Flap gloves were being made in full swing in the compound. Qiao Lu was not a capitalist who exploited the labor force. They were all neighbors living in the same compound. The labor fee of 20 cents for a pair of gloves was not low, and it could even be said to be very high in the handicraft industry.

The younger sister of Lin Caihe, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Chen family, sews insoles in a small workshop. It is also a manual job and she only earns 70 or 80 cents a day. The work intensity is much more tiring than making gloves, and the environment is not good either.

But they calculated the cost of making gloves for Qiao Lu. They could work at home, with flexible hours, and high wages. The more they worked, the more they earned. Not to mention the women, even the men were a little jealous of the wages. However, their hands, which were used to hard labor, could not even make fine embroidery needles. They were powerless and could only stare blankly.

Seeing this, Tanaka Ken also wanted to join in, but as a man he had never done this kind of work before, and his poor sewing skills could not match Chen Jiamei's.

Chen Jiamei was so proud that she would come home from school every day with the cloth in her hands, insert a needle into it, and then pull it out, and glare at him sideways as if showing off: "What are you looking at? You have no right to see it!"

Tian Jianzhong sneered disdainfully and kicked a small stone on the ground towards her nonchalantly: "What is there to brag about? Any random woman can do better than you. Why are you competing with a grown man like me?"

Chen Jiamei stuck out her tongue proudly: "Humph, I'll compete with you!"

Tian Jianzhong: "... childish, I don't want to bother with you."

I turned around and went back to the house, out of sight and out of mind.

Across from the Tian family, Auntie Tian, ​​the only one who did not join, watched everyone making money all day long. She began to get restless and felt jealous.

After holding it in for three days, she took the initiative to find Qiao Lu.

She was shy and said, "Qiaolu... well, I, I want to ask, are you still short of help? I've been at home for the past two days and I'm almost bored to death. If you still need help, I'll come and help you."

When Qiao Lu first came to her house and asked her to help make gloves, before she could even say she would pay her, Aunt Tian directly refused.

Although she had nothing to do at home and didn't want to make gloves for her, there was no benefit in helping her. Of course, such words could not be said directly, so she tactfully found a reason to refuse.

Qiaolu didn't make things difficult for her, but it wasn't until the next day when she saw Jiamei's mother coming out of Qiaolu's room counting banknotes that she realized that she had to be paid for making gloves!

Oh, how regretful I was! But I couldn't bring myself to go back.

Later, she heard that Wu Guifang could earn two yuan a day! She could no longer sit still, and regardless of face, she hurried to find Qiao Lu across the street!

"Of course, I still have materials here. I'll give you as much as you think you can do in a day." Qiao Lu smiled generously and didn't seem surprised by her arrival.

Auntie Tian quickly calculated the price in her mind, smiled awkwardly, and pointed her thumb and index finger: "Then...give me eight pairs of material. I see Hongyan next door can make eight pairs every day."

Zhang Hongyan is Jiamei’s mother.

"But you don't have a sewing machine. If you do it by hand, the speed will be at least two or three times slower," Qiao Lu reminded.

Auntie Tian waved her hands nonchalantly: "Oh, it's okay, I'm very quick, I can finish it even if I can't finish it, I can stay up late and get it done, what are you afraid of."

Qiao Lu shook her head in disapproval, her brows slightly furrowed. "Don't stay up late. It's not worth it if you ruin your health."

Auntie Tian is already 55 years old after all, and she can't afford any problems that might arise from staying up late.

Auntie Tian smiled flatteringly on her face, but she felt disgusted in her heart. Why was Qiao Lu so stingy? She wouldn't steal her fabric, so why was she so reluctant to give it to her?

Finally, Qiao Lu gave her five pairs of cloth according to the measurements of Song Qingping and Lin Caihe. Aunt Tian took it, said thank you, curled her lips calmly, and left with a smile.

With the addition of Auntie Tian, ​​the entire inner courtyard was completely submerged in a sea of ​​flip-up gloves. At the recent "gatherings" under the loquat tree in the evening, there were no more women to be seen, only men and children.

They have been neighbors for decades, seeing each other every day and have been together for most of their lives. Now, the only thing missing is their wives. They look at each other and can't find a topic to talk about. They are so bored that they are almost smoking.

Everyone seemed to have just realized that life would be really boring without women in this courtyard.

…

The "glove fever" in Li'an City lasted for about twenty-five days. At the end of the first month, sales began to weaken and gradually went downhill.

Many people only need to buy a pair of originals and then go home to imitate a pair of identical flap gloves.

Homemade gloves are not only cheap, but you can also embroider any pattern you want. Later, there was even a "flip glove embroidery competition" among students in the No. 1 Middle School in the city. Students who had flip gloves would have fun by seeing whose gloves had the most exquisite and special patterns.

As a result, the single-pattern gloves sold at Xu Haizhou's stall gradually became unpopular.

Fortunately, the decline in sales was within the expectations of Qiao Lu and her husband, so they were not too surprised. One month's hot sales had already made them rich. From now on, they can sell as many as they can without rushing. Four or five pairs a day will be enough for one person.

This way, Qiao Lu could finally take a break. She decided to stop doing it herself from tomorrow, firstly because she was tired, and secondly because she felt it was unnecessary.

She doesn't like this kind of simple assembly line work. She generally tends to spend money on things that are within her ability and can be handled with money. She would rather earn less than others and not herself.

I made myself roasted potatoes with pork ribs and braised shrimps for dinner. After the sumptuous meal, Qiao Lu was so tired that her back and waist ached. But when she went to bed, her son kept pestering her to tell stories.

"Mom, can you tell me a story today? You haven't told me one in so many days."

Joan stuffed Aesop's Fables into her arms, and Jolu was so tired that she couldn't even lift her hands.

She rubbed herself comfortably in the quilt, pulled her son into her arms and kissed him: "Let's start tomorrow. Tomorrow, Mom will start to rest, but today Mom has been fucked dry."

Qiao An rubbed his face and asked, "What did you get beaten up for?"

"My strength has been drained away." Qiao Lu said weakly.

"Mom, you've worked so hard. Let me get you some water!" The kid immediately went to the outer room. There was a small kettle on the dining table, which was always filled with warm water. It was specially prepared for Qiao An. The kettle on the ground was too heavy and was filled with boiling water, so it was not safe for a child to use.

The young man took a bowl of water with cautious steps, taking small steps for fear of spilling a drop: "For Mom."

"Thank you, son." After drinking the water, Qiao Lu rested her head on her back with her hands comfortably and said, "Son, can you give me a hand massage?"

"What are you doing with the laying on of hands?"

"It feels good to have your hands pressed. Give me a massage." After saying that, he personally pinched my arm a few times.

"I'll make mom feel comfortable!" The little guy immediately imitated her and started pressing.

Although her son's strength was a little light, Qiao Lu felt so comfortable that her skin relaxed: "Yeah, it's really comfortable, An An is so great."

Xu Haizhou had just returned from a shower, wiping his wet hair. After seeing this scene, he smiled and picked up his son and kissed him: "Let me do it, you go to sleep."

"Dad, I'm not sleepy." The little guy shook his head and waved his arms and legs to try to break free from his restraints. Like a little loach, he shrank down and ran to Qiao Lu to continue pressing.

Now, both of Qiaolu's hands were being massaged, one on the left and one on the right.

My god, this kind of treatment is only available to gods...

Qiao Lu hummed comfortably like a child.

Qiao An: "Mom, are you feeling well?"

Qiao Lu: "Comfortable, very comfortable."

After saying that, Qiao An raised her little hand and stretched it in front of Qiao Lu: "Mom, give me a massage. I want to feel comfortable too."

Qiao Lu raised her hand to press it for him, and she started laughing after just two presses.

"No, no! Haha - it's so itchy, mom, no, haha!" He laughed so hard that the hair on his head stood up.

Qiao Lu stopped and patted his butt helplessly: "You said you wanted to be comfortable, but now you don't want to be comfortable anymore, you little stinky fart is so fickle."

After laughing, Qiao An tilted his head and asked, "Who is the little stinky fart?"

Qiao Lu grabbed her son and kissed him until his mouth was full of the fragrance of milk. "I don't know, who do you think it is?"

Qiao An pointed at Qiao Lu: "Mom is!"

Qiao Lu bit his finger: "You are!"

"Mom is!"

"Joan is!"

"Hahaha--"

The mother and son were laughing and making noises all the time. Listening to their nonsensical conversation, the curve of Xu Haizhou's lips gradually widened, and his heart almost melted.

Night falls and the bright moon hangs across the sky.

At nine o'clock in the evening, the family of three slept together. After turning off the lights, the little guy lay on Qiaolu's belly and asked her in a baby voice: "Mom, are you going to make gloves every day from now on?"

The room was too dark, and Qiao Lu couldn't see the boy's expression. She turned over and hugged him, touching his hair to feel his mood.

“Do you want your mom to do this every day?”

"Hmm... Hmm..." Little Qiaoan tangled his fingers together for a long time before he came up with the answer: "Making gloves is to make money. I want my mother to make money. The money can be used to buy delicious food and beautiful clothes. But, but..."

He spoke in a lower and lower voice, his mouth pressed against Qiao Lu's belly, and he said in a murmured voice: "But Mommy hasn't played with me for several days. I want Mommy to play with me and tell me stories. I also want Mommy not to work so hard."

He wants to have both. He is so greedy...

"Mom is not tired, she was just a little busy in the past few days, but she won't be busy anymore. Now she has plenty of time to spend with An An."

The boy became excited: "Really? Then can mommy tell me stories tomorrow?"

Qiao Lu kissed him: "Yes, I'll tell you tomorrow. Now go to sleep quickly."

"Okay!" Qiao An immediately got off her, curled up in the quilt and closed his eyes, silently saying to himself: Fall asleep quickly, fall asleep quickly, so that I can listen to stories tomorrow!

…

Qiao An is now proficient in using chopsticks to eat. He learned it a week ago under Qiao Lu's instruction. He is very proud. Every time he eats, he always picks up a few pieces of meat or vegetable leaves for his parents to show off his ability. He is so proud...

After learning how to use chopsticks, he then learned how to hold a pen and write. It only took him one day to learn how to write from one to ten. Although his handwriting is crooked... But it doesn't matter. According to Qiaoan's progress, he should be able to write correctly in a few days of practice.

Xu Haizhou specially brought him a thick new notebook from the bookstore. The notebook had a line layout and no squares. Qiao An practiced calligraphy in the notebook, writing each number neatly on the horizontal line, not exceeding the line below or the line above, without crossing the line at all.

Judging from the small details, this child must be a person who follows the rules.

After he learned numbers from one to ten, he started pestering Qiao Lu to learn more numbers.

So within three days, he would count from ten to fifty, and after another week, he had mastered the count from one to one hundred… With this speed, it is understandable that Qiao Lu had no experience as a first-time mother. Although she knew that preschool children were in the golden period of intellectual development, was her son's situation considered strong or normal?

Think about how well-behaved, sensible and clever Qiao An is. Could he be a little genius?

The mother of a little genius?

Well... this name sounds better than Xu Haizhou's wife.

…

In mid-January, about a month before the Spring Festival, factories producing flap gloves in large quantities appeared in Li'an City. Looking at the free market in Qingteng Lane alone, there were no less than four companies trading gloves, and Li Hongjun also got involved.

Not to mention, even though it had only been on sale for over a month, it's still very popular now. It seems the market demand is far greater than they imagined.

With merchants producing them, there was naturally no need for manual sewing, and large-volume purchases could give a cheap wholesale price. Xu Haizhou also started to purchase goods from the factory.

Factory production has its advantages. In terms of patterns and colors alone, it far exceeds hand-sewn products. The styles are rich and colorful, and there are men's and women's styles. In the first week after the goods were received, the profit was not even worse than the previous "monopoly".

When he got home in the evening, Xu Haizhou gave his wife the earnings for the past month. Qiao Lu held a large stack of bills and began to count them. By the end, she was grinning so hard that her mouth couldn't close.

Across the table, the father and son hugged each other and whispered in each other's ears.

Xu Haizhou lowered his voice and asked Qiao An, "An An, what do you think Mom looks like now?"

The little guy raised his eyelids, nestled in his arms and pondered, and finally came up with an idea after racking his brains: "Like my mother!"

"..." Xu Haizhou couldn't help laughing and ruffled his hair: "Do you think Mom is a money-grubber?"

"What is a money fan?" Qiao An was puzzled.

Xu Haizhou said: "That's right, my eyes sparkle when I see the money."

"Are stars the bright ones hanging in the sky at night?" Qiao An asked.

Xu Haizhou: “About the same.”

The boy got down from his father's arms and ran to Qiaolu with his short legs to observe her. Qiaolu was confused by the stare and raised his chin with her finger: "What are you looking at, son?"

Qiao An pouted and said, "There are clearly no stars in Mom's eyes."

Dad lied.

Xu Haizhou laughed so hard that tears came out of his eyes. Facts have proved that you can't talk about too abstract things with children.

"What stars?" Being interrupted by her son, Qiao Lu forgot where she was counting the money.

Xu Haizhou smiled, with a faint smile on his lips: "This is our little secret."

Qiao An was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously in agreement: "Yes, it's my little secret with my dad!"

Great, he and his dad have another little secret!

The author has something to say:

Joan: "Mom looks like my mom!"

Xu Haizhou: Well, my son is a first-rate master of nonsense literature.

(Turn the page, there is one more~)