A stunning beauty arrived on the island; she invented everything from childcare to babysitting.

"What's wrong, girl? Why do you look so worried? What did Commander Li want to see you about? Is it related to your man?"

An Ning had just returned when Zhao Xuemei, who was drying things at the door, saw her and asked her with concern.

"No, Commander Li called me over and asked me something. I'm struggling with whether or not to agree."

"What's going on?"

“It’s related to the toy factory,” An Ning said, picking up on the topics she could talk about. “As you know, those two factories have already started construction. The cannery will have technicians from the county cannery coming to provide guidance, but the toy factory hasn’t contacted any technicians yet. Currently, there are no toy factories on our island, only across the way. It’s so far away, and the technicians from across the way are probably unwilling to come. So, the technician we’ve chosen has to go to the toy factory across the way to visit and learn, and bring back the technology and production line. Commander Li thinks I have some knowledge in this area and asked me if I’d be willing to do this job.”

"This is a good thing, why don't you want to go?" Zhao Xuemei said in a low voice, "Besides, if you are in charge of purchasing the production line, this is a lucrative position, what are you still hesitating about?"

An Ning then realized what Li Bowen meant by emphasizing the price range; wasn't this an implication that she could get a kickback from it?

As long as she can lower the price of the production line, the extra profits are all hers—not just a couple thousand yuan. No wonder he said he could have let other cadres' family members do it, but he managed to get it done for them.

“I’m not worried about anything else, but I’m worried that Ni’er is still young. Once she goes out, she can’t just stay at one toy factory. I don’t know when she will be able to come back. I’m worried that she can’t manage on her own here.”

"What's wrong with that? I'll keep an eye on her for you! If you're worried, just give me the key, and I'll come to your room to sleep with her tonight."

"Why is this so embarrassing?"

"What's there to be embarrassed about? We're like family! It's such a great opportunity, many people would love to go but can't. And it's a technician position in the factory, the salary is much higher than the average person."

Zhao Xuemei is right in one respect, but on the other hand, this is indeed an opportunity for Anning to gain a foothold in this world.

She had originally planned to go to university, which was her obsession from her past life. She would think about the future later. But now, if she became a technician in a toy factory, she might be able to become a factory manager in the future. It would save her a lot of time and effort.

After all, this body is already married and has children, and now she has someone she likes. It would be really troublesome to go to university after she divorces Song Wenyuan and gets together with Chen Hai.

The children are all fine. Chen Hai is doing well at work here and has a bright future. He can't possibly go to another city to study at university with her, can he?

If he didn't go to the school with her, the two of them would be living apart. Communication at that age wasn't as advanced as it is in later years. It would be fine if they were in the same place, but if they were in different provinces, a letter would take four or five days, or even ten days or half a month, to arrive. This would definitely have some impact on their relationship.

At this point, Anning had already shown a tendency to take a stand.

“I’ll talk to her about it when she gets back. Ni’er is a rather sensitive child. She only became more cheerful after joining the army. If she resists too much, then let it go. There will be opportunities sooner or later, but a child’s childhood only comes once.”

"That's what you said."

Zhao Xuemei was also the kind of mother who prioritized her child, so she could completely understand Anning's thoughts. However, she still felt it was a pity that Anning lost this opportunity, so she offered another word of advice.

"But try your best to persuade her; this is indeed a rare opportunity."

"Okay, I will."

The two parted ways, and Aunt Wu's window next door was closed again.

She wasn't outside when Anning and Zhao Xuemei met, because it would be too obvious if she came out, so she could only listen carefully from inside the house.

However, An Ning and Zhao Xuemei were already speaking softly, and they lowered their voices even further, so Aunt Wu could only hear bits and pieces of what they said. But Aunt Wu did hear Li Bowen telling her to do the work and Zhao Xuemei saying that everyone was eager to do it.

She was filled with resentment. The factory was built by the army to benefit everyone, so how come Shen Anning was already enjoying the benefits before the factory was even built?

Aunt Wu was convinced that Shen Anning had a connection with Commander Li, but she didn't dare to say it.

But she knew one thing: the factory positions were awarded to the most capable people. Why should Shen Anning get all the benefits?

If Shen Anning can do it, why can't her husband Guo Shuzhen do it?

However, Aunt Wu wasn't stupid. She knew she couldn't be the one to initiate such a matter, but once someone else brought it up, she could rightfully let her eldest, money-losing child compete for it.

Moreover, given her family situation—she injured her foot, and both her children, who are financially burdened, are in poor health and are still taking medication even after being discharged from the hospital—shouldn't she be a priority for the military to take care of?

They are a vulnerable group!

They should be treated with special consideration.

However, finding the right person is an art; she needs to think about who to ask to expose this matter.

On the other side, before lunch, Xiao Ni'er and Xu Pengfei, who had been playing outside, returned. The two children were sweating profusely from running around outside. However, compared to Xu Pengfei, Shen Changle's clothes were exactly the same when she went out, while Xu Pengfei looked like he had rolled in the mud. He was scolded by Zhao Xuemei again.

After finishing her meal, Anning called out to Shen Changle, who wanted to continue playing outside: "Ni'er, ask Pengfei to wait a moment, Mom wants to talk to you about something."

"okay."

Shen Changle went out to tell Xu Pengfei, and then returned home.

She was a little nervous. The last time her mother spoke to her in such a serious tone was back in their hometown, when she took her to see a doctor at the guesthouse.

"What does Mom want to discuss with me?"

“Mom has an opportunity now. If you seize it, you can become a key technical worker in the newly built factory of the army, and there will be many benefits in the future. But if you want to seize this opportunity, Mom will have to leave home for a period of time, and you will have to stay home alone during this time. But Mom has discussed it with Aunt Xuemei next door. If you agree to Mom going out, you can eat at Aunt Xuemei's place during this time. If you are afraid to sleep alone at night, Aunt Xuemei can also come over and keep you company. If you don't agree, Mom will cancel this.”

Shen Changle thought for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Why do I need to agree? My friends' parents never ask for their consent when making decisions."

"Because you are part of the family, my dear, of course I need your permission to do anything."

"How long will you be gone, Mom?"

"Mom doesn't know either. If things go quickly, she might be back in ten days or half a month. If things go slowly, it might take one or two months."

Now it was Shen Changle's turn to be conflicted.

She counted on her fingers, realizing that it hadn't even been two months since she and her mother came to the army. If her mother were to leave, it would take her as long as she had been in the army.

She asked hesitantly, "So, Mom, do you want me to agree, or do you want me to disagree?"

"It's up to you. If you agree, you agree; if you disagree, you disagree."

"But I want to agree, and I also want to disagree. Mom, will you come back?"

An Ning chuckled: "Of course Mommy will come back. Our darling is here, how could Mommy not come back?"

"Mom, when you come back, can you take me to Uncle Chen Hai's place to play? He said he would take me to ride a small boat."

"Of course you can. Even if Mommy doesn't go, Mommy can still take you there to play."

"Then I agree, but you can't deliberately come back late just because I agree. You have to remember that I'll be waiting for you at home." Shen Changle hugged her mother, feeling a little aggrieved.

Anning hugged her back: "Okay, then I'll go tell your Uncle Li this afternoon that I agree to this."