Chapter 3: Writing small articles to earn a little money...
Chapter 3
Under the dim light, the Lin family members were scattered around, some squatting and some sitting on the bed, eating dinner with their bowls in hand.
Today we have fried fish and stir-fried greens, the combination of meat and vegetables is very good.
My cousin swallowed the fried fish in her mouth and said, "This dish is cooked well by Ajin. You don't have to wait for me to eat dinner together in the future. I want to work late."
"No!" x4
Lin Mujin and the others almost unanimously opposed it.
It's simple. It's too dangerous for girls to work night shifts. There are often bad guys drinking and fighting, and if you're not careful, you'll be caught in the crossfire.
Cousin Lin obviously didn't give up. "The boss promised to give me an extra 300 yuan, as long as I work four more hours a day."
Lin Mujin sighed. As expected, every boss would make big promises. She began to calculate the bill for her cousin. "Sister, your current salary is 500 yuan, which isn't much to begin with. Even if you add 300 yuan, it's just average. But if you work 14 or 15 hours a day, if you work piecework in a factory, you can earn around 1,000 yuan a month."
Cousin Lin was a little confused. "But there are no factories hiring near home."
Cousin Lin said, "We're building a new factory where I work, so we're definitely going to have to hire a lot of people."
Uncle Lin also said, "Factories are being built everywhere these days, don't worry."
If he hadn't broken his leg, he would definitely have plenty of work to do, and his family wouldn't be so difficult. Sigh...
Lin Muli asked, "Big Sister, is the food stall still accepting people?"
Lin Muqi shook his head. "No, someone asked, and the boss said that if there are too many people, they won't make any money."
Lin Mujin curled her lips. It was obvious that the boss was unwilling to spend more money to hire people, so he just exploited the old "oxen and horses".
Lin Mulu was a little depressed.
At this time, cousin Lin said, "I have mastered my craft now. I can take on some private work in the future. It will be enough to support the family. Why don't you change to a lighter job, big sister?"
Lin Mujin agreed with both hands and feet and nodded repeatedly.
Cousin Lin lowered her head and ate her food. "Let me think about it."
Lin Mujin didn't try to persuade her anymore and decided to wait until she made some money.
Alas! ...It’s all because of poverty.
After dinner, the room was very stuffy and no one in the family was in a hurry to go inside.
My cousin took the toolbox and began to maintain the leatherworking tools under the light.
"Brother, what is this?"
Lin Mujin was a little curious and looked at the tool in her cousin's hand. It looked a bit like a fork, but with more prongs.
"For punching holes in leather, diamond-cut." Cousin Lin took out three more. "This is a set, four in total: one with one tooth, two teeth, four teeth, and six teeth."
Lin Mujin knew that her cousin liked it when she saw how attentive he was.
It seems that my cousin really likes the job of leather craftsman.
My eldest cousin had a hard time too. He dropped out of school at a young age, worked as a newspaper boy and in a factory. Two years ago, he learned leather-making skills from a master and now he has finally become a master.
"The bump on your head hasn't gone away yet. Go back to your room and lie down. I'll make you a bag in a few days. It's made of pure cowhide." Cousin Lin reached out and gently touched his sister's hair.
Lin Mujin complained in her heart, could it be that there are "packages" that can cure all diseases now?!
However, when her family conditions improve, she can draw the blueprints herself. Then she will be free to choose shoes and bags. The more she thinks about it, the more beautiful it becomes.
"Brother, is the bag easy to make? How long does it take to make one by hand?" Lin Mujin was curious.
Lin Mubai thought for a moment and said, "That's not certain. It depends on the difficulty of the craftsmanship. For example, for an ordinary commuter bag, eight to ten hours is enough for an experienced person. If you add more lining pockets and decorations such as beading and embroidery, the time will definitely increase. If it is precious crocodile leather, it needs special treatment and even more precise sewing. Ten days to half a month to complete a bag is considered good."
When talking about his own craftsmanship, my cousin couldn't control himself and talked incessantly.
Lin Mujin didn't expect it to be so time-consuming. How did she make money from bags worth ten or twenty yuan in her previous life?
Yes, those are made with tools, not purely by hand.
Brother Lin continued, "But no one does it purely by hand these days. Electric sewing machines are so fast. It takes over an hour to sew one meter with a double needle by hand, but only two or three minutes with a sewing needle. The difference is huge."
Lin Mujin held her chin with one hand and asked, "Can you use the factory's machines for private work?"
Brother Lin had a look on his face that said, "What are you dreaming of?" "Of course not. If you're caught, you'll be fined, or even fired."
Lin Mujin had already figured it out in her mind. Since she couldn't use the machines in the factory, her cousin would have to do all the private work by hand, which was too inefficient and she wouldn't make much money.
Don’t say that pure handmade products are luxury goods and can be priced high. Her cousin simply cannot reach such high-end customers.
In the eyes of many people today, machines are better than manual labor (each era has its own perspective. In the 1970s and 1980s in China, it was generally believed that machines were superior to manual labor).
So she needed a typewriter and her cousin needed a sewing needle.
Don’t be impatient, there will be “bread” eventually.
"Brother, I'm going back to my room." She wanted to write novels to earn some money as soon as possible.
But as soon as she entered the house, she was immediately enveloped by the stuffy heat. Lin Mujin couldn't help but take a deep breath and silently said, "If God wants to give a person a great responsibility, he must first make his heart and mind suffer, his muscles and bones toil, and his body hungry... Sister, first you have to suffer and then you can enjoy the sweetness! Wuwuwu... She doesn't want to suffer, she just wants to enjoy the sweetness forever..."
I shook off the random thoughts in my mind and continued writing under the dim light.
But it’s hard to concentrate because I’m afraid my family will see the content.
This is like when someone gets into a car accident and their first reaction is to delete the mobile browser for fear of another social disaster.
Forget it, let’s continue tomorrow. I have to hide the notebook and finally put it under the pillow.
——————
Lin Mujin lay stiffly on the bed, not daring to turn over, because the bed would creak if she moved, and she was afraid of disturbing others.
She also knew that her cousin was not asleep either. She could hear her sighing. She was probably still struggling with whether to work the night shift or simply change jobs.
If she were to say, her cousin was quite talented in cooking, and it would not be wise for her to rashly switch to a factory job. She said that at the time just to let her cousin understand her boss's plan.
You can definitely set up your own stall.
The main reason is that we have no money at home now, otherwise it would be better to rent a shop so that we won’t be exposed to the wind and rain.
Let's take it one step at a time. Now there are five people in my family, and three of them can earn a living. Life will get better and better...
Lin Mujin gradually became confused.
When she woke up again, she and her uncle were the only ones left at home. Even A Li had gone out early in the morning, and no one knew what he had done.
After quickly washing up and finishing the breakfast my cousin had left for me—rice porridge and pickles—I started writing "The Lustful Spring in the Red Mansion," which was the name she gave to her little novel. The hint was obvious, wasn't it? No, this was an explicit hint, hehehe...
After writing about the fairies watching the love affairs of the human world through the magic mirror, Lin Mujin began to write about the fairies coming down to earth.
The fairies are attracted by the love and yearn for the mortal world. They experience the trials of love and tribulation. The Dream of Red Mansions officially begins!
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