Chapter 278 Happy New Year

The next morning, the Zhou family courtyard became lively.

Zhou Shufen wore a light blue cheongsam-style top with a plain-colored woolen short coat.

She stood at the gate of the courtyard and counted the number of people.

"Hurry, hurry! We have to get to the factory before the auspicious time! Setting off firecrackers today is a big event, we can't miss the appointed time!"

The whole family lined up neatly in two rows, led by Zhou Shufen, and walked towards the factory.

Today is the big day for the factory to officially start operations, so we'll set off firecrackers to bring good luck.

Zhou's family did not go back to their hometown for the Spring Festival this year, but simply stayed at the factory to take care of the equipment and materials.

Zhou Shufen had arranged their accommodation well in advance.

The newly built dormitory building has a separate kitchen and bathroom for each household.

The dormitory building has six floors and five units, with four households per floor in each unit, totaling one hundred and twenty households.

The Zhou family chose the top floor of Unit 5.

"We're already lucky to be able to work in the factory thanks to Shufen, why would we care about choosing a floor?"

Zhou, the nanny, said to her husband in private.

"The top floor is fine, it offers a good view and fresh air. Besides, it'll be convenient for the grandchildren to air out their blankets after school."

When Zhou Shufen found out, she didn't say anything, but quietly had a sturdier clothes rack installed on the sixth floor.

That morning, she personally bought ten whole bundles of firecrackers.

When the auspicious hour arrived, the workers lit the fuse.

The sound didn't stop for a full ten minutes.

Hearing the noise, the workers all ran out.

"Mr. Zhou! Happy New Year!"

"Orders are pouring in, and I get bonuses every year!"

Everyone gathered around Zhou Shufen, offering their New Year's greetings in a flurry of chatter.

Zhou Shufen smiled and took out a stack of red envelopes from her large cloth bag, handing them over one by one.

"Uncle Yang, Happy New Year! This is just a small token of my appreciation. I wish you good health!"

"Aunt Hu, you've worked so hard, please accept this, let's work together next year!"

The workers who received the red envelopes were overjoyed.

Finally, carrying her bags, she went to Granny Zhou's house.

Aunt Zhou rubbed her hands, feeling both touched and embarrassed.

"Shufen, you're so thoughtful. I... I don't really have anything to say back to you."

She stood at the door, muttering to herself.

"Look, you came all this way to see me, and you even brought gifts. I feel so bad about it."

She thought for a long time and remembered that there was a bag of high-quality flour left at home.

Zhou, the nanny, was frugal and always reluctant to use this bag of food, hoping it would come in handy.

As soon as Zhou Shufen saw the bag of flour, she couldn't help but smile.

"Nanny, you still remember me?"

She walked over and gently patted the back of Zhou's hand.

"I thought you had long forgotten our family's old-fashioned flavors."

"How could I not remember? I'll never forget it in my entire life!"

Nanny Zhou shook her head with a smile.

"When you were little, you were as skinny as a bean sprout, but you could eat three bowls of noodles in one meal. I would mix lard and sprinkle scallions on top, and you would eat until your mouth was covered in oil and you would even lick the bowl clean!"

"Where are you old? You work harder than anyone else at the factory, you can do the work of two young men a day!"

Zhou Shufen helped Zhou the wet nurse sit down.

"Look at your hand speed! Even the young guys on the packaging line can't keep up with you. Who dares to disagree?"

That's absolutely true.

Zhou, the nanny, never slacked off at the factory. She was always the first to arrive and the last to leave.

When she got to work, no one dared to gossip about her.

She grabbed Zhou Shufen's hand.

"Shufen, you're really something. You've opened such a big factory. The wet nurse has work to do every day and food to eat, so she can feel at ease."

"At my age, I can still earn a living with my own strength and live like an honest person. That's worth it."

Everyone laughed.

Things are really different these days.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Kang Liangwen and his family visited each other to offer New Year's greetings.

Just as dawn was breaking, the family of three arrived at the Zhou family's door, carrying bamboo baskets in their hands.

They brought their own tea leaves, and the aroma filled the whole house.

Guo Zhenyi accepted it without saying a word.

He loves drinking tea.

"This fragrance is so pure! It's not like those artificial fragrances you find on the market. The real thing is just different."

Kang Liangwen also brought two children, one ten years old and the other six years old, who greeted everyone they saw.

The red envelopes were prepared long ago, each containing a thick stack of five or ten yuan.

Zhou Shufen had already asked Zhou Liya to prepare new bills, which were stuffed into a red paper packet.

The two children were so big that Zhou Liya couldn't hold them all, and she led them to play wildly in the backyard.

At lunch, Kang Liangwen discussed his plans for the whole year with Zhou Shufen, who listened and nodded in agreement.

This year, she wants to expand production and add a counter in the department store to sell imported goods.

Upon hearing this, Kang Liangwen almost jumped up from his chair.

"Foreign goods?!"

In previous years, you could occasionally see them in the city, but later...

Everyone understands.

During those years, the authorities were very strict, and even imported glass cups were rare on the market. Anyone who dared to put them out for sale would be investigated immediately.

"Boss Zhou, but the road is so far! The shipping cost for one trip is terrifying!"

Although Kang Liangwen said this, she knew very well in her heart that she possessed that "divine object".

Even so, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

“It’s thousands of kilometers from Beichuan to here. The boat fare alone would be a huge sum. Then there are the dock loading and unloading fees, customs clearance fees, insurance fees along the way, warehousing fees in various places… all these miscellaneous costs add up to a considerable amount.”

"I'll just go there myself, won't that solve the problem?"

Zhou Shufen smiled slightly.

Upon hearing this, Kang Liangwen's eyes lit up.

"That's right! How could I forget about that! As long as you can make the trip yourself, you can bring back anything—machinery, fabrics, Kitagawa soap, Western soaps, glass mirrors, watch parts… You can bring back anything! What's there to worry about in terms of supply?"

"Shipping costs? What's that! Every penny saved is pure profit!"

He recently visited many of the Zhou family elders, going door-to-door to persuade them to come back and visit.

But they all had cold faces and wouldn't listen at all.

But he didn't tell Zhou Shufen any of this.

What good would it do to say it?

"As long as you're happy, anywhere can be home."

Zhou Shufen said softly.

Although her words were brief, they surprised Kang Liangwen.

Kang Liangwen felt frustrated, but the thought of his recent salary immediately dispelled his anger.

It's a good thing, just enjoy it yourself, and don't let others interfere.

Seeing the Kang family's life getting better and better, Zhou Shufen was genuinely happy for them.

She wasn't giving charity; she was giving an opportunity.

People have to rely on themselves to seize opportunities, and Kang Liangwen seized them, so he turned his life around.

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, factories producing daily necessities, textiles, and clothing all resumed operations.

The new year's prosperous days have officially begun.

Guo Cuihua did indeed go to the Second Middle School for extra classes.

Wu Dekang took some time to explain the problems to her.

He was a top student in high school, excelling in both math and physics.

Guo Yanlong also hired a tutor to give her extra lessons in shifts.

Guo Cuihua never complained of being tired.

On the ninth day of the first lunar month, Guo Zhenyi passed away.

He was going on a business trip abroad to negotiate an important machinery import contract.

This trip will take at least three months.

Before leaving, he gave Guo Yanlong special instructions.

"Don't worry about home. I'll go back to work first to finish up the backlog of work, sort out the projects at hand, and make full preparations before I leave."

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, we officially set off.

end.