Ever since the countryside began implementing the household responsibility system, each family was allotted a portion of land. However, the Su family had many people but little land, and there was not much work to do. Once the younger siblings had free time, their two sisters-in-law grew dissatisfied. If they could find a way to earn a living here, it might turn out to be a good thing.
Su Dazhuang packed his things to leave, and Su Caiqing still bought many items for him to take back.
Now that she had become familiar with Wang Chaoying, she often had access to things like sugar, salt, and soap through her connections. Wang Chaoying frequently helped bring them over, and Su Caiqing benefited as well, managing to obtain these daily necessities without spending much effort or money.
“I remember your eldest daughter is the same age as my two older children. She should be starting school soon. I’ve prepared a school bag, notebooks, and pens for her. Please take them back with you.” Su Caiqing placed the gift into the basket as she spoke.
Su Dazhuang said, “No need, no need. We haven’t made plans for that yet.”
Su Caiqing’s brows immediately furrowed. “No plans? You’re not planning to send the child to school?”
Su Dazhuang’s heart skipped a beat, and he stammered, “A girl… a girl child, why spend that kind of money?”
Su Caiqing’s expression darkened at once. “Big Brother, let me tell you this. All the children in the Su family, regardless of gender, must go to school! If you can’t afford tuition, I’ll pay for it! If anyone objects, I’ll slap them myself!”
Seeing her anger, Su Dazhuang quickly said, “Don’t get upset, don’t get upset. I’ll go back and talk to our parents! Schooling is good, very good, it teaches people understanding.”
Only now did Su Caiqing realize that among the Su family, those who were educated and literate were very few.
She clearly understood that education was extremely important, whether for an individual, a family, or even the nation as a whole.
Lifting her eyes to glance at the somewhat anxious Su Dazhuang, then sweeping her gaze over the younger siblings who did not dare make a sound, Su Caiqing let out a breath and softened her tone. “In any case, listen to me. When you go back, tell our parents that this is my decision. All children of the appropriate age must go to school. If there is no money for tuition, come tell me. If anyone refuses, you can send the children here to study as boarders.”
Su Dazhuang also relaxed slightly and hurriedly said, “Don’t worry, I understand. I’ll explain it properly when I get back. Fifth Sister, you’ve learned a lot of literacy from your husband, and you’ve become much more capable. Being educated really does bring benefits.”
He had completely misunderstood her situation, but Su Caiqing did not intend to explain.
“Alright, it’s still early, so you should head back now. I’ll take good care of the three of them,” Su Caiqing said.
Su Dazhuang agreed, then went to admonish the younger siblings a few more times, reminding them to obediently listen to their Fifth Sister. Only then did he ride his bicycle and leave.
After seeing him off, the three siblings had not yet had time to feel relieved when they turned around and saw Su Caiqing, and immediately became timid again.
Although they had once longed for their Fifth Sister in the city, now that they were truly here, facing this version of her, they no longer felt any excitement.
The fact that Fifth Sister dared to lose her temper with Big Brother, and that Big Brother even had to appease her, showed that she was not someone to be trifled with.
Su Caiqing said to them, “Come inside first. I have something I want to ask you.”
The three of them obediently followed her into the house.
Seeing how withdrawn they were, Su Caiqing found it odd. “Why are you so afraid of me? I’m not going to eat you.”
None of the three dared to respond.
“Sit down. Standing there makes it look like you’re being reprimanded.” Su Caiqing pointed to the chairs.
Only then did the three of them sit down.
Su Caiqing sat as well and said, “I want to ask, how many years of schooling have you completed? What grade did you reach?”
The siblings grew uncomfortable again. Earlier, their Fifth Sister had firmly stated that all Su family children must attend school, which showed how much she valued education.
Seeing that they were too embarrassed to answer, Su Caiqing pointed directly. “Xiaozhuang, you’re the oldest. You go first.”
Su Xiaozhuang scratched the back of his head awkwardly and said, “I only finished elementary school. The teachers at the school weren’t very good, so I didn’t learn many characters.”
Su Caiqing nodded, then gestured for Su Yaomei to speak.
Su Yaomei also said she had only completed elementary school before stopping.
The youngest, Su Genmei, had only reached fourth grade.
Su Yaomei quickly added in defense, “Back then we only had half-day classes, and half the time was spent on political campaigns. Teachers were often dragged to the school gate for criticism and struggle sessions, so it was impossible to study properly.”
“Going to middle school was far away and cost a lot of money, so we didn’t continue,” Su Genmei added.
Their lack of education was not only due to personal and family reasons, but also social circumstances. The broader society did not prioritize education, which naturally led to neglect.
Su Caiqing did not want to revisit those absurd past events.
“I understand. The fault does not lie mainly with you. However, in my work, some level of literacy is necessary. Writing and basic arithmetic are essential skills that you must learn. From now on, you will follow Yunyang in the evenings to learn reading and math. Later, I’ll look into night school options. Once you meet the requirements, you can attend night classes.”
Night schools offered literacy programs, and some people attended them to prepare for college entrance exams. There were different classes at varying levels. At that time, adult university entrance was quite common, and applicants ranged widely in age.
Su Caiqing did not expect them to enter university, only to acquire basic education to make future work easier.
“Don’t we need to work during the day?” Su Yaomei asked. They had come to the city primarily to earn money.
Su Caiqing said, “Of course you’ll work during the day. I’m not joking when I say I’m short on manpower.”
The three of them had been expecting meaningful work, but what awaited them was mostly physical labor such as lifting and carrying.
Not only them, but Su Caiqing herself also had to do it.
After garments were produced at the factory, they needed to be delivered to the various shops that had agreed to carry them. Wang Chaoying was still working hard to find more stores, so Su Caiqing had to take on the delivery tasks for the time being.
In addition to lifting and transporting, there were also tasks like counting inventory, checking for defective items, and packing goods. Su Caiqing was busy from morning until night.
She personally taught the three of them how to quickly inspect products, count items, and pack them. Once they became proficient, her workload would ease slightly.
The three of them were exhausted, but they did not dare complain, because their Fifth Sister was working even more than they were.
That evening, Wang Chaoying rode over to the factory to check on progress. Su Caiqing wiped the sweat from her face and said, “We shipped over a thousand pieces today, and there are a few hundred left in the warehouse. The pace is acceptable. They’re still learning, but once they’re fully trained, it will be faster.”
Wang Chaoying said, “You’ve all been working too hard. Come, I’ll treat you to a meal!”
Su Caiqing thought she was worried they had no food, and replied, “I’ve already asked Aunt Wu to prepare meals for us. We’ll have food when we get back, so there’s no need for you to spend money.”
Wang Chaoying said, “Come on, why be so polite? I’m treating you because I see how hard you’ve been working. If I weren’t busy with work, I’d be here helping too. And I’ve been around the shops. Our clothes are selling very well. Several shop owners have already settled payment for the first batch and placed orders for the second batch. I’ve recorded everything in this notebook!”
Su Yaomei was surprised. “So many people want them? We’ve only just delivered them!”
Wang Chaoying said, “You’re underestimating our Xingzi shirts. That television drama is extremely popular! Sister Caiqing, now I’m completely confident that all those tens of thousands of pieces will sell!”
Su Caiqing smiled. “Others will soon start following our lead. That’s why I need to quickly connect with Shanghai and open up more sales channels. But I can’t leave right now because someone needs to oversee shipments here.”
If she had someone like Wang Chaoying, or someone like He Hongmei with a high school education, once she trained them to handle tasks like inventory records, she could fully step away and focus on contacting distributors in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and even Beijing.
Wang Chaoying thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll bring Huang Zili and my cousin over to help.”
She now clearly understood the importance of sales channels.
Su Caiqing said, “Alright, do it as soon as possible. The sooner I contact Shanghai, the better.”
“Don’t worry, I understand.”
Perhaps because they were earning more money, Wang Chaoying did not hesitate to treat them. The dishes that were brought out made Su Xiaozhuang and the others stare wide-eyed, and they ate until their stomachs were full and round before stopping.
Taking advantage of the meal, Wang Chaoying quickly became familiar with the three siblings.
Soon after, Wang Chaoying indeed brought Huang Zili and her cousin over to help. Su Caiqing went to a photo studio to stay by the telephone and start making calls.
The phone numbers were found through the directory. In this era, without the internet, it was not easy to obtain information about companies or distributors. Sometimes, dialing the wrong number would result in being scolded harshly, which was not uncommon.
Having experienced many worlds, Su Caiqing had seen it all before. She did not take such minor setbacks to heart and continued diligently making calls.
After several days of calls, and spending quite a bit on phone fees, she finally compiled a list of potential distributors along with their contact information.
That weekend, Wang Chaoying went to the factory to oversee shipments, and Su Caiqing brought the contact list to find her.
Upon entering the factory, she saw several large trucks unloading fabric, while the raw material warehouse was also bustling with activity.
Finding Wang Chaoying, Su Caiqing said, “I may need to make a trip to Shanghai, bring our samples, and try to secure more contracts with them.”
Wang Chaoying’s first reaction was, “What about your children?”
Su Caiqing replied, “They’re quite well-behaved, so I don’t need to worry too much. The youngest will manage on milk powder and rice water for a few days. Besides, my younger siblings are here, and they can help look after things. What I’m more concerned about is time.”
“Why?” Wang Chaoying did not quite understand.
Lowering her voice, Su Caiqing said, “When I entered just now, I saw several trucks delivering the same type of fabric used for our Xingzi shirts. I suspect others have also placed orders for Xingzi shirts, which means the factory will expand production further. Competition will increase.”
Wang Chaoying understood immediately. “So we need to secure sales channels quickly and sell our stock before others compete with us.”
“Exactly!”
Wang Chaoying was a smart woman. Conversations with her were effortless, and Su Caiqing appreciated having her as a partner.