Looking at the clock in the room, it’s not even nine o’clock yet, but Haizhou seemed to have left the house around seven o’clock. How come the products were sold out in just two hours?

Besides, she only made ten pairs, so how much more can she sell?

"Yes! Your gloves are so lucky. There are many students in No. 1 Middle School. Wearing gloves is inconvenient for turning and writing in this cold weather. But without gloves, your hands will freeze into ice cubes and you can't hold the pen firmly!" This flip-top glove is really useful. It can keep you warm, hold a pen, and can also flip and write. A student bought it immediately after seeing it. It’s not enough to sell. How can ten pairs be enough? Haizhou told students to buy it immediately. Send me to inform you now when you are not busy! Sister-in-law, you have to work overtime now to make gloves!"

The surprise came too suddenly and Qiaolu was still dizzy.

Pointing to the basket on the ground: "But... I still have to cook..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Hongjun threw the vegetable basket into the kitchen: "Why are you still cooking? Let's go out and buy something to eat at noon. Hurry up and work!"

"Then I don't have enough fabric..." Qiao Lu said again.

Li Hongjun directly stepped on his 28-bar bike and said, "What kind of fabric do you want? Give me the money and I'll go buy it!"

Qiao Lu brought some scraps of cloth for Li Hongjun to compare with those purchased from department stores. Since there were not that many old sweaters to dismantle, she chose to use serge instead of knitted fabrics, and the cost of a pair of gloves could be controlled within 20 cents. There was still some fabric left at home, so she made a few pairs of gloves first.

Wu Guifang leaned on her door frame and sighed: "I remember correctly that you made ten pairs a few days ago, and they were all sold out in such a short time. How much money must you have made?"

"The price is set by Haizhou. I don't really ask about business matters." Qiao Lu smiled and didn't tell her the price. "Then let's not talk about it for now. I have to go back to work."

Wu Guifang waved her hands: "Go ahead, go ahead."

After a whole morning of working, the sewing machine was almost smoking, but only four and a half pairs of gloves were made. Halfway through, Li Hongjun was sent back by Xu Haizhou, who said that the stall at Haizhou was too busy and he couldn't leave, so he took away all the four pairs of gloves.

There are so many students in No. 1 Middle School, how can she sell the four pairs of shoes she made?

After thinking it over, he quickly ran to the next door to find Wu Guifang: "Sister Wu, are you free?"

"What's wrong, sister Qiaolu?"

It was around eleven-thirty. Wu Guifang had just finished preparing lunch and the family of four was eating. The two little girls saw Qiao Lu and affectionately called her "Aunt Qiao". Wu Guifang's husband Hu Jiefang looked at Qiao Lu while he was eating his rice. He didn't say hello or speak, and then continued to eat his rice.

Qiao Lu smiled and rubbed the two girls' heads: "I don't have time to make the gloves over there, so I wanted to ask if you have time."

Several aunties in the inner courtyard had just made flap gloves a few days ago, so they skipped the steps she had to teach. Besides, the older sisters and aunties in the large courtyard were all good at making clothes, so it would be great if Wu Guifang could help.

"Sure, I have nothing to do at home anyway, I'll come after dinner."

Qiao Lu thanked him and hurried home to continue working.

The two of them were so busy the whole afternoon that they didn't even have time to drink a sip of water. The workload of Sister Wu's sewing machine in a month was not as much as that of half a day today. The pedal was pressed non-stop, and the rhythm was really about to smoke.

Fortunately, she was very deft and her speed in making gloves was just as fast as Qiao Lu's.

…

Qiaoan was a little sad today because his mother ignored him all day.

But Mom is making gloves, and making gloves means making money, and she uses the money to buy delicious food for An An, so he has to be obedient, not make noise or trouble, and he has to be a good boy.

When it was time for dinner, Uncle Li brought a plate of braised pork with rice, which he bought from the restaurant. It had both meat and vegetables, and was delicious!

Remember to feed Bubble White when you are full. The little guy ran to the cabinet and opened it, only to find that there were only five or six pieces of fish food left.

Little Qiao An finally couldn't help it.

"mother--"

Qiao Lu didn't even have time to lift his head, his hands and feet moved so fast that they could take off: "What's wrong, An An?"

"Mom, Bubble and Xiaobai have finished their meal." The little guy held the empty paper bag and looked at her pitifully.

Qiao Lu still didn't look at him, her attention focused on the fabric: "Mom is busy now, let Dad take you to buy it when he comes back."

The young man was a little disappointed, but he had no choice but to say, "Okay then."

Everyone was working on their sewing machines, and no one was playing with him. There were kids playing outside the yard, and he was eager to join them, but he didn't know them, and he was too embarrassed to take the initiative to make friends...

Qiao An felt very bored, so he suddenly ran into the room and came out again after a while with a copy of Aesop's Fables in his hand.

"Mom, can I read a book?"

Qiao Lu didn't even raise his head: "Sure, but do you understand it?"

Qiao An nodded vigorously: "Yes, I can."

Qiao Lu smiled and said, "Then go and have a look. If you find any words you don't recognize, come and ask me."

"Okay~"

As soon as the storybook is opened, the "Martian language" hits you in the face.

Qiao An basically couldn't understand any word and wanted to ask his mother, but he didn't recognize 19 out of the 20 words in a line. How long would it take him to finish asking?

Looking at the busy Qiao Lu, he finally gave up.

Fortunately, the storybooks had black and white line drawings, and just looking at the drawings made him happy. After slowly flipping through one book, he ran into the room and took out another one. This one was thicker and harder to understand, but fortunately, it also had drawings in it!

Just like that, I spent the whole afternoon flipping through the two books. The pages were almost torn, but my mother was still busy.

…

At about 4:30, Li Hongjun came again and took away all eight pairs of gloves made by the two people.

Qiao Lu stopped the man and asked, "How many orders are left?"

"There are so many! Just after school, a female student brought her classmates here. There must be seven or eight people, not to mention the others... Anyway, it's not enough. My sock stall is not busy, so I can help you two run errands. If it gets busy, I won't have time to come back. You can try to make more and send it over at once."

Good guy, it’s a female classmate again?

No need to show your diligence...

Forgive Qiao Lu's attention being diverted.

Li Hongjun didn't stay long. He got on the 28-bar bicycle and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Qiao Lu's legs were so tired that she sat on a chair to take a breath. Qiao An considerately poured her a glass of water. This child was really smart and considerate.

At the Hu family next door, Wu Guifang stretched her waist, twisted her head and her neck cracked, then she hammered her back with difficulty.

"Oh, it's really tiring to help out like this."

Seeing that it was getting late and he had to prepare dinner for the family of four, he went to check on Xu Haizhou's house next door. Qiao Lu was also resting there.

"Qiaolu, come on after dinner, let's cook first!"

Qiao Lu raised her head and smiled: "Okay!"

Wu Guifang had just finished washing the vegetables when she heard a burst of hurried footsteps.

Qiao Lu entered the Hu family's small kitchen and stuffed a stack of banknotes into Wu Guifang's hand. When she opened it, she saw one dollar!

"Ah! What are you doing?" Wu Guifang hurriedly returned.

Qiao Lu smiled and handed it to her: "You made five pairs this afternoon, and I'll give you 20 cents for each pair. This is for your hard work, keep it."

"Oh, no, no, no! I just did you a favor, why are you so polite!" I have never heard of anyone asking for money for doing a favor. Who would dare to ask for help in the future? Can you call it helping someone if you charge them for it? That's cheating!

"It's not a small favor. I've been working so hard all afternoon. If you don't take it, I won't dare ask you for help in the future."

"What you said makes sense. We are neighbors, so why should we feel embarrassed? You are too polite." Wu Guifang still refused to take it. She tried to push it back, but was blocked by Qiao Lu's arm.

Qiao An was holding on to the door frame, not understanding what his mother and Aunt Wu were doing. They were arguing about giving money and returning it. Who should the money be given to?

Qiao Lu smiled helplessly, and forcefully stuffed the money into her palm, holding it down so she wouldn't move: "Sister Wu, I may need your help tomorrow. If you don't accept it, I'll be embarrassed to ask you again."

"We're neighbors, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." Wu Guifang glanced at her.

Qiao Lu smiled and said with a firm look that would not tolerate rejection: "Don't refuse me, just take it."

"Oh, you're so embarrassed." After saying this, he finally accepted it after trying to refuse again and again.

There was a hint of resentment in his eyes when he looked at Qiao Lu, but he was happy in his heart.

One dollar is not a small amount, it can buy five kilograms of rice! It will feed a family of four for at least five or six days, and this is the first money she has earned since she became a full-time housewife!

What's wrong with feeling a little proud?

Qiao Lu smiled, and when she saw her put the money in her pocket, she asked again: "Sister Wu, what do you think, if I use my salary to ask other ladies to help me, is that okay?"

Qiao Lu has just come to this era not long ago, and she doesn't understand many things.

Isn't it said that "hiring workers" is the way of capitalists in this era? Although it has been opened up, society as a whole still tends to be conservative.

On the surface, we ask for everyone’s help, but the workload is too heavy. It’s embarrassing to ask people to help for free without paying them. If we pay them, we’re also afraid that there will be problems…

In this era, the rules are both loose and tight. Qiaolu vaguely remembered reading somewhere that in the early 1980s, if a private boss hired more than seven employees, he would be criticized in the newspapers. How could she not be cautious in this line of work?

"It's nothing. If you are too busy, just ask them to do it. Who wouldn't be happy if they paid you? But don't make a fuss. Just let the people in our inner courtyard do it. Don't ask the people in the outer courtyard. Our neighbors in the inner courtyard are still good."

Qiao Lu thought about it for a moment and felt that it made sense: "Okay, then I'll give it a try."

Qiao Lu found the aunts of the Chen and Tian families, and their reactions were pretty much what she expected.

Auntie Chen was cutting vegetables in the kitchen. When she heard that Qiao Lu wanted to pay her to make gloves, she was surprised and said, "Pay? What money? Why do you need to pay? We are neighbors. If I want to help you, just tell me. Whenever you need it, I will make it for you now."

Qiao Lu was terrified and ashamed. Neighbors these days are really enthusiastic. Forty years ago, no one would bother with you if there was no benefit.

"No, no, no, I still have to give you some money as a token of my appreciation, not just any other kind of reward. Besides, the workload is quite heavy. If you don't accept it, I'd feel bad asking you to help me."

As she cut the lettuce into shreds on the chopping board, Auntie Chen said with a smile, "Why should I be embarrassed? Young people nowadays are so shameless!"

Qiao Lu used the same rhetoric to deal with Aunt Chen as she did to Wu Guifang. There is one thing she said that is indeed true: no matter how enthusiastic the neighbors are or how good the relationship is, who would be unhappy if you insist on giving them money? It’s just that you must refuse before accepting it.

There's nothing you can do about it; that's just the Chinese habit.

In the end, everyone in the inner courtyard who could make gloves agreed, except Auntie Tian. Auntie Tian said that she didn't have a sewing machine at home and thought it was troublesome to make gloves, which meant that she was not very willing. Qiao Lu smiled and said it was okay, and didn't force her.

After counting, there were four women in total, Wu Guifang, Auntie Chen, and Auntie Chen's eldest and second daughters-in-law. The Chen family had a total of one sewing machine, and the two daughters-in-law said they would help out manually after get off work, and if they were fast, they should be able to make two pairs.

…

When Xu Haizhou got home from work, he saw his busy wife and his pitiful son who was reading a book for entertainment.

"An An."

The little boy turned around in surprise and rushed out like a cannon: "Dad!"

Little Qiaoan has never felt so much that having a father is such a super super super happy thing!

Even if his mother is not available to accompany him, he still has his father!

"Daddy, daddy." Before the bicycle stopped, the puppy clung to him.

The little guy was very clingy today. He wrapped his arms around Xu Haizhou's neck and rubbed against him, making him full of the scent of milk.

"You're back." Qiao Lu asked while doing it without raising her head.

Xu Haizhou found that there was only one woman, Aunt Tian, ​​under the loquat tree today, and the rest were men and children, which was a bit unusual.

"Well, you must have been busy today. You should take a break too." She gently rubbed her son's face and wanted to put him down, but his little hands were tightly welded to his neck.

Xu Haizhou was amused and rubbed his head: "Why do you suddenly like dad so much today?"

The little boy shook his head wildly, with a strand of hair standing up on his head, swaying back and forth: "I have always liked Dad!"

Although the little guy is small, he has a high emotional intelligence.

Xu Haizhou laughed and kissed him: "Is it because your mother is ignoring you and you are bored?"

Qiao An blushed a little when her thoughts were guessed, and said in a hushed voice: "Well... Mom wants to make money, so I can play by myself."

"How come you are so sensible?" Xu Haizhou kissed his forehead lovingly.

Every time Qiao An praised himself, he would automatically become shy, and his soft voice gradually became lower: "Because, because I am a good child."

"An An is so well behaved. You are the best behaved child Dad has ever seen, bar none."

This compliment was very thoughtful. Qiao An was so happy that she gave Xu Haizhou two kisses.

When you are too shy to speak, just kiss.

Qiao Lu looked up at the interaction between the father and son and said with a smile, "I don't have time to cook tonight, so just make some noodles later. We haven't finished the luncheon meat from last time, so make some noodles with luncheon meat sauce."

"Okay." Although he was tired after a whole day, Xu Haizhou went into the kitchen to cook without a word of complaint.

But that's what marriage is like, she's busy, he helps. She helps, he's busy.

The boy ran into the kitchen to help Xu Haizhou. Today was a special dinner!

The noodles were very fragrant with luncheon meat sauce. Qiao Lu heard someone ask why the Xu family was roasting meat again. Xu Haizhou replied: "We are cooking noodles, not roasting meat."

"Hey, you're cooking today, where's your wife?"

"Busy in the house."

"How considerate! Unlike my wife, she won't eat for the whole day if you ask her to cook!"

“Hahahaha——” Everyone burst into laughter: “It shows that the couple is in love!”

"Dad, be careful, the bowl is very hot, don't fall!" After the noodles were ready, the little guy jumped in, ran in front of Xu Haizhou to lead the way, and gave him a few words of advice from time to time.

"Mom! I was the one who threw the noodles down today. Dad held me and then I threw it. I also used chopsticks to stir it several times!" Children are like this, they like to take credit for even the smallest things.

Qiao Lu smiled and raised her thumb: "Wow, my son is so great, come on, give him a kiss."

Qiao An obediently leaned forward and received a sweet kiss from her mother on the side of her cheek. She smiled for a long time holding her face.

"It's time to eat. Let's continue tomorrow." Xu Haizhou came over and pinched her shoulders. After sitting for so long, she felt so comfortable that her soul went to heaven.

Qiao Lu twisted her neck and said, "Wait, wait a few minutes, half of it will be ready soon, you guys eat first."

The father and son didn't start eating yet. They sat opposite each other waiting for their wives/mothers. When Qiao Lu looked up, she saw their rather aggrieved expressions and she burst out laughing.

"Forget it, let's call it a day. Let's do it after dinner. Don't wait until the noodles are all clumped up."

"Great!" The kid jumped up excitedly.

Xu Haizhou first poured Qiao Lu a cup of hot water, and the young man grunted and struggled to move the chair in front of her.

Qiao Lu raised her eyebrows in surprise: "You two are too passionate today. It makes me feel uncomfortable."

The little boy said in a baby voice, "Dad said Mom was very tired today, so we have to let Mom be considerate."

Xu Haizhou smiled and pinched his cheeks: "Indeed, we should be considerate of our mother."

"Yes! We must be considerate to our mother!" Although Qiao An didn't quite understand what being considerate meant, the key was to be nice to our mother!

Her husband and son were so adorable that Jolu suddenly felt all her fatigue disappear.

As she thought about it, Qiao Lu laughed. She asked Xu Haizhou, "How was your day? You've been busy for so long, and you must have made a lot of money, right?"

Xu Haizhou bent down, leaned close to her forehead and kissed her: "Well, I lost a lot."

Qiao Lu became interested and poked him with her elbow: "Tell me, how much?"

She couldn't wait to see how much her hard work would pay off.

Xu Haizhou suddenly lowered his voice and moved closer to her: "Forty-nine, pieces, six."

"Wait wait wait...how much?!" The astonishment in his pupils couldn't be stopped.

Xu Haizhou cleared his throat: "Forty-nine dollars and sixty cents!"

"Really?!!" Qiao Lu wanted to scream immediately, but the excited sound overflowed from her throat and was swallowed back by herself when it reached her mouth.

She jumped with excitement, picked up her son and kissed him fiercely, and wanted to throw him into the air, only to find that her son, who used to be so light and graceful, had gained weight! She couldn't throw him up anymore!

Xu Haizhou took it with a smile and threw it for her.

The little guy shouted excitedly: "Wow - it's so high!"

“Wow – haha ​​–”

"Wow--"

"Ah—I'm scared! Dad, I'm scared!"

I started to get scared after only a few throws.

"Dad, I'm scared! Dad, put me down!"

After the fourth toss was completed, Xu Haizhou put his son down. The little guy felt a little dizzy after being thrown to the ground, and he spun around and fell into Qiao Lu's arms.

He whimpered and said pitifully, "It's fun, but mom, please don't throw me into the sky... I'm scared..."

The couple was at a loss for words: "Sorry, son, mom was just too excited! We made a lot of money!"

"Make a lot of money? How much?" Qiao An rubbed his eyes.

Qiao Lu smiled and said, "Very big."

The young man blinked his grape-like eyes and said, "How big is big? Is it big enough to buy a big house?"

Qiao Lu chuckled, "Not yet. You can only buy a few tiles big enough."

"Well, then it's not called very big, just a little bit big." The young man corrected her sternly.

…

The popularity of flap gloves remains high and the hot sales continue.

With the addition of the ladies in the inner courtyard, the daily production capacity can be increased three to four times. Those who have sewing machines can produce about □ pairs a day, and those who don’t have sewing machines but have jobs can produce two pairs a day, and can even produce another pair if they stay up all night.

Because Qiao Lu offered a very handsome salary, Mrs. Chen and Wu Guifang from next door did not even want to waste time eating, and hurriedly ate a few bites and quickly went back to the workbench.

Young women like Wu Guifang, who are full-time housewives and stay at home, have nimble hands and feet and sharp eyes. They can make eight pairs of brocade in a day without any delay. If they stay up until around nine o'clock in the evening, they can make two more pairs. That's ten pairs a day, and they are paid 20 cents per pair, which is two yuan.

If compared with her husband Hu Jiefang's monthly salary of 45 yuan, two yuan a day, if she can work until the end of the month, that would be 60 yuan a month!

She earns more than her man!

Thinking of this, she became so motivated that she wished she didn't eat or sleep. She even asked her nine-year-old daughter Hu Fangxia to help her. After school every day, she didn't review her homework but helped her mother cut fabric.

One weekend, the mother and son even broke the record of 12 pairs a day and made 14 pairs! What the hell is this?

Unfortunately, the Chinese have a hardworking gene ingrained in their bones. As long as the rewards are high enough, they can always break through their physical limits again and again.

Qiao Lu was a little worried that Wu Guifang would ruin her health, so she only gave her a maximum of eleven pairs of raw materials every day, no more, and if she finished early, she would be told to rest quickly and not to work any longer.

Wu Guifang didn't say anything, she was very happy in her heart: "Hey Qiaolu, you really don't know, ever since I can earn two dollars a day, Lao Hu treats me like an ancestor!"

When Wu Guifang received the two yuan labor fee for the first time, she was so excited that she even forgot to make lunch. When Hu Jiefang got off work at noon and came home, he saw the cold stove and his wife busy at the sewing machine, and he was so angry that he almost smashed the machine.

The couple had a long argument, and when Hu Jiefang got so angry that he almost hit her, the man rolled up his sleeves and went to the kitchen to cook when he heard that his wife could earn two yuan a day.

His movements were a bit flustered, as if he was afraid of disturbing her from making money: "Guifang, just focus on making your gloves. I'll make dinner tonight and save a bowl for you."

Wu Guifang laughed so hard that she couldn't straighten her back. Her laughter was hearty and hearty.

Even though it had been several days since this happened, I still felt so happy in my heart: "Qiao Lu, you didn't see it, his attentive look was so funny! I've been married to him for nine years, and I've never had a bite of the food he cooked. Not to mention cooking, he can't even fix a spilled oil bottle! But in just these few days, he's serving tea and water, massaging my shoulders and waist, and even praising me for my dexterity! Tsk tsk, this man, don't think he will be the same all his life, he can change at certain times!"

Qiao Lu looked at her face frequently. Although Wu Guifang was always in high spirits, she always shrank back in front of her man. But when they talked, she exuded a rare strong self-confidence.

Although Qiao Lu had been married for only a short time, Wu Guifang had always been paying attention to the way Wu Guifang and her man got along.

Hu Jiefang liked to order his wife to do this and that, and would scold her if she was not satisfied with the slightest thing. Wu Guifang was gentle and good-tempered, and she endured everything.

Therefore, even though Hu Jiefang had a quick temper, the couple rarely quarreled, and people who didn't know them would think they were very loving.

It is still true that a person's status at home depends on his income or his status outside. The higher the income, the more upright he will be in speaking and doing things.

The author has something to say:

Family, I changed my name again, but it feels so pretty and ugly, so I'll change it back to my rustic little widow￣□￣｜｜