Ever since they’d left, they were no longer part of their in-laws’ families!

That’s why they never bothered Xie Changning with their in-laws’ messy affairs.

"Don’t worry about cleaning up. I’ll take care of it. You go get some sleep." Seeing Xie Changning about to clear the dishes, Aunt Wang hurried over. She took them from her and gently nudged her toward her room.

How could a guesthouse ever be as comfortable as one’s own home?

As the old saying goes, be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.

No matter how nice the guesthouse was, it still wasn’t home!

With that, Xie Changning went back to her room to get some much-needed sleep.

When Yue Yihan returned, Xie Changning was fast asleep.

"Don’t go in just yet. She just got back from Ping’an City," Aunt Zhao said, stopping Yue Yihan. She wanted to let Xie Changning sleep a little longer.

Hearing that Xie Changning had come from Ping’an City, his brow furrowed slightly. "What was she doing in Ping’an City?"

’Aren’t all her relatives, aside from the ones sent down to the countryside, supposed to be in the south?’

’Why the sudden whim to go to Ping’an City?’

"She said she went to visit her adoptive parents," Aunt Zhao explained.

Hearing this, Yue Yihan realized that, without his knowledge, Xie Changning had already gotten the address where her adoptive parents from the Xie Family were sent and had paid them a visit.

He frowned slightly.

"Did she say anything after she got back?"

Aunt Zhao and Aunt Wang shook their heads in unison. "She seemed to be in a decent mood. Other than that, nothing was different."

Hearing this, Yue Yihan nodded.

Once he was sure his wife hadn’t been negatively affected, Yue Yihan finally relaxed. He went to Xie Changning’s workroom to rest.

There was a small bed in Xie Changning’s workroom, a place for her to rest when she worked late on her experiments.

Since Xie Changning was sleeping in the main bedroom, Yue Yihan, afraid of waking her, went into her workroom instead. He slept on the small bed she had set up for herself.

When Xie Changning woke up, it was already the next morning.

Early in the morning, she heard Yue Yihan’s voice. She rubbed her eyes, stretched, and walked out of her room. "Oh? When did you get back?"

’I had no idea.’

"Little Yue got back yesterday. He was afraid of waking you, so he slept in the workroom instead of coming into the bedroom," Aunt Wang explained to Xie Changning.

Xie Changning nodded.

"Why don’t you go into the bedroom and get some proper sleep?"

The workroom would get cold in the dead of night, unlike the bedroom, where they were constantly adding coal to the stove.

Whenever Aunt Wang and Aunt Zhao got up in the middle of the night to feed the babies formula, they would add firewood and coal briquettes to the stove, keeping it burning longer to maintain the heat in the house.

Otherwise, the temperature would drop too low, and the babies wouldn’t be able to handle it.

She had to admit, the two aunts cared for the children with a meticulousness that was far greater than she had anticipated.

They were as devoted as if they were looking after their own grandchildren.

After breakfast, Xie Changning left for the factory, leaving Yue Yihan at home to play with their two children.

Xie Changning was heading out the door when she turned back. "I hired a few veterans yesterday. Do you want to go take a look?"

"You’re planning to have them work as security guards at the factory?"

"Mhm."

Veterans were the best choice for security guards.

In fact, if Xie Changning had submitted a request to the higher-ups, they would have directly assigned demobilized soldiers to the factory; she wouldn’t have needed to recruit them herself.

Of course Xie Changning knew this.

She knew all of that. It was just that—

She needed something in exchange from the villagers, which was why she recruited from the village directly.

Yue Yihan didn’t know the details, and Xie Changning didn’t elaborate. In any case, the men were already hired, so it made no difference now.

The work at the factory was largely repetitive and tedious, and Xie Changning’s tasks were no exception. She was helping repair the machinery, trying to get the small printer project on the official schedule.

"Director, we have a problem!"

Inside the workshop, Xie Changning suddenly heard the sound of hurried footsteps outside. She turned to see Wang Guofu jogging toward her.

She gave Wang Guofu a weary look. "Uncle Wang, aren’t you supposed to be at the branch factory?"

’Why is he still at the main factory?’

"Oh, I still think being vice director of the main factory suits me better. You should manage the branch factory!" The very thought of being responsible for all the branch factory’s affairs made him uneasy.

Xie Changning was speechless. ’This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone who doesn’t want a promotion.’

"So what’s wrong?" Xie Changning changed the subject. "What’s got you in such a panic?"

"We got a call from an overseas client. They said there’s a problem with our machines and they want a refund..." Wang Guofu was a nervous wreck. The factory had already shipped out the final batch of that order. And now someone was demanding a refund?

’Wouldn’t this damage the factory’s reputation?’

’What if other companies start demanding refunds too? What if this affects the Spring Trade Fair?’

Wang Guofu was practically bouncing off the walls with anxiety.

"I was wondering what all the fuss was about. Have they hung up? I’ll come with you and check it out."

The two of them hurried back to the office. Walking up to the phone, she said, "Hello, this is Xie Changning, the director of the Anong County Machinery Factory."

The moment her voice registered, a torrent of angry English erupted from the receiver. The words were nasty, the gist being that Xie Changning’s machines were garbage and that a backward country shouldn’t delude itself into thinking it could produce anything advanced.

Her voice was grave as she retorted in fluent English.

"Sir, I recall that when we sold you these machines, we made it clear that after-sales service is included. The fact that you are now insulting both me and my country gives me reasonable suspicion that you are simply trying to run a scam and extort money from us!"

Xie Changning hadn’t used a single curse word.

But given his attitude, she felt it was worth making a trip in person.

"I will be visiting your company personally, and I will be bringing a lawyer. If it turns out the machine was damaged intentionally, I will sue you!"

Xie Changning’s stance was unyielding.

Even if the machine really was broken, she was no pushover.

She would go and see what the problem was. And if it wasn’t an issue with their parts, she’d make sure to teach this man a few choice curses from her homeland.

"Are you kidding me? It’s your machine that’s broken!"

"Did I say we wouldn’t take responsibility?"

"...No!"

"If the answer is no, then what gives you the right to curse at me? I’m here to do business with you, not to be your subordinate!"

The man on the other end hadn’t expected her to be so tough. He opened his mouth to retort, but Xie Changning’s words were so sharp that they left him speechless.

Finally, he could only say through gritted teeth, "Let’s see if you’re still this tough when you get to our company!"

With that, the man left an address and phone number before hanging up.

Xie Changning jotted down the address, then turned to the gawking Wang Guofu. "I’ll have to go abroad next week. I’ll need you and Uncle Lin to manage things at the factory."

"Okay. But if you’re going abroad, you’ll need to take some people with you, right?"

Their factory had money now, so the expense of an overseas trip wasn’t a concern.

Xie Changning nodded. "A few people from the R&D team will go with me. And... we’ll need to hire a senior editor and a senior lawyer..."

Xie Changning listed the personnel she would need to Wang Guofu.

"Huh? Why do you need to bring a lawyer, too?"