Quenching

Huang Qiaqia took a bite, and Wanli Fuguang frowned as a sharp pain shot through his hand.

Gradually, Huang Qiaqia realized that his palm neither dodged nor flinched, allowing him to vent his dissatisfaction. His teeth marks grew deeper and deeper, yet the warm palm obediently accepted his punishment.

Huang Qiaqia couldn't bear it and slowly loosened her grip. In a swift motion, Wanli Fuguang's warm hand grasped the back of her neck, and the next second, a sharp pain struck.

Huang Qiaqia, still half-asleep, woke up again and leaned against the headboard, while Wanli Fuguang blew on the porridge in front of him.

Huang Qiaqia swallowed the porridge and was about to speak when Wanli Fuguang preemptively spoke.

"You bit the web of my right hand, doesn't it hurt when I write?"

"I'll bite you, but you won't stop."

"I can write with my left hand."

"I……"

Just as Huang Qiaqia was about to retort, a steamed bun was stuffed into her mouth.

Wanli Fuguang looked at the chubby face and laughed.

"You used to be so gentle, how come you always hit people now? You know I won't marry anyone but you, so you're showing your true colors."

"I'm still in pain. My whole body aches."

"I'm afraid it would be unfair if I didn't try to be fair to everyone."

"You...you...I'm going to class."

"Your school is starting online classes today?"

Why are you making our school hold classes online?

"Wei Shengziqing asked me to do this. Jin Xixing has already recorded the lessons you missed and put them on your desktop."

A servant brought over a new notebook, which Wanli Fuguang handed to Huang Qiaqia. He then gestured for the servant to clear the dishes, lifted the covers, and lay down next to Huang Qiaqia.

Huang Qiaqia turned her head, furrowed her brows, and looked down at Wanli Fuguang, whose eyes were closed.

Is Wei Shengziqing really a bad person?

Am I a bad person?

"no?"

"You were cursing at me before I came down here."

Huang Qiaqia clenched his fist, about to smash it, when Wanli Fuguang leaned closer to Huang Qiaqia and laughed.

"Save your energy for tonight's rant."

Huang Qiaqia, panting heavily, glared angrily at Wanli Fuguang, who had a blissful expression on his face, and was very dissatisfied.

"You don't work during the day."

Wanli Fuguang put his arm around Huang Qiaqia's waist and chuckled to himself.

"I'm going to let you yell at me all night, so now, catch up on your sleep."

Huang Qiaqia gritted his teeth and said sternly!

"you dare."

Wanli Fuguang raised an eyebrow slightly and secretly increased the pressure on his hand. Huang Qiaqia suddenly frowned, puffed out her cheeks helplessly, and clicked the mouse twice to open the video on the desktop.

******

A gentle evening breeze blew through Huang Qiaqia's mother's factory.

Huang Qiaqia's mother sat on a bench in the workshop, while the accountants, holding a thick stack of cash, gathered around the employees and patiently explained.

"It's not that our original machines couldn't produce good fabrics, it's just that compared to the new machines we bought, the previous fabrics were noticeably inferior in color and quality."

Some employees sighed helplessly, while others retorted.

"Then why are you hiring and firing people at the same time? Isn't that a contradiction?"

Huang Qiaqia's mother turned to the side and explained helplessly to the employees.

"I plan to hire some highly skilled technicians who know more about the new equipment."

"We are skilled workers too."

"I also suffered because of my lack of education. If I had been exposed to new equipment earlier and taught everyone, things wouldn't have turned out like this..."

Huang Qiaqia's mother's eyes were filled with guilt.

Some understanding employees even comforted Huang Qiaqia's mother.

"That's true. In our line of work, we can't afford to make mistakes. If we do, everything we use will be ruined, and the losses will be too great. Even if our factory doesn't reform or replace the equipment, using the old equipment will still require a lot of manpower, wages, rent, and meal expenses, all of which are high costs. In addition, young people nowadays are not willing to do this kind of simple and repetitive work. The boss is also in a dilemma, which we understand."

Someone else stood up to speak up for Huang Qiaqia's mother.

"That's true. Before, when we received orders, we would write them down in a notebook and clip them together one by one. After we finished, we had to check them one by one. Everyone was worried about a single mistake and even dreamed about the quantity. The new machine is great. It's fast, accurate, and the fabric it produces is beautiful."

Huang Qiaqia's mother sighed deeply, looking at the cash in the accountant's box, as if she felt it wasn't thick enough.

"Don't blame yourself. We may not say it, but we all know in our hearts that the pay here is among the highest in the industry. It's good that you're mentoring us, it's just... sigh..."

Huang Qiaqia's mother leaned closer to the employee and explained.

“Some of Huang Qiaqia’s former online store employees are now working in management positions at nursing homes. I have their contact information. If you are interested in becoming caregivers, I will contact them. Some of the single mothers are now applying for positions as HR managers at large companies, and some are interested in working as cleaners or security guards. I will put in a good word for them.”

"This is too much trouble."

"We're clumsy."

"Give it a try. Huang Qiaqia helped them before. It's not a highly technical position, but you can be as down-to-earth and hardworking as you are here. If they don't want us, Huang Qiaqia's father will find some suitable positions near each of your home addresses that meet your qualifications. He'll find out the job postings, directions, working hours, and even the salaries for some positions. See if you can find any that can help you."

Huang Qiaqia's mother handed out sheets of paper to each employee who was leaving, then turned to answer the phone while dragging her suitcase.

Some employees, clutching stacks of papers, got up to leave.

The accountant quickly stopped everyone.

“If you don’t give me the money, I won’t be able to explain myself.”

“The boss already felt very bad, as he paid us triple wages several months ago. We can’t take this cash anymore.”

"We have elderly people and children at home, so the transition period won't be easy. Please take this."

The accountant forcibly stuffed cash into everyone's hands, and finally held one person's hand tightly. Everyone looked at him, then silently turned and left.

"The boss specifically told me to make sure you stay, take this."

"I……"

"Take it."

The accountant stubbornly stuffed a stack of cash into the hands of the limping old employee and quickly left.

The accountant returned to the office, nodded at Sheng Shanxing in the chair, and sighed.

"Everything went smoothly, don't worry, nothing's wrong."

"Hmm, which clients is Auntie meeting on this business trip?"

"Our old customers sent people to inspect the fabric from the new machine, and they were very satisfied. Boss, this time we're mainly going to discuss the price again."

"Nothing strange has happened lately, has anything?"

"No, everything's fine, don't worry!"

Sheng Shanxing nodded, got up and walked towards the front door.

Jin Xixing tapped the tablet with her slender fingers, turned off the video, and instructed the person next to her that she could proceed.

******

At the factory, Huang Qiaqia's mother and driver were seen struggling to pull three large suitcases out of the back seat and trunk. The accountant quickly ran over to help and offered some helpful advice.

“He can’t even transfer money from his bank card. Should we reconsider cooperating with him?”