I Became a Vicious Supporting Role in the '70s-Chapter 237: Aging Means Relaxation

Jiang Huan’s husband, Song Da Gui, also works at the public transportation company; he drives a tricycle with a tortoise shell-like cover. That’s why Shen Meng was able to hail a ride so quickly at the station. She herself is a group leader for frontline workers at the Provincial City garment factory. The courtyard she rents is actually quite cheap, shared by several families, and cooking a meat dish can draw the neighboring kids over. freёwebnoѵel.com

Eagerly they watch you; if you give them some, it pains you to part with it, and if you don’t, seeing the pitiful look on the children hurts your heart. Life is quite stifling!

"Hey, why am I even talking about this? Girl, have some water. This is orange-flavored—nice, isn’t it? Your brother-in-law got it when he drove someone to the station last time, a gift from that person!"

Shen Meng smiled and nodded; it was good, just that the saccharin inside was a bit throat-pricking.

After they chatted about this and that for a while, Shen Meng suddenly said, "Sister, I heard you mention last time that there was a job opening for a statistician at your factory. That job isn’t laborious and pays well, way better than your current group leader position. If you could land that statistician job, you might have a good chance of getting a house allocation next quarter!"

"Ah, how could I possibly..."

"Sister Jiang, how are you any less qualified than others? Just like our Ning County; although it’s a poverty-stricken county, I’ll let you in on a secret. The trip to Provincial City that I made with our County Party Secretary resulted in securing an order worth hundreds of thousands, and it’s with foreign businesses too! It’s a done deal, and once we’re back, it’s definitely going to hit the newspapers. You might even see me there!"

"How much? Hundreds of thousands? In foreign exchange???"

"Shh, keep it down, sister. This is just between us family; I wouldn’t tell anyone else."

Jiang Huan’s heart raced with excitement; she knew Shen Meng was capable, but she didn’t realize she was this impressive. Hundreds of thousands, just think about it! She looked at Shen Meng’s radiant face and couldn’t help feeling admiration; she knew she must foster a good relationship with her in the future!

"Yes, yes, yes, I’m not worldly, so I’m a bit ignorant; forgive my laughter. But, girl, you’re incredible! Ning County will be amazing from now on. Having you is truly a blessing for Ning County!"

Shen Meng: "....."

That’s what I think too, but saying it out loud is a bit embarrassing!!!

"Don’t worry about it, sister. This is a joyful occasion. I know you’re just excited. You’ve mentioned the garment factory before, and I’ve had it on my mind ever since. Sister Jiang, the two boxes of pastries I brought you are new products from our subsidiary food plant. Their packaging and design are inspired by Hai City. If you gift them to someone, it’ll be very classy. I think you could casually bring up Ning County when you hand them over; maybe then the statistician position could be yours."

Shen Meng didn’t finish her thought, but Jiang Huan was no fool and instantly understood: Shen Meng brought all these things because she wanted a favor from her.

"Xiao Meng, you’re so good to me; I don’t even know what to say."

"Ah, sister, don’t say things like that. As long as the leaders like these pastries, that’s all that matters. Our subsidiary food plant is also in talks with foreign guests. If the deal goes through, our products would become exclusive. But if you ever want some for yourself, just tell me, and I’ll make sure someone brings it over."

Jiang Huan was profoundly grateful. When Shen Meng left, she personally escorted her to the end of the alley.

After parting ways with a smile, Shen Meng headed back to the guesthouse.

Jiang Huan’s garment factory is a state-owned second-factory, which was considered a major establishment in those times. Although she was just a small frontline group leader, she would definitely send the pastries upward, as people were very frugal back then and would always offer fine things to those above them.

But she didn’t place all her hope on the two boxes of pastries; it was still necessary to ask Mr. Li to pay a visit to the garment factory, because the key was not pastries, but cloth from Ning County Textile Factory.

After hearing Shen Meng’s request, Mr. Li went to the garment factory with Tang and Secretary Guan. They had a good talk, but it didn’t lead to much, which Shen Meng didn’t mind.

Mr. Li, Tang, and Secretary Guan weren’t sure what Shen Meng was scheming, but they knew she definitely had plans.

The next day.

Shen Meng originally wanted to ask Mr. Li to write a direct certification for her trip to Hai City, but time was tight and everyone had a pile of things to do. She was also worried about not knowing how Yu Xueli was doing at home, so she simply said goodbye to Mr. Li, took her train ticket, and returned to Ning County.

The moment Yu Xueli saw her, she nearly burst into tears hugging her.

"You have no idea what I’ve been through these past few days. I haven’t been able to sleep a wink, Shen Meng. You just said it’s a pity you couldn’t go to Hai City, but if you really had gone, I wouldn’t have wanted to live!"

Shen Meng touched her nose sheepishly.

"It’s not that serious, look at you. If you have money, you should be happy."

Yu Xueli looked at her like she was a betrayer, her aggrieved expression causing Shen Meng to hold back the words she was about to say.

"We can’t keep so much money on us, hurry up and give it back to them. Don’t end up being blamed for something later, you hear me?"

"Got it. I’m going to the Provincial City this time and Daya and Xiao Ya are bringing two pieces of fabric, plus two pairs of Red Star shoes. You sneak them back in your bag later and just say you bought them yourself."

The two goodies immediately shut Yu Xueli up. She was truly scared, but the prospect of making money also filled her with joy.

Without waiting for Wu Xianglan, the two went straight to the State-Owned Restaurant for a meal, then returned home with the food.

Shen Meng had come back from the Provincial City with bags full of stuff, which made Mingyang and Mingliang and the other kids extremely happy. Ming Kai clung to Shen Meng’s legs and wouldn’t let go.

"Mom, give baby a hug, please hug baby, baby missed you so much."

"Mom, I missed you too. Let’s put the stuff down first, we’ll take it. Do you want some water, Mom? I’ll pour it for you."

"Food, Mom? Did you also bring back food?"

Helplessly, Shen Meng put all the things in her hands down. The kids clustered around her like grapes, showering her with affection.

Being away from home for just a few days, she had missed the kids so much that she hardly even thought about Lu Zhenping.

Huh???

Where had Lu Zhenping gone???

"Where’s your dad, where did he go?"

Mingyang pulled Shen Meng to sit on a stool before saying, "Mom, Dad went to Grandpa and Grandma’s house. He said he needs to sort things out, or he wouldn’t feel at ease. He’s been gone for quite a while."

"Why sort things out? What kind of trouble are your grandparents stirring up now?"

"I know, I know. I heard from Yong Qiang that Grandpa and Grandma were arguing and even slapped each other – smack smack, quite a few times. Grandma told Grandpa to come find Dad, to get Dad to discipline you, to get you to go back to managing the Head Flower Workshop. But Grandpa said he couldn’t bring it up, yet in the end, he still came over. He hardly said two sentences before Dad turned around and went to Grandpa and Grandma’s house, and I didn’t even catch up with him."

Shen Meng: "....."

Old people are just so impulsive, slapping whenever they want to slap. If it were young people, there are very few wives bold enough to slap their own husbands, considering the disparity in strength. It’s actually better to regain control from other angles than through physical force!