A Beauty in the 80s Goes on a Blind Date with Her Child, Captivating the Military Compound - Chapter 100

Sisi Shen couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up. He truly was the “Know-it-all” of Jiangcheng.

“Then I’ll be troubling you for this. I’ll make sure to pay you for your labor!”

Jinshan knew how to handle people, and Sisi Shen was equally adept. Everyone was out here trying to make a living; she couldn’t let him work for free.

Hearing about payment, Jinshan’s face immediately fell. “Sister Sisi, now you’re treating me like an outsider! If Vice Commander Gu hadn’t looked after me over these years, I would have run out of food and starved on the streets long ago.”

There was a bit of exaggeration in his words. With a mouth as quick as Jinshan’s, he was never going to starve.

Sisi knew that Jinshan was helping mostly out of respect for Chengfeng Gu. He must have received help or favors from Chengfeng in the past. She could indeed ride on Chengfeng’s coattails and accept the help, but she couldn’t do so with a clear conscience.

Since she had decided to stay, she and Chengfeng were a couple, one entity. She couldn’t just be a “drag” who only consumed the other person’s resources.

“No. He is him, and I am me. It’s settled!” Sisi spoke without room for argument, sticking to her principles.

Jinshan couldn’t win against her and could only agree.

After they had finished their meal, Old Man Zhang spoke to Sisi with deep sincerity. “Comrade Shen, I believe you will definitely make this oil mill flourish!”

“Don’t worry, Sir. I definitely will…”

Sisi waved goodbye to Old Man Zhang. Realizing that from today on, the heavy responsibility of the oil mill rested on her shoulders, she felt a level of pressure she had never experienced before. However, pressure was also a form of motivation.

Sisi spent the whole day busy. When she returned home, Chengfeng Gu had not returned. Instead, he had sent a messenger with a note saying he had received an urgent temporary mission and had to head out. He would be back soon.

Sisi’s heart tightened instantly. Recently, foreign forces had been restless, often causing trouble at the border. With the Lunar New Year approaching, nothing must go wrong.

Seeing her standing at the door looking worried, like a “Husband-Watching Stone,” Hongying Xu came out holding Niuniu.

She let out a long sigh. “Back then, I used to worry about Chengfeng’s father just like this. This is the hardship of being a military wife…”

Sisi nodded, suddenly feeling a bit of heartache for Hongying Xu. At least Chengfeng kept her in his thoughts; Hongying Xu hadn’t even been liked by Chengfeng’s father, which must have been even more bitter.

“Mom, you’ve worked hard all these years.” Sisi opened her arms and gave Hongying Xu a hug.

Hongying Xu froze. she had almost forgotten how many years it had been since someone had hugged her. “Oh, it’s nothing…”

As night fell, Sisi lay on the cold bed, tossing and turning. She finally understood the meaning of “sleeping alone in a cold bed.” She had slept alone for over twenty years, yet after only a few days of being with him, she was already unaccustomed to it.

Her mind was full of Chengfeng—his tall figure, his handsome face with its cold, sharp lines. Even the air seemed to carry a trace of his scent. Thinking about him led her back to the way they had kissed… and the changes she had felt in him.

No matter what, when he returned, she had to get an answer. The prerequisite, of course, was that he returned safely and in one piece.

Early the next morning, as Sisi was having breakfast, Jinshan knocked on the door again. She quickly invited him in to eat. This time Jinshan didn’t decline; he sat down and started gnawing on a corn bun with her.

“Sister Sisi, I’ve already contacted Old Li. We’re meeting at the oil mill around nine. When they heard you were willing to keep the traditional ancient-method oil pressing, they were overjoyed.”

Sisi nodded absentmindedly and gave a soft “Good.”

The two of them finished breakfast like a whirlwind and set off side by side. On the way, they encountered many neighbors from the compound. Compared to a few days ago, no one dared to point fingers at her today.

Sisi was a bit puzzled. Is the sun rising from the west?

Preoccupied with her thoughts, she arrived at the oil mill with Jinshan. The “Zhang Family Oil Mill” sign had already been taken down. She planned to find a shop later to make a grand new sign.

She would call it… Fulin Oil Mill (Prosperity Arrives). It sounded auspicious.

Standing outside the door were several burly, thick-waisted men who looked like veteran laborers. Leading them was a middle-aged man in grey work clothes with a black mole the size of a fingernail on his chin. This was Old Li.

“Uncle Li!” Jinshan greeted him familiarly.

Li Zhong’s face broke into a smile when he saw him. “Xiao Jin…” His gaze quickly shifted to the clean, elegant, and beautiful woman behind him.

“This must be the new Boss!” Li Zhong’s attitude was very respectful.

Sisi smiled and nodded to everyone. “Don’t worry about ‘Boss’ titles. We’re all colleagues from now on. You can just call me Sisi Shen.”

Her smile was very approachable, without a hint of a bossy attitude. However, Li Zhong and the other workers didn’t dare look down on her. They were all in their thirties and forties; they had a sharp eye for people. The young woman before them looked delicate, but her eyes were calm and steady, radiating intelligence and grit. To put it simply, she had the gaze of a person of consequence.

“Shen…” Li Zhong corrected himself. “Boss Shen, my name is Li Zhong. These men and I are all workers from the original Zhang Family Oil Mill.”

Li Zhong patiently introduced them to Sisi one by one.

There was a man with a buzz cut, about thirty-five or thirty-six, surnamed Hu. Everyone called him Huzi (Tiger). Beside him was a slightly shorter but very muscular man with a 3/7 hair part; he was the youngest, nicknamed Shitou (Stone). Then there was an older, thin man with firm skin and a slight overbite when he smiled, known as Uncle Daya (Big Tooth). And finally, there was Li Zhong himself.

“There were a few other workers, but when they heard Old Man Zhang was transferring the business, they went to find other work. Only the four of us are left.”

Sisi nodded. “Four is enough for now. If it’s not enough, we can hire more. You are all master craftsmen of this mill. Since I promised Old Man Zhang, I will definitely treat you well.”

“Your wages will remain as they were. Furthermore, at the end of every year, I will give you a 10% share of the profits as a bonus for being veteran employees.”

At the mention of profit sharing, the eyes of all four men lit up.

“Is… is that true?” Li Zhong asked in disbelief, wondering if he was dreaming.

Sisi smiled. “Of course. But I do have conditions!”

Hearing there were conditions, their excitement dampened slightly. Sisi deliberately teased them for a moment, seeing that their interest was piqued. She smiled and said, “The ‘shares’ I’m talking about are employee dividends. For every year you stay, you get the dividend for that year. If you quit halfway through, I’m sorry, but you can’t take those shares with you.”

“Secondly, besides the year-end bonus, the longer you stay with me, the more I will increase your wages annually. We’ll discuss the specifics when the time comes. In short, I won’t mistreat you.”

As soon as Sisi finished speaking, the men looked at each other in surprise. Then, a burst of applause rang out!

“So generous! Boss Shen is too generous…” Li Zhong was so moved that his eyes grew watery. It was enough that they could keep their jobs; they never imagined they’d get raises and profit sharing. It was beyond their wildest dreams!

Sisi smiled and pressed her hands down, signaling them to keep it low profile. “Shall we… go inside and talk?”

She took out the key and unlocked the door. Just as she was about to step over the threshold, Jinshan suddenly tugged on her sleeve.

“Sister Sisi, I…” He was acting coy, hesitant to speak.