CHAPTER 319: 319 MISSES

Jiang Xinyu leisurely walked down the road with the two kids.

The two children were curious about everything, but their eyes couldn’t take it all in, and they didn’t chirpily ask questions either.

Niang San walked into the post office. It was Saturday, and she really didn’t know if Wei Kaiyun was there.

The operator dialed the phone, and upon hearing the familiar accent, Wei Kaiyun was immediately excited and worried; his wife said she wouldn’t call.

"It’s me, are you there? I was just telling the kids you might not be there. Hold on a moment."

Before Wei Kaiyun could speak, Jiang Xinyu rattled off a few words and handed the receiver to their son.

"Dad."

"Hey. Shi Jing, have you missed Dad?" Wei Kaiyun was thrilled that his son could now call him.

"Dad, I miss you. Do you miss me?"

"Of course, I miss you. Dad really misses you a lot."

"Dad, wait a minute," Shi Jing said with a smile.

Jiang Xinyu set the son down and picked up the daughter from the stroller.

She placed the receiver by the little girl’s ear.

"Dad, Dad!"

On the other end of the line, Wei Kaiyun’s eyes turned red, "Hey, my darling can talk now. Feifei, can you call for Dad again? Can you?"

"Dad, Dad."

"Hey, hey. My darling daughter." Wei Kaiyun was a bit incoherent, and listening from the side, Jiang Xinyu found it both amusing and bittersweet.

Jiang Feifei called out over ten times, and Wei Kaiyun responded every time.

Jiang Xinyu spoke into the microphone, "Hold on a minute, I’m also picking up Shi Jing."

Seeing her son’s envious expression, Jiang Xinyu immediately let Wei Kaiyun know.

Holding both children, listening as they took turns calling their dad, and seeing the look of bewilderment from the operator like they were idiots, she couldn’t help but laugh internally.

After about five minutes, Jiang Xinyu ended the call with a simple "We’re all doing well" to Wei Kaiyun, then hung up.

Niang San paid, pushed the stroller, and left. The two kids were very happy along the way, with the brother teasing the sister into laughter.

The little girl initially giggled with her mouth closed but later laughed out loud.

Wei Kaiyun put down the phone, suddenly bent over the desk, feeling a sting in his nose. He missed them so much. He took out the recent photos of Niang San from the drawer, soaking them in with a greedy gaze.

The yearning gnawed at him deeply; Wei Kaiyun felt an urgent desire to see them immediately. He longed to hold Niang San in his arms.

Thinking of the little girl’s sweet calls of "Dad," Wei Kaiyun suddenly stood up, then sat back down in defeat, knowing he simply couldn’t leave.

Wei Kaiyun felt utterly incapable. How could he not protect his own wife and children?

An unprecedented sense of frustration overwhelmed him, and for the first time, he had a desperate yearning for power.

He needed strength, so as not to be so passive, so fearful.

Lu Weiqi knocked and entered, seeing his boss sitting there lost in thought.

"What’s up?"

"Director Wei, there’s a problem in the warehouse; there was a shipping error."

"Have the security department investigate. After all this time, these are seasoned employees; it can’t just be a coincidence."

"The investigation is already underway."

Just then, the phone rang, "Hello, Wei Kaiyun at the textile factory."

"Xiao Wei, there’s an order from above, wait for the call."

"Yes, Director Zhu."

Wei Kaiyun hung up the call, overwhelmed by work, and now there was another order. A call from the Director signified it was no ordinary order.

Lu Weiqi left; he had a lot of work as well. He couldn’t work overtime today; he had to go home for dinner; his mom was already anxious, so there was no choice.

Ten minutes later, the phone rang again, "Hello, Wei Kaiyun at the textile factory."

"Director Wei, hello, I’m Chen Zhongwen from the military’s logistics department."

"Hello, Mr. Chen."

Wei Kaiyun hung up, frowning now. He picked up the phone again to call Ding Mingqiang.

"Director Ding, can you come over? I have something to discuss with you."

The two of them held a two-hour discussion in the office, both looking somewhat heavy-hearted. Wei Kaiyun asked Lu Weiqi to notify all workshop directors to meet after 5 PM. He planned to use after-work hours.

Wei Kaiyun felt uneasy. This task represented two-thirds of their productivity.

This was no small matter. He tapped his hand rhythmically on the desk.

He suddenly picked up the phone, "Director Zhu, I’m coming to report the work to you now."

"Alright, I’ll be waiting." Zhu Peishan was also troubled by the task from above, but priorities needed to be set; everything else could be put on hold for this task.

"Director Wei, are you heading out?"

"Yes, I’m driving to the Management Bureau. You stay here and follow up with the security department’s investigation."

"Yes."

Wei Kaiyun drove himself to the Management Bureau, "Director Zhu, we still haven’t completed this year’s tasks. With the quantity of this one, it’ll take two-thirds of our productivity, meaning we won’t be able to complete our tasks."

"Director Zhu, do you think it’s possible to distribute some tasks to the brother units?"

Zhu Peishan thought for a bit, "Xiao Wei, how much do you want to distribute?"

"As I understand the brother units, how about we take one-third of this task and distribute the remaining two-thirds among five textile factories?"

Zhu Peishan thought for a moment but eventually shook his head, "Xiao Wei, that’s not feasible."

Wei Kaiyun frowned, "Then Director Zhu, can you give some advice?"

"How about this: you divide the remaining work among the five factories, and you focus solely on this task."

Wei Kaiyun had anticipated this outcome, so he immediately nodded, "Sure, then starting tomorrow, all our eleven workshops will focus on this task. Rest assured, Director Zhu, we’ll ensure quality and quantity."

At noon, Wei Kaiyun returned to the factory and went directly to Ding Mingqiang’s office. He explained what had happened at the Management Bureau, saying this reduced their pressure significantly.

"But the brother units might not be happy."

Wei Kaiyun chuckled, "Actually, I would prefer my suggestion, giving them two-thirds of the task. That’d reduce our pressure even more."

Ding Mingqiang nodded, acknowledging the truth in that.

"From now on, I’ll leave the factory matters to you; I’ll focus on quality issues. We can’t afford any negligence there."

"Understood."

Lu Weiqi and Wei Kaiyun had lunch together, "Secretary Lu, notify the quality inspection team of the meeting at 8 AM tomorrow."

"Understood."

"From now on, we’ll be focusing on this quality inspection part. Keep a close watch, as it’s crucial."

"Yes, Director Wei, I’ll keep a close watch."

"Alright, I’ll join too. Until the end of the year, the two of us are responsible for this."

After they finished eating, Wei Kaiyun lay down to rest, his mind preoccupied with the task.

In reality, this was also a good thing for them, depending on the perspective you viewed it from.