Chapter 98 Leather Shoes... My surname is Qin.
At the end of the year and winter, as the Lunar New Year approached, a considerable amount of cotton fabric and yarn produced on a trial basis accumulated in the warehouse. This trial-produced cotton fabric was not part of the planned production and was considered a loss incurred during the factory's construction process. Within a certain amount, it was generally disposed of by the factory itself.
We can't just leave it unprocessed, since most of the fabric produced in the trial production is defective. Defective products from major factories are usually handled internally or sent to local supply and marketing cooperatives in exchange for some employee benefits.
Assistant Xiao He felt very honored: "Director Qin, the cotton fabric we produced on a trial basis is all of good quality. There are just a few odds and ends, but they are all good stuff."
Of course, there were many flawed fabrics at the beginning. The parameters were not adjusted correctly, and the result was simply an eyesore. This kind of fabric is shabby to make clothes, but it is quite good to make mop cloths.
Later, everyone gained experience, and the finished fabric became more and more presentable. According to the veteran technicians, especially Xu Anguo, the quality of their trial production exceeded that of most newly built textile factories, saving the factory a lot of cotton resources. Not only did it not cause waste, but it also provided an extra batch of cotton fabric materials that could be processed independently.
However, these cotton fabrics still differed from those normally sold. Most were shorter and not in rolls, so they could not be sold at supply and marketing cooperatives; only a small portion could enter stores.
Qin Xiangxiang used these slightly better cotton fabrics to exchange for some New Year's gifts from the local commercial department, such as peach shortbread, pastries, candies, as well as enamel daily necessities, alarm clocks, laundry detergent, soap, toothpaste, and other household items, as employee welfare.
Pastries and candies were distributed directly, while daily necessities such as laundry detergent, soap, and enamel mugs were stored in the factory warehouse for future employee benefits.
In particular, Mr. Li said that he would hold a competition, and these daily necessities could be used as prizes.
"I don't want this candy. Can I exchange it for another kind?"
"Does the factory still give out candy during the Chinese New Year? Will it be every year from now on?"
"This cake would be a very presentable gift."
"Why give this away? Keep it for your child."
The better quality cotton fabric was given to the local commercial department, while the lower-quality cotton fabric was given as employee rewards. Each person received enough cotton fabric to make a set of clothes, along with some waste yarn and fabric, some of which was made of polyester.
Everyone was scrambling for the Dacron, but the quantity was limited and it was quickly divided up.
"This fabric is really good; it dries quickly and is very durable."
"Life is getting better and better."
The cadres of Hongqiling Commune also discussed with Qin Xiangxiang that the commune would use some sweet potatoes and pork to exchange for a batch of trial-produced cotton cloth at a low price. The commune members could buy it with work points without needing cloth coupons, and it was quickly divided up.
Everyone was all smiles, knowing they'd get to make more new clothes for the New Year.
The fabrics produced on a trial basis in the factory were mainly white, military green, and blue. Not long after these fabrics were distributed, everyone in the Hongqiling Commune, including those in the factory, was wearing clothes in these three colors.
They're all from the same factory.
“I’m the one who made this cloth on you. I still remember the patterned stripes; it was ugly in a very distinctive way.”
"Pah! How dare you say that?"
Li Jinling used the cotton fabric that had been distributed to her to make herself a set of clothes. She exclaimed, "This feeling is truly... amazing!"
Qin Xiangxiang said, "Don't be so stingy, come and eat some sweet potatoes."
Because of the severe drought on the island this year, the staple food grown is mostly sweet potatoes, including various kinds of sweet potatoes and white potatoes. Hongqiling Commune traded a lot of sweet potatoes with them, and many of them have already been dried into sweet potato chips.
Qin Xiangxiang specially asked someone to make some sweet potato noodles. A bowl of hot and sour sweet potato noodles tastes great. The dried sweet potatoes were left for Xiaopang to satisfy his cravings and chew on.
"The best thing to eat is still roasted sweet potatoes! Sister-in-law, I'll take Little Fatty to the kiln to roast sweet potatoes later!"
The bread oven that Li Jianzhi built when he first arrived is now the second generation. The first generation had cracked, so a new one was built.
You can bake egg tarts and bread on a regular basis, or you can bake sweet potatoes.
Qin Xiangxiang said, "You guys should pay attention to hygiene and not get your faces covered in dust."
"Sister-in-law, you're making things difficult for me. Roasted sweet potatoes and wheat cakes are only authentic when you're covered in ash."
Qin Xiangxiang: "..."
When Li Jianzhi returned and learned that they were going to roast sweet potatoes, he also instructed them, "Don't get covered in dust, especially Xiaopang, don't wipe it on your clothes."
Little Fatty: "Auntie said it's only authentic when it's dark!"
"It tastes better when you're covered in ash."
Li Jianzhi: "Wife, let's just throw this child away."
Qin Xiangxiang: "I'll listen to you."
Little Fatty: "Mom and Dad, I can still have it after I wash it!"
Qin Xiangxiang smiled and went to hug Sui Sui. "Don't make too much of a mess. You have to bake me the biggest sweet potato."
Little Fatty: "Mom, after eating the biggest sweet potato, my farts smelled terrible."
Qin Xiangxiang: "???"
“A beautiful mother like you deserves to eat the most beautiful roasted sweet potato.”
"My classmates and teachers all complimented you on how good-looking you are! They said I have a beautiful mom! A beautiful mom has to eat beautiful sweet potatoes."
Li Jianzhi: "???" Damn, where did this chubby son learn such sweet talk?
Qin Xiangxiang was overjoyed: "Okay then, you get the prettiest sweet potatoes for Mom."
Little Fatty happily exclaimed, "Okay!"
Qin Xiangxiang said, "We should save the biggest sweet potato for Mom."
Fatty: "...Okay."
The attempt to win him over with flattery failed because his mother wanted both.
At the end of the year, the housing layout in the family compound changed again. A family surnamed Jiang moved in upstairs. The man was named Jiang Changtian, and the woman was named Xiao Ye. They lived in the long side unit upstairs from Qin Xiangxiang. Zhong Li was an old acquaintance of this family.
Jiang Changtian and Zhong Li's husbands were about the same age. The two families moved into the battalion commander's building one after the other, with the Jiang family moving in about half a year later. Later, Jiang Changtian was promoted and transferred away. Xiao Ye was quite smug and often made sarcastic remarks to Zhong Li, saying that she was no good and mocking her for not being able to have a son, while showing off how tall, strong, and manly her man was.
Now that Jiang Changtian has made a mistake and been demoted, the couple has returned to their family compound on the island. Next door, Zhong Li is extremely smug and gleeful.
"What did Xiao Ye have to brag about back then? His family just happened to be there by chance. Something big happened in the last six months, and they were short-staffed. He came and they promoted him. Her husband just got lucky and stumbled upon a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Besides, what is she so smug about..."
Zhong Li was both envious and anxious back then. Others moved into the family compound after her, but their husbands were promoted and transferred first, while her husband stayed in the same place for nearly ten years. This feeling of frustration was hard to explain to outsiders.
They even openly and subtly mocked me, saying that I came later than you and left earlier because my man is capable and competent, and that my man is the real man. They said that your old Yang lost because his name is Yang (sheep), meaning soft and easy to bully. They said that my man's surname is Jiang, meaning he was born to be a "general," and that Changtian (long sky) means that his future is bright and promising. Recalling these words that Xiao Ye had once said, Zhong Li felt like vomiting.
Zhong Li: "Xiao Qin, do you know what I was thinking when I heard her say those things? I wanted to retort, 'My surname is Zhong, and I specialize in sending people to their deaths.' It really made me furious."
"She said her name was Xiao Ye, and she wanted to be her man's little leaf for the rest of her life."
"Screw her! She's just a dish, she's just a late-night snack!"
"A piece of ginger and a leaf of vegetable make a whole family of pickled vegetables. What kind of 'little leaf in the general's hand' is this? How disgusting!"
Qin Xiangxiang listened to Zhong Li talk about these things while eating roasted sweet potatoes, and found it both amusing and poignant.
Zhong Li: "She moved into the family compound six months after me. Our two families lived close by, and we had a good relationship at first. The couple were low-key and had sweet words, always calling my sister 'sister'."
"Six months later, her husband got promoted. When they moved, I congratulated her and was genuinely happy for her. But only a month after they moved away, her attitude towards me changed."
"She especially loves to brag about how wonderful her man is."
Zhong Li almost laughed as she spoke, "And they're all praising from some obscure angles. Who knows, she might talk to you later and say that your man's surname is Li, which is really not suitable for a man. It sounds like a pear, too sweet and juicy, without any masculinity."
Qin Xiangxiang: "...My surname is Qin."
Zhong Li: "?"
Qin Xiangxiang: "The Qin of Qin Shihuang, that makes me sound pretty domineering. According to this way of speaking, it means that I, the domineering one, married a sweet little pear husband."
Zhong Li: "Hahahaha, Xiao Qin, you're right! My husband and son are like little lambs."
Qin Xiangxiang felt it was very abstract: "My son is Little Sweet Pear?"
Zhong Li: "..."
The two of them burst into laughter.
After Jiang Changtian and Xiao Ye, the couple upstairs, were demoted and moved in, they didn't actively interact with people. Qin Xiangxiang hadn't had any contact with them yet.
During the Spring Festival holiday, Li Jianzhi and his wife decided to take their child back to Shanghai to spend the holiday with Zhou Aodong and his wife, and then also to visit Li Jianzhi's hometown in Northeast China.
Li Jinling said she wouldn't go back with them; she wanted to stay on the island alone for the New Year. She had only been away from her hometown for a year or two and didn't want to go back and listen to gossip. She felt more comfortable living on the island.
The couple upstairs, Chen Ruifeng and Zhao Yangyang, were also going back to Shanghai for the Spring Festival. Now, he and Li Jianzhi had become hot commodities, because these days, people going to Shanghai were practically acting as personal shoppers.
Chen Ruifeng was happy to take on many errand-running jobs for purchasing agents, while Li Jianzhi said that he was going back to his hometown and it was not convenient for him to buy too many things for people, so he only agreed to buy a few pairs of 765 leather shoes for a few comrades.
The 765 leather shoes cost 7.65 yuan. They were inexpensive pigskin shoes that had remained at the same price since their introduction in the 1960s until the early 1980s.
In Li Jianzhi's view, this 765 leather shoe is like the Mixue X City of leather shoes. You can buy a pair of leather shoes at this price. Even if they are not durable and have various defects, no one will complain. And they are very popular.
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