Chapter 346 Mobilization
After Song Lubai and the other two left, Feng Gang's face fell.
"You insist on getting involved with them. What's the point? Their behavior is..."
Hearing Feng Gang start labeling people again, Yang Xiu'e suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and curse him, waiting for him to finish. "Don't spout nonsense. You don't even believe it yourself, do you? If people in big cities can do it, what can't we, with the regiment taking the lead?"
"I know you just don't want me to take the lead, but don't you think about it? We're husband and wife. If you're doing well, I'm doing well too. If I'm doing well, it will bring you honor. Why are you so resistant to me doing anything?"
Yang Xiu'e is now completely infatuated with Song Lubai and the others, her heart pounding with excitement. But she knows that the biggest obstacle to success is her man.
A hard approach won't work; we have to be gentle and subtle.
Seeing the tears welling up in her eyes, Feng Gang softened his voice and said, "Tell me what you can do? If I weren't the Party Secretary, would they have come looking for you? If you become the class monitor, what will happen if something goes wrong and they come looking for you? If something goes wrong, you'll have to take responsibility!"
Yang Xiu'e wiped away her tears, "What could possibly happen? If all the women in the regiment get involved, are they going to arrest us all?"
Feng Gang deliberately tried to scare her: "They won't arrest everyone, but you definitely won't escape. They're just trying to harm you, and you still think they genuinely value your talent?"
Yang Xiu'e isn't stupid. The group leaders in the company are all female comrades from the Women's Federation. If something really happens, Wei Zhao, the women's director, won't be able to escape either.
She knew in her heart whether Wei Zhao and Song Lubai had harmed her.
The two argued for a while, and finally Yang Xiue simply sat there silently and began to wipe away her tears.
Feng Gang remained silent for a long time before finally saying in an annoyed tone, "Fine, fine, you can be the class monitor then. Let's see how you're going to bring me honor."
Yang Xiu'e then stopped crying.
Song Lubai believed that as long as the troupe supported them, the shoemaking class would definitely be able to succeed.
This is undoubtedly a good thing. It's not that she doesn't want to take the lead, but mainly that Feng Gang is not a kind person. He is an old stubborn person, and an old stubborn person who knows how to scheme against people.
Yang Xiu'e was the most suitable person to be the leader of the shoemaking class; Feng Gang couldn't possibly sleep with his own wife.
Once the shoemaking class sets a precedent and gets on track, her food workshop will be able to get up and running smoothly when the season comes.
Wei Zhao had previously served in a military unit and knew what life was like there.
Many companies still live in dugouts, and the employees don't receive much money all year round, so they are extremely poor.
Compared to the families who received salaries in the regimental headquarters, the lives of the company-level workers were incredibly hard.
They acted immediately, and the first meeting of the new year's work at the government office discussed the shoe-making workshop.
The person in charge was Yang Xiu'e, the wife of Party Secretary Feng Gang. At the meeting, Feng Gang's attitude also seemed quite positive.
The group has already started preparing raw materials such as fabric.
Yang Xiu'e, Wei Zhao, and Zhao Hongying went down to the company to promote the shoe-making class, encouraging women who knew how to make shoes to sign up at the Women's Federation and urging those who didn't know how to make shoes to start learning.
No one would object to the possibility of earning extra money.
Although a pair of shoes costs only one cent, two cents can buy a pound of sweet potatoes.
The cold weather couldn't dampen the enthusiasm in everyone's hearts. Women flocked to the scene, and many men also crowded around the perimeter to hear what was going on.
Zhao Hongying was holding two pairs of sample shoes, one pair of cotton shoes and the other pair of single-layer shoes.
After Yang Xiue and Wei Zhao finished speaking, she handed the shoes to the female comrade closest to her. "Everyone, take a look. What are the stitching requirements for shoes that meet the acceptance standards? Those of you who are not very skilled, find something to practice on your own first. Once you've practiced enough, you can start making shoes with the materials you've been given. If the shoes you make are not up to standard, the shoemaking team will not only refuse to accept them, but you will also have to compensate for the cost of the wasted materials."
Upon hearing this, many people were unwilling.
Hearing the dissenting voices, Zhao Hongying shouted, "If the shoes aren't up to standard, they won't sell. If they don't sell, the troupe will lose money. If we lose money, our shoe-making team will face the risk of disbanding. If the shoe-making team disbands, where will everyone go to earn their labor fees? Besides, even if we lose money, the materials are enough for you to make a pair of shoes for yourselves. It's like you bought shoe materials at a cheap price. No one will lose money at all."
"I've already said that you should practice until you've reached the required skill level before proceeding. Anyone thinking of using their limited skills to get by is out of the question. You can't afford to have that kind of wishful thinking!"
"Our shoe-making team's future growth and success depends on you guys. If you mess things up, the troupe won't let us continue!"
Yang Xiu'e asked Wei Zhao in a low voice, "How else can our shoemaking team expand and become stronger?"
Wei Zhao felt that Zhao Hongying was actually more suitable to be the leader of the shoemaking class than Yang Xiu'e.
Zhao Hongying speaks fluently and has a clear mind, but unfortunately, she doesn't have a male superior.
"If the shoemaking class does well, we can use the profits to order a few sewing machines in the future. If it does even better, and the regiment's finances can support it, it's not impossible to set up a shoe factory."
Yang Xiu'e's eyes widened in shock.
A shoe factory?
She wouldn't even dare to think about it.
Is that possible?
Wei Zhao didn't think the shoe factory was a pipe dream. He said, "If the shoe-making team works hard in the future, as long as it reaches a certain scale and the regiment can develop better, the division headquarters will see our 16th Regiment and be willing to support it. Anything is possible."
Yang Xiue's heart began to surge with emotion again.
What a magnificent mission! Wei Zhao and Song Lubai have given her such a promising task!
With the compensation system in place, Wei Zhao believed that the female comrades who came to receive the mission would not act recklessly.
Zhao Hongying's voice was hoarse from talking so much in the crowd, but it couldn't dampen the passion in her heart.
The shoes were passed around among everyone, and by the time they returned to Zhao Hongying, it was almost dark.
There are still many companies to go to, and Wei Zhao and her comrades never thought they would be able to go back even once they were assigned to a company.
The female educated youth were very excited.
The little money I get each month isn't enough to do anything. If I could make a pair of shoes and earn even a penny, it would be an extra source of income in the future.
As the crowd was about to disperse, a male comrade approached and asked, "Do you only accept female comrades?"
He also wants to earn more money.
Wei Zhao said, "Our job is open to both men and women, but you must know how to sew and be able to make a pair of decent shoes."
"If there are any men who know how to make shoes, you can go to the men's community and promote it so that everyone can learn it."
A man nearby said, "We men don't know how to do needlework. Why don't you do something that we men can do?"
Zhao Hongying said in a hoarse voice, "Of course we have! The engineering team in the regiment needs you, but unfortunately there aren't many people who can do the work. Needlework isn't that difficult. If you want to do it, it doesn't matter if you're male or female. Why do you have to think that needlework is only for women? As long as you can earn money to improve your life, there's no distinction between men and women. There are quite a few male comrades in the textile factory, and quite a few female comrades in the steel factory!"
Some men are too ashamed to admit it; even if they want to make money, they're afraid of what other men will say.
But Zhao Hongying's words made many men's minds wander.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
