Qin Lihua didn’t go home after leaving Xiyang Food Factory; instead, she headed straight to find Cai Jun.
Although it wasn’t quite appropriate for her to show up like this, Qin Lihua could no longer care about that.
Before she even reached the village entrance, she saw Cai Jun working in the fields at the east end of Cai Village.
Cai Jun was watering the wheat. The wheat was about to head, and watering it now would ensure the grains filled out well.
Qin Lihua made her way towards Cai Jun, with uneven steps on the soft ground.
Cai Jun glanced at Qin Lihua, and with just that one look, he bent down to unblock the water entrance of the irrigation channel, redirecting the flow into another furrow, “Why have you come here?”
Seeing how differently he treated her compared to the enthusiastic start of their relationship, Qin Lihua felt even worse.
“If I don’t come looking for you, will you ever come looking for me? Cai Jun, do the things you said to me before still count?”
After a brief silence, Cai Jun nodded his head.
“If they count, then go to my house to propose marriage. After the wheat harvest, we’ll get married. Also, I have some good news for you – my aunt’s factory got two new large machines and I’ve heard they’re adding two more production lines, so they will need more workers. How about you take a job at the food factory then?”
Worried that Cai Jun might refuse, Qin Lihua hurriedly added, “I’ve inquired about it. Although Sun Bingnan works at the food factory, he’s in sales. He’s office-based and won’t go to the workshop, so you won’t run into him there.”
Cai Jun finished changing the water course, looking down as the water flowed into the wheat field, where the wheat was growing well, the water snaking quickly through the stalks towards the deeper areas.
Seeing him silent again, Qin Lihua was utterly frustrated.
“Auntie said you could start working there. What are you being so stubborn about? If you don’t want to work at the Bun Shop, you can work at the food factory. Besides, even if you run into the Sun siblings, what of it? They’ve already beaten you up once; can they beat you again?”
“Lihua,” Cai Jun finally lifted his head, “do you really like me?”
Qin Lihua nodded, “Of course I like you,” if she didn’t like him, why would she make such a fuss?
“I’ve already said I won’t go back to work there, and if I work again in the future, it would be a different job, not at your aunt’s place.”
Work at the food factory?
Had Qin Lihua suggested this at the beginning, maybe he would have wavered, but now with Sun Lanlan and Su Wensong set to marry, going to Xiyang Food Factory to find Su Wensong would be like slapping his own face.
He still remembered the disdain, disgust, and even anger in Su Wensong’s eyes when they were found out that day.
Whether he stayed at the Bun Shop or went to the food factory, it was an awkward situation for him.
He didn’t have the face to go back.
Qin Lihua was close to crying with urgency, “If I didn’t like you, why would I plead with my aunt on your behalf?”
“If you really liked me, you wouldn’t try to persuade me. Same as before, I won’t go back.”
Qin Lihua looked at him, his clothes – a vest and shorts that had turned white from washing – were covered in mud and water.
His skin wasn’t as fair as it had been when he worked at the Bun Shop, perhaps because of that fairness, now the skin that had been scorched by the fierce sun was red, some parts even peeling.
His hair was a mess, unlike when he worked at the Bun Shop, where he had to pay attention to hygiene, making sure his appearance was always presentable.
Cai Jun’s hair had grown long, even his beard hadn’t been shaved for several days, looking scruffy.
His current appearance was a far cry from the man she had first set eyes on, and what disappointed her even more was his attitude.
“In the end, it’s not that Sun Lanlan is thinking of you; it’s you who’s thinking of Sun Lanlan, isn’t it? Not returning to the Bun Shop to work is just because you’re afraid of seeing her. Cai Jun, after all I’ve done for you, you’d rather resign because of your petty thoughts without considering our future together?”
If her fourth aunt did not agree, it would have been fine, but her fourth aunt had clearly agreed.
In his heart, was his pride more important than their future life? Or even more important than her?
Watching Cai Jun’s continuing silence, Qin Lihua couldn’t hold back anymore and ran out of the wheat field crying.
After seeing off the fellow villagers who had helped, Lin Chuxia spent a long time wandering around the factory and the machines.
In her last life, it was with beef sauce as the foundation that she started a food processing factory, transitioning from a retail storefront to factory processing, which stabilized her first step and also brought her honors and wealth.
In this life, she embarked on the beef sauce business again, confident that she could do even better.
Old Food Factory, brace yourself for our competitive pressure!
“Have you found out about the sales channels for the beef sauce at the Old Food Factory?”
At this moment, only Lin Chuxia and Su Wensong were in the factory.
Su Wensong nodded, “Mostly, yes. The Old Food Factory’s sales channels over the years haven’t been a secret, and with a little inquiry, we’ve found them. The only tricky thing is, most of their sales channels are state-owned enterprises.”
The fact they were state-owned enterprises meant that cooperation between the two enterprises wasn’t entirely based on mutual interests.
This didn’t bother Lin Chuxia. Ten years ago, she might have been extremely cautious, but now, with individual enterprises sprouting up like bamboo after rain, if state-owned enterprises still clung to their old ways, they would be nearing closure.
Market competition brought about by individual enterprises would inevitably pressure state-owned enterprises.
Every state organization she had dealt with, be it a grocery station or a machinery factory, was actively seeking new breakthroughs just to ensure that the factory had sufficient capital and interest to continue operating normally.
She did not believe that the enterprises cooperating with the Old Food Factory had no such thoughts.
In the face of interests, neither face nor friendship mattered.
“Later, organize the information for me, and also arrange for the purchasing department to procure some items for me tomorrow.”
Lin Chuxia said as she left the factory and went straight to the office, taking the position of factory manager and began writing with a pen.
Su Wensong stood aside watching. After she wrote two lines, he understood what she was planning to do.
“These two production lines are starting up, how should we arrange the hiring of workers?” Su Wensong asked.
Now that she was planning to produce beef sauce, with the product ready, the production lines had to be set in motion.
“We can post the job advertisement, stick to the original hiring standards, and arrange for someone to take care of it.”
“Alright, understood.”
Lin Chuxia handed the written material to Su Wensong, and with nothing else to do here, she went directly home since Xiyang Food Factory was just next to Qin Family Village.
Mrs. Qin hurriedly greeted her upon her return.
Mr. Qin had already left after hearing the broadcast. Even if he couldn’t help, it was his family’s matter, and he wanted to see what was happening.
Mrs. Qin hadn’t gone, but she was concerned about the matter, and Mr. Qin came back unable to explain clearly.
Seeing Lin Chuxia wearing the food factory’s uniform and her hair still damp, she didn’t bother to ask anything else.
“Did you get caught in the rain? Doesn’t the factory have raincoats? What if you catch a cold, come in quickly, I’ll heat some water for you to take a bath.”
Without waiting for Lin Chuxia to refuse, she went straight into the kitchen.