They had worked in this factory for so many years, and it had never once expanded its workforce.

The moment the new director took office, she started preparing to hire more people. At the chemical factory, workers with children over fifteen quickly ran home to fetch them.

The children looked completely baffled when they were brought over.

It wasn’t until they heard Wang Daqiang say the new director was hiring that the kids, who had never had a chance to get a job at the factory, became instantly excited.

Xie Changning had her driver bring over the chemical goods she’d brought back from abroad. Walking up to the workers, she addressed the crowd, "Perfumers. Does the factory have any?"

Perfumer?

The factory workers glanced at each other, then shook their heads in unison.

"Director, what’s a Perfumer? Is that a master craftsman who blends fragrances?"

Wang Daqiang’s question made Xie Changning realize that this was just a small factory. The concept of perfumery didn’t exist here; the soaps they produced were basically all-natural and unscented.

"Bring me every type of soap this factory has ever produced. I want to see all of them."

"Right away!"

Wang Daqiang immediately sent someone to fetch them.

It was a young boy who went, quick on his feet. He soon returned with three bars of soap.

One was for laundry, another was for the face and body, and there was a third, colorful bar. It also seemed to be for the face and body, but this colored one was marketed toward women.

Xie Changning picked up each bar of soap and smelled it.

Just as she’d suspected, they had no fragrance. They were all shipped out in their natural, unscented state.

A small factory like this had low production capacity, and what’s more...

It only handled basic soap production, with orders coming almost exclusively from the surrounding region. If this continued, wasn’t running at a deficit inevitable?

Xie Changning placed the soap back in the boy’s hands. She looked at Wang Daqiang. "Do we have a chemical engineer at our factory?"

Wang Daqiang shook his head again.

"The formulas are all purchased. We just follow them for production. We don’t have any chemical engineers for research and development."

Hearing this, Xie Changning knew that if she wanted a chemical engineer, she would have to recruit one herself.

She nodded. "In that case, let’s begin."

She opened the shampoos, body washes, facial cleansers, and laundry detergents she had brought with her. Then she had the workers form a line. One by one, they came before her to smell the fragrance of the products she held out.

Xie Changning had someone prepare paper and a pen. When the first person came up, she asked directly.

"This is shampoo. Take a sniff. How many different scents can you make out?"

The worker was baffled by the question. He took a sniff and replied, "Isn’t it just one scent?"

His answer earned a nod from Xie Changning. "Next."

There was generally no need to have a worker who gave such an answer smell a second product.

He wasn’t what she was looking for.

A dozen more workers gave the same answer, but Xie Changning didn’t get discouraged. She simply kept sitting there and taking notes.

Her ability to remain so composed deeply impressed Wang Daqiang.

’No wonder she’s successful,’ he thought. ’That kind of poise is beyond what most people are capable of.’

Time ticked by. All sixty workers in the factory had been tested. The result: only one person could distinguish three or four different scents.

Xie Changning made a special mark next to his name.

"Alright, the children of the factory workers, line up. It’s your turn."

When the children’s turn came, five or six out of a dozen or so proved to be highly sensitive to fragrance. Two of them, in particular, not only identified all the fragrance components in the products but also detected two scents that weren’t even listed on the ingredients.

This finally brought a hint of a smile to Xie Changning’s face.

Xie Changning hadn’t actually harbored much hope. A Xiang Bi Zi was a one-in-a-million talent, and she hadn’t expected to find one.

She was having them do the test merely hoping to find a few with a higher aptitude for learning. At the very least, those with a better sense of smell could distinguish fragrances, giving them a higher ceiling for potential than an ordinary worker.

’I never expected this... I really didn’t...’

"Director, did I say something wrong?" one of the girls asked Xie Changning in a hushed tone. She had a timid personality, spoke very softly, and looked incredibly thin and small.

She had seen Xie Changning smile and knew it must be a good thing.

But she didn’t know the names of the fragrances; she could only tell that there were several different ones.

Xie Changning shook her head. "No, you didn’t say anything wrong. You’re very talented."

To be able to distinguish so many different scents without any prior knowledge was a sign of true talent. After all, the girl had likely never encountered such a variety of fragrances before.

The girl looked to be only fourteen or fifteen. Xie Changning patiently asked her a question.

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

Xie Changning’s gaze lifted slightly. She glanced at Wang Daqiang, who was standing beside her, hoping he could explain why this "child" was so small and thin for her age.

Wang Daqiang sighed. "Her parents favor their son over their daughter. The best food, the best of everything... it all goes to her younger brother." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

As he spoke, he gestured with his chin toward two adults in the distance who were scowling at the girl, and at a fat boy of about sixteen or seventeen standing with them.

Xie Changning frowned and turned her attention back to the girl.

"I’m considering sending you away for a period of time to study. Would you be willing to go?"

The girl hadn’t expected such a question. She instinctively turned to look at her parents, but Xie Changning covered her eyes with her hand. "Don’t look at them. Only look into your own heart."

"As long as you’re willing, I’ll cover all the expenses."

Hearing that Xie Changning wanted to send their daughter away to study, the girl’s parents grew anxious.

’If she leaves, who’s going to do all the work at home?’

’Besides, our son is far more outstanding and capable! Why isn’t the new director sending our son away to study?’

With this in mind, they spoke up.

"Director, even if you are the director, you have no right to interfere in another family’s business, do you? What prospects could she possibly have? Our Guangyao is the one with real promise! If you’re going to send anyone, it should be our Guangyao!"

The fat boy called Guangyao puffed out his chest when he heard his parents.

Xie Changning’s frown deepened. ’Some glory,’ she thought wryly.

"Since when do you get to tell me how to do my job?" Xie Changning retorted. "If you’re not satisfied, you can collect this month’s wages and leave." Firing workers was extremely difficult at that time, and Xie Changning had no real intention of firing them.

However, she had to make her own stance clear. She couldn’t let anyone walk all over her.

This couple was clearly the type who bullied the weak and feared the strong.

If she acted politely, the pair would only become more brazen.

So, Xie Changning went straight for the jugular. "Let me make one thing clear. I don’t care if you have a son destined to bring glory to your ancestors or not. On my turf, you listen to me. And if you don’t, I have eight hundred ways to make your life miserable!"

Seeing how formidable Xie Changning was, the couple didn’t dare make another peep.

They had originally thought they could act however they wanted, since Xie Changning couldn’t fire them.

But now Xie Changning had said that while she wouldn’t fire them, she could find other ways to deal with them. The last thing they wanted was to be targeted by the new director.