This summer, Yu Hongying went to Haishi on a business trip and really wanted to buy a piece of chiffon fabric to make a dress.
Unfortunately, the fabric for a chiffon dress cost around thirty yuan, and after thinking it over, Yu Hongying ultimately couldn't bring herself to buy it. Upon returning home, seeing the despicable faces of some people, Yu Hongying felt a pang of regret for not buying it.
Seeing Zhao Zhenzhu's shirt today, Yu Hongying realized that chiffon shirts have a kind of understated luxury, and are actually no less luxurious than dresses.
Most importantly, the fabric for a shirt only costs around twenty yuan, which is about a third cheaper than a dress.
“My husband is serving in the army in Guangzhou. He sent the fabric back.” Zhao Zhenzhu, unaware of Yu Hongying’s inner turmoil, deftly brought up Zhou Bingchen, the man she was working with, for another round.
This piece of fabric was stored in Zhao Zhenzhu's space.
Zhao Zhenzhu is someone who doesn't like to treat herself poorly. She has several containers stocked with enough fabric for the whole family.
"Is your husband an officer in the army? He really dotes on you." Yu Hongying's eyes were full of envy.
“Yes, my Bingchen has been serving in the military in Guangzhou for over ten years. There are many interesting things there, and sometimes when Bingchen comes across something, he'll buy it for us.” Zhao Zhenzhu’s smile was almost too wide to hold back.
Can you please stop mentioning Zhou Bingchen all the time?
She can only blame Zhou Bingchen for wearing nice clothes, and she feels incredibly frustrated.
"Pearl, do you mind if I call you that?" Yu Hongying's smile became even brighter, and she even moved her chair closer to Zhao Pearl.
That's Guangzhou! A major city that can rival Shanghai.
Many imported goods are currently only available in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Yu Hongying wanted to get along well with Zhao Zhenzhu so that it would be easier for her to go on shopping sprees in the future.
“I don’t mind. A name is for people to call you by. You can call Comrade Yu whatever you want,” Zhao Zhenzhu said with a smile.
"Don't call me Comrade Yu anymore, just call me Sister Yu!" Yu Hongying patted Zhao Zhenzhu's hand and said.
Eldest sister?
Zhao Zhenzhu couldn't help but glance at He Bo.
Zhao Zhenzhu heard it clearly: He Bo had just called Yu Hongying "Auntie." If she called Yu Hongying "Sister," wouldn't He Bo become her "Nephew"?
"Sister, let's each keep our own ways. If I weren't close to Liangzi, I would have called her 'Big Sister' too. But Auntie looks so young!" He Bo said with a grin.
"You little rascal, how dare you make fun of an old man like me!" Yu Hongying pretended to be displeased, but she couldn't hide the joy in her eyes.
What older woman doesn't like being complimented on looking young?
“Auntie, where do you look old? You look very young! Sister, am I right?” He Bo asked Zhao Zhenzhu.
“How old is Sister Yu this year? She looks to me around thirty-four or thirty-five.” Zhao Zhenzhu chimed in.
"I'm forty-two! I'm getting old!" Yu Hongying touched her face and sighed.
"Oh! Sister Yu, if you didn't say so, I really wouldn't be able to tell that you're forty-two this year." Zhao Zhenzhu flattered her subtly.
"You two are really good at talking. I haven't been this happy in a long time." Yu Hongying was amused by Zhao Zhenzhu and He Bo's banter and burst into laughter.
"Sister Yu, about the scraps of cloth..." After laughing with Hongying for a while, Zhao Zhenzhu prepared to get down to business.
Hurry up and finish dealing with the scraps of fabric. If there's still time, Zhao Zhenzhu wants to go with He Bo to sell hair ties!
Zhao Zhenzhu mainly wanted to understand the aesthetic preferences of the women in the county and observe which hair ties sold best.
"Pearl, I'll take you to the warehouse to get the scraps of cloth later. But, I want to ask you for a favor," Yu Hongying said with a smile.
"..." Zhao Zhenzhu was a little confused.
Yu Hongying is the deputy director of the garment factory. How could someone like her, a rural woman, possibly ask for a favor?
“Pearl! I’ve wanted a chiffon dress for a long time, but I haven’t been able to find the fabric. Next time you write to your husband, could you ask him to buy me some fabric? Something with a similar pattern to what you’re wearing would be fine,” Yu Hongying said affectionately.
"Sister Yu, I have another piece of fabric at home. If you want it, I'll have Xiao Bo bring it to you in a couple of days," Zhao Zhenzhu said hurriedly, suddenly realizing what was going on.
"Really? That's wonderful!" Yu Hongying's eyes crinkled with joy.
With the fabric as a "connection" in hand, Zhao Zhenzhu and Yu Hongying's conversation about buying scraps of cloth went incredibly smoothly.
Yu Hongying first took Zhao Zhenzhu and the others to the waste warehouse to see the existing scraps of cloth.
Zhao Zhenzhu opened a few packages and looked inside, her heart filled with surprise and delight.
Among the scraps of fabric were not only silk and lace, but also velvet, and of course, the most common was polyester. Moreover, even the chiffon fabric that Yu Hongying had been longing for was there.
These scraps of fabric are mostly brightly colored, making them perfect for making hair ties and other small accessories.
"Sister Yu, doesn't your factory produce chiffon clothes? Why do you still need to buy fabric from outside?" Zhao Zhenzhu asked after returning to the office.
Why did she go outside to buy fabric? It's because some jealous guy couldn't stand to see her doing well!
Even if Yu Hongying paid for the fabric from the factory, there will definitely be rumors that she took advantage of the factory, and some might even spread rumors that she got the fabric from the factory for free!
However, Yu Hongying had only just met Zhao Zhenzhu today, so she certainly wouldn't say such things to someone she barely knew.
"The fabric in the factory is all produced according to production quotas, and there isn't much fabric left over from each batch. Even if there is any leftover, it will be sealed up and only put out for sale when the higher-ups give the order," Yu Hongying said calmly.
Seeing that Yu Hongying's expression was not good, Zhao Zhenzhu did not continue to ask questions, but instead talked to Yu Hongying about the price of scraps of cloth.
“Our garment factory has plenty of scraps of fabric. If you want, it’s only one cent per pound, and you can buy as much as you want,” Yu Hongying said, waving her hand.
"One cent per pound?" Zhao Zhenzhu exclaimed in surprise.
This is way too cheap!
“What, you think it’s too expensive? Well, it’s just some scraps of cloth for burning.” Yu Hongying frowned and said, “However, one cent per pound is within my control. If it’s any cheaper, I’ll need Director Wang’s signature.”
"No need to lower the price any further, Sister Yu. I just wanted to ask if we could pick some out? Some of them are too broken, so I'll keep them," Zhao Zhenzhu asked.
"Sure, you can choose whatever you like. I'll call a few workers over to help later," Yu Hongying said, waving her hand.
"Thank you, Sister Yu." Zhao Zhenzhu was overjoyed.
When Zhao Zhenzhu presented the contract to Yu Hongying for her signature, Yu Hongying was taken aback.
It's just a few scraps of cloth, why be so careful? If Zhao Zhenzhu and the others hadn't planned to buy all the scraps of cloth in the waste warehouse and wanted more, Yu Hongying would have originally thought of not charging them!
However, since Zhao Zhenzhu wanted to sign the contract, Yu Hongying didn't say anything like "no need to sign."
Yu Hongying signed the contract and affixed the official seal of Qingshan County Garment Factory.
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