"The information has been registered. The business license and tax registration certificate will take a week to be issued. You can go home and wait now!" The staff carefully checked the information again, then nodded to the Chen Xihua sisters.
"Okay, thank you!" Chen Chunhua put the ID card she brought, the household registration book, bankbook, and the '5+1' logo drawing drawn by her fifth sister back into her schoolbag.
The two rode their bicycles home and each gulped down a large glass of cold water. In the afternoon of mid-July, around three or four o'clock, if they stayed outside for even a few more minutes, they felt like they were going to get heatstroke.
"Finally done!" Chen Xihua breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling refreshed and comfortable under the ceiling fan.
She encountered difficulties in the early stages of starting her business. She used to envy her father for being the chairman of the board, thinking that he could just sit in the office and give orders. He seemed relaxed and carefree, as if his assistants were the ones doing all the work.
"Third sister, what style of clothes do you like?" Chen Xihua asked, raising an eyebrow as she was in a good mood.
"Xiao Wu, are you buying me new clothes?" Chen Meihua, who had been feeling stuffy in the house that afternoon, suddenly brightened up. "I like dresses, white ones, with lace trim, pleats at the hem, preferably lace..."
"Dream on!" Chen Jinhua scoffed.
"Fifth Sister, I like sportswear!" Chen Baohua, who was leaning against the sofa bed, suddenly got up, not even putting on slippers, turned around the screen cabinet, and stared at Chen Xihua with anticipation in her eyes.
"Fifth sister, I want a light green floral print shirt!" Chen Xiuhua looked up at Chen Xihua, feeling a little excited. Her clothes were mostly gray and white tops, black pants, or school uniforms. She suddenly wanted to try other colors and patterns.
Uh, Chen Xihua sighed, pursed her lips, and wondered if the family hadn't bought new clothes in a long time. It seemed so! Then, waving her hand, she said, "Then when the first batch of clothes is made, I'll save one set for each of you!"
Chen Chunhua feigned anger, glaring at Chen Xihua, making a promise before the clothes were even finished.
"Fifth Sister wanted to ask what styles you liked and give us your opinions so our workshop could make clothes for you!" Chen Chunhua gave her younger siblings a reproachful look. She hadn't bought any new clothes in a long time either. However, she always wore two sets of school uniforms at school, and when she got home, she wore faded old clothes and her mother's old clothes from when she was young.
At eighteen, she was about the same height and build as her mother when she was young. She could still wear some of her clothes, even if they were a bit old or outdated, as they were still of good quality and many were handmade by her grandmother.
The three people, who had just been excitedly thinking they were going to buy new clothes, froze on their feet: "..."
"Wait a little longer, and I'll give each of you a new set of clothes in a month!" Chen Xihua already had a basic design in mind. She would make three styles first: two women's outfits, one simple and elegant, one ladylike and petite, and one men's outfit.
"Taking advantage of the summer vacation, I also want to knit two more bags to match the women's clothing we're about to produce." Chen Xihua plans to make only ten bags of each style, initially as promotion for the clothing, and then make custom orders if needed later!
"What color do you want? I'll find someone to buy it!" Chen Jinhua was already very familiar with buying cotton yarn, so she didn't need to ask Sister Xiaolan anymore; she could find someone else.
Chen Jinhua still has a few trustworthy classmates. Some of them were people she had met in a fight before, and some of them had been helped by her. Many of them had dropped out of high school. Some were doing odd jobs at construction sites in the new district of the county's north area, while others had gone to work in factories in big cities.
"Ten catties each of sandalwood red and light green! Big sister, go and get 20,000 yuan tomorrow morning. Sister Xiaolan should come to see us in a few days!" The workshop's rent for a year, the sewing machine's rent for two years, and the money for purchasing the first batch of fabric, 20,000 yuan should be enough.
"How can we help?" Chen Baohua's intentions were obvious; he also had a part to share.
“Okay, you can all share your ideas about the clothes and try to make the first batch before school starts in September!” Chen Xihua wasn’t actually worried about the style of the clothes; she could draw inspiration from the fashion of her previous life. However, she brought it up casually so that her siblings could also participate.
She was a little worried about the workshop in Zhangjia Village and whether the sewing workers hired by the village could achieve the effect of her design drawings, but the pressure mainly fell on the tailors!
"Third sister, have your middle school entrance exam results come out yet?" Chen Xihua noticed that her third sister, Chen Meihua, had been a little excited when talking about her new clothes, but now she seemed distracted again!
"Ah, it's...it's out!" Chen Meihua's voice was weak!
"How many points?" Chen Xihua raised an eyebrow.
"It's...it's 428 points!" Chen Meihua bit her lip!
"Fifth Sister, last year when Second Sister took the high school entrance exam, the lowest admission score for several high schools in Jiang City was 429. I wonder what it will be this year?" Chen Xiuhua pointed out why Third Sister was worried!
"So we have to wait for the admission notice, right?" Chen Xihua had a headache. This score, out of 750, wasn't even a passing score!
"Then let's wait!" Second sister Chen Jinhua glanced at Chen Meihua, annoyed by her lack of ambition. What else could this San San do besides being good at arguing and bickering with her and being vain? She scored 453 points last year!
Chen Xihua stopped pressing the issue. Fine, she could only wait for the admission results. Perhaps this year's exam was more difficult, and she'd be accepted! If she was just one or two points short, she'd see if she could pay the sponsorship fee!
For the next week, Chen Xihua spent her time writing and drawing. She modified and designed three sets of fashionable clothes based on what she had seen in her previous life and combined them with the present.
It's fortunate that she learned some simple drawing skills. After all, she didn't have any systematic training in fashion design. But loving beauty and dressing up is a woman's nature. However, she still needed to find a professional designer, so she provided some style, elements, and aesthetic opinions.
The next day, Chen Jinhua bought twenty catties of cotton yarn, and the sisters also started knitting bags. They all wanted to create their own unique bags, no longer limited to the stitches and patterns proposed by Chen Xihua, but to explore on their own and according to their own ideas!
On the third day, Zhang Xiaolan rushed over, looking a little tired but full of energy. Chen Xihua gave her 15,000 yuan directly and told her to go back and proceed according to the plan, such as renting a room, renting a sewing machine, and hiring workers. He also gave her three patterns and explained some details to her.
Zhang Xiaolan carefully put the money into her bag, feeling nervous. It was 15,000 yuan! She gave it to her directly and then tentatively asked, "What do you mean?"
“Little Sister Wu, Master Hong, whom I used to learn how to make clothes from, is back. He said he couldn’t adapt to life in the provincial capital after more than a year and he’s not getting along well with his daughter-in-law!”
"Well, and then! Sister Xiaolan, just tell me!" Chen Xihua raised an eyebrow, looking quite interested!
"Grandma Hong knows that someone runs a clothing workshop in the village, and she also wants to work there, but... but she's a bit old. She's very good at making clothes; she studied it when she was young. I'm just worried..." Zhang Xiaolan was a little nervous. She thought Grandma Hong was very skilled, but going to the workshop at her age might be too much for her health.
“I understand. You’re worried that she’s too old to work in the workshop and might get hurt, but you don’t want to refuse her. Besides, her skills are really good, right?” Chen Xihua has great respect for artisans, especially those who dedicate their lives to one thing!
"Yes, yes!" Zhang Xiaolan suddenly became excited and nodded repeatedly. Little Fifth Sister had said everything she wanted to say!
"Okay, ask your grandfather if he agrees to her going to the workshop!" Chen Xihua thought for a moment and then said.
"I have no problem with that, but I can offer a suggestion: if her skills are really good, we can hire her as a technical advisor, to ask her for advice on cutting fabric and some sewing details."
She doesn't need to work in the workshop; she can work at home. I can pay her up to eight hundred yuan a month." Chen Xihua paused, feeling a little unaccustomed to Xiao Lan's humble and eager-to-learn expression.
"As for whether or not to ask her, it's up to you and Grandpa Zhang. After all, you understand the actual situation. Like I said, it's entirely up to you to decide. I'm very reassured!" Chen Xihua felt that having an experienced craftswoman around was a good thing. She just had more theoretical knowledge than others, but practical experience still depended on a real craftswoman!
"Okay, I understand! I'll head back now!" Zhang Xiaolan seemed to have made up her mind and was no longer troubled by her indecisiveness! She carefully pressed her hand against the old Liberation satchel at her waist once more!
"Oh, and one more thing, every worker needs to sign a contract: job description, compensation, confidentiality, etc., as well as a lease agreement: rent, sewing machine. We are a legitimate company, and we need to protect the rights of both parties! Your grandfather should know how to write this contract!" Chen Xihua was also worried about employee disputes, and recruiting workers in a village meant that if trouble broke out, the whole village would come knocking on their door!
"Okay, my grandfather mentioned it too!" Zhang Xiaolan suddenly felt a little embarrassed. She hadn't thought it through and even said that her grandfather was being unnecessary. They were all from the same village, so why couldn't she trust him?
"Okay, go back now, be careful on the road!" Chen Xihua saw Sister Xiaolan off, her brows furrowed. Sister Xiaolan had been through so much, yet she could still maintain her kind heart and not think that people were all bad. She didn't know whether that was good or bad. She was afraid that Sister Xiaolan might encounter someone unexpectedly and be hit hard by the realities of society, but she was even more afraid that she might walk ninety-nine steps without ever encountering them, only to be struck down by a stick in the end!
Fanghua Garment Workshop officially started operations on July 18th, which was the third day after it received its business license.
They hired ten sewing machine operators, one security guard, Uncle Zhang San, who was Xiaolan's cousin who went to serve in the army with Xiaolan's father but was discharged after injuring his left leg. Currently, Xiaolan is the only tailor, but they specially hired Granny Hong, an experienced tailor, as her technical advisor, who has provided Xiaolan with significant help in tailoring.
"Xiao Wu, the workshop is starting work today, are we really not going to go and check it out? Who did the village hire? What if someone can't make the clothes well?" Chen Chunhua frowned, very worried!
"No need, big sister. Didn't my second sister and I invite Grandpa Zhang and Sister Xiaolan to a restaurant for dinner yesterday?" Chen Xihua said helplessly. Her big sister was always watching her, afraid that she would make a mistake, and was too careful and nervous.
"I've discussed all the details with them. Our workshop pays by the piece for the final product. We only get paid if it passes quality inspection; otherwise, it has to be reworked!"
Chen Xihua remained calm. There might be some mistakes at the beginning, but it didn't matter. It was better to make mistakes at the beginning than later.
She believed that Grandpa Zhang would supervise and manage things well, and that her going there would only disrupt his work arrangements!
"Alright then!" Chen Chunhua didn't know if she was truly relieved or if she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong, but she walked into the kitchen with a heavy heart.
"Big sister, you'll be going back to school in August, right? Actually, you don't need to worry, we'll keep an eye on the workshop!" Chen Xihua said, raising her voice outside the dining hall.
“That’s right, big sister. You can go back to school at the end of the month without worry. The last year of high school is crucial. There’s a fifth younger sister at home! Aren’t you worried about her?” Chen Xiuhua could also see that her big sister was worried!
"I understand, you all just need to keep an eye on Xiao Wu!" Chen Chunhua, who was cooking in the kitchen, said seriously. Actually, she was most worried about Xiao Wu. He was very bold. Such a big event as the opening of the workshop, he didn't even go to check on it. He just acted like a hands-off boss. Although she didn't want others to know that they had opened it, she could secretly go to Zhangjia Village to check on it. That would put people at ease!
As for herself, she was in her final year of high school and couldn't afford to be distracted. She knew how important the college entrance exam was without her fifth sister constantly reminding her! The workshop was run by her fifth sister alone, and the other sisters would definitely listen to her.
We still need to think of a way. Oh, and we can't give the money and bankbook to Xiao Wu.
"Xiao Wu, when you went to Haishi before, did you do something bad that made your older sister so worried about you! Humph, you must have done something bad!" Chen Jinhua looked like she was asking for gossip, with a sly look and a very certain tone!
“I think so!” Chen Meihua was also a little curious.
"What bad things could I possibly do? Big sister is just worried about our family's clothing workshop!" Chen Xihua shrugged, utterly helpless!
The older sister is now keeping a close eye on her, watching her every move, every action, and even interrogating her about any requests for money! It's as if she's about to do something earth-shattering again!
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