That night, Old Lady Jiang invited Sister Lu Da and herself to stay together, so Lin Shu and Lin Xia could have a good talk.

Sister Lu Da gladly agreed; she slept exceptionally well and could fall asleep quickly except when she was with Brother Lu Dage.

Lin Shu and Lin Xia, however, had endless conversations.

Lin Shu embraced her sister, excitedly saying, “Sister, you’re truly amazing. You have the courage and determination to cut off toxic relationships. In the future, whether in work or life, your mental and physical health will only get better!”

Lin Xia was also happy, “I feel the same way. I used to feel a blockage in my chest, a kind of pressure. I wanted to lose my temper but felt I didn’t have the right. Now that I’ve let it out, it’s like a weight has been lifted.”

The visit from Qian Lisheng that evening had made her feel completely at ease and relieved.

Considering that her sister had to work the next day, they went to bed by ten.

After breakfast, Lin Shu and Sister Lu Da planned to visit the Tractor Factory.

Earlier, Director Qin had asked Sister Lu Da to try to get close to the Tractor Factory leaders to help the commune apply for purchasing tractors.

Lin Shu didn’t quite understand and wondered, “Isn’t it the commune applying to the county, the county to the city, and the city handling it? Doesn’t the Tractor Factory have any say in this?”

Sister Lu Da replied, “We’re not sure. Director Qin said we might have more influence if we try to get close to the Tractor Factory leaders. Since we’re here, we might as well visit them and get a meal out of it.”

Lin Shu laughed, “That’s true. Let’s go!”

They took a tricycle to the Tractor Factory, greeted the gatekeeper, and then visited Master Huang.

He had indeed been promoted to workshop director.

They also visited Yao Naiwen.

Yao Naiwen was pleased to see them. “The autumn harvest is over, right? Sister, your tractor driving skills must be top-notch now. Lin Shu, you’re looking even more beautiful!”

After some small talk, Yao Naiwen understood their purpose and took them to meet Factory Director Guo.

“Director Guo just returned from the provincial capital. He’s in high spirits, and your request is sure to be approved.”

When Factory Director Guo saw the two women, he was delighted and immediately invited them to the canteen for a meal. “Come on, let’s go eat. I’ll treat you to some stir-fried dishes.”

He had recently been to the provincial capital to apply for adding a production line.

He didn’t go empty-handed but brought along the number of tractors requested by various communes and production teams, along with promotional posters of the factory’s tractors.

He showcased their factory’s progress, emphasizing how women played a significant role and how their production capacity was increasing.

With the addition of a new production line, they could continue to expand their workforce and produce more tractors, greatly satisfying the demand from various teams within the city.

They could even start shipping to other provinces and cities.

The leader agreed!

Factory Director Guo was so pleased!

He immediately began preparations for a new factory building.

Since it was still before the twelfth lunar month, he wanted to get the factory constructed quickly, hire workers in the meantime, and have experienced workers train apprentices.

Once the factory was completed, they could start production.

By the time spring plowing came around, they would be able to provide more tractors and farming machinery, solving production problems for more teams.

With the heroes of the photo shoot arriving, how could they not be properly hosted?

Factory Director Guo was short, with a round face that looked youthful even though he was in his forties and had many wrinkles.

“Comrades Guiying and Lin Shu, welcome, welcome!”

“How was the autumn harvest? Was the grain yield satisfactory?”

“Was the food distribution enough? How about the dividends? Were they satisfactory?”

Factory Director Guo inquired about various production team issues.

Sister-in-law Lu Da answered each question in turn.

Factory Director Guo also had Yao Naiwen bring back some copies of the photo shoot for the two of them.

In those days, printing photo shoots was labor-intensive, so they didn’t print many for casual distribution.

A few were put up in important places in the factory, some were sent to the provincial level for promotion, and a few were kept for other uses.

During the meal, Factory Director Guo kindly said, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure your commune and production teams get the tractors you need.”

Although the allocation was centrally arranged by the city, it still required discussion and confirmation with their tractor factory before being finalized.

Getting a few extra tractors approved for the Fendou Commune was definitely possible.

Sister-in-law Lu Da and Lin Shu were both very pleased and expressed their gratitude repeatedly.

Sister-in-law Lu Da raised her glass. “Factory Director Guo, my sister-in-law can’t drink. I can have a bit. To thank you for your support for our commune and production teams, I’ll toast you three glasses.”

She downed three glasses in a row.

Lin Shu watched in amazement.

At home, Sister-in-law Lu Da always pretended not to drink, leaving all the drinking to Brother Lu Dage.

But here…

Good heavens, Brother Lu Dage couldn’t keep up with his wife’s drinking!

After dinner and discussing the tractors, Lin Shu and Sister-in-law Lu Da took their leave.

Factory Director Guo said, “Naiwen, see off these two heroes.”

Lin Shu quickly replied, “Factory Director Guo, please don’t be so formal. We’re not heroes at all. You and all the skilled workers and comrades are the true heroes. Our farming brothers are still waiting for your mechanical support!”

Director Jiang helps read aloud.

In the evening, they made sauerkraut fish and spicy fish.

To be authentic sauerkraut fish and spicy fish, a lot of oil is needed.

However, since they didn’t have that much to spare, they naturally skipped the step of adding chili oil.

Even without this step, the aroma filled the entire residential compound.

Everyone kept asking what smelled so good.

Who hasn’t made chili oil before? But it never smelled like this!

Their chili oil always has a bit of a bitter taste; this one is wonderfully fragrant!

Jiang Weidong and the factory director were initially talking with the secretary.

Since Yao Naiwen came with greetings from Factory Director Guo, they naturally had to stay for a meal.

When they smelled the overpowering aroma, they lost interest in talking and couldn’t help but ask whose house made such delicious food and why it smelled so good.

Being the youngest, Jiang Weidong was naturally the one to inquire.

Soon, he stood at his own door, unable to believe it, thinking, “When did my mother get so good at cooking?”

The surprise was as great as when he returned to the office and saw his bedding!

This old lady is not only willful but also has remarkable skills.

Just then, Lin Xia came back from work and saw him standing at the door, looking like he wanted to enter but didn’t dare.

She felt a bit embarrassed, thinking it was because the three of them lived there, and he felt uncomfortable coming home.

Seeing Lin Xia, Jiang Weidong was quite straightforward, “Little Lin, could you please ask the old lady what she’s cooking?”

Lin Xia was surprised, “Why doesn’t Director Jiang go in?”

Jiang Weidong smiled, “I’m just afraid of disturbing the old lady while she’s cooking.”

The old lady was completely focused on learning new dishes.

If he went in and disturbed her, it would spoil her mood and he’d be scolded.

The old lady wasn’t going to spare her son any face.

Lin Xia went in to speak with the old lady.

Lin Shu: “Auntie, why not let Director Jiang join us for the meal?”

Old Lady Jiang: “He’s eating with the secretary and the factory directors; the dishes are made by the cafeteria chef, so they’re definitely better than what we made.”

Jiang Weidong: “……”

Both fish were prepared by the old lady, and Lin Shu thought it was a lot, so she served one portion in an enamel basin for Jiang Weidong to take to the secretary and the others.

Jiang Weidong couldn’t carry it alone, so Lin Xia went to help deliver it.

To avoid suspicion, Jiang Weidong didn’t go with her.

Lin Xia helped deliver the spicy fish to the secretary’s home, where they were having dinner and drinking.

The secretary’s wife wasn’t home, and their meal was all made by the cafeteria chef, so the secretary had just sent back some pig’s trotters and fried fish pieces.

There was little food, so the two dishes were combined in one basin, and Lin Xia herself…