I Became a Vicious Supporting Role in the '70s-Chapter 194: She’s Threatening Us

"Zhenping’s wife, are you serious about all this? This isn’t a joking matter. Besides, Xiao Hu isn’t just some minor factory director; his father’s consent is necessary for such matters, and the textile factory needs to hold a meeting to make a decision."

This child’s proposal isn’t inconceivable, but we can’t rush into things. How can we decide such important matters in just a few words? This really seems like playing around!

"Uncle, I’m not joking. How about this? There’s no need for Comrade Hu Biao to step in. I’ll go talk to Director Hu myself. If the talk goes well, I can find a few skilled orphan girls to try this out first. We can sell the products at the Cooperative Society to see if they sell well. If the sales are good, we can move on to the next step. I will then provide you with a list of materials, costs, labor, and gross profit, all detailed and clear. Of course, your approval is indispensable. Qianqian is married now, but I believe that after all these years you and Aunt Qi spent nurturing her, making her so outstanding, it wasn’t just so she could be a housewife later on. Her current role as a liaison for the commune and the textile factory is temporary. Maybe in the future we can establish a workshop under the commune, affiliated with the textile factory, and Qianqian could be the director of a small factory. If this can grow large, it would benefit her too, leading a group of rural women towards independence and strength, generating income and wealth. This would be a great deed and might even be reported in the papers."

Li Qianqian was trembling with excitement, a surge of emotions welling up inside her as she gazed distantly in a direction, imagining herself commanding respect and influence.

Who wouldn’t hope for their child’s success? Qi Mingyue and Li Chuan had the same hopes, especially since their daughter Li Qianqian had been truly excellent from childhood. If it weren’t for her marriage, her future would have been bright.

"You’re about to start working at the bus company soon, and Zhenping can get his allowance. With your salary, you both can live a prosperous life. Why are you still thinking about generating revenue for the commune?"

"Mr. Li, look at the wrinkles at the corner of your eyes and the white hair on your head. Aren’t these from working hard to improve the lives of the people in Ning County? I, like you, am a child of Ning County, and I also love my hometown and our people. I love this land, and I want to see our county lift itself out of poverty sooner, so our fellow villagers can live better lives."

"Well said, well said, Xiao Shen! Zhenping, the two of you have good consciousness, really good. Xiao Hu, go get some wine. Let’s the men here drink properly. It’s been a long time since I felt so exhilarated, haha..."

"Ah, okay, Dad, I’ll go get the wine right away."

Hu Biao was overjoyed in his heart. After marrying Li Qianqian, he had given up his job for the family’s harmony, allowing his own mother to have nothing to criticize. This matter had weighed on his mind for a long time and he couldn’t let it go. He was planning to see if he could pull some strings at the textile factory or somewhere else after she recovered from childbirth, but Shen Meng unexpectedly created an opportunity out of thin air.

After two cups of wine, Li Chuan raised some concerns. If they were to really carry this out, there would certainly be many issues to face. It wasn’t as easy as just talking on paper; interpersonal relationships are real matters that require handling.

Shen Meng was aware of this as well. Her current status was just that of a rural woman, and even if she was about to have a secure job, she was still a modest bird, hardly able to speak on the same level as some of the big shots. But hey, hey, hey... Fortunately, at this table, aside from a few children, everyone had connections. This made doing things a lot simpler.

"Sister Meng, rest assured. The textile factory often has leftover fabric scraps that aren’t worth selling but are also a pity to throw away. Being able to utilize them would be a good thing for the textile factory. It’s just that thread ends have a low profit margin, and I’m afraid no leader at the textile factory would agree to dedicate efforts to this matter."

"I think I’ve got someone in mind for this. Our village’s Women’s Director, Comrade Guo Xiuxin, is widely trusted for both her abilities and character. She can organize the personnel, and then coordinate with Qianqian. Qianqian can handle the coordination on the textile factory’s end. There’s no need to worry about any extra labor, as long as we keep clear records of the textile shipments."

"That’s great, that’s great. My daughter Qianqian is still recovering and needs more rest."

Li Qianqian, whose mind is now fully occupied with work, felt dissatisfied when she heard Hu Biao say this and promptly gave him a nudge with her elbow.

In fact, Shen Meng had already prepared a detailed plan and even produced samples in over a dozen different designs. However, since she came today using the pretense of visiting Li Qianqian and the child, she didn’t feel it appropriate to reveal everything, lest she seemed to have ulterior motives.

As for the issues with the Hu family, Li Chuan and Qi Mingyue were heartbroken and didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Every time Hu Biao saw his in-laws’ faces, he felt an overwhelming sense of shame.

Not to mention Li Qianqian’s parents, even Hu Biao himself didn’t want to let his wife and child move back into the family housing. If they were to get hurt again, who would he turn to?

Shen Meng sighed and said, "Aunt Qi, Uncle Li, we are all parents here, wanting only the best for our children. No one wants a family like Hu’s by marriage. Luckily, Hu Biao is a decent man. If he were heartless, you could have simply told Qianqian to take the child and get a divorce, come back home. Nowadays, divorce isn’t shameful. Qianqian is good-looking, educated, and capable. She wouldn’t struggle to find a good match. But Hu Biao is truly decent, and moreover, the child is still young. This matter must be resolved. Director Hu standing in front of the Li family’s door with his wife every day—if this gets out, it wouldn’t sound good at all."

"Hmph, you think Lin Rong came to apologize to Qianqian? You think her standing there every day shows sincerity? She’s threatening us. Just you watch, in a couple of days, she’ll fake a faint. Next thing you know, rumors will spread that the Li family is arrogant and looking down on the Hu family. That my daughter Qianqian is pampered, presumptuous because she has a child, and hastily runs back to her mother’s home at the slightest disagreement, spreading rumors about establishing her dominance over her in-laws."

Qi Mingyue, with her years of mediation experience, pinpointed the heart of the problem immediately. As soon as she spoke, everyone in the room looked visibly disturbed.

Li Qianqian shuddered all over, and Hu Biao hurriedly went inside to fetch her a coat to drape over her shoulders. Initially, he thought if his mother would just apologize more and he could say a few kind words, they could move past this and live happily as a family. Now, he felt his heart cool by half.

"Since you’ve already seen through it, why even give Mr. Li a chance? People always sympathize with the underdog," Aunt Qi, even disregarding the relationship between our two families and out of consideration for Hu Biao and Qianqian’s dignity, we have to think about Bao Guo. When the child grows up and finds out how much his grandparents on both sides have been at odds, it will trouble his heart, not to mention that we are not at fault in this. So we can’t let her manipulate us. How about this—I’ll go out to talk to them. If it seems feasible, I’ll bring people in. If not, we’ll see how they react."

Qi Mingyue and Li Chuan exchanged a look, agreeing with the rationale. They had been at an impasse for several days now, with no one mediating. Neither family had a way to step back. Shen Meng might be of a younger generation, but she was Qianqian and Bao Guo’s lifesaver. With that title, she could justify her actions.

"Alright, Xiao Meng, you’re right. We can’t let that woman call the shots. Go ahead, your Aunt Qi and Uncle Li trust you."

Shen Meng’s eyes were brimming with glee, "Alright, I’m on it."