bookrandom Chapter 233 Cloth as Payment, Snake Gourd Becomes a Spirit
Chapter 233 Cloth as Payment, Snake Gourd Becomes a Spirit
After saying that, she turned to look at Wu Jianguo, who was sitting silently in the chair, and said urgently, "Old Wu, let's go buy some things and send them to Section Chief Zhou, and beg him properly."
Wu Jianguo remained the same deadbeat, sitting in his chair with his head drooping, hands clasped behind his back, not uttering a single word.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Zhang Amei became anxious and quickly went over to him, squatting down next to Old Wu, her voice filled with sobs and pleading.
"Old Wu, say something! You've been in the factory for so many years, you're a veteran. Take me to find someone, let's beg them." This was the first time Zhang Amei had pleaded with Old Wu so humbly since they had been married for so long.
Old Wu sighed deeply. "It's no use. Section Chief Zhou won't see anyone now. People have already gone to look for him."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Amei anxiously pushed Lao Wu forcefully. "You have to help Xiaomin think of a solution, I'm begging you."
At this moment, Xiaomin could no longer control her emotions, rushed out of the house, and cried out to her mother in despair.
"You were the one who forced me to go to the textile technical school, saying that I could get a stable job after graduation. I told you I wanted to go to a nursing school. It's all your fault! It's all your fault! You ruined me!"
Hearing Xiaomin's words, Zhang Amei felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife. Xiaomin was her own daughter. She would never harm anyone but her. How could a mother harm her own daughter? But Xiaomin's words and accusations left her with no way to explain. Now, she really couldn't get into the factory.
"Old Wu, you've always been like this, staying at home and never saying a word. We can't count on you for anything! Why is my life so miserable!"
Zhang Amei cried and shouted, her emotions completely broken down, and she pounded on Lao Wu's back.
Shanshan was studying in the next room when she heard the noise outside. She turned around and glanced at her father, who was being beaten.
She got up, grabbed her book, and pulled Xiao Jun, who was sitting next to her, to walk outside. The two of them sat under the eaves at the entrance of the alley, where nothing could disturb her studies.
Zhang Amei watched the departing siblings, her teeth itching with hatred.
"Sis, I'm scared!"
Shanshan patted Xiaojun on the shoulder. "Xiaojun, you've grown up and are a man now. Once I go to university, I'll be all alone. If they argue, just hide away. Remember, Xiaojun, going to university is our only way out."
、、、、、、、、
Last year, the No. 2 Cotton Mill acquired a new piece of equipment, hoping to take advantage of this opportunity to expand its operations.
Everyone in the factory, from leaders to ordinary employees, has high hopes for this expansion. Everyone is full of enthusiasm.
Who could have predicted that after all the trouble, the expansion plan would still fall through, ultimately benefiting someone else?
Today, Suzhou Textile Factory No. 3 has successfully taken over the equipment of Workshop 2 of Cotton Mill No. 2, and Factory No. 3 has successfully expanded, growing larger and larger.
In contrast, the No. 2 Cotton Mill had spent a lot of money on this expansion, which was a complete waste of effort. The factory also lost more than half of its orders. According to the original plan, only half of the production capacity was needed, but production was half as much. These extra products could not be sold and could only be piled up in the warehouse.
The warehouse was piled high with unsold goods, a dense, overwhelming sight.
The cotton mill is facing a cash flow problem and has not paid wages for two months.
The factory was in a state of chaos and had no choice but to use cloth to replace wages.
Now that cloth ration coupons have been abolished, and the living conditions of every household are better than before, there is no shortage of cloth at all.
The fabric produced by the No. 2 Cotton Mill was limited to a single color, a dull military green. Although it was sturdy and durable, in this era where people's aesthetic standards are rising, such fabric has long been out of fashion.
Nobody wanted to buy it, so we had no choice but to let the employees take it home.
The house wasn't very big to begin with, and now, half the space in the wardrobe is filled with this army green fabric.
Huang Ling looked at the mountain of fabric piled up in her house and felt worried.
She thought she couldn't just let the fabric go to waste at home, so she discussed it with Chao Ying and they decided to sell it on the black market together.
But when they arrived at the black market, they discovered that the market for that type of fabric was already saturated. It wasn't just them who wanted to sell; the leaders had even more fabric, and they'd already resold it. Huang Ling and Chao Ying were completely out of luck.
Huang Ling didn't have many production tasks at the factory, so she spent her free time at home thinking of ways to make things. She used her old sewing machine at home to make pants, clothes, and bed sheets and duvet covers.
When Zhuang Chaoying came home from get off work, entering the house felt like stepping into a green military camp.
The bed sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases, and pillow towels were all made of that military green fabric. Huang Ling also made many pairs of military green trousers for him, Dongzhe, Pengfei, and Tunan.
Zhuang Chaoying carried the package and accompanied A-Ling to the post office to mail a set of four-piece bedding to Huang's parents in Changcheng, as well as two pairs of trousers made for Huang's father.
Song Ying looked at the five or six pairs of green pants hanging in the yard, their legs swaying back and forth in the wind, and felt a chill run down her spine, as if she had seen a snake gourd come to life and move.
"Sister Ling, if we had used this fabric to make two pairs of pants for Dongzhe when we were short of it, it would have been so much better. They would have been sturdy and durable, and we wouldn't have had to worry about the little monkey rubbing his butt so much that it would have worn holes. Now, just looking at this fabric makes me annoyed."
Huang Ling pedaled the sewing machine, pushing the fabric forward. "Dongzhe, Tunan, and Pengfei are all included. Xiaoting is a girl, and green pants don't look good on her, so I won't include her. The three boys could fit in even if they had ten legs. Song Ying, the bed sheet and duvet cover I made for your family are finished! I even embroidered words on them; the ones with 'Ying' in them are for your family." After saying that, she took scissors, cut the thread, and handed over the bed sheet and the finished duvet cover.
Song Ying walked into the room and took the sheets, duvet cover, and pillowcases. Her eyes lit up. "Sister Ling, I was just thinking that they were all the same and I couldn't tell who was whose. Sister Ling, you are so skillful. The embroidery is so beautiful."
Song Ying looked at the cloth and thought about the current situation in the factory.
Before these things happened, her idea was simple: she wanted to work in the cotton mill for the rest of her life until retirement, just like Wu Feng worked in the compressor factory until retirement.
But now Wu Feng has resigned, and his salary and benefits have increased many times over.
What about me? Will I be able to work at the cotton mill until retirement? Or will I be forced to retire at the age of forty-four like other employees?
The factory's "one-size-fits-all" approach weighed heavily on everyone's mind like a stone.
No matter how much everyone cried or made a scene, it was no use. In the end, the dust settled, and they could only silently accept this established reality.
The atmosphere at the Wu family home remained oppressive.
Fortunately, the college entrance examination is over, and the various troubles at home did not affect Wu Shanshan's performance. Now, feeling relaxed, she spends most of her days helping Yiming sell goods, hoping to earn some living expenses.
After all, even though there were subsidies at the university, she was still worried about Xiaojun and wanted to leave him some money for emergencies.
Meanwhile, Zhuang Chaoying, who enrolled in a correspondence college program, was about to take an exam. He had been studying for the past two days.
Zhuang Chaoying originally planned to go to the examination hall by himself, but Huang Ling was worried and insisted on taking him.
She rode her bicycle to take him to the exam venue early in the morning. Once outside, Huang Ling looked at Zhuang Chaoying. "Chaoying, don't be nervous, do your best. You work so hard, you'll definitely pass!"
Zhuang Chaoying nodded and gently patted Huang Ling's shoulder. "Ah Ling, don't worry, go back early, the sun will be very strong later." After saying that, she turned and walked towards the examination hall door, not forgetting to wave goodbye.
Standing at the entrance of the examination hall, he thought back to his school days when he was always the one proctoring others; now the roles were reversed, and he was the one sitting in the examination hall. Soon, the proctors began distributing the exam papers. Hearing the exam bell ring, he quickly composed himself, picked up his pen, and began writing furiously.
,,,,,,,