Chapter 188: The Granddaughter Clash
Old Man Ge walked with his hands behind his back, humming a tune, in a particularly good mood.
That old guy Yuan Xingzhi wanted to compare granddaughters with him?
Pah!
Has he even looked in the mirror lately?
As if a crooked bamboo could produce a straight shoot!
Besides, what girl could compare to his Little He?
When he arrived, he tugged at the hem of his clothes to smooth them out a bit.
Then he knocked: “Old Yuan, Old Yuan, open the door!”
Teacher Yuan opened the door while yawning.
He had been up late last night crunching numbers and had just woken up.
Old Man Ge entered and did a little spin in front of Yuan: “Now this is what a filial granddaughter looks like! See this outfit? Bought for me on her business trip!
That girl just throws money around—told her not to, but she wouldn’t listen no matter what I said.”
Yuan sneered and pulled out three new outfits from the closet: “See this? All from my granddaughter. I can’t even be bothered to show off. Unlike somebody who can’t hold in even two drops of oil before running over here to brag.”
Old Man Ge: “… My granddaughter also bought me milk candies!”
Yuan slammed down a tin of bunny-shaped milk candies on the table: “What, like I don’t have those too?”
Old Man Ge: “… My granddaughter stayed at the Foreign Affairs Guesthouse in S City—and for free!”
Yuan looked up at the ceiling at a 45-degree angle: “So did mine!”
“My granddaughter told off a bunch of foreigners!”
“So did mine!”
“My granddaughter landed several foreign trade deals!”
“So did mine!”
…
Eventually, the two old men locked eyes and fell silent.
Yuan stammered: “Y-Your granddaughter wouldn’t happen to be surnamed Su, would she?”
Old Man Ge: “Y-Your granddaughter wouldn’t also be named Su, right?”
“Su He?”
Neither said another word.
After all that arguing—turns out, they had the same granddaughter!
Both felt a sour pang in their hearts. Finally found themselves a granddaughter… and they had to share her.
Yuan felt even more sour. He hadn’t even officially become her grandpa yet—he was just claiming her unilaterally!
And wait—she called Wenjie’s wife Shimu (Master’s wife). That would make him a whole generation lower than Old Man Ge?
Meanwhile, Su He had no idea her two grandpas had “clashed” over her. She was busy chattering away in the Textile Factory’s sales department.
With Director Gao away, she was essentially acting head.
Su He calmly observed the team and quickly grasped the dynamics.
Her title of deputy director was clearly nominal—everyone smiled at her but didn’t take her seriously at all.
She didn’t argue. Instead, she strolled over to Factory Director Feng’s office.
“Little Su, perfect timing,” Director Feng said. “We’ve started procuring raw materials for the foreign-trade hair accessories. Once that’s done, we’ll begin production.
The factory plans to assign some workers to this, and the rest will be outsourced to Huaihua Commune. What do you think?”
Su He thought to herself, So even the “honest” ones play tricks, huh?
Of course she knew what Feng was up to—keeping production mostly in-factory meant more profits for the textile plant. If the whole job went to Huaihua Commune, they’d have to share the benefits.
If she agreed to this, the next step would likely be to phase out outsourcing to the commune entirely.
All her efforts would end up benefitting the textile plant alone!
“Director Feng, making hair accessories is time-consuming and labor-intensive. If you reassign factory workers, it might impact our main textile production.
Since it’s currently the slow season in agriculture, why not assign everything to the commune so the villagers can earn a bit too?”
Director Feng smiled politely: “You’re not wrong, but since this is a textile factory project, it makes sense for our workers to get familiar with it.”
Su He smiled too. “Let me be blunt, Director Feng.
I took on these foreign orders to support Huaihua Commune’s economy—I still hold a liaison title there.
If the commune doesn’t benefit in the end, I won’t be able to stay in the textile factory much longer.”
Feng’s expression darkened slightly—it was almost a threat.
But he didn’t lash out.
Unlike Director Tian, Feng judged by merit. He appreciated Su He and even intended to promote her, but his priority was still the textile factory’s interests.
Su He paused, then added, “That’s just my personal concern.
Long-term, we’re going to be handling more and more foreign trade orders. Even if you assign every factory worker, it still won’t be enough—not to mention space constraints.
I actually have a suggestion: how about establishing a branch factory at Huaihua Commune?
That way, we can easily organize outsourcing, maintain quality, and still manage everything—procurement, sales, finance—from the main factory.
It solves staffing and space issues while also supporting regional development. I believe the county officials would be pleased with that too.”
Director Feng’s eyes lit up. Su He’s proposal instantly broadened his perspective.
Previously, he was worried about losing profit to the commune. But if it’s a branch, that problem disappears.
And if this drives local development and earns him public praise? Well, that would be a legacy worth leaving behind.
“Setting up a branch is no small matter. I’ll need time to consider it. For now, go back to work—and feel free to come find me if anything comes up.”
Su He rubbed her hands together, smiling. “Also, Director Feng, a lot of folks in the factory still don’t know I’m deputy director of the sales department. Shouldn’t we announce it at a general meeting?”
Director Feng: “…”
You want me to call a whole general meeting just for that?
Sure, you’ve got talent and I want to promote you, but don’t get ahead of yourself!
“I’ll have the appointment posted on the factory bulletin board. We’ll announce it officially during the next general meeting.”
That’s exactly what Su He wanted. If she’d directly asked for the notice, Feng probably wouldn’t have agreed so readily.
She could’ve played the sweet, obedient type—but she didn’t want to.
In a factory this big, if she didn’t fight for her place, it’d take forever to gain any real say—or worse, she’d become a stepping stone for others.
People seemed friendly now—but only because their interests hadn’t been touched.
Once that changed, they’d come at her with every trick in the book.
So, she had to be sharp—and competent enough to back it up.
Su He left Director Feng’s office and headed straight to the Machinery Factory.
Director Hu greeted her warmly, offering tea, fruit, and gossip about the competition.
“Little Su, I probably shouldn’t say this, but I’m an honest man—I can’t hold it in.
I heard both the Textile and Food Factories gave you deputy director titles in the sales department?
No offense, but those are just empty positions. No real power.
I’m different.
I’ll tell you this straight up—any project you bring in, you’ll have at least half the say in how it’s handled!”
