Two years later, Liu Xiaoting didn't expect to see Chen Lishu again.
Her gaze subtly swept over Chen Lishu, and Liu Xiaoting found that her changes were quite significant. It wasn't just her attire; her entire demeanor had transformed, becoming more confident.
Liu Xiaoting still harbored resentment about her and her brother-in-law's rejection of her. Therefore, Liu Xiaoting didn't speak, merely nodding expressionlessly as a form of greeting.
Seeing her distant demeanor, Chen Lishu didn't mind and walked past, pushing the door open to enter.
As Nan Haitao saw her enter, his phoenix eyes lit up: "Weren't you in the provincial capital? How did you return?"
Chen Lishu smiled, "I had some matters at home, so I took leave and came back."
"Were the matters resolved?"
"Yes."
Seeing her nod, Nan Haitao gestured to a chair by the wall, inviting her to sit: "How many days can you stay this time?"
"If nothing else comes up, I'll return tomorrow or the day after."
Liu Xiaoting narrowed her eyes as she watched the door close. She hadn't expected Chen Lishu and Nan Haitao to know each other, and judging by their conversation, they seemed quite familiar. She never imagined that an inconspicuous village woman could know the manager of the department store.
Driven by curiosity, Liu Xiaoting didn't leave. Instead, she quietly moved closer to the door and carefully eavesdropped.
"As summer approaches, tops become thinner, and the demand for underwear increases. I've contacted another friend who can supply more of this kind of fabric for making underwear. Now is the peak sales season, so we can try to capture more of the market. What do you think?"
Chen Lishu nodded, "The fabric supply has always been an issue. Now that the stock is sufficient, we should definitely expand production."
The market for underwear was currently almost a blank slate, with profits doubling. It was like a cake, and whoever seized the first opportunity would get the largest slice. Chen Lishu was naturally very happy to make money.
Liu Xiaoting, who had been eavesdropping outside the door, hadn't expected Chen Lishu to be involved in making underwear. However, upon reflection, it wasn't entirely surprising.
Even when things were so strict before, Chen Lishu dared to approach her to buy scrap fabric. It was even more so now. It was no wonder that even with Director Zhou's intervention, Nan Haitao insisted there was no fabric – he was collaborating with Chen Lishu.
Having understood the circumstances, Liu Xiaoting stopped eavesdropping and turned to leave.
In the office, after discussing their collaboration, Chen Lishu then smiled and stated the purpose of her visit today.
"...Many of the slightly better items are special allocations, and you can't get them without connections. So I came to ask you."
"Then you've come to the right person."
Nan Haitao smiled, got up, took a set of keys from his pocket, and walked to a filing cabinet against the wall. He opened the bottom cabinet door and turned back to Chen Lishu, saying, "They are mostly gifts from friends, and I don't use them myself. Take a look and pick whatever you like."
Chen Lishu walked over and saw many items displayed inside the cabinet, such as Zhonghua cigarettes and Maotai liquor, most of which were scarce goods that couldn't be bought even with money.
Chen Lishu didn't stand on ceremony. She chose a bottle of Xifeng wine and a carton of Hongtashan cigarettes.
Last time she went to the Second Middle School, she noticed an ashtray on Principal Zhao's desk. Chen Lishu guessed he smoked, so she thought of giving him a carton of Hongtashan. As for the wine, she planned to give it to Ding Junfeng to congratulate him on his promotion.
Leaving Nan Haitao's office, Chen Lishu checked the time. It was already noon. Principal Zhao would likely be available during the lunch break. With this thought, Chen Lishu, along with Chen Liyuan, headed directly to the Second Middle School.
Zhao Tingshu had some impression of Chen Lishu. Seeing her place a carton of Hongtashan on his desk as soon as she entered, he smiled: "Which relative is it this time?"
Chen Lishu smiled, "This is my second sister, Chen Liyuan."
Zhao Tingshu's gaze fell on Chen Liyuan, and he asked curiously, "The semester is more than halfway over. Why do you want to transfer now?"
"The high school entrance examination is coming up. My aunt previously got into the First Middle School here, and I'm worried, so I want my sister to come here for systematic review."
Zhao Tingshu nodded with a smile. When he saw Gu Xingping back then, he hadn't held much hope, but he didn't expect that child to actually get in.
"What were your grades like at the commune school?"
Chen Lishu looked at Chen Liyuan, signaling her to answer herself.
"Top three," Chen Liyuan hesitated before adding, "in the entire grade."
Upon hearing her grades, Zhao Tingshu's eyes lit up. Every year, schools competed on their admission rates. Having such an outstanding student was something the school was naturally very willing to accept.
The matter proceeded smoothly. As long as the transfer procedures were completed at the commune middle school, Chen Liyuan could directly attend the Second Middle School.
After leaving the school, the sisters returned to their rented courtyard. Gu Xingping was not home as she was at school.
"Sister Chen?" Lin Qi was organizing goods when he looked up and saw her enter, very surprised: "Why are you back?"
Chen Lishu had returned in a hurry and hadn't notified anyone in advance, so it was no wonder he reacted so strongly.
"I had some matters at home, so I took a few days off from school," Chen Lishu said with a smile. Her gaze fell on the pile of goods at his feet, which included Dacron short-sleeved shirts, 'fake collars,' and many undergarments. He was currently checking the quality of each item one by one.
Chen Lishu had specifically instructed earlier that while quantity was important, quality should be prioritized even more.
"This is my second sister, Chen Liyuan."
Chen Lishu saw his gaze fall on Chen Liyuan and smiled as she introduced them. Then, she said to Chen Liyuan, "This is Lin Qi. He's in charge of the business in the county. You can call him Brother Qi from now on."
Chen Liyuan heard Chen Lishu's words and obediently called out, "Brother Qi."
"Hey," Lin Qi responded with a smile.
"How much Dacron fabric is left?" Chen Lishu rolled up her sleeves, squatted down, and began organizing the goods with him.
"It's all used up. These are the last fifty pieces. I'll send them to Brother Nan tomorrow."
"I went to the department store today, and he told me they would provide as much underwear fabric as possible and increase underwear production. I still have a batch of bubble gauze to bring back from the provincial capital. Your workload will definitely increase in the coming period."
Lin Qi said with some concern, "I'm used to the work. I don't mind, but I'm worried production might not keep up."
Chen Lishu nodded. This was indeed a problem.
Wang Chenglin and his wife, as well as Li Xiulan, all worked during the day. They only had time in the evenings, and it wasn't enough to produce much.
"I'll think of a way to address the manpower issue," Chen Lishu said, looking at Lin Qi. "Your workload will only get heavier from now on. In addition to your existing salary, I'm thinking of giving you an extra ten cents commission for each piece of clothing. What do you think?"
Commission for every piece?
He handled four to five hundred pieces of clothing every month. That would mean his monthly salary would be seventy to eighty yuan! Lin Qi had never dreamed of earning so much money!