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

After the medal ceremony, Song Wenyuan finally learned that the army was going to build a factory and that An Ning would receive a reward.

He immediately hacked into Li Bowen's office.

"Commander~"

Li Bowen shuddered at the sound of his hushed voice: "You better speak properly! Do you believe I'll report you as unworthy of your position and get you fired as a captain!"

Song Wenyuan put away the smile he had practiced for so long and returned to normal: "Can I go to that newly built factory?"

Since the day he was separated from his wife and daughter, he has wanted to write to his wife every day, but he doesn't know how to face her.

Although he told his boss that he wanted to pursue his wife under his current identity and then reveal his true identity after winning her over, he couldn't find a suitable angle to start the conversation. He was worried that if he got too close, his wife would distance herself from him.

Even though he's on vacation, he seems more tired than when he's not on vacation.

"Oh, you want to work in the factory? Didn't someone say they wanted to be transferred to the port to join the cleanup work?"

Song Wenyuan said with a serious face, "I've thought about it carefully. The cleanup work doesn't need so many people. The people originally assigned can do it. The military wants to generate revenue right now, which is exactly the time when they need manpower. Coincidentally, I have a little bit of knowledge in this area, so I'm taking the initiative to share the burden with the military leaders!"

"Pshaw!" Li Bowen laughed disdainfully. "That's easy for you to say. Factory jobs are highly sought after; plenty of people want to go there. Why should we give you a spot?"

“Toy factories are different from canneries. I don’t think the toy factories run by the military are the most ordinary, low-tech kind, right? Although I didn’t go to university, I’ve taught myself some things over the years. I dare say that no soldier in our army knows more about technology than me. And those who know more about technology than me are not as suitable in terms of status as I am.”

Li Bowen: "Get out of here! You piece of trash! This factory isn't even built yet, and you've already come up with an excuse."

Song Wenyuan smiled but remained silent.

"Didn't you ever consider the possibility that your wife might not go to the factory? What will you do if you go in but your wife doesn't?"

Song Wenyuan: ...

On the other hand, Anning was indeed thinking about the problems with this job.

Zhao Xuemei had joked with her before, saying that if she built a toy factory, she wondered how much money she could make.

I never imagined that a joke I made a month ago would become a reality in this way.

At the medal awarding ceremony, the military only announced the upcoming establishment of two factories, but did not disclose any specific details.

Anning didn't know what kind of toy factory the military wanted to set up, and to be honest, she didn't really have any interest in working in a factory.

It is now 1974. In five years, Guangdong Province will begin to implement "special policies and flexible measures," which is the initial stage of opening up the market economy.

If she had to do one thing within these five years, she would rather pursue higher education at university than work in a factory.

Perhaps it was because she had studied hard for more than ten years in her previous life, and before she could go to university after the college entrance examination, the apocalypse had already arrived, so Anning had an inexplicable obsession with university life.

If she could, she would like to make up for this experience in this lifetime.

An Ning hesitated for a moment, then stopped thinking about it.

The factory is still a long way from being built; the location may not even have been decided yet, let alone starting production.

Including the purchase of the machinery needed for production, there's no need to consider it for at least six months. By then, she might have a new idea, so it's better to live well in the present for now.

After dinner, Zhao Xuemei immediately went to visit An Ning.

"Girl, did you know that Wang Xiuying's husband died in the war not long ago?"

"I heard about it this morning when I attended the medal awarding ceremony. What happened?"

“Housing for military personnel in our unit is quite tight. After a soldier is killed, under normal circumstances, as long as there are still people in the family's hometown, a compensation will be given to allow the family to return to their place of origin. Wang Xiuying is one such case.”

Although she brought her parents to the military base, they still had a house in her hometown, and her brother lived there too. Therefore, according to military regulations, she had to take her child and parents back to her hometown and make room for other people in the house.

"She refuses to go back?"

An Ning didn't need Zhao Xuemei to continue; she already guessed what would happen next.

"That's not all! If that were all, I wouldn't have come to you and kept you in suspense."

Wang Xiuying's actions were even more explosive than An Ning had imagined.

After receiving the pension, she not only refused the army's request for her to return to her hometown with her child, but also made a scene, demanding that the army find her another man who was willing to marry her and help raise her child and parents.

Zhao Xuemei, her mouth dry from speaking, took a large gulp of water and continued, "If it were just like that, it wouldn't be so bad. There are so many soldiers in the army; surely someone would be interested in her. The problem is, she doesn't want ordinary soldiers; she demands officers. Isn't that outrageous?"

Military officers, regardless of age, are highly sought after wherever they go. Why would they choose a wife with five children from a previous marriage? I truly don't know what Tian Wei was thinking. He risked his life just to continue the family line.

After hearing the gossip that Zhao Xuemei had just found out, An Ning told Zhao Xuemei what Tang Qiuqiao had told her that day.

"What did you say? That Qiao Shanshan is targeting you because of Wang Xiuying?"

An Ning nodded: "That's what she said, but the specifics are still unclear."

"Let me think about it..."

Zhao Xuemei fell into deep thought.

“Wang Xiuying isn’t very popular in the family quarters. If she knew the female soldiers in the barracks, she would definitely interact with them. There are almost no secrets in the family quarters. If someone saw them together, it would definitely spread... So their acquaintance must have happened recently. But how did these two get together?”

The question Zhao Xuemei was pondering was also one that An Ning couldn't figure out, which is why she wanted to share it with Zhao Xuemei to see if there would be any new clues.

However, she failed.

Perhaps, just like she did with Tang Qiuqiao, she should find an opportunity to talk to Wang Xiuying.