Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 89: Expanding Business

Ji Meiqing realized what was happening and went back with him.

Dinner was already prepared, so she washed her hands and ate, recounting everything that had just happened in detail. Then, she cautiously looked at Lu Yu and tentatively asked, "Am I being a bit ungrateful for what I did?"

“No.” He shook his head, his tone so calm that Ji Meiqing thought he also opposed her decision. But he added, “Firing those who are just slacking off will help improve the overall level. Sometimes one good employee is better than ten lazy ones.”

Ji Meiqing looked at him in surprise, almost asking him if he had also transmigrated from another world, but she held back in the end.

I glanced at him a couple of times and saw that he didn't seem panicked, so I felt a little relieved.

"Eat more, it'll help you recover." She deliberately placed a piece of particularly succulent fish in his bowl. Lu Yu paused, his eyes fixed on the piece of meat.

Seeing that he hadn't touched his chopsticks, Ji Meiqing couldn't help but wonder, "What's wrong with you?"

Lu Yu snapped out of his daze and hurriedly replied, "It's nothing." He picked up a piece of fish and carefully tasted it.

"How is it?" Ji Meiqing leaned closer, looking at him expectantly, her eyes practically spitting fire. Lu Yu turned around and saw her like that, instantly forgetting the taste of the fish in his mouth.

Ji Meiqing looked at him with a smile and put a few more pieces of delicious meat, without too many fish bones, into his bowl.

"Eat well, eat more." Ji Meiqing felt a pang of heartache looking at him. How long had it been since he'd had meat? He looked so pitiful...

Lu Yu was completely unaware that Ji Meiqing's maternal love was overflowing. He lowered his head and ate all the meat in his bowl, then glanced at Ji Meiqing again. Just one glance, and he was stunned.

"What's wrong with you?" Seeing her expectant and sympathetic expression, Lu Yu became puzzled.

His voice successfully interrupted Ji Meiqing's conjecture, but to avoid angering Lu Yu, she cleverly kept her thoughts to herself.

"I'm fine, come and eat. You should eat more meat." After saying that, Ji Meiqing put a few more pieces of meat on his plate. Lu Yu was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Eat!" The chopsticks made an abrupt turn in mid-air, and the piece of fish landed in her mouth. She exclaimed, "Delicious!" Then the chopsticks remained on the plate with the fish.

After the two finished dinner, it was Ji Meiqing's turn to wash the dishes. When she went back after taking a short break, the dishes and chopsticks were already clean.

Ji Meiqing was startled and hurriedly walked to Lu Yu's side, asking, "Why were all my bowls and chopsticks disposed of?"

"Yes, I washed it." Lu Yu didn't hide anything and admitted it directly.

"What about tomorrow?"

"You wash..."

"the day after tomorrow?"

"still you."

Ji Meiqing looked miserable, unsure what to say. Things had been going well these past few days, but today everything went wrong. Lu Yu, seeing her exasperated expression, couldn't help but smile.

She went back to her room angrily and sat there thinking for a while.

The next day, Ji Meiqing brought the things she had bought from the city to the greenhouse and distributed them. Remembering that Li Shi hadn't been working for her long, she specifically asked for a piece of brocade and presented it to her.

"I'm giving this to you; it'll be just enough to make two sets of clothes."

Li stared blankly at the cloth in Ji Meiqing's hand, momentarily thinking she was dreaming and that Ji Meiqing was playing a trick on her. She quickly refused, saying, "I can't accept this."

Ji Meiqing was taken aback, and hurriedly pushed the cloth back, saying as she did so, "Just take it. Don't refuse, it's just a small token of my appreciation. Consider it a favor."

Even after she said that, Madam Li remained somewhat stubborn. That brocade was, for them, just a dream, a dream they could never reach in their lifetime…

“This…” Li looked at her reproachfully, and then began to lecture her: “Girls should be thrifty and manage the household well. If you continue like this, no one will want you in the future.”

"It's alright, I have money." Ji Meiqing answered her question smugly, and added, "I don't know how long I'll live, or how much money I'll earn. Although we don't know, we're still trying. This brocade is a reward. Besides, girls who know how to spend money usually know how to make money."

She confidently handed the brocade back to Te, and said to Li, "We have a big business deal coming up recently, so we've had a little free time lately. But it's still very soon; I want to find someone before next month."

"We'll need to hire more workers again." She remained silent, her eyes never leaving the brocade. Madam Li paused for a moment before looking at her, as if bidding farewell.

"You've given me so much, I don't even know how to repay you." Madam Li chuckled twice and took the brocade.

Ji Meiqing then smiled, "Make a good set of clothes, and then we'll open a shop."

After seeing Li off, Ji Meiqing went back to her own business.

Unbeknownst to him, the news of layoffs and hiring had already spread throughout the greenhouse, and even Li Ming had anxiously sought confirmation from Ji Meiqing.

"If you throw them out, how are you going to deal with the rest?"

The sky was so bright it was dazzling. Ji Meiqing squinted before finally asking, "Where did that smile come from?"

"Everyone in the factory is talking about this, so I'm asking you, is it true?"

Ji Meiqing didn't hesitate and said directly, "Now that I know, I don't need to think about it anymore."

Li Ming was silent for a moment, and Ji Meiqing, who was standing opposite him, suddenly spoke up, "I have something to do. If you have anything to say, just come to the Lu family to find me."

"Okay..." He didn't know what to say.

After seeing Ji Meiqing off, he returned to the shed. The workers immediately came up to him and asked if the news was true or false.

Even if they could just give him a perfunctory answer when he asked for help, his achievements speak for themselves, and no one dared to touch them.

Li Ming thought it over and, without bothering to deal with it, simply repeated Ji Meiqing's decision to sit down.

The moment the words were spoken, everyone in the room seemed to freeze in place, exchanging bewildered glances.

Seeing their tense expressions, Li Ming added, "Just assign her the tasks she's assigned. If you do a good job, she won't dismiss several departments for no reason."

For some reason, Li Ming felt a sense of loss. They listened to what Li Ming said: some people might leave, but new people would come in their place, which would be good for the place.

"You all go to work first. Work hard this month, and hopefully no one will be laid off next month."