Reborn in 78, I made my fortune by working in the mountains, supporting three families on my own.

"Jiang Xinyue comes from a bad background, so her ideological awareness is definitely not up to par. If she goes into the workshop, she might corrupt the factory's atmosphere."

Moreover, I've heard that Jiang Xinyue is a smooth and worldly person, especially good at winning people over. She probably got the spot by currying favor with her superiors and pulling strings.

"Besides, Jiang Xinyue may look weak, but she is not simple-minded. She may seem honest on the surface, but she may be hiding a lot of selfish motives behind the scenes."

Having someone like that in the factory is a huge threat to our Jinxiu Textile Factory! Everyone who failed the interview is dissatisfied and unanimously demands that Jiang Xinyue's employment be cancelled!

Sun Xiaolian's words were scathing, fabricated out of thin air and deliberately slanderous.

They just wanted to completely ruin Jiang Xinyue's reputation and cut off her chance to get a job at the factory.

Once the office door is closed, the noise outside is completely shut out, and the atmosphere inside is tense and serious.

Sun Xiaolian continued to fan the flames, relentlessly pressing on Jiang Xinyue's background, insisting that hiring Jiang Xinyue was the biggest hidden danger in the factory area, and every word she said was a smear against Jiang Xinyue for being dishonest and for getting promoted through connections.

Liu Fang chimed in, her tone still aggrieved, but every word she spoke was biased towards Sun Xiaolian.

"Deputy Factory Director Li, the workers who were not selected, including Sun Xiaolian, are very agitated. If we don't give everyone an explanation today, it will be difficult to convince them. In the future, when the factory recruits workers, all the workers will feel that the rules are unfair, and morale will be low."

Seeing the two distorting the truth, Section Chief Zheng felt both angry and helpless. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly spoke up to express his opinion.

"Deputy Factory Director Li, to be honest, Jiang Xinyue's overall performance is indeed ranked first. Her professional foundation, written test, and practical skills are all impeccable. However, there is a lot of discussion and controversy throughout the factory. In order to avoid future troubles and eliminate potential public opinion risks, I personally suggest that we temporarily give up on hiring Jiang Xinyue to avoid affecting the factory's recruitment order and to quell the workers' resentment."

Section Chief Zheng's words, seemingly prudent and neutral, were actually a compromise forced upon him by the current disturbance.

Zhao Lei, who had been observing silently the whole time, finally spoke up when he heard this.

Zhao Lei's gaze was calm, but his tone was firm, breaking the atmosphere of compromise in the room.

"Deputy Factory Director Li, when the factory recruits workers, the core thing we should look at is not their background or rumors, but their personal abilities."

"Jinxiu Textile Factory is currently in a critical stage of expanding production and accelerating development. What it lacks most are reliable people with solid skills, accounting knowledge, and the ability to get things done. There is no room for personal connections or compromises with public opinion in the finance position; we must select the best candidates."

"Removing the top-performing person simply because someone caused trouble or stirred up trouble may seem to quell the controversy, but it actually discourages all the workers who took the exams seriously and competed based on their abilities. Who will be willing to take the assessments seriously in the future? Everyone will rely on causing trouble to secure a spot, and the factory's rules will be completely disrupted."

Zhao Lei looked at Deputy Factory Director Li and offered a prudent solution.

"In my opinion, the simplest and fairest way is to reorganize a test that is purely based on hard skills. We should not consider background, rumors, or personal connections, but only actual ability. Whoever has the best skills should be hired. It should be based entirely on ability, and no one can find fault with that."

These words were clear and logical, separating public and private matters, and instantly broke through the current deadlock.

Upon hearing this, Deputy Factory Director Li's eyes lit up, and he instantly understood the key point.

The argument just now went on for a long time, with some claiming it was deliberate slander and others trying to compromise and avoid the issue, but no one considered the perspective of the factory's development and fair rules.

Zhao Lei's suggestion not only preserved the fairness of the factory's recruitment process, but also completely silenced all rumors and prevented troublemakers from taking the opportunity to cause chaos.

Deputy Factory Director Li immediately made the decision, his expression resolute.

"Zhao Lei makes a very good point. Let's proceed with this plan."

"The bottom line for recruitment is fairness, impartiality, and merit-based selection. We must not be swayed by public opinion or coerced by disturbances. Since there is controversy over the preliminary test results, we will add an additional test tomorrow, which will test professional accounting skills and written professional questions. The entire process will be open to the public, with on-the-spot grading and scoring."

"The results will be open and transparent. Only those with the best abilities will be appointed. No one is allowed to cause trouble anymore, and no one is allowed to smear or spread rumors in private."

As soon as the words were spoken, Liu Fang and Sun Xiaolian turned pale instantly.

The two thought that by causing trouble and putting pressure on the factory, they could force Jiang Xinyue to cancel her position and easily take it away.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Lei's intervention completely turned the situation around and gave them a real and tough test.

They excel at talking big and manipulating public opinion, but when it comes to actual accounting skills, they have absolutely no chance of winning.

Seeing this, Section Chief Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. This plan perfectly resolved his dilemma, and he quickly nodded in agreement.

"This is the best method; it's open, transparent, and absolutely fair, and it can completely quell all disputes."

Liu Fang was filled with resentment and dared not refute it, so she could only grit her teeth and nod in agreement.

When Sun Xiaolian heard that there would be an additional test on the spot, her heart skipped a beat, and her palms began to sweat.

If the exam were to be held the next day, Sun Xiaolian would have no confidence whatsoever; there wouldn't even be enough time to learn on the spot.

Sun Xiaolian looked troubled.

"Deputy Factory Director Li, I have no objection to the reassessment. It's just that it was too rushed, and I wasn't prepared at all. Many of the knowledge points have become rusty. Could you grant me a few days to review and prepare?"

Deputy Factory Director Li frowned and turned to look at Section Chief Zheng.

Section Chief Zheng pondered for a moment.

"If we push too hard now that things have escalated to this point, the workers outside will gossip. It would be better to give them three days' grace, and then officially start the supplementary test after three days, giving everyone the same amount of time to review. That would be fair."

Deputy Factory Director Li pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's set it for three days from now. The exam will be held in the factory's main conference room, with full public invigilation and on-the-spot grading. During this time, no one is allowed to spread rumors or cause trouble. Anyone who stirs up trouble will be disqualified from the exam."

Sun Xiaolian was secretly delighted, but on the surface she pretended to be obedient and agreed.

The argument in the office temporarily subsided. The troublemakers dispersed, and the workers who had gathered outside the factory gradually dispersed as well.

Only Deputy Factory Director Li, Section Chief Zheng, and Zhao Lei remained inside.

Deputy Factory Director Li picked up his enamel mug and took a sip of tea.

"Lei Zi, thanks to you for reminding me today, otherwise I almost made a foolish decision under the influence of public opinion."

Zhao Lei smiled.

"Brother Li, if the factory wants to develop, the rules must be established. True gold fears no fire, and Jiang Xinyue is capable, so she's not afraid of taking this test again."

The two exchanged a few more casual pleasantries, chatting about the recent produce from the mountains and the small matters of purchasing supplies for the factory. Zhao Lei, not wanting to linger, got up to take his leave.

Zhao Lei rode his old-fashioned bicycle home.

Jiang Xinyue was at home taking care of Zhao Yuyuan and Zhao Yufeng when she saw Zhao Lei enter the door and hurriedly went to greet him.

"How's the situation? What's the result from the textile factory?"