Chapter 89: Accepting a Female Factory Director Isn’t Out of the Question

Chen Huajiang proceeded to seek out some workers whose children or grandchildren attended the compound's kindergarten. The older workers, like He Sanmu, kept a respectful distance from him. The younger ones, however, were more approachable, much like He Song; they could chat with Chen Huajiang and had encountered the same issues.

"See? Maybe you were overthinking it," Chen Huajiang said to his wife, whose expression had already softened.

Lin Jiayin squeezed his hand and nodded, a touch of shyness in her demeanor.

"Huanhuan, it was wrong of Mama to be harsh with you. Come here and let Mama hold you," she said, apologizing to their daughter and reaching out for her.

"I don't blame Mama," Huanhuan replied, stretching her arms toward her mother.

Smiling, Chen Huajiang handed their daughter over. Lin Jiayin played with Huanhuan for a while before quietly thanking her husband.

At that moment, she once again felt how much easier and simpler everything became with her husband by her side. She tended to get stuck in her own thoughts, and after fixating on an issue, she couldn't easily break free, instinctively feeling as if the kindergarten had singled out their family.

Her personality was rather introverted, keeping most worries to herself. She only relaxed around her husband and daughter.

When Chen Huajiang had courted her, he was eloquent, considerate, and capable. Later, things changed; he became irritable and angry. Fortunately, things had turned around, and he had returned to his true self.

"There's no need for thanks between husband and wife—such formality," Chen Huajiang said, feigning annoyance as he pinched her cheek.

To him, it was a casual gesture, but Lin Jiayin flushed crimson in embarrassment. After all, they were on a public street, surrounded by people—mostly familiar faces from the Red Flag Factory.

Sure enough, several people glanced their way.

He Sanmu and the other older workers looked displeased, and He Sanmu even let out a cold snort. "A typical good-for-nothing, just as I thought," he grumbled to himself.

With the matter settled, Chen Huajiang queued up to buy half a roast duck and a pound of pig's head meat, then left with his wife and daughter.

Before heading home, he found He Song and another young porter, Wang Dali, to discuss the kindergarten's collection of fees.

"You can talk to other workers. We could all chip in together as a group," he suggested. "That way, no one needs to overthink it or worry about losing face. It doesn't matter who contributes more or less—everyone's name will be on the list."

"That's a great idea, Brother Chen. Count me in. I'll ask around in the workshop tomorrow," He Song responded.

"Yes, this is much better. No more comparisons, and there's not much money to be made anyway. I'll tell the others too," Wang Dali agreed.

Back home, Lin Jiayin cooked while Chen Huajiang helped with boiling water. Half an hour later, the family of three sat at the table, with two extra dishes—smashed cucumber and pickled radish. Four dishes for three people—more than enough.

"Did your workshop pay last month's wages?" Chen Huajiang asked during dinner.

"They did, but the supervisor told us not to mention it," Lin Jiayin replied as she served Huanhuan some food.

"It looks like the Red Flag Factory is in trouble, and this is just the beginning. Right now, it's only the newer workers who are missing their pay, but soon it will hit the women and the old hands too. I think you should quit and focus on the barbecue business," Chen Huajiang said as he ate. He had never wanted Lin Jiayin to keep working at the factory.

But people of that era saw factory jobs as iron rice bowls—stable for life—while private businesses seemed unreliable. Yet on good days, the barbecue stand could earn a hundred yuan, with a net profit of about thirty after costs, which was more than a month's wages. Still, Lin Jiayin hesitated to resign, something Chen Huajiang found hard to comprehend.

He understood, though, that without living through the wave of layoffs, this mindset was ingrained in many workers. To them, the factory represented the state, security, and everything that was right. The benefits were real—elementary through high school, some even had their own factory-run colleges, not to mention the canteens, which were everywhere.

Nowadays, such benefits are only available if you own real estate in a good school district.

As expected, Lin Jiayin fell silent when the topic arose.

Chen Huajiang didn’t press further. In this life, he respected Lin Jiayin's choices.

In his previous life, he had been rather chauvinistic, thinking that if a woman didn't follow his wishes, she was disrespecting him, or even defying him. As money grew tight, these feelings intensified. But deep down, he knew it all stemmed from a fear of losing Lin Jiayin.

Women worry that men will change for the worse if they have money and leave them behind. But isn't it the same for men?

If Lin Jiayin wanted to remain a worker, so be it—he could always buy the Red Flag Factory someday. Then, she would be the factory director, he mused with a smirk.

Imagining his wife working at the factory by day and taking his "guidance" at night was, he thought, not such a bad prospect.

"What are you grinning about? You look—strange," Lin Jiayin said. She had remained silent, and when her husband stopped talking, she thought he might be upset and was about to comfort him. Instead, she caught him smirking in a way that made no sense to her.

"Ahem, if you want to keep working at the factory, go ahead. Who knows, maybe you'll become the director someday," he said, clearing his throat and regaining composure.

Lin Jiayin rolled her eyes—she was certain that wasn't the reason for his earlier smile.

"I'm only doing this for you!" she suddenly retorted, shooting him a glance.

Chen Huajiang was puzzled and looked at her curiously.

"You've already left the Red Flag Factory. If I leave too, who from the factory will come to eat at our barbecue shop? Business has been declining every day. Wu De and Gou Weidong are talking to everyone, and Wu De stands at the gate every day. Some regulars are afraid to come. Even workers from the Thermos Factory come more often than ours. There are more and more rumors in the factory—some say our barbecue shop will be confiscated sooner or later," Lin Jiayin explained, her expression growing darker and her hand unconsciously clenching around her chopsticks.

These were her worries, the things that made her anxious and uneasy. Chen Huajiang had assumed she was attached to her factory job, but he hadn’t considered that if neither of them worked there, no one from the factory would support their business.

"I see now. I'm sorry—I overlooked that. You've had a hard time," he said, patting her hand gently to comfort her.

Inside, his anger mounted. Wu De and Gou Weidong were clearly set on making trouble for him!