AWB Chapter 180 Relying on yourself is worse than relying on men; bring your sisters along to make big m
Chapter 180 Relying on yourself is worse than relying on men; bring your sisters along to make big m
The kitchen was steaming hot.
In a white porcelain bowl, hand-pulled noodles rest on a golden poached egg, sprinkled with a pinch of bright green scallions, and a few drops of sesame oil float on the soup, making it so fragrant that it makes your mouth water.
Xiao Lan didn't stand on ceremony and slurped down half a bowl of noodles in a few mouthfuls, until a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.
"Girl, your cooking is pretty good!" Xiao Lan wiped her mouth with her sleeve, praising him generously. "Brother Qin is so lucky!"
Li Xianglian was a little embarrassed by the praise and just smiled with her head down.
Looking at the woman in front of her, who ate heartily and had bright eyes, she felt an unprecedented sense of closeness.
After finishing their meal, Xiao Lan helped clean up, and the two of them sat back down on the benches in the yard.
"Ah Lian, relying on a man alone won't work. We women need to have our own income too," Xiao Lan said bluntly. "Why did your stepmother dare to come to your door and cause trouble? Isn't it because she sees you don't have a job, that you depend on a man for food and clothing, and that she thinks you're easy to manipulate?"
These words struck a chord with Li Xianglian.
"Sister-in-law, I... I'm from the countryside, I don't know many characters, what can I do?" Li Xianglian said with some self-consciousness.
"Who says you can't do it?"
Xiao Lan's eyes lit up. "I happen to have a way to make a lot of money. It just depends on whether you dare to do it. If you do it well, not only will your stepmother be fired, but even the King of Heaven himself can be slapped in the face with money and kicked out!"
Li Xianglian's eyes lit up instantly.
Seeing that the time was right, Xiao Lan recounted the entire story of the "scrunchie" business. From the sacks of polyester scraps that Xu Yuecheng had brought over, to the trendy styles from Hong Kong and Taiwan celebrities, and the exorbitant profit of five cents per item.
Li Xianglian listened in a daze, and for the first time, a desire to "make money" burst forth in her watery eyes.
"Will this... will this work? Five cents a hair tie, would anyone buy it?"
"Whether anyone will buy it or not, we'll only know after we try!"
Xiao Lan slammed her hand on the table. "But we can't do this job alone; we need to find help. The more people we have, the faster we can ship the goods, and the faster we can make money!"
"Who should I look for?"
"Let's find the women in this courtyard!" Xiao Lan smirked, "especially Aunt Hua."
Li Xianglian hesitated for a moment: "Aunt Hua is a gossip; she can twist anything she hears."
"Being a gossip is good!" Xiao Lan smiled, fiddling with a strand of hair at her temple. "Being a gossip means she's well-informed and has influence among the women in the compound. If we're going to do this, we need to take over her territory first!"
Xiao Lan stood up, grabbed Li Xianglian, and headed outside: "Come on, your sister-in-law will take you to meet her. Remember, dealing with this kind of person, reasoning with her is useless; you have to bribe her!"
As soon as the two left the hospital, they saw Aunt Hua and several other women sewing shoe soles against the wall, talking animatedly about the drama that had unfolded at the Qin family's house that morning.
The story of the wicked stepmother forcing her daughter to sell drew sighs from many onlookers.
"Aunt Hua!" Xiao Lan's clear voice interrupted the story time.
Aunt Hua turned around and saw Xiao Lan and Li Xianglian. Her face immediately lit up with a warm smile: "Oh, it's Xiao Lan and A-Lian! What brings you out? A-Lian, your heartless stepmother hasn't come back, has she?"
"Thank you for your concern, Auntie, but no, not at all," Li Xianglian replied, mimicking Xiao Lan's tone, neither humble nor arrogant.
Xiao Lan went straight to Aunt Hua and didn't beat around the bush: "Auntie, Lian and I came here to discuss something with you. There's a job that pays well; I wonder if you'd be interested?"
"Make money?" Aunt Hua stopped sewing instantly, and her beady eyes lit up.
Several women around them who were sewing shoe soles also pricked up their ears.
"What kind of work is it?" Aunt Hua put the shoe sole aside and leaned forward.
"Auntie, come here for a moment, I want to talk to you about this first." Xiao Lan deliberately kept Aunt Hua in suspense and pulled her aside.
Aunt Hua felt like she was being scratched by a cat, and she followed along eagerly.
Xiao Lan took out something wrapped in a handkerchief from her pocket, opened it, and there it was—a sample she had worked on overnight—a scrunchie made of floral polyester fabric.
"Auntie, look at this."
Aunt Hua took it and examined it from all angles: "Isn't this just a hair tie? It's quite well made, with lots of pleats, it looks very stylish."
"This is called a 'Hong Kong and Taiwan trend hair tie'."
Xiao Lan began her serious deception, "The supply and marketing cooperatives in the city don't sell them yet. I thought, there are many skillful women in our compound, I'll provide the fabric and elastic bands, and you can help make them. I'll give you two cents for each one you make."
"Two cents?" Aunt Hua curled her lip, looking down on it.
"Auntie, don't worry."
Xiao Lan remained calm and composed. "This job is simple, requires no brainpower, and can be done from home while looking after the kids. If you're quick, making thirty or forty a day shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Aunt Hua did the math in her head. Making thirty a day would earn her six cents.
After a month... that's eighteen yuan!
Her husband works himself to the bone in the factory, earning just over thirty yuan a month, and he still has to support the whole family.
She has to be subservient to her husband even if she wants to buy some fabric to make a new dress. If she could earn a dozen yuan a month…
Aunt Hua's breathing became rapid instantly.
"This...this can earn so much?"
"This is just the beginning."
Xiao Lan pressed on, "Auntie, you're well-liked in the neighborhood and your words carry weight. If you take the lead and help me get everyone involved, managing everyone's work and workload, in addition to your own wages, I'll give you an extra five yuan a month as a 'management fee'!"
"Five yuan!" Aunt Hua's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Five yuan! That's five yuan!
That's enough to buy several kilograms of pork!
Her husband only gives her ten yuan a month for living expenses, which isn't even enough to buy oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar!
If she manages to earn this money, it will be her own private savings!
From now on, if I want to buy face cream or buy a piece of polyester fabric, I won't have to see that old man's sullen face anymore!
"Dry!"
Aunt Hua slapped her thigh suddenly, her fat face trembling with excitement. "Sister! I'll take this job! Don't worry, I'll keep those women in the yard in check! Anyone who dares to slack off will be the first to get away with it!"
Money is what gives women courage!
With money, you can stand tall!
Aunt Hua, as if injected with adrenaline, grabbed Xiao Lan's hand, her attitude even warmer than towards her own daughter: "Come on, come on! Let's go back inside now! Tell me properly about how this work is done! Where's the fabric? When do we start?"
Standing to the side, Li Xianglian watched as Aunt Hua, who had just looked down on two cents, now seemed to be giving her heart and soul. She felt nothing but admiration for Xiao.
It turns out, money really can make the devil turn the millstone.
It also made her realize for the first time that crying was useless, and relying on men was not a long-term solution.
Keeping your money firmly in your own hands is the foundation of a secure life!
She watched Xiao Lan's confident back and silently clenched her fists.
She will protect this home!
She wants to earn this money too!