Chapter 114 New Mission
The three women soon sat together, and Chen Cuifen's joining seemed to inject a steady and powerful technical force.
She not only demonstrated more complex and sturdy weaving techniques, but also brought new ideas: "...My mother's family has a traditional method of dyeing cloth with indigo. The color seeps in and lasts even after washing several times. If I could find indigo, I could dye some strips of cloth and weave them in. The color would be even more beautiful."
Zhang Xiumei shared which slope of the mountain behind has the toughest grass and how to deal with it so that it doesn't prick your hands.
Gu Qiuyue combined the strengths of both and continuously proposed improvement plans: "Sister Xiumei is an expert in grass picking and processing, and Sister Cuifen's ancestral weaving method is our guarantee of quality. I will be responsible for thinking up new styles and how to sell them.
Let's set a small goal: within two weeks, work together to make two or three samples of each of the following: a summer hat, a large vegetable basket, a cradle mat, a sewing basket, and a utility basket, each in different shapes and colors. As for the marking…" She picked up a piece of thin wire, "how about using red thread to weave a small five-pointed star on the inside of the handle?"
"Okay!" Zhang Xiumei was the first to respond, full of energy.
"Let's give it a try." Chen Cuifen also nodded slightly, her eyes focused on the simple straw hat sketch drawn by Gu Qiuyue, her fingers subconsciously simulating the weaving movements.
The afterglow of the setting sun gently enveloped the courtyard, and tough grass, cloth strips and semi-finished products were spread on the stone table.
The children were weaving small rings with grass stems in the corner of the yard, their laughter clear. Gu Qiuyue poured the jasmine tea she had brought for her two sisters-in-law, and the sweet aroma filled the air.
The three women's conversation, their occasional laughter, mingled, filled with a vision for the future and a down-to-earth drive. Looking at the nascent coasters and sewing basket, and Zhang Xiumei's eagerness, Gu Qiuyue felt both fulfilled and subtly stressed. Starting a business is challenging, not to mention the heavy teaching load she'd face when her students returned to school in a few days.
At the same time, an idea also emerged: maybe I could use my foreign language advantage to find information about foreign handicraft design or market? Before I could think about it further -
"Is Comrade Gu Qiuyue home?" A messenger in military uniform trotted over to the courtyard gate, holding a thick brown paper envelope printed with foreign letters. "There's an expedited letter for you! It's from the capital. It seems to be from some... translation agency?"
Gu Qiuyue's heart skipped a beat and she quickly stood up to take it. The envelope was clearly printed with the logo of a well-known translation agency in Beijing, and a red seal with the word "urgent" was stamped at the end.
When she opened it, her brows furrowed instantly - it was a professional technical document on precision machinery, requiring her to complete a preliminary translation within seven days. The wording was urgent, emphasizing its importance and urgency.
"What's wrong, Sister Qiuyue? Is it something important?" Zhang Xiumei came over and looked at the densely written foreign words on the envelope with a confused look on her face. Chen Cuifen also looked at her with concern.
"Hmm...it's an urgent translation job." Gu Qiuyue took a deep breath, suppressed the sense of urgency in her heart, and tried to speak in a relaxed tone. "Looks like I'll have to work non-stop for the next few days."
As soon as she finished speaking, her eyes inadvertently swept across the courtyard wall. In the shadow of the corner, a piece of clothing suddenly retracted, so fast that it seemed like an illusion.
Gu Qiuyue's eyes narrowed slightly. She recognized the style of the floral shirt - it was Chen Linghui.
Did she seem to have been there the entire time? Looking at the lively discussion here, and then at the abruptly arranged expedited letter with a foreign-language logo in her hand... Gu Qiuyue's heartstrings quietly tightened.
"Sister Qiuyue?" Zhang Xiumei called out in confusion when she saw her staring blankly outside the courtyard wall.
"Oh, it's okay," Gu Qiuyue quickly came back to her senses, carefully put away the heavy translation materials, and put a smile on her face again, but there was a hint of subtle solemnity in her eyes. "Sister Xiumei, Sister Cuifen, thank you for today. Regarding the straw weaving matter, we will do it according to what we discussed just now.
This translation task is urgent, I have to go back and take a look."
"Okay, okay, business is more important!" Zhang Xiumei quickly stood up and swiftly picked up the tough grass on the ground. "I'll take the things back first. We'll meet again when you're done with this."
Chen Cuifen also stood up silently and picked up the exquisite sewing basket: "Qiuyue, this basket... can you keep it for now? It's very good for storing needles and threads." There was a hint of simple concern in her tone.
"Thank you, Sister Cuifen!" Gu Qiuyue's heart warmed as she took it. "This craftsmanship is truly amazing. I will definitely put it to good use."
After seeing off the two sisters-in-law, the courtyard suddenly became quiet, with only the rustling sound of children playing with grass stems in the corner. The setting sun completely sank into the horizon, and dusk was all around. Gu Qiuyue took a deep breath, neatly picked up the grass scraps and cloth strips on the stone table, took the two children into the house, and started cooking.
After settling the two children to bed and taking out picture books for them to read, she sat down at the desk and carefully unfolded the precision machinery information written entirely in German.
Dense professional terms and complex structural diagrams instantly filled her vision. The technical depth of this information far exceeded the ordinary documents she had encountered before, involving the latest transmission principles and precision processing technology. She took a deep breath, took out a dictionary and a thick notebook, and forced herself to calm down.
Time is the order, and she must finish the seven days. Fortunately, it is still summer vacation and she doesn't need to go to work for the time being, but as it is her first time as a teacher, she still has to prepare lesson notes in advance.
After a while, Xie Shiyu also got off work. When he opened the door, he didn't smell the aroma of food. Instead, he saw his wife hunched over the desk. The halo of the desk lamp enveloped her slender but taut back. The tip of the pen made a dense rustling sound as it scratched across the paper. The two children were curled up on the bed next to them, head to head, reading picture books. It was a rare quiet moment.
He walked over lightly, his eyes falling on the thick German materials spread out and the notebook filled with densely written notes next to it. He instantly understood that the registration seemed to be going smoothly, but this sudden "urgent task" was obviously of great importance.
Xie Shiyu didn't rush to speak. He walked to the bed first, bent down and rubbed the two little guys' heads: "Shuangshuang, Huahua, were you good today?"
"Dad!" Shuangshuang immediately raised her little face and held up the grass ring in her hand as if presenting a treasure. "Look! It's made of grass!"
Huahua also called out "Dad", his eyes still glued to the picture book.
"Mm, it's really nice." Xie Shiyu praised gently, "Mom is working, let's keep our voices down and read by ourselves, okay?"
The two children nodded sensibly.
After settling the child, Xie Shiyu walked to the desk. Gu Qiuyue was so focused that she didn't even notice him approaching.
Under the dim light, her brows were slightly furrowed, her lips were tightly pursed, and her fair fingers were quickly flipping through the thick German-Chinese dictionary. Fine beads of sweat oozed from her forehead. The document written entirely in German was like a heavenly book to her.
Xie Shiyu sighed slightly in his heart, but his eyes showed tenderness and a hint of imperceptible pride. His wife was really capable and hardworking. He stretched out his hand, and his broad and warm palm gently fell on Gu Qiuyue's tense shoulders, massaging them twice with moderate force.
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