Chapter 56 Are You Crazy: Flood Discharge?

By the time Wang Xiao returned to the factory area, it was already dark. Without delay, she went straight to the printing factory to place an order for posters.

It's an urgent order, I need it by tomorrow morning.

The staff member on duty agreed without hesitation.

Although it's a bit awkward to make people work late at night, the customers are happy to pay up.

Their printing plant is very busy now, as they have added greeting card printing business.

They print greeting cards not only for customers of clothing self-service supermarkets, but also for foreign businesses. The next step could be to try exporting greeting cards.

As for the posters, well, it's the first time the printing factory workers have ever realized that posters can be given as gifts to customers who buy clothes.

If these were big celebrities, it wouldn't be a problem, but these foreigners, they really didn't recognize a single one of them.

The on-duty driver specifically took it home and asked his daughter and niece, but even the trendy young women couldn't recognize it, which shows that it's really not some famous international superstar.

However, the posters taken by this unknown person were surprisingly popular.

Many young men and women ask for a card to take home and stick on the wall after buying clothes.

With that high nose and blue eyes, even little kids aren't afraid of Rakshasa ghosts when they see it at night.

Tsk, I really don't understand young people these days.

Wang Xiao couldn't care less about the printing factory workers' heartfelt feelings.

After placing her order, she went to the steel factory canteen and bought two watermelons, along with a basket of salted soda, asking the deliveryman to help her deliver them to the clothing self-service supermarket.

Their steel factory canteen offers a wide variety of dishes, and they even sell peaches this season—soft and sweet. Unfortunately, peaches are considered "heaty" in traditional Chinese medicine, and Wang Xiao would easily get a sore throat from eating too many; otherwise, he would definitely have taken a bag home.

She needs to check on the store's business now.

It must be said that collaborating with the TV station to create a popular formula for the province is truly effective, and the self-selection clothing model is indeed unique in the provincial capital.

Yes, that's right. The self-service counter at the People's Department Store only lasted for less than three months before it was shut down due to too many stolen clothes.

In short, the supermarket is now bustling with people, and the sales assistants are extremely busy, whether in the women's or men's clothing section.

Seriously, her decision to equip the sales assistants with soft-soled leather shoes was absolutely the right one.

Only men who never wear high heels (invisible height increase is another matter) would spout nonsense about women needing to wear high heels to look attractive.

Let them try running in high heels all day; their legs would really break.

Flat shoes can be really stylish and comfortable to wear.

Oh, and we should also add the shoe selection option. Buying clothes to match shoes is perfectly normal.

This really can't be delayed any longer; we have to get the goods on board as soon as possible.

Headache! I have to hire more people again.

Offline sales are troublesome, unlike the simplicity of online processes.

Wang Xiao greeted the newly appointed store manager and told everyone to eat watermelon after get off work and take salted soda home to drink; he then went around to the back office to check the accounts.

Sales have been good lately. People change their clothes more often in the summer, so their enthusiasm for buying new clothes is high.

Moreover, summer clothes are cheaper than winter clothes, so people who buy them have the illusion that "I didn't spend much money," and they are more generous in spending money.

Wow, men's clothing is selling just as well as women's clothing!

When it comes to keeping up with the latest trends, men in red are just as fashionable as women in green.

The cashier, Chen Yu, shook her head and rolled her eyes at the ceiling, saying irritably, "Half of them came for the posters."

What poster?

Of course, it's the posters of beautiful women in Moscow.

On the women's clothing side, when girls bought clothes, some picked out posters of beautiful women and others chose posters of handsome men; but on the men's clothing side, it was basically all posters of beautiful women, and the way they all acted, humph!

Wang Xiao was delighted; this was wonderful!

She dares not speak for anything else, but when it comes to the posters of the foreign models, she can guarantee with her own hand that, for a short period of time, she will probably be the only one in the entire provincial capital who can supply them.

As she stepped out the door, the store manager, who had just taken a sip of plum juice, quickly called out to her, "Ms. Wang, there's something I need to ask you about."

The store manager put down his cup and pointed to the poster on the wall, "This is a calendar that the printing factory wants to print."

Currently, wall calendars are one of the main businesses of printing factories. Some printing factories even only operate in the second half of the year to print wall calendars, working for half a year and resting for the other half.

Although the steel mill's printing plant wasn't quite that busy, it was clearly busier in the second half of the year.

Their main business previously came from steel mills, which not only distributed calendars to their employees but also to their business clients.

Now that the printing factory has realized the lucrative nature of taking on foreign orders, it wants to continue its efforts and work towards the market itself, producing calendars for ordinary citizens.

Since calendars are all pretty much the same, how can they stand out from the crowd?

Well, naturally we have to put effort into the content of the calendar.

Hiring prettier models to shoot calendars is such a hassle and a lot of work, and most importantly, it costs money.

Why not make the most of what we have? For example, we could take what we already have and use it. We could simply use the posters we took for the clothing self-service supermarket and turn them into posters.

Since young people like foreign models so much, calendars will probably be popular too.

Imagine, among a group of models with yellow skin, black eyes, and black hair, suddenly a calendar featuring a foreign model appears. How eye-catching would that be? It would be hard for anyone not to notice it.

Wang Xiao was delighted to hear this. "That's great! The printing factory knows how to find selling points."

She had bought the photos outright, and she nodded readily in agreement: "No problem, but I want royalties."

Seeing the store manager's blank expression, Wang Xiao changed her approach, "Commission? I spent so much money and effort to go abroad to find someone to take these photos, I can't just give them away for free."

It's hard to believe, even 30 years from now, that calendars are still quite expensive. A simple one can cost 40 or 50 yuan.

Why can they still sell at such high prices? Because these days, companies are using public funds to buy calendars, and every household is proud to receive a beautifully made calendar.

Therefore, no matter how high its price, it's like an emperor's daughter who doesn't have to worry about getting married.

“One yuan each, we’ll get a one yuan commission for each calendar,” Wang Xiao said with a grin. “When we get the money, our clothing self-service supermarket will give out bonuses and benefits at the end of the year.”

The store manager chuckled and nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "Great, great!"

She joked, "I saw that when it's displayed in the store, it'll definitely attract a lot of buyers. Haha, especially the men, they won't be able to take their eyes off it."

Wang Xiao remembered and asked curiously, "Hey, why is Chen Yu reacting so strongly to the fact that a gay man wants a poster of a beautiful woman?"

Isn't it normal for a young person to admire someone? She doesn't seem like a pedantic person either.

"Hey." The store manager and Wang Xiao lowered their voices together, "Her blind date was practically drooling over that foreigner's chest."

Tsk, what are you looking at? It's just a surging wave.

The style of the posters in 1991 was much bolder than it would be thirty years later.

Honestly, her breasts are really nice. Even though she's a lesbian, she still wanted to touch them.

Ugh, the boss can't know about this, otherwise he'll definitely think she's a pervert.

What the store manager didn't know was that her boss enjoyed looking at pretty young women's bodies even more than she did.

But now—

"Never mind then." Wang Xiao thought about how Chen Yu was taking a straightforward approach and felt there was no need to challenge someone else's preferences.

Honestly, it's too difficult to change a person, and it's really not worth it.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and there's no inherent superiority between sweet and savory tofu pudding; there's absolutely no need to try to convince each other.

She thought for a moment and called into the house, "Chen Yu, do you want to go work as a translator at the trade city? They're short-staffed there, and the translators are all overwhelmed."

Chen Yu's voice was muffled: "I don't want to go, it's embarrassing."

Because of her two-toned face, she was considered inferior when going on blind dates.

It's best for her to stay indoors and not go out to see anyone.

"Alright." Wang Xiao pushed open the door, annoyed. "If you feel ashamed, stay away from that person. Translation is a profession that relies on speaking; if you're capable, you can do it. It's a waste of all the languages ​​you've learned if you don't become a translator. By the way, if you have the extra energy, see if you can learn another language. It's always good to have more skills. French or Romanian, it's up to you."

The boss was autocratic and said, "That's settled then. I'll hire a cashier later, and you can train her properly. If you really don't want to be a translator, you can go work in finance over there. I happen to need a finance person who understands Russian."

Chen Yu finally relented: "Alright, I'll train the new recruits first."

The store manager stood there dumbfounded, and after a long while, he finally managed to say, "No, Mr. Wang, if you're going to poach my employees, you should at least give me a heads-up."

Wang Xiao reached out and put his hand on the person's shoulder, laughing: "You need to think long-term. I want to turn this place into a self-service department store in the future. This is just the beginning. In the future, we will be even bigger than the People's Department Store."

The store manager felt a little dizzy for a moment.

Wait, what does this have to do with the boss poaching people?

Wow, a self-service supermarket even bigger than the People's Department Store! How are you going to manage it? How many floors would it have? How big would it be?

The store manager became more and more agitated as he thought about it; the fact that his staff had been poached was now buried beneath the towering buildings that had sprung up from the ground.

Taking the opportunity, Wang Xiao patted her on the shoulder and, without blinking, painted a rosy picture on the spot: "Work hard, what the company needs most right now is management. Once the supermarket opens, we'll need someone to be the boss."

Then, while the shop manager was still dazed, she grabbed a bottle of salted soda and ran to the night school in Dachang.

She also needs to assess the learning progress of her current and prospective employees in order to prepare for the next round of recruitment.

The cashier will be recruited from the finance class at night school.

To be fair, since the International Grand Bazaar opened, the Russian language students have shown a significant increase in their enthusiasm for learning.

Vocational training can only be truly effective when one deeply feels that it brings tangible and immediate benefits.

Otherwise, no matter how fragrant the pancake is, it's all for nothing if you can't touch it.

Looking at the teachers and students in the classroom, Wang Xiao thought that when he went to recruit at universities, he should look for universities in the provincial capital that teach Romanian.

Although Romanian prostitutes may not be considered a core force in the international prostitute trade, they have something that others don't.

The capital city has a geographical advantage, and once it also starts charter flight trade, Jiangdong may not be able to compete with it.

The hardware conditions are what they are, and it's difficult to change them. However, if we start with the software and provide customers with more meticulous and thoughtful services, we can cultivate a good reputation and attract repeat customers.

Oh, and there's also Mongolian.

She remembered her parents mentioning that the factory had employees from ethnic minorities, including some who seemed to be Mongolian. Hmm, she thought, she'd ask if they spoke Mongolian, and if so, ask them to teach a few students.

The fact that no Mongolian traders have come over these past two days doesn't mean there won't be any in the future.

The sheer volume of Chinese goods at Ulaanbaatar station on the K3 line demonstrates Mongolia's high demand for them.

It doesn't matter if Jiangdong lacks geographical advantages; if they provide excellent service and form a community, it's only a matter of time before Mongolian traders come over.

Well, at worst, she can just let someone learn it first, and then pay them a few months' salary for free.

Oh dear, she needs to thoroughly review the materials from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union to see what people say in those places. Anyway, she absolutely must only bring in new clients; she can't let anyone else steal them away.

Just as Wang Xiao turned to leave, Zhang Yan was called up to answer a question.

I must say, the Russian teacher was right to praise the person; their pronunciation is indeed very good, quite authentic, and they speak fluently.

To learn this much in such a short time, one must be both talented and hardworking.

But that had nothing to do with her, since Zhang Yan hadn't blocked her way to insist on going to work at the International Trade City anyway.

Wang Xiao strolled home, washed her hair and took a shower. When she told her mother about it, she couldn't help but shake her head: "I guess she couldn't bring herself to speak up because she was looking at Dongzai."

In Wang Xiao's opinion, what's the big deal?

Since she thinks being a sales assistant is a promising career, who cares if she cheated on her ex-boyfriend? Making money is the most important thing.

Many middlemen and traders in Eastern Europe had a habit of tipping, and the Soviet Union is gradually following suit. Working as a sales assistant for them can be quite lucrative.

She only wondered about one thing: "How could Zhang Yan's family agree to her not becoming a kindergarten teacher? Did they give up their secure job?"

Dr. Chen, who was drying her hair, immediately became annoyed upon hearing the voice: "Isn't it because you started it right?"

She still feels heartbroken about it.

That brat didn't even say a word; she actually went through the procedures for taking a leave of absence without pay behind their backs.

Wang Xiao quickly stopped her: "The institute said it won't affect my promotion. Hey, Mom, you're underestimating yourself too much. Is your daughter an ordinary person? How can you compare your daughter to Zhang Yan? You're insulting yourself!"

Chen Yanqiu wouldn't listen to her evasive tactics. He pressed her directly, his face hardening as he interrogated her: "Tell me honestly, do you not plan to go back to the Chemical Engineering Institute as an engineer in the future?"

Wang Xiao was truly exhausted today, so exhausted that she couldn't be bothered to keep up the pretense with her mother. She simply laid it all out: "I don't like doing scientific research either."

Chen Yanqiu nearly fainted on the spot, reaching out to poke her forehead repeatedly: "You don't like doing scientific research? You're kidding me! Your grades were so good in school! Even your teacher Miao said you were born to do chemical engineering. I think you've been blinded by money and don't know what the right path is!"

Wang Xiao actually understood Dr. Chen's reaction quite well.

Seriously, even though self-employed individuals made a lot of money in the 1980s and 90s, for a long time, doing business was truly devoid of any semblance of dignity.

Before she transmigrated into the book, she had read an article about Feng Lun. When he decided to go into business in the late 1980s (or possibly the early 1990s, Wang Xiao couldn't remember clearly), his university professor only gave him one sentence: "You're like someone who dumps chamber pots on a mountain; you've become infamous."

Given the prevailing social hierarchy, when officials within the system become businessmen outside the system, they are simply moving from the top to the bottom of that hierarchy.

But Wang Xiao never acknowledged this.

As a live-streaming e-commerce influencer, she has never felt inferior about her profession since the very first day she entered the industry.

In her view, the life value of a successful entrepreneur is no less than that of a successful scientist.

On the grand stage of society, everyone can play a role in their own way. Everyone earns their living through their own abilities; who is superior to whom, and who is inferior to whom?

What's wrong with being a businesswoman? Without her finding ways to make money, who knows when the equipment in the chemical engineering lab will be updated.

The experimental equipment that Sister Miao and her friends wanted on their trip to Moscow was bought with money she helped them earn; she even covered the difference.

Wang Xiao solemnly stated: "Just because I'm doing well at the chemical engineering institute doesn't mean I like chemical engineering. I can do well in any position. Am I doing poorly now? I can manage the warehouse just fine!"

Chen Yanqiu was speechless and could only angrily poke her forehead: "Are you out of your mind!"

"I've finally discovered my true passion!" Wang Xiao said, feeling utterly wronged. "Mom, you don't love me anymore. You said you and Dad would always support my career. You lied!"

Chen Yanqiu rolled her eyes at the girl's sarcastic remark and said fiercely, "Don't try to fool your mother!"

Seriously, you're a debt collector; raising children is always a debt.

There's not a single day of peace!

Oh well, it's still better than chasing after a man.

At least he shook hands with provincial officials and spoke with them.

...

I can't make this up anymore.

There's nothing I can do if I can't continue making this up. It's all grown up now, and I can't just stuff it back into my belly.

Dr. Chen could only slap his daughter on the back again and curse, "You little devil!"

Wang Xiao quickly pressed on, changing the subject: "Mom, you haven't told me what's going on with Zhang Yan's family yet? They actually gave up their secure jobs?"

Chen Yanqiu was too lazy to meddle in other people's business and said casually, "Her parents' intentions are obvious, aren't they? They want her to learn foreign languages, become a saleswoman, and deal with foreigners so she can marry abroad and enjoy a life of luxury."

ah?

Wang Xiao was stunned: "She still wants this?"

Pshaw! What a waste of her praise.

Honestly, when she learned that Zhang Yan wanted to become a sales assistant, she genuinely sighed in her heart, thinking that this person was finally going to make a serious decision and pursue a career path.

So after all that trouble, it turns out she just wanted to marry a rich guy and become a parasite.

What a loser! Why did you marry into a wealthy family? Wealthy families are not for the average person.

Why don't they ever think about becoming a wealthy family themselves?

"What do you think?" Chen Yanqiu said irritably, wrapping a towel around her daughter's head and rubbing it. "With their family like that, that's all she's good for. I'm telling you, ignore her, or you'll just get yourself into trouble."

Wang Xiao was dispensable: "Even if I don't hire her, she's fluent in Russian and can easily find someone to volunteer as a translator herself."

Chen Yanqiu couldn't understand: "Didn't you hire so many sales assistants? Isn't that enough?"

"Not enough, far from enough." Wang Xiao had barely escaped from her mother's clutches and dared not let her dry her hair again. She quickly stood up to find a comb to brush her hair. "This is just the beginning. There will be even more people later. I'm already worried that we won't be able to get the supplies in time."

The reason why the sportswear was found to be moldy today is actually related to the fact that the goods were ordered too hastily.

With such a large volume of goods being shipped and frequent inbound and outbound shipments, it's easy for errors to occur.

No, we need to build another large warehouse, otherwise we won't have enough space.

Chen Yanqiu asked incredulously, "You need even more people? Will you have enough planes then?"

As far as she knows, more than 300 people came today, taking two separate flights.

"Let's see," Wang Xiao said, also worried. "If it doesn't work out, we'll have to find a way to rent another plane and get another flight."

Chen Yanqiu became increasingly worried. Unable to bear the heat, she turned the electric fan up to the highest setting and grumbled, "If there are any more people, I think they'll get heatstroke."

Wang Xiao became increasingly worried: "I can only hope that the house will be built soon so that I can turn on the air conditioning."

Those air conditioners cost her a lot of money.

Sigh, electricity is also a problem. She might have to find a way to build a power plant to ensure the airport and commercial city's power needs. By the way, which power plant is the fastest to get up and running?

No, I need to ask someone else again. We must get the power generation equipment up and running immediately.

You can ask her when you go to the university to do recruitment, otherwise she won't know who to ask.

Oh, right.

"Mom, who around here can speak Mongolian? I'm thinking of starting a Mongolian language class."

"Master Zhang from Building 7 can speak Mongolian. Why are you asking someone to learn Mongolian again?"

“It’s useful. There might be foreign businessmen from Outer Mongolia coming later.” Wang Xiao became interested. “Master Zhang is Mongolian? I didn’t realize it at all.”

Although they all belong to the Han Chinese nation, each region and ethnic group still has its own typical characteristics. Master Zhang has the typical appearance of a southerner.

"Hey, what do you know?" Dr. Chen was in a better mood now, and her movements as she combed her daughter's hair were much gentler. "Him? He was one of the three thousand orphans who went to Mongolia. During the three years of natural disasters, the orphanages didn't have enough to eat, so people in Inner Mongolia took them in and raised them. Later, he went to university and came to work at our steel factory. His mother, who is his foster mother, is very generous. She rarely comes here, but she always brings lots of things. You even drank their mare's milk wine, didn't you? Don't you remember? All you know is eating!"

Wang Xiao died unjustly. She had only been in this world for less than a year; how could she have known?

Wow, I didn't expect her to have "The End of the Sea is the Grassland" by her side.

She didn't care about her hair anymore and urged Chen Yanqiu, "Mom, come on, come on, take me to visit Master Zhang. I want to ask him to be my teacher."

Dr. Chen was exasperated: "Can't you take a break at night?"

Wang Tiejun is working the night shift tonight, and she wanted to sit on the sofa with her daughter, watch Hong Kong TV dramas, and chat.

However, Wang Xiao lacked any tenderness or affection, and she firmly refused: "I can't rest. I need to finish today's work today, and there will be tomorrow's work. Besides, it's not time to sleep yet."

She really couldn't afford to waste time, because the team formed by Juan Wang was full of Juan Wangs everywhere in the martial arts world.

Xiang Dong acted swiftly, inviting Feng Zhonglin, the former general manager of the People's Department Store, to a restaurant for drinks on Sunday night to finalize the job transfer.

Then on Monday morning, Wang Xiao and the newly appointed General Manager Feng went directly to the provincial university to recruit.

Universities are quite free now. Anyway, the school has not commented on their recruitment efforts, or to be more specific, nobody cares at all.

Students at the school were either leisurely or rushing around, and some came over to inquire about recruitment. Hearing that there were no management positions available, even though the company was located in the provincial capital and was a Sino-foreign joint venture, not many people showed interest.

Wang Xiao's eyes darted around, and suddenly she had an idea. She earnestly emphasized to the rare guy who showed interest, "Our company regularly sends staff abroad on business trips, sometimes for several months at a time, in places like Europe, the Soviet Union, or even Japan and South Korea. If your family situation makes it inconvenient to travel, you shouldn't consider our company for now."

As soon as she said that, the eyes of several students who had been watching the commotion lit up.

Due to adjustments in national policies, it is currently difficult for graduates to study abroad. Working abroad, however, is a dream job for many.

Immediately, a crowd gathered around, young men and women chasing after Wang Xiao, asking, "Is it really possible to go abroad?"

Wang Xiao replied immediately, "Of course, I just came back from Moscow last month. We're also arranging for people to go to Hungary and other European countries soon."

Some people worry: "That foreign language, I don't speak Hungarian or Russian."

Wang Xiao smiled broadly: "It's alright, your English is quite good, learning a new language shouldn't be a problem. We have dedicated teachers to train you."

Hey, with the carrot of an overseas business trip dangling in front of him, Wang Xiao really managed to fool quite a few college students.

Tsk, contemporary college students are indeed as clear-headed as ever, just like decades ago.

Feng Zhonglin didn't dare to comment on his boss's character, and quickly started searching for the talent he needed.

Yes, they're all greenhorns. Train them from scratch, and they'll be as easy to manage as your own limbs in the future.

We'll hire a few more this time, so we don't run out of people to use later.

Despite the constant emphasis in newspapers and magazines on being wary of capitalism, as a veteran department store owner, Feng Zhonglin's intuition tells him that national policy still aims to revitalize the market economy.

He didn't come to this conclusion out of thin air.

It's important to understand that border trade began to flourish in the mid-1980s when Sino-Soviet relations eased. Even with the tense political climate of recent years, trade has never stopped; in fact, it has grown significantly.

Especially this year, the month before last, in April, the Hohhot-Ulaanbaatar direct international passenger train 305/306 was launched, and the Erenhot Municipal Government opened its first-ever border residents' barter market on the sidewalk.

What does this mean? It means the country will further expand its foreign trade and integrate with the world. Once the country's doors are opened, they will never be closed again.

Why would Feng Zhonglin, a retired cadre nearing retirement, take a leave of absence without pay to work alongside young people? It's not the 5,000 yuan salary he's after.

To put it bluntly, at his level, he definitely doesn't lack money.

What he truly values ​​is this cause.

He felt that his golden years should shine brightly at Zhimen Airport and the International Trade City.

Just you wait and see, this is only the beginning.

Seeing that his recruitment was going very well, Wang Xiao took the opportunity to consult a university professor about independent power generation.

The other party replied that the conditions at Zhimen were perfect for building a small hydroelectric power station to supply electricity, as the area was originally a polder region with abundant water resources.

Back in the commune era, there were small hydroelectric power stations in the area. Later, when the thermal power plants in the city had increased their power supply capacity, the small power stations were shut down.

Wow, what a fruitful day!

Wang Xiao quickly followed the professor's recommendation and bought a complete set of hydroelectric power generation equipment. Then he hired someone to survey and install generators at Zhimen to meet his daily electricity needs.

Seeing how anxious she was, Chen Yanqiu was extremely worried: "If you keep acting like this, they'll definitely rip you off."

What's wrong with university professors? There are plenty of university professors who run businesses and they still rip people off.

Wang Xiao didn't care at all. He figured he might as well rip them off. It wasn't like they were doing a long-term, large-volume deal; it was just a small business transaction.

To put it arrogantly, her time is worth more than mountains of gold and silver. Every moment of hers is worth a fortune; she's making a fortune every minute.

Of course, she couldn't tell her mother this, or she would definitely get criticized.

Getting cocky, huh? You've only made a little money? You think you're invincible!

Wang Xiao didn't give her mother a chance to make a move. She ran around and managed to rent an empty barracks from the army, then quickly converted it into a power plant.

However, before the hydroelectric generator could be fully commissioned, a torrential downpour struck.

Actually, it started raining on and off from June 3rd. But at that time, there were more sunny days than rainy days. At least half of the day was sunny, and the rain wasn't particularly heavy, lasting about half an hour each time.

This continued for a week, and then the provincial capital suddenly began to experience torrential rain.

Well, now I don't have to worry about heatstroke. The wind and rain are strong, and to be honest, Wang Xiao even felt a bit cold.

The villages near Zhimen Airport are going crazy.

It's the harvest season for wheat and rapeseed right now, and this kind of heavy rain is going to kill people.

Even families who harvested wheat and rapeseed earlier were devastated, because if the harvested crops weren't dried properly, they would get too hot and sprout.

If that happens, the crops will have no way to be stored.

Sigh, half a year of hard work, and it all comes back to square one.

Some people tried to save themselves. Those who raised geese or ducks simply drove them into the fields to eat the wheat when the rain stopped. Since they couldn't harvest it anyway, they might as well use it as feed.

It's better than nothing, at least.

Some people even saw the wheat sprout and, without saying a word, simply fed it to the pigs.

Buying pig feed costs money, so let's just consider it an early New Year for the pigs.

Of course, there are also some particularly quick-witted people who quickly spotted a business opportunity in it.

They started brewing wine from wheat.

Through dealing with the black marketeers and their associates over this period, the nearby villagers had long since discovered that the Russians' fondness for alcohol was not just a legend; they genuinely loved to drink alone. They drank alcohol more than water.

Since the wheat can't be stored any longer, we might as well quickly brew it into alcohol and sell it to the Russians.

As for brewing techniques, many families in that era knew how to do it themselves. The bulk liquor sold by the supply and marketing cooperatives, the kind stored in large vats, was also brewed by the cooperatives themselves.

This homemade, rudimentary liquor is surprisingly popular with middlemen and resellers. It costs two yuan per jin (500g), targeting the market with its low price and large volume.

Wang Xiao took a sip and thought it was alright. It certainly couldn't compare to a proper famous wine, but it wasn't bad either.

However, she doubted that with the output of over a thousand people and fifteen hundred acres of land in the two nearby villages, even if the number of middlemen in Zhimen were increased tenfold, they wouldn't be able to finish drinking that much liquor in a short time.

Well, we'll sell whatever we can; it's better than letting it mold and rot.

She couldn't drink, and she didn't dare let her employees drink and cause trouble. In fact, these Russians drank alcohol like water every day, which frightened her.

Fortunately, they still had some sense and knew that they had come all the way to Jiangdong to make money, so they were somewhat aware of that.

Wang Xiao was eager to try it out and asked everyone if they wanted to make maltose. This stuff can be stored for a long time, and the Russians love sweets, so it would be perfect to supply them.

As a result, she was ridiculed. Maltose only requires a small amount of malt, and the main ingredient is rice, preferably glutinous rice.

The wheat is all wasted now, so farmers can't possibly use rice like this anymore. Until the autumn harvest, families will have to rely on last year's rice to get by.

When Wang, who rarely showed weakness, could only rub her nose. The only thing she could do for the villagers was to accept the wheat kernels they husked and add them to the rice to cook wheat kernel rice or wheat kernel porridge.

Why not flour? Because the wheat can't be dried in this kind of weather, making it difficult to grind into flour.

Yes, wheat kernels are good too.

Before she transmigrated into the book, wheat kernels were generally much more expensive than rice and flour.

It is said that using it to cook porridge or rice can help control blood sugar.

However, Ms. Wang quickly forgot about developing eighteen uses for wheat, as her current situation was making her even more distraught.

With rain like this, there's definitely no way we can hold an international bazaar anymore.

An inflatable tent can only block gentle breezes and light rain, not a downpour like this.

If this continues, the tent will turn into a boat and float on the water.

Since the international trade city is not yet completed, the only temporary solution is to convert warehouses into shops and add a row of prefabricated houses to make do with the business.

She truly believed that if it weren't for its location next to the airport, and the availability of planes and flights, the business in this commercial center would have been completely unsustainable.

As a result, flights had to be frequently delayed due to the heavy rain.

Wang Xiao felt that three days was enough.

The rain was pouring down like a waterfall; even "torrential" wouldn't be enough to describe its intensity.

During those endless torrential rains, it's impossible to continue building the house.

If it weren't for the forced implementation of self-generated power, the dehumidifier she had painstakingly acquired would have been useless, and the warehouse would have truly become moldy.

The situation in the city is not optimistic either. The radio broadcasts water level reports every day, a typical flood season, with the water level rising higher and higher each day.

The steel plant was simply notified to send personnel to participate in flood relief. First, young people were sent to the emergency response team, and later even people as old as Wang Tiejun were sent.

It was only then that Wang Xiao vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

But it's alright.

After all, Wang Tiejun was the workshop director, and the factory leaders had hinted that they would consider promoting him to deputy factory director.

At this moment, if he doesn't show off, who will?

Even when the moat overflowed, tram lines in the city were broken by fallen trees, all trams in the city were suspended, and the newly opened bus service from Zhimen to the city center was also suspended, Wang Xiao didn't feel anything particularly bad.

Anyway, there are still military barracks available for rent to accommodate everyone, and some houses in nearby villages have vacant rooms available to host guests.

In the suburbs of the provincial capital, the rural areas are not much worse off, and many families have built multi-story houses.

Even if it's temporarily inconvenient for people to travel between the city center and Jiangzhimen, their basic living needs are still guaranteed.

It's true, she experienced urban flooding almost every year before she transmigrated into the book. These things were nothing unusual for her.

The university she attended was located in a disaster-prone area, and it would make the news almost every rainy season due to severe flooding. She and her roommates even caught crayfish outside their dormitory building.

Unfortunately, no one dared to eat it.

Having seen so much, Wang Xiao is now indifferent to these experiences and only thinks about getting back to work as soon as the floodwaters recede.

The others around him weren't worried either. When the road first got flooded, Tang Yicheng even went to wash his motorcycle. People living in the south are very familiar with heavy summer rains.

The children in the nearby villages didn't share their parents' worries; they spent their days running around, vying to catch fish in the water.

After waiting for a week, the rain finally subsided a bit, and Wang Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She stretched and prepared to go out to check the situation so she could urge the construction company to get started quickly while the weather was nice.

It's because they were too slow that they didn't make it through the plum rain season, leaving everyone in such a mess.

Hurry up, everyone hurry up.

We must make up for the time we've wasted.

While the sky is overcast and the sun isn't scorching, let's speed things up.

As soon as Wang Xiao stepped outside, he bumped into the political commissar of the air force base, whose exact rank he didn't know.

The political commissar, not yet thirty, looked anxious and urged her upon seeing her, "Oh dear, why can't I get through to you on the phone? Hurry, Mr. Wang, pack up and evacuate immediately. The higher-ups have decided that in order to protect the provincial capital, they will immediately breach the dike here to release the floodwaters."

flood discharge?

Wang Xiao exploded on the spot.

Are you kidding me?

Why is the selection committee releasing water from Zhimen Airport? Is she deaf or are they out of their minds?

It's amazing that they could come up with such a thing.

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Have a great weekend! There will be another chapter at 5 PM.

In addition, the following information is available regarding calendars from this era:

In the 1960s and 70s, calendars published by the People's Daily and various art and pictorial publishing houses were mainly given as gifts. Calendars of this period often featured themes of leaders and model operas. It wasn't until the early 1980s that calendars began to truly enter the lives of ordinary people.

Since the reform and opening up in the 1980s, the content of wall calendars has become more diverse and colorful, and their format has also begun to change, with the number of copies issued increasing year by year. The period from 1985 to 1990 was the heyday of wall calendars. Because the interior decoration at that time was very simple, wall calendars became important decorative items. Images of beautiful women, cars, calligraphy and paintings by celebrities, natural scenery, and even human body art became very popular, and giving wall calendars as gifts during the Chinese New Year became a trend.

Although calendars were very expensive at that time, they were very popular and were one of the top choices for gifts when people visited relatives and friends at the end of the year. During this period, enterprises and institutions would buy a number of calendars as precious gifts to give to their employees. Every household would feel proud to receive one or more beautiful calendars. They played a strong supporting role in the operation of publishing houses and bookstores and almost became a "cash cow" for the book publishing industry.

Back then, workplaces used public funds to buy calendars, so they weren't cheap, costing around 40 or 50 yuan each, which was a considerable sum for people at the time. The use of public funds to purchase calendars further fueled the booming market.

In 1993, a full-size wall calendar was priced as high as 200 yuan, which was astonishing. Not only did the size of the calendar increase, but the materials also improved rapidly, such as silk scarf calendars, cloth calendars, and sandalwood calendars... The price of calendars also kept rising.

On the other hand, the beauties on calendars were no longer just big stars; they were becoming increasingly vulgar. In the early 1990s, the State Press and Publication Administration lifted the five-year ban on printing bikini swimsuit calendars and delegated the approval authority for publishing books containing images of nude women to art and photography publishing houses, which then arranged for publication according to the general topic selection management procedures.

So, starting in 1993, swimsuit and beach beauties began to appear in large numbers on calendars, supposedly in bikinis, but mostly completely nude. In early 1994, some publishers began to consider nude beauties, figuring that only in this way could they beat the "swimsuit series".

At this point, the State Press and Publication Administration issued a statement: the images for bikini swimsuit calendars were limited to photographs of sports activities, including swimming and bodybuilding competitions, and the tone had to be wholesome; contemporary nude photography was prohibited…

Despite their high price, the cost of wall calendars was actually quite low. An employee of the Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House recalled that in the early 1990s, a single wall calendar could be printed in quantities of 300,000 to 500,000 copies, generating an annual profit of 8 million yuan. This high profit margin sparked a wall calendar war in the market at the time.

By the end of 1995, the calendar market suddenly became sluggish, which was related to the government's restrictions on the use of public funds for calendars. In 1996, Beijing issued an order prohibiting the use of public funds to purchase calendars. The calendar market encountered its first downturn.

On the other hand, the government has also introduced policies to limit high prices for retail calendars. For example, the Ningxia Press and Publication Bureau and Price Bureau set a maximum price limit on the retail price of calendars published and sold by Ningxin Publishing House in 1995. For all officially published and sold calendars from 1995, the following maximum retail price limit will be implemented from the date of this notice:

Regardless of the publisher's own pricing or the type of printing materials, the retail price of a 13-page (odd-month) calendar must not exceed 30 yuan; a 7-page (even-month) calendar must not exceed 15 yuan; a full-sheet (13-page, odd-month) calendar must not exceed 50 yuan; and a full-sheet (7-page, even-month) calendar must not exceed 25 yuan. The first-level wholesale discount for publishing and distribution units in the autonomous region must not be less than 68%, and they are prohibited from secretly giving rebates to other units or individuals.

Since 2001, sales of wall calendars have been declining across the country. Compared to its previous "peak period," the traditional wall calendar market has now fallen by about 80%.

Nowadays, it's rare to see traditional Chinese items like wall calendars and New Year pictures. We check the date on our phones and don't need wall calendars anymore. But looking back on that time, those wall calendars that were popular back then seem like a microcosm of history.