Chen Huaiqian naturally had no objections.
"Thank you, Miss Su." He spread his hands and said with a smile, "I'm afraid I'll be among the first batch of people in the country to see a chemical fertilizer production line. Who knows, maybe a hundred years from now, someone will even record this moment."
There was no need to overthink it.
For such a major event, reporters would definitely come to watch. Tomorrow's newspapers would inevitably feature photos of Su Ning with the production line, and in due time, newspapers in other regions would also publish the news.
"You're too polite, Mayor Chen."
Su Ning gave him a strange look. "You're not the only one going to see the production line later. There are quite a few others."
How could she miss such a good opportunity to display her strength and distinguish between those who were close and those who were distant? She had to give her subordinates a little taste of sweetness so they would work hard for her.
There was also Boss Duan, a future business partner.
Counting them all, there really were quite a few people.
Those who were close to her and wanted to be on good terms could share in the glory of the production line—while those who slandered her and made themselves her enemies would naturally tremble in fear because of it.
...
The Zhao family was currently in complete chaos.
As soon as the news arrived.
Before the others could even explode in an uproar, they turned their heads to see that Old Madam Zhao had already fainted. The servants cried out for a doctor, while the Zhao family descendants stomped their feet in frustration, wailing to the heavens and cursing God for being unfair.
Zhao Xuewen watched all of this from a corner.
Biting his lip hard.
His bad premonition had come true, but he felt no smugness at having foreseen it. His heart tightened in waves. Under the extreme discomfort, he found himself surprisingly calmer than ever before.
He raised his eyes to look at the fainted figure.
His grandmother's eyes were tightly shut, showing no reaction no matter how the servants shook her. He suddenly wondered: had his grandmother really fainted, or was it just like at the hospital...
Zhao Xuewen shook his head rapidly.
As if trying to throw out this unfilial thought. How could his grandmother be faking a fainting spell? It must be that this bad news was simply too unexpected.
It was all Su Ning's fault.
She clearly had so many capable people under her command, yet when rumors were flying outside, she had absolutely no intention of clarifying them. She maliciously let others guess and do useless work.
And his mother wouldn't leave Su Ning anymore either.
Zhao Xuewen sighed in distress.
Before long.
The servant who went to fetch the doctor hurried in, holding a letter in his hand, but everyone's eyes fell on the white-bearded doctor carrying a medicine chest.
"Doctor, quickly come take a look at my mother."
"Yes, the old lady suddenly fainted from anger... It's all that damn, plague-ridden Su Ning's fault. Why does God let this kind of person prosper..."
"Those who commit many injustices will bring about their own ruin. She will eventually get her retribution."
The Zhao family spoke all at once.
But even the doctor who had just entered could hear it. Although they seemed to be worried about the old lady, in reality, most of them were venting their anxiety and complaining about Su Ning's good luck.
"Please be quiet."
The doctor said, "Let me take a look at the old lady." The noise barely quieted down, but it was still chaotic. He shook his head inwardly and stepped forward to examine the unconscious Old Madam Zhao.
As soon as his hand touched her pulse.
Oh ho.
His beard twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but look up at Old Madam Zhao. Her acting skills were really quite good. She fainted so convincingly that she even tricked him!
After considering his words for a moment, he said:
"The old lady is fine. It's just that she is old and physically weak, coupled with suddenly hearing bad news, which caused her mind to become unsteady and her blood pressure to surge. She couldn't handle it for a moment, which is why she fainted."
Such things often happened in these large households; he had seen plenty of it. But who would have thought that someone who had reached Old Madam Zhao's status would actually fake fainting for no reason?
A lifelong eagle hunter pecked in the eye by a sparrow.
The doctor thought of how he had previously sympathized with the old lady for having unfilial descendants, and his mood soured. Pursing his lips, he penned a safe, standard prescription.
It was nothing special.
Just a heavier dose of Coptis root. Didn't she faint from anger?
Perfect. Coptis root is mainly used to purge fire and clear toxins.
It suited the symptoms perfectly!
"Although it's nothing serious, the old lady is advanced in years, so we still need to take it seriously. Drink this medicine three times a day. Simmer it slowly over a low fire; only then can the medicinal properties be fully extracted."
The Zhao family descendants nodded indifferently.
They didn't even look at the prescription.
They turned their heads and ordered the servants to remember it, haughtily stating that if they made even the slightest mistake, they would peel their skin off. This frightened the old lady's confidante, who had wanted to speak, into shutting her mouth.
In a place no one paid attention to.
Zhao Xuewen remained standing in the corner. Beside him was the servant holding the letter, at a loss for what to do and not daring to disturb the masters. Feeling a sudden surge of pity, he spoke up:
"Who sent this letter?"
"I don't know," the servant said awkwardly. He knew a few characters, but the long string of addresses and fancy letters on the envelope made his eyes dizzy just looking at them.
"How about you take a look, Young Master Xuewen."
Saying so, he handed the letter over.
Zhao Xuewen had lived abroad for many years. Seeing the English cursive on the envelope, his heart stirred slightly. His time abroad was his most carefree period.
His parents were loving and harmonious, and their family was wealthy.
He was a veritable young master... But after his father left, everything changed.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xuewen's eyes dimmed.
His temper flared up, and he didn't want to read this letter anymore. It was probably a letter from an old acquaintance abroad. Aside from some comforting words, it would be completely useless!
So he casually handed it to Old Madam Zhao's confidante.
"Thank you, Young Master Xuewen."
The confidante responded perfunctorily. She put the letter away and prepared to get busy fetching the medicine. After taking two steps, she was stopped by Zhao Xuewen again. She turned her head impatiently:
"What else is it? Young Master Xuewen, it's not my place to say this, but right now is a busy time. The old lady usually dotes on you so much. We don't ask you to be extra filial, but could you at least not cause trouble?"
Zhao Xuewen's face flushed red at her words.
He just... suddenly felt his heart pounding and really wanted to take a look at the letter. He had called out to her on a momentary impulse...
"It's nothing."
"I'm not causing trouble either. I'm just worried about the old lady, so I wanted to ask if you could give the job of brewing the medicine to me, so I can show my filial piety." His mind raced, and he came up with an excuse.
The confidante naturally agreed.
This was a good thing.
Old Madam Zhao was afraid of death, so the task of brewing medicine was always given to her. The smell was awful, and it required constant watching. Having someone take her place was exactly what she wished for!
The confidante left happily, taking the letter with her.
Leaving Zhao Xuewen feeling as if he had lost something.
...
Over here, Su Ning finally set off.
Just as she had thought, among the crowd waiting outside, those invited to go with her to receive the chemical fertilizer production line—even Boss Duan was visibly happy.
The others were envious and jealous.
"If I had known earlier, I should have shown goodwill to Miss Su sooner. Sigh, I missed an opportunity for nothing."
"Who wouldn't say the same."
"Miss Su has always been... well, clear about gratitude and grudges. These people will inevitably get a piece of the pie from the chemical fertilizer plant, but it's also what they deserve."
"It was rumored so wildly before. Who would have thought Miss Su had this kind of capability? Just from what I've heard, several local warlords and major gangs had all declared they were bound to get this production line."
The crowd fell silent.
"Tell me, what exactly is Miss Su's background?"
No one answered.
But they all had their own calculations in their hearts. Having money and being able to get imported weapons were both very impressive and remarkable, but that was an entirely different concept from having an elite troop under one's command!
After a long time, someone sighed in admiration:
"They say Beiping City is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Miss Su, a true dragon, came here, yet we were blind to her. From now on, we should all treat her with a bit more respect."
Meanwhile, Su Ning received another massive wave of rewards. She had originally been too lazy to even look at them, but staying true to her original intentions, she skimmed past many story characters who she knew at a glance were merely feeling a fleeting sense of jealousy and displeasure.
Her attention locked onto the Zhao family, who provided a colossal amount of rewards.
"Such good people, truly good people."
Su Ning sighed in admiration to the system.
Where else could she find people as wonderful as the Zhao family? They spent money and effort to build hype and make a name for her fertilizer plant, exploded with rewards to let her extract funds, and, oh right, indirectly put her in a great mood.
Calling them "good people" was far from enough.
They were her benefactors!
"However, after this time, nearly half of the story characters in the Zhao family have been milked dry. Aside from Old Madam Zhao and Zhao Xuewen, who still have considerable surplus value, there is not much left to squeeze from the rest,"
the Rich and Heartless System reminded her.
The Zhao family, after all, was merely the second male lead's family. If the second male lead had not been so wicked and bizarre, there would not have been so many story characters involved.
"I know."
Su Ning regretfully fiddled with the ring on her finger:
"Calculating the time, that second male lead should be sending a letter back to his family soon, right?" She was really looking forward to it. What a good show it would be! How would the Zhao family react when they found out Zhao Xuewen was not biologically theirs?
In the original novel, they could afford to turn a blind eye.
Naturally, Shang Wenyun was there to be the gullible fall guy.
But that would not work now...
The car drove over the city's bluestone roads. With a sudden, slight bump, Su Ning looked up. Outside were low-slung houses and endless fields, and she could already see a dark, massive object looming like a giant beast in the distance.
That was the production line she had been dreaming of!
