The rest of the Li family, having been reminded, all turned to look at Yu Jingqiu once again.

Yu Jingqiu unfolded the newspaper, pointed to a report on it, and explained in a gentle voice: "The article roughly summarizes the results of the joint activities, including the number of participants and the provinces involved. By applying some simple formulas, we can get a rough economic figure."

The Li family members looked at each other, bewildered. What formula? They didn't understand it.

Yu Jingqiu didn't explain to them, but quickly wrote down a few formulas, plugged in the data, and got a number that left the Li family speechless.

"It's only been half a year, and those children have already cost so much money. Can the country afford it?" Sister-in-law Li couldn't help but exclaim.

Yu Jingqiu nodded: "This is just what has been spent. The losses caused by the disorder have not yet been tallied. Therefore, the country cannot support it. The joint activities cannot be free indefinitely, and they may even be canceled within one or two years."

She made a further prediction in a gentle tone, and this time no one questioned it.

The Li family fell silent, with the elder brother and sister-in-law occasionally glancing at Li Yanzhong with curiosity.

Where did my fourth brother (brother-in-law) find his wife? That's amazing!

After exchanging a glance, the old lady spoke up: "Your father and I are getting old, and we can't manage the affairs of this family anymore. From now on, you brothers and sisters-in-law should discuss and decide on things. If there's anything you can't decide, let the fourth son's wife make the decision."

After he said that, the whole room fell silent.

Yu Jingqiu showed a hint of surprise on her face, and she immediately looked at her husband, Li Yanzhong.

Li Yanzhong held her hand and smiled, "Your parents trust you, so just take on the responsibility."

Perhaps other men would feel aggrieved and fight with their wives if they were overshadowed by them, but the Li family is different.

The old lady had always been the one making the decisions in the Li family, and for the first twenty years, Li Yanzhong had become accustomed to looking up to Yu Jingqiu. Even now that they were husband and wife, he still respected her as before.

Seeing that Li Yanzhong had made his stance clear, Li Dashan laughed and said, "I knew long ago that I wasn't cut out to be the head of the household, and neither was my wife. I was just worried about who would take over this responsibility in the future. Fortunately, my fourth brother and sister-in-law have returned. You are both knowledgeable and educated, so you will take on more of the household responsibilities from now on. If anyone disagrees with me, your older brother, I will stand up for you."

The second and third sons of the Li family rolled their eyes together: "Who's not convinced? Fourth sister-in-law is so capable, we can just follow behind and cheer her on. Giving bad advice will only delay things."

After the men expressed their opinions, they all looked at the women in their homes.

The three sisters-in-law chuckled, "You all understand this principle, don't we?" Then they all turned to Yu Jingqiu, "Fourth sister-in-law, just agree. Everyone says that women can hold up half the sky, and you are our family's half the sky. Everyone respects you."

After listening to their words, Yu Jingqiu stood up with a smile and said, "Since everyone approves of me, then I will give it a try."

He speaks modestly, but acts decisively.

She quickly suggested building a small fur processing plant in the village, providing the technology (the Feng family used to have a fur business), while the raw fur materials would be collected from the hunters in the village.

Of course, private enterprises are not allowed now, and this processing plant belongs to the brigade collective, so it can be considered a sideline industry permitted by policy.

The processed furs were then sent to the commune or county purchasing stations, where they were sold for more than half the price of the raw materials.

After Yu Jingqiu moved to Lijiatun, she spent a month or two collecting information and finally chose the fur processing industry. The profit is not large at present, but it is within the scope of economic policies.

She had originally planned to bring it up later, but today, being the day she took office, she felt she had to make a splash, so she brought up the idea of ​​a processing plant.

Only Li Yanzhong knew about this idea beforehand, but now that it has been revealed, not a single member of the Li family objects. They all nod and smile, saying, "Opening a factory is great! I can work there as a factory worker in the future. It would be so respectable to talk about it."

“Yes, we need to get this done as soon as possible. Fourth brother, fourth sister-in-law, why don’t we go talk to the brigade secretary about this now?” Li Dashan immediately suggested.

Yu Jingqiu smiled and shook her head, saying, "There's no need to rush. Let's process a few fur coats at home first, and then take them over to talk to the brigade secretary. That way, the chances of success will be much higher."

The Li family members all nodded in agreement.

So that winter, the men of the Li family went into the mountains to hunt, while the women stayed at home learning fur processing techniques from Yu Jingqiu.

The locals knew some tanning techniques, but they were all rather rudimentary. Yu Jingqiu, on the other hand, had mastered the techniques passed down from generation to generation by master craftsmen in the fur trade.

The three sisters-in-law originally thought they were just learning a simple craft, but when they saw how bright and soft the processed fur was, without any impurities or odors, they couldn't help but get nervous and promised Yu Jingqiu that they would never tell anyone.

This skill will be passed down through generations!

Yu Jingqiu chuckled: "There's no need to treat it as a family heirloom. All the children in our family are smart and will be successful in the future."

As a mother, what I love to hear most is others praising my child. My three sisters-in-law were all smiles and studied even more diligently.

After they finished learning, Yu Jingqiu broke down the technology and taught them simple assembly line operation procedures.

The three sisters-in-law initially thought it would be troublesome, but based on trust, they didn't say it aloud.

The old lady came over and, after looking at it, nodded with her hands behind her back, saying, "This is a good idea. Once the factory is up and running, even if others become skilled at the work, they'll only know their part and not the whole picture. That way, they won't be able to steal our family heirloom."

Upon hearing this, the three sisters-in-law suddenly understood and admired their fourth sister-in-law even more.

However, Yu Jingqiu, the fourth sister-in-law, did not tell them that the most crucial medicine was one that only she knew the formula for.

It's not that I'm keeping it from my sisters-in-law, but the more people know, the less of a secret it becomes.

Moreover, in ten years, the country's policies will change, and the economy will undergo reforms.

The people she's training now will all be useful in the future.

Things proceeded smoothly, and as the New Year approached, the brigade held a meeting of all members and agreed to open a fur processing factory next year.

The factory director was appointed as Li Yanzhong, the deputy director was the brigade secretary, and Yu Jingqiu was just an inconspicuous accountant.

On that same day, Yu Jingqiu received a letter from the island.

Yu Jingqiu, who was always gentle and quiet, suddenly had tears in her eyes.

"Jingqiu, why are you crying? Did something happen to Zhuzhu?" Li Yanzhong asked anxiously.

Yu Jingqiu smiled and shook her head: "It's good news. Zhuzhu gave birth to a baby, and the baby is already a month old. The letter only arrived here now."