Chapter 37 A Small Business Strategy: Eggs Lead to a Great Future!
"Trade eggs for blueprints?"
Everyone was stunned when Bai Yuan said this.
Including Jiang Wu herself.
She never expected that the first person to propose a "deal" would be Bai Yuan, with whom she had a previous conflict.
The area around the well fell silent, all eyes focused on Jiang Wu, awaiting her answer.
In this day and age, "buying and selling" is a sensitive word.
Although it was just exchanging eggs for a piece of paper, it already had a hint of "speculation and profiteering" in nature.
If Jiang Wu doesn't handle this well, it could easily give others leverage against her.
Jiang Wu's mind raced.
reject?
That would definitely offend Bai Yuan and discourage the other sisters-in-law.
promise?
Then we need to come up with a foolproof explanation to silence any potential criticism.
She glanced at Zhou Nianci, who was looking at her expectantly, and immediately had an idea.
Jiang Wu did not answer Bai Yuan directly, but looked at Zhou Nianci with a troubled expression.
"Aunt Wang, look at this..."
She passed the buck to the political commissar's wife.
Who is Zhou Nianci? She has lived in the military compound for decades and is very familiar with human relationships.
As soon as she saw Jiang Wu's expression, she knew what the girl was worried about.
Zhou Nianci smiled, patted Bai Yuan's hand, and said to everyone:
“Xiumei, your idea is good. But you can’t call this a ‘change’.”
"What should we call this?" Zhou Nianci cleared her throat, adopting a tone of someone who was doing ideological work.
"This is called neighborly help and support!"
"Comrade Xiaowu is skillful and can draw novel clothing designs, which is her strength. As for you, you have chickens at home that lay eggs, or you have extra cloth ration coupons, which is your strength."
"Now, Comrade Xiaowu has contributed her mental labor to help everyone draw blueprints so that everyone can wear beautiful clothes. In return, everyone should take out some of their surplus items, such as eggs or fabric, and give them to Comrade Xiaowu to improve her life. What is this called? This is called reciprocity!"
"Does this have anything to do with buying and selling? No! This is the simple, honest, and mutually supportive revolutionary neighborly spirit that our military compound promotes!"
Zhou Nianci's words were passionate and powerful.
This directly elevated the matter from the edge of "speculation and profiteering" to the level of "high moral character".
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was going on.
"That's right! Sister-in-law Wang is right! We're helping each other out!"
"What do you mean by 'exchange'? That sounds awful! We just saw how hard it is for our sister-in-law to take care of Commander Qin all by herself, so we brought her some eggs to help her recover!"
"That's right! I happen to have a few yards of new cloth coupons at home, which I don't need. I'll take them to my sister-in-law later!"
The atmosphere immediately became lively.
Zhou Nianci elevated everyone to the level of "revolutionary friendship," making each of them appear exceptionally noble.
Jiang Wu mentally gave Zhou Nianci a thumbs up.
Old ginger is spicier!
With the "official endorsement" from the political commissar's wife, Jiang Wu's "small business" no longer had any worries.
She smiled and said to Bai Yuan, "Sister-in-law Xiumei, since Aunt Wang has said so, I can't refuse. But drawing blueprints takes time, and I can only draw a few a day. How about this, anyone who wants one can register here first, and I'll process them in order to make sure everyone gets one."
“Okay! I’ll go first!” Bai Yuan said happily.
"I'll be second!"
"Me too!"
The sisters-in-law eagerly signed their names.
Jiang Wu took her little notebook and carefully wrote down everyone's name and needs.
For example, Bai Yuan wants a dress that makes her look slimmer.
Sister-in-law Zhang wanted a shirt that would be convenient for working.
Platoon Leader Wang's wife wanted to make a new smock for her child.
...
In just one morning, Jiang Wu had written down more than a dozen names in her notebook.
Her home became the liveliest place in the entire residential compound.
Bai Yuan was the first to deliver ten of her own free-range eggs, still warm from being raised on the ground.
Aunt Zhang brought over a small bag of freshly ground cornmeal.
The people behind brought some cloth coupons, some brought a small bundle of green vegetables, and some even brought a piece of cured meat that they couldn't bear to eat during the New Year.
When Qin Lie returned from the training ground at noon, he was stunned as soon as he pushed open the courtyard gate.
Their small kitchen was piled high with all sorts of things.
Eggs, vegetables, and flour were laid out on the table.
Cured meat and salted fish were hanging on the wall.
Even on the windowsill, there were several bottles of homemade pickled vegetables and chili sauce.
This is even more lavish than the Chinese New Year celebrations.
Meanwhile, his young wife was sitting at the table, happily munching on a big, red apple while sorting through her "spoils of war."
"What... what's going on here?" Qin Lie pointed at the things all over the room, speechless for a long time.
"Ta-da!" Jiang Wu waved the little notebook in her hand like she was showing off a treasure, "This is all my 'earnings' this morning!"
She vividly recounted to Qin Lie what had happened by the well that morning.
Qin Lie couldn't help but laugh when he heard Zhou Nianci's "mutual help" remarks.
"This Zhou Nianci is truly a talent."
"That's right!" Jiang Wu proudly raised her chin. "Don't you know whose mother-in-law she is? People are influenced by their surroundings. Spending time with me has raised their awareness and understanding."
Qin Lie found her amusing and indulgent at the same time, looking at her smug expression as if she had gotten a good deal and was still acting innocent.
He walked over, hugged her from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"Our Xiaowu is now the god of wealth in our compound."
His voice was full of pride.
"Of course." Jiang Wu enjoyed his embrace, turned her head and kissed him on the cheek. "From now on, I'll be responsible for earning money to support the family, and you'll be responsible for being beautiful."
"Okay." Qin Lie agreed with a smile, but tightened his grip on her arm.
In the afternoon, Jiang Wu began her "designer" work.
She moved the sewing machine into the yard and set it up under the shade of the trees.
While drawing, she could also chat with the sisters-in-law who came to visit.
Her "business" is thriving.
A full-length dress design can be exchanged for ten eggs or tickets of equal value.
You can exchange a blueprint for a shirt or pants for five eggs.
If it's children's clothes, then it's even cheaper.
She even launched a "customized service".
We provide personalized designs based on each person's body shape and preferences.
Of course, the price will also be higher.
In just a few days, Jiang Wu's status in the family compound underwent a dramatic change.
In the past, when people mentioned her, they would say, "Commander Qin's country wife."
Now, when people see her, they affectionately call her "Little Wu," with a tone of respect and flattery.
She not only improved her life with her skills, but also gained unprecedented popularity.
However, while some are happy, others are sad.
The woman surnamed Liu, who had been humiliated in public by Jiang Wu, felt a growing sense of jealousy and resentment as she watched Jiang Wu's house bustling with activity while her own remained deserted.
She couldn't bring herself to ask Jiang Wu for help, and seeing all the other military wives wearing fashionable new clothes while she was still wearing her old, drab clothes made her feel even more suffocated.
That evening, her husband, Company Commander Liu of the Second Battalion, came home.
She slammed the rice bowl heavily onto the table.
"What's wrong? Who upset you again?" Company Commander Liu asked impatiently after a long day.
"Who else could I possibly offend? It's just that vixen from the regimental commander's family!" Sister Liu said sarcastically.
"You mean Commander Qin's wife?" Company Commander Liu frowned. "What did she do to you?"
"She's got it all now! Just because she can draw a few lousy pictures, she's got all the women in the compound completely infatuated with her! Every day, a bunch of people fawn over her, bringing her food and drinks, treating her better than their own mothers!"
The more Liu's sister-in-law talked, the angrier she became.
"They have that skill, but they earned it through their own hard work," Company Commander Liu said dismissively.
"Based on labor? That's a nice way of putting it!" Sister Liu sneered. "She's just following the capitalist path! That's just speculation and profiteering! Look at her house, it's practically a supply and marketing cooperative now! If this were a few years ago, she would have been dragged out and criticized long ago!"
"Keep your voice down!" Company Commander Liu was startled and quickly covered her mouth. "You can't say things like that!"
"How could I say anything wrong?" Sister Liu pushed his hand away, lowered her voice, and her eyes flashed with malice.
"Shouldn't the military do something about this? Let this kind of bad behavior spread in our military compound? She's just a family member, living a more comfortable life than us officers who are risking our lives on the front lines. Is this acceptable?"
"Do you know how bad the impact her actions have? What will others think of us soldiers? What will they think of our unit? This is simply tarnishing the reputation of our unit!"
Company Commander Liu was stunned by her words.
He's a roughneck; he wouldn't understand any of these intricacies.
When his wife started making a big deal out of it, he realized that things might be a bit serious.
"Then... then what do you want?"
Seeing that he had been persuaded, Sister Liu's lips curled into a sinister smile.
"You, go see your political commissar tomorrow and report this matter!"
"Take, for example, Commander Qin's wife, who used her status as a family member to engage in rampant speculation and profiteering within the military compound, causing extremely negative consequences!"
"I refuse to believe that there is no law in this world!"
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