Chapter 262 The Gifts Brought Back
The Zhao family was bustling with activity.
The whole family gathered around the table for lunch.
Several members of the Zhao family earn money, and they have made a considerable income this month, which has improved their standard of living. They eat dry millet rice, and although there are no meat dishes on the table, there are still some variety: a pickled vegetable dish, a stir-fried green vegetable dish, and a tofu stewed with pig's blood dish. Their living conditions are among the top ten in Dahe Village.
Sun, holding her rice bowl, said, "Didn't my sister-in-law come back? It's all very lively over there. Why don't we go and take a look?"
"Don't think I don't know what you're planning," Old Mrs. Zhao said irritably. "You know your sister-in-law is coming back today, and they'll be preparing all sorts of delicious food, so you're thinking of going over there to mooch some meat and vegetables, aren't you?"
"Mother, you're being a bit sarcastic. I just haven't seen my sister-in-law for several days and I miss her a bit." Madam Sun forced a smile. "If you don't want to go, then don't go. Let's eat."
Just as they were finishing their meal, Cheng Wanwan arrived with Afu.
Afu carried a large basket on his back, filled with things he had brought back for the Zhao family.
Donghua put down her chopsticks and rushed over: "Auntie, did you bring something delicious? I can smell the aroma."
She has a very sensitive nose; she can smell anything that tastes good.
"Zhao Donghua, you come here right now!" Old Mrs. Zhao said coldly. "You're just like your mother, with a greedy mouth. If you don't correct this habit, it will cause big trouble in the future!"
Sun pulled her youngest daughter over, grabbed Donghua's ear and scolded, "If you dare to reach out for food again, I'll beat you to death!"
“Alright, stop hitting the child,” Cheng Wanwan said. “The child is still young and needs to be taught patiently. Hitting the child will only make her more rebellious.”
Sun nodded: "Sister-in-law is right. I will definitely teach her patiently in the future."
Cheng Wanwan took out several packets of pastries from her basket: "These are specialties of Nanyang City. Each child can have a packet. Come and get them."
Zhao Erwang, Qiuhua, and Donghua all came over to take the snacks and said in unison, "Thank you, Auntie!"
Sun glanced at the pastry; the packaging looked exquisite. This was a pastry unique to Nanyang City, and it must be delicious. However, it was a bit shameful to take food from a child's mouth. She couldn't count on Donghua, so she hoped Chunhua could leave a few pieces of pastry for her to try... She couldn't help but lick her lips.
Cheng Wanwan took out a headband from her basket: "The weather is getting colder and colder, and the wind makes my head hurt. Mother, wear this when you go out from now on."
Grandma Zhao was somewhat surprised that her eldest daughter-in-law had actually bought her something.
Good heavens, it's a dark blue headband! The outer layer is fine cotton, and the inner layer is even lined with fur. This thing must be expensive...
She had lived all these years and had never used anything so good.
"This...this must be very expensive," said Grandma Zhao, hesitant to accept the gift. "A single headband could buy so many kilograms of rice! Isn't this a waste of money?"
Old Zhao snorted: "Your eldest daughter-in-law has already bought them for you. Are you going to go to Nanyang City to return them? Hurry up and accept them."
The old man felt a pang of sadness, not because he wanted anything, but because his wife had everything while he didn't, making him seem unappreciated by his eldest daughter-in-law...
Grandma Zhao took the headband, touched it in her hand, and was surprised to find that it was embroidered with subtle patterns, making it look exceptionally exquisite and elegant. She couldn't bear to use it...
"Dad, this is a pipe I bought for you." Cheng Wanwan handed over a beautiful new pipe. "Although it's better to use an old pipe, yours is broken and leaks smoke. You should get a better one."
The bitterness in Old Zhao's heart vanished instantly: "This...this is too much to ask..."
Even so, his hands had already involuntarily taken the pipe, caressing it repeatedly with great affection.
The old man couldn't wait to grind some tobacco and was about to put it in when Cheng Wanwan took out a new bag of tobacco from her basket: "This was specially bought in Nanyang. I don't know if it's good or not, but you can try it."
The villagers smoke dry tobacco, which is all grown by themselves in the fields. It has a grassy smell and is a bit hard, just to satisfy their craving.
The tobacco from Nanyang has a mellow, aged aroma that is quite different from what we grow ourselves.
Old Zhao looked refreshed: "Oh, right, I suddenly remembered I have something to discuss with the village head. I'll be going now."
Zhao Erwang, munching on a snack, chased after him: "Grandpa, why did you bring your pipe with you when you went to see the village head? What if you break it?"
"What do you know, you little brat?" Old Zhao said, puffing out his chest. "Don't come any closer and get in the way."
Grandma Zhao chuckled helplessly. This old man, at his age, still liked to show off. Wasn't he afraid the children would laugh at him?
Cheng Wanwan took out the remaining items from the basket: "This is a set of clothes I bought for his third aunt, and this is a pair of shoes I bought for his second and third uncles. Try them on and see if they fit."
Sun had been standing on the sidelines watching the commotion, never expecting that her sister-in-law would also buy her something.
With trembling hands, she took the garment. It was a light green dress made of fine cotton, and the style was different from those in Ping'an County. Wearing it made her feel at least five years younger.
Zhao Youyin and Zhao Youcai were also filled with disbelief; their sister-in-law had actually bought them shoes.
These shoes are different from the cloth shoes embroidered by the women at home. The soles are neither too soft nor too hard, making them very comfortable, lightweight, and warm to wear.
"Thank you so much, sister-in-law..." Sun said incoherently, "Sister-in-law has been so good to me, I don't know how to repay you..."
"Stop talking about repaying or not repaying," Old Mrs. Zhao said coldly. "As long as you don't cause any trouble, that's better than anything else. Alright, what are you still standing here for? Clear the bowls off the table; there's a ton of work to do."
"Okay!"
Sun turned and went inside to get busy, her movements were very efficient.
Grandma Zhao pulled Cheng Wanwan to sit down: "These past five days, I've been going to the soap workshop every now and then. The dozen or so people working there are all very honest. I haven't seen anyone slacking off or eating. There's just one thing, though. There are often villagers who have finished their work loitering around outside the workshop. I think we should build a high wall around the workshop to prevent the secret recipe from being stolen."
Cheng Wanwan nodded and said, "I was planning to do the same thing, and I'm thinking of expanding the soap workshop five times over."
Currently, we produce over a hundred bars of soap per day. To increase production to a thousand, we would need to expand the factory at least five times and hire another batch of people.
"Father still needs to make about a thousand more molds. He doesn't need to worry about anything else," she said slowly. "I have something else to ask Mother to do. I wonder if Mother can spare some time?"
Grandma Zhao immediately nodded: "There are only trivial matters at home, none of them are as important as your matter. Just tell me."
“The factory needs to be expanded, and we need to hire more people,” Cheng Wanwan said. “I will have Zhao’er draw up the blueprints for the factory expansion as soon as possible. I hope it can be completed within five days. After the factory is built, we will need to hire at least fifty more people to work. I know the people in the village very well, and I know their personalities like the back of my hand. It’s perfect for me to do this job.”
It's equivalent to a human resources manager in a company, responsible for employee recruitment.
There was no reason for Old Mrs. Zhao to refuse. She stood up and said, "Hiring fifty people to work is a big deal. There must be a plan. I need to think about it carefully first."
Cheng Wanwan nodded.
She has complete confidence in the old lady's work. Once the regulations are in place, she can offer some suggestions, and that will be about it.
She went to the soap factory, where everything was in order and well-organized. The workers greeted her warmly when they saw her coming.
Everything is moving in a positive direction.
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