Chapter 90: You're spending money on scraps of cloth. Do you have so much money that you can't afford to burn it? ...
Xu Heye remembers that there was a time when false collars were very popular when she was a child.
Shirts are made of a lot of material, so buying a complete shirt will cost at least a dozen yuan.
But fake collars are different. They use less material, and for ten yuan you can buy several, and you can choose the color and pattern. Wearing a fake collar under a sweater in autumn and winter, with the collar showing, not only looks good but also makes you look stylish.
When it was at its peak, everyone had a fake collar.
Since fake collars haven't been invented yet, why doesn't she start this business?
She is knowledgeable. Although she is not a professional designer, she can design different styles of false collars based on the popular clothes of later generations.
She has connections, her aunt works in a textile factory and can help her buy a lot of fabrics at low prices and good quality.
Lian's mother used to work in a garment factory and had excellent sewing skills. She also had a sewing machine at home. She could borrow Aunt Lian's sewing machine and ask her to help her with the work. Many aunties in Zhangshu Lane made clothes, and if the work sold well, she could hire them to do the work.
She also has a sales team. My uncle Lu Jun and his team have been setting up a stall for several months and have already developed their speaking skills.
The more Xu Heye thought about it, the more she felt that this business was feasible.
Xu Heye came to her senses and replied to Dong Xinghua, "Aunt, a fake collar is just a shirt collar, not a garment body."
She gestured, "A fake collar is actually a real collar. But it's not quite a collar. It still has a front, a back, buttons, and buttonholes, but only a small section of the top of the shirt remains. When worn under a coat, with the collar exposed, it looks just like a real collar."
Xu Heye ran back to her room, drew a simple design, and showed it to Dong Xinghua: "Look, auntie, this is the fake collar."
"Aunt, what do you say we make some fake collars and sell them?"
"Sell?"
"Yes." Xu Heye explained to Dong Xinghua while drawing on paper, "Aunt, we can design different collars based on different materials and colors. For example, ordinary shirt collars are square-cornered, which is more pointed and more suitable for men.
But we can make some curved ones, like this one. This is more gentle and intellectual, suitable for women. For example, if it is lace fabric, you can make some ruffles on the collar, which is very playful and cute, and looks good on little girls too.
"Besides, it's winter now, so just wearing a sweater is a bit boring. If I could wear a faux collar underneath, wouldn't it be more decent and fashionable?"
"Also, clothes don't dry easily in winter, but collars get dirty easily. If you continue to wear them without washing them, it's embarrassing if others see you. But if you wash them all, they won't dry easily in the cold weather. Plus, clothes will fade and become worn if you wash them too much. But fake collars are different."
She pointed at her drawings and said, "This thing uses very little material and can be made with scraps of cloth. It's low-cost and can be sold cheaply. Customers can wash it at will and won't feel bad about throwing it away when it gets worn out. If you buy a few, you can change it up every day."
Dong Xinghua thought about it and realized it was true. She was even a little tempted: "Now that you mentioned it, I want to make a few fake collars and change them every day."
"Auntie, can you make it?" Xu Heye was a little surprised. "Don't you work in a textile factory? Do textile factories also make clothes?"
Dong Xinghua rolled her eyes at her. "Which woman my age doesn't know how to use a sewing machine? Who doesn't know how to make her own clothes? Two years ago, I made all the clothes your uncle, cousins, and sisters wore!"
"Wow, Auntie, you're amazing." Xu Heye gave her a thumbs up. "Then, Auntie, can we go to the textile factory where you work and buy some fabrics with more patterns and colors? It would be even better if they were cheaper."
Dong Xinghua said, "No need to buy it."
"Didn't you say that scraps of cloth could be used? I remember there's a warehouse in the factory with a lot of fabric in stock, including the scraps of cloth you need."
Don't textile mills make fabrics? They also make scraps of cloth?
Dong Xinghua saw Xu Heye's confusion and sighed, "Although our factory is called a textile factory, it used to be very large, with a wide range of production. The factory not only has a weaving workshop that produces fabrics, but also a dyeing workshop that is responsible for coloring the fabrics, and of course, a sewing workshop that makes ready-made clothes."
However, it was later restructured, some businesses were separated, some businesses were suspended, and finally only the fabric textile dyeing business was retained.
"Besides, the sewing room was closed only last year, so those scraps of cloth I mentioned aren't really old. If a factory worker wants scraps of cloth to make shoes or trousers, they can just tell the warehouse manager and go over with a snakeskin bag and pick up half a bag without any problem."
Xu Heye shook her head: "Aunt, our situation is different."
"You're factory workers, so it's fine to take some scraps of cloth home and make some underwear or shoes for your own use. But we're doing business here, we want to sell."
"The space is so small, and even though we made fake collars out of scraps of cloth, anyone with a discerning eye can tell that the cloth came from your factory.
What if someone gets jealous and reports you for abusing public funds for personal gain, embezzling state-owned assets? Is everyone doing the same? It's fine if no one investigates, but if someone does, you'll go to jail.
We can't let our lives be ruined for such a small profit. Furthermore, if our fake collars sell well, the fabric we need won't be the half-bags or bags you need for shoes."
Dong Xinghua nodded. "You're right. We'll buy it with money. We'll spend the money, get the goods, and then we'll make some money. No one will have anything to say. Besides, I'm buying the scraps of cloth the factory can't sell, which will increase their income."
"Aunt, tomorrow is the weekend and I have a day off. Let's go to your factory."
"Okay, let's go tomorrow."
The next morning, Dong Xinghua made fish soup and gave it to Old Dong to eat with rice. After these days of careful care, the pressure sore on Old Dong's back had healed.
Although the surgical site on his spine has not yet healed completely, he can move. He is now in a semi-independent state and still needs care, but at least he can turn over by himself and sit for a while, without needing help to turn over like before.
At around seven o'clock, Xu Heye, carrying her schoolbag and passbook, and her aunt and nephew took the bus to Hefeng Textile Factory where Dong Xinghua worked.
The bus started and stopped, swayed, and even reversed once. An hour later, the aunt and nephew got off the bus and walked for a few minutes before arriving at the Hefeng Textile Factory.
Uncle Wu, the gatekeeper at the textile factory, was a little surprised when he saw Dong Xinghua: "Little Dong, didn't you ask for leave?"
"Yes, Uncle Wu." Dong Xinghua greeted with a smile.
Uncle Wu glanced at Xu Heye and narrowed his eyes: "Xiao Dong, is this your Pang Qiao? I haven't seen her for a while, and the little girl looks a little different."
Dong Xinghua laughed heartily: "Uncle Wu, you still have such a good eye. This is not my daughter, but my niece Xu Heye."
"Oh, that's what I thought. Girls change a lot when they grow up, but they can't change like this. I haven't seen you for a few days, and you've already changed into someone else."
Dong Xinghua called Xu Heye again: "Heye, say hello to Uncle Wu."
"Hello, Uncle Wu." Xu Heye called out obediently.
"Good." Uncle Wu looked at Xu Heye with a smile, "You are a good girl." He then asked, "So, are you here at the factory today to cancel your leave?"
"No." Dong Xinghua shook her head. "My father hasn't fully recovered yet. He needs to be taken care of for a few more days. I came to the factory today for other matters."
"Uncle, please help us register and let us in."
"No problem." Uncle Wu took out his visitor book and wrote down the names of Dong Xinghua and Xu Heye. He glanced at the old-fashioned clock hanging on the wall and wrote the time they entered the factory next to their names. Then he opened the side door next to the main gate and let the two in.
Dong Xinghua took Xu Heye directly to the inventory warehouse. The warehouse manager Wang Anwen was her middle school classmate and an old acquaintance.
When the two arrived, Wang Anwen was smoking.
Seeing Dong Xinghua, he didn't put out his cigarette, and joked while smoking: "Hey, how can such a busy person be willing to come to my unpopular warehouse?"
What he has piled up here are some outdated fabrics or defective waste that cannot be sold. It is not as good as other warehouses. Usually, except for the women from the factory who come to collect some scraps of cloth, he is the only one there.
There's not much to do, but it's also very boring, and the salary isn't high, so I'm just wasting my time.
According to the current market situation, I don’t think I will be able to hold this job for long.
Xu Heye frowned as she watched Wang Anwen puffing away expertly. Open flames were forbidden in places like textile factories, garment factories, and warehouses, as they presented a fire risk.
Xu Heye thought again of the fire that broke out in the textile factory after the Lantern Festival in 1990 in her previous life. She didn't hear her aunt tell her the reason at that time, but seeing Wang Anwen's casual and undisciplined appearance, and the fact that he even took the lead in smoking, it was not surprising that a fire broke out in the textile factory.
Dong Xinghua smiled and joked, "Could it be that he came here specifically to see you, an old classmate?"
Wang Anwen snorted, took the last puff of his cigarette, threw the butt to the ground, stepped on it, and extinguished it before saying, "Don't I understand you yet?"
"Okay, do you need some scraps of cloth to make shoes?" He turned and went into the warehouse. He walked inside and pulled out a few bags from a pile of scraps. "These bags are full of large pieces of cloth. If you want, go pick some out yourself."
He was only so generous because it was Dong Xinghua. If it were any other old woman, he wouldn't have bothered to give her the fine cloth. Take all the two-finger-wide strips of cloth nearby. Making shoes with those scraps would be exhausting for them just by piecing together the scraps.
Seeing that Dong Xinghua had nothing in her hands, Wang Anwen threw her a snakeskin bag and said, "I'm really impressed. You came to me for scraps of cloth, but you didn't even bring a bag. Are you expecting me to find a bag for you?"
"Of course not," Dong Xinghua said with a smile. "We're old classmates after all, and we've known each other for decades. But—" she changed the subject, "I'm not really coming here to take it for free. I'm coming here to buy it."
"Buy?" Wang Anwen looked Dong Xinghua up and down, and suddenly reached out his hand to touch her forehead. Dong Xinghua took a step back, avoiding his hand. "What are you doing? Touching me?"
Wang Anwen then said, "You ask me, and I have another question for you. You don't want the free scraps of cloth, but insist on buying them with money. Do you have so much money that you're worried about burning it? If that's the case, then give me the money. I don't mind it being hot."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
