The two men quickly followed Tang Tang out the door.
After turning right into an alley, Tang Tang looked back at them with sparkling eyes.
The tall man, Lin Guanghui, felt slightly guilty and hurried to speak first.
“Little girl, where did you get the clothes in your basket?”
“…”
Who was he calling little girl?
Her eyes shifted slightly.
“My family mailed them to me.”
Tang Tang was too short compared to him, so Lin Guanghui simply bent down a little.
“Could you help us ask where they were bought?”
“You want them?”
The other man beside him finally reacted.
“Yes, yes, we want them!”
Perhaps because Tang Tang looked young, he even tried to play the pity card.
“You don’t understand. The workers at our factory are practically running out of clothes to wear.”
Even Lin Guanghui turned to look at him after hearing that.
How could he say something like that to a young girl?
Tang Tang’s eyes curved into a smile.
“How many do you want?”
She suddenly carried the aura of someone negotiating business.
Seeing hope, the man hurriedly answered:
“I want one thousand—ah no, two thousand pieces.”
Their factory had over eight hundred workers. When people first joined, the factory promised one work uniform per person every year.
But now?
One set of clothes had somehow been worn continuously for five whole years.
Three hundred sixty-five days a year of constant wear.
Life was hard.
“What’s the market price?”
How was he supposed to answer that?
There was no supply available anywhere right now. Even if someone demanded outrageous prices, he would have to accept them.
“What kind of price can you offer for labor cloth?”
“What?”
The man’s eyes widened, and his voice unconsciously softened.
“Labor cloth? Not khaki or some other twill fabric?”
Even Lin Guanghui looked shocked.
Everyone knew labor cloth was made from thick cotton yarn woven into sturdy twill fabric.
It was dense, durable, and extremely resistant to wear, making it perfect for work uniforms.
In modern terms, it was somewhat similar to rough denim.
The uniforms they currently wore had been made from labor cloth, which was the only reason they lasted five years.
But labor cloth had disappeared from the market years ago.
The uniforms they still had were old leftover stock from the factory warehouse.
Even major factories in the provincial capital couldn’t obtain any now.
Yet this young girl casually claimed she had it.
Seeing their disbelief, Tang Tang reached into the bottom of her basket, pulled out a work jacket, and tossed it over.
“Here. Take a look.”
The slightly shorter man, Jiang Tao, caught it with trembling hands.
He touched the fabric again and again, his eyes turning red.
After a long while, he finally said:
“No matter how much you have, I’ll take it all.”
Other fabrics couldn’t withstand harsh industrial work for even a year.
The difference in durability wasn’t small at all.
No wonder he was emotional.
Ever since being discharged from the army and assigned to the factory, he had been responsible for logistics.
For over ten years, he had cared for the factory as if it were his own child.
He also understood better than anyone how important it was to secure the best conditions possible for the workers.
“You’ll take everything?”
You probably can’t afford all of it, Tang Tang silently thought.
She had so much stock that even she didn’t want to count it.
Surprisingly, Lin Guanghui somehow understood the hidden meaning behind her expression.
He cleared his throat.
“Taozi, what’s your budget?”
After receiving a glare from his superior, Jiang Tao finally regained some rationality.
“Our factory has over eight hundred workers…”
“And other factories need them too?”
Jiang Tao slapped his thigh.
Exactly!
They were all brother factories. If he tried to monopolize the supply, the others would never let him off.
“We’re from the steel factory with over eight hundred workers. The textile factory has five hundred. The sock factory has six hundred. The tractor factory has three hundred. The furniture factory on the northern outskirts has over six hundred. The lumber factory has more than eight hundred. The pencil factory has over three hundred. The coal factory needs at least eight hundred too. They’re in the worst condition—they need at least two sets per person…”
Tang Tang was stunned.
“Isn’t this just a small town? When I arrived, I only saw one street.”
“Yeah, it’s just a town. But most of the factories in Northeastern China were built around towns like ours, not inside the town itself. They’re all in the surrounding suburbs, so you didn’t see them. Most workers aren’t locals either—they live and eat at the factories.”
That explained everything.
Now this became worth considering.
“You know all these factories?”
“Of course.”
They had been neighboring factories for years. Everyone knew one another well.
“Are they recruiting workers?”
The topic suddenly shifted completely.
“Huh? You want to work there?”
Tang Tang shook her head.
“Then how about this? I’ll give you ten thousand uniforms at market price. You can distribute them however you want. Don’t get excited yet—I’m not finished. In exchange, I want two official worker positions from each factory. Ask them if they agree.”
“Yes, yes, yes! I can decide that myself!”
They had all known each other for years. Everyone trusted everyone.
This deal would solve an enormous problem for all of them.
What were two worker positions compared to that?
Besides, the factories recruited new workers every year anyway. Hiring two specific people wasn’t a big issue.
“Alright then. Three days from now. Find a place… hm, that road over there.”
She pointed toward the road she came from.
“There’s a small forest beside it. Have someone unload the clothes there, and you can arrange your own vehicles to transport them.”
“Good, good, good!”
The rugged man rubbed his hands excitedly.
“Sister, then this…”
He gently rubbed the work jacket in his hands.
What little ambition.
Tang Tang pulled out two more jackets from the basket and stuffed them into his arms.
“They’re all yours.”
“Sister… Sister…”
His eyes reddened again.
They were complete strangers, yet she trusted him this much.
“Alright, stop it. I’m leaving now. You should head back too.”
Then Tang Tang suddenly remembered something.
The next ten-plus years would still be an era dominated by ration tickets.
“Oh right. About various coupons and tickets…”
“I know, I know! I’ll get them for you. I definitely won’t let you suffer losses.”
Well then.
He was already answering before she even finished speaking.
Since everything was settled, Tang Tang waved her hand and left.