MMB Chapter 116 The Textile Factory's First Cry, the Tool Shop's Budding
Chapter 116 The Textile Factory's First Cry, the Tool Shop's Budding
On the spring equinox, the large iron gates of the Hongxing Textile Factory slowly opened in the morning mist. Qin Huairu, clutching her gold-embossed temporary worker's pass, stood in the flow of people entering the factory, her palms damp with a fine sheen of sweat. She wore the blue overalls Su Qing had lent her, the cuffs of her trousers stitched twice to fit perfectly, and on her feet were rubber shoes Lin Chen had repaired for her, the soles reinforced with durable tire material. She walked silently on the gravel road. Behind her came Jia Dang's voice: "Mom, I'll set up my stall at the alley entrance tonight, and wait for you to come back and pack it up!"
Qin Huai turned back and waved, watching her daughter's figure, with two little braids, disappear into the alleyway. Her heart felt both warm and heavy. The textile factory's workshop was more spacious than the steel mill's, and the sound of dozens of sewing machines running simultaneously was like a rising tide, making one's eardrums vibrate. Workshop foreman Wang Guilan led her to sewing group number three, pointing to an old sewing machine in the far corner: "Master Qin, you'll learn from Sister Li for three days first, and after you're familiar with the process, you can work independently. Our factory values efficiency; we calculate wages by piecework at the end of the month—the more you work, the more you earn."
Sister Li, a factory worker in her thirties, wore the weariness of years of working late into the night, but her hands never stopped moving: "Sister Qin, our group mainly makes the cuffs and collars of work clothes. It looks simple, but it emphasizes 'three flats and one straightness'—flat seams, flat seams, flat overlocking, and a square overall shape. Watch me do it once." She picked up the cut fabric, stepped on the pedal, and the sewing machine needle flew rapidly, sewing a straight line in the blink of an eye. When the thread broke, she flicked her wrist, and the thread was hidden in the seam of the fabric.
Qin Huairu watched intently, then took the fabric and tried stepping on the pedal. The sewing machine was a "Butterfly" brand made in Shanghai, much heavier than her old one at home. At first, she hadn't mastered the pressure, and the needle wobbled, leaving a series of small holes. Sister Li frowned: "You need to apply even pressure, just like when you're mending. You need to be mindful of what you're doing to keep your hands steady." These words were a wake-up call for Qin Huairu. She took a deep breath, recalling her focused sewing at home, and slowly adjusted her foot pressure. Sure enough, it went much more smoothly.
By the end of the morning, Qin Huairu had three small cuts on her fingers from the needle, oozing blood. During her lunch break, she sat in a corner of the workshop, munching on a cornbread bun, watching her coworkers pull out pickled vegetables and steamed buns they had brought from home. Suddenly, she felt that this steady busyness was more reassuring than the previous struggles to get Sha Zhu's lunchbox. A female worker from the next group came over: "New here? I heard you're from the Hongxing Courtyard? Lin Chen is your neighbor, right? The counting tool he made for our workshop is really useful!"
Mentioning Lin Chen, Qin Huairu smiled gratefully, "Yes, it's all thanks to Lin Chen and Sister Su Qing that I was able to get into the factory." Just then, a familiar voice came from the workshop door, and Lin Chen walked in carrying a tin box, still smelling of coal smoke from the steel rolling mill. He saw Qin Huairu and smiled, waving the box in his hand, "Sister-in-law Qin, I brought you something."
Walking to the corner, Lin Chen opened the tin box. Inside were a pair of thick canvas gloves with leather stitched to the fingertips, and a small thread spool storage box divided into more than a dozen compartments, each labeled with the color of the thread. "The gloves are puncture-resistant, and the storage box was made by Brother Guangtian; it'll make it easier for you to store thread when you're mending." Qin Huairu took the gloves, her fingertips touching the texture of the leather, her eyes welling up with tears: "Xiao Lin, this is too much trouble, I…"
"It's worthless, made from scraps." Lin Chen interrupted her, lowering his voice. "Director Wang told me you pricked your hand this morning, so be careful when you work in the future. By the way, Su Qing said the spools at the textile factory always get tangled, so I modified the blueprint for a thread feeder. If you think it's useful, I'll have Guangtian make a few for your group to try." He pulled a sketch out of his pocket, which showed a small frame with bearings and marked the dimensions.
Sister Li leaned over for a look, her eyes lighting up: "This thing is great! We have to pull the lines by hand now, they break when they're too tight and get tangled when they're too loose. This frame saves a lot of effort. Little Lin, could you make one for our group? I'll pay you for the labor!" Lin Chen smiled and waved his hand: "Make a sample first, we'll see if it works." Just then, the workshop bell rang, and he patted Qin Huairu on the shoulder: "Work hard, I'll have Su Qing pick you up tonight."
After starting work in the afternoon, Qin Huairu put on her new gloves and tried working on the machine. Sure enough, she didn't get pricked by the needle again. Remembering Lin Chen's words, she tried to sketch the appearance of the thread feeder in her mind according to the sketch, and the more she thought about it, the more practical it seemed. When she finished get off work, Director Wang inspected her work and nodded at the neat seams: "Not bad, better than I expected. You can try piecework tomorrow." Qin Huairu was delighted, calculating that she could earn more than 50 cents for the work she did today, enough to buy two pounds of cornmeal.
Stepping out of the factory, Su Qing was waiting for her by her bicycle. A bamboo basket was tied to the back seat, containing the sewing jobs Jia Dang had collected from his stall. "How was it? Did you get used to it on the first day?" Su Qing took the tool bag from her and handed her a bottle of warm water. Qin Huairu took a sip of water, her face full of smiles: "I'm getting used to it! Director Wang said I can start being paid by piecework tomorrow. By the way, Sister Li and the others want that thread feeder that Xiao Lin mentioned."
"I know, Lin Chen has already told Brother Guangtian that we'll make samples tonight." Su Qing pushed her bicycle. "Let's go to the scrap yard first. Old Wang said he collected a batch of old bearings, which will come in handy." The two walked towards the outskirts of the city. The setting sun cast long shadows on them. When they passed the alley entrance, they saw Jia Dang helping Aunt Li mend her pants. Her little face was full of seriousness. There were two customers surrounding the mending stall next to them.
"Mom! Sister Su Qing!" Jia Dang waved excitedly when she saw them. Aunt Li straightened up and smiled, "Sister Qin, your daughter is quite accomplished! Her stitches are even finer than yours! I gave her two cents for sewing the pants for me today." Qin Huairu walked over and patted her daughter's head, a warm feeling welling up inside her. Jia Dang took out a paper packet from her pocket, containing three pieces of fruit candy: "Mom, I bought these with my own money. You and your sister can each have one."
When they arrived at the scrap yard, Old Wang was squatting on the ground sorting through old parts. Seeing Lin Chen's bicycle approaching, he quickly went to greet him: "Little Lin, I kept the bearings you wanted. They're all good, just a bit rusty." Lin Chen squatted down, used his system to assess them, and confirmed they were all usable old bearings. He took out fifty cents and handed them to Old Wang: "Brother Wang, sorry to have troubled you. By the way, how did the wrench I gave you last time sell?"
Old Wang chuckled, "Selling well! Yesterday, a hardware store owner came to buy some wrenches, saying he wanted to order fifty at five yuan each. I didn't dare agree yet, so I waited for you to set the price." Lin Chen's eyes lit up. He had been selling them for one yuan and fifty cents each as a customer price; if a hardware store bought in bulk, he could make a profit at three yuan each. "Brother Wang, tell him it's three yuan and fifty cents each, and three yuan each for bulk orders of fifty or more. I'll have Guangtian deliver twenty samples to you tomorrow."
Su Qing was doing the math: "Fifty wrenches cost about fifty yuan each. Selling them for three yuan each will earn us a hundred yuan. After deducting the wages for Brother Guangtian, we can make a net profit of over seventy yuan." Lin Chen nodded, picked up the bearings and looked at them: "These bearings can be used after derusting. Tonight, we'll make three wire feeders and send them to Sister Qin's group. If they work well, we won't have to worry about orders from the textile factory."
When they returned to the courtyard, the middle courtyard was already bustling with activity. Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu were squatting on the ground, polishing parts. Liu Haizhong brought over a small stool, holding sandpaper to help remove rust, muttering, "Xiao Lin, can this thread feeder you mentioned really get everyone in the textile factory to buy it?" Lin Chen handed the bearing to Liu Guangtian: "Make a sample first. If it works well, each group needs at least two. The textile factory has more than twenty sewing groups, that's more than fifty orders."
Yan Bugui came out of the house carrying a cloth bag and came over to take a look. "Xiao Lin, what are you doing? Making tools to sell again?" His eyes darted back and forth over the parts, his abacus-bead-like eyes darting around. Lin Chen smiled and said, "Making a sample of a yarn feeder for a textile factory. If Teacher Yan is interested, you can help us with the calculations, and then we'll calculate your wages."
Yan Bugui immediately perked up: "I'm good at accounting! What are your costs? How much do you sell them for? What's the profit? I'll calculate it all for you." He pulled a small ledger from his cloth bag, took out a pencil, and prepared to write it down. Su Qing handed him a slip of paper: "The material cost is about 1.2 yuan each, the labor cost is 0.5 yuan, and they sell for 3 yuan each. Teacher Yan, calculate the profit margin."
Yan Bugui quickly calculated: "The cost is 1.7 yuan, the selling price is 3 yuan, the profit is 1.3 yuan, and the profit margin is 76.47%!" He looked up, his eyes full of surprise, "Such a high profit? You're robbing me!" Lin Chen smiled helplessly: "Teacher Yan, this is the sample price. The cost can be reduced to 1.5 yuan for bulk production, and we have to deliver to your door. After deducting miscellaneous expenses, the profit margin is only 50%."
Just then, Sha Zhu came over carrying a lunchbox filled with stewed pork ribs: "Xiao Lin, Su Qing, Sister-in-law Qin, these are pork ribs my mom made, have a taste." He placed the lunchbox on the stone table and looked at the parts on the ground: "What are you doing? Need any help? I'm strong." Lin Chen handed her a polished bracket: "Help us hammer the bearing in, be careful not to hammer it crooked."
Sha Zhu picked up the hammer and started hammering, his strength perfectly controlled, and in a few strokes, the bearing was in place. Qin Huairu, watching his focused expression, felt a pang of guilt, remembering how she used to always try to take advantage of his lunchboxes. "Brother Sha Zhu," she said, "thank you for the ribs. I'll sew you a new shirt sometime." Sha Zhu scratched his head and chuckled, "No need, no need. Just focus on your work. By the way, my sister told me the textile factory is hiring permanent staff next month. If you work hard, you might get a permanent position."
Around 9 PM, the three sample wire feeders were finally finished. Lin Chen sanded the surface smooth and applied a layer of anti-rust paint, making them look brand new. Qin Huairu picked one up and tried it out. She put the spool on the holder, pulled gently, and the wire came out smoothly without any tangling. "It's so useful! Even better than I imagined!" she exclaimed excitedly.
The next morning, Qin Huairu took the thread feeder to the textile factory. Sister Li saw the sample and immediately took it to try it out, sewing the collar of a work uniform much faster than usual. "Great! Sister Qin, this thing is so useful! I'll go tell Director Wang!" She took the thread feeder to find Wang Guilan, and soon returned with Director Wang.
Director Wang tested the thread feeder, then looked at Qin Huairu's work and nodded in satisfaction: "This tool really improves efficiency. Our group will order five first. If it works well, we'll promote it throughout the factory. How much is one?" Qin Huairu remembered the price Lin Chen had mentioned: "Three yuan each. If we order more, it will be cheaper." Director Wang immediately decided: "Order ten first, and give one to each sewing group for trial. If they work well, we'll order fifty more."
Qin Huairu was overjoyed and immediately sent a message to Lin Chen. Upon receiving the message, Lin Chen immediately organized the Liu Guangtian brothers to mass-produce the parts. To meet the deadline, he asked the workshop director of the steel rolling mill for half a day off and took the Liu Guangtian brothers to the scrap yard to pick out parts. Su Qing went to buy anti-rust paint and screws, and Sha Zhu also came to help polish the parts. For the first time, the people in the courtyard worked together to accomplish something.
Yan Bugui volunteered to help with the accounting, recording material consumption and working hours. He also suggested, "Xiao Lin, you could make a simple packaging box and print 'Chenqing Tools' on it. That would look more professional and increase the price." Lin Chen thought it was a good suggestion and had Su Qing find a printing factory to print some simple packaging boxes. They put the cable reel in, and it did look much more upscale.
Three days later, all sixty wire feeders were finished. Lin Chen and Liu Guangtian pushed their bicycles to the textile factory to deliver them. Director Wang was very satisfied after inspecting them and gave them 180 yuan in cash on the spot. Holding the thick wad of cash, Liu Guangtian's hands trembled with excitement: "Brother Lin, we just earned 180 yuan? That's more than my dad's three months' salary!"
Lin Chen smiled and distributed the money to everyone: "Guangtian and Guangfu will each get twenty yuan for their work, Shazhu will get ten yuan for helping to hammer the bearings, Teacher Yan will get five yuan for doing the accounting, and the remaining one hundred and twenty-five yuan will be the capital for the next purchase." Liu Guangtian took the money, his eyes reddening: "Brother Lin, thank you! I'll work hard for you from now on!" Liu Haizhong also said excitedly: "Little Lin, you are truly a great benefactor to our family!"
Yan Bugui held five yuan in his hand, calculating in his mind: "Xiao Lin, if we can do this business every day, we can earn over a thousand yuan a month! Why don't we open a tool shop together? I'll provide the money and the location, you provide the skills, Su Qing will manage the finances, and we'll split the profits." His suggestion surprised everyone. Lin Chen was also somewhat tempted. Opening a tool shop was indeed more stable than making tools on a small, scattered basis.
Su Qing tugged at Lin Chen's sleeve and whispered, "Opening a tool shop requires a business license and a location. Current policies don't allow individual businesses; it's easy to be labeled as speculation." Lin Chen nodded. He knew that individual businesses were still in a gray area and couldn't be rushed. "Teacher Yan, opening a shop now is too risky. Let's wait until the policies loosen up. But we can first register under a scrap yard and sell tools under their name; that's safer."
Yan Bugui thought it made sense and quickly said, "I'm familiar with Old Wang at the scrap yard, I'll go talk to him! We'll give Old Wang a 10% cut, he'll definitely agree." He went to the scrap yard immediately, and when Old Wang heard that he could get a cut, he immediately agreed: "From now on, you can sell your tools here, I'll reserve a shelf for you, and you'll get paid as soon as they're sold."
With sales channels secured, Lin Chen began to expand production. He sifted through scrap steel from the steel mill's waste heap, fused and improved it using the system, and made tools that were more durable than before. The Liu brothers also became increasingly skilled; they could now make twenty wrenches a day instead of ten, and the quality was much better. Su Qing was responsible for bookkeeping and delivery, making a daily trip to the scrap yard and the textile factory.
Qin Huairu's work at the textile factory was going increasingly well. Her sewing skills improved, and she earned over thirty yuan a month on piecework, significantly more than when she was an apprentice at the steel rolling mill. Jia Dang's mending stall was also thriving, earning him one or two yuan a day, enough for his family's groceries. Jia Geng had also become much more sensible, helping out at the stall after school and never stealing again.
That day, Lin Chen was explaining the blueprints for the new tool to Liu Guangtian when Old Zhang, the neighborhood director, suddenly arrived. Looking at the parts and finished tools in the yard, his expression turned serious: "Lin, what are you doing? I heard you're selling tools to make money?" Lin Chen's heart tightened, and he quickly explained, "Old Zhang, we're making supporting tools for textile factories. We're affiliated with the scrap yard, and we have all the proper permits."
Su Qing handed over the consignment agreement from the scrap yard and the order from the textile factory: "Uncle Zhang, look, these are our agreements and orders. It's all legitimate business, not speculation." Uncle Zhang took them and looked at them, his expression softening considerably: "The current policy allows individual businesses, but you need to register and file for record. I'm here today to inform you that the neighborhood committee can issue you an individual business license, making your business more legitimate in the future."
Lin Chen and Su Qing exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes. Grandpa Zhang continued, "This is skilled work, which aligns with the government's encouragement of self-employment. Just bring your ID card and a photo to the neighborhood office to register tomorrow. By the way, your tools are quite good; the neighborhood sewing group also needs a few thread feeders. Give us a discount."
Lin Chen quickly said, "Uncle Zhang, we'll deliver them to the neighborhood committee for free, no charge." Uncle Zhang waved his hand, "That won't do. Public is public, private is private. The price should be what it is. If you deliver them for free, I won't let you get your licenses." Helpless, Lin Chen could only say, "We'll charge the neighborhood committee the cost price, one yuan and fifty cents each." Uncle Zhang nodded in satisfaction, "That's more like it. Doing business requires following the rules and having a conscience."
The next day, Lin Chen and Su Qing went to the neighborhood committee to apply for a sole proprietorship business license. The license stated "Chenqing Hardware Tools Shop," with the business scope being "manufacturing and sales of hardware tools." Back at the courtyard house with the license, everyone gathered around to see. Liu Haizhong excitedly said, "Lin, Su Qing, you're now proper bosses! We can work for you and become workers too!"
Yan Bugui also came over, his eyes full of envy: "Xiao Lin, now that you've got this license, you can do business legally. Do you want to hire an accountant? I can do the bookkeeping for you. The salary doesn't need to be too high, just twenty yuan a month." Lin Chen smiled and said, "Teacher Yan, if you'd like to come, you're welcome. The salary is twenty yuan, plus a 1% commission on the profits."
Yan Bugui immediately agreed: "Okay! I'll start work tomorrow! I promise to give you a clear account." He was doing the math in his mind. Twenty yuan in salary plus commission was more than his teacher's salary, and he didn't have to go to school every day. It was like a windfall.
That afternoon, Lin Chen hung up the signboard for "Chenqing Hardware Tools Shop" in the courtyard. Although it was just a wooden sign, it filled the entire courtyard with a festive atmosphere. Sha Zhu specially bought a string of firecrackers and set them off, attracting many neighbors to watch. Grandpa Wang brought a pot of roses from his home and placed it under the signboard, saying, "Wishing you prosperous business!"
When Qin Huai came home from work and saw the sign, she was filled with emotion. She remembered how just three months ago she was barely scraping by by cheating Sha Zhu out of his lunchboxes. Now, she not only had a stable job, but she also saw her neighbor open a tool shop, and life seemed increasingly promising. She took five yuan from her pocket: "Xiao Lin, Su Qing, I'll invest a little too. I can help out at the tool shop after get off work."
Lin Chen took the money and said with a smile, "Sister Qin, welcome to invest! From now on, you'll be in charge of quality inspection. After all, you're an expert in the sewing group, so you know whether the tools are good or not." Su Qing also said, "In the future, we'll need Sister Qin's help to promote our tool shop's products at the textile factory."
That evening, the people from the courtyard set up several tables for a banquet in the central courtyard to celebrate the opening of the tool shop. Liu Haizhong raised his glass and toasted Lin Chen and Su Qing: "Lin, Su Qing, thank you for leading us to make money. I used to think about relying on my son for retirement, but now I realize that earning money with our own hands is the most reliable thing."
Yan Bugui also raised his glass: "I used to always be calculating about small amounts of money, but now I realize that you can only make big money by working with reliable people. I will definitely do a good job with the accounts in the future and help the tool shop expand its business." Sha Zhu scratched his head and chuckled: "I'm not very educated. If you have any heavy or tiring work in the future, just come to me. I don't want wages, just meals."
Lin Chen stood up, holding his wine glass, and looked around at everyone: "Thank you all for your support! The fact that our tool shop was able to open is the result of everyone's hard work. From now on, let's work together to not only expand the tool shop, but also to ensure that everyone can live a good life." His voice wasn't loud, but it was full of strength.
Moonlight spilled onto the bluestone slabs of the courtyard, illuminating the smiling faces of the people. The tool shop's signboard gleamed softly in the moonlight, as if foreshadowing hope for the future. Qin Huairu looked at the sensible children beside her, her heart filled with peace; Lin Chen looked at the harmonious neighbors before him, knowing that his foundation in this era was becoming increasingly solid; Su Qing looked at Lin Chen, her eyes full of admiration and support.
Night deepened, and the banquet gradually ended. Lin Chen returned to his room and activated the system. A notification popped up on the panel: [The host has successfully established Chenqing Hardware Tools Shop, obtained an individual business license, and promoted neighborhood development, earning 500 points. The host's tool shop has received its first stable order, earning 300 points. Current total points: 11300. System notification: Reaching 12000 points will unlock the new feature "Material Optimization." Please continue your efforts.]