the ice cream, she pulled Xie Xinyi aside and started firing questions.

"What’s the outside layer made of?"

"Did you add cream inside?"

"What kind of sugar did you use?"

"..."

Pulled along by her, Xie Xinyi didn’t know which question to answer first. Just as she was about to reply randomly, Gu Yu pulled her away and said coldly, "Trade secret. No comment."

"Gu Yu! You..."

Gu Ying stamped her foot in frustration. Grandma Gu, watching the bickering siblings, sided with Xie Xinyi. "Your sister-in-law worked hard to develop this new product. Of course, she can’t just reveal the recipe to anyone. Unless..."

Grandma Gu deliberately paused, and Gu Ying immediately asked, "Unless what?"

"Unless you pay up."

Xie Xinyi couldn’t help laughing. Gu Ying realized she had been teased, her face turning bright red as she complained that Xie Xinyi was teasing her and insisted on being taught how to make the sandwich ice cream.

"We don’t have any equipment at home. How can I teach you?"

Wen Shuhua also found it amusing.

Gu Ying came to her senses, realizing her request was unreasonable. So she cautiously made another suggestion. "Can you produce more sandwich ice cream?"

Here we go again. Gu Yu shot her a look.

"Or maybe sneak me a few rejected ones?"

Gu Yu: "..."

This was getting out of hand.

"If you want to eat it, have Zhang Xin stand in line and buy it for you."

With that, Gu Yu helped his pregnant wife upstairs for her rest, leaving Gu Ying downstairs to count the sandwich ice creams in the fridge again.

Xie Xinyi didn’t give in to Gu Ying’s unreasonable request. However, production team leader Lin Wei visited the workshop several times after learning about the market response.

"Increase production again?"

This time, Lin Wei didn’t directly assign tasks to the team. Instead, he went to discuss it with Aunt Cui first.

But the outcome wasn’t what he had hoped for.

After hearing that he wanted to increase production again, Aunt Cui immediately took him to the Ice Pop Team.

"See for yourself. Count them," she said, pointing to the people busy working around the machines. "How many people are there? How many machines? Increase production again? Do they even care about their lives?"

Cui Jun had heard about the successful sales of the ice cream sandwich from the research group two days ago.

Despite Xie Xinyi and her team putting in overtime daily, they still couldn’t keep up with the demand.

Old Liu had predicted that the ice cream sandwich would be a hit, so before April even started, he had already instructed Lin Wei to get production scheduled.

Since the production period started a full month earlier than last year and the output was increased from the get-go, the ice cream sandwich still sold out as soon as it hit the market.

Was not meeting demand due to a lack of effort from Xie Xinyi and her team?

"Can’t you see the worktables are practically smoking from overuse?" Cui Mama told Lin Wei to see for himself. "And the machines—they’ve been running for so many years. The Shanghai food factory has already replaced their equipment several times."

Meanwhile, they were still using the outdated machines Old Liu had bought from other factories.

Although they were imported, they were simply too old.

Last year, when the Doll Head ice cream was selling well, the cooling machine had broken down more than once. Now, with the ice cream sandwich selling so well, instead of considering new machinery, the factory was trying to squeeze more out of the production workers.

Since they were all his people, Cui Jun couldn’t possibly give Lin Wei a friendly look.

"I submitted the request for new machines last year. Instead of spending time in the workshop, you’d be better off making more trips to the office."

Lin Wei’s proposal to increase production was shot down by Cui Jun. If it weren’t for Ms. Liu hearing about it, Xie Xinyi and the others wouldn’t have known they were almost pushed too hard by management again.

"Still pushing for more? It seems they really don’t intend to give us a break."

Xiao Jiang slammed the sieve onto the worktable in frustration. After hearing Ms. Liu’s news, she felt like going on strike right then and there.

Since remarrying, her new husband had been good to her. Not only had she filled out, but her personality was no longer as timid and cautious as before.

Influenced by Xie Xinyi, her main concerns now were whether she could clock out on time and whether her workload was reasonable.

As for bonuses, she hadn’t cared much before, and she cared even less now.

With no one like Shang Fushun and his family leeching off her anymore, Xiao Jiang found her monthly salary plenty to spare.

More importantly, she was now pregnant. Feeling constantly tired, coupled with the summer heat and the stuffy, cramped workshop, it was no wonder the pregnant woman was irritable.

Xiao Jiang plopped down on a stool, grumbling about "the awful management" while occasionally wiping sweat from her face.

Considering her pregnancy, Big Chen had assigned her the task of sifting flour.

Every day, Big Chen would arrange the flour for her, and she only needed to sift it.

The task wasn’t heavy, but it required constant contact with flour. From morning onward, she looked like a flour-covered doll—only her eyes visible, with flour covering the rest of her.

Now, as she wiped her sweaty face with her flour-dusted hands, she felt all sticky and uncomfortable, which only worsened her mood.

After adjusting the cooler settings, Xie Xinyi began molding the ice cream while comforting her, "Cui Mama already blocked them from increasing production. Why worry? With just a few of us here, if they want to boost output, they’ll have to find another way."

She boldly predicted that the factory would focus on upgrading machinery, but instead, the factory opted for a cheaper solution. No new machines materialized, but they did hire a lot of temporary workers.

What surprised Xie Xinyi the most was that among these new temporary workers was a familiar face.

Why would Xie Jianjun’s wife, Liu Zhenzhu, come to the food factory?

Upon hearing the news, Gu Yu had the same reaction as Xie Xinyi: Why would she come to Guohui?

Xie Xinyi mentally went through all of the Xie family’s connections and Xie Jianjun’s network but still couldn’t figure out who was behind it.

Out of all the factories in Beijing, why did she have to come to their food factory, and as a temporary worker at that?

Wasn’t Liu Zhenzhu supposed to be highly capable and well-connected?

Could it be that because Xie Xinyi hadn’t replied to Xie Jianjun’s letter, they were deliberately doing this to bother her?

Xie Xinyi ventured a guess, but Gu Yu found it illogical.

The number of temporary workers hired this time was small—all twelve were assigned to their Ice Pop Team.

Xie Jianjun had only recently arrived in Beijing and hadn’t yet built up his network. Gu Yu felt it was unlikely he’d go to such lengths over an unanswered letter. Perhaps Liu Zhenzhu’s hiring was just a coincidence.

He advised Xie Xinyi not to overthink it, and Xie Xinyi didn’t have the energy to worry about other people anyway.

Although she wasn’t yet in her third trimester, her body felt increasingly heavy, and she wasn’t sleeping well.

Seeing her discomfort, Gu Yu had somehow gotten hold of some folk remedies for insomnia and insisted on having her lie down so he could "clear her meridians."

Clear her meridians! She was a pregnant woman—what if his technique was off and he ended up causing problems?

Xie Xinyi refused, pressing Gu Yu on where he had learned such things.

"From the western suburbs, my grandma’s close friend. Said to be a descendant of some lineage, I forget which," the man replied earnestly.

When Xie Xinyi remained skeptical, he even threatened to fetch Grandma Gu to vouch for him.

Trying to use an elder to pressure her—Xie Xinyi was exasperated.

Since her pregnancy, the man had gone from unflappable to easily agitated, and now he had picked up the habit of tattling?

He was also far more talkative than before. Wasn’t he supposed to have a stern face and be a man of few words?

Yet here he was, explaining the lineage of some traditional practitioner just to justify his meridian-clearing idea.

It wasn’t that Xie Xinyi doubted traditional Chinese medicine—she doubted Gu Yu himself!

Seeing him squatting in front of her with a shameless grin, she couldn’t connect him to the formidable figure from the original book.

Remembering the visionary decisions the character had made during the early days of reform and opening up, Xie Xinyi looked at him curiously and changed the subject. "Let me ask you something serious—have you ever thought about leaving the military?"

"Huh?"

The topic shift was too abrupt. Gu Yu was still figuring out how to convince Xie Xinyi, and suddenly she was asking about him leaving the military.

Had he ever considered leaving the military?

Truth be told, he had thought about it long ago.

Especially during the years when his father constantly compared him to Gu Kai, he had considered striking out on his own more than once.

But back then, considering the political climate, policies, and his mother’s expectations, he never took that step.

And later, after meeting Xie Xinyi, getting married, and starting a family...

He wasn't on his own anymore, and he couldn't just do whatever he wanted when it came to many matters.

With everything going on, he hadn’t thought about this issue for a long time. Moreover, he had never discussed it with anyone else, so how did Xie Xinyi know about it?

Gu Yu looked up, puzzled, and met the equally confused gaze of the girl. "Why do you ask?"

"I just thought of it suddenly."

Xie Xinyi certainly wouldn’t say she had read some book or that the incredibly capable man in the book was the man himself. She simply made up a reason, like thinking he wasn’t an ordinary person, that major trends were about to change, and that sometimes a change of environment could bring new opportunities—anything to talk Gu Yu into going for it.

But the man didn’t press further. Hearing her say it was a sudden thought, he genuinely believed she was influenced by the recent changes at the factory and had made the connection. He even ended up asking for her opinion on the matter.

Her opinion?

Xie Xinyi couldn’t really say. After all, stuff about important people like him was beyond her understanding, and she didn’t dare to meddle.

She shook her head. "If you ask me whether something tastes good, I can tell you. But this? I really don’t get it."

Besides, whether Gu Yu decided to leave the military was his own business. She could only ask; she couldn’t offer advice, much less make the decision for him.

To avoid raising his suspicions, she joked about her lack of understanding and took the opportunity to express her stance.

"Anyway, whatever you do, I’ll support you—unconditionally."

The girl smiled, cupped the man’s face in her hands, and gently kissed his forehead.

Gu Yu: "..."

Why did this gesture feel a bit odd?

──

Gu Yu had no immediate plans to start a business, which didn’t really affect Xie Xinyi.

She continued to work hard on the production line every day, occasionally having to endure the inexplicable enthusiasm from Comrade Liu Zhenzhu.

"Is she really your cousin-in-law?" Ms. Liu watched as the woman loudly introduced Xie Xinyi to the other temporary workers, hardly able to believe that such a smooth operator was related to the "quiet type" Xie Xinyi.

"Surprised?" Xie Xinyi understood Ms. Liu’s thoughts. "I’m surprised too."

On Liu Zhenzhu’s first day at work, she hadn’t been arrogant or dismissive. Instead, she had given Xie Xinyi a big hug, acted as if they were old friends, asked warmly about her and the baby, and even affectionately called her "Yi Mei."

Yi Mei.

Just thinking about how Liu Zhenzhu had addressed her made Xie Xinyi’s skin crawl.

Ever since she had learned that Liu Zhenzhu would be joining their team, Xie Xinyi had imagined various scenarios: being ignored, being targeted, being questioned. But she had never expected such enthusiastic treatment.

What game was she playing?

Xie Xinyi found it increasingly hard to figure out what Xie Jianjun and his wife were up to. She decided to keep cool and play it by ear, focusing first on meeting production targets.

Before Liu Zhenzhu and the other temporary workers joined their team, the factory, to avoid a repeat of incidents like Zhang Pandi’s disobedience, had promoted Big Chen to acting team leader of the Ice Pop Team.

After Cui Jun became workshop director, the position of Ice Pop Team leader was left empty.

There had been rumors that the factory intended to choose either Big Chen or Xie Xinyi for the role.

In the end, Big Chen was made acting team leader. Some thought Xie Xinyi got a raw deal, but she didn’t mind at all.

She had never been interested in having a leadership role. In her past life, she had had enough of that. In this life, she just wanted a relaxed job without any extra responsibilities.

The factory’s decision to appoint Big Chen suited her perfectly. She wasn’t the least bit upset. In fact, as soon as the announcement was made, she was the most vocal in teasing Big Chen about treating everyone to a meal.

"Sure, sure, whatever you want to eat, you name it."

Big Chen knew Xie Xinyi’s personality well. He knew she wouldn’t hold gossip against him or let a temporary promotion create a rift between them.

He and Ms. Liu understood what the girl cared about most, but it seemed some people didn’t see it that way.

During lunch break, Liu Zhenzhu quietly approached Xie Xinyi when no one was around.

"Yi Mei, I heard both you and Big Chen were nominated for team leader. How come he got it instead of you?"

Liu Zhenzhu had a square face and small eyes. As she spoke, her eyebrows twitched, and her sly expression made it clear she was not someone to underestimate.

Xie Xinyi had heard many stories about this woman since joining the Xie family years ago, but she had never met her in person.

On the day Liu Zhenzhu reported to the team, she had greeted Xie Xinyi with super friendly warmth. Xie Xinyi hadn’t even recognized her until Liu Zhenzhu introduced herself. Only then did Xie Xinyi realize this was the famous Liu Zhenzhu.

Liu Zhenzhu hadn’t visited the Xie family since marrying Xie Jianjun, so it was natural for Xie Xinyi not to know her. But if the two had never met, how had Liu Zhenzhu recognized Xie Xinyi at first glance?

Xie Xinyi was puzzled. To make matters worse, Liu Zhenzhu went around boasting about how close they were and now pretended to be a well-meaning person while trying to stir up trouble between Xie Xinyi and her colleagues.

"Sister-in-law, where did you hear that?" Xie Xinyi smiled at her, avoiding a direct answer. Instead, she played dumb and asked where Liu Zhenzhu had picked up such gossip.

"There’s always gossip where there are lots of people. You should take it with a grain of salt. Even I, the person involved, didn’t know I was nominated for team leader. Where would they have gotten that information?"

It must have been made up, of course.

If you believed it, that only showed you weren’t very bright either.

Xie Xinyi had indirectly insulted her. Liu Zhenzhu failed to stir up trouble and instead ended up embarrassed. Before leaving, she forced an awkward smile and pretended to have a sudden realization, thanking Xie Xinyi.

"...I see. Those people just can’t stand to see you getting along, so they spread rumors to drive a wedge between you."

Liu Zhenzhu awkwardly tried to smooth things over. Xie Xinyi nodded in agreement. "But Big Chen and I have worked together for years. A few words from outsiders won’t come between us."

Her words were vague, but everyone knew exactly whom she was referring to.

Liu Zhenzhu nodded sheepishly. After that, she kept her distance. Aside from greeting Xie Xinyi warmly in front of others, the two had little interaction.

When Xie Jianjun asked about it, Liu Zhenzhu put it like this:

"You have no idea how arrogant that cousin of yours is. She even took a dig at me, thinking I’m too dumb to understand."

Liu Zhenzhu pursed her lips. After complaining, she lowered her voice and asked Xie Jianjun, who was fanning their child, "Did that person really promise you anything? I don’t want to go through all this trouble and end up with nothing."

Back then, her father had pulled strings to transfer Xie Jianjun to Beijing, hoping to secure a job for her in the city once he was settled. But then her father was reported, and an investigation was launched into his past dealings, forcing her job search in Beijing to be put on hold.

Both Liu Zhenzhu and Xie Jianjun knew her father had a shady past, so they relocated to Beijing before the investigation concluded.

It was her father’s idea. But before they left, he had Xie Jianjun write a letter to his cousin Xie Xinyi, who had settled in Beijing.

Back when the Second Xie family pushed this marriage onto Third Xie's granddaughter, the Liu family badmouthed Xie Jianjun's mother behind her back constantly.

They said the groom's family had such excellent conditions, with a high-ranking officer father in the military district—something you couldn’t find even with a lantern. Yet his mother, just because her own daughter cried a few times, passed this marriage opportunity to Xie Xinyi instead.

How stupid was that?

Liu Zhenzhu’s father said his in-law had shit for brains, but he also didn’t allow Xie Jianjun and his daughter to have any extra contact with Xie Xinyi, who had married into a Beijing family.

After all, he was riding high back then and looked down on associating with anyone from the Xie family. Nor did he ever imagine that one day he would take a fall.

If he hadn’t been investigated and his daughter had no job prospects, he probably would never have lowered himself to ask a favor from someone with whom he had almost no connection.

Actually, it wasn’t really asking—Liu Zhenzhu’s father forbade Xie Jianjun from mentioning the Liu family’s troubles in the letter. He only wrote that due to a job transfer, Xie Jianjun didn’t want to live apart from his wife, and asked Xie Xinyi to see if she could help find a job for Liu Zhenzhu.

They couldn't come across as too desperate.

That was his father’s only condition.

If Xie Xinyi helped, fine. If not, they shouldn’t push too hard.

Liu Zhenzhu and Xie Jianjun didn’t want to push either.

Because not long after the letter was sent to Xie Xinyi, Xie Jianjun received a job offer from the director of a suburban food factory.

The job they had been desperately seeking for Liu Zhenzhu was offered directly as a team leader position.

No need to beg anyone—all Liu Zhenzhu had to do was obtain the new ice cream recipe from Guohui Food Factory, and she would get a permanent employee position, starting immediately as a team leader with a Grade 3 salary.

This made them ecstatic.

After all, even Liu Zhenzhu’s father might not have been able to secure a job in Beijing, but here, all it took was getting a recipe.

After a brief discussion with Liu Zhenzhu, Xie Jianjun agreed. Then, under that person’s arrangement, he joined the Frozen Products Workshop at Guohui Food Factory.

What Liu Zhenzhu didn’t expect, though, was that Xie Xinyi was also in the team she would be joining.