Chapter 210 Collective Production and Management
Seeing her father talking to Xu Zhili, she hesitated for a moment, but still walked in.
"Father, Zhili, what are you talking about?" Xie Xiazhu asked, her hands still covered in mud.
Xu Zhili repeated her suggestion from earlier.
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiazhu's expression immediately became complicated.
"Why change it to a collective one? Isn't it fine as it is?"
Xie Xiazhu was a little agitated, "I earn money with my own skills, I don't steal or rob, what's wrong with that?"
"Sister Xia Zhu, I'm not saying your current approach is wrong."
Xu Zhili patiently explained, "But the policy does not allow private operation. Once someone reports you, not only will you be punished, but Uncle Xie and the entire Xiangyang Brigade will also be affected."
Captain Xie chimed in, "Yes, girl, Zhili is very thoughtful. What you're doing now is indeed risky."
"Risk? When I got divorced and came back with a child, why didn't anyone mention the risks when the villagers were pointing fingers and gossiping about me?"
Xie Xiazhu's eyes reddened. "Now that I've finally managed to establish myself with my own skills, are you going to restrict me again?"
"This is not a restriction, it is protection."
Xu Zhili held Xie Xiazhu's hand, "After a formal sewing group is established, you can openly use your talents and lead other women to increase their income. Isn't that better than going it alone?"
Xie Xiazhu was silent for a while, then said in a low voice, "But, but I'm worried that if it becomes a collective, I won't have any autonomy. Right now, I can take on any job I want, and do it whenever I want. If it becomes a collective, won't I have to follow orders for everything?"
"Don't worry about that."
Captain Xie spoke to his daughter in a rare gentle tone, saying, "Since it's a sewing group, you'll naturally be in charge of the technical aspects. What jobs to take and how to allocate work are mainly up to you. The team is only responsible for handling the procedures and supervision; we won't interfere too much."
Xu Zhili added, "Moreover, once a formal organization is established, we can apply to purchase more sewing machines and production materials to expand the scale. Haven't you always wanted to open a tailor shop in town? Once the collective sewing group develops well, we might actually be able to set up a branch in town."
Xie Xiazhu's eyes brightened for a moment, but then dimmed again: "But what about Baosheng? If he knew that I can't even make my own decisions now, wouldn't he look down on me even more as his mother..."
Xu Zhili and Captain Xie exchanged a glance, understanding Xie Xiazhu's true worries.
She was not only worried about financial interests, but also about her son's opinion.
"Sister Xia Zhu, think about it."
Xu Zhili said softly, "If you can lead a group of women to start a business and become the person in charge of the collective economy, what will Baosheng think of you when he grows up and finds out? Will he be proud to be a mother who secretly takes on private jobs, or proud to be a group leader who leads everyone to get rich together?"
Xie Xiazhu was stunned; she had clearly never thought of it from this perspective before.
Captain Xie sighed, "Girl, I know these past few years haven't been easy for you. But it's precisely because they've been difficult that we need to proceed cautiously. Don't worry, once the sewing team is established, I will definitely support you in doing this well."
The three of them discussed for nearly an hour more.
In the end, Xie Xiazhu was persuaded and agreed to turn the sewing class into a formal collective sideline business for the brigade.
A few days later, Captain Xie convened a meeting of all commune members to discuss the establishment of a sewing group.
"The reason I've gathered everyone here today is to discuss an important decision."
Captain Xie stood on the stage, his voice booming, "We plan to establish a formal sewing group as a collective sideline for the brigade."
The audience immediately began to murmur amongst themselves.
"Sewing team? What do they do?"
"Is Xia Zhu's sewing class going to become a formalized program?"
Can I earn work points by participating?
Captain Xie raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "Specifically, it means that we will organize women with sewing skills, with Comrade Xie Xiazhu as the core, to take on outside orders and generate income for the collective. Participants will be paid work points according to their labor, and the income will belong to the collective and be distributed uniformly at the end of the year."
A middle-aged woman stood up and asked, "Captain, my skills are just average, can I still participate?"
Xie Xiazhu chimed in, "Aunt Li, your skills are excellent, you should definitely participate. We'll also organize training sessions to help everyone improve their techniques."
Someone else asked, "Can we still do the odd jobs we take on ourselves now?"
Xu Zhili stood up and replied, "Private jobs are not allowed in principle. However, after joining the sewing group, the group will take orders collectively, and the income will be distributed to everyone in the form of work points. In fact, it is more stable and the income may be higher than private jobs."
The discussion lasted the entire afternoon.
Some people support it, some are worried, and some directly oppose it.
But eventually, with Captain Xie and Xu Zhili's patient explanation, most people realized the benefits of collectivization.
Half a month later, with Xu Zhili's help, the Xiangyang Brigade Sewing Group was officially established.
The commune approved their application and even allocated two old sewing machines for them to use.
On the day of opening, the sewing team received its first large order, to process two hundred sets of work clothes for a factory in the county.
Xie Xiazhu led more than a dozen women to work day and night, not only completing the order on time, but also receiving high praise from the factory for the quality.
After the news spread, more and more orders came in.
One evening, Xie Xiazhu found Xu Zhili taking a walk by the fishpond.
"Zhili, thank you."
Xie Xiazhu said sincerely, "If you hadn't insisted on going through the collective procedures, I might still be taking on private jobs with a lot of anxiety."
Xu Zhili smiled and said, "Sister Xia Zhu, this is the result of your own hard work. Look, isn't the sewing group getting better and better now?"
"yes."
Xie Xiazhu gazed at the distant sunset. "Yesterday I received the second letter from Baosheng. He said he was very happy for me to hear that I had become the leader of the sewing group."
Xu Zhili noticed that Xie Xiazhu's eyes were glistening with tears when she said this, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.
"Baosheng is still young, he will understand your good intentions and abilities one day."
Xu Zhili comforted her.
"Whether he understands or not, I feel that my life has value now."
Xie Xiazhu straightened her back. "It's not just for Yaya, but also for the sisters who work with me."
Just then, Ya Ya came skipping over: "Mom, Aunt Zhi Li, Aunt Li and the others are looking for you to discuss the new order!"
Xu Zhili and Xie Xiazhu exchanged a smile and walked towards the sewing group's workshop.
The setting sun cast long shadows of them, like the road they were forging, stretching towards a hopeful future.
Captain Xie stood at the entrance of the brigade headquarters, watching his daughter and Xu Zhili walk away side by side, a gratified smile on his face.
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