Chapter 19 Going to Work

After entering the factory, Supervisor Liu sent Lin Qiu to the workshop master, and then took Zhang Guixiang to the wire cutting and packaging area next to the workshop.

The master in the workshop was the one who tested the sewing line yesterday. Her surname was Liao, and she was a woman in her thirties with a permed hairdo and a pair of gold earrings on her ears. She had a smile on her face and looked very friendly.

"Lin Qiu, right? Have you made a whole piece of clothing before?" Master Liao asked kindly.

To make a complete piece of clothing, one needs to be able to do many processes including cutting, sewing, edge-locking, buttonhole sewing, ironing, etc. It usually takes three or four years of learning from a master, and not many people can really make a complete piece of clothing.

Lin Qiu was not afraid at all, "I have done it before."

That's good. Master Liao brought over a collar and a piece of clothing. "Try on the collar."

It is quite difficult to make the collar. The bottom of the collar and the collar circle should be aligned and overlapped on the front. The bottom of the collar should be slightly indented than the inner placket. The collar should be wider at the shoulder seam of the collar circle, and the most important thing is that the collar circle must not be larger than the collar. To summarize, to put on the collar you must have accurate eyes and steady hands.

Lin Qiu hadn't used this old-fashioned sewing machine for many years, so he was a little unfamiliar with it and the speed was inevitably slow, but the collar was straight and the stitches were even.

Master Liao nodded and said, "Okay, sit next to Li Li, and the sewing machine will be yours from now on!"

She shouted, "Li Li!"

The girl named Li Li stood up and Lin Qiu hurried to her side.

"New here?"

Li Li is not very old, probably in her early twenties, with neat short hair and sleeves rolled up to her elbows, looking very agile.

"Yes." Lin Qiu sat next to her, felt around, and stepped on the pedal to make sure the sewing machine was in good condition.

Li Li looked Lin Qiu up and down, her eyes rolling around. "What's your name?"

Lin Qiu didn’t like the look in her eyes very much, but she still smiled and replied, “Lin Qiu.”

"Hello, Sister Qiu!" Li Li said sweetly, "Where are you from?"

Lin Qiu answered casually, "Heng County."

"Never heard of it." Li Li curled her lips.

Lin Qiu could only pretend that he didn't see it. He picked up the goods in the basket beside him and started to put on the collar.

Li Li stopped talking and quickly went back to her work, sewing on the sewing machine very quickly.

"By the way, this basket of goods is mine. If you want to claim the goods, you have to go find Master Liao for his signature." Li Li reminded Lin Qiu only after she saw him put on a collar, smiling like a cat stealing some fish.

Lin Qiu was a little angry, but it was indeed because he did not ask clearly and just picked up the goods and started working, so he couldn't blame others.

Lin Qiu found Master Liao, signed the bill of lading, dragged a large sack to his workstation, and started pedaling on the sewing machine.

Lin Qiu quickly got used to the sewing machine and sewed collars faster and faster. Li Li, who was standing beside him, also sped up as she watched.

During lunch, I sat together with Zhang Guixiang. The two of them didn't pick and choose. They finished their meal in a hurry and then returned to their workstations to work. After all, the more you work, the more you earn, and having an extra collar means a few cents more in salary.

There is not much work recently, so in order to save electricity, we don’t work at night. As soon as it's six o'clock, Master Liao stands at the door of the workshop to check if anyone takes anything out of the workshop.

The female workers in the workshop lined up to be inspected one by one. After the inspection, they rushed to the factory gate like a stream.

Not far from the factory is the night market, a long street filled with vendors. There are many garment factories in this area. The wages of female workers are not low, especially the young female workers who are willing to spend money. This attracts many street vendors and the whole street is very lively.

The workers walked together and lingered in the bustling night market. Zhang Guixiang was reluctant to spend money, and Lin Qiu was in a hurry to pick up her daughter from the nursery, so the two of them did not stay long and hurried back.

Lin Qiu rushed to the nursery, expecting to see his daughter crying or looking aggrieved, but instead he looked through the window and saw her sitting on the foam in the classroom, playing with building blocks.

Lin Qiu felt relieved and walked to the classroom door.

"Teacher Huang, I'm here to pick up Wang Shan. Thank you for your hard work today!" Lin Qiu bowed and thanked him sincerely.

"Shanshan's mom, don't be so polite, this is what we should do!" Teacher Huang smiled and waved her hand, and shouted to Wang Shan who was playing with building blocks: "Shanshan, your mom is here to pick you up!"

Wang Shan turned her head and saw Lin Qiu. She dropped the building blocks in her hand on the mat, quickly got up, ran to Lin Qiu, and hugged her legs, "Mom!"

Lin Qiu touched Wang Shan's head and asked, "Have you been good today? Did you listen to the teacher?"

"Shanshan is so well behaved!" Teacher Huang praised. "Except for crying a little in the morning when you left, she didn't cry at other times. She always played games and drew pictures with the teacher."

"He eats well and is not picky about food. He also sleeps well and calls the teacher when he needs to pee. It's really worry-free."

Teacher Huang has been in the nursery for several years. This is the first time she has seen such a well-behaved child, so she praised him highly.

"The teacher is still a good teacher!" Lin Qiu took the schoolbag handed over by the teacher, "Shanshan, say goodbye to the teacher!"

"Goodbye, teacher!" Wang Shan waved her little hands obediently, speaking in a baby voice.

Teacher Huang squatted down and said goodbye to Wang Shan: "Shanshan, see you tomorrow!"

Lin Qiu held Wang Shan's hand with one hand and carried her schoolbag with the other. He lowered his head and asked, "Is the nursery fun? Shanshan."

Wang Shan nodded, "It's fun."

"Then can we go again tomorrow?" Lin Qiu was a little nervous, afraid that his daughter would refuse to go to the nursery tomorrow.

This time Wang Shan thought for a moment before answering, "Okay."

"You're so obedient!" Lin Qiu bent down and kissed her daughter on the top of her head. "Mom is going to buy delicious food as a reward for Shanshan today!"

After hearing this, Wang Shan happily shook Lin Qiu's hand.

Lin Qiu bought a large chicken drumstick at the poultry stall in the vegetable market, and two potatoes and a handful of lettuce at the stall opposite.

When Wang Xiuren returned home, a large bowl of chicken stewed with potatoes was served on the table. The chicken legs were stewed until they were soft and fatty, and the potatoes were stewed until they were soft and glutinous and melted in the mouth. Wang Shan ate without even raising her head, and Wang Xiuren even mixed the soup into the rice and drank three large bowls of rice in a row. The small dish of lettuce was ignored by the father and daughter, and only Lin Qiu would pick up a piece of it with his chopsticks from time to time.

After dinner, the father and daughter walked around the house with full bellies digesting the food.

"How was Shanshan doing in the nursery today? Did you ask the teacher?" Wang Xiuren suddenly asked when he saw the schoolbag hanging behind the door.

"The teacher said that she only cried once in the morning, but was very well behaved the rest of the time, so she was praised." Lin Qiu was very proud. "The teacher said that she eats well and sleeps well, and she knows to call the teacher when she needs to pee. She is so obedient!"

"That's good, that's good!" Wang Xiuren laughed happily.

"I think this nursery can teach. Look at Shanshan. She has only been there for one day, but she ate much better today and didn't even drop any rice grains."

"How can it be so exaggerated?" Lin Qiu rolled his eyes at him. However, there were indeed not many rice grains on the ground. She wondered, are the teachers in the nursery really that good at teaching? Regardless of all that, it’s a good thing that Wang Shan has learned to eat by herself.

It’s getting late, I need to boil some water and take a shower, as I have to go to work tomorrow!