Chapter 103
After leaving the black market, Zhou Jiani went to the Second Department Store. She was not busy selling baskets. The leader of the 100th branch had gone to a meeting, so the leader of the 200th branch was probably not there either.
I went in and out and bought some things, and finally found a relatively friendly teller and went over to ask for information.
After giving away a brown corduroy hairband, I learned from the cashier selling plastic products that the leader of the 200 was indeed not there.
The teller, a woman in her mid-thirties, lowered her head to put the hair tie around her wrist and said with a smile, "I went to a meeting this morning, came back at noon, and then rode my bike away again... What did you call this hair tie?"
The young comrade in front of me is wearing one on his head, and it really doesn’t look bad.
It's just made of ordinary corduroy. I didn't expect that a hair tie could be made into this style. It's quite unique and won't tangle your hair.
"A hair tie." Zhou Jiani looked up and smiled, "Sis, you have a lot of hair. Two loose and tight hair ties will be just right."
This time it’s not a plain hairband. Zhou Jiani asked Zhao Mei to teach everyone how to cut scraps of fabric into flower shapes and sew them onto hairbands.
A palm-sized piece of cloth can be put to good use.
That is, if there are no bright beads on hand, the effect will be better if a bead is added in the middle, but it will also look very beautiful if a few stitches are sewn with thread of a more obvious contrasting color to act as the pistil.
The teller smiled and thanked him quietly. Then, with a look of understanding on his face, he lowered his voice and asked, "Are you looking for your boss to order some goods? Anyway, I think this hair tie is pretty good. I guess it won't be a big problem. Did you make it yourself?"
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "No, this is made by our villagers themselves. It's winter and there's not much work in the fields, so we do some small handicrafts to earn a penny."
The teller was a bit surprised, but just as a novelty, he started chatting with Zhou Jiani: "Where are you from, comrade? Are people so skilled in their craft?"
Zhou Jiani laughed crisply and said, "I'm an educated youth from the Qianjin Brigade under Xihe Commune. People in my village don't just make hairbands; we've also opened a weaving factory. Our specialty woven baskets are very popular at the Qiyang Department Store. Our woven stools are even sold at the Qiyang Friendship Store. Some of our products have even been chosen by foreign guests and flown abroad."
"Our village has also conducted an experiment with plastic greenhouses. So far, the experiment has been quite successful. In the middle of winter, the greenhouses are full of lush green cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. We just harvested a crop of spinach a few days ago, and it's so fresh."
There were few things to entertain us these days, so in the brigade, mentioning the county town or the city was an eye-opener. Similarly, Zhou Jiani's talk about the provincial capital and the Friendship Store at the city department store captivated many.
The customers gathered around unconsciously. Zhou Jiani turned around and said with a smile: "Everyone is welcome to visit our village if you have the chance."
The teller was also fascinated by what she said, and after hearing what she said, he really had the urge to go and take a look.
One customer, thinking about the woven basket she was talking about, suddenly said, "Oh, my neighbor bought a woven basket from the 100 store a few days ago. It's a beautiful one. They said it was from the Qianjin Weaving Factory. Is that your store?"
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "Yes, the knitting factory of the Qianjin Brigade."
Another voice interrupted: "Hey, hey, is that the woven basket you made? Quite a few people have been asking about it these past few days..."
The person who spoke was the staff at the agricultural implements counter, and there was a hint of helplessness on her face.
A few days ago, many people came to ask about weaving baskets. She was annoyed by the questions and kept pointing at the big baskets, small baskets, big sieves, and small baskets on the ground and saying, "Isn't this a weaving basket?"
The customer was also anxious, and raised his hand to gesture: "It's not this kind, it's like this, the kind sold in the First Department Store."
The cashier couldn't understand, and neither could the customer, who asked, "Why do you sell different products?"
This matter was reported to the leader, who said he would find time to ask about it. I don’t know if he was busy or forgot, but there has been no further notification.
At this point, Zhou Jiani didn't need to spend any more effort to sell the product. The accountant from 200 came out and called her in.
Zhang Lihua, the accountant at the 200-room office, was a man in his early thirties. He walked Zhou Jiani into the office and said, "You're lucky! Our Director Chen just got back and overheard something from outside. He came back to the office and asked me to invite you in. Actually, you didn't come. Director Chen was planning to ask Director Huang from the First Department Store about this, but he hadn't had the time. It's a lucky coincidence that you came today."
Zhou Jiani met with Director Chen Huitong of the Municipal Second Hundred Department. She didn't bring any samples, but she did draw a rough outline for them to see. Chen Huitong smiled in surprise and said, "This is rare. Actually, I've heard of this business of yours for a long time. I also heard that one of your colleagues was so busy running errands in the provincial capital that he stayed too long and was reported."
Zhou Jiani smiled and pointed at herself: "That's me!"
"Wow!" Director Chen raised his eyebrows and laughed, "So I ran into the real boss. But it seems he wasn't affected much. Not bad, not bad. Comrade Zhou has worked very hard for the construction of the new countryside and the development of rural sideline industries!"
Zhou Jiani put on a smiling face and said nice things: "Serving the people is what we should do!"
Director Chen had a kind expression and didn't put on airs. Zhou Jiani asked, "Director Chen, if you've heard about this a long time ago, why didn't you contact us to purchase the goods earlier?"
Chen Huitong laughed and said, "I forget about it once I get busy."
The fact is, although he had heard about it, he didn't know that the style was so strangely beautiful. He subconsciously thought it was just an ordinary style. At that time, he also muttered in his heart, don't provincial-level units sell baskets and other things?
But I was really busy and forgot about it in the blink of an eye.
The cooperation was a natural outcome. Zhou Jiani even persuaded them to keep some hair bands to sell at the counter. However, the accountant next to them frowned. These little things were not necessities and would not fetch much money. It was not worth the trouble of issuing invoices back and forth. Zhou Jiani quickly said, "You can put them on the counter first. If they sell, you can settle the capital with me. If they don't sell, I will take them back. These are small handicrafts made by the aunties in our village. They don't make much money, but they can help supplement the family income."
Chen Huitong signed with a wave of his hand and said, "This hairband is good. I think it should become a trend."
Zhou Jiani said smoothly: "Anyway, it sells well in the provincial capital."
The accountant next to him was surprised: "You're sending this stuff to the provincial capital to sell it? It's not enough to cover the shipping costs, right?"
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "This little thing doesn't take up any space. I can put it in my bag when I go with the delivery guys, so I never go empty-handed. The villagers don't leave the village often, and I travel all over for business, so I'm used to helping them bring some income-generating things when I go out."
These words touched the heart of leader Chen Huitong. Leaders all like subordinates with a positive work attitude. In his opinion, Zhou Jiani belongs to that category.
Besides, he had heard that she had been reported for staying too long in order to escape, which was a plus for him. He directly arranged for the accountant to settle the payment on the spot, saying, "It's not easy for fellow villagers to earn a little money. If we can avoid delaying, we should do so."
This hairband has a nice design. It won’t generate much revenue for the department store, but it will definitely sell well.
Moreover, this young comrade herself was wearing one, and it didn't look bad to him. In addition, when he heard her talking in the crowd just now, several people who were listening to the conversation were talking about the hairband on her head and were planning to ask the teller about it.
This shows that there is a market.
Zhou Jiani was naturally happy to receive the settlement payment on the spot, and she also reminded: "If you want to place an order, whether it's a basket or a hair band, you can call the village directly."
He added: "We always have new styles of hair ties. Our main focus is on freshness."
Chen Huitong found her words interesting and nodded with a smile, "Okay, call and place an order when they're sold out, but you should also expedite the order for the baskets, as we have quite a few people asking about them."
After discussing the cooperation, Chen Huitong also asked her about the story she had told the crowd about the stool that entered the Friendship Store and the plastic greenhouse in their village.
He just listened to it a lot, and it was these two things that caught his attention. He stopped and listened for a while. As soon as he returned to the office, he quickly asked someone to call this comrade in.
Zhou Jiani was also willing to chat a little longer, and at the end she invited, "Director Chen, please come visit our Qianjin Brigade and give us your guidance."
Chen Huitong smiled and said, "I can't say I'm giving you any guidance. When I have time, I'll definitely go to the Qianjin team to broaden my horizons." He also smiled and said, "Next time you deliver goods, if you have any fresh vegetables, bring some along. Our grocery store will definitely accept them."
Zhou Jiani didn't respond to him because she was very cunning.
But as soon as Zhou Jiani left, Chen Huitong started making phone calls. Director Chen had been assigned here after demobilization. He had a comrade in the county who called to ask about the Qianjin Brigade: "I heard there's a village in your area that's built a plastic greenhouse?"
It's not that he didn't believe it, but he just wondered how could one brigade do so many things so well? He thought Zhou Jiani's words were exaggerated, so he couldn't help but want to confirm it. After confirming it, he was left with admiration: "I never thought there was such an outstanding brigade in your county. Why haven't I heard of it before? And that hair band, I think it's also very well made. Your brigade is full of talents."
The comrade told him that the county magistrate had already visited the farm, and then said with a smile, "You want to buy vegetables? Forget it. It's only half an acre, so there's no way we can divide it up. But other units are welcome to come and learn from them. The farm cadres are all going back to organize study groups. As for you...oh, you don't need to, but it's impossible to buy in. I guess your grocery store will be very busy next winter."
His comrades didn't know about posting on social media, they only knew about weaving baskets and greenhouse vegetables, and they also knew that both of these things were initially led by the same person. After Chen Huitong finished mentioning the name, his comrade laughed on the phone and said, "That's the talent from the Forward Brigade. That talent is standing right in front of you, haha."
On this side, Zhou Jiani came out of the Second Department Store and did not go back to the original guesthouse. She wrapped herself in a military coat and hunched her neck and found a room nearby.
After answering all the calls, she called the team. Liu Tong answered the phone and reported the order. She said at the end, "Bai Haoyang has gone back. I'll stay here for two days. Also, tell Zhao Mei that I can make another 50 plum blossom-style hairbands and have her distribute them to everyone."
It's no secret that Zhou Jiani organized the village women to make hair bands. She's now surprisingly successful. While they may not be making a fortune, they've managed to provide a small income for the members. As a result, arguments between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law have decreased significantly this year, and a peaceful atmosphere permeates the village. Even the team leaders are grinning, saying, "This year's been a lot less stressful."
"Okay, I'll go talk to Zhao Mei later. Be careful outside."
Zhou Jiani also left the phone number of the guesthouse here so that she can be contacted easily if there is anything.
I went to a nearby restaurant to eat something, then came back with some clean clothes and took a shower. When I came out, I wrapped my head with a towel and wrapped myself in my military coat and went back quickly. I was still a little cold when I entered the door.
There was no heating in the room, so Zhou Jiani quickly took out a hair dryer to dry her hair, shook out the quilt and blew it hot with the hair dryer, then quickly got in to feel the warmth for a moment.
He wore a cotton jacket, covered his legs with a quilt, and put his military coat on top. He only started to check his phone after his body warmed up.
The items that were sold out in the morning have already been sold out.
In the two large groups of 10,000 people, the seats were actually sold out by the time she got off the bus.
More than 300 loofahs were sold for more than 700 yuan, and the cost is so low that it is negligible.
There are more than fifty gourds, and more than a hundred gourds have been opened. The gourds alone have earned more than two thousand yuan. Adding rice noodles, vermicelli, loofah, cotton boots, etc., after deducting the capital and handling fees, there is still a little over five thousand yuan in income.
So when I saw someone in the group selling self-heating hot pot and self-heating rice balls, I immediately bought twenty boxes of hot pot with different flavors and twenty boxes of self-heating rice with different side dishes.
Although they had already eaten, Zhou Jiani still ordered a spicy beef hotpot. She was sweating all over after eating it, and the whole house was filled with the smell of hotpot. She had wasted her shower, but it still felt worth it.
As soon as I went out the next day, I was almost blown back by the cold wind.
Zhou Jiani gritted her teeth, wrapped herself in her military coat, and went to the restaurant to find food with her neck hunched.
After dinner, as usual, she would go to a few black market spots she knew about. After leaving the black market, she would go to the supply and marketing cooperative to spend the tickets she had collected and fill the warehouse shelves bit by bit.
Around noon, she went to the First Department Store. When she came in, she first glanced at the tea counter. The older woman from yesterday waved at her and said, "You're finally here. Director Huang came back yesterday afternoon and is in the office right now. Come on over."
She added, "This hair tie is definitely going to sell well. Not to mention yesterday afternoon, several people came to ask about it this morning. My other sisters are also waiting to pick a few."
"Thanks, sister. I'll bring you a new style next time."
Director Huang had met Zhou Jiani when he last visited the knitting factory. When he saw her, he smiled and said, "Oh, it's you!"
"Director Huang, sorry to bother you." Zhou Jiani said with a smile.
"Well, you should have told the accountant to keep the things." Director Huang took her to meet the accountant and gave him a special introduction.
I met him yesterday, but the accountant was very busy and his attitude was not very friendly. But today the leader introduced me to him specially so that we can get to know each other better and it will be easier to talk to him in the future.
Director Huang was quite enthusiastic and wanted to treat Zhou Jiani to a meal, but Zhou Jiani declined, thanked him, took the note and left the First Department Store.
Enthusiasm does not mean attentiveness. I did not get the payment immediately here, and will pay for it together with the woven baskets next time.
Different units have different ways of cooperation.
After finding a place to eat, she returned to the guesthouse. As soon as she pushed the door open, a young man stood up from a chair in the hall, looked at her and smiled, "Comrade Xiao Zhou!"
I slept well last night, but I didn’t dream about the content of the book. I still don’t know what happened to Comrade Xiao Qiu in his previous life, but I didn’t expect to see the vivid Qiu Zeming today.
Zhou Jiani laughed in surprise, "Why are you here?"
Qiu Zeming said, "Zhang Kaishan felt unwell late last night, so the village arranged for a bullock cart to take him to the town clinic overnight. The clinic recommended transfer to a larger hospital. After receiving an IV drip at the clinic, he was transferred directly to the city at daybreak and has been admitted."
Zhou Jiani's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly asked, "Which hospital? What's the situation now? Who's accompanying him at the hospital?"
"People's Hospital, everything is fine now. Sister Zhao Mei is here." Qiu Zeming said, "Yu Wanxia took Huihui to your home."
Zhou Jiani nodded, feeling a little complicated. She had been to the black market near the People's Hospital several times in the morning, and she didn't expect that Zhang Kaishan would stay there.
"I'm going to the hospital..." Then he asked, "Are you going back today or tomorrow? Have you eaten yet?"
"The captain asked me to stay and wait until the situation stabilizes before returning," Qiu Zeming said. "I've booked a room at a guesthouse near the hospital. Would you like to move in there too?"
Zhou Jiani went upstairs to pack her things, took out a net bag, and put a few apples in it. There were cans on her shelf, so she took another can, went downstairs to move out of the house, and went to the hospital with Qiu Zeming.
Zhao Mei's eyes were still swollen when she entered the ward.
A male comrade in the same ward saw the apples she was carrying and came over to ask, "Comrade, could you please tell me where you bought these fruits?"
Zhou Jiani smiled and waved her hand, saying, "Sorry, I didn't buy it. It was a gift from a friend."
The man sat back with a look of disappointment.
Zhou Jiani went to see Zhang Kaishan. He had his eyes closed, his face was sallow, and he looked like he was having difficulty breathing.
Zhang Kaishan got up last night to go to the bathroom and suddenly fell down.
As winter approaches, people in poor health feel like they are going through a tribulation. Zhao Mei is now well-off, and she provides Zhang Kaishan with more nutrition than last year, and burns more charcoal at home than last year. Unexpectedly, the disease still relapsed.
Zhou Jiani first comforted Zhao Mei, and then went out with Qiu Zeming to see the doctor about the situation. The doctor said that if they went to a big hospital for treatment, the effect would definitely be much better than it is now.
At least after recuperating for a period of time, you will have no problem doing some simple and light work.
"Of course, the prerequisite is that the patient cannot be stimulated. The patient will become ill when stimulated."
Back in the ward, Zhou Jiani asked Zhao Mei in detail about the cause of Zhang Kaishan's illness: "Brother Zhang was fine, why did he suddenly become ill?"
Zhao Mei, a look of indignation on her face, said, "His mother went to our house last night and made a scene, saying that I had to pay for my retirement now that I was starting to earn money." Her voice choked with sobs, "She doesn't care about her youngest son's life or death at all. She didn't even consider whether the money I have is enough for Kaishan's treatment. She just kept asking for money."
Zhao Mei raised her hand and wiped away her tears. She said, "We agreed when the family was divided that the eldest brother would get the big courtyard, and he would be responsible for his retirement. We would get the old, run-down house, and we wouldn't have to worry about his retirement. Now that I've started earning a salary, my sister-in-law is instigating my mother-in-law to make trouble again."
Zhou Jiani had no business interfering in their family affairs, so she could only offer bad advice. She called Zhao Mei out to the corridor to talk, saying, "Have the team leader report this to the commune, get their signature, and take Brother Zhang to the provincial capital for treatment."
Zhao Mei asked, "Go to the provincial capital?" Of course she wanted to. She was working so hard to earn money so that she could talk to the villagers after the New Year and take Zhang Kaishan to the provincial hospital for treatment. But right now, it's not enough. She burst into tears and choked up, "Jia Ni, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. When you lived in my house, we couldn't even scrape together five yuan even if we scraped three layers of land. It's only because of your help during this period that we have some money, but it's still not enough to go to the provincial capital for treatment."
Medical treatment in big cities definitely costs more.
There is also a roadblock in the family. She even doubts whether Kaishan is her mother-in-law's biological son. When the mother knows that the child is sick, she will try her best to cure the child.
Her mother-in-law was afraid that her youngest son would leave them impoverished, so she quickly divided the family property and usually ignored them. Now she is even trying to take away the money for her son's medical treatment.
"As for the money, you can privately negotiate with the factory for an advance on your wages. Tell others that it's your family's support, and report the amount wildly inflated. Then go to your mother-in-law and cry, asking her to help share your debts. She'll definitely not agree. Then go to the village and ask them to help persuade her. Needless to say, she won't agree either. If someone could persuade her selfish mother, she wouldn't have kicked you out in the first place."
"What if she refuses to agree? Have your family step forward and write a certificate of severing ties, with everyone as witnesses. Then, whenever she makes a scene, you can use this as an excuse, and no one else will criticize you. Normally, just try to persuade Brother Zhang to be more open-minded. A loving mother is a filial son. If a mother isn't loving, a son shouldn't be filial, and there's no need to get angry."
"Don't argue with her, let alone fight. She's old, and if she gets into trouble, she'll have to blame you. Just cry calmly. The more she scolds you, the more you cry. Let the neighbors see how wronged you are."
Zhao Mei's hands and feet were cold, and tears were still on her face. Gradually, her eyes became fierce. She gritted her teeth and nodded, saying, "Okay, wait for the mountain to be opened and observe for a night. I'll go back tomorrow as soon as it's out of danger. I'll also need to trouble Comrade Qiu to keep an eye on me for a day. When I get back, ask my cousin to come over and have him go back to the village with me to handle this matter."
He was also worried: "I'm afraid Kaishan won't want to go. He might even... he might not want to live anymore."
Zhao Mei choked up.
Little did they know that Zhang Baosheng from the village was scolding Zhang Kaishan's mother, asking her to give money to her youngest son for medical treatment. The old lady was unreasonable and unreasonable: "I just asked him to pay two pensions, and he was so distressed that he became sick? Have you ever seen such an unfilial son? And Zhao Mei, how much money does she have? Why did she send her to the city for hospitalization? I told you to just bring some medicine back to take care of her. It would be better to save that money for your nephew. When he dies, he will point at his nephew and blame him for smashing tiles and beating banners."
Zhang Baosheng's lips trembled with anger.
In the city, Zhou Jiani stayed with Zhao Mei for a while, and waited for Zhang Kaishan to wake up, and said some comforting words. Zhang Kaishan was a man, and although he was weak at ordinary times, Zhou Jiani had never seen him cry. Now he turned his head away, and tears flowed down his temples.
After calming down a bit, he thanked you gratefully: "I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
He felt guilty and blamed himself. He was very upset that all the hard work Zhao Mei had done during this period was wasted due to his hospitalization.
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "If you cooperate with the treatment and listen to the doctor, it won't be a problem. When you've recovered enough, and when our village's sideline business expands next year, you can take over the quality inspection work that Zhao Mei's sister-in-law does, and I'll assign her other tasks. My sister-in-law is so clever and skillful, it would be a shame for her to do quality inspection."
Zhang Kaishan's eyes lit up: "Can I still enter the factory?"
Zhou Jiani smiled and said, "The doctor said that with proper treatment, I can recover to the point where I can do some light work. As long as I don't get too tired, it won't be a problem. But the prerequisite is that you cooperate. I can earn back the money I spent slowly in the future, with my own hands."
After saying that, he glanced at Zhao Mei and told her that if he wanted to go to the province for treatment, Zhao Mei would still have to do some lobbying for him.
After leaving the hospital, Zhou Jiani went to a nearby guesthouse and booked a room.
Qiu Zeming left in a hurry and didn't bring any toiletries. It happened that this place was not far from the First Department Store, so Zhou Jiani took him to the First Department Store.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
