Xie Changning just smiled, not saying anything more about it.

"Now that you’re all Level 4 technicians or higher, you should be able to handle the disassembly without my help, right?" she asked, looking at the R&D team in Workshop No. 5.

The last technician to have passed the Level 4 exam flushed slightly at Xie Changning’s words.

Still, he nodded happily. "Don’t you worry, Director. We no longer need you to stand over us while we disassemble an unfamiliar machine!" ’If we still needed the Director’s help, our Level 4 certification would be a total sham!’

Xie Changning nodded. She didn’t approach, instead letting them do the disassembly on their own.

The team gathered around to discuss things, then slowly dismantled the water heater until it was reduced to a pile of small components. A member of the publicity team, a camera hanging from his neck, photographed each component one by one.

After the photos were taken, Xie Changning labeled them with the part names.

The factory had a printer now, so Xie Changning used it to print out descriptions of each part’s function. These were then attached to the bottom of the corresponding photos for easy reference.

Once the water heater was completely disassembled, the team also finished their step-by-step diagrams.

The ingenuity of these young workers surprised Xie Changning. She had expected them to jump straight into taking it apart.

But no, they had arranged for the one with the best drawing skills to study her style and sketch out each step of the disassembly process to make reassembly easier.

The team was buzzing with enthusiasm.

Their passion for their work reached a fever pitch whenever a new machine showed up at the factory.

"Study it carefully. I’ll be checking on your research and development results. When we can start using our factory’s own bathhouse depends entirely on how quickly you can develop this."

Xie Changning’s words sent a jolt of excitement through the team.

’A bathhouse inside the factory...?’

"Our factory is getting a bathhouse!?" Everyone finally latched onto the main point, their eyes sparkling as they gazed at Xie Changning.

"So, Director, that abandoned corner that’s been cleared out... are all those materials for building the bathhouse?"

Xie Changning didn’t hide the truth.

"That’s right. I’m the director of three factories now. The daily chemical plant will be developing shampoo and body wash soon, and since we have so many people here, you can all help me test the new products."

The only words that registered with the crowd were "develop shampoo and body wash" and "test them in the bathhouse."

Nothing else mattered.

The workers were so excited they could barely stand still. When they turned their attention back to the water heater, they were more focused than ever.

After her talk with the team, Xie Changning left the R&D project in their hands. She couldn’t stay in Workshop No. 5 forever. Now that they were Level 4 workers, they had to learn to find their own way and grow.

Leaving Workshop No. 5, Xie Changning went to meet with Wang Guofu.

He was in the designated corner, discussing with the construction crew how to build the bathhouse.

"Uncle Wang, here’s the blueprint for the bathhouse. Have the bricklayers take a look," Xie Changning said, handing the drawing to Wang Guofu.

She had stayed up all night drawing it.

The layout was based on the bathhouses of a later era, though she had omitted any unnecessary features, leaving only a changing area and the bathing area itself.

Upon seeing the blueprint, Wang Guofu hurried over to the bricklayers. "Do you understand this layout?"

"Yep! We’ll get right on it!"

Leaving the bathhouse in Wang Guofu’s hands, Xie Changning headed to the wood products factory.

The carpenters were remarkably efficient.

The last time she left, Xie Changning had given the carpenters a great deal of creative freedom. As long as they didn’t alter the main frame, they could add all sorts of small design flourishes.

This was her way of gauging their design capabilities.

She wanted to see if they had any basic design sense.

This time, Xie Changning came to check on their progress with the children’s high chairs.

She had to admit, they were highly skilled. Their little design additions were also excellent, making the chairs look cute and lively, not at all rigid.

They had added little ducks, penguins, and bears in various colors, which looked absolutely adorable.

"Not bad at all."

After inspecting the high chairs, Xie Changning gave the two carpenters her firm approval. Then, she started discussing a children’s playpen with them.

"Director, we can’t really picture it just from your description. We’ll need you to draw up a design for us."

The carpenters didn’t try to overstate their abilities.

They needed Xie Changning’s drawings to give their own imaginations a starting point.

Xie Changning didn’t refuse. She went to the director’s office and started sketching the playpen for them. "This playpen is a collapsible model, but since ours will be made of wood, it’ll be a bit bulkier than a plastic one..."

As she spoke, the basic form of the playpen began to take shape on the paper.

As the drawing became more detailed, Xie Changning added features like a padded foam mat and even a miniature children’s slide.

It was designed for younger children.

The carpenters watched in awe, thinking Xie Changning was incredible. ’How can one person design something so captivating?’

’They probably don’t even have things like this abroad, do they?’

Xie Changning loved the motivated spirit of the workers these days. They had such sincere hearts. All they thought about was earning foreign currency, making their motherland more prosperous, and catching up to the rest of the world.

Xie Changning handed them the drawing. "You can take your time with this one, but I still need it delivered before the Spring Trade Fair. I’m taking it with me to sell to the foreigners."

"Don’t worry, Director! We’ll definitely have it delivered before the Spring Trade Fair!"

The entire factory had basically been at a standstill, but in the last couple of days, the director had brought in some low-skill jobs to keep them busy.

So everyone was able to work through them rather quickly.

Once they finished those orders, they planned to call over a few other skilled and meticulous workers to help them as assistants.

They were confident they could have it carved and built in less than half a month!

Xie Changning stayed at the wood products factory until evening, then headed home.

"Changning, there’s a letter for you."

The moment Xie Changning walked in the door, Aunt Wang told her there was a letter for her on the windowsill.

Xie Changning frowned.

’That’s strange,’ she thought. ’I’ve been here for over a year and have never received a single letter.’

But her hands moved faster than her thoughts, and she tore the letter open.

The letter contained only a few short lines, but they made the color drain from Xie Changning’s face. She clutched the letter and walked back outside. The two women called after her, but she didn’t turn back.

"Did something happen?"

"Even if nothing bad happened, it must be urgent. Otherwise, Changning wouldn’t go out at this hour."

While the two women were talking, Xie Changning had already gone to the factory and picked up the telephone.

She dialed her sister’s number. Once the call connected, Xie Changning said, "I received a letter today. It’s from Shanghai, but it’s about our parents."

Xie Changyi, who was in the middle of handling some documents, assumed her sister was calling about work again.

So after a brief greeting, she waited for Xie Changning to get to the point.

She never expected the news Xie Changning had for her this time would be about their parents.

"What does it say?" Xie Changyi grew tense as well.

"The letter says, and I quote, ’If you want to know the whereabouts of your parents, hand over your core printer design schematics...’"