Everyone knew that money was a good thing, especially since the provincial public accounts were practically empty.

Now that Xie Changning had delivered so much in US dollars, how could they not be tempted?

The money technically belonged to the state, but!

As long as the Anong County Machinery Factory hadn’t gone bankrupt, they had no way of demanding this money from Xie Changning!

They never expected this young female comrade to have such a grand vision, offering up one million US dollars to help the provincial and municipal industrial bureaus solve their pressing financial crisis.

Director Zhao had also experienced firsthand today what was meant by the power of money!

-

Xie Changning was unaware of what was happening with the two directors. If she had known, she would have thanked Director Zhao profusely and sent him a plate of dumplings another day.

After the group returned to Anong County, Xie Changning first gathered the daily necessities she had brought back from abroad, along with the blueprints she had drawn for a child’s high chair. She then had the driver take her to the nearby woodworking factory.

The woodworking factory was very close to the machinery factory; you could see it after walking for less than ten minutes.

When the group arrived at the woodworking factory, Xie Changning saw workers milling about in small groups. She turned to Lin Yongsheng and said, "Gather all the workers. I have something to say."

"Alright!"

The workers inside the factory were all dejected. They knew their deputy manager had gone to the Industrial Bureau today.

The last time someone went to the Industrial Bureau, it was about their manager getting fired.

’Now that the factory has been running at a deficit for years, have the higher-ups finally lost their patience and decided to shut us down?’

Seeing their deputy manager return, everyone’s spirits were low.

"Go on, call everyone over! We have something important to announce, and it’s great news! Hurry up!" Having worked at the woodworking factory for so many years, Lin Yongsheng knew exactly what his people were like.

The moment he said it was great news, everyone’s spirits lifted.

’Could it have something to do with the factory not shutting down?’

Everyone scrambled into action, running off in twos and threes to call people over, telling them to hurry to the meeting. They wanted to hear the good news as soon as possible!

So, everyone came over at a half-run. In less than ten minutes, dozens of workers had gathered in front of Xie Changning.

Xie Changning looked at the workers standing before her, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. When she first arrived at the Anong County Machinery Factory, everyone had looked much like the workers at this woodworking factory did now.

Lin Yongsheng clapped his hands, signaling for everyone to be quiet.

"First of all, let’s welcome our new factory manager, Comrade Xie Changning!" After speaking, he started leading the applause.

At first, everyone was a bit stunned, but they applauded along anyway.

A moment later, they let out gasps of astonishment.

"What!? The incredible manager from the machinery factory?"

"That’s right! The very same incredible manager who earned a hundred million US dollars in foreign exchange!" Lin Yongsheng nodded and announced to the crowd, "From now on, Comrade Xie Changning is the manager of our Anong County Woodworking Factory! Everyone, applaud!"

This time, the applause was thunderous.

Xie Changning’s appearance told everyone that they were saved!

"Level 1 carpenters to Level 8 Carpenters, sort yourselves into groups and stand in a line!" Xie Changning stepped forward. Without any nonsense, she directly had them group themselves to distinguish the craftsmen’s skill levels.

Everyone knew each other well. Acquaintances playfully pushed and shoved one another into different groups, sorting out the Level 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 workers.

That’s right. Don’t let the woodworking factory’s small size fool you—it was a place of hidden talents. There were Level 5 workers, two of them in fact!

Xie Changning was very pleased. She took out her blueprints and handed them to the Level 5 workers. "Take a look. How long will it take to make this?"

Xie Changning’s blueprints were exceptionally detailed, with even the dimensions marked clearly. When the Level 5 workers saw the drawings, they stared at Xie Changning in shock.

"Manager, you drew this? You know carpentry too?"

’Look how detailed the annotations are!’

Xie Changning: "..." ’Not exactly. I just watched while others made them, took notes, and compiled them into these blueprints.’

After seeing the chair, the two of them frowned slightly.

"Manager, it’s not that we won’t make it, but... we don’t think it’s practical. Very few parents in the country would buy these chairs for their kids."

With so many children in a family, the older ones can just watch the younger ones. There’s no use for this thing.

Xie Changning, of course, knew that the current mindset in China was one of thrift and practicality.

"Oh, these are for export."

"..." ’You should have said so earlier!’

The Level 5 carpenters exchanged a look, then turned to Xie Changning in unison and assured her, "Manager, we’ll have it done within three days."

Xie Changning nodded.

"Alright. Make two samples first. I’m going to check on the chemical factory next door. You can work freely for now."

"Yes!"

Xie Changning’s ability to generate foreign exchange was beyond question.

The moment they heard Xie Changning was planning to export, the workers at the woodworking factory became as energized as if they’d been shot up with stimulants.

Seeing what happened at the woodworking factory, Wang Daqiang was also filled with curiosity and anticipation for what Xie Changning would do at the chemical factory.

The chemical factory was far from the woodworking factory, located in the suburbs near Xie Changning’s new factory.

The chemical factory’s plant wasn’t large, with only about sixty workers.

Everyone was squatting by the entrance, seemingly unsure of what to do, just staring blankly at the sky as they waited for Wang Daqiang to return and deliver their factory’s death sentence.

Arriving at the chemical factory’s entrance, the workshop supervisor saw a car approach and forced himself to stand up.

"Excuse me..." He thought someone had come to place an order, but he hadn’t expected to see their deputy manager return.

Right now, Wang Daqiang was their backbone.

The moment their backbone returned, everyone’s expressions instantly became a little more animated.

"Deputy Manager, you’re back?"

"What did the leadership say? What are their plans for us?"

Everyone was waiting neatly at the entrance, hanging on Wang Daqiang’s every word.

Just then, Xie Changning got out of the car. Hearing the car door shut again, everyone subconsciously looked toward the sound and saw a young woman standing in front of the vehicle.

They didn’t quite understand why their deputy manager would bring back such a young woman.

"Alright, quiet down, everyone!"

Amidst the chattering, Wang Daqiang quieted everyone down.

He walked over to Xie Changning’s side and introduced her to the crowd. "Let me introduce you all. This is Comrade Xie Changning, who will be the manager of our chemical factory from now on!"

They might not have seen Xie Changning in person, but they had definitely heard her name.

A hundred million!

Seeing the woman who’d earned a hundred million standing right before them, the workers grew excited. They looked at Xie Changning as if she were a hot commodity.

"Deputy Manager, now that Manager Xie is taking over, does this mean we’re about to show what we can really do?"

They were ready!

’This time, we’ll definitely have a spot at the Spring Trade Fair!’ 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Everyone, go back to the workshop and wait. The manager and I will be there shortly... Wait, go bring your children over, too. The manager wants to recruit the children of our workers as new employees."