Thirty-six different days
Although the injuries looked quite serious, with red patches on the arms, knees, and palms (mainly due to the red dye), there were still several broken skins and some bleeding, so there was still some pain.
Li Wei took the opportunity to complain, groaning and moaning as if it were a serious problem, which worried her mother so much that she forgot to ask about Li Wei's stomachache and simply stayed home to rest that afternoon.
Li Wei wasn't idle either. She secretly told her grandfather that he would accompany her to the city the next day to ask her second grandfather about the textile factory. They needed to hurry up and get the fabric in stock; they had to increase production as quickly as possible. If Dong Hui could act as a distributor, their current supply of scrap fabric was a joke. If Dong Hui couldn't act as a distributor, Li Wei felt things were a bit uncertain. What if she started making and selling hair accessories herself? Her current monopoly would be in danger. Entering a competitive era prematurely would require exponentially more effort. After all, she was just a child; there was no doubt she wouldn't be able to compete. Li Wei had no doubt about the ingenuity of the working people.
To avoid going to school the next day, Li Wei deliberately hummed a few times for her mother to hear before going to bed. Her mother didn't react much, but Li Lin reacted strongly: "Oh my god—sis, are you bleeding again? That's scary!"
Ugh! The atmosphere we'd been trying to create was ruined by her outburst, making everything seem so unserious! Li Wei really wanted to slap her twice; she's a useless piece of trash!
The next day, Li Wei got up slowly and deliberately made a few whimpers, which annoyed her mother. "Alright, alright, stop acting like a little bear. Just stay home and rest today, or you'll make my ears go deaf." Cheng Min was both annoyed and amused. Anyway, her daughter was a good student, so taking a day off wouldn't be a big deal. Besides, those injuries did look quite frightening.
Li Wei, who had just sat up, immediately lay back down in bed, intending to take a nap. She figured Grandpa would find an excuse to take her away when he arrived. But she didn't forget the important matter, shouting without even opening her eyes, "Li Lin, help me ask for leave! Don't forget, Mom, help me write the leave slip! Don't forget!"
Li Lin, who was getting dressed, was incredibly envious. How she wished she were the one who got hurt!
As expected, Grandpa Cheng pushed his bicycle into the yard early in the morning and said loudly to his daughter, "I'm going to town today. Your second uncle needs to see me. Give me some money. Oh—Xiaoming didn't go to school. Then come to town with Grandpa for a bit."
With her mother standing to the side, Li Wei held back her laughter. "Grandpa, you're such a good actor! How come I never noticed before? Not only did you take the person away, but you also took some funds with a perfectly justifiable attitude."
So when Cheng Min asked her father how much money he needed, the old man secretly glanced at his granddaughter, Li Wei, who secretly held out a small hand. The old man understood immediately: "Five thousand." Li Wei almost fell over. Grandpa, you think too highly of me! Do I look like someone who can do such a big business now?! Cheng Min's face also stiffened. The family could come up with five thousand yuan, but they didn't have a single penny of working capital on hand. All the money in the bank was in fixed deposits.
The old man probably knew he'd said too much. He smacked his lips and said, "Hmm. I probably won't need that much. A thousand or two will do... What? You don't have any?" He then looked at his daughter.
"Yes, yes! I'll get it for you right away." Cheng Min breathed a sigh of relief. Sigh. Her father's loyal and generous personality was incurable. If a friend needed help, he'd always be thinking about it if he didn't. This money was probably going down the drain again. Luckily, she didn't have many truly close friends. Otherwise... Sigh!
Finally, the old man and Li Wei left with two thousand yuan.
As soon as they turned out of their alley, Li Wei, sitting on the back of the bicycle, tugged at her grandfather's shirt: "Grandpa, why are you asking my mom for money? I have my own money."
The old man turned and glanced at Li Wei: "Keep that money for yourself. Consider it an investment from your mother. Your mother is quite capable, but she's short-sighted and can't see things clearly. Go ahead and try if you want, but don't let it interfere with your studies. Having money without studying won't get you anywhere."
"I know, Grandpa. I will definitely get into university. I won't let you down." Li Wei was deeply moved by her grandfather's concern. She was unusually serious for once.
Of course she can get into university. She's even prepared to retake the exam. It would be an injustice if she didn't!
After several encounters with her maternal grandfather, Li Wei learned that among his sworn brothers, the one with the most business acumen was her second grandfather, Luo Chaozhong, who also ran a small shop… a small shop! Oh my god, how could she have forgotten about that? Her second grandfather ran a small shop!
Li Wei went there once, but she heard that his convenience store and residence were not in the same place, so she didn't see it and didn't pay attention. Now that she suddenly remembered it, it felt like a window had suddenly opened in front of her, making things much brighter.
Nowadays, small shops are quite profitable because there isn't much competition from supermarkets of all sizes. My second grandfather's wife and daughter-in-law run the shop, and my second grandfather usually wanders around and tries to sell some cheap goods when he has nothing to do. He's very quick-witted, unlike my third and fourth brothers who are content to retire at home.
Li Wei suddenly felt even more excited about the trip, regretting that she hadn't thought to bring a few hair accessories when she left home.
Where there is hope, there is also disappointment. Luo Chaozhong was very enthusiastic about his elder brother's arrival, but when he heard that his brother wanted to buy fabric not to make clothes but to make hair ties for girls, he shook his head like a rattle drum: "Brother, brother, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but how much money can you make from those little things? If you made clothes or pants, you could probably make a profit. Especially since your second niece, Rosa, is an accountant at a clothing factory, and the textile factory happens to be a related unit for them. They can get a good price on the fabric, and wouldn't it be more profitable to make clothes..."
Men's hobbies will never be the same as women's; the few who do share them all become designers. Li Wei couldn't stand the old man's long-winded explanation any longer, and disregarding politeness, she interjected, "Second Grandpa, let's buy a small amount of fabric first and see how it goes. If it doesn't work, we can make clothes. We happen to have Second Aunt's connections, so we're planning to buy some reasonably priced fabric to test the waters. If it doesn't work, we won't lose anything; if it does, it's a way out. Don't say anything more, let's help Second Aunt buy some fabric first, okay?"
Grandpa Cheng Enjiu nodded in support of his granddaughter, "Yes, don't say anything more, second son. Let's ask your niece to buy some fabric first. We'll see if it works." The old man sighed inwardly. This second son was a man with connections in the city, able to get involved with anyone. He was old enough to be no better than his granddaughter. The child had already earned several wallets' worth of money, and this old man was still complaining that it wasn't a good thing. If his daughter hadn't told him not to say anything, he would have definitely explained things to his second son.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade his elder brother, and knowing that the old man was not short of money, Luo Chaozhong simply took them to the clothing factory to ask his daughter for some fabric.
At this time, it was a risky business for individuals to buy things from state-owned enterprises. Not only would they not receive any discounts, but they would also pay more for the same products than from other state-owned enterprises. Therefore, Luo Chaozhong took Cheng Enjiu directly to the garment factory instead of the textile factory.
The old man handed his daughter over, and the four of them found a small restaurant nearby to eat and talk.
Grandpa Luo's second daughter, Rosa, was in her late twenties. She was beautiful and dressed very fashionably, with her long, wavy hair tied in a ponytail. She spoke lightly and lively: "Uncle and Xiaowei, just order whatever you want. Anyway, my dad will pay. There's no need to save him money. He just made a fortune a couple of days ago and is worried about where to spend it, haha."
The dishes they ordered were served quickly. Luo Chaozhong had already told his daughter about Cheng Enjiu buying the cloth. While pouring wine for his elder brother, he said to his daughter, "Your uncle's affairs are our family affairs. You must handle this well, no matter what, my daughter."
Rosa picked up a piece of meat for Li Wei and said to the old man, "Uncle, our factory's monthly production quota varies. It depends on what kind of fabric you want to buy. You need to buy more within the plan. It's easier to do it within our factory. We are currently producing summer clothes, mainly skirts. What is the fabric you want for?"
As Rosa swayed her head, Li Wei noticed the pink and blue checkered hair accessory on her head. Wasn't that one from her workshop? She quickly said, "Second Aunt, your hair accessory is very pretty. How much did you buy it for?"
Rosa smiled and touched her head: "I bought it for one yuan. It's only sold at the convenience store near my colleague's house. She specially bought it for me. Xiaowei likes it too. Auntie will ask her to get one for you tomorrow."
"Hehe, no need, Auntie. I'll bring you a pack next time you come, it'll be even prettier than this one, hehe. If I'm not mistaken, isn't your colleague's house near a middle school? If so, this hair accessory of yours is made by my family, no doubt about it." It's made from scraps of cloth from my family, hehe.
Rosa perked up immediately: "Really? What kinds of styles do you have at home...?"
The two women, one older and one younger, who had much in common, started chatting enthusiastically, exchanging information and opinions about pretty hair accessories. Having seen countless hair accessories in her later life, Li Wei was easily swayed by Rosa's charm, and soon they seemed to have hit it off immediately.
The two old men exchanged a glance. Well, it seemed impossible for them to back down now. Luo Chaozhong saw his daughter's excitement; the kind of energy she only showed when she saw pretty clothes had reappeared. Without him saying anything, the sight of the pretty hair tie would make this little girl nervous enough to get Luo to do things for her.
It's just a hair tie, why is there so much to discuss about it? Why can we keep talking about it endlessly?
Not to mention him, even Grandpa Cheng, who had been watching Li Wei siphon money into the family, was quite puzzled. He had initially thought it was just a child's game, a way to swindle money from a child, not something anyone could just eat like steamed buns. Who knew that Rosa, such a pretty city girl, would be so interested? The way her eyes lit up looked so familiar. Yes, just like how Li Lin looked when she first started wearing those hair clips. Now, Li Lin, surrounded by hair clips all day, had long since calmed down.
It's my eldest granddaughter who's so successful! Look at her, except when she's counting money or hitting someone, she's always so calm and collected. It's clear that even my second son's pretty daughter can't compare. One makes hair accessories, the other asks someone to buy them for her. They're clearly not on the same level.
Regardless of the old man's inner turmoil, after dinner, Rosa had completely accepted Li Wei as her own child. Moreover, the old man had said that Li Wei could decide what kind of fabric to buy. Without a word, Rosa left the two old men still drinking and headed to their factory with Li Wei. This saved her the trouble of explaining; otherwise, what would it look like to bring two old men into the factory? She could simply treat it as taking her niece to play at the factory for a while.
And Li Wei certainly didn't disappoint her. She wore a silk floral dress and a matching sun hat, a small red crossbody bag, and especially her little red shoes with glimpses of white cotton socks—she looked incredibly ladylike. Not only was she beautifully dressed, but she was also adorable, with fair skin and delicate features, even prettier than city kids. You'd never guess she was from the countryside.
Rosa first took Li Wei to the technical department, where there were various fabric samples. They could see which fabric Li Wei liked, since it wouldn't be good to go directly to the production workshop and cause a ruckus. Besides, she had a good relationship with two female colleagues in the technical department, so they decided to just go and have a chat.
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Rosa's two best friends, both young and fashionable women, one surnamed Li and the other Liu, immediately started playing with the little girl when Rosa mentioned that a relative's child was visiting. One asked what grade Li Wei was in, the other where she bought her clothes, and Li Wei answered each question calmly and politely, making the two women like her more and more. Finally, they even asked Li Wei to perform a song or dance, insisting that the little girl showcase her charm in every way.
Without thinking too much, Li Wei opened her mouth and sang "Jasmine Flower." Her childlike, crisp voice sang this folk song that almost everyone was familiar with, and it had a unique charm. The three beauties clapped enthusiastically in support, especially the short-haired woman surnamed Liu, who asked Li Wei to sing another one.
Seeing their happiness, Li Wei became more cautious this time. Aunt Luo would need to ask for a favor later, so she had to perform well and not disappoint them. Besides, both of them seemed educated; they were now working in the technical department of the garment factory, doing increasingly fashionable work as fashion designers. With this in mind, Li Wei said without any hesitation, "Now I'll sing you an English song, 'Those Were the Days.'"
Wow! Almost anyone who has learned a couple of English songs can sing this song, so it's not surprising. But these days, for a kid like Li Wei to sing it from beginning to end without missing a single word is quite interesting.
Of the three, only the woman surnamed Li was good at English and was continuing to study for further education. The other two were not good at English, but that did not affect their deep longing for English, and they listened very attentively.
Li Wei's childlike yet melodious voice echoed in the room...
When I was young
I'd listened to the radio
Waiting for my favorite songs
waiting they played i'd sing along
It made me smile.
Those were such happy times
and not so long ago
how i wondered where they'd gone
But they're back again
Just like along lost friend
All the songs siloved so well
every sha－la－la－la
every wo－wo－wo
still shines
every shing-a-ling-a-ling
that they're starting to sing's
so fine
when they get to the part
Where he's breaking her heart
It can really make me cry.
Just like before
It's yesterday oncemore
Look back on how it was
in years goneby
and the goodtimes that I had
Make today seem like the sad
so much has changed
It was song soflove that
I would sing to then
and I'd memorize each word
Those old me lodies
Still sound so goodtime
as they melt the years away
...
...
All my best memories
e back clearlytome
Some can even make me cry.
Just like before
It's yesterday oncemore
Li Wei sang with great care. In fact, this song is a true reflection of Li Wei's life now!
...
Just like before
The past has come again
Looking back on those old times
The joy I once had
Makes today even more sorrowful
...
...
All my best memories
Clearly appearing before my eyes
Some of them brought tears to my eyes.
Just like before
The past has come again
As she sang, Li Wei regretted choosing this song. People who are carefree will live happier lives.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
