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

Even though there were highways along the way, it took the jeep a full four hours to reach their destination.

An Ning was fine, but Shen Chang Le, who rarely travels by car, got carsick.

Fortunately, Song Wenyuan had prepared orange peels in advance, which slightly alleviated her motion sickness. At least she didn't throw up. It took her almost an hour to feel better after getting off the car, and she didn't even eat much lunch.

Because they had contacted a toy factory in the county before they came, after dinner, Huang Yu looked after the child while An Ning and Song Wenyuan went directly to the toy factory.

Compared to the toy factory in the city, this toy factory in the county town was a bit smaller, but its attitude towards them was much warmer.

Upon hearing that An Ning and Song Wenyuan had come from the island's military base, the factory director, who was resting at home, rushed to the factory gate.

"Greetings, comrades! Your presence is an honor to our humble abode!" The factory director greeted them warmly with a handshake.

"Factory manager, you're too kind. We're just junior technicians, running errands for the leaders."

"No, no, you two are so young to be technicians, how can you call yourselves errand runners? Anyone can run errands, but not everyone can be a technician. How about this, I'll show you around our factory first."

"Can I take a look at the products your factory produces first?" Based on her previous experience, An Ning asked first.

"Of course, I was originally planning to show you when I took you to the workshop, but since you two want to see our products first, Xiao Liu, go and bring out a few of our latest products for you to see," the factory manager instructed his assistant.

"okay."

He jogged away, but the atmosphere didn't cool down.

The factory manager continued to introduce the factory to them: "You've traveled a long way, coming all the way from Guangzhou. You must have already visited the toy factories in the city, right?"

"Yes, we went there. We contacted several toy factories on this trip because we wanted to learn how toy factories here operate."

"To be honest, the toy factory in the city takes up the vast majority of orders, and we're just following behind them, getting a small share. Actually, I think the existing toys can't meet the growing entertainment and learning needs of children. Our factory's technicians are also pursuing continuous innovation, but the market isn't buying it. People are only ordering from the most famous factories, which has made it difficult for us to continue operating."

Generally speaking, when faced with technicians like An Ning and Song Wenyuan who come to inspect the factory and want to purchase production lines, the factory manager should not reveal the true situation of their factory.

He only needs to exaggerate the merits of his factory's products and tell them that many people have placed orders with them, which will indirectly highlight the advantages of their machines and technology.

But he didn't; instead, he truthfully revealed the situation in the factory.

"The toys our own technicians make are great for the factory workers' children to play with, but they just won't sell. The county's finances are tight right now; they prioritize allocating funds to profitable businesses. We were initially able to be self-sufficient, but then..."

The assistant ran over carrying a box and presented it to the factory manager: "Manager, everything is here. Do you think we need anything else?"

The factory manager was interrupted. He nodded apologetically to An Ning, checked the toys in the box, and after confirming there were no problems, handed them directly to An Ning: "Young comrades, take a look. These are the toys produced by our factory."

Anning looked at the contents of the box. There was a tin frog, a toy car, and various other small toys, such as tangrams. There was also a toy snake that could shake its head from side to side like a snake when picked up.

"Did you produce this snake as well?"

"We produced it, but it wasn't a mass-produced item. It was something our workers made themselves when they had nothing else to do," the factory manager explained. "I used to hold competitions in the factory, and this snake was the winner of one of those competitions, but now... sigh! Let's not talk about it."

The factory manager took a deep breath: "Since you two are here, I'll be frank with you. Take a look at our machines. If you're willing, I can arrange to sell them to you at a lower price. I can also teach you the technology, blueprints, or anything you don't understand about toy factories. With the military backing you, you don't need to worry about sales or whether you can survive. I just want to fight for more layoff benefits for our factory's employees."

An Ning didn't agree immediately: "How about this, let's go take a look at the machines in the factory first."

"Of course, although our batch of machines is small, it was the latest model when we purchased it. Although several years have passed, we have maintained it very well, and it is sufficient for producing common toys on the market." The factory manager led An Ning and Song Wenyuan towards the workshop.

An Ning nodded secretly when she saw the machines running in the workshop.

The factory manager wasn't lying. These machines, apart from being a bit smaller, were almost as good as those from the city's toy factory, and far superior to the old-fashioned machines they were preparing to sell and storing in their warehouse.

Anning noticed two lonely machines in the corner. They were clearly new, but they weren't working, which piqued her curiosity.

"What are these two?"

"This machine was modified by our factory's technicians. It's useful when designing new toys, and it makes some small parts very easy to make. However, we can't guarantee anything about modified products. It's fine if we sell it to others, but I certainly wouldn't cheat my military comrades."

Anning was clearly more interested in these two machines than the conventional assembly line machines.

"Can I try?"

"Of course." The factory manager wasn't afraid of An Ning making requests; he was afraid they wouldn't make any. He called to his assistant, "Go and call Master Luo over."

He then explained to An Ning, "Master Luo was the one who modified these two machines. He knows their operation better than I do. I asked him to answer your questions."

An Ning naturally had no objections.

Not long after, a middle-aged woman in her forties was brought over, which surprised An Ning.

Influenced by the great leader's idea that "women can hold up half the sky," women were able to participate in the vast majority of labor in this era. However, in places like factories, technicians were still mostly men.

"Hello, comrades. I am Luo Ling." On her way here, Master Luo learned the purpose of the factory director's summons. "If you have any questions, just ask me."

The factory manager seemed worried that Master Luo would be looked down upon, so he spoke up for her, saying, "Master Luo is the best technician in our factory. She used to be a talent from the Capital Institute of Technology. Our factory was able to be built thanks to her!"