Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

Zhao Shanhe stared at the broken matchstick on the table and remained silent for a while.

Then, he threw the half-burnt match into the coal stove, looked up, and his eyes were calm as still water.

"Director Li, what you're talking about—the three northeastern provinces, the millions of people laid off—is too much and too far-fetched."

Zhao Shanhe chuckled self-deprecatingly and flicked the ash from his cigarette onto his clothes: "I, Zhao Shanhe, am just a country bumpkin who's been hiding in the forest. I'm not very bright, and I don't understand any of your fancy words."

Just as Director Li was about to speak, Zhao Shanhe raised his hand to interrupt him.

"but."

Zhao Shanhe leaned forward, his eyes instantly becoming extremely sharp, like a hungry wolf eyeing a piece of fat meat: "I understand what you just mentioned, about a large state-owned factory earning 20% ​​of its foreign exchange earnings."

Zhao Shanhe pointed to his nose, grinning utterly smugly: "Others provide the money and equipment, and even take the blame for me. All I have to do is lead my brothers and do the hard work, and I can make such a fortune. Why would I refuse such a windfall?"

Zhao Shanhe grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"I'll take this knife."

These words immediately eased the tense atmosphere in the room.

Director Li was stunned for a moment, then burst into a relieved laugh.

"Hahaha, you little rascal!"

Director Li chuckled, extending his rough, calloused hand and pointing it at Zhao Shanhe's nose, his tone full of teasing and mockery: "So you're just a bandit who won't act until he sees the profit! Fine! This time, go and make that foreign fortune!"

Director Li stood up and patted Zhao Shanhe's arm heavily: "Shanhe, I'm entrusting the Red Star Factory to you."

Zhao Shanhe stood up and nodded solemnly.

Director Li didn't waste any more words. He put on his woolen overcoat, which was covered in snowflakes, pushed open the door, and walked into the dark, snowy night, rushing back to the municipal party committee to report.

The heavy cotton curtains were drawn back down, completely shutting out the cold outside.

The curtain to the inner room was lifted.

Lin Xiu came out carrying a steaming white enamel basin, with a clean towel draped over her arm.

"They're gone?"

Lin Xiu placed the basin of hot water on the wooden stand and tested the water temperature.

"Okay, I'm leaving." Zhao Shanhe walked over and put his hands, which were covered in the smell of smoke, into the warm water.

He scooped up some hot water and smeared it all over his face, washing away all the scheming in his mind and the wind and snow outside.

Zhao Shanhe took the towel Lin Xiu handed him, wiping the water droplets from his face while turning his head to look at his wife.

Seeing Lin Xiu's peaceful and contented home life, Zhao Shanhe suddenly grinned.

"Honey, I really didn't expect that from the way things were during the day."

Zhao Shanhe draped a towel over the edge of the basin, shook the water off his hands, and said with a hint of roguishness and teasing, "That old gun has quite a recoil. When you were holding it to block the door, your hands didn't even tremble. You're really something. With that kind of guts, if a thief breaks into the house in the future, I won't even need to lift a finger."

Lin Xiu rolled her eyes at him, walked over and washed the towel again, her voice tinged with annoyance.

"Stop your nonsense. They're practically shitting on our necks. If I don't hold them off, am I supposed to just stand by and watch them come in, steal our things, and hurt our daughter?"

Lin Xiu draped the wrung-out towel over the wooden frame with nimble movements, her tone softening slightly: "Niu Niu woke up just now, rubbing her eyes and whimpering, saying she wanted more candy."

"Give it to her."

Without a second thought, Zhao Shanhe answered decisively, his face completely indifferent: "I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative first thing tomorrow morning and weigh out two more pounds of White Rabbit candy for her, so she can eat as much as she wants."

"That won't do!"

Lin Xiu frowned, immediately adopting the demeanor of a matriarch, and glared at him without any politeness: "All those candies you bought before, it's only been a few days, and she's almost finished them all! If she keeps eating like this, what will become of her pearly white teeth? Just keep spoiling her like this every day."

Hearing this resentful, down-to-earth remark, Zhao Shanhe's shoulders, which had been tense all night, completely relaxed.

He grinned, didn't argue with his wife, but instead took Lin Xiu's slightly cold hands and gently squeezed them in his large palm.

"daughter in law."

Zhao Shanhe dropped his joking expression, looked at the flickering fire, and said in a low, self-reproachful voice, "I'm sorry I startled you today by holding a gun."

"Why are you talking about these things as a family?"

Lin Xiu grasped Zhao Shanhe's rough fingers in return, her tone gentle yet revealing a tenacity honed through life's struggles: "When a couple lives together, there's no such thing as being fair or unfair. It's just about pulling each other along and supporting one another. You help me, I pull you along, and when we encounter difficulties, we shoulder them together. Gradually, life will become prosperous."

Hearing these heartfelt words, the last trace of gloom in Zhao Shanhe's heart vanished completely.

He took the initiative and grabbed Lin Xiu's hand tightly.

"Let me tell you, just now Director Li brought me some incredibly good news."

Zhao Shanhe's eyes gleamed with absolute confidence and ambition: "Old Jin will provide the capital and machinery; we'll just contribute our labor. Let's become factory directors at Hongxing Factory!"

Lin Xiu was stunned, her breath catching in her throat.

"Is it...is it the Red Star Factory in the county?"

Lin Xiu's eyes widened, hardly believing her ears: "That state-owned factory that broadcasts announcements over the loudspeaker every day? The one that so many young men in the village tried their best to get in, pulling countless strings, but still couldn't?"

"Yes, that's the one."

A broad smile spread across Zhao Shanhe's lips as he spoke with firm conviction: "Your boss has really made something of himself! Director Li invited me to oversee production and renovate the workshop!"

Lin Xiu couldn't understand how deep the water was, but she understood that her husband was going to take over such a large state-owned factory.

Without the slightest hesitation, she gripped Zhao Shanhe's hand tightly, her eyes both stubborn and gentle.

"Shanhe, I don't understand what's going on outside, and I can't help you with that."

Lin Xiu stared straight at him, her tone resolute: "But I still stand by what I said, as long as you've chosen the right path, whether you become a factory manager or get into trouble and end up begging on the streets, I'll follow you."

The atmosphere inside the room was warm.

"Bang bang bang!"

Suddenly, someone pounded on the wooden door of the main room. Accompanied by the howling wind and snow outside, Ergaizi's hoarse voice strained through the door.

"Brother Shanhe! Are you asleep?"

Zhao Shanhe raised an eyebrow, released Lin Xiu's hand, turned around and walked to the outer room, where he yanked open the heavy wooden door.

A gust of cold wind, carrying snowflakes, suddenly rushed in.

Erga Zi, wrapped in a greasy, tattered military overcoat, stood outside the door, hissing and shivering from the cold.

His head and eyebrows were covered in snow, but his eyes shone with barely suppressed excitement.

"Brother! Everything outside has been taken care of!"

Erga wiped the snow off his face, rubbing his hands excitedly: "The armed police brothers drank two big pots of hot ginger soup and kept praising our thoughtfulness. They all just got in the trucks and left! Old Ba's hundred-odd men took the money and scrambled out of the village! Da Zhuang and I weighed all the top-quality squirrel pelts they left behind, not a single one missing, and locked them all in the backyard warehouse—three whole truckloads!"

Looking at the dark, snowy night outside the door, Zhao Shanhe finally felt a weight lifted from his heart.

It wasn't just that I landed, it was like finding a warm pillow when I was dozing off.

This batch of raw hides, which they reluctantly accepted to save face, has now become the perfect stepping stone for him to legitimately storm into the Red Star Factory and challenge those state-owned enterprise bosses!

Zhao Shanhe pulled Erga Zi into the house and slammed the snow-covered wooden door shut, keeping the cold air out.

He patted Ergazi's shoulder hard, which was covered in snow, and said in a tone that showed his sincerity as a fellow man: "It's snowing heavily, and the brothers are out there making soup and checking goods. You've worked hard."

Zhao Shanhe rubbed his hands together, then grinned broadly, "Go! Call Dazhuang and the rest of the men to the main room for a meeting!"