Yu Jihong was busy for a week or so, and she looked thinner and much tanned.
After lunch, Yu Jihong looked at herself in the mirror, rested her chin on the back of her hand, and sighed, "I'm so tanned."
“Jihong, if you do all of this by yourself, you won’t have enough time during the busy farming season. We’ll need to ask for help. Anyway, once the grain and sweet potatoes are sold and the workers are paid, we can keep just enough for ourselves,” Fang Sandi said from the side.
"You need some pocket money every day! And you need to get your leg checked out, that will cost money too."
Fang Sandi sighed, then looked at his legs. "I can't move my legs now, but I can still move my hands. If there's anything I can do at home, I won't have to lie here all day like this, completely useless."
“I’ve thought about it. You can’t do the embroidery I brought home last time, and there’s nothing else I can do.”
"Yes, we don't have as many factories here as we do in Wenzhou."
“What’s good to do there? I’ll go get it,” Yu Jihong said immediately.
"I heard about it at the hospital last time. It seems to be about attaching flints to lighters and putting on labels. We have to take a car there, and it's not worth it to earn a little labor fee just to go there and pay for the car."
Yu Jihong thought for a moment, "Isn't there a road from our back gate mountain that leads to Wenzhou? I'll ride my bike there to get it."
“You’re going too far by riding the mountain road alone. Even if you get to Wenzhou, it’s not like you’ll get to the factory just by riding the mountain road. Wenzhou is so big, you don’t know how much further you’ll have to go before you get to the factory.”
Yu Jihong's mind was filled with thoughts of how to make money. "There really isn't as much work here as there. We want to earn some pocket money, and others should think about it too. Who doesn't like money, Third Brother?" Yu Jihong's eyes suddenly lit up. "What do you think about us taking more work from over there and then distributing it to the villagers?"
"You're still thinking so much. You don't even have any work to do yourself. You don't usually interact with them. If you give them work to do, they'll think you're trying to make money off them."
"I'm just trying to make money! I'm doing this for free, voluntarily, to let everyone do it! I'll go talk to the factories over there, bring the goods over, and I'll help them ship them out to work. They'll give me a small profit margin. We can just use our two hands to do it ourselves. Now everyone's doing it, and all these hands working are connected to us." Yu Jihong became more and more excited as she spoke. "When I'm cooking, others are doing the work, and I'm making money. When I'm washing clothes, others are doing the work, and I'm making money too." Yu Jihong's eyes shone as she thought about it with great satisfaction.
“How could I possibly make this kind of money when we’re all from the same village?” Fang Sandi retorted.
"You just can't think straight. On the other hand, you can also think about it this way: it's precisely because we take it that they have something to do and can earn labor fees. According to your thinking, how can Meili make money by opening a shop?"
“Merry’s shop is located on the street, and she mainly does business with strangers.”
"There must be people in the village who want to buy it, and her husband's neighbors must want to buy it. Is it because there's money to be made that she's not doing business with acquaintances?"
“They sell things and that’s how they make money. We’re just doing the work and making a profit from the difference. It wouldn’t be good if people found out.”
Yu Jihong grew anxious. "Why can't you understand? You didn't get paid for your work just because you put in the effort. When we went to Wenzhou to get lighters to distribute to everyone, we also put in the effort and time, and earned a little money in return. Isn't it the same principle? Do you really expect to earn money by digging a single shovelful?"
Yu Jihong looked at Fang Sandi's legs and said, "Look, you have to do everything yourself. You can't move your legs now, so you can't work. If we take over and do it now, while we're talking, others are working, and we'll have income right now."
Fang Sandi glanced at Yu Jihong, then lowered his eyes again. "That's what they say..."
“That’s right. We didn’t harm anyone. When others have income, we also get a little benefit. Everyone is doing well. In the past, doing some business was called speculation and you would get arrested. Now the country encourages everyone to do business. Times have changed, and our thinking must change with them. Look at Mei Li and the others. They opened a shop and no longer have to do farm work. They even earn more than they did farming.”
"Don't go alone this year, you're unfamiliar with the area. Once my leg is healed, we'll go together next year."
"We still have to wait another year!" Yu Jihong said impatiently.
"I can't go this year because I'm in this condition. Let's find something else for me to do and get through the year."
“We’re in this little village, and we don’t know where we can find work. I’ll go ask Meili; she runs a shop in town and knows a lot of people. I’ll ask her and tell her to keep an eye out.” Yu Jihong said as she went to get her bicycle.
Are you going now?
"Okay, let's go now."
"It's the hottest now, let's go when the sun isn't so strong."
"I'll go to the fields again when it cools down and the sun isn't so strong." Yu Jihong had already pushed the car out the door.
"Mom, where are you going? I want to go too."
"Don't go, it's too hot. I'll just go for a bit and be right back." Yu Jihong had already gotten on her bike.
Fang Meili was stepping on a sewing machine in the corner of the shop.
"Meili," Yu Jihong called out.
"Hey!" Fang Meili looked up. "Sister Jihong, why did you come over in such a hot weather at noon?"
Fang Meili looked at Yu Jihong's face again, "She seems to have lost a bit of weight."
"You've not only lost weight, you've also gotten darker!"
"Hehe, yes, a little." Fang Meili knew that Yu Jihong loved beauty, so she didn't want to say directly that she was too dark-skinned. She quickly brought her a stool.
“Of course! My third brother can’t work in the fields, so I have to do the work there,” Yu Jihong said, getting straight to the point. “Meili, I came here to ask if you know of any jobs that can be done at home? My third brother is so bored at home all day. All the money we saved this year has been spent on treating his leg, and we still need money for things like getting the stitches removed. I want to find something else for him to do.”
"Yes, even if it's not for that reason, we still need to save more money. With money, we can make more beautiful clothes and live a better life. Who would complain about having too much money?"
"Oh, Mary, what you said really resonated with me. I love people like you who speak their minds so frankly."
Fang Meili smiled, "I like you the way you are, you act on your ideas without procrastination. Hmm, what kind of chores did you mention taking home to do? It seems like they're all suitable for women, while the men all go out to do odd jobs."
"Yes, I took it home and did some embroidery before. Now I'm wondering if there's anything else I can do. My third brother can do it at home."
"There are a few processing plants over there. I'll go with you to take a look."
Behind the counter was a bamboo-framed crib where Fang Meili's daughter, Yuan Tingting, was sleeping. "Xinkang, check on Tingting. We're going out for a bit."
“Tell me where you are, and I can go there myself,” Yu Jihong said.
"It's okay. There aren't many people in the store at midday. I stay in the store all day, and I want to go out for a walk."
"What if Tingting wakes up later?"
"You guys go ahead, my daughter just fell asleep, she'll probably be asleep for a while, I'll take care of her when she wakes up," Yuan Xinkang said while sorting through the goods.
"Meili, your husband is such a good man!" Yu Jihong couldn't help but exclaim.
Fang Meili winked at Yuan Xinkang, "That's great! I married the right person, right, Yuan Xinkang?"
"Go ahead, don't flatter me." Yuan Xinkang glanced at Fang Meili with a slight smile.
"Is this how you two always talk? The atmosphere between you two is so comfortable." As they walked out of the store, Yu Jihong turned to Fang Meili and said.
"Huh? Hehehe! I didn't even realize if everyone talks like that." Fang Meili laughed a little embarrassedly.
"Where are you? Just ride on my bicycle, I'll take you there." Yu Jihong opened the kickstand on the bicycle.
"Ride towards the north of the town."
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