Chapter 107107 His efforts were in vain...
Seeing Jiang Lili holding a book, Lu Hongzhe spoke again: "If you don't understand anything, you can come and ask us."
Jiang Lili was surprised but also heartwarmed. Everyone around her was caring about her studies in their own way. She nodded and said, "I will."
"Did you choose science? Do you have a favorite school?" Lu Hongzhe asked casually.
"Yes, it's science. Does National Tsing Hua University count as my favorite school?" Jiang Lili thought. She was also an ordinary person. When it came to universities, she cared more about the school's halo. To put it more utilitarianly, this was the best opportunity to screen her connections, so her first choice was what everyone called a famous school.
"Of course." Lu Hongzhe nodded. Thinking of Lu Jiaze's dream, it seemed that the two of them could not go to the same university.
"But it's a little early to say that now. I might change my mind by then." A lot can change in two years. So Jiang Lili couldn't say for sure that she would come to Tsinghua University.
"That's true. If you have any questions about your studies, feel free to come and find us. I'll be going back first." Lu Hongzhe was still worried about the code he hadn't finished.
"Okay." Jiang Lili said and waved at him. She stared at his back and thought. His care for her probably came from the advice of the elders at home. Fortunately, she should not need to disturb him with her studies, otherwise she would really feel embarrassed.
After receiving the official contract from the Mei family, Cheng Yuntian's joyful mood lasted for several days, but soon she could no longer smile. Just as Jiang Lili said, choosing fabrics is a meticulous job. She originally thought it was a simple matter, but on this day, she found that it was not simple at all.
"Zhao Dong and I have been choosing for the whole morning today, but we still haven't found the most suitable one. Lili, do you have any suggestions?" Cheng Yuntian was really at a loss. The designer should know best what the presentation should look like, so she could only ask Jiang Lili for help.
"I'll go with you guys this afternoon to take a look." Jiang Lili felt that the fabric was the most important thing, otherwise the resulting effect would be greatly reduced, so it would be best for her to go there in person.
"Okay, you can make the decision yourself when the time comes." Cheng Yuntian breathed a sigh of relief and finally handed the matter over.
Jiang Lili chuckled, then said seriously, "Sister Cheng, I think the factory's safety education needs further reminders."
"Did something happen?" Seeing her serious expression, Cheng Yuntiao couldn't help but become serious too.
"We are not familiar with this place after all, so we would like to remind everyone to travel in groups, especially women." Although the public security at that time was much better than in the 1980s, roadside surveillance was not yet popular, and women were still a vulnerable group, so it was always better to be careful.
"You reminded me that, especially for those who came with us from Yuncheng, we are responsible for their safety." Cheng Yuntian nodded, his expression full of seriousness, obviously he had heard what she said just now.
"Why not find a retired soldier to be the security guard?" Cheng Yuntian made a decision quickly. The security guard position has been vacant these days.
"That's a good idea. How about I change the recruitment conditions now?" Jiang Lili asked.
"Well, I'll also ask my dad and Sister Mei if they have any introductions." Jiang Lili's words reminded Cheng Yuntian, and she began to take it seriously.
"Okay, then call me in the afternoon when you want to choose the fabrics. By the way, Brother Hongzhe gave me the textbooks for my second year of high school today. I have to thank you, Sister Cheng, for that." Jiang Lili thanked her sincerely.
"I just asked them casually. You should thank them. Then you can read. I won't disturb you." Cheng Yuntian said and waved to her.
*
Song Zhenzhen didn't go to the post office to send a telegram to Ye Qiuju these two days, but she couldn't stand her constant telegrams asking about it. She was a little annoyed and regretted taking her money. Now that Jiang Lili was still here, why was she so anxious?
"Zhenzhen, are your family members urging you to go back?" asked others in the dormitory.
"No, they also want to come to Beijing to work and asked about my situation here." Song Zhenzhen crumpled up the telegram after saying that.
Yao Yan snorted coldly at this. Back in Yuncheng, she'd been so pretentious, saying her family wanted to sell her out, that's why she didn't contact them. But now they were in touch quite frequently. She wondered if she should call Lan Lan and ask her to visit Wenwu every time she had a day off. Yao Yan, a man of action, quickly took the money and went to the nearest store to make the call.
Jiang Lili also went to buy ink at this time, but unexpectedly met Yao Yan who was on the phone. Her eyes flashed, as if she had discovered a new business opportunity. The factory should also open a small store.
But she was a little hesitant about who would be the right person to open the store. As Yao Yan was paying, she saw Jiang Lili holding some ink. She approached and said, "Lili, are you buying some ink?"
"Yes, the ink is out." Jiang Lili nodded and paid.
Yao Yan pretended to pay for her, but Jiang Lili held her back: "No need, I can pay for it myself."
"Kid, we are all family, why do we have to make such clear distinctions?" Yao Yan gave her a reproachful look.
"That was in the past. We are not a family now." Jiang Lili said in a light tone. Is Yao Yan trying to fool her?
"Okay, if you say it's not true, then it's not true. Can you tell me in advance when you return to Yuncheng?" Yao Yan asked.
"What do you want to do?" Jiang Lili glanced at her, trying to find the answer from her eyes.
"What can I do? I just want you to bring something back for Lanlan." Yao Yan explained quickly. If she said it was for Wenwu, the girl would definitely not be happy.
"Okay, I'll tell you in advance when the time comes." Jiang Lili agreed.
"Then I'll trouble you. By the way, Song Zhenzhen runs out every now and then. From what she said, it seems that Ye Qiuju also wants to come to Beijing with her. It's obvious that woman has bad intentions." Yao Yan reminded her to be careful, and then complained in a low voice why they invited Song Zhenzhen, this trouble, in.
Jiang Lili was a little surprised. Ye Qiuju wanted to come to Beijing? Wasn't her butterfly that powerful?
Seeing that she didn't say anything, Yao Yan thought she didn't believe her, so she quickly explained: "I heard Song Zhenzhen say it herself the other day."
"Okay, I understand." Just because she didn't mind Song Zhenzhen coming to work in the factory didn't mean she didn't mind Ye Qiuju coming.
"From what I heard, she came by herself, and your dad's efforts were in vain." Yao Yan said with a look of schadenfreude. If Ji Yushu and Ye Qiuju had not been involved in the beginning, nothing would have happened afterwards. That was why she hated Ji Yushu.
"How could it be a waste of time? Didn't he have two daughters?" Jiang Lili said with a smile.
"Yes, yes, yes. Look at my memory. I still have things to do. I'll go back first." Yao Yan always felt that her smile was a little strange, and said goodbye quickly. On the way back, she couldn't help laughing out loud. Ji Yushu really deserved it. It was good that way. If it weren't for that woman Ye Qiuju's mischief, he shouldn't have snatched the iron factory house from Wenwu.
Yao Yan's back quickly disappeared from her sight. Jiang Lili was a little confused. Was Ye Qiuju going to give up on Ji Yushu?
With such doubts, she returned to her and Cheng Yuntian's room. Seeing her back, Cheng Yuntian breathed a sigh of relief: "I've been looking for you for a long time. You scared me to death."
"I went to buy ink." Jiang Lili explained, holding up the ink in her hand.
"I'm glad you're okay." The main reason was that she had just talked to him about the safety issue, and then she disappeared in the blink of an eye. How could Cheng Yuntian not be worried?
"Are we going to set off now?" Jiang Lili put the ink on the table.
"It's almost time, the two points I agreed with Zhao Dong." Cheng Yuntian said as he glanced at the time on his wrist. There were still ten minutes left.
"Then I just happened to tell you something." Jiang Lili thought of the business opportunity she had just seen.
"What's the matter?" Cheng Yuntian became nervous unconsciously.
"I just went to buy ink and found that there were people in our factory making phone calls all the time. The charges were quite expensive. I was thinking, can we set up a store in the factory? Instead of letting others make the money, we might as well make it ourselves." Jiang Lili suggested.
"What you said makes sense, and there is a suitable place. Didn't we say before that the guardhouse needed to be renovated? We might as well add another room. There is already a telephone line at the guardhouse, so it will be convenient to pull another one." Cheng Yuntian quickly came up with an idea.
"It is indeed very convenient. It also makes it easier for workers to buy things." You know, in schools or factories, such small stores are the most popular, and people without connections can't get a seat.
"Indeed, but who will manage the store?" For a moment, Cheng Yuntian was a little troubled by this problem.
"Isn't it too late to get the shop ready first and then consider this matter? We can also consider Yuncheng. If it really doesn't work out, we can rent the shop out." Jiang Lili couldn't think of a suitable person for a while, so she thought about renting it out directly, which would be the easiest way for them to collect the rent.
"You make sense. Let's set up the shop first. Let's go and choose the fabrics." Cheng Yuntian reminded her that the time was up.
The two of them quickly reunited with Zhao Dong. Jiang Lili looked at Cheng Yuntian and said, "Sister Cheng, shall we take the bus?"
"Well, Old Cheng has something to do recently and can't be my driver. Just wait until I get my driver's license." Cheng Yuntian said as he clenched his palms tightly. Why is it so difficult to get a driver's license?
So the three of them took the bus together to choose fabrics. The college style, whether it was a suit jacket or a skirt, required a stiff fabric. The white shirt inside was easy to choose. There were also vest styles. Jiang Lili wanted the knitted one. In this way, they didn't finish choosing the fabrics in the whole afternoon.
"Come back tomorrow. The three types you chose today are better than what we did this morning." Zhao Dong also held the newly bought fabrics in his hand. These were all to be used for pattern making. It must be said that Jiang Lili's vision was indeed better than theirs.
"Yes, there are only two sets of clothes left. We should be able to finish them tomorrow morning." Cheng Yuntian said as he stretched his limbs. He had just been in the market, bending over to look at the fabrics, and his whole body was stiff.
"I hope I can find a suitable one tomorrow, Brother Zhao. How is the production of cross-dressing dolls now? Has it increased?" Jiang Lili asked casually.
"It has improved a lot. Half of the previous orders have been completed." The orders Zhao Dong mentioned were the orders from the Mei family. In addition to the orders from the Mei family, he now has a lot of orders piled up.
"I called home yesterday and heard that Factory No. 1 has also received quite a few orders for cross-dressing dolls." Jiang Lili glanced at Zhao Dong next to her while she was speaking. His expression didn't change at all when he heard that.
"It seems that we have achieved the win-win situation we agreed on." Cheng Yuntian's eyes were full of smiles.
"Factory One has always been supported by orders for cross-dressing dolls. This internal transfer has accelerated the changes in Factory One. I guess Factory One can only last another year and a half at most. Next year, the second-generation cross-dressing dolls should be able to bring in a lot of orders for the factory." Zhao Dong suddenly analyzed to them.
"Is that so? Then won't everyone be laid off?" Jiang Lili thought. She was right. Zhao Dong had already considered these issues.
"Nowadays, people are laid off in state-owned factories every day. I can avoid this problem thanks to you two." After Zhao Dong finished speaking, he looked at the two of them with gratitude. Since he had chosen to stay, he naturally had to have some personal conversation with them.
"That's because you have real abilities, Brother Zhao." Jiang Lili chuckled. With his attitude, they could really rest assured when they handed over the workshop to him.
"This is also thanks to Lili. If it weren't for Lili's design drawing, I might have been laid off long ago." Zhao Dong said sincerely, and Jiang Lili could only respond with a smile.
It was dinner time when the three of them returned to the factory. The night shift had not yet arrived, so they still had to work overtime for two hours after dinner. However, everyone looked happy and motivated. After all, the more they did, the more they would get paid.
The only person who was unhappy was probably Song Zhenzhen. She hadn't come here for the high salary, but she valued Beijing. Unfortunately, she had to work overtime every day, so she had no time to explore the surrounding area. Fortunately, the night shift would soon be introduced, which would give them more time off and a chance for her to get familiar with the surrounding area. Most importantly, she planned to rent an apartment nearby; she didn't want to live in the dorms. Living in such a shared dormitory was not only unaccustomed to her, but also inconvenient. She should have enough money to rent an apartment, so she planned to inquire about the rental market nearby during her next break.
The cafeteria still continues the style of Yuncheng. Both the ingredients and the taste are not inferior to the restaurants outside. Everyone is very satisfied with the meal.
The next day, selecting fabrics took another morning. Jiang Lili had nothing to do for the time being. She only needed to do her homework and review lessons. However, after just two days of quiet time, Cheng Yuntian drafted her in to oversee the work. The guardhouse and the canteen outside were being renovated. Jiang Lili casually reminded them, "Do you want to build some shelves while you're at it?"
"Let's do it, so that we don't have to hire more workers. I thought about it, and I'll guard it before it is rented out. They only have a few hours off work anyway." Cheng Yuntian had obviously considered this problem.
"I have no objection." As long as she was not asked to guard it, Jiang Lili had no objection at all. However, this also reminded her that this was indeed a business opportunity, but if it was not handled properly in the follow-up, it would instead be a landmine between the two of them. A specific agreement should be reached regarding the profitability of the store.
"Thank you for your hard work in supervising the work these past few days. Once Zhao Dong finishes making the pattern, you can go back to Yuncheng." Cheng Yuntian sighed after saying this. He felt reluctant to let her go even before she left.
"No rush." Jiang Lili said gently. Now is the time for the new factory to gain a foothold. Quality control and innovation are the most important. Moreover, it is rare for a pattern to be successful in one try, so she felt that she should not go back so soon.
Just as Jiang Lili had said, the first attempt at making the pattern wasn't a success. Although it was executed completely according to the design, something still felt amiss. Jiang Lili quickly pointed out the reason, her tone somewhat helpless: "Expressions, Meow, shouldn't you change their expressions?"
The Meowth they have now is made in proportion to the musical mimicking doll, no wonder it looks out of place.
"I'll go and have them change it right away. As for the issue of wearing shoes, I think what Lili said before was right. They are cuter without shoes." Zhao Dong also felt that the second-generation cross-dressing dolls did not need shoes.
"Do you need some small accessories?" Cheng Yuntian asked.
"If you need it, such as books and glasses, try to focus on studying." Jiang Lili quickly made a suggestion.
"Okay, I understand what you mean." Zhao Dong had been working in a factory for several years and quickly understood what she meant.
Zhao Dong was quite capable, so he quickly started working on the second version. Jiang Lili was happy to be the boss. While doing her homework every day, she also supervised the progress in the guard room. Her life was quite comfortable.
That day, she had just come out to discuss the shelf problem with her master when she ran into a group of three people who came to eat. Jiang Liangbo's family owned a store, and he was very sensitive to the shelves and the two people. He couldn't help but ask, "Lili, are you planning to open a small store?"
"Yes, in order to make it convenient for workers to buy things and make phone calls, Sister Cheng plans to open a small store next to the guard room." Jiang Lili nodded.
"This is a good idea. I've thought about it before." Jiang Liangbo had planned to mention this suggestion to them before, but was afraid that they would find it too abrupt, so he planned to talk about it later. Unexpectedly, they thought of it first.
"It seems that great minds think alike." Jiang Lili said and gave him a thumbs up.
"Of course not. This not only makes things convenient for the workers, but also for the three of us. It's already August. When will you return to Yuncheng?" Jiang Liangbo asked.
"It will be soon. If everything goes well, it will be in a week." Jiang Lili estimated the time.
"It's indeed coming soon. Last time, Old Lu helped you borrow textbooks, but you never came to ask us. It seems that you understand everything. Then we will wait for you at school. I believe that with your grades, there will be no problem for you to go to Tsinghua University." Jiang Liangbo said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Lili couldn't help but look at Lu Hongzhe, then frowned. He shouldn't be the type of person who likes to spread rumors, right?
"I didn't say anything." Lu Hongzhe couldn't help but explain when she frowned.
"What?" Jiang Liangbo looked at the two of them with some confusion.
"Why did Brother Jiang think I would come to Tsinghua University?" Jiang Lili was really curious.
"Your career is here. If you don't come to Tsinghua University, then Peking University. We three know each other there. Isn't it normal to choose Tsinghua University?" Jiang Liangbo explained his guess to her.
"You're right. If you have the chance, please take care of me, senior brothers." Jiang Lili was the first to laugh after she said that.
"Of course. Shall we go eat now?" Jiang Liangbo asked.
"We're almost there. Let's go. I'll have dinner with you guys." Jiang Lili nodded. Calculating the time, she would stay in Beijing for only seven to ten days at most. Having dinner with them could be considered an early farewell.
Jiang Lili went to the cafeteria with them. Along the way, Jiang Liangbo was the only one talking. Everything he said was quite interesting, which she didn't mind. She and Lu Hongzhe were very close, and when she heard him cough for the third time, she couldn't help but turn around and said, "Brother Hongzhe, do you have a cold?"
"A little." Lu Hongzhe nodded. He had been taking medicine for two days, but his cough had not improved.
"Summer colds are indeed not easy to cure. Uncle Cheng sent us some pears today. You can take some back and make pear water." Pear water moisturizes the lungs and will make you feel more comfortable after drinking it.
"Okay." Lu Hongzhe coughed again after he finished speaking. He didn't forget to slow down her pace. Meeting her puzzled eyes, he explained, "I'll infect you later."
He hadn't originally planned to come over for dinner, but Jiang Liangbo and Lu Ziming had dragged him over. They'd said it was just a cold, so easily contagious, and they'd eaten and slept with him, hadn't they gotten it too? Lu Hongzhe was convinced, but now he regretted it. They were strong and healthy, but what about Jiang Lili?
"Then wear a mask next time you go out." Jiang Lili thought about it and felt that it was good to have a doctor at home. It was probably Aunt Qiu who reminded him of this.
"It was my negligence." Lu Hongzhe nodded and kept a distance from her. When he arrived at the cafeteria, he also chose a place with fewer people.
Because Lu Hongzhe had a cold, they didn't communicate much during the meal. When they came out of the cafeteria, she reminded them, "Wait for me at the gate. I'll go get the pears."
"No rush, go slowly." Lu Hongzhe reminded.
After she left, Lu Hongzhe glanced at the two people next to him: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Jiang Liangbo and Lu Ziming shook their heads and said in unison, "Nothing." Then Lu Ziming asked, "Do you have any rock sugar at home? I remember that thing has to be cooked with rock sugar. I'll go ask the cafeteria if they have any."
Seeing Lu Ziming return to the cafeteria, Jiang Liangbo thought for a moment and said, "I'll go take a look too."
Lu Hongzhe stared at their backs and felt that there was something strange about the two of them, but he couldn't tell what was wrong. He was not the type to make things difficult for himself, and he quickly put aside the things he couldn't figure out. Soon, he saw Jiang Lili walking towards him with a bag of pears.
"So many?" He stared at the bag of pears and frowned.
"Put more pears in the water when boiling it, Brother Jiang and the others can drink it too." In Jiang Lili's opinion, the summer is dry, so it is good to drink more soup that moistens the lungs. The most important thing is that Uncle Cheng sent a lot of pears over. If she distributes them to the workers, it is not enough, and she and Cheng Yuntian cannot finish them all. After thinking about it, giving them to them is the best solution.
Lu Hongzhe laughed in silence. Why did he feel that she stuffed it all into his mouth because she couldn't finish it?
"What are you laughing at?" Jiang Lili was a little confused.
"Are you sure you're not taking the opportunity to stuff all these into my hands?" Lu Hongzhe asked with a smile.
"Okay, I didn't expect you to find out so quickly." Jiang Lili spread her hands helplessly at him, and then explained to him the reason for doing so.
"Anyway, I made a profit, thank you." Lu Hongzhe took the bag she handed over and roughly estimated that it was at least five kilograms.
"I'm glad to know. I'll go back first." Jiang Lili said, waved to him, then turned and left.
The two people who had asked for rock sugar from the cafeteria came back quickly. They glanced at the bag of pears in Lu Hongzhe's hand, then looked at the few pieces of rock sugar wrapped in paper in their own hands, hesitating whether to go back and ask for some more rock sugar?
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