Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 393: The Mightiest Warrior

The annual gifts to be distributed to the workers were also organized by Liu Zhong, who led a team and brought them to the square in advance. When the workers dispersed afterward, they could queue up to collect and take them home directly.

For these annual gifts, Liu Zhong put in countless efforts, mulling over them every night before sleep.

Mrs. Qiu, annoyed by his muttering, was forced to join in and help with suggestions.

Ultimately, the couple jointly decided on the contents of the annual gifts.

Each person would receive ten pounds of coarse rice, two pounds of vegetable oil, and two pounds of coarse salt, amounting to one hundred cents altogether.

The matter of annual gifts was no secret to the workers, who had been delighted for days on end knowing about it in advance.

The day before the gathering, stewards from various workshops mentioned it, and today, the workers all brought their own containers to carry the goods.

Those without burlap bags at home brought baskets for the rice and salt, while the oil was packed in ceramic jars, bamboo tubes, and other utensils.

One could say that the entire morning, the workers were too excited to focus on work, getting through with smiles on their faces.

They eagerly awaited the start of the gathering, rushing to the square like a flock of sheep.

The seating was casual, with only the first row of benches reserved for the stewards.

Qin Yao even specially invited the village head, the clan leader, and the prominent villager, Liu Dafu.

This invitation surprised Liu Dafu.

Honestly, ever since the factory was built, villagers often compared him to Qin Yao, debating who was more capable.

Hearing such comparisons repeatedly, Liu Dafu felt uncomfortable, and he unwittingly developed a rivalry with Qin Yao.

For instance, when resettling the refugees, he couldn’t resist stepping forward to gain fame.

And when he learned that Qin Yao’s family expanded and bought a farm, he gritted his teeth and expanded his yard by an acre and bought fifty more acres of land.

In any case, he wanted to remain the so-called number one in Liu Family Village.

Villagers watched the rivalry eagerly, some even fanning the flames by saying Qin, the Manager, had done this or that and that his top position might be at risk.

As the village head and the clan leader gradually sided with Qin Yao, Liu Dafu felt increasingly uneasy.

But today, Qin Yao personally invited him, smiling as she asked, "Uncle Dafu, are you free this afternoon? We’re hosting our year-end gathering at the factory, and we’d like you to join us to lend some presence."

At that moment, watching her lighthearted smile, Liu Dafu felt a wave of powerlessness — it turns out he was the only one in silent rivalry; she never intended to compete for the village’s top spot!

Seated in the first row of the square, holding a brazier, Liu Dafu glanced at Liu Facai standing outside the factory, giving him a stern look.

If it weren’t for this guy stirring things up, he wouldn’t have had to grittingly buy more land, making his current silver supply so tight.

As the workers entered and the stewards gathered, Qin Yao stepped onto the simple platform made of tables and chairs.

The boisterous square quieted down quickly with her gesture for silence.

The workers, coming from different villages and lacking education, weren’t highly cultured; not swearing in their daily speech was already considered respectable.

Being able to maintain such discipline reflects Qin Yao’s high standing in the factory.

The young workers gazed at her with eyes glowing with fervent admiration.

Liu Dafu secretly thought, if Qin Yao were to order them to commit arson, these young lads and lasses would probably rush forward without hesitation.

Taking advantage of the literate class he taught, Liu Ji managed to snag a spot in the second row of the square, looking up at the gallant woman on stage with pride.

As if part of her glory belonged to him too.

Indeed, no man in the village wasn’t envious of him being able to leisurely live off his wife.

Old Liu stood among the surrounding villagers, glimpsing his third son complacently enjoying his lifestyle, which affected his good mood with rising annoyance.

It was Mrs. Zhang, carrying Da Mao on her back, who tugged at his sleeve to hold him back from losing his temper.

Mrs. Zhang shook her head amusedly, truth be told, the fact that the third son could enjoy such a life was already a great fortune.

Expecting him to strive for self-improvement seemed unlikely.

But if he could pass the scholar exam, wouldn’t that establish his status nonetheless?

As she thought about it, Qin Yao began speaking on the platform, and Mrs. Zhang refocused her attention on the stage with anticipation.

Qin Yao started by announcing the withdrawal of Liu the carpenter from his shareholding, formally informing all the workers.

The workers already knew beforehand, so there wasn’t much chatter about it.

Next was the announcement of the replacement for Liu the carpenter’s steward position.

Yun Niang, sitting nervously at the end of the first row, held her breath.

Beside her stood Liu Huolang, hand in hand with their son, nervously watching Qin Yao about to announce the new steward.

"After a secret vote among all of the stewards and myself, with the highest number of votes, the person taking over Liu the carpenter’s steward position is — the former head of the Lacquer Worker Group, Qiao Yun!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Huolang and his son jumped up in joy.

"It’s Mom, Dad, it’s my mom!" said the excited child.

Liu Huolang nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, yes, it’s your mom!"

Yun Niang took a deep breath and went on stage to deliver a speech.

She had known the result in advance, and the speech was prepared beforehand; Qin Yao personally reviewed it and made sure it was perfectly crafted.

The speech was calm yet powerful, expressing her determination while humbly thanking her supporters and other competitors.

However, Yun Niang being elected as a steward was a huge shock to the villagers of Liu Family Village.

The only reason was that Yun Niang was a woman.

The villagers had never heard of a woman becoming a steward, and discussions were ongoing.

Yun Niang’s mother-in-law, upon hearing the chatter, felt infuriated and wanted to confront them, unleashing her wrath as a shrew.

But thinking of Yun Niang’s repeated reminders from the previous day, she restrained herself, storming home instead to avoid the sight.

Controversy was inevitable, as Qin Yao had already discussed with Yun Niang.

She had thought over her strategies thoroughly before deciding to take on such a challenge.

So, even in the face of many voices expressing doubts, she was determined to persist.

Yun Niang’s son, small enough, scuttled over to his mother’s side, squatting at her knees, holding her large hand with his small one, his eyes filled with her image.

In the child’s mind, his mother was the greatest warrior in the world.

Yun Niang clasped her son’s little hand in return, determined to be his pride!

Yun Niang’s promotion to steward left her previous Lacquer Worker Group head position vacant, and Qin Yao promoted one experienced worker to fill the vacancy.

The person was well-known among the Liu Family Village locals, none other than Sister-in-law Zhou who rivaled Mrs. He in brashness.

As she rose, giving a confident, vigorous wave to the villagers and workers on the square, the once chattering gossips suddenly fell silent.

Cannot win, cannot win.

Sister-in-law Zhou stood with her hands on her hips and scoffed, "A bunch of bullies!"

Her mockery was complete.