Chapter 341 Ideas
Song Lubai naturally thought Wei Zhao's suggestion was a good one.
She added, "Zhao Hongying's dried radish is also delicious. You've all tried it. The food workshop will need her in the future."
Wei Zhao clicked his tongue and said, "I used to look down on her, but now I think she's quite capable and her thinking is more advanced than most women."
After Wei Yang filled the water vat, he came in, and Wei Zhao eagerly handed him the cotton shoes.
"Look at this, it's even better than what they sell at the supply and marketing cooperative."
Wei Yang knew that Song Lubai was making cotton shoes, and assumed that the shoes were entirely Song Lubai's doing. He praised her without reservation, saying, "My wife is really amazing. They are indeed better than the ones sold in the supply and marketing cooperative."
Song Lubai was a little embarrassed. "I sewed the soles, and Zhao Hongying made the uppers. I just learned how to do it, and I'm not as good as her. Look how dense her stitches are, and the flowers she embroiders look just like paintings."
Wei Yang said without changing his expression, "The cotton stuffing in the soles is also very even. You did a great job. Even Third Sister couldn't do it."
Wei Zhao said irritably, "Praise your wife if you want, but you don't have to belittle me, do you?"
“My suggestion is that we should make use of such a talented person in the troupe. The weather won’t warm up for another month or two. The troupe can provide the materials and let people like Zhao Hongying who know how to make shoes make them. They can pay her one cent for each pair. The finished products can increase the troupe’s revenue, and the female workers can also earn some money to supplement their family income. What do you think?”
Wei Zhao didn't know how to make shoes, and she had never done it herself. She didn't know that it would take eight or nine days to make a pair of shoes, and she thought that one cent was enough for a pair of shoes.
Wei Yang thought it was feasible, but not everyone has the skills of Zhao Hongying.
Song Lubai said, "If you want to make it flat and nice, you need a sewing machine. Our regiment doesn't have many sewing machines, and the company doesn't have any either. We can make it, but it's not as fast as it would be with a sewing machine."
Wei Zhao looked at Wei Yang and said, "Could the troupe buy a few sewing machines to make these kinds of shoes? We'll make cotton shoes for autumn and winter, and cloth shoes for everyday use, and sell them in the city."
Wei Yang shook his head. "No, the troupe doesn't have much money to begin with, so the suggestion to buy sewing machines to make shoes won't be approved."
Money must be spent where it's needed most; if he brings it up at a meeting, he's confident most people will oppose it.
Wei Zhao shook his head and said, "You really have no guts as a troupe leader. Once we make a profit, we can quickly earn back the money we spent on sewing machines. The troupe will be the beneficiary then."
Wei Yang knew the priorities and could predict the outcome of his proposal. He didn't argue with Wei Zhao, but said, "If we're going to do it, let's go to Feng Gang's house. They have sewing machines. Let Sister Yang take the lead and start small. Once we've earned enough money for the sewing machines, the troupe can buy two more."
Wei Yang felt that this process would take one or two years, and after one or two years, the group should have some savings.
Song Lubai said, "Then let's buy one for our family too."
Two sewing machines will definitely make it faster.
Wei Yang said, "You can't buy them in the city either, you have to wait."
There are no sewing machine factories in Xinjiang Province. All the sewing machines are imported from other parts of China. Southern Xinjiang is so far away that only a few machines can be transported here throughout the year.
Song Lubai had never thought that sewing machines were that valuable before, but now that she wanted one but couldn't buy one, she felt a little anxious and distressed.
The pork bones, devoid of meat, tumbled in the pot, which contained only a few peppercorns. The rising steam carried the aroma of meat, making Chen Jingwen, who was eagerly waiting for his meal, to sit by the stove.
There was no meat on the bones, so Song Lubai chopped tofu and radish into the soup. After the radish was stewed until soft, she added noodles made from wheat flour to the pot.
The noodles were cooked, and each person scooped out a bowl. Then, they added sliced braised beef to the bowls and ate it with pickled radishes. Chen Jingwen swore that this was the best meal he had eaten all year.
The noodles were chewy and smooth, the bone broth was very flavorful, and even the radish, cooked until soft, had a meaty aroma. The tofu was cooked until it had many honeycomb-like holes inside, and the inside of the tofu was filled with the savory flavor of the bone broth. The radish strips added a spicy and numbing flavor to this bowl of noodles, and even the three children who don't eat spicy food ate a few radish strips.
The supplies in the troupe were a bit more plentiful before the New Year. The family bought a total of more than thirteen catties of flour, and Song Lubai made nearly four bowls of noodles for this meal, which was enough for everyone to have a full meal.
This bone, devoid of meat, served its greatest purpose. Towards the end, Wei Yang smashed the bone with the handle of his knife, allowing the three children to suck out all the marrow.
The pot sat on the stove, with white steam billowing and rising from it, and everyone in the room was sweating as they ate.
Outside, the wind was biting cold, while inside, steam billowed and the windows were fogged with moisture. The innocent voices of children filled the air.
Her mouth was filled with the spicy and numbing flavor of the radish strips, and a sip of hot soup made the spicy and numbing flavor even more intense, causing tears to well up in Chen Yu's eyes.
Chen Yu wiped the sweat from her brow, feeling as if this was exactly what home should be like.
Song Lubai ate to her heart's content and was also very pleased with the praise.
She felt that she did have some talent for cooking.
Despite the freezing weather, she broke out in a sweat while eating. After a couple of hours, she wrapped herself in a scarf, put on her little leather shoes, and took a bowl of fried dough twists to find Shen Lingyu.
The murderer had not yet been found, and Wei Yang was worried about her going alone, so he went with her.
Wei Yang walked beside Song Lubai, holding a bowl in his hand.
It had snowed heavily the day before yesterday, and the snow on the ground hadn't melted yet. As the two walked over, two rows of footprints, one large and one small, appeared on the ground.
The large vegetable plot in the planting team was covered with ice and snow, appearing as a vast expanse of white from a distance.
Smoke curled from the chimneys above the two rows of houses in front of the field, and the aromas of various foods quickly wafted through the cold air.
Wei Yang waited nearby while Song Lubai entered Shen Lingyu's dormitory.
Four women lived in Shen Lingyu's dormitory, and black smoke was rising from the stove.
Song Lubai has recently become quite experienced at lighting the stove. Shen Lingyu and several other women said that the firewood was too damp, which was why it was emitting black smoke. After Song Lubai put the kettle aside, she took the fire poker and poked at the joint of the chimney.
A lot of black ash fell from the connection point, almost completely blocking the chimney.
"Keep poking there. If it gets blocked, even if you're burning coal, the smoke will still come out through the gaps in the stove plate."
The group suddenly realized what was going on.
After talking for a while, Song Lubai got up to leave, and Shen Lingyu saw her to the door.
The door closed, and Song Lubai pulled Shen Lingyu away a little further away.
Do you know Zeng Jie?
Shen Lingyu asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
She said somewhat awkwardly, "I met him in the summer when I was digging sand by the river. We weren't very familiar with each other."
Song Lubai changed the subject and asked, "It's almost Chinese New Year, hasn't Zhao Lujun come to see you recently? The last time I saw him, he said that we fellow villagers should get together sometime, and I've been waiting for it. But he's so nice, it seems like he was just saying it casually."
Just as Shen Lingyu was about to speak, she saw someone behind Song Lubai and pointed her finger, saying, "What a coincidence, Zhao Lujun is here."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
