When they returned to the Unity Brigade, their triumphant return immediately attracted a lot of attention.
Everyone gathered around to look, including Xu Yejun's wife, Tian Jiaojiao, who was also in the crowd. Everyone praised the aunties for buying so many things this time.
Unable to resist, she interjected, "I'm afraid it's all thanks to my aunt, right? Otherwise, how could she have bought all these nice things?"
This reminded everyone, and they asked the aunties, "Was it Pearl who helped buy it? That's really great! Tomorrow I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to ask Pearl to help me buy a flashlight! It's been a year, and every time I go they say they're out of stock! Now that Pearl is here, we finally have hope!"
Many people nearby echoed this sentiment, saying they would also go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow.
Now that their brigade has connections at the supply and marketing cooperative, they can buy whatever they want.
They all started to dream.
The aunties smiled wryly. They wanted to say something, but they were afraid of being accused of taking advantage and then complaining. Besides, what if they spoke up and Pearl was very nice to them? Wouldn't that make them look like petty people?
So I simply kept quiet.
The news spread quickly throughout the entire brigade.
Xu Ningyan overheard this at home and couldn't help but be surprised. She hadn't expected Xu Zhenzhu to finally have a brain and know how to take the mass line and win people's favor.
But soon she realized she was wrong!
She overestimated Xu Zhenzhu's intelligence!
The next day, the women in the brigade, each with their own thoughts and plans, secretly left the brigade and headed to the commune.
Then they gathered at the entrance of the commune's supply and marketing cooperative.
They looked at each other, both feeling extremely awkward.
She was also wondering to herself what her relationship with Pearl was like. Had she ever offended her? Otherwise, how embarrassing would it be if Pearl helped others but not her?
All their worries were in vain!
Xu Zhenzhu's main theme is equality for all beings and treating everyone equally.
No one gave him a friendly look; no matter who it was or what their request was, he refused them all!
They spoke very rudely, and the group of women from the Unity Brigade returned home not only empty-handed but also furious.
The Xu family, unaware of the situation, happily went to ask the man for a favor.
Not only was Xu Zhenzhu verbally abused by those women, but her reputation in the production brigade also became somewhat complicated.
Although they knew she was going to marry into a high-ranking official's family in the city, the village's tractor drivers were hoping she would put in a good word for them so that Lu's father could approve the marriage.
Judging from her appearance and demeanor, she already looks down on the people in the brigade even before she's married.
Once she marries into the family of a high-ranking official, can she really rely on him?
It's not as good as that girl Xu Ningyan, who quietly found a way out for the village.
With this comparison, the difference in quality is immediately apparent!
For a time, everyone in the production team praised Xu Ningyan highly.
When Xu Zhenzhu is mentioned, he shakes his head and sighs.
However, no one went too far, since Xu Zhenzhu had powerful backers and no one wanted to really offend her.
So he simply praised Xu Ningyan more, deliberately trying to annoy Xu Zhenzhu's family.
And then there were those petty people who couldn't resist sowing discord between Xu Ningyan and Xu Zhenzhu several times, wishing they could make Xu Ningyan and Xu Zhenzhu fight each other right away.
Xu Ningyan was too lazy to deal with these people. Seeing that the work in the fields was finished, she wondered if she should go to the county town to buy the materials for making hair ties.
To avoid any unforeseen complications.
The brigade leader and the party secretary thought the same way. As soon as they finished their work in the brigade, they approached Xu Ningyan to ask about buying materials.
Going to the county town was easy, and Li Jianguo had already agreed to help with the materials, so Xu Ningyan wasn't in a hurry.
Gu Zhiyuan, however, offered a reminder: making money by selling hair ties may seem like a small matter, but it involves a lot of things. He suggested that everything be explained clearly so that the team leader and the party secretary would have a clear understanding before starting.
Otherwise, if the items are bought and then not distributed evenly, everyone will complain and you'll get blamed. Wouldn't that be a case of good intentions going unrewarded?
Xu Ningyan is not good at this, and even though the brigade leader and the party secretary are good at managing the production team's daily production and assigning tasks, they are not confident about selling their first product to the city.
Upon hearing Gu Zhiyuan's reminder, they all turned to look at him.
Gu Zhiyuan rubbed his forehead. He didn't want to get involved in these things, but he said something for Xu Ningyan's sake.
The words have already been spoken, what else can be done?
The only question is how to arrange this work? The materials are limited. What if someone with ill intentions keeps the finished product for themselves? Or what if they take it out to sell or give it away? This product doesn't require much technical skill, so if someone copies it, it won't sell well.
Also, the materials team pays for the costs, so how do we set the price?
These few points alone almost made the brigade leader and the party secretary's brains boil over.
After regaining their senses, the two of them pulled Gu Zhiyuan and Xu Ningyan aside and pondered for a long time.
Assigning tasks is easy; whoever's wife or daughter is skilled can be assigned the work, and work points are calculated based on the number of pieces.
As for the materials, the amount received must be recorded, and the quantity that can be produced must be recorded. The skilled auntie only needs to make one sample to know the quantity needed and ensure that the materials are properly controlled.
As for whether the finished products might be hoarded or sold or given away, the only solution is for the brigade leader and the party secretary to repeatedly issue orders and set rules that if this is discovered, the whole family will have their work points deducted. That should probably work, right?
As for how to determine the cost and how to negotiate the price with the county, we'll have to figure that out slowly after we buy the goods.
Although their heads were buzzing a bit, Gu Zhiyuan's reminders opened their minds, and the brigade leader and the party secretary had a rough idea of what to do next.
After discussing the matter and agreeing to go to the county town together the next day, the brigade leader and the party secretary got up to say goodbye.
The two left the courtyard and walked quite a distance before the Party Secretary sighed, "Comrade Gu is from the city, after all. He's seen a lot and is much more knowledgeable than us! If it weren't for his reminder, even if we had taken on this job, we wouldn't have been able to handle it properly!"
For a moment, I felt a sense of melancholy, like a hero past his prime.
The captain sighed, "Let's take better care of him in the future and repay this favor!"
Thinking of Xu Zhenzhu's distressing situation, the two were even more troubled. The brigade had a lot of opinions about Xu Zhenzhu, but they were too cautious and didn't cause any trouble openly.
The Xu family is also restless. Should they be involved in making hair ties? Given their current relationship with Xu Ningyan, there's a fear that the Xu family might cause trouble behind the scenes.
If this matter is ruined, not only will they be punished, but everyone in the brigade will also be furious with the Xu family.
There will probably be more trouble then.
Thinking of this, the two smiled wryly, realizing that trying to smooth things over was probably no longer an option.
These are things that the brigade leader and the party secretary will have a headache about; Xu Ningyan has no say in them.
She was going to the county, thinking she could take this opportunity to sell another batch of goods to Sun Zhou before the Dragon Boat Festival, which should make it easier to sell.
We can take advantage of the trip to the county to bring back some good things, satisfy our cravings, and have a proper Dragon Boat Festival.
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