I Became a Vicious Supporting Role in the '70s-Chapter 227: Typical Troublemaker

Feng Si gestured with his hand for Zhou Jiaojiao to sit on the stool in front of the office desk. Even if he wanted to deal with someone, he couldn’t let a pregnant woman stand all the time.

Zhou Jiaojiao pursed her lips, not knowing where to start. After all, it was she who complained about the low workshop salaries. The elder sister-in-law did not fight properly for them, hence the sisters and girls from the workshop were instigated to rise up and replace the elder sister-in-law. Although Zhou Jiaojiao benefited from this, when the word spread, her reputation was harmed.

"Mr. Zhou, you see, when I ask you to speak, you don’t. If you haven’t thought it through, you can go back first. My office isn’t a vegetable market, I’m always busy spinning around, and now I have other matters to handle, really no spare time."

"Director, Jiaojiao won’t speak, I will. Jiaojiao is wronged!!!"

Feng Si: "...."

As a director of the commune, why are you shouting grievances to me? If you want to resolve this, go find the upright and honest judges!

Sister-in-law Hua is a faithful supporter of Zhou Jiaojiao, who can’t stand to see Zhou Jiaojiao suffer the slightest grievance. Even as Zhou Jiaojiao pursed her lips, Sister-in-law Hua wanted to rush forward and speak, but ultimately, she was facing the director of the commune, someone she wouldn’t dare to speak to even in her dreams. Now standing face to face with him, she was naturally very nervous.

Perhaps it was because she had just come out from the government courtyard that she felt a surge of confidence, so she boldly stepped forward.

"The village has established a Head Flower Workshop, where skilled women comrades and young girls can work and earn a daily wage. Everyone is grateful, but the pay for the manual work is too low. A simple head flower is fine, but the complicated ones take half a day to complete. Jiaojiao feels sorry for everyone and wanted to negotiate better pay for us all. She knows people from the textile factory, unlike Shen Meng, who only plans for her own family’s welfare. Her newly engaged brother-in-law and his wife have also joined. Especially that sister-in-law, Xie Jinghao, not only did she become a team leader, but her salary is also the highest. Isn’t this favoritism? Jiaojiao had everyone’s interests at heart, so everyone together decided to promote her. But unexpectedly, the original leadership of the Lu Family Village, who were originally devoted to the public, backed down from managing affairs once Jiaojiao took charge. Now there are no materials for the workshop, even the Cooperative Society is not accepting goods anymore, they are simply irresponsible."

Sister-in-law Hua’s words made Lu Debang, Zhang Hongfa, and Guo Xiuxin so angry that their faces and necks reddened. If it weren’t for Shen Meng shaking her head at them, they would have charged forward to have a severe argument.

Feng Si nodded, leaning closer to Xiao Zhang’s notebook. His work was professional, even the pauses were marked with brackets, well done.

"Oh, really? Anything else?"

As the surrounding people saw Feng Si continuing to ask questions, they hurried to speak one after another, clearly seeing the situation. This was obviously the director collecting the public’s voice. After everyone finished speaking, they could foresee that Shen Meng and the village officials would certainly be held accountable.

Shen Meng watched from behind Feng Si as people desperately jumped into the trap set by Feng Si, sighing quietly. She glanced at Director Guo, just as Director Guo felt her gaze.

When the flower workshop was first established, they had already discussed employment issues. Director Guo, being the Women’s Director, knew the hardships faced by the village women. She genuinely wanted to help, but one can never truly know a person’s nature until working together.

Back then, Shen Meng had repeatedly urged caution and clearly exhibited a woman’s compassion. Seeing this group of complaining old women, Director Guo only felt she had been blind.

After everyone had their say, Feng Si’s smiling face suddenly vanished. He grabbed the documents Xiao Zhang had recorded, turned around, and resumed his seat in the office. Just when Zhou Jiaojiao and the others were feeling triumphant, he suddenly slammed the desk.

"Xiao Zhang, tell Lu Jiaxuan to get in here, and let him take a good look at who his wife really is—a typical troublemaker. Carrying a child and still can’t stay out of trouble, messing up the Xiangyang Commune’s profitable business. How capable she must be! And these old women, what are they thinking? Complaining about the wages for making flower ornaments? What do you want, all the money from selling the flower ornaments in your pockets? Ha, fine, if you think the pay is too low, you needn’t work at the workshop anymore, just go where the pay is better, alright?"

Zhou Jiaojiao was so frightened by Feng Si’s shouting that she jumped up quickly, causing a sharp pain in her stomach, and she had to hold her belly, though her facial expression remained very ugly.

Lu Jiaxuan, having just finished his tasks, heard that his wife had come, and was about to look for her when Xiao Zhang, wearing a serious face, called him.

As Lu Jiaxuan entered, he immediately went to Zhou Jiaojiao’s side.

"Jiaojiao, are you okay? Director, what did you need me for?"

"And you’re asking me what it’s about? Just look at the fine mess your wife has created. Comrade Shen Meng painstakingly helped the commune to set up a workshop, and your wife had to take it over without the ability to manage it. Now the textile factory won’t supply materials, and the Cooperative Society won’t buy the goods. With so many flower ornaments left unsold, what do you suggest we do about that?" Feng Si clapped his hands on the desk, tossing the painstakingly taken notes by Xiao Zhang right into Lu Jiaxuan’s face. When he picked them up, he twitched, because some local slang could not be accurately described in writing, and Xiao Zhang had written them in phonetics, which was quite telling.

"Director, this... I’m not aware of all this. Jiaojiao is pregnant, and running the workshop is like forcing a duck onto a perch; she was passive in this."

"Ha, all old foxes here, what kind of ghost tales are you trying to sell me? Who can’t see through it? First, subtly complaining to others, then casually turning the topic to wages, and then flaunting her connections while concurrently undermining Comrade Shen Meng’s capability and kindness. Tsk, tsk, tsk. So the words are all yours, and others are to blame? How come you’re so innocent?"

Lu Jiaxuan and Zhou Jiaojiao both turned pale, neither daring to speak. The elder sisters-in-law that followed were hardly breathing, heads hanging low, not even daring to move a finger.

"Ha ha ha, but you don’t need to worry, whether or not this flower workshop can continue won’t affect our commune’s reputation. Because Comrade Shen Meng got us a workshop, only this time, it’s located at Shenji, her maternal family’s place. The Lu Family Village side is completely off her radar now; no more squabbles needed. After all, that’s the extent of your Lu Family Village. I’ve already contacted the village chief and secretary of Shenji to come over. In a couple of days, we’ll finalize everything. Village Chief Lu, Zhang Zhishu, your village is really something, brilliantly showcasing ingratitude and reversing right and wrong. The ’Model Labor Medal’ and ’Flowing Red Flag’ this year might as well be awarded to Shenji."

Feng Si’s speech shocked everyone except for Shen Meng. Zhou Jiaojiao, unable to breathe, fainted right there.