I Became a Vicious Supporting Role in the '70s-Chapter 225: Feel Free to Make Any Requests

Lv Wenhua treated it like a joke but really put a stamp of approval on it. He even wrote a sentence at the top of the document essentially stating that they would consider setting up the workshop and handling the procedures for the affiliation only if the products made by Xiangyang Commune were well-received, otherwise, there would be no deal.

After all, even if the food from the food factory was not tasty, it was still a legitimate state-owned enterprise. If anything were to go wrong with the food produced by the workshop, it would be Lv’s bad luck.

Shen Meng got what she wanted, so naturally, she was straightforward with the price of the grain, directly reducing each type by at least forty percent from the original price. The significant reduction made Lv Wenhua very satisfied.

Of course, the grain needed for this cooperation wasn’t much, as both parties were still testing the waters. It wasn’t feasible to spend a lot of money buying a large amount of grain all at once, as it would raise suspicions within the factory.

Shen Meng had already picked out the place for the transaction, an abandoned house that previously belonged to a wealthy landlord but now was government property. However, nobody wanted to deal with this place as it was considered unlucky.

The first transaction was to take place in two days. After setting the date, she went back to the bus company.

Hu Biao greeted her very enthusiastically upon her return, and Shen Meng could vaguely see the hint of gossip on his face.

"Xiao Meng, you’re finally back. Mr. Hu has been waiting for you for a long time. Where have you been to eat for such a long time?" Wei Jia, holding a teacup beside Hu Biao, stretched her hand towards Shen Meng and spoke.

"Oh, sorry, sorry. Next time Mr. Hu comes over, I’ll definitely set off firecrackers to welcome him. What do you think, Sister Wei?"

"Sister Meng, I didn’t mean it like that, don’t say that. If Qianqian finds out, she’ll be mad at me. Comrade, I’m waiting here for my sister, so you don’t need to bother; go and take care of whatever you need to."

Hu Biao spoke without any courtesy. When he first came to the bus company, this woman had started chatting with him as if they were old friends. He had ignored her several times but didn’t expect her to stick around, especially now lecturing his sister as if she were an elder, which he couldn’t tolerate.

Wei Jia gave Hu Biao a somewhat embarrassed smile, then looked back at Shen Meng. She thought to herself, how could she act like this? It was just that she was being a little pushy, but she had indeed taught Shen Meng when she first arrived, which could arguably make her half a mentor.

Now she’s not even happy about building a little relationship, Wei Jia felt it was all in vain that she had even bought five hair accessories for her, and to this date, She hadn’t even seen the finished product.

"It’s okay, I’m just joking with Sister Wei. She’s the most broad-minded, she can’t get mad at me, right Sister Wei?"

Seeing that she had said another good word for her, Wei Jia’s dissatisfied expression immediately softened.

"Indeed, I’m very easy-going; I get along well with Xiao Meng. We always talk like this. Now, Mr. Hu and Xiao Meng, go ahead and have a nice chat, I’ll go get a couple glasses of water for you!"

The others in the office who were waiting to see Wei Jia made a fool of herself instead saw the three of them ending up laughing together. They started regretting not joining in—being able to connect with Hu Biao was as good as connecting with both the textile factory and the County Committee. Even if it couldn’t help them with anything directly, it was still something they could leverage in conversation.

"Why did you come over? You didn’t bring me lunch today, did you?"

"No, no, Qianqian always listens to you. The moment you said not to send it, she immediately had Aunt Chang make less food. My visit this time is purely because of the last translation task. My dad thought you were right and has agreed to let you accompany us. Everything will be as you said; they will prepare the translation personnel, and you’ll only need to talk about the workshop situation when it’s necessary. Oh, and we are probably departing in two days."

Shen Meng frowned upon hearing this; the timing was exactly coinciding with the food factory’s schedule. She would need to think of a way to address this.

"Okay, I got it. I’ll get ready on my side and wait to leave together the day after tomorrow. I’ll go ask Director Fu for a leave in a moment."

"Sure." After Hu Biao finished speaking, his fingers tapped on the table unconsciously, his desire to share almost brimming over, yet Shen Meng just didn’t ask.

"Hey, Sister Meng, I have something to tell you, you mustn’t tell anyone else, okay?"

Shen Meng: "......."

This kind of opening line, more or less, implies that she was hoped to tell others; otherwise, why bother saying such a thing.

"To tell you the truth, I owe you an apology for this matter. I only found out today that my mom went behind the scenes and pushed this sister-in-law of yours, called Zhou Jiaojiao, into the factory. Although she is indeed Jiaojiao’s lifesaver, we have given her quite a bit already. We gave her a worker acceptance letter, and she lost it, and then she got back into the factory. Actually, if she had spoken nicely to Qianqian, we wouldn’t have minded issuing another one, but she went to my mom, and that’s a stab in Qianqian’s heart. What’s more, it delayed the start of her job. Nobody would accept this, the factory has its own rules too."

"Is that so?"

"Exactly, and today she even went to Qianqian asking for fabric from the factory. We only found out today that you had already stopped managing the workshop these past few days. What a mess, Qianqian directly had someone kick her out, unstoppable. But don’t worry, there was no violence used, it was out of respect for past kindness. Now I guess she’s probably taking people to your commune."

"I see!"

Seeing Shen Meng’s expression unchanged, Hu Biao knew that this matter must have hurt her, and suddenly he felt extremely guilty. His wife and children are now doing well, and it is all thanks to Shen Meng. For such a long time, she never asked for anything from them, but instead, it was his whole family that had kept Shen Meng worried.

"Sister Meng, if you have any requests, just ask. It’s our Hu family that has wronged you. I’ve already instructed the factory that they should ignore anything my mom says from now on. Oh, aren’t Xiao Bin and Shihao working in the factory? They are performing very well, but I don’t think assembly line work suits them. I’ve been thinking about transferring them to other positions where it would be a bit easier."

Upon hearing his words, Shen Meng’s eyes flickered. In a textile factory, it’s not easy to transfer positions as it’s a case of one person per spot; his words were purely to make her feel better.

However, since the conversation had reached this point, she had to express her stance.

"That won’t do, it’s already amazing that they can work in the textile factory, how can they transfer positions? That would make things difficult for you. As for requests, of course, I have none, but I do have a favor to ask, I’m just afraid you might find it inconvenient."

"Sister Meng, just say it. As long as it’s within my power, I’ll definitely help you."

Shen Meng said somewhat embarrassedly, "You and Qianqian are both educated people. My little brother hasn’t really attended much school. If possible, could you help teach him some cultural knowledge? Oh, and if it’s feasible, I would also like them to learn to drive. I know it’s quite a favor to ask, and if it’s inconvenient, then..."

"No, not at all, Sister Meng, don’t worry. I will definitely help with this. Xiao Bin is praised by his master for his work, and I will definitely teach him like my own brother. As for driving, it’s not difficult; we can have the factory driver teach them after hours. Let Shihao join them as well. He’s a quick learner; teaching one might as well teach both together."

"That’s great."

Shen Meng was delighted. No wonder Zhou Jiaojiao made such smooth progress in her career in the original story; it turns out she met all these treasure-like, capable helpers!