After distributing everyone's rewards and wages, Zhu Xiudan glanced at her watch. "Since the mackerel are all dried, there's nothing else to do today. Everyone except the fish-drying team can take their rewards and wages and go home."

"Yu Yao, you've worked hard today, you should go home now."

Yu Yao wiped the sweat from her forehead and nodded.

Zhu Xiudan was worried, so she sent Su Meihua and Sun Yu to help take her home.

The two women helped carry the things, and Yu Yao walked beside them, chatting and laughing as they headed towards the family compound.

Seeing Yu Yao leave, Wang Xiu narrowed her eyes, then looked away and walked to Sister Xiao's side with a smile, asking casually, "Sister Xiao, I haven't seen you bring any meat dishes these past two days? Sister Xiao, don't you love oil? You'll lose weight if you keep doing this."

Their family was dual-income households with no children, so they were willing to spend money. The oil they used for cooking was the best in the residential compound, and their packed lunches were always oily. They often exchanged cloth coupons, industrial coupons, and personal belongings for oil coupons.

According to her observation, she and Yu Yao arrived at work almost one after the other every day.

If Sister Xiao accidentally spills oil all over the ground, and someone accidentally slips and falls, they can only accept their bad luck.

Sister Xiao had just received her salary and bonus and was in a good mood when she heard this, she said, "That's right, we're out of meat coupons this month. I'll find someone to exchange for a few more meat coupons and go over early at the beginning of next month to buy more."

A strange glint flashed in Wang Xiu's eyes. She noted the time, exchanged a few casual pleasantries with Sister Xiao, and left.

Yu family.

Yu Yao carried her reward home and put it on the table.

Wu Wanying and Hu Lingyu were both curious, "Zhizhi, did you go to the supply and marketing cooperative today? Why did you buy so many things?"

Yu Yao: "I didn't go to the supply and marketing cooperative. These were all rewards issued by the sideline work group."

She told us about how much money she made from her side hustle and how she received bonuses and salaries.

Wu Wanying and Hu Lingyu were both proud of her.

"Our Zhizhi is so great, Mom is so proud of you. We'll eat the reward Zhizhi brought back for lunch today."

“I’ll make the seasoning; Zhizhi loves my soy sauce chicken the most.”

The two mothers helped her to a chair to rest, and then went into the kitchen to get busy.

Yu Yao sat in the chair, listening to her two mothers chatting and laughing, and smiled knowingly.

There were needles and thread on the table, along with various cut pieces of fabric and a small garment that was only half-sewn.

Yu Yao picked it up and looked at it. It was pink and tender, and quite pretty.

"Dabao, Xiaobao, look! These are the little clothes Grandma sewed for you. You can wear them when you come out. Aren't they beautiful!"

Bored, Yu Yao picked up a needle and thread, looked at it, and sewed a few stitches.

The soft glow of the setting sun fell on her face, and her expression carried a maternal glow, making her look gentle and beautiful.

Lu Ze was exhausted after a day of training. When he returned home and saw this heartwarming scene, his expression relaxed considerably.

Yu Yao looked up and saw him return. She picked up the little clothes and showed them off to Lu Ze, saying, "These are clothes for Da Bao and Xiao Bao. Aren't they cute?"

Lu Ze took it and saw Yu Yao's needlework behind it, a smile flashing in his eyes.

"It looks pretty good, but the last row of stitches is quite ugly."

"Where is it ugly?" Yu Yao took back the clothes, looked at her patched clothes again, and muttered, "It looked fine when I was sewing it, but now it looks crooked."

She started removing the stitches, feeling embarrassed, but the more she rushed, the worse she did.

"Give it to me." Lu Ze took the clothes from her hand, quickly straightened the tangled threads, and then took the needle and thread to sew them back on.

The stitches were dense, straight, and steady, which surprised Yu Yao.

"I never expected that Commander Lu's hands were not only skilled at shooting and wielding knives, but also so adept at using embroidery needles."

Lu Ze explained, "The bachelors in the military camp all know a little about needlework; they used to mend their own clothes when they were torn."

Yu Yao nodded in understanding, but then realized something was wrong. She squinted and questioned Lu Ze, "You just said you can do needlework, but I remember when we first got married, some people said they couldn't do anything and asked me to make them clothes?"

Lu Ze paused, then cleared his throat. "You're mistaken. I don't recall saying that."

"Really? Someone has learned to lie now, and won't admit to what they said."

Lu Ze had no choice but to change the subject, "The clothes are finished being sewn. I'll go to the kitchen to see if Mom and the others need any help."

As she spoke, she put the clothes back into the sewing box, not daring to look at Yu Yao, and went into the kitchen.

Yu Yao watched his retreating figure and laughed in exasperation.

If you want the clothes she makes, just say so. Don't play the victim. I'll write it down in my little notebook.

Meanwhile, Su Meihua and Sun Yu also carried their things home.

When Grandma Miao and Grandma Ge saw the items, they said in unison, "I knew Xiao Yu was capable. In such a short time, she not only paid back the wages owed to the family members, but also gave out so many rewards. She's really remarkable."

"From now on, you should work hard under Xiao Yu's guidance; your future will be very bright."

The news of the side business group receiving wages and bonuses quickly spread throughout the residential compound, and everyone knew that the side business group was going to prosper under Yu Yao's leadership.

While offering their congratulations, some quick-thinking individuals have already begun considering whether the side hustle team needs more staff.

Of course, human joys and sorrows are not the same; some are happy while others are sad.

Wang Xiu and Qin Lamei went back together, both of them in low spirits.

Qin Lamei felt a heavy, unpleasant feeling in her stomach. As soon as she got home, she sat down on a chair to rest. "Xiuer, could you make me a cup of malted milk powder? I'm so hungry I feel anxious."

Wang Xiu glanced at Qin Lamei, who was massaging her legs, and felt uncomfortable, but she had no choice but to do so because she was living under someone else's roof.

While Qin Lamei wasn't paying attention, she spat into the enamel cup, stirred it with chopsticks, and then handed it to Qin Lamei to eat.

Watching the other person eat it and say it was delicious, Wang Xiu felt an indescribable sense of comfort.

The technique for making dried mackerel is not difficult. With Yu Yao's secret sauce, the dried mackerel produced by the side business group has a unique flavor.

The side hustle group made some samples using various methods for tasting, and everyone thought they tasted good.

The first batch of dried mackerel wasn't very large, so Yu Yao didn't sell it. Instead, she shared some with the people in the sideline business group to eat.

The remaining gifts were given to Zhang He and his friend from the local specialty products company, Manager He from the Hongqi Department Store, and other leaders from state-owned factories whom they had met at the Canton Fair as festival presents.

Each person gave only a small amount, all within the rules and regulations, but they successfully let everyone know the taste of their side business of mackerel in this way.

Just a few days after the Double Ninth Festival, Manager He from Hongqi Department Store came to visit, expressing his desire to purchase a batch of dried mackerel to put on the counter for trial sale.

Yu Yao and Zhu Xiudan were very happy. After agreeing on a delivery time, they immediately sent someone to the fishing company to bring back a batch of fresh mackerel, which they then dried into dried fish.

The contracts between the two companies were naturally handed over to Sun Yu for inspection.

Wang Xiu felt a pang of sadness, but her expression remained gentle. Only she knew that Yu Yao's smile wouldn't last much longer.

Unexpectedly, the opportunity came very soon.