Chapter 104

The furniture factory had been a major burden on the Imperial Capital’s municipal government. Now that someone had suddenly stepped up to take it over, Xi Changshan had no patience to sit still for even one more minute. He was itching to drag Zhenzhen to the factory immediately to check out the situation and get the agreement signed.

Old Madam Xi shot him a glare. “You’re not eating, but Zhenzhen still needs to eat. What’s the rush? Eat first, then you two can go handle it.”

Xi Changshan had no choice but to hold back and again went over the details of the factory with Zhenzhen. It wasn’t until they were about to eat that he finally took a sip of water.

The housekeeper brought out the dishes one by one, and a few of the children in the family helped set out bowls and chopsticks. Just as Zhenzhen was about to serve the rice, she saw Shang Qingran take the rice ladle and say with an overly enthusiastic smile, “Zhenzhen-jie, sit down and rest. Let me handle this little thing.”

Although it was only her second time seeing this girl, the last time Shang Qingran had shown no interest in even smiling at her. Now she was suddenly so warm and enthusiastic. Zhenzhen’s first thought was: What’s this girl scheming now?

Even though Shang Qingran wanted to take over all the serving and hosting, Zhenzhen wasn’t about to just sit there waiting to be fed. As she helped bring rice bowls to the table, she also kept a sharp, 360-degree mental eye on Shang Qingran, worried she might try to poison something.

As it turned out, Zhenzhen was overthinking it. Shang Qingran obediently served the rice and sat tightly beside Zhenzhen. “Zhenzhen-jie, can I sit next to you? The last time I saw you, I just felt so warm around you. You know, I’m the only girl in my family. When I see you, it’s like seeing my real older sister.”

Zhenzhen subconsciously looked up at the two Xi family daughters. Xi Changshan’s daughter, Xi Yinuo, glanced at Shang Qingran with a mocking smirk, while Xi Changhe’s daughter, Xi Yiming, didn’t even bother to lift her head, as if she hadn’t heard a thing. Zhenzhen’s expression darkened as she looked at the girl. Your two cousins are sitting right here and you completely ignored them—are you trying to make more enemies?

Not knowing what this girl was up to, Zhenzhen merely smiled faintly and turned to talk to Xi Junjie. Seeing her friendliness rejected, Shang Qingran’s eyes flashed with frustration, inwardly blaming Xi Sumei for offending people so badly during her last birthday banquet. Still, considering her current situation, Shang Qingran figured it was worth cozying up to this cash cow. The rest of the Xi family—from the old lady to the uncles—weren’t exactly welcoming, and it was clear they wouldn’t be her ticket out of poverty. But Li Mingzhen was different: young, female, and seemingly kind-hearted. With some flattery and sweet words, surely she’d open her wallet eventually. Just look at that birthday gift—Li Mingzhen was clearly generous.

When the old lady announced that it was time to eat, Shang Qingran put on another sweet smile and placed a piece of peppered pork rib into Zhenzhen’s bowl. “Zhenzhen-jie, I think this is really delicious. You should try it.”

Zhenzhen glanced at her. Though unsure of her exact motives, her overly enthusiastic and somewhat fake smile made Zhenzhen wary. She quickly returned a distant smile. “Thanks, but I can serve myself.”

Xi Yinuo rolled her eyes at Shang Qingran with a half-smile, then grabbed a big crab and placed it in Zhenzhen’s bowl. “Zhenzhen-jie, you’re going to be our future sister-in-law, so that makes you part of the Xi family. Don’t be shy when you’re at home.” Before Zhenzhen could thank her, she handed another crab to Shang Qingran. “You’re a guest, so don’t bother trying to host our family. Just focus on eating.”

Though Shang Qingran was clever, she was still young. Hearing such blunt words, her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked down at the crab in her bowl. The old lady glanced at Xi Yinuo and tapped the table. “Eat.”

“Okay.” Xi Yinuo cracked open a crab and scooped out some roe to give to the old lady. “Grandma, have some crab roe.”

The old lady looked at her and poured some ginger vinegar into her bowl. “Eat more, talk less.” Xi Yinuo stuck out her tongue playfully and winked at Zhenzhen before focusing on her crab.

Zhenzhen had little interest in these petty rivalries. While Xi Changshan was free, she took the opportunity to ask detailed questions about the government’s policies for enterprises and export restrictions. Having majored in economics, her questions were professional and focused. Though Shang Qingran still tried to get Zhenzhen’s attention, she couldn’t even understand what was being discussed, let alone join in.

After the meal, Shang Qingran, undeterred, tried to chat with Zhenzhen about a recently released movie. But before she could open her mouth, Xi Changshan said, “Mingzhen, if there’s nothing else, why don’t we go check out the factory?”

Zhenzhen’s mind had been focused on the factory anyway. She stood up immediately. “Then I’ll trouble you, Eldest Uncle.” Xi Junjie also stood. “I’ll go with Zhenzhen. After we check out the factory, I’ll take her home—safer that way.” Zhenzhen nodded and, after saying goodbye to the Xi family, left with Xi Changshan for the furniture factory.

Zhenzhen had already reviewed the factory’s layout with her ability. This time, she was focused on understanding the management structure, accounting, inventory, and sales channels. As far as sales went, there wasn’t much to investigate—the factory hadn’t sold a single piece of furniture in over six months, which explained how it got to this point.

She and Xi Junjie stayed at the factory until six in the evening, finally finishing the last page of the financial records. Rubbing her eyes, Zhenzhen stood and politely smiled at Xi Changbo and Factory Director Wang Xuelin, who had been waiting nearby. “Thank you, Mayor Xi and Director Wang, for staying with me. It’s getting late—how about I host a meal for everyone?”

Xi Changbo shook his head. “You’ve spent the whole afternoon going over the books. Better to rest. Let’s meet here at 8 a.m. tomorrow to sign the transfer agreement.”

“Alright.” Zhenzhen agreed easily, then shook hands with Wang Xuelin. “Director Wang, see you tomorrow.”

Wang Xuelin’s palms were sweaty. He quickly wiped them on his clothes before shaking Li Mingzhen’s hand. Looking at this delicate, youthful girl, his heart filled with unease. His poor management had forced this state-owned factory to be sold to a private individual. Secretly, he hoped Li Mingzhen would keep him on as factory director—otherwise, he really didn’t know what else he could do.

Trying to read her polite expression, Wang Xuelin cautiously asked, “May I ask what your plans are for the factory once you take over?”

Zhenzhen smiled. “No rush to discuss that just yet. First, let’s pay the workers.”

Wang Xuelin’s face flushed with shame. “It’s my failure that left the workers with no food on the table.” Zhenzhen gave a polite smile but didn’t comfort him—it was simply the truth.

The next morning, city and district officials arrived at the furniture factory. Zhenzhen signed agreement after agreement with the government and paid the transfer fee according to the contract. From that moment on, the furniture factory officially belonged to her.

After seeing the officials off, Zhenzhen looked at the faded sign reading “Zhenhua Furniture Factory” and gave her first order: “Pay the workers.”

The workers, who had been anxiously waiting in the workshop, burst into cheers at those words. All the fear and uncertainty vanished in an instant, replaced with overwhelming joy and growing trust in their new factory director.

There were still some formalities to be completed, but Zhenzhen believed winning over the workers was the top priority. She gathered all employees in the auditorium and stood at the front to introduce herself. “Hello everyone, my name is Li Mingzhen. From now on, I’ll be in charge of the furniture factory. I know things have been tough for a while due to poor management, but I believe that won’t happen again in the future. Enough with the talk—let’s have the accountant start paying wages, shall we?”

“Yes!” The resounding cheer from the crowd shook the room. Every worker stared at the accountant with eyes full of eager anticipation.

The accountant’s face was bitter as he held the ledger and looked at Zhenzhen, unsure what to call her. “Li… Li…”

“Just call me Director Li,” Zhenzhen said.

“Ah, Director Li… um, we’ve only got less than a hundred yuan in the account. There’s really not enough to pay the wages.”

Zhenzhen nodded and looked at him. “I’ve already prepared for that.” Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she pulled ten stacks of cash from her bag, along with a thousand yuan in smaller bills. Gasps rose from the crowd as she pushed the money toward the accountant. “Make sure you handle the bookkeeping later. Any money left after paying the wages should be deposited so the factory can operate normally.”

The accountant began counting quickly while the office director called out names and arranged the workers into lines. Once the money was verified and matched against the ledger, they began distributing wages to each worker, one by one.

The first few people to receive their wages were veteran workers at the factory. After they had been paid, Zhenzhen called them and Factory Director Wang aside privately. “I checked the warehouse yesterday. We still have dozens of sets of furniture without carvings or patterns. I’d like to have them modified into imitation Republican-era or Qing-style carved furniture. Is that doable?”

The dozen or so master craftsmen exchanged glances and replied, “Adding carvings is possible, but it might not be in the most traditional style.”

“That’s fine. I noticed our furniture is made with quality materials, and all of you are experienced masters—you know far more than I do about this. I’m asking you to put more thought into making the pieces as refined as possible. From now on, for every set of intricately carved furniture like this, I’ll give you a ten percent bonus in addition to your wages.” She looked at them seriously. “So the craftsmanship and quality must be flawless.”

These craftsmen had spent over a decade making plain furniture and had long since lost their drive. Hearing that they could now do skilled work they were good at—and get extra pay—made their eyes light up. They immediately promised, “Don’t worry, Factory Director. We’ve made our living off our skills, and we’d never do anything to ruin our own reputations.”

Director Wang stood off to the side, looking conflicted. “Director Li, we should be focused on serving the people, not chasing profits.”

Zhenzhen smiled at him. “Who says serving the people means we can’t make money? The way you were doing it before, not even being able to sell our products—was that serving the people? That was just wasting state resources.” She glanced at the still-gathered workers and raised her voice deliberately: “Right now, the country is calling on us to rapidly develop the economy. If a business doesn’t make money, it’ll be eliminated in the course of reform. So on the basis of serving the people, we also need to create value, raise our workers’ wages, and improve everyone’s lives.”

“She’s right!” The workers had had enough of the days when wages couldn’t even be paid. They immediately raised their arms and cheered in support of what Li Mingzhen said. Zhenzhen gave Wang Xuelin a look and shook her head gently. “Factory Director Wang, it’s time for a change in thinking.”

Since the workers had just received half a year’s worth of back wages, which was a sizable amount, Zhenzhen figured they wouldn’t be in the mood to work today anyway. She gave them the day off, letting them go deposit money or buy meat to take home and celebrate. She kept a few of the factory’s key personnel behind to assign a series of tasks.

First, they were to rename the factory to “Tengda Furniture Factory,” remake the signboard, and hang it up. Second, those veteran craftsmen were to lead a group of skilled workers to transform the unsold stock in the warehouse. Third, the purchasing staff were to head to the Beicha Hydrolysis Plant to buy panels for producing more affordable board furniture for the general public.

Once the orders were given, Wang Xuelin watched Zhenzhen make sweeping changes and grew uneasy. “Director Li, will you be coming in to work tomorrow?”

“I have some things to take care of. I probably won’t be back for half a month. You and the others will need to hold down the fort. Just follow the plan I laid out, and we’ll handle the rest when I return.” Zhenzhen checked her watch and stood. “Is there anything else?”

Wang Xuelin let out a sigh of relief. He had been worried she was going to fire him, but it seemed Li Mingzhen didn’t plan to touch his position. He relaxed instantly. “Don’t worry, Director Li. We’ll carry out your plans to the letter.”

Zhenzhen nodded. After leaving the factory, she returned to the courtyard home to inform her family before heading out of town to recruit a few people. Some of them were famous figures she had seen in the news in her previous life; others were traditional craftsmen she had discovered recently using her spiritual awareness.

Now that she was doing serious business, everything had to be done the proper way. Though Zhenzhen could teleport anywhere instantly, she still bought a train ticket for the sake of appearances—though she never actually boarded the train.

Instead, she teleported to a county town in Hubei. She had come to find a thirty-year-old man named Sun Rende. During the political campaigns, the then-twenty-year-old Sun Rende had sold his ancestral home for a few hundred yuan and led thirty coworkers to start a woodcarving factory. He surveyed the market carefully, found the right positioning, and the next year received an order for twenty carved chests at the national import-export trade fair—worth over ten thousand yuan. Unfortunately, in that era, his early success made him a target as a representative of the “new bourgeois class.” His factory was forcibly shut down, and he was sent to the countryside. Now in his thirties, Sun Rende was penniless and unmarried. Even if his old workers wanted to restart the business with him, he couldn’t afford to pay their wages.

Inside her spiritual space, Zhenzhen spent most of her time observing Sun Rende, aside from reading and eating. Several days later, when the train from the capital to Hubei was scheduled to arrive, she finally stepped out of her space.

She took out a roast duck, a roast chicken, and a bag of steamed buns, then knocked on Sun Rende’s door.

“Who is it?” Sun Rende put down his carving knife and got up.

“Is Factory Director Sun home?” Zhenzhen called.

Hearing the title, Sun Rende’s expression became dazed for a moment. Then he shook his head and gave a bitter smile. “What Factory Director Sun? That title disappeared ten years ago.” He walked to the door, blinking against the sunlight that poured in. Once his eyes adjusted, he saw a very beautiful young woman standing outside.

“Who are you looking for?” Sun Rende awkwardly hid his sawdust-covered hands behind his back and gave her a sheepish smile. “Maybe you’ve got the wrong person?”

Zhenzhen smiled at him. “You’re Sun Rende, former director of Dawo Woodworking Factory, right?” Seeing him nod, she continued, “Then I’ve found the right person. Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

Sun Rende quickly stepped aside and invited her in. Seeing she was carrying food, he hurried to fetch a table and two chairs from inside, then wiped them clean with a rag before asking her to sit down.

Zhenzhen lifted the food and said naturally, “It’s about time for a meal. I brought some cooked dishes—shall we eat and talk?”

Though unsure why this pretty girl had come to see him, Sun Rende figured there wasn’t anything about him worth scheming over these days. Since he had a guest, he should treat her well. He washed a few plates, tore up the chicken and duck, and plated them. Then he went out back to pick some fresh vegetables, stir-fried two dishes with garlic, and brought them to the table—four dishes in total.

Zhenzhen had already eaten, so she didn’t touch her chopsticks. Sun Rende, who hadn’t had meat in years, was overwhelmed by the aroma. He tore into a chicken leg and devoured half the roast duck before finally asking, “So why did you come looking for me?”

“My name is Li Mingzhen. I run a furniture factory in the capital, and I’d like to hire you as the factory director,” Zhenzhen said seriously.

Sun Rende gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I was only a director for a little over a year. Now I’m broke and own nothing. Aren’t you afraid I’ll drag you down?”

Zhenzhen smiled. “I’m hiring you for your boldness and your insight into the market. Even now, people still talk about the orders you landed at the trade fair. Whether you’re broke or not doesn’t matter to me.”

Recalling those glory days, a nostalgic look flashed across Sun Rende’s face. He couldn’t help muttering, “If only I’d been born in better times…” Then he caught himself and glanced at Zhenzhen cautiously.

She glanced around the room, which was filled with wood but lacked a single electrical appliance, and sighed. “Factory Director Sun, you should read the news. You’ll see—you weren’t born in the wrong era. You’re living in the best time for reform and entrepreneurship.”

Three days later, Zhenzhen boarded a train with Sun Rende and more than twenty woodcarvers. These craftsmen had once given up their iron rice bowls to join Sun Rende’s startup. After the factory failed, they never found stable work again and had lived in hardship ever since. When Sun Rende heard Zhenzhen was looking for skilled artisans, he visited each former worker personally. Some agreed to go with him to the capital; others declined, unwilling to leave home.

Still, getting more than twenty artisans to return with her was already a pleasant surprise for Zhenzhen. When they arrived back at the factory, she had the office director take them to shower, get haircuts, and settle into the dorms.

At the next day’s general assembly, Zhenzhen officially announced that Sun Rende would be appointed factory director with full authority over the furniture plant. Wang Xuelin’s director title was revoked; he was reassigned as the union chairman.

Although Zhenzhen had mentioned hiring Sun Rende as factory director, he hadn’t expected her to make it official the very next day. Such trust deeply moved him. His eyes grew moist as passion and excitement surged through him—he couldn’t wait to roll up his sleeves and prove himself worthy of Zhenzhen’s faith.

After receiving the appointment, Sun Rende didn’t hold a big meeting right away. Instead, he visited the workshop and spoke with every employee. Within a few days, he was able to call each worker by name and understand their specialties. Only then did he begin to manage the factory’s affairs.

Zhenzhen hadn’t attended classes for almost a month because of the factory. After handing things over to Sun Rende, she returned to school to catch up, but she was still worried someone might bully the new factory director. So even during class, she would occasionally use her consciousness to check on the factory, just in case anything happened.

More than a month passed peacefully, and the first batch of renovated furniture was finally completed. Looking at the exquisite patterns and beautifully intricate carvings, Sun Rende let out a sigh of relief. As long as the quality was solid, the market direction he had planned for these pieces wouldn’t be a problem. He intended to bring this set of furniture to the Canton Fair this year and export it to Hong Kong.

Zhenzhen had picked Sun Rende precisely because he was sharp and market-savvy, and he had the courage to think and act boldly. Only someone like that could lead a company to success. After reporting to Zhenzhen, Sun Rende took two employees to the capital to negotiate a partnership with a local import-export company. The finely carved sample furniture was shipped there for display.

While Sun Rende was away, and Li Mingzhen only visited once every couple of weeks, Wang Xuelin took the chance to invite a few former leadership colleagues over to his house for a meal.

The house was small and dim, so Wang Xuelin had his wife set the table out in the yard. After a couple of drinks, Wang Xuelin started to cry. “You guys tell me—I was the factory director for so many years. Even if I didn’t do great things, I put in the effort, right? Now a young girl comes in and just chops me down, replaces me with some outsider as factory director. I just can’t accept it.”

Deputy Director Zhang couldn’t help but chime in, “Exactly. I’ve been feeling uneasy lately too. That Director Sun never discusses anything with me or Deputy Liu. I wonder if he’s trying to promote his own people and push us out.”

Hearing this, Liu Shucheng’s smile faded. “Old Zhang, you shouldn’t say things like that. The factory’s privately owned now. The buyer obviously wants to make money. We just need to do our jobs well and stop worrying about stuff that doesn’t matter.”

“You saying I didn’t do my job well?” Wang Xuelin instantly became upset. “Furniture was always made the way it was. Now those two have to stir things up, make them fancy, even talk about exports. I don’t believe she can pull it off. I heard that Director Sun got thrown in the cowshed before for trying to export furniture. Just wait—he’ll end up back there sooner or later.”

“Hold on, Old Wang—what exactly did you call us here for?” asked Office Director Sun Yufeng, glancing at Wang Xuelin. “You don’t seem too happy in your union chairman role.”

“Happy? Me?” Wang Xuelin downed another drink, eyes bloodshot. “I used to be the top dog. Now what am I? I’ve been sitting in the office for over a month and no workers have even come to me. Clearly, they’ve stripped me of any real power.”

“Old Wang,” Sun Yufeng said, patting his shoulder, “out of respect for our years of working together, let me give you some advice: let it go. Don’t get hung up on power. Sure, you had power before—but you couldn’t even get your salary paid. What good did it do? If Li Mingzhen and Sun Rende can help us earn more and pay everyone properly, I’d gladly give up whatever little authority I have.”

“You’ve been corrupted already, and it’s only been a few days,” Wang Xuelin said bitterly. “You weren’t like this before.”

Sun Yufeng sneered. “That’s because you haven’t lived through the days when I couldn’t afford my kid’s school fees or meat on the table. I don’t have lofty ideals. I just listen to the one who pays me.”

He stood up and patted Wang Xuelin’s shoulder. “Old Wang, open your eyes a little. You’re only a few years from retirement. Why obsess over something meaningless? If the factory grows, won’t you benefit too?”

Watching Sun Yufeng stagger out, Wang Xuelin furiously pointed at his back. “Ungrateful bastard! If I hadn’t promoted him, would he even be office director today? I haven’t asked him for a single favor, and now he’s preaching to me.”

Liu Shucheng shook his head and got up too. “Chairman Wang, I’m a bit tipsy. I’m heading home to sleep. Calm down and get some rest.”

Wang Xuelin didn’t even look at him, just picked up his cup and took another swig. “Deputy Director Zhang, if you want to leave, go ahead.”

“I’m not leaving. I’ll drink with you,” Zhang Zhengzong said, taking a bite of food and starting to vent. “I can’t stand working under that kid either. He’s barely thirty—what the hell does he know? Why should he be factory director? Just because he can travel? He’s got no gravitas.”

That hit home for Wang Xuelin. He raised his glass and clinked it with Zhang’s. “We can’t let that kid seize power. While he’s away, how about we stir things up? You with me?”

“How?” Zhang asked gloomily. “Liu was right—this is a private factory now. Whoever owns it can name the director. It’s not like the old days.”

“But what if Sun Rende can’t control the workers?” Wang Xuelin sneered. “Let’s go find some of the old-timers. If we get them fired up and make some noise, Sun Rende won’t be able to manage, and Li Mingzhen will have to come crawling back to us.”

“Will that work?” Zhang hesitated. “Those old masters have been working like mad lately—like they’re on steroids. Will they even listen to us?”

Wang Xuelin scoffed. “Didn’t Sun Rende bring in a bunch of new craftsmen? We’ll tell the old-timers that he’s planning to replace them with his own people and squeeze them out. I bet they’ll panic.”

“Alright. I’m in,” Zhang nodded.

Clap clap clap… A series of claps rang out. The two men looked up to see Li Mingzhen standing at the gate, her expression calm but cold. They instantly went pale and scrambled to their feet.

“Great plan,” Zhenzhen said mockingly. “If only you’d used that brain of yours to help the factory grow, maybe you wouldn’t have run a state-owned enterprise into the ground.”

She shook her head at Wang Xuelin’s pale face. “Honestly, I wasn’t planning to keep any freeloaders. But I figured you’d been the director for so long, it’d be rude to kick you out directly—so I gave you a ceremonial position. Looks like I was too soft. With your talent, I’m sure you’ll thrive anywhere.”

“You want to fire me?” Wang Xuelin glared. “I won’t accept it! If you dare fire me, I’ll report you to the authorities!”

“Report me for what?” Zhenzhen asked, pulling out a tape recorder from under her feet. She hit play, and Wang Xuelin’s earlier conversation played word-for-word, inciting unrest.

“Report me for catching you inciting trouble? Let’s not waste time. Are you two going to resign yourselves, or wait for me to fire you?”

She set the recorder down and calmly looked at them.

A flash of malice crossed Zhang Zhengzong’s face. “I won’t resign, and I don’t admit to saying any of that.” He lunged toward the recorder by Zhenzhen’s feet. Wang Xuelin, half-sober now, jumped in too.

Zhenzhen didn’t even flinch. She lifted her foot and kicked both men away. They landed hard on the ground, faces bloodied. She sneered, “I’ve never lost a fight since I was a kid.”

As the two men glared at her defiantly, Zhenzhen walked over and left a trail of deep footprints as she said, “One more thing—before absolute strength, any scheme or trick is just a paper tiger. It crumbles with a touch.”

Author’s Note:
Zhenzhen pointed at herself beneath heaven and earth: I am absolute strength!