Chen Lishu arrived home slightly before Gu Xingdong. Through two days of effort, the personnel list for the exhibition was mostly finalized, and specific details would be discussed when everyone met tomorrow.
The couple had been quite busy these past two days, spending less time with their three children, especially the younger two. They had been happily playing with their older brother, but upon seeing her enter, they immediately raised their little hands, calling out "Mama, Mama" and seeking to be held. Dafeng Novel Network.
Chen Lishu walked to the side of the sofa, first hugging Xiaobai, then Xiao Chengzi, and then asked, tilting her head, "Ruirui, have you finished your homework?"
Ruirui looked up, "Mom, I finished it at school."
Chen Lishu smiled and praised, "Really? That's efficient."
"What are Mom and son talking about?" Gu Xingdong pushed open the door and saw the three children and his wife sitting by the sofa, his expression softening unconsciously.
Li Xiulan came out from the kitchen, holding the vegetable porridge she had brewed for the two younger ones. Seeing both of them had returned, she smiled and said, "Xiao Yue is making pancakes today, and dinner will be ready soon."
Gu Xingdong nodded and went upstairs to change.
The two little ones, seeing their grandmother come over with bowls, grinned happily.
Li Xiulan's vegetable porridge was almost like a smooth paste, melting in the mouth. After feeding each a small spoonful, the two little ones immediately smacked their lips in appreciation.
Seeing them eating with relish, Chen Lishu thought for a moment and said to Li Xiulan, "Mom, I see they're eating their solid food well, and they can also have some formula. I'm thinking of stopping breastfeeding."
After the children passed six months, her milk supply was clearly not enough. Sometimes, she couldn't even satisfy one, and the other would cry anxiously, making it difficult for both adults and children.
It would be better to just feed them formula and solid food.
Li Xiulan was a bit reluctant, "The two children aren't even eight months old yet. Isn't it too early?"
Chen Lishu explained, "I don't have much milk anyway. If they continue to breastfeed, they won't eat much formula, and they wake up frequently at night because they're not full. It's not good for anyone."
Li Xiulan considered this, "Then when do you plan to wean them?"
"Let's do it today." Since she had decided, whether it was a few days earlier or later made no difference. Chen Lishu decided to do it that very day.
Meanwhile, the two little ones were happily eating, completely unaware that their food source was about to be cut off by their determined mother.
That night, the two children fussed and cried twice. The adults took turns caring for them. Perhaps realizing they couldn't struggle any longer, Xiao Cheng and Xiaobai finally resigned themselves to drinking formula before falling asleep.
The next day, seeing the children's spirits were good, the family was completely relieved.
After breakfast, the couple went out together. Gu Xingdong first dropped Chen Lishu off at her shop on the commercial street before heading to his company.
The venue for the exhibition had been selected, and the batch of short-sleeved shirts sent to the national textile factory for processing should be picked up. Moreover, tools, banners, and other items needed for the stalls should also start being prepared.
After assigning tasks to Zhao Xingwang and Wang Dazhu, Chen Lishu checked the time; it was almost time to go to the agreed-upon location.
The restaurant was booked by Li Zhengxing, the Hongqi Restaurant.
Besides the textile factory where Li Zhengxing worked, other participants included National Cotton Factory No. 1, National Cotton Factory No. 2, the Garment Factory, the Glove Factory, and the Woolen Mill.
When Chen Lishu arrived, Li Zhengxing was already there, along with two other people, a man and a woman, both around forty years old.
"Xiao Chen is here," Li Zhengxing said, standing up and smiling as he greeted her. "Come, let me introduce you. This is Director Xu from the Glove Factory, and Director Guo from the Garment Factory."
Director Xu of the Glove Factory smiled at Chen Lishu, "Are you Comrade Chen Lishu? I saw the report on television about you donating cultural shirts. I didn't expect someone so young to have such ideological awareness and courage. The younger generation is truly formidable."
So many clothes, even an ordinary factory might not have the mettle for it.
Chen Lishu smiled and replied, "I just did what I could."
Director Guo from the Garment Factory, hearing Chen Lishu's words, curled his lips slightly. "That's five thousand pieces of clothing. The market conditions aren't great for factories right now. Even a large garment factory like ours wouldn't dare to do something like that. For an individual household like you, Comrade Chen, this scale seems a bit excessive. I'm older than you, and I'm giving you advice for your own good. It's understandable for young people to want to gain attention, but really, you should do things within your means."
What he called advice was full of hostility.
Li Zhengxing glanced at Chen Lishu's expression, seeing that she still wore a faint smile, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn't know why Director Guo was targeting Chen Lishu right from the start, he didn't want the situation to become too awkward. He smiled and changed the subject, saying, "Xiao Chen, come sit. I expect the leaders from the other factories will be here soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened, and Han Shenglin and Feng Wenyu entered together.
After exchanging greetings, everyone was soon seated, and they began discussing the details of the exhibition.
Li Zhengxing continued, "...The exhibition date is set for Saturday. Everyone should have seen today's newspaper, right? Although it only occupied a small space in the fold, it should still have some effect."
Han Shenglin nodded, "That's the day after tomorrow. We still have two days, so the preparation time is quite sufficient."
"Everyone here is a leader from a factory. Since it's an exhibition, we naturally need to have something presentable. Is it really appropriate for an individual household to participate?" Director Guo from the Garment Factory looked at Chen Lishu, his implied meaning quite clear.
Among the six state-owned factories present, Chen Lishu was the only individual household.
Therefore, upon hearing Director Guo's words, all eyes subconsciously fell on Chen Lishu. Dafeng Novels.
Li Zhengxing added, "Director Guo might not know yet, but it was Xiao Chen who proposed this exhibition. Even if the Garment Factory didn't participate, they couldn't possibly ask Chen Lishu to withdraw."
Feng Wenyu agreed, "Yes, it's thanks to Xiao Chen that we can all sit together. It's only natural for her to participate in the exhibition."
He thought it was completely unnecessary for Director Guo to target Chen Lishu. The exhibition venue was spacious enough, and everyone would be doing their own business and selling their own goods, without interfering with each other.
Han Shenglin also chimed in, "Although Xiao Chen is an individual household, her strength is not weak. We have always cooperated with her. This time, she even donated five thousand pieces of clothing to the disaster areas and the teaching support teams."
If he hadn't mentioned the cultural shirts, it might have been better. Upon hearing the words "cultural shirts," Director Guo's face darkened further.
Out of the seven people present, six were from state-owned factories, and three were speaking in favor of someone surnamed Chen. She couldn't understand when the relationship between state-owned enterprises and individual households had become so good.
"I'm not saying an individual household can't participate. I'm just asking how much stock she has. The exhibition lasts for five days. What if she can't last even one day? What will outsiders think of our factories?"