After checking the quantity of the goods, He Ruixue signed the acceptance form and borrowed a tricycle from them, intending to take the goods directly to the transportation department at the train station.
Li Jianguo generously assigned a few warehouse employees to help her. They worked hard for two trips before they finally transferred all the goods to the destination.
After saying goodbye to a few people, He Ruixue discussed transportation matters with the station staff. Since it did not leave H Province and the freight car was used, the price for the trip was not expensive.
Of course, they only deliver the goods to the station and are not responsible for door-to-door delivery. The receiving unit needs to pick it up by themselves.
After signing the shipping order, she was too lazy to send a telegram, so she shamelessly used the station's phone to transfer the call to Xie Peng's office and briefly explained the situation to him.
Xie Peng was very satisfied with her performance. "Don't worry about the follow-up. The warehouse will take care of it."
Because the railway to Shanghai was suspended some time ago, the factory's inventory of toiletries was running out. The deputy secretary had told him a few days ago that he should hurry up and get some. He Ruixue was really a timely help to their purchasing team.
It was worth it for him to go against everyone's opinion and let her, a newcomer, go on a business trip alone.
He praised me generously, "You've done a great job. Since we think so highly of you, I'll leave all future cooperation with the toothpaste factory to you."
"Okay, Brother Xie, I didn't buy a ticket for tomorrow. Can I come back the day after tomorrow?"
"Of course you can. It's your ability to complete the task ahead of schedule. You can even get back before the day after tomorrow. I remember there's a village a few dozen miles east of the toothpaste factory. The soil there is suitable for growing cotton. They've designated special planting fields there. If you're interested, you can go and take a look."
"Okay, Brother Xie is a know-it-all. I'll definitely listen to you. Do you want me to bring some back for you?"
"No, what else do I need? Okay, the phone bill is expensive, hanging up."
After resting for a while in the guesthouse, He Ruixue couldn't stop and went out to ask someone for directions. She took a car and then a ox cart, and soon found the village that Xie Peng mentioned.
Cotton is usually planted after the spring equinox, which is between March and April. It is only February now, and there is not much work in the village.
Almost every household sits at the doorway weaving and spinning. I heard that the village even has its own dyeing factory, which shows that it has developed its own cotton spinning industry chain.
But He Ruixue noticed that whether adults sitting at home or children running outside, most of them wore coarse cloth clothes with no fewer patches than people in other villages.
"He who is dressed in silk and satin is not a silkworm farmer."
She now had a new understanding of the meaning of this sentence.
When he arrived at the village threshing ground, He Ruixue did not say that he was there to buy cotton. Instead, he went straight to the village chief and lied that he was an employee of the county purchasing station.
"Last year, cotton production decreased, affecting production across the province. Now, at the beginning of this spring, our leaders have asked us to visit the brigades below to see how things are going."
The village chief saw that she was wearing a respectable cadre uniform, a pen in her pocket, and leather shoes. Although she was young, she spoke in a serious and imposing manner. He subconsciously believed her and asked, "What is your name, comrade?"
"My last name is He."
"Hello, Comrade He. Things are going well this year. We had some snow during the winter, and the spring has been warm. It's going to be a good year."
"That's good, fellow. Do you still have last year's stock?"
Although the village chief didn't understand what she was going to do, he nodded and said, "Of course there are. It's a common practice. Other brigades store grain, but we store cotton here. Comrade, if you want to see it, I'll take you there right away."
When we arrived at the village's collective warehouse, the village chief opened the door. To prevent moisture, the cotton was tied in burlap bags and piled in the corner.
He Ruixue opened a bag, took out a handful, and examined it in her hand. Remembering what the store inspector had taught her, she said, "The purchase price of this cotton is divided into grades. You should know that, for example, first-grade cotton—"
She found a small wooden stick on the ground and drew two marks on it with a pen. Then, she pinched the cotton and said, "Use your fingers to pull here and outward. If the main fibers of the cotton can be pulled beyond this length, it is grade one. Those of you who can reach grade two are of very good quality."
She drew a few more marks to indicate the standards for level two and level three.
The village chief didn't understand what she was talking about fiber, but he also understood that she was teaching a very rare knowledge. He wanted someone to get a pen and paper to write it down, but he didn't dare to interrupt her. He was so anxious that he scratched his head and face.
He Ruixue understood his concerns and paused on her own initiative. After a while, several people came in, including the village accountant and team leader.
"Comrade He, could you show us your stick? We can draw a few identical ones."
"Can."
She handed the stick over and continued, "In addition to fiber length, cotton grade is also assessed by color, trash content, nep count, and so on. Color is categorized as white, light yellow, yellow, and stained yellow. If we consider these separately, this pile would qualify as grade two, while this pile would only qualify as grade three."
Everyone's eyes followed her hand, memorizing the color characteristics of the pile of cotton she pointed to, for fear of missing a key point.
"There's no need to worry about the impurity rate. Just pick out the branches and leaves. It's not too strict..."
She explained the evaluation criteria and used factual examples, and even these farmers could understand most of it.
Having finished her talk, He Ruixue patted the tiny brown leaves on her body and stood up. "But the purchasing stations usually sort the cotton down. There's a mix of second- and third-grade cotton in a pile, but they only grade it according to the third-grade standard. If you can sort it out in advance, you can at least make more money, right?"
The village chief and others naturally knew this, but they didn't understand the tricks of grading before. They only knew to make the cotton cleaner and dry it out, but the results were not satisfactory, and the price was suppressed every year.
Now that He Ruixue is willing to teach them step by step, it is related to the future income of the entire village. How dare they not take it seriously?
The village chief handed her a teacup filled with wild Schisandra chinensis. "After all this talk, Comrade He, you must be thirsty. Come, have some tea. I thank you on behalf of the whole village. You've explained all the ins and outs of this, so we know what to do next. But, will the people at the purchasing station give you a hard time if you do this?"
Farmers are simple and will only repay others' sincerity with their sincerity.
The village chief has lived for so long that he is very familiar with some of the unspoken rules.
Purchasing stations often divide the products into lower levels, and then further subdivide them privately, so that they can make more money by reselling them. However, He Ruixue's approach undoubtedly broke the rules, and she would definitely be in trouble if the news got out.
Hearing the genuine concern in the village chief's words, He Ruixue smiled while holding the cup, not caring at all. "It's okay, I'm going there as an apprentice. I'll be transferred to the city in a few months. As long as you don't tell anyone, they can't do anything to me."
The village chief breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest to guarantee, "That's good, Comrade He, don't worry, our team will definitely not say anything nonsense, otherwise who would be the real person?"
Even if there are some scoundrels, they dare not go against the entire village. He will always keep an eye on them and make sure they keep their mouths shut.
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