Chapter 55 Rural Revitalization
As the sun set, Zhao Tiezhu slowly walked home.
His wife was sitting in the yard mending clothes. Without even looking up, she asked him, "Did you get it done?"
Zhao Tiezhu looked gloomy, and sat down on the bamboo chair, which creaked. He took out the money wrapped in red paper from his pocket and threw it on the table, saying dejectedly, "Old Cheng doesn't want the money."
The embarrassment just now made him at a loss for words: "Old Cheng pointed at the great man's slogan on the wall and said that people would learn bad things if they received money." He lowered his head and dared not look at his wife. "When he spoke, his eyes were very stern, and the great man in the painting was also looking at me. I was panicking."
The needle in his wife's hand stopped in mid-air. She put the needle and thread on the table, sighed and said, "I told you that your method wouldn't work. Not everyone is as greedy as Wang Fugui. The day before yesterday, Old Cheng and Cheng Xin asked everyone for their opinions in the threshing ground. They said that the children have to run to the school of the next brigade before dawn every day. It takes more than an hour to go back and forth."
She frowned and said, "Li Qiang's wife said that her son went to school in the dark every day and fell all over his body, so she simply stopped him from going to school. It just so happened that she had made some money recently, so she bought two pigs and let her son raise them at home."
"Old Cheng asked everyone if they were willing to build the primary school. There are still three educated youth in the team who have not left. They are all high school students and can be teachers to teach children to read and do arithmetic. If the team builds a school, our Xiaoyong and his brother can be brought back from my mother's home."
Zhao Tiezhu stared at the cracks between the bricks on the ground and suddenly raised his head: "Why am I so confused?" He stood up and walked around the yard, "Save the remaining corn for seeds in the spring, and give the money to your mother."
Seeing that he was willing to listen to advice, his wife was relieved: "We have some savings now, so life is not so tight. I think it is a good thing for the brigade to build a bamboo weaving factory, so that the children will have jobs in the future. Popcorn makes money quickly, but I don't feel at ease."
Zhao Tiezhu wiped his face and said, "I'll listen to you. I should be content with earning 500 yuan a month."
The autumn sun gradually sets in the west.
At this time, in the courtyard of Gengjiawan Brigade, a discussion about changing the fate of the village was taking place, and a bright banner with the words "Develop production, revitalize the countryside" was hung on the outer wall.
More than 300 members were either squatting or standing. Some were holding bowls of rice in their hands, some had cigarette butts scattered around their feet, and some had just returned from the fields wearing yellow rubber shoes covered in mud.
Geng Mancang spread the plan of "Underwear Factory Construction Plan" on the stone table and explained to everyone in a cheerful voice: "Yun Ye heard at the autumn trade fair that the cotton-producing areas in northern Shandong had a bumper harvest in the past two years, and the state-owned factories still had surplus cotton after harvesting. He used his connections to get a quota and was able to import a batch of high-quality fine-staple cotton! The equipment was old machines bought from the Shanghai State-owned Red Star Cotton Mill, which can be used with a little modification. The plan is divided into three steps..."
He picked up the plan and read the words on it: "The first step is to build a factory next to the ancestral hall, divided into a raw material warehouse, a textile room, a cutting workshop and a sewing area. We will first recruit 30 female workers for training. Yunye has invited two teachers from the textile school to teach the technology; the second step is to test produce autumn clothes, autumn pants and socks after the equipment is in place, and then start the underwear production line after the female workers are familiar with it; the third step is to transport the finished products to Ningshi Port by water. Yunye has already contacted foreign trade merchants in advance. As long as the quality is good, there is no need to worry about sales."
Geng Mancang put down the plan with a feeling of unsatisfied feeling after he finished speaking.
"What?!" Aunt Zhang stood up and slapped her grandson with the palm-leaf fan in her hand. "Our ancestors have never done this kind of business. If this gets out, people will say we are not decent!"
Aunt Zhao nudged her sister-in-law with her elbow and said in a low voice, "You can't say that Gengjiawan is tinkering with pants and vests when outsiders ask about it in the future, right? You won't be able to hold your head up high when you visit relatives in the future."
The aunts around blushed, some covered their mouths with handkerchiefs, and some buried their faces in their lapels out of shame.
Geng Dazhuang squatted under the tree and scratched his crew cut. His bronze muscles under his coarse cloth jacket were particularly solid. "I'm not saying anything discouraging. Our ancestors have only known how to work hard," he rubbed his hands, "If farmers do these fancy things, they will probably be criticized."
The old man squatting at the foot of the wall smacked his pipe and asked, "Can the cost of transporting cotton be reduced?"
The young girls crowded behind the millstone, whispering to each other with red faces.
Geng Fang grabbed the braids on her chest and hummed in a voice as quiet as a mosquito: "If a man saw the underwear I made..."
Before he could finish, his companion covered his mouth: "Pah, pah, pah! How embarrassing!"
The girls laughed and shoved each other, but couldn't help but secretly glance at the stone table.
Geng Yunye stood upright beside Geng Mancang, his dark blue shirt tucked into his trousers making him look particularly tall and straight. He adjusted the collar of his shirt as usual, supported himself on the stone table with both hands, and swept his sharp eyes over the crowd: "Don't be anxious, everyone, listen to what Uncle Mancang has to say." His voice quieted the noisy crowd a little.
Geng Mancang took off his straw hat and fanned himself, revealing his tanned forehead.
"The supply and marketing cooperative in northern Shandong agreed to cooperate, and the shipping has also been agreed! We calculated the cost, raw materials plus freight. With the same materials, the price of our finished products can be much cheaper than that of the county department store!" He pointed to the highlighted production line: "Although the equipment is second-hand, the technician said that it can be used for ten years with proper maintenance. The initial investment is shared equally by the team and the shareholders."
He continued, "I know everyone is unsure! But the first batch of orders is 5,000 pieces, and after deducting the cost, the team can earn back the investment!" He pointed in the direction of the distant port, "We have the skills and the raw materials. The clothes we make are affordable and durable. Why can't we sell them? Once the factory is established, the finished products can be shipped directly. Can't we sell them all over the country? We will also sell them abroad!"
There were whispers among the crowd.
Geng Dazhuang stood up and said in a muffled voice: "Uncle Mancang, it's not that we don't want to do it, but... can this really work?"
Aunt Wang huddled in the crowd and added in a weak tone, "That's right, who would buy underwear made in our countryside?"
Geng Yunye took out a few samples from the cloth bag without any hurry. The light pink women's vest with fine lace looked very fashionable; the children's socks were printed with vivid little animals, which were very cute.
He showed everyone a women's vest. "This is the style we brought back from Yue City. We use the fine cotton from northern Shandong, so the quality is definitely not worse than that from Hong Kong City! And the factory will set up a quality inspection post, and all unqualified products will be reworked."
Aunt Zhang leaned in and touched the fabric: "The stitches are dense, I've never seen such a style before..."
Aunt Zhao tugged at the corner of her clothes and whispered, "Why don't we make a few for our own children to try out first? Just say they were sent by relatives in the city." The two of them made faces at each other and everyone around them came forward. Geng Yunye and Geng Mancang were suddenly surrounded by a crowd of people.
Seeing that the atmosphere had eased a little, Geng Mancang said with a smile: "Yunye's vision is broader than all of us combined. He said there would be a typhoon and it really came. As long as everyone works together, business is guaranteed to be booming!" He looked at Geng Yunye with eyes full of satisfaction and trust of an elder.
Geng Yunye took over the conversation, his voice was sonorous and powerful: "Uncles and aunts, making underwear may seem embarrassing, but it is a real livelihood that can make everyone's pockets fatter! When the factory makes money, every household can buy new clothes and build a new house! We will also set up a textile school so that young people can learn technology and have stable jobs without going far away. In the future, the team will also build bridges, roads and schools! As long as we improve the quality and make new styles, we will have no worries about sales."
Geng Aiguo mixed in the crowd and shouted "Let's do it!", and there was an immediate response. Everyone started to discuss the factory seriously. Some people started to discuss the location of the factory, and several young wives gathered together with red faces to discuss what patterns to embroider.
The setting sun dyed everyone's face red and gilded the banners on the wall.
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