Once the new printer was on the market, it would definitely replace the old model. At that point, the old factory’s production line would still have the spare capacity to produce the old printers while also handling the water heaters.

The new printers would ship from the new factory.

However—

’I’ll need to transfer some veteran employees from the old factory to act as assembly line team leaders and so on. That will make it easier for them to supervise the work.’

At this thought, Xie Changning decided she should go to the factory tomorrow to check on the workers’ skills and attitudes.

Of course, Xie Changning wouldn’t mention these plans to her subordinates.

Their only responsibility was research and development.

After touring the new factory, Xie Changning returned to the family compound, where a group of neighbors was gathered by their doors, cracking sunflower seeds and chatting.

Since Xie Changning was busy, Liu Changyou hadn’t wanted to bother her and had left on her own with her things.

"Why didn’t she stay a bit longer?" Xie Changning hadn’t expected Liu Changyou to leave today. She was surprised she had snuck off on her own.

Aunt Wang sighed. "We tried to get her to stay. We told her it wouldn’t be right for her to leave before you got back, but I think she was afraid of being a bother, so she just left."

"You should visit her in Chuncheng in the future."

The two aunts offered their advice.

’Of course I’ll visit her.’ Xie Changning was just surprised Liu Changyou had been in such a hurry.

Since she was already gone, Xie Changning didn’t dwell on it. She just pulled up a small stool to the doorway and listened to the aunts gossip about other families.

Xie Changning sat to the side, listening with great interest.

"Enough about other families. I heard your Song Xiaoyu is seeing someone?" This was during the government’s "Strike Hard" campaign, so a rumor about dating could have serious consequences.

Song Xiaoyu’s mother instantly looked worried.

"Of course not! Our Xiaoyu is a good kid. He wouldn’t do something that could get him accused of hooliganism. Besides, he works directly for the factory director. Where would he find the time to date?"

Even if he was, she would have denied it.

’What if someone reported him?’

The group chatted idly.

"Changning, your two little treasures are really thriving lately! So fair and chubby!" Before, they all thought Xie Changning had been out of her mind for insisting on feeding her babies formula.

But now, seeing the two babies so healthy, never having been sick, and even bigger than other children their age, they felt the pair were truly blessed.

They must have come to repay a kindness from a past life.

"Really? I think so too. While I was away, they each gained a couple of pounds." If they kept getting chubbier, Xie Changning worried it might become unhealthy.

Talking about her children, Xie Changning’s face lit up with the most radiant smile.

Listening to her, the others were a little envious.

The older ones among them started hoping their own children would get married so they could hold their grandchildren.

"I wonder when my foolish son will bring a wife home. Seeing Changning’s two little treasures makes me so envious!"

"Tell me about it."

"It’s the same with my girl. No one’s come to ask for her hand in marriage. SIGH..."

Xie Changning was curious. "I thought our factory was one of the best in Anong County. Don’t workers from a factory like this get matchmaking offers?"

’That doesn’t seem right.’

At the mention of matchmaking, a hint of guilt appeared on everyone’s faces.

Seeing this, Xie Changning understood.

They felt that since their family members worked at the machinery factory and had a bright future, many of the potential matches weren’t good enough for them.

No wonder no one had come calling.

But that was their own family business, and Xie Changning had no intention of getting involved. She pretended not to notice and changed the subject with a laugh.

After getting her fill of gossip, Xie Changning went home to see her children.

The two babies were now about four months old, looking fair and chubby, and they smiled a lot.

No matter who came to see them, they would always be beaming.

The elders all praised them, "These two will never offend anyone. They’re so likable, smiling at everyone they see."

"This little girl drank 150ml of formula today! She’s eating so much now, almost catching up to her brother." Aunt Wang and Aunt Zhao couldn’t help but praise the baby girl. "And she’s smart, too. The moment she sees me, she starts gurgling, asking to be held."

Both aunts doted on the children. Whenever they spoke of the two little treasures, their eyes would crinkle with smiles.

Xie Changning gently pinched her daughter’s little cheek and picked her up. "My little Zhenbao, are you really such a big eater?"

Held in her mother’s arms, Zhenbao grinned widely, as if she understood.

Seeing this, Aunt Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. "Look at her smiling, like a little old lady with no teeth." The three adults fussed over the two children. Before long, Aunt Wang went to cook, leaving Xie Changning and Aunt Zhao to watch the babies.

"Let me do it. We haven’t had anything with dough in a while. I’ll make some dumplings for Changning today."

Aunt Zhao handed the baby boy to Aunt Wang and got up.

Aunt Zhao was an excellent cook, especially when it came to flour-based foods. Her steamed buns, in particular, were large, white, and fluffy, and always whetted one’s appetite.

Even though Xie Changning wasn’t usually a fan of steamed buns, she would always eat two whenever Aunt Zhao made them.

Yes, that’s right. She would eat two big steamed buns.

"I want stuffed buns!"

"Let’s have them tomorrow. We’ll have dumplings today. The dough hasn’t risen yet." The stuffed buns needed baking soda to ferment the dough, and there wasn’t enough time to do it now, so Aunt Zhao told her no.

Xie Changning nodded.

"Then we’ll have them for lunch tomorrow."

"Deal. Auntie will make you stuffed buns tomorrow!"

The group’s interactions had become very natural and familiar. Xie Changning treated the two aunts like family elders, telling them directly what she wanted to eat.

With Yue Yihan usually not at home, it was the two aunts who spent the most time with her and the children.

Slowly, the three of them had grown quite close.

Especially when Xie Changning was gone for ten-odd days, the two aunts missed her so much they could barely sleep.

In the end, they had pork-filled dumplings for dinner. As the two aunts put it, there’s a saying: "noodles for farewells and dumplings for returns." Since Xie Changning went straight to bed when she got back yesterday and missed out, they absolutely had to make them for her today!

Eating the dumplings, Xie Changning couldn’t help but feel emotional.

"I used to feel a little bad that you two were always going out of your way to cook all sorts of different things for me, but now all I can say is, I missed your cooking so much!" Xie Changning was deeply moved.

’It’s ten thousand times better than the food abroad!’

She really didn’t want to suffer through another trip abroad...

But it seemed there would be many more such opportunities in the future. Some things just required her to go in person.

Thinking of this, Xie Changning sighed. "Looks like I’ll need to find someone to run literacy classes for the workers. It’d be best to find someone with a knack for languages, then I can have them handle the fieldwork abroad directly."

The two aunts didn’t understand what Xie Changning was saying, so they just focused on cooing at the babies.

As the children got bigger, Xie Changning had a carpenter make two wooden high chairs for them. Now, the two aunts could finally eat their meals in peace.