Chapter 216: Let Zhou Jiaojiao Take Charge
Lu Defa certainly isn’t one of those gossiping women; he personally saw how Director Feng was so courteous to both Lu Zhenping and Shen Meng. Especially Shen Meng, with just a few words, she managed to secure a fifteen yuan subsidy for herself and Hongfa from the Soviet every month at the commune. Fifteen yuan! The subsidy was nearly in hand by the end of the month; no one could disrupt his livelihood now.
Another thing, the textile factory wouldn’t even save face for the Director of the commune revolutionary committee, could they give it to Zhou Jiaojiao? This matter isn’t just about sorting things out with the textile factory; the Cooperative Society and the County Committee wouldn’t accept Zhou Jiaojiao either. Right now, only the small, inconsistent orders have somewhat stabilized the workshop and they are still expecting more from the Provincial City or other cities!
These were things that Lu Debang himself couldn’t manage, not even the Revolutionary Committee Director could. It involved such a messy network of relationships, all needing a middleman. And Zhou Jiaojiao, still carrying a child, could the village really let her run about heavily pregnant?
Obviously, it was impossible, let alone her ability to manage such delicate matters.
"Enough, enough, why all this fuss? Zhou Jiaojiao is so capable, let her initially bring in a couple of orders. She hasn’t resolved a single issue and already wants to reap the benefits. Here, Zhenping’s wife runs east to west, helping connect the textile factory, Cooperative Society, and commune, mediating in all their social interactions. Do you guys contribute? Everyone just keeps saying Zhou Jiaojiao; if she’s so powerful, why hasn’t she thought about securing some benefits for our village? Now you’re making money, but turn around and blame Zhenping’s wife. Isn’t this simply a case of eating your fill and then cursing the cook?"
"Village chief, you can’t say that. Jiaojiao is pregnant. If it were not for the baby, wouldn’t she think of the village? Normally she is the most industrious among our commune members."
"That’s right, I heard if it wasn’t for Jiaojiao calling Shen Meng to help, she would’ve never had the chance to meet the boss of the textile factory. If you ask me, this might have been Jiaojiao’s idea, and now Shen Meng, seeing that Jiaojiao was pregnant, just took the credit for herself."
"All this gossip around the village about what kind of reputation Shen Meng or Jiaojiao had before, and now in just a few months, she’s become someone important. If you say there isn’t some trickery involved, I won’t believe it. Village chief, I heard your nephew wants to join the army, and to secure that, you invited Zhenping and his wife to dinner recently, is that true?"