Chapter 354 Plan
You can only earn one cent for a pair of shoes. Without a sewing machine, you can make three pairs a month. A fast-handed woman can make four pairs, but four pairs is the limit.
People like Zhao Hongying were able to borrow Yang Xiue's sewing machine. In the past two months, she used her spare time to make nine pairs of shoes. Based on Zhao Hongying's experience, she learned that when making shoes with a sewing machine, the presser foot height needs to be adjusted, and the speed of making shoes is not particularly fast. It just makes the stitches look finer and neater.
Zhao Hongying said, "I only got three cents after a month of working myself to the bone, which is really too little."
Xiao Feng also felt that the wages of workers were a bit low.
Yang Xiu'e said, "Five cents, five cents for a pair of shoes, what do you think?"
Five cents, three pairs only amount to fifteen cents, and you can earn at most two dollars a year. Song Lubai felt it wasn't worth it.
"One cent, but the premise is that we have to sell the cloth shoes for at least one dollar. Director Liu, are you confident that you can negotiate with others to one dollar?"
Director Liu hurriedly waved his hand, "Little Song, you overestimate me. The supply and marketing cooperatives downstream of our regiment have no initiative in purchasing goods. Everything is in short supply, and how much to give is up to others."
Zhao Hongying interrupted inappropriately, saying, "So you take out your anger on us customers after you've been mistreated outside?"
Director Liu: "..."
"I don't sell anything, you shouldn't be saying that to me."
Song Lubai said, "Shops don't sell these kinds of cloth shoes. Although it's something that every household can make themselves, it's easy to buy ready-made ones without spending time and effort. Who knows, they might become a hot commodity."
"If we can negotiate a dollar this time, we'll give the workers a pair of shoes for ten cents each. Sister Xiu'e, what do you think?"
Yang Xiue is currently in the learning phase. In the early stages of her work in the company, she learned from Wei Zhao. Now, she is at the crucial moment of selling the products, and she is very nervous.
She wanted to achieve something to make the troupe pay more attention to the shoemaking class, and also to bring honor to her husband so that she wouldn't have to listen to his sarcastic remarks when she came home.
Because she was nervous, she was very cautious.
"Little Song, one cent is too much, isn't it? If the selling price is one dollar, this batch of shoes will have to be given away for sixty-five dollars and twenty cents, right? I didn't miscalculate, did I?"
"Add in the costs, and the profit is less than half."
Zhao Hongying said, "We're counting on everyone to work. If we work ourselves to the bone all year round and only earn a few cents, then not many people will want to do it. It would really dampen everyone's enthusiasm."
If the price of a pair of shoes increased to one cent, one could earn three or four yuan a year, which is roughly equivalent to a month's salary for an educated youth. That's about right.
Yang Xiu'e said bluntly, "You're making shoes, you must want to take more than you need."
Zhao Hongying said, "Sister Xiu'e, it's not that I want to take more, it's just that the team leader mentioned it when he handed in the shoes. Everyone wants to take more. If you do the math, if the price of a pair of shoes increases to one cent, and you make thirty to forty pairs of shoes a year, that's only three yuan and sixty to four yuan a year. That's only slightly more than the monthly salary of an educated youth. That's reasonable, isn't it?"
After listening to Zhao Hongying's calculations, Yang Xiu'e realized that one cent wasn't much at all. All the workers who toiled all year round didn't earn even a fraction of her husband Feng Gang's monthly salary.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "Okay, one cent it is!"
Zhao Hongying said happily, "Sister Xiu'e truly lives up to her title as the Party Secretary's wife. She's a highly conscientious person who cares about our production and construction corps. If the price is raised to one cent per pair, I estimate it will attract even more people to join. Then everyone will be able to earn extra money each month, and everyone will have more money to spare. Sister Xiu'e, you really have guts; you are my role model..."
The people gathered around the table were churning with envy, all thinking Zhao Hongying was incredibly shameless, but Yang Xiu'e was beaming with delight as she listened.
After setting a departure time, Song Lubai and Zhao Hongying walked home together along the same route.
Song Lubai asked, "Do you still have any spicy dried radish at home?"
Without saying a word, Zhao Hongying said, "There's still some left, I'll go back and get it for you."
Song Lubai thought to herself that this dried radish could last quite a while, and said, "I'll get a canning jar, and you can fill it up for me in a small jar. When I go out with Sister Xiu'e and the others, I'll take this jar of dried radish with me."
Zhao Hongying thought she was going to eat it on the way, so she said, "I still have some pickled radishes at home, I'll pack some for you."
Song Lubai shook her head, "My family also has pickled radishes, but I think they don't taste as good as spicy dried radishes, so I won't bring any. I'm afraid people won't like them."
Zhao Hongying was taken aback. "You're giving these away? Then I'll make some more for you, but they'll need to dry for several days, so I'm afraid it won't be ready in time."
Song Lubai shook her head and said, "I was planning to use your dried radish to pave the way for our shoes. It's not entirely for the shoes, but mainly to help our food workshop sell its products in the future. It's like paving the way in advance, but we may not be able to use it."
Zhao Hongying was confused and asked, "What does that mean?"
Song Lubai said, "My idea is that if people try to lower the price of our shoes, we should offer them some radish strips as a trial. Cloth shoes are different from food. Food is always in high demand. If they want to buy our shoes, we can't offer them a low price. But these are just my thoughts for now. Our shoes may still have a market, and we might not even need your radish strips."
Zhao Hongying finally realized what was happening.
She never expected that the radish strips Zhao Hongying made could have such a use. "If you had told me earlier, I would have made some for you in advance. It would be great if they could help."
Song Lubai had eaten radish strips in her hometown and Shicheng, but the best radish strips she had ever eaten were made by Zhao Hongying. She said, "You must never tell anyone your recipe. From now on, our food workshop will rely on you for radish strips."
Zhao Hongying immediately straightened her back and patted her chest, "Don't worry, I'll definitely be there whenever you need me. But I don't have any recipes, I just add all sorts of seasonings by feel, anyone can learn that, right?"
For Zhao Hongying, pickling radish is not technically difficult; as long as the seasonings are right, anyone can make it.
The two returned to Zhao Hongying's house while talking, where her husband, Liu Zhigao, had already prepared dinner.
The mixed grain porridge was steaming in the pot, and the dried radish was placed in a chapped bowl.
When Zhao Hongying saw the few radish strips, she went over with a sigh, snatched the bowl away with heartache, and pushed away the chopsticks that Liu Zhigao was offering.
"Who told you to eat radish strips? Oh dear, it's a good thing I came back early, otherwise you would have almost ruined everything. There are pickled radishes in the jar, go eat the pickled radishes!"
Liu Zhigao felt wronged after his chopsticks were knocked away. He didn't even have the right to eat radish strips at home anymore.
Liu Zhigao said aggrievedly, "Pickled radishes don't taste as good as these! I only picked up a few."
Zhao Hongying opened the jar containing the radish strips, saw that there was another layer at the bottom, breathed a sigh of relief, and put the bowl back in its place: "Eat up, eat up."
Liu Zhigao: "..."!
What are you doing?!
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