The sound of car engines was still rare, so when the engine started, the district head personally came to greet her.

Their home was on the first floor, a two-bedroom, two-living room apartment.

Since they had been transferred from the Daqing oilfield, they had no elders living with them, just the couple and their daughter.

“Comrade Chen, hello, hello,” the district head greeted warmly.

“Hello, Secretary Gao. Last time, I made a joke, and this time I’m here to personally apologize,” Chen Lina said as she extended her hand.

A beauty like her was used to the stunned looks from men, their gaze filled with awe. But there was a slight regret—her perm wasn’t quite perfect.

Through the window decorated with large “double happiness” characters, the sounds of frying, steaming, and stir-frying could be heard. Inside, He Lanshan, the factory director of the oil refinery, and Wang Fusheng’s wife, Sun Ainan, were busy in the kitchen.

The hairtail was just fried, and they still had to fry meatballs.

The noodles soaked in water were glistening, and the chopped chicken pieces were simmering in another pot.

The bee-hive coal stove was never idle.

But all of this was being managed by Sun Ainan.

She was very quick with her hands and feet, and incredibly diligent.

She handled everything herself, leaving He Lanshan to watch from the side.

“My second sister just made a mistake with the mine’s document and ended up distributing two pounds of flour instead of twenty. She has already corrected it, and the rest has been sent out. Director He, can you please help talk to Secretary Gao and stop pursuing this matter with my second sister?” Sun Ainan said.

He Lanshan criticized her seriously, “Ainan, I’m not saying this lightly, but your second sister is really careless. If it weren’t for Sun Gong and Nie Gong’s face, I really wouldn’t have appointed her as warehouse manager. Let’s just forget about it this time, but it’s a warning.”

Well, a big corruption scandal involving the intellectual youth had been stirred up at the mine, which should have been dealt with seriously, but here, with a few words between families, it was resolved with a mere apology and a promise to rectify the situation?

Sun Ainan, who was adept at flattering, quickly responded, “My second sister guarantees this won’t happen again. She will be diligent in her work in the future. Director He, please rest assured.”

“Nie Gong’s new partner is really something. That khaki outfit she’s wearing is beautiful. I wonder who made it for her?” He Lanshan glanced out the window and immediately spotted Chen Lina.

Sun Ainan tiptoed to look as well.

The khaki “Little Liberation” suit, which she didn’t know how Chen Lina had tailored, was both form-fitting and comfortable.

More importantly, it was the latest military-style fashion—there wasn’t a single flaw to be found.

“Director He, didn’t you ask Old Gao? Are you sure there’s no problem with Chen Lina’s background?”

“Of course I asked. He said there’s really no problem. She comes from three generations of commoners,” He Lanshan replied, which was a vague statement.

If you traced her ancestry, indeed, her family was three generations of commoners, with her great-grandfather being from the fourth generation.

“I truly don’t want my three kids to be around her. My mom says Big Dan has spoiled her, and she even dares to hit the elders.” Sun Ainan didn’t hold back from badmouthing Chen Lina in front of the leaders.

“Alright, enough talking about other people’s business. The guests have arrived. Can you all stop gossiping about others?” Secretary Gao, who had entered first, shot He Lanshan a glare.

He Lanshan gave a look, and Sun Ainan stopped speaking immediately.

Moreover, Sun Ainan didn’t leave the kitchen.

She seemed like an old-fashioned housemaid, constantly observing Chen Lina while she worked in the kitchen.

“Director He, hello,” Chen Lina greeted as she entered, removing her gloves and shaking hands.

Then she instructed the children, “Say hello to Uncle and Aunt.”

Nie Weimin, along with Erdan, politely greeted, “Aunt.”

“These are little sailors, huh? Not bad, not bad, very handsome. Xiao Bing is in the bedroom doing her homework. Why don’t you all go play with her?” Director He said.

Xiao Bing, Secretary Gao’s and his wife’s only daughter, would grow up to be a true “white, rich, and beautiful” girl.

It seemed that Nie Weimin and this older sister had a good relationship, as they took Erdan and left to play.

“Director He, we don’t have much to offer here at the base. This is a small suspender dress I made myself from the khaki cloth given by our mine. I’m not sure if it’ll fit Xiao Bing’s height. She should be eight years old this year, right?”

Suspender dresses were the latest trend, and Director He took it from her.

Like the outfit Chen Lina was wearing, it was made entirely from khaki fabric.

The little suspender skirt was indeed beautiful.

However, for Xiao Bing, it might still be a bit too big.

Then Chen Lina handed over a cloth bag. “This is some fried dough I made myself. I didn’t use lamb fat, just taste it.”

People from other regions often couldn’t get used to the smell of mutton, like Director He.

In the city, they couldn’t make crispy fried dough like this.

What’s sold outside was all mixed with lamb fat, but this fried dough, once bitten into, was both crispy and light.

Director He immediately gave a thumbs up, “Delicious, Comrade Chen, this fried dough is really authentic.”

Sun Ainan quickly moved to take the gift, always ready to report any “capitalistic” indulgences Chen Lina might show.

But how could she report this—a skirt and fried dough?

The skirt was made to resemble military attire, so it wasn’t something she could easily condemn.

A big pot of chicken stewed with mushrooms, cabbage and vermicelli, and large pork bones — the standard Northeastern meal was served.

From the bedroom, a few kids who were playing around were called out.

Nie Weimin, drenched in sweat, was chasing Gao Xiaobing with a pillow.

Gao Xiaobing had hid behind Chen Lina, shouting, “My mom’s protecting me! You can’t hit me, you can’t hit me!”

As everyone sat down, Sun Ainan also joined the table.

“Er Dan, where’s your manners? Why didn’t you greet your aunt when you saw her?” This was the only complaint Sun Ainan had.

“Yeah, Erdan, this is your third aunt, and she took you to her house when you were little,” said Factory Director He.

Erdan shook his head. “I don’t know her.”

“Xiao Chen, since you’re their mother now, you should at least teach them some manners. I am their third aunt. How can they not even call me Aunt?” Sun Ainan started criticizing Chen Lina, of course, also trying to stir things up in front of Factory Director He.

Chen Lina didn’t even lift her eyelids and coldly said, “Nowadays, there are so many kidnappers. Should I just let anyone say they’re my son’s aunt or in-laws and take him without asking me?”

She was sharp, blocking Sun Ainan’s argument with a direct comment about kidnappers.

Of course, District Chief Gao was aware of the situation and knew that Sun Ainan wanted Nie’s children, planning to take them at any cost.

“Ainan, my Nie Bozhao’s children will not be given to anyone. You are their aunt, but if you suddenly try to snatch the children from the base, you should talk to Sun Bomu and tell her not to do that again. Otherwise, I’ll report it to the security team,” Nie Bozhao said firmly.

“Brother-in-law, my mom just wants to see the children. Isn’t that okay? They are my sister’s children,” Sun Ainan defended.

“Is she just here to see the children, or is she trying to take them? Ainan, you should know better than I do. We’re relatives, but why do you want to force me to take the children away?” Nie Bozhao countered.

It’s worth noting that not only from the oil fields in the border region, but also from Daqing, they had been offering Nie Bozhao positions, hoping he would move his laboratory there.

If things got worse, he was seriously considering relocating.

But if he moved, District Chief Gao would be anxious.

What would happen to the base if such a talent left?

“Comrade Xiao Sun, your own family must be busy too. I won’t keep you for dinner, is that okay?” District Chief Gao said.

Sun Ainan had spent a long time preparing the meal, but before she could even sit down, she saw little San Dan, who was supposed to be hers, sitting obediently in Chen Lina’s lap.

The child kept asking for this and that, making her head ache with frustration.

She tried to stick around, but no one paid attention to her, so she left.

Factory Director He had originally had a good relationship with Sun Ainan.

They were both strong women with common ground, though there had been no personal bias because their families didn’t involve business interests.

Looking them over, the three kids were neatly dressed, especially Nie Weimin and Er Dan.

They were much more polite now.

Little San Dan, who had been just a year and a half when she last saw him, now had a slightly rounder face.

Clearly, Chen Lina had done well by the children.

Conquering people with real talent, Factory Director He psychologically began to recognize Chen Lina’s abilities.

After the meal, Nie Weimin and Erdan went to play with Gao Xiaobing, while the adults stayed at the table chatting.

District Chief Gao jokingly said, “Comrade Xiao Chen is a university graduate, just raising kids isn’t enough. She should also contribute some of her knowledge to the base. What do you think, are there any positions in the mine area that you like?”

Arranging jobs for knowledgeable relatives was beneficial in two ways: it stabilized the workforce and attracted talent — truly a win-win.

Chen Lina straightened up with a smile and said, “Staying in the base all the time without working can indeed be boring. Engineer Nie suggested that I become the director of the Mulan Farm. Although I know I’m young and inexperienced, I’d like to give it a try. It would also contribute to the base’s development.”

Her words nearly made Nie Bozhao jump out of his seat.

When did he ever suggest that she become the director of Mulan Farm?

“Oh, Comrade Xiao Chen, what did you major in at university? You only completed one year of college. I’m afraid the position of farm director might be too much for you. You’re still too young. However, a teaching job might suit you better,” District Chief Gao said directly.

“Well, District Chief, how do you feel about the current scale of production at Mulan Farm?” Chen Lina asked.

District Chief Gao immediately shook his head, “Not good. Compared to those in the construction corps, our output is far behind.

The farms of the construction corps, in addition to being self-sufficient, also supply enough food to feed a large portion of the country.

But our Mulan Farm, I don’t know what’s happened. Our cotton harvests are so low we can’t even supply the mine.

We have to buy cotton to ensure people’s basic needs. Our wheat crops aren’t doing well either.

Last year, the wheat we grew was only enough to supply Base One and Base Two. We still had to get rice and flour from the 719 Construction Corps.”

“Do you think this is a result of natural disaster or human error?”

“It’s not really about disasters or mistakes. Our farm isn’t very large, and it’s not run with military-style management. The enthusiasm of the workers and the educated youth is hard to motivate.”

Chen Lina responded, “I studied biology at the Women’s Normal University, and in the biology field, our coursework focuses on both animal and plant sciences.

I visited the farm recently and noticed that the cotton seeds we use are the old Zhongmian No. 2, and our wheat is the outdated Xin Dong 2.

Meanwhile, at the construction corps farms, they use Zhongmian No. 11 for cotton and Xin Dong 7 for wheat. These crops are much more resilient to frost and diseases.

We’re already outdated, so how can we compete?”

Originally, District Chief Gao had been lazily sitting on his couch, but after hearing Chen Lina speak, he immediately straightened up. “Wow, Comrade Xiao Chen really knows her stuff when it comes to plant science.”

“If I become the director, within one year, we will be self-sufficient in cotton; within two years, we’ll be able to supply our own wheat. After that, the district won’t need to rely on the construction corps farms anymore,” she confidently stated.

In those days of food shortages, just getting an extra bucket of oil or a few salted fish would make people thrilled.

But what many didn’t know was that even the leaders had to beg for such welfare.

“A fresh face, not afraid of challenges. When I first came to the base, I had just graduated from college. At night, I set up tents and ate cornmeal cakes while listening to wolves howl.

Despite all that, we managed to extract oil. If District Chief Gao isn’t sure about Comrade Xiao Chen, I can help her out. I do have some experience in the biological sciences,” Nie Bozhao added quickly.

He knew that if he didn’t back her now, Chen Lina would never let him hear the end of it when they got home.