The following day, the village loudspeaker, which had not been used for a long time, started playing again.
Zhao Jingxiang kept saying "hello, hello, hello" into the microphone in his office in Shitou Village, and then began to announce the benefits of relocating the island's original inhabitants.
"Fellow villagers, experts predict that there will be storm surges in the waters near our island in the next few years, so the higher authorities sent me here to do the relocation work for you all."
"I've secured some great benefits for everyone. Starting today, every household willing to move away from the island to develop in the Northwest will receive 50 yuan. Everyone, hurry up and sign up..."
On the drying ground, Ling Huanwu stopped with the other women to listen to the broadcast.
The aunties all shook their heads, looking completely unwilling.
"The Northwest? I heard the soil there is as hard as iron and difficult to grow crops. It's not as good as ours."
"It's one thing that it's hard to grow crops, but we're used to eating seafood. If we go there, we probably won't be able to eat a single shrimp all year round. You're saying we'd just starve to death if we went? I'm not going."
“Starving to death is one thing, but it’s snowing over there, I’d probably freeze to death, so I’m not going.”
Listening to the aunties' conversation, Ling Huanwu understood that their real reason for not wanting to move out wasn't this.
They are all native residents of Wantan Island.
The aunt's son also died in the army a few years ago and was buried in the coastal cemetery just like her husband.
My second aunt heard that when she was a child, she went out to sea with her parents and they encountered a shark and almost died. Her mother tried to save her, but she died in the sea and never came back.
Her mother's broken body was eventually buried in that seaside cemetery.
The third aunt was even more pitiful. She finally waited for the arrival of the new era and escaped the misfortune of inheriting the two brothers' lineage. She finally got together with her childhood sweetheart, but he died on his way to the city to buy her new clothes.
They didn't say these veiled things aloud.
In fact, at the moment they lost their family and loved ones, their souls and bodies remained with them on this land that their ancestors had chosen never to leave.
The women continued going to work, ignoring the broadcast.
Everyone went about their business as usual, completely ignoring Zhao Jingxiang's nonsense.
Zhao Jingxiang waited in the village chief's office from dawn till dusk, but not a single person came to sign up.
He brought a bag of money, but didn't give out a single penny.
The village chief blew on the tea dust on his enamel cup and said casually, "I told you, no one would come to collect the money, but you didn't believe me."
Zhao Jingxiang glared at him, and the old village chief had no choice but to shut up and make an excuse to go home for dinner.
Outside the village office, a figure was peeking around. Zhao Jingxiang's eyes lit up, thinking a villager had come to register for relocation, and he hurried out to greet them, "Comrade, this is where you collect your subsidy..."
Before he could finish speaking, the light in his eyes completely dimmed when he saw Song Yaoyao, whose face was covered in bruises and who was cowering in fear.
"What are you doing here? You're not here to drug me, are you?"
Zhao Jingxiang's current impression of Song Yaoyao is that she would try to get into his bed at any time to make him take care of their three children in order to escape her abusive husband.
He buttoned up his collar a few more times, looking wary, and said, "Even if you drugged me, I don't think you could bring yourself to do it."
Song Yaoyao touched her face, tears welling up in her eyes.
She suppressed the bitterness in her heart and forced a bitter smile at him, despite the pain on her face.
"Comrade Zhao, I'm not here to take you away, I'm here to help you, to help you complete the island relocation plan as soon as possible!"
Zhao Jingxiang looked her up and down, and finally nodded to let her in. "People like you are military dependents, so you can't receive subsidies."
Song Yaoyao forced a smile, her face turning ugly. "Don't worry, I've seen the world. I won't do this for a pittance."
Zhao Jingxiang narrowed his eyes, looked her up and down, and said with a mocking expression, "So, how can you help me?"
Song Yaoyao poured herself a drink of water, raising an eyebrow and smirking, "You know about the bet between Ling Huanwu and your father, right? The reason the villagers of Wantan Island refuse to move is because Ling Huanwu's cooperative gave them hope."
“If you help me set up a handicraft production cooperative, I will have a way to destroy Ling Huanwu’s cooperative. Then I will abandon my cooperative, and the people on the island will have no livelihood. They will have to move whether they want to or not.”
Song Yaoyao spoke eloquently and logically.
Zhao Jingxiang lit a cigarette and scoffed, "You? No matter how many methods I used before, Huanwu always had the ability to revitalize the cooperative. How could you, an uneducated peasant, compare to her?"
Although his words were extremely harsh, Song Yaoyao didn't care at all.
She lived through the 1990s in her previous life, so how could she not fool him?
Song Yaoyao rummaged through the paper bag and pulled out the trendy clothes she had drawn overnight for the next ten years, handing them to Zhao Jingxiang.
Zhao Jingxiang casually picked up the blueprint in front of him and glanced at it, then his eyes widened in surprise, and he even dropped the ash from his cigarette...
*
When the signboard with the words "Wantan Island Handicraft Production Cooperative" was officially put up in the neighboring village to recruit people, Ling Huanwu was announcing a large order from the supply and marketing cooperative to everyone.
"Everyone, this production is for our new spring work clothes. The supply and marketing cooperative said the feedback on the clothes was very good, so they asked us to place an additional order for 3,000 sets, which will keep us busy for half a month."
“If we complete this order, our cooperative can expand. Then we can take on shoe manufacturing business, and all the men in your family can come to work. Then we will all have work to do, and the higher-ups won’t keep making us move away from the island. Don’t you think so?”
The aunties nodded in agreement and cheered.
"Yes, I won't move. We can still make a living without going to the Northwest."
"We have to work harder and make sure they know that we can make a name for ourselves without relying on that 50 yuan."
"Yes, let's work together!"
The aunties cheered them on.
Tie Dan and Gang Pao were also overjoyed and cried tears of joy, wiping away their tears as they cheered each other on.
Zhou Shuyao, who was unloading goods at the cooperative, glared at the two shirtless sissies and then continued to idly rest his chin on his hand, watching Ling Huanwu, who was shining brightly in the center of the crowd.
Just as the communal room was filled with jubilation, a commotion erupted at the entrance.
"You're all so happy about just an order for three thousand pieces of clothing. If you knew I had an order for five thousand pieces of work clothes, wouldn't you be green with envy?"
Song Yaoyao, accompanied by several aunties from the neighboring village who usually didn't get along with Ling Huanwu, swaggered into the cooperative.
Ling Huanwu turned to look at the person who had come, and her aunt explained that she had just learned that Song Yaoyao had also established a cooperative yesterday.
When Zhou Shuyao, who was in the corner, saw Song Yaoyao bring people to the door, he thought she was there to cause trouble again, just like before, so he rushed over and reached out to pull her away.
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