The noon sun had just passed when Shen Yutian rushed home, chatted with Shen Meng for a while, and quickly took his family to the workshop for lunch.
"There is a group of people waiting for my sister over there. I told them there was no rush, but no one listened to me. Both the village chief and the Secretary were standing there, asking people to call over, so we had to call."
"Hmm, no worries. Anyway, it’s mealtime now; I’m also hungry. The food is free anyway; let’s all go eat and even save on our own meal!"
Shen Yutian sighed. That free good meat and dishes couldn’t possibly taste that good. They said it was to treat his sister to a meal, but it was actually just to get her to work, hmph!
The food workshop had been revamped into the village’s large dining hall, but the Shenji dining hall was somewhat small, as most of the local population were refugees from before, incomparable to other villages.
Despite being small, the place was exceptionally clean, with the working women wearing uniforms and work caps. Those close to the stoves even wore cotton face masks, looking very professional.
In a nearby small room, there was a long table set with ten plates of food—a selection of fish, chicken, meat, and eggs, with a bottle of white liquor at the head of the table.
Village Chief Wu was very enthusiastic when he saw Shen Meng, and he and the Secretary together invited her to sit at the head seat.
"Hehehe, it’s rare for Xiao Meng to visit; our workshop truly shines with her presence. Come, come, sit at the head of the table, it’s also convenient for us to report our work, right?"
"What the village chief said is true. It’s our first time running a workshop, albeit affiliated with a subsidiary food factory, and though we have inspectors, we are still anxious."
Shen Meng kept silent, allowing them to usher her to the main seat.
After arranging for her, they also called Shen Fugui, Wang Guizhi, along with Shen Shoutian and Shen Yutian over, combined with other respected individuals from the village.
Once the conversation started, it turned to past events, but in essence, they wanted Shen Meng to keep the village in mind more as it’s the place that gave birth to her and raised her; she shouldn’t just value her in-laws and neglect her parental home.
Shen Meng just went along, focusing on eating, occasionally wiping Ming Kai’s mouth.
The Secretary was a sharp man, fully aware of the affairs in Lu Family Village and the Commune. Village Chief didn’t really have bad intentions; he was just too anxious. The village used to be truly poor, and now that there was finally a chance for villagers to make money, he wanted everyone to have a better life, save some money, hoping to eventually send their children to school.
After three rounds of drinks, Shen Meng didn’t make any promises, which already spoke volumes about her stance. She was not a person to be swayed by shallow sentiments. If there were serious matters at hand, a real commitment was necessary.
"Xiao Meng, don’t mind, Old Wu is just too anxious. Our village can set up a workshop and earn money, so many people think highly of you, really. Our ancestors escaped from all over the world, they knew exactly what being poor feels like, and they also knew your kindness is rare. We admire you a hundred times over, really. But as you have seen, our village has the least children attending the commune’s primary school, and the village chief is really worried about the children in the village!"
"Secretary, had you said this earlier, wouldn’t it have been easier to discuss? If I didn’t care about our village, would I have connected our village to others? Among so many villages in Xiangyang Commune, why choose ours? It’s precisely because I want our village to thrive. What are foodstuffs? They are consumables. The products made by our workshop are the best-selling in the county Cooperative Society and the town Cooperative Society. Although the workshop was established only about ten days ago, we have earned quite a bit, haven’t we?"
Village Chief Wu’s mood eased after hearing her words.
"We did earn a lot indeed, but compared to Lu Family Village, it’s still far less."
Shen Meng picked up the water cup next to her and took a sip. Just lifting our legs and we’re already thinking of flying; how could that be possible? Nobody is a fool, even if you take your goods outside to sell, you need the ability to produce them!
"Village Chief, Secretary, I just want to ask, our small workshop, if we really get a big order now, can you handle it? Do you have enough food and materials? Do you have enough qualified workers?"
Shen Meng’s words made everyone at the dinner table stuck.
The village chief and the secretary opened their mouths, not knowing what to say. Every time the subsidiary food factory delivered grains and ingredients, it was always a fixed amount. The product, like pastries, was double-checked in the ledger before being shipped out. If there really was a big order, it would be difficult to fulfill.
"A reporter from the Provincial City came for an interview a few days ago. I have already promoted our Shenji workshop to him, and he promised to introduce our food workshop in the newspaper. I also left the phone number of the bus company. If someone really calls, our workshop will have orders. But village chief, we need to be prepared for the big orders that may come, so everyone needs to work together to improve the workshop. Next time you meet the head of the subsidiary food factory, remember to apply for some materials. Get Kong Hui involved too."
The village chief and the secretary were overjoyed. They were still pondering about how to expand and strengthen the workshop, but Shen Meng had already recommended Shenji to the Provincial City reporter without their knowledge.
"This, Xiao Meng, I was wrong, uncle here apologizes to you, this drink is to make amends."
Village Chief Wu downed the drink in one gulp, and Shen Meng also stood up, holding her water glass to gesture to him, showing no airs at all.
"Currently, I’m worried about my elder sister-in-law, who is close to her due date and soon won’t be able to work in the workshop. After she gives birth, I still want her to work at the Head Flower Factory. I can’t be without my people there; otherwise, I’d be blind. If someone should act differently behind my back, I wouldn’t even know how to react. Of course, I believe there won’t be such people in our workshop. My elder brother and sister-in-law are working well in the workshop. I’m not asking for much, just to learn more things. As for my second brother, I am thinking of letting him learn to drive someday, so he can help the village with deliveries. Our workshop is earning money, so we have to buy tractors and tri-wheels, right?"
Shen Shoutian and Shen Yutian listened to Shen Meng arranging their future paths, feeling very bright inside. They knew their little sister wouldn’t neglect them, even the work she chose for them would be the best.
"Minor matters, all minor matters. As long as our workshop does well and the village lives better, Shoutian and Yutian can even walk sideways in the workshop."
"Xiao Mei has also worked a lot recently and is about to have a baby. I’ll decide, the workshop will give her a five yuan subsidy, and also take two boxes of pastries. After she gives birth, we will visit her. Later on, let her rest well at home!"