Chapter 164: The Test
"Sure."
Xie Changning didn’t refuse. If Yue Yihan invited her, she would go.
Given her position as his wife, it was the appropriate thing to do.
However, Xie Changning felt that if Yue Yihan hadn’t invited her, it would have been fine not to go, which was why she hadn’t said anything.
Now that Yue Yihan had invited her, she wasn’t going to play hard to get.
Besides, it was a good opportunity to see what his family was like.
When Yue Yihan heard that Xie Changning hadn’t refused, he was so happy he nearly jumped for joy. He looked at her in pleasant surprise. "You... you agreed?"
"Mhm," Xie Changning nodded.
"I... I thought you would refuse me."
"Why would I refuse you?"
’We’re already married, so what’s the point of playing hard to get? It’s good that I’m going. If we don’t get along, I can say so on the spot and avoid future trouble.’
Yue Yihan was ecstatic. On the way back to her accommodations, he chattered nonstop, making a single thought drift through Xie Changning’s mind: ’Was Yue Yihan always this talkative?’
A year into their marriage, Xie Changning was only just discovering how much her husband talked.
Clearly, he was overjoyed.
The meeting with his family wouldn’t be for a few days, so on the second day after returning to the guesthouse, Xie Changning called the factory and asked the driver to come pick her up.
Returning with her was Wang Changsheng.
Wang Changsheng seemed a little reserved in the car.
The driver kept glancing in the rearview mirror, curious as to why their director was suddenly bringing such a thin, frail-looking man back with her.
He was curious, but Xie Changning offered no explanation, simply sitting with her eyes closed, resting.
Since Xie Changning didn’t speak, the other two didn’t dare to either. The silence lasted all the way back to the Anong County Machinery Factory.
Wang Changsheng had known the Anong County Machinery Factory would be small, but he hadn’t expected it to be *this* small.
However, the fact that the provincial leaders had allowed her to establish a laboratory in such a small factory only further proved how capable Xie Changning was.
"Director, welcome back!"
The moment Xie Changning stepped out of the car, she saw Wang Guofu and a group of factory workers holding up a banner to welcome her back.
The lively spectacle surprised Wang Changsheng. He hadn’t realized Xie Changning was so beloved at her factory!
He was astonished.
"Alright, alright. First, let me introduce someone. This is Wang Changsheng, Researcher Wang, whom I poached from Chuncheng." Xie Changning made the introduction to give everyone a clear sense of who he was.
Everyone knew what a researcher was—a key member of research and development. They were surprised that their director had gone to the Guangzhou Trade Fair and come back having poached one!
As for why Xie Changning used the word "poached"...
In Xie Changning’s eyes, she had indeed poached him. But Wang Changsheng was deeply moved.
’She must be afraid the factory workers will look down on me,’ he thought. ’Thinking that since I’ve been out of the field for over a decade, I don’t have much knowledge left. That’s why she said it that way.’
The more Wang Changsheng thought about it, the more certain he became that he had followed the right person!
(Xie Changning: ’Let him draw his own flattering conclusions.’)
"Director, Researcher Wang, please, come in!" Wang Guofu was delighted. He led the two of them into the factory, revealing the factory workers inside, their faces wreathed in smiles.
Everyone was in high spirits.
From the conversations of the workers they passed, Wang Changsheng started to get a clearer picture of Xie Changning.
Xie Changning was the driving force behind Lin Province’s transaction volume at the last two Guangzhou Trade Fairs. What’s more, it was all pure profit, without a single cent of government subsidy!
This filled Wang Changsheng with a deep sense of respect.
Such a capable young person was a rare sight, both at home and abroad!
He had always considered himself a genius, but before Xie Changning’s grand vision, he felt truly insignificant.
Nothing was more important than the nation’s development!
Once inside the factory, Xie Changning took Wang Changsheng on a tour, explaining the factory’s operations.
They first went to see the workshop.
The machines at the Anong County Machinery Factory were all foreign models from the last decade. They looked rather old and worn, but they had actually been modified.
Their speed was not slow at all.
The moment Wang Changsheng saw the machines, he could tell from their sound and speed that they were better and faster than their original specifications. He subconsciously looked at Xie Changning. "Have the machines been modified?"
"Researcher Wang, you don’t disappoint. The machines have indeed been modified," Xie Changning affirmed.
Being able to tell the machines were modified just by listening proved he was a true talent.
Wang Changsheng walked deeper into the workshop to inspect the machines more closely. He noticed subtle traces of modification in several places, then turned to Xie Changning. "The person who modified these machines is a master. And they have incredible ideas!"
The more he looked, the more amazed he was.
’Their technique and their ideas are simply brilliant!’
Wang Changsheng couldn’t help but praise the work, which made one of the onlooking workers chuckle. "Researcher Wang, our director modified all these machines. She led the team that modified every single one. Of course they’re brilliant!"
To her, their director was the most capable person she had ever met!
Hearing this, Wang Changsheng turned to look at Xie Changning, the astonishment in his eyes impossible to hide. "No wonder you’re so highly regarded."
A young person who could both generate foreign exchange and possessed such strong technical skills would be in high demand in any country!
After he finished touring the workshop, Xie Changning led him to Workshop Number Five.
"Workshop Number Five is mainly for R&D. The printers and water heaters our factory produces were all developed by the people here. From now on, they will be your colleagues. I’ll take you to meet them."
Xie Changning didn’t say that they were the students Wang Changsheng was supposed to lead.
Perhaps the technicians in Workshop Number Five couldn’t match Wang Changsheng’s academic credentials, but when it came to practical skills...
...it was hard to say.
She had a lot of confidence in the apprentices she had personally trained.
Wang Changsheng also understood why she put it that way. Xie Changning hadn’t seen his skills yet, so of course she wouldn’t talk about him leading a team.
Wang Changsheng nodded. "Alright."
Workshop Number Five was a bit more spacious than the others. It was clean and tidy, with every surface wiped spotless.
As Wang Changsheng entered, the technicians who had been in a discussion all stopped and looked toward the door.
Seeing Xie Changning come in with a stranger, they all looked at her in unison, waiting for her to speak.
"Everyone’s here?"
They all nodded.
Xie Changning led Wang Changsheng into Workshop Number Five. After scanning the room, she said to him, "This is Workshop Number Five, which is also the Anong County Machinery Factory’s temporary R&D lab. These are the first technicians who joined."
"This is Wang Changsheng, the researcher I poached from Chuncheng. He will primarily be responsible for design and theoretical knowledge."
Hearing that he was the researcher Xie Changning had poached from Chuncheng, the way everyone looked at Wang Changsheng changed instantly.
Several of them came forward at once, greeting him enthusiastically.
"Researcher Wang, hello..."
They began to introduce themselves.
As they introduced themselves, Wang Changsheng made sure to learn each person’s name. Then, he heard Xie Changning speak up. "Now that everyone’s acquainted, let’s see what you all are capable of."
"Members of the R&D team, since you’re the homegrown talent of the Anong County Machinery Factory, you can go first."