In just one year, Director Chen's hair turned white from worry. The cigarette between his fingers burned to the bottom, burning him so badly that he shuddered.
Outside the window, half a wooden shovel was still stuck in the mud of the threshing ground, and the dam of the aquaculture pond had a large hole, covered with turbid foam.
Over the past year, the villagers on the island have been practically starving, and the educated youth have been coming to their door every few days, clamoring to apply to return to the city. They are at their wits' end.
"A sewing team?" Director Chen frowned. "Who has spare money to make new clothes these days?"
“I went to the town’s supply and marketing cooperative to ask,” Ling Huanwu pointed to the red handprint on the proposal. “They are short of people to repair fishing nets, and the county’s clothing factory also needs to do outsourcing. Our island aunties are all first-rate at needlework; they can repair fishing nets and sew military green shirts. In the future, I plan to use the money I earn to make up for the team’s losses first, and then distribute food rations to everyone.”
She paused, her voice tightening, "The undamaged warehouse at the farm can be used as a workspace. I'll go to the city to find some old sewing machines to use first, and if that's not enough, I'll sew by hand. As long as we can start working, it's better than sitting around waiting for handouts."
Director Chen looked at the densely packed list that Ling Huanwu handed over; they were all women whose husbands had injured their legs during the storm surge or whose fields had been completely destroyed.
He stubbed out his cigarette on the table, picked up a pen and signed his name, "The brigade will provide timber to repair the windows, I'll talk to the handicraft management station."
Director Chen stamped the "Agreed" mark with his red seal, the ink spreading and mixing with the water stains on the table.
Ling Huanwu pressed the proposal to her chest, listening to the sound of waves outside the window. For a moment, she felt dazed, but then her heart settled back down.
The first thing I did upon returning to Stone Village was to go to the village committee, find the village chief, get a loudspeaker, and start recruiting.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
