"I'll go back to the village tomorrow to pack some things and return the day after."
The village had already distributed grain, and grain procurement should be put on the agenda.
The next morning, Chen Lishu walked back to the village. The road was cold and slippery, so she didn't ride her bicycle.
When she got home, Li Xiulan, Zhang Qin, and Liu Yuemin were sitting on the kàng sewing quilts. The quilt cover was made of red satin, a festive color that undoubtedly indicated it was for Gu Xingye's wedding.
"Mom, have you decided on the date for my fourth brother's wedding?" Chen Lishu took off her hat and scarf, rubbed her hands, and came over to help.
"The twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month. We specifically had someone look at it and they said it's a good day," Li Xiulan said happily.
As the saying goes, whether you have money or not, getting married is better than the New Year. Moreover, with the family's improved conditions and the children being less of a worry, she had nothing to fret about.
Seeing her happy, Chen Lishu thought for a moment and told her about her plan to join the army: "Mom, after my college entrance examination results are out, I'll go to the provincial capital after my fourth brother's wedding. It just so happens that Xingdong will be there for the New Year."
Li Xiulan's hands paused as she sewed the quilt. "So soon?"
Chen Lishu smiled. "It's not that rushed. After my fourth brother's wedding, there will still be almost a month."
Hearing her leave so suddenly, Zhang Qin and Liu Yuemin, the two sisters-in-law, felt a bit down. Especially Zhang Qin, they had never argued, so she felt even more reluctant to part.
"When will you be able to come back after leaving?"
"Yes, you're leaving, and I'm really going to miss you," Liu Yuemin said with emotion. Although Chen Lishu had a bad temper and had hit her before, she was generally quite good most of the time.
"It's not far. I can come back whenever I want. Besides, if you get bored at home, you can come to the provincial capital to visit us. We have two rooms in the housing complex at the unit, enough for everyone to stay."
Even though she said this, everyone still felt a bit uneasy.
During dinner that evening, Gu Shoufou and the others also learned about Chen Lishu joining the army. Because it was so sudden, they were all a bit caught off guard, especially Gu Xingye, who had received the most help and influence from Chen Lishu.
"Joining the army is a good thing. It's not good for a couple to be separated all the time," Gu Shoufou was more open-minded. Xingdong was getting older, and it was time for him to have children.
"Dad, Mom, all the families have already distributed their grain. Shouldn't we start preparing for grain procurement?"
"Third sister-in-law, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have gone to town in the past few days to ask about your situation," Gu Xingye said with a smile.
Having tasted the benefits of selling goods at the train station all summer, he hadn't gone out to avoid attracting attention during the busy farming season. He had endured for so long, and now that the busy season was over, it was time to make money.
With last year's experience in grain procurement, everyone had more confidence in this year's procurement. Moreover, each family had spare money, and they invested more capital than last year.
With increased costs and more grain to procure, the Gu family acted quickly. The four men split into two groups to go to different locations to procure grain.
Chen Lishu packed a few sets of clothes and returned to town the next day.
Now that she had some free time, and the middle school students wouldn't have their holiday for another half a month, she could sell her undergarments during this period.
The two bolts of fabric from last time were made into one hundred and seventy-five tank tops. Selling them one by one in the cold weather was impossible, so Chen Lishu decided to wait outside the school.
No sooner said than done, seeing that it was almost time for the school's lunch break, Chen Lishu put the undergarments into her satchel, wrapped her hat and scarf, and went out the gate.
She couldn't go to the First Middle School because there were too many acquaintances there. Chen Lishu decided to go to the entrance of the Sixth Middle School first to assess the situation.
When she arrived at the entrance of the Sixth Middle School, she coincidentally heard the lunch break bell ring. After standing at the gate for a while, students living nearby soon came out of the school to go home for lunch.
Chen Lishu spotted a female student and approached her, lowering her voice. "Classmate, do you need an undergarment? It's from a Shanghai women's supply store, at an internal price of three yuan."
At first, the girl frowned with a hint of impatience when she saw Chen Lishu following her. However, when she heard the word "Shanghai," her eyes clearly lit up.
At this time, people had a blind yearning and admiration for Beijing and Shanghai. Anything labeled Beijing or Shanghai was almost guaranteed to sell.
"Is it really from Shanghai?" the girl stopped and asked suspiciously.
"Yes, it even has a size label on it. See for yourself if you don't believe me." Chen Lishu pulled her a bit further away, and after making sure no one was around, she took out an undergarment from her satchel and showed her the inside.
Back then, considering that most girls didn't know their sizes, Chen Lishu had specifically made size labels according to the conversion charts of later generations to make it easier for buyers to choose.
The girl didn't understand this at all. Seeing the English letters on it, she was a bit tempted, but she hesitated due to the price.
Chen Lishu, seeing her thoughts, thought for a moment and said, "Classmate, how about this? I see you're sincere about buying. You can ask your classmates if they want to buy any. If you bring one person to buy, I'll give you a ten-cent discount. If you bring two, it'll be twenty cents."
"What if I bring thirty people?" the girl asked tentatively.
Chen Lishu smiled. "Then I'll naturally give you one for free."
Upon hearing that she could get one for free, the girl's eyes lit up. "Sister, wait for me here for a moment. I'll be back very soon."
The girl said hurriedly, skipped her meal, and turned to run back into the campus.
There were more than a dozen students in her class, and her good friends were in other classes too. Thirty people wouldn't be hard to find, she just wasn't sure if they would buy it.
"A big brand from Shanghai, I even saw English letters on it, so it's definitely good. I specifically felt it; it's very soft and elastic."
"Three yuan isn't expensive. Didn't you say you felt uncomfortable and tight in the chest the other day? You get what you pay for."
"..."
After the girl's enthusiastic promotion and persuasion, female students started coming to her one after another not long after.
Chen Lishu took out the size conversion chart she had prepared and let them choose their suitable sizes. Soon, more than twenty pieces were sold.
Seeing that there were only three spots left, the girl had a hint of regret in her eyes. However, she was already very content to get a discount of two yuan and seventy cents.
Chen Lishu, seeing her busy forehead sweating in such a short time, smiled and pushed back the thirty cents the girl handed her. "Classmate, it's cold, you should hurry home to eat. I'll be here again tomorrow lunchtime. If you find it fits well, please help me promote it further."
Seeing that she didn't take the thirty cents, the girl was very grateful. "Sister, don't worry. My good friend went home for lunch today, and she knows many people too."
Since almost all the undergarments she brought were sold, Chen Lishu made an appointment with the girl and went home first.
After returning home, she drank some hot water to warm herself up, then started preparing dinner. Once everything was done, she put it in the pot to keep warm, and then carried her satchel to the entrance of the Second Middle School.