"It's alright, this is just the initial phase. We'll recruit more people later. In the village, I trust Aunt Wu and Sister Ahua the most. The quality in this early stage must be strictly controlled, or else our village might miss out on such a great opportunity."
Song Nianchu knew Wu Zhenggui was an upright man, so she didn’t lecture him with grand principles. Instead, she emphasized what mattered most to him.
Sure enough, Wu Zhenggui stopped insisting after hearing this.
"Then let’s do it your way."
"Mm." Song Nianchu nodded. "When you pick people, tell them that those who come to help at the workshop will earn full work points every day. If anyone has objections, they can come to me."
"Alright." Wu Zhenggui nodded.
Because of her exceptional strength, Song Nianchu held some authority in the village, and hardly anyone dared to challenge her.
After all, no one could win a fight against her.
"We have to deliver the goods tomorrow morning, so we need to tidy up the place this afternoon, or we won’t make it in time," Song Nianchu reminded him again.
"Then I’ll go notify the whole village for a meeting right now." Wu Zhenggui, realizing the urgency, stood up to leave.
"Everyone’s probably still eating dinner. Wait a little longer." Song Nianchu stopped him, not wanting him to rush.
"It’s fine. I’ll just tell them to gather after dinner." Wu Zhenggui was too excited and wanted to distract himself with tasks.
Song Nianchu saw his eagerness and smiled helplessly, letting him go.
After Wu Zhenggui left, the village broadcast soon crackled to life with his voice.
"Attention, attention! Everyone gather at the square after dinner. Every household must send at least one person—important announcement, important announcement!"
He repeated it several times, making sure everyone heard, before the broadcast cut off with a static hiss.
Meanwhile, Song Nianchu had already returned home.
In the courtyard, only Mu Haoxuan stood guard by the two large sacks of glass jars, staring at them intently without blinking.
"Haoxuan." Song Nianchu called out as she approached.
"Sister!" Mu Haoxuan immediately looked up, but his eyes were sore from staring too long, and tears instinctively welled up.
"What happened?" Song Nianchu quickly crouched down to check on him.
"It’s nothing, nothing! I just stared too hard. It’ll pass in a moment." Mu Haoxuan blinked rapidly.
Song Nianchu glanced at the two large sacks and remembered what she’d said before leaving. She sighed and ruffled his hair.
"I only asked you to keep an eye on them, not to stare without blinking. Where’s your third brother? What’s he doing?"
"Third Brother is cooking in the kitchen." Mu Haoxuan’s eyes had already recovered.
"Let’s go see." Song Nianchu took his hand and headed to the kitchen.
Mu Yongnian was tending the fire in the stove and stood up when he saw Song Nianchu return.
"Eldest Sister-in-law, the rice is almost done. We just need to heat up the dishes, and we can eat."
"Thank you for your hard work." Song Nianchu had originally planned to cook after returning from Wu Zhenggui’s place, but Mu Yongnian had already prepared the meal.
"It’s no trouble. I didn’t do much." Mu Yongnian’s cheeks flushed slightly.
"Go rest. I’ll heat up the dishes." Song Nianchu said gently.
"...Alright." Mu Yongnian stepped aside.
For lunch, the three of them ate the crispy fish pieces Song Nianchu had prepared earlier that morning.
After the meal, Song Nianchu got ready to attend the meeting.
"Do you two want to come?" she asked Mu Haoxuan and Mu Yongnian.
Mu Haoxuan was about to answer, but Mu Yongnian spoke first.
"Eldest Sister-in-law, you go ahead. We’ll stay and watch the house."
"Alright." Song Nianchu didn’t insist and left.
Only after she had gone did Mu Haoxuan turn to Mu Yongnian in confusion.
"Third Brother, why didn’t you let me go with Sister?"
"Didn’t you hear the broadcast? Every household must attend. That means Mother and Second Sister will be there too. If they see us with Eldest Sister-in-law, they’ll probably get angry again," Mu Yongnian explained.
He had seen his mother and Mu Jingmei visit last time. Though he hadn’t heard everything they said, it was clear the conversation hadn’t gone well.
"Oh… Then let’s just wait for Sister at home." The moment Mu Haoxuan heard Mu Jingmei might be there, he stopped insisting on going.
"Good boy." Mu Yongnian smiled and patted his head.
......
By the time Song Nianchu reached the square, most of the villagers had already gathered.
Mu Jingmei and Mu’s mother happened to arrive at the same time. Both wore unpleasant expressions as they passed her.
Mu Jingmei, in particular, shot her a disdainful glare.
Song Nianchu felt her temper flaring—this girl really had no sense of propriety, spoiled rotten.
Just then, Wu Zhenggui stepped forward with a loudspeaker.
"Is everyone here? If not, spread the word later. Time is tight, so we won’t wait." His amplified voice reached every corner of the crowd.
"Village Chief, what’s this big announcement? Are we finally going out to sea?"
"Wait, isn’t the fishing season still two weeks away?"
"Then what is it? Are we being taxed again?"
......
The villagers buzzed with speculation.
"Quiet, all of you!" Wu Zhenggui shouted, and the crowd finally settled down.
"Everyone knows that Song Nianchu once saved the uncle of Manager Li from the county’s state-run restaurant. To thank her, he’s been buying seafood from our village for the past year." Wu Zhenggui’s voice was firm.
"Village Chief, we already know that. Get to the point!" someone impatiently called out.
"The point is, last time, Song Nianchu happened to cook for Manager Li, and he was so impressed he even wanted to hire her as a chef at the restaurant!" The moment Wu Zhenggui said this, the crowd erupted.
"A chef at the state-run restaurant? That must pay well!"
"Of course! I heard even factory workers in the county make twenty or thirty yuan a month!"
"Twenty or thirty for one person? Our whole village barely makes ten in a month!"
"Song Nianchu’s about to strike it rich!"
"Exactly. That poor girl lost her mother young, and just when she was of marriageable age, her father passed too. If she gets this job, finding a husband won’t be a problem anymore."
"Must be her parents watching over her from the afterlife."
......
Most of the villagers were genuinely happy for Song Nianchu.
After all, they had watched her grow up, and since she was left alone in the world, nearly every household in the village had helped her at some point.
But among the crowd, one person’s expression was particularly dark.
