Aunt Wu suddenly stood up and angrily said, "Are you trying to scare me?"
Su Qing straightened her back, not giving an inch. "I didn't mean that. I'm just telling the truth. If Wu Zhigang doesn't know about the annulment, I think you should write to him and ask for his opinion. Otherwise, if my reputation is ruined by Wu Zhigang's engagement and subsequent annulment, I'll go to the army to demand an explanation, even if it kills me."
Aunt Wu laughed in anger, "Fine, I'll see if a woman with a tarnished reputation and a history of promiscuity deserves the protection of the army!"
"You! Show me your evidence, otherwise you're just spreading rumors and slander!" Su Qing was furious, but Aunt Wu had already turned and left, ignoring her completely.
The matchmaker who had come with them shook her head and sighed as she left. Before long, word of what had happened between the two families spread through the matchmaker's mouth. Su Qing's reputation had plummeted; she was now yelling at her future mother-in-law with absolutely no manners—it was clear she was incorrigible.
Su's mother also scolded Su Qing, who angrily shouted, "What's wrong? I didn't steal or rob, and I didn't have any intimate relationship with other men, so why is my reputation bad? They're just bullying me because Xu Zifan became the deputy factory director and can get things and make money, right? I can do that too! Fine, all you're arguing about is because you're dissatisfied with me, right? Then let's separate the family! Can't you just separate me from the family? I'll go live in my grandparents' old house, and I'll live my own life from now on!"
Su Qing decided she wouldn't tolerate anyone anymore. She had been waiting to get married, have her own little family, and use Wu Zhigang's allowance as start-up capital to try and get some money from the black market. But Wu Zhigang didn't return on the agreed date, and now he'd broken off the engagement, and her family wouldn't accept her. Since that was the case, she'd live on her own. She wasn't even married yet; surely she should get something from the family division? Any money she earned with her own money was hers, and no one should try to take advantage of her!
She glared at her three brothers and three sisters-in-law, one by one, "I'm telling you this now, today we're dividing the family property, and that's it! Don't wait until I have money in the future and then you all come back like leeches. Remember, you're the ones who kicked me out today!"
Her gaze was so sharp that her brothers and sisters-in-law suddenly felt a chill and remained silent. At this moment, the previously silent father suddenly stepped forward and slapped Su Qing, pointing his finger at her nose and angrily shouting, "Divorce! If you want a divorce, then divorce me! Get out of this house, and I'll pretend I never had a daughter like you!"
Startled, Su's mother quickly pulled Su's father aside and said, "What are you doing? The child is so big, why are you hitting her?"
Father Su said angrily, "She's such a grown woman and doesn't understand anything. She's made the Su family lose all face!"
Su Qing covered her face, her expression furious, and sneered, "Fine, you've finally figured it out. In your heart, only your son is your biological child, and your daughter is just an adopted child. If we're going to divide the family property, let's do it fairly and squarely. I won't be shortchanged on a single penny. I'm going to find the brigade leader myself!"
Su Qing strode out the door, unfazed by the slap mark on her face. She had come to terms with it; what was there to be afraid of? She was going to live in the city; what did it matter if her reputation in the village was bad? These people thought a bad reputation would affect them for life, but little did they know that society would laugh at poverty but not prostitution; nobody would care about such trivial matters!
For a moment, she considered simply breaking off the engagement and finding a way to leave, but she immediately dismissed the idea.
In her past life, she worked odd jobs until her death. Aside from knowing a little about cooking, future fashion trends, and societal developments, she knew nothing else. Relying solely on her own efforts, at best she could afford a house and a car, living a modest life. Even if she wanted to buy more houses, she couldn't; she wouldn't earn that much money. This kind of life would be slightly better than her past life, but how could it compare to that of the regimental commander's wife?
If Wu Zhigang were a stranger, it would be one thing; she had never coveted any of the wealthy businessmen or officials she had seen in her past life. But Wu Zhigang was her fiancé, so why shouldn't she marry him?
Having died once, she no longer cared about love. The love she once had for Xu Zifan had been completely worn away by life's experiences. What love could she possibly have for Wu Zhigang, whom she didn't even like? She only wanted a life of wealth and freedom, to be above others. Since the Wu family was now criticizing her and saying they wanted to break off the engagement, she would find another way to marry into their family. As long as she could become the regimental commander's wife, that was enough for her!
As she walked toward the Yang family, a sudden realization dawned on her. Why was she being so cautious? This era was different from the future. Engagements meant responsibility; could she just break off an engagement like that? Some women even jumped into rivers because of broken engagements. She hadn't committed any fundamental mistakes. Why should the Wu family break off the engagement just because Xu Zifan said something about her?
As for all the nonsense Aunt Wu said, is there any evidence? What did she do? This isn't a few years ago; a few rumors won't convict her. If Wu Zhigang really dares to use that as a reason to break off the engagement, then she can go to the military base, cause a scene, and even attempt suicide, claiming that Wu Zhigang abandoned her after starting a relationship. That would be the end of Wu Zhigang's military career. Even if the Wu family is concerned about Wu Zhigang's future, they wouldn't dare to confront her directly. With this way to threaten the Wu family, Su Qing felt she could rest easy.
Those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose. She is one of those who have nothing to lose now. Society is getting better and better. As long as she doesn't break the law, no one can do anything to her.
Yang Yongqing was invited to the Su family to divide the family property, and this division was quite peculiar: Su Qing was separated from them. This was their unmarried daughter, and only Su's mother was reluctant, wiping away tears. Even Su Qing herself was quite happy, only asking that the property be divided fairly.
Su's father had only meant it in anger, but seeing Su Qing's eagerness to leave, he impulsively decided to divide the family property. He gave Su Qing some grain according to her work points, but her own clothes and bedding were taken care of.
She could take it with her, and they also gave her ten yuan and a few tools. That concluded the division of the family property. None of the other brothers and sisters-in-law had any objections; they considered this Su Qing's dowry. They all felt that the family would be better off without Su Qing.
Su Qing quickly packed her things and made two trips to move them all to the dilapidated old house, without saying a word to the Su family. Just as she had said before, once she left, she would no longer consider them family. Especially thinking about how difficult her life had been in her previous life, and how her family hadn't helped her at all, she left without any regrets. She was better off without such family; she could live a more relaxed and carefree life on her own.
She couldn't buy or sell freely yet, couldn't set up a stall in the county, and had to work in the village to earn work points. She couldn't escape this kind of life for the time being. The thought that Xu Zifan had managed to persuade the village head to set up a factory and make money legitimately filled her with intense jealousy. Why hadn't she thought of that idea? Those things on the back mountain had no cost; Xu Zifan would definitely make a fortune.
However, Xu Zifan was able to persuade President Liu, which must be because of Yang Yongqing; there might be some kind of deal behind the scenes. She was just an ordinary citizen, not knowing a single official; who would speak up for her? Thinking about this, she became even more eager to marry Wu Zhigang. Only in this way could she feel secure, and feel that no matter how her future development unfolded, she would have a regimental commander as her husband.
Su Qing cleaned up a room in the old house and moved in that very day. She even planned to make pastries to sell, and she was in a particularly good mood.
The news spread throughout the village. When Yang Yongqing returned home, he mentioned it briefly, feeling that it was inappropriate for an eighteen-year-old girl like Su Qing to live alone, as there had never been such an example in the village before.
Feng Yuying rolled her eyes. "Why do you care about her? Didn't she go out willingly? Now her true colors have been revealed, haven't they? She's caused such a fuss with both her own family and her in-laws. It's clearly her fault, but she still thinks she's right. She doesn't deserve any pity. Don't pity her blindly. Don't forget she's also trying to sow discord between our daughter and son-in-law."
Yang Yongqing quickly said, "I have no sympathy for you. I'm just worried that something might happen. But we've always had a good local atmosphere, and there aren't any scoundrels who climb over walls, so everything should be fine."
Thinking about the recruitment, Feng Yuying looked at Xu Zifan and said, "The Su family is making such a big fuss, could it be that they want everyone to know that they've severed ties with Su Qing, so that you can recruit them back into the factory?"
Xu Zifan picked up a piece of fish for Yang Wanyun and said with a smile, "No matter what they mean, the factory won't hire anyone from the Su family. They were so protective of Su Qing back then, and they're trying to smear me. It's too late to distance themselves now. Besides, there are so many people in the village, we can't possibly use them all, so it's not their turn."
Yang Wanyun was a little worried, "Won't there be any problems? I heard her say today that you don't distinguish between public and private matters and that you're abusing your power. Will she report you?"
"I have a case to make, so there's no need to be afraid of her." Xu Zifan smiled. "Don't worry, I've arranged everything. No matter who reports anything, they won't succeed. Let's just focus on running the factory and developing it properly. The fruit will be gone soon, so we can continue selling dried goods. Fishing is difficult in winter, so I think we should make some smoked rabbit meat or bean products. Before the next delivery, we should develop new food products, and I can promote them while we're at it. We should have many large orders during the Spring Festival, so we need to start preparing now."
Once this topic was brought up, everyone stopped caring about Su Qing's situation and started enthusiastically discussing what foods would be popular and could be stored for a longer period. Xu Zifan even had a sudden thought: their factory was originally classified as a food processing company, but no one stipulated that their factory couldn't make breakfast products.
It's definitely not allowed for individuals to set up breakfast stalls, but what about the breakfasts that their factory provides to other organizations? For example, school teachers and students, and company employees. Even if there are canteens, there will be some people who are well-off and want to eat something nice. As long as there are enough people, then it's not a personal activity and can be classified as the sale of goods.
At that time, the food in the canteens of various units was not very good and the variety was limited. Their factory could provide soy milk, tofu pudding, porridge, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, rolled pancakes, etc. You could place an order every day and choose whatever you wanted to eat. The orders would be collected and delivered the next morning.
With this new idea in mind, Xu Zifan began writing a proposal. He knew his idea would be dismissed as fanciful if he shared it, but rules always have loopholes, and he was confident he could persuade President Liu. Besides, this was an opportunity to build friendly relationships with other organizations, letting them know about the quality of their food so they would naturally order their processed products during holidays.
Using breakfast as a way to expand sales channels sounds much better, doesn't it? And what they earn is real money and food coupons, which can then be exchanged for other coupons, diversifying the factory's revenue streams and allowing them to offer their employees a wider variety of goods and services. Any factory that has a steady stream of revenue and meets the needs of its employees can rapidly grow and expand.
While Xu Zifan was writing his business plan, Yang Wanyun was writing articles beside him. She had read some newspapers and felt that the first thing to try was to write articles praising the motherland and some short inspirational stories. By the time Xu Zifan finished writing, she had also finished.
She hesitated for a moment, then pushed the manuscript towards Xu Zifan and asked, "Do you want to take a look? I don't know if I wrote it well or not."
"Finished writing? Let me take a look." Xu Zifan picked up all the manuscripts and slowly read through them. After reading them, he gave her a thumbs up and said confidently, "Your level will definitely pass."
Yang Wanyun laughed excitedly, "Really? I revised it several times!"
"I can see it, the revisions are fantastic! Let's go to the county together tomorrow and mail it out."