Chapter 31: Mother’s Career

Before dawn on the second day, Yu Meijuan got up and quickly prepared breakfast. After finishing her meal, she noticed that Yu Zihan was still in bed, so she kept her daughter’s breakfast warm in the pot.

Since last night, she had been in a state of excitement. Work was a feeling she hadn’t experienced for many years.

After getting herself ready, she hopped on her bicycle and headed towards the cotton spinning factory.

The pedestrians on the road, whether walking, biking, or taking the bus, all seemed to be in a hurry.

People were bustling about in the chilly spring wind, working hard from dawn to dusk for a few coins.

Yu Meijuan didn’t feel it was too hard or tiring; the fact that she had the opportunity to work indicated that she had the ability to earn money.

She was happy; being able to strive for a better life for herself and her daughter through her own efforts was very meaningful.

With hope in her heart, she rode towards the factory.

Before long, she arrived at the cotton spinning factory. When the doorman asked her for identification, she presented the work badge given to her by Director Zhou and smoothly entered the factory area.

After asking the doorman for directions to the garment factory, she rode towards the west side of the factory area. In the distance, she spotted a large workshop and an office building.

She needed to go to the office to complete the necessary procedures. Following Director Zhou’s instructions, she headed straight to the third floor of the office building, to the office of the garment factory manager, Liu Dali.

When she reached the office door, she saw a young woman cleaning the office.

“Excuse me, is this Manager Liu’s office?” Yu Meijuan politely asked for directions.

The young woman paused her cleaning and, upon seeing Yu Meijuan, her eyes lit up. How could there be such a beautiful woman in the world?

With sparkling eyes, she replied, “This is indeed Manager Liu’s office. May I ask what you need, comrade?” she asked Yu Meijuan.

“Oh, I’m Yu Meijuan, here to start working and looking for Manager Liu to complete the procedures.”

Yu Meijuan guessed that the young woman was likely Manager Liu’s secretary, so she directly stated her purpose.

“Oh, you must be the master of Su embroidery!” the young girl asked excitedly, her face filled with admiration.

“I am Yu Meijuan, but I can’t really be called a master,” Yu Meijuan said, feeling a bit embarrassed by the girl’s words. How did she become a master?

“You are the master, I’ve heard you have authentic Su embroidery skills. Please wait a moment, Director Liu will be here shortly.”

The young girl pointed to a clean chair for her to sit on, and once she settled in, she went back to her work, occasionally glancing over at Yu Meijuan.

Yu Meijuan understood that this was a formal setting, so she sat upright, embodying the elegance of a proper lady she had been raised to be in the capital.

Passersby saw that a refined young lady was sitting in Director Liu’s office. Her posture and demeanor immediately suggested she was someone out of the ordinary. People began to speculate about her identity—what did she do, where did she come from, and what was her relationship with Director Liu…

Yu Meijuan quietly waited, unaware that in just a short time, she had become the subject of discussion among the factory office staff.

As Liu Dali entered the office building, he felt everyone’s probing gaze on him. He found it odd.

When he saw Yu Meijuan sitting there, calm and dignified, it all clicked.

Yu Meijuan saw him approach and guessed he must be Director Liu, a simple man.

She quickly stood, extended her hand, and said, “Hello, Director Liu. I’m Yu Meijuan, here to complete the work formalities.”

Liu Dali was momentarily confused by her overly polite gesture. He froze for a second but, as a director, quickly composed himself and shook her hand, saying, “Welcome, Comrade Yu Meijuan, to work at our factory.”

He then walked over to his desk, opened a drawer, and took out the relevant agreements to hand to Yu Meijuan.

“Now, please sign this agreement, and then you can review the contracts for our batch of goods,” Liu Dali said, his tone becoming serious as he shifted into work mode.

Yu Meijuan didn’t hesitate. She took the agreement, read it carefully, and saw it contained all the details she and Director Zhou had discussed. Once finished, she signed her name.

Liu Dali took note of her signature and couldn’t help but be taken aback. The signature was beautiful, indicating years of practice. It was at that moment that he began to truly pay attention to this woman.

Earlier, when Old Zhou mentioned her, there was so much respect in his eyes, and Liu Dali had teased him, thinking Old Zhou had overly praised her.

Yu Meijuan then looked at the original order, which was bilingual, in both Chinese and English.

She read it carefully and began to read the English out loud, pausing occasionally as if in deep thought.

Unbeknownst to her, her actions left both Liu Dali and the young girl wide-eyed in astonishment.

The two exchanged looks, unable to contain their shock. They must have been thinking, “Her English is perfect—could she really be this skilled?”

After reading the bilingual contract, Yu Meijuan gently placed it on Liu Dali’s desk and sat in thought, not speaking for a long time.

As she carefully went over the order, she realized there might be a problem with it.

However, this issue was sensitive. Logically, someone in her position shouldn’t concern themselves with such matters.

She was here to work, but she had noticed a potential flaw in the order and wasn’t sure whether she should point it out.

Seeing her expression, Liu Dali sensed she had discovered something wrong with the order. He began to recall the details of how they signed it.

This order was linked to Vice Factory Director Cui Mingtao from the cotton mill. Could there be a mistake with it? Seeing Yu Meijuan’s troubled look, Liu Dali was increasingly convinced there was an issue with the order.

“Comrade Yu, have you noticed anything with this order?” he asked, cautiously.

“Oh, I don’t see any immediate issues, but may I first inspect the goods?” Yu Meijuan replied, hesitant to speak up before fully understanding the situation.

Although she hadn’t worked in this type of environment before, she understood how to navigate people. Some things couldn’t be dealt with directly.

Upon hearing her response, Liu Dali understood that something was wrong with the order, but he didn’t show it. He turned to the young girl beside him and said, “Xiaobai, go to the warehouse and bring a few samples of the garments that need hand embroidery for Comrade Yu to see.”

Xiaobai nodded and left to handle the task.

Liu Dali and Yu Meijuan sat silently, both lost in their thoughts, with an awkward tension hanging in the air.

Luckily, Xiaobai quickly returned, carrying a pile of garments.

Upon seeing the clothes, Yu Meijuan immediately realized the high cost of these garments, made from the finest silk. The workmanship was exquisite, but as Director Zhou had mentioned, they lacked soul.

If hand embroidery were added, these qipaos could become masterpieces representing traditional Chinese culture.

With some processing, these garments would surely be popular among foreign friends interested in Chinese culture.