The Chunfeng Garment Factory was the largest clothing factory among several nearby towns, located at the far west end of the town.
Originally, the Chunfeng Garment Factory was situated in Baicheng, but the mayor of Chunfeng Town worked hard to persuade Boss Yuan from Baicheng’s garment factory to invest here.
They even offered many policy incentives. So Boss Yuan opened a branch factory here in Chunfeng Town, also called the Chunfeng Garment Factory.
When the factory first opened, the very first task was to recruit workers.
They needed female workers to sew clothes, designers who understood fashion, secretaries who could speak foreign languages, salespeople who could negotiate distribution channels, and truck drivers to deliver goods.
They had to hire everything.
As a result, there was a huge crowd of applicants, squeezed and jostling, gathering right at the factory’s main gate.
On the steps at the entrance stood a woman in a suit, wearing a name tag on her chest, around thirty years old.
She called out to the crowd: “Women applying for sewing jobs, line up on the left. Technicians who can repair machines, line up in the middle. High school students, line up on the right. Everyone, come one by one to fill out the registration form.”
Shimei Lan looked closely and saw the name tag read Manager Lu.
The crowd immediately parted, dividing into three lines.
When Shimei Lan arrived with Hu Honghua, the crowd had already sorted itself out. Shimei Lan noticed Wang Yulian quietly standing aside without moving.
The woman standing at the top step saw Wang Yulian and gave her a glance.
Wang Yulian then stepped out of the crowd and stood on the outer edge.
After everyone had gone inside to apply, the woman walked over and brought Wang Yulian inside.
Shimei Lan thought to herself, so that’s how people use connections to get in.
She pondered for a moment, then didn’t take Hu Honghua to line up but instead stood off to the side.
At this time, Wang Yulian had already followed Manager Lu inside the factory.
The factory was large, with five buildings: Buildings 1, 2, 3, 4, and a canteen. Buildings 1 and 2 were workshops; Building 3 housed the female workers’ dormitories; Building 4 was used for offices and also where designers, sales staff, and finance workers worked.
Manager Lu led Wang Yulian into Building 4, passed the reception desk, and went to her office.
She closed the door behind them, then turned to look at Wang Yulian.
Manager Lu was thirty years old, with a long face, thick lips, and sharp fox-like eyes.
She exuded the unique pressure of a strong career woman, with a hint of sexiness. She glanced at Wang Yulian and asked, “Is the money ready?”
Before Wang Yulian’s husband returned to the city, he had often come to town to send letters.
He had some background. Through her husband, Wang Yulian had gotten to know Manager Lu, but they were only acquaintances, not close.
With the factory opening, Manager Lu was in charge of recruiting.
Wang Yulian took the initiative to visit and make small talk, hoping to use connections to get in.
But Manager Lu was a person who only cared about money, not relationships. She told Wang Yulian outright: If you want a good job, you can buy a spot for a hundred yuan.
No money, no talk — she was essentially selling factory positions for kickbacks.
“I’ve prepared two hundred yuan. My husband will send it to me next month. I’ll buy it together with my daughter, but I’d need you to wait until next month.” Wang Yulian forced a flattering smile and said, “Thanks to you, Manager Lu.”
Wang Yulian didn’t want others to see her as an abandoned woman, so she mentioned her husband in every sentence, pretending that the husband from the educated youth movement was still in touch, holding up her face.
In truth, she already had the money in hand but played a trick. She was afraid of being conned and refused to pay directly.
She planned to wait until next month when everything was settled and the job started, then she would willingly pay.
Manager Lu saw through Wang Yulian’s cautiousness but didn’t say anything. Instead, she nodded and said, “Okay. In a bit more than half a month, at the beginning of July, the factory will officially start construction.
You come then. Don’t forget the money. I’ll arrange office jobs for you two. Your daughter’s studied before, so she’ll be secretary, and you’ll be the clerk. That two hundred yuan won’t be wasted.”
Wang Yulian hurriedly nodded.
Manager Lu waved her off. “You may go.”
Wang Yulian left with joy.
Manager Lu took her bicycle keys, ready to go out for a meal and maybe buy something nice to treat herself.
As for the rest of the recruitment, it would be handled by the junior clerks.
If it weren’t for that two hundred yuan, Manager Lu wouldn’t have come out today — her monthly salary was only thirty-five yuan, so two hundred was almost a year’s wages.
Her vehicle was just a small bicycle. She got on and headed home.
The town was remote, at the far west of Chunfeng Town. She had to ride a long stretch of dirt road, which she seldom took. Today was unlucky; the bike’s tire slowed more and more.
Just then, there was a dirt slope ahead. She stood up to pedal harder, but at the slope’s corner, another cyclist suddenly appeared, and their bikes collided!
The bike tilted heavily; she cried out and fell hard onto the ground.
She fell so honestly and soundly that her ankle cracked with a “crack.” She couldn’t get up. There was no one around. She was in pain, her vision darkening, when suddenly she heard someone shout, “Hey! Sister, are you okay?”
“You’ve got a flat tire. You’ll have to change it soon. We need to push this to the road junction.” Someone ran over, helped move the bike, and helped her up. “Sister, are you feeling better?”
When Manager Lu opened her eyes, she saw a woman in a dark green cotton dress squatting before her. The woman had black hair, bright eyes, and red lips. Her tone was brisk but caring: “That was a hard fall. Can you still ride?”
Manager Lu’s head was ringing. She slowly shook her head and said, “My ankle hurts.”
The woman quickly took off her shoe to examine her ankle, while a quiet, honest-looking young girl helped steady the bike.
The woman was strong, clearly used to manual labor, with nimble hands.
In no time, the pain in Manager Lu’s ankle eased.
The woman talked a lot as she rubbed her ankle.
Manager Lu sat quietly, listening.
The woman’s name was Shimei Lan. She had a niece named Hu Honghua.
They came from Lijia Village, hoping to find a livelihood at the Chunfeng factory.
They wanted to be clerks but the factory required a university degree for clerical positions, so they had to leave disappointed.
They hadn’t expected to bump into Manager Lu on the road and apologized sincerely.
The warm pressure from her touch spread through Manager Lu’s body.
The regret in Shimei Lan’s words grew heavier.
Looking at Shimei Lan’s bright and straightforward round face, Manager Lu, unable to stop herself, said, “If you want to get in, it’s fine, but it costs a hundred yuan per person.”
After she said this, Manager Lu immediately regretted it.
The selling of positions was supposed to be a secret. She and Wang Yulian knew each other, so she could do it for her, but this woman was a stranger.
How could she just sell a spot to her?
What if word got out? Her position here was hard to come by! If she got kicked out, she wouldn’t earn a cent.
“That’s wonderful!” Shimei Lan slapped her thigh. “You’re such a good person! When we both get in, we’ll listen to you.”
Seeing how straightforward Shimei Lan was, Manager Lu felt okay selling her a spot.
After chatting for a while, Shimei Lan immediately took out her bag and handed over the money.
Manager Lu had never seen someone so straightforward before and grew fond of her.
Who wouldn’t like people who pay?
“Let’s go! We’ll go back right now!” Manager Lu no longer mentioned “early July,” instead taking them back to the factory. “We’ll get you two processed for employment today. You can pick your offices and dorm rooms. Come back to start in early July.”
The three turned back immediately. Manager Lu and Shimei Lan were like sisters now.
There weren’t many clerk positions—only four or five total—and now four people had arrived, so almost all spots were taken.
After finishing the paperwork and choosing dorms and offices, Shimei Lan took Hu Honghua back.
When they left the factory, it was around three or four in the afternoon. The blazing sun beat down on them as Shimei Lan rode the bike with Hu Honghua sitting behind.
They’d been gone for a long time before Hu Honghua finally dared to breathe a sigh of relief—she realized that Shimei Lan had deliberately bumped into Manager Lu’s bike on purpose. Just watching it had scared her.
Manager Lu was fooled by Shimei Lan and even counted out money for her!
Shimei Lan was so devious.
At this moment, Shimei Lan, pedaling her bike, said to Hu Honghua, “From now on, we’ll work here. We’ll earn thirty yuan a month—more than your Uncle Li Ershu.”
Hu Honghua let out a small “Wow.”
“Scamming, so what? That’s Auntie’s skill!”
“Auntie’s really amazing,” she said, leaning closer.
Shimei Lan snorted softly. “Of course I’m amazing.”
Manager Lu was willing to take money from Wang Yulian, so taking money from her was definitely legitimate. It was the right solution for the problem.
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