Ling Huanwu clutched the new battery she had bought from the county supply and marketing cooperative, pressed it into the loudspeaker, and climbed up the old locust tree at the brigade headquarters using a stool.
She tied the radio cable to a tree branch, and polished the brass horn until it gleamed, reflecting the burning light in her eyes.
"Aunties," her clear voice broke the afternoon tranquility, drifting with the wind into the fenced yards of every household, "I'm Ling Huanwu, and I'm here today to do something new: our village has established a sewing team!"
Soon, half the courtyard of people gathered under the locust tree, some holding children, some sewing shoe soles, and some who had just returned from the fields, all craning their necks to look.
Lin Xiaoqin had the loudest voice: "Comrade Xiaozi, you said yesterday that you would lead us to rebuild our homes, which means you want to set up a sewing team? But our village only has two old sewing machines, what kind of team can we set up?"
"Old ones can be sold, new ones can be bought!" Ling Huanwu laughed heartily in the tree. "As long as you know a few stitches, or want to learn how to do it, come and sign up! Whether it's sewing a jacket for your child or mending your husband's pants, as long as you're willing to put in the effort, we'll all have work to do and money to earn!"
An uproar erupted in the crowd.
The aunties who used to dig for oysters rubbed their rough hands and said, "When I was young, I sewed tiger-head shoes in town, does that count?"
Even Xu Amei, who was the least on Ling Huan's side in the family compound, blushed and raised her hand to ask, "I can only lock the edge, is that okay?"
Looking at the hands raised on the drying ground, Ling Huanwu felt a sense of happiness from being needed and believed in. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Whether you know how or not, as long as you want to do it, I will teach you step by step. I believe that with your support, our sewing team will thrive!"
Three days later, a setup was set up in the farm's warehouse.
Ling Huanwu sold everything she could in the house, took out a loan from the credit union, and asked someone to bring back five brand-new "Bee" brand sewing machines from the city.
The gleaming body of the machine shone under the oil lamp.
The aunt who could use a sewing machine was invited to the main seat, with a thimble wrapped in red cloth in front of her. A dozen or so aunts lined up, their eyes filled with a mixture of timidity and anticipation.
"You need to keep your feet steady and your hands steady," Ling Huanwu said, stepping on the pedal as the needle clicked. "Just like when we're sewing shoe soles, you have to be able to do it right!"
Lin Xiaoqin squatted at the very edge, helping to thread the cloth.
Sweat dripped from their foreheads onto the cloth, leaving a small damp patch, yet they laughed more heartily than anyone else.
If he couldn't learn it during the day, he would practice by the light of a kerosene lamp at night. The ticking sound from the warehouse often lasted until the early hours of the morning.
That day, Ling Huanwu rushed into the warehouse clutching a crumpled newspaper, "Aunties, we have our first batch of orders!"
The newspaper carried news that all primary schools in the county were selecting Young Pioneers to compete in the city. She spread out a fabric sample on the table: "Let's make school uniforms for the kids! Let's make the only school uniforms for our Stone Village!"
The women were stunned: "Making it for a primary school? How much money can they get?"
"Let's not talk about money first!"
Ling Huanwu pointed to the small pattern she had drawn on the fabric sample, with a red star embroidered on the chest and blue trim on the cuffs. "We'll make them for free. Let the kids wear the clothes made by our sewing team to the city for competitions. When people ask, just say they were sewn by Stone Village! Then the whole county will know about our Stone Village sewing team, and we won't have to worry about not having work!"
Several women from the neighboring village who had come to visit burst out laughing upon hearing this.
Ling Huanwu originally thought that these aunties from the next village had also come to learn how to use a sewing machine, and was about to go over to welcome them, but they were the first to mock her.
"Good heavens! I knew this sewing team was unreliable. They even make clothes for free. How are we supposed to earn work points? Let's go home quickly."
"Exactly, it's better to wait for the country's aid to come in a while. I heard that this Ling is really weird. During the storm surge, Aunt Liu and Aunt Gao, who were with her, all disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead. Later, even Commander Zhou was turned into a vegetable by her. We should stay away from her."
Several aunties, without any restraint, loudly labeled Ling Huanwu as a jinx. Lin Xiaoqin, furious, stood up, kicked over a chair, and shouted, "Who are you being sarcastic to? If you don't want to work here, go back and starve! We didn't ask you to come!"
"Oh my, you've already broken through all defenses. A sewing team like yours that makes clothes for free will go bankrupt sooner or later..."
The aunties across the street were also shouting insults at each other.
Soon, the two sides were pointing fingers and cursing each other in the warehouse, creating chaos. It wasn't until the village chief came over that everyone stopped hurling insults at each other.
The group of aunties from the neighboring village spat a few times toward the warehouse door, mocking the sewing team for not lasting more than a month, before strutting away with their heads held high.
Ling Huanwu didn't care about the opinions of the aunties from the neighboring village, and instead encouraged everyone that this matter would definitely succeed.
Fortunately, the aunties in the team were very supportive and believed in her, which made her feel relieved.
At night, while turning Zhou Jiuzhen over, she lay on the kang table, revising the drawings several times until the pencil tip was worn down to a small stub.
The neckline of the school uniform should be rounded to avoid chafing the child.
The trouser legs should be rolled up tightly so that you can run more nimbly.
Choose the sturdiest work cloth, which is durable and resistant to dirt and wear.
The next day, when the paper pattern was spread out on the table, the aunties all gathered around, touching the pattern and nodding in approval: "Comrade Ling, how come you can do everything? Not only do you know how to use a sewing machine, but you can also draw patterns. The little details in this school uniform are more delicate than a needle!"
On the first day of work, the sewing machines in the warehouse were like spring water released from a dam, making a continuous clattering sound.
Ling Huanwu stood in the middle, sometimes helping to turn up the cuffs, and sometimes reminding the aunties to make the stitches close together.
Sweat dripped from her forehead into her collar; she wiped it with her sleeve and shouted with a smile, "Sisters, let's work harder! Let the city folks see the craftsmanship of our Stone Village!"
The day before the competition, thirty brand-new school uniforms were neatly arranged in the elementary school classroom.
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