Liu Yun, who was just about to pack up, was clearly taken aback, then gave a bitter smile.
“Selling sweaters? The Department Store has a storefront, and they spend a lot of money hiring people and buying yarn. They do big business. How can we imitate them…”
“No, Auntie, you misunderstood.” Chen Yuanming gently shook his head. “Not big items like sweaters, but small items like scarves and gloves? These things are quick to knit and not troublesome. If we could sell them…”
“Hai~~” Liu Yun laughed.
“Doudou, you really have fallen into a money pit! These days who would buy gloves? You can just crochet a pair yourself. Even if you can’t knit a sweater, can’t you crochet gloves? Ah…”
She looked at Chen Yuanming’s hands with chilblains, hesitated, then smiled and changed her tone. “Your mom is just too busy. When Auntie has time, I’ll crochet you a pair…”
This time Chen Yuanming didn’t agree, but shook his head more firmly. “I’m not talking about ordinary wool gloves.”
“Those mittens can be worn outside, but at home or in the classroom you still have to take them off. Like in our class, a room of 50 or 60 people, only one coal stove at the back of the classroom.”
“In winter it’s not warm at all, and your hands freeze when you write. If we could make a kind of wool glove that separates the five fingers, with half the fingertips left open, so you can wear gloves and still hold a pen to write?”
“Nobody has done this before, and ordinary people might not be able to knit it. There’s definitely a market!”
This time Liu Yun stopped what she was doing, her slender eyebrows slightly furrowed, as if considering the possibility. After a long while, she finally asked hesitantly, “What about the yarn? All I have here is for knitting spring shirts, and the colors…”
“Yarn is not a problem.” Chen Yuanming said decisively.
“Crocheting a pair of gloves doesn’t use much yarn. I see that the leftover short strands in bright colors at home can be used for color matching, just add a main color.”
“And the gloves don’t need to be too thick; being flexible, convenient, and not prickly is key. After all, everyone uses them to keep warm while writing. Auntie, the sweaters you take in might leave some yarn, just use that directly.”
Knitting helpers do tacitly accept some loss. In past years, Liu Yun used this yarn to add small items or mixed-yarn big items for her family.
If she saved all this yarn… even if she didn’t save it, buying some cost-effective yarn balls wouldn’t be bad. But this investment, what if she lost money?
“Can… can they be sold?” In the end, she gritted her teeth and asked. These days everyone is poor, having just changed from scratching food from the soil to scratching from factories, only daring to work hard on their own small plot.
It was precisely because of this timidity that the flexible-minded, daring entrepreneurs of the 80s and 90s became the first generation to get rich.
“Yes!” Chen Yuanming understood her concerns all too well and flashed a brilliant smile.
“Auntie, your craftsmanship is so good, your work can sell in big malls. A little glove is just a small test! It’s only the end of January, and winter is far from over.”
“This year’s Spring Festival is on February 15th. If we can make them around the Spring Festival, then set up a stall in front of the Department Store or the city government family quarters, display some bright colors, and those pretty girls who love beauty will definitely be tempted!”
“It hasn’t snowed yet this year, it’s dry and cold, absolutely a business opportunity!”
Stirred up by Chen Yuanming, Liu Yun was completely tempted. She was originally a lively-minded person, otherwise she wouldn’t take private jobs.
Now there was a simpler, and crucially, really feasible idea… She took a long breath and nodded. “Then… then I’ll give it a try? Nobody has done this before, and I really don’t know if it can be made. If it works, I’ll first knit a pair for you two brothers…”
“That would be great.” Chen Yuanming replied with a smile. “But Auntie, after you make them, don’t reveal them to others, in case someone copies it…”
“Ai! Ai~~ I understand!” Liu Yun also laughed. Sweater patterns are the same; with a fashion magazine, many styles can be copied. In her family, only she and her daughter know how to knit. If the idea was stolen, they would never catch up with others.
The two were laughing happily, while Sun Lang, with his mouth open, foolishly asked, “What are you talking about? First of all, I don’t want wool gloves! They’re such a hassle to wear…”
“Oh, you silly boy!” Liu Yun swatted him, a smack on her son’s head. “Look at Doudou, so smart and capable. Whatever you learned went into a dog’s stomach!”
“Hey! Mom!” Sun Lang felt terribly wronged. Who did he provoke? “I’m also in the key class of No. 2 Middle School! This time I’ll definitely get into the top 50…”
“Top 50 my ass! No. 2 Middle School isn’t even a key middle school! Go wash the dishes!!”
“What?!” Sun Lang jumped up from his stool. “On such a cold day, you want me to wash?!”
“You dead child, I cooked the meal, so what’s wrong with asking you to wash a bowl?!”
Watching the mother and son bicker, Chen Yuanming smiled and stood up. “Auntie, let me do it. I often wash at home too…”
“Oh, how can that be? And your hands are still frostbitten, don’t keep touching cold water… Er Mao!” With eyebrows raised, Liu Yun glared at her son, even using his childhood name.
Sun Lang glanced at Chen Yuanming’s dark red, thin little claws, and finally gave in. “Fine… I’ll do it, I’ll do it. It’s just washing dishes~~~ Doudou, you sit. After I finish washing, I’ll show you the new picture cards I bought!”
Muttering, he picked up three bowls and walked toward the sink.
“This child!” Liu Yun smiled awkwardly, looked at Chen Yuanming who was so composed he didn’t seem like a child, and suddenly felt a pang of heartache.
Such a smart and well-behaved child, why wasn’t he her own? It’s a pity the Chen family has been living so poorly lately, unfairly wronging the child…
Thinking this, Liu Yun pressed Chen Yuanming back into his seat. “Doudou, you sit. Auntie will make you a cup of red date tea. Your uncle just got some red dates a few days ago, they’re so sweet.”
Pressed firmly back into his seat, Chen Yuanming sat at the table watching the busy family, and a warm current flowed through his heart. He was actually envious.
The more he accepted the memories in his mind, the more he envied this warmth. But his own family, was there still a chance? The spark in his eyes slowly dimmed. Some things he might not be able to change, but others, he must try…
That day he stayed at Sun Lang’s house for almost the whole afternoon.
After viewing this guy’s complete collection of Three Kingdoms warrior picture cards and self-made bamboo Zhao Zilong figurine, Chen Yuanming declined the other’s bicycle escort and slowly walked home.
In the dead of winter, it gets dark around 5 o’clock. When he walked in the door, the water in the pot was just starting to boil.
His mother was standing in front of the coal fire holding a small bowl of batter, preparing to make dough drop soup. Seeing her son return, her hands moved a bit faster and she asked with a smile, “Where did you go play today?”
“I went out for a walk and ran into Sun Lang, so I went to his house to play for a while.”
“Sun Lang?” Wang Juan was taken aback, then laughed. “Mao Mao, right? Did you see your Auntie Liu? After his family moved to Yijing Residential Community, we haven’t seen them much.”
“Yeah, Auntie Liu was home too. I ate lunch at their house, handmade noodles.”
“Oh, you child, how can you be so impolite…” Wang Juan frowned. “Never mind, next time you see them, bring them something…” She suddenly couldn’t continue, her teeth slightly clenched, her jaw twitching a little. “Alright, come home first, the food will be ready soon.”
Chen Yuanming certainly knew what his mother had swallowed back. With outsiders it was fine, but with close acquaintances like this, she was really embarrassed to show her poverty.
But the family truly had no means to put on a show. In the past two years, social interactions had decreased a lot.
Although everyone lived hard lives these days and no one openly despised the poor and fawned on the rich, poverty still made her unable to hold her head up, and her self-esteem became even more sensitive.
Without saying anything, Chen Yuanming walked into the house. He saw his father sitting at the small unfolded table, slightly hunched, exuding an air of exhaustion.
The end of the year was approaching, and the factory was rushing tasks. All branch factories were arranging overtime.
For that little bit of overtime pay, his father Chen Jianhua had not rested for a whole month, not even on Sundays, just to earn a little more money before the New Year to get through the year-end…
Chen Yuanming paused. The man opposite had come to his senses. His first reaction upon seeing his son was to frown, then he scolded him head-on.
“Out causing trouble again, damn it!! You’re already in the third year of middle school, what else can you do besides fight and run around playing?! Can’t you stay home and do some homework? Have you finished your winter vacation homework?!”
“Winter vacation homework hasn’t been assigned yet…” Chen Yuanming responded in a low voice, his eyes a bit sore. In that previous life, his relationship with his father had always been terrible.
Apart from studies, it was work. He never heard a single word of praise from his father, only scolding and reprimands, the anger of hating iron for not becoming steel.
For the matter of resigning and going north, he was almost disowned by his family. It only improved slightly when he started making money.
After his financial company was established, the once-relaxed conflict shifted to marriage and starting a family, and on this point, he could never satisfy his parents’ wishes…
He didn’t know how his parents would react in that world where he died. The company collapsed, but the accounts were basically clear, and he left enough inheritance.
They… Chen Yuanming swallowed dryly, feeling a burning in his heart, and the words blurted out. “I… I did very well on the exam this time. I will study hard…”
To let you escape this kind of life…
Stunned by this sudden remark, Chen Jianhua was speechless for a moment. He stammered a few words, finally waved his hand and buried his head again.
Wang Juan quickly brought over the cooked soup. Unlike other families’ sweet noodle soup, their soup was always salty, with two cabbage leaves thrown in and a little salt, just a bit better than plain water, but it could legitimately replace a stir-fried dish and was perfect with steamed buns.
“Eat it while it’s hot!” As if to ease the relationship between father and son, Wang Juan noisily served the food and sat down at the table.
“You stop nagging Doudou all day. As long as he can get into college, we can be like those high-achievers at the main factory and earn a 120-yuan post salary, right, Doudou!”
The 15-watt light bulb in the room flickered with a dim yellow glow. In this light, Chen Yuanming nodded and ate heartily.