With the Lin family’s chaos temporarily settled, Lin Ning had two priorities: finding a way to make money and securing a place to live.

Instead of seeking a regular job, she decided to take advantage of the economic reforms in 1982, which encouraged entrepreneurship. After much thought, Lin Ning settled on producing and selling scrubbing mitts for bathing.

Her experience at the public bathhouse had shown her that most people were still using regular towels for scrubbing, meaning the market for scrubbing mitts was untapped. She sketched several designs, knowing that the technical requirements weren’t high. The key lay in finding the right fabric—something rough enough to scrub off dirt effectively.

Lin Ning visited the supply and marketing cooperative, where a wide variety of fabrics were neatly organized by type and thickness. Heavy materials like corduroy and camel hair were displayed prominently for the autumn season, while lighter fabrics like cotton, printed cloth, and nylon were relegated to the back.

She asked the sales clerk to show her a few bolts of fabric, but none of them felt right. Scrubbing mitts needed a rough texture that could grip dirt, but all the fabrics she touched were too smooth.

The clerk grew impatient after several rounds of Lin Ning inspecting and rejecting fabrics. “Are you buying or not?”

“These are all too smooth,” Lin Ning explained. “Do you have anything rougher? Something coarse to the touch?”

“You’re talking about coarse fabric—big burlap, maybe. We don’t sell that here,” the clerk replied. Then, as an afterthought, she added, “But we do have fabric scraps. You might find what you need in there.”

Lin Ning’s interest piqued. “I’ll take a look.”

“For two cents a pound,” the clerk said, fetching a large bag of fabric scraps.

The entire bag weighed 25 pounds, costing Lin Ning five yuan. She paid and lugged the bag back to her room at the guest house.

At the inn, Lin Ning spread the fabric scraps across her bed and sifted through them one by one. She discarded cotton, wool, flannel, and synthetic blends as unsuitable. After hours of sorting, she identified two promising candidates: nylon and an unfamiliar coarse fabric.

The nylon fabric was textured but lacked the necessary grip to scrub effectively. The other fabric was rough, thick, and prickly to the touch—closer to what she envisioned.

Lin Ning decided to wash the unfamiliar fabric to see how it behaved. She headed to the shared washroom with her basin, but before she could fill it, an older woman poured hot water from her thermos into the basin.

“Here you go, dear,” the woman said cheerfully. “It’s getting cold, so use warm water.”

Lin Ning didn’t even have a chance to respond before the woman bustled away like a gust of wind. Shaking her head with a smile, Lin Ning washed the fabric and took it back to her room. She entered her mystical “Ruyi Space,” where time passed faster than in the real world, and hung the fabric to dry.

To her delight, the fabric developed a crinkled texture after drying—exactly like the surface of a scrubbing mitt. She rubbed it against her arm and winced at the roughness, but it was perfect for removing dirt.

Further tests confirmed her hypothesis: soaking the fabric in hot water and drying it created the ideal texture for scrubbing.

The next day, Lin Ning returned to the supply and marketing cooperative to ask about the fabric. The clerk told her it wasn’t a regular stock item and suggested checking with a textile factory.

At the factory, Lin Ning discovered that they didn’t sell fabric directly to individuals. Frustrated, she was about to leave when she spotted a familiar face—Li Huan, an acquaintance from her bathhouse days.

“Lin Ning!” Li Huan greeted warmly. “What brings you to our factory? Let’s grab a bite to eat.”

“No need for that,” Lin Ning replied with a smile. “I actually need your help.” She showed Li Huan the fabric scrap. “Does your factory produce this material? I’d like to buy some.”

Li Huan inspected the scrap and recognized it immediately. “This is twisted nylon fabric. We’ve got plenty—it’s rough and abrasive, so it doesn’t sell well. It’s just sitting in the warehouse. Why do you need it?”

“I’m working on something new. Let me show you when it’s ready.”

“Alright, come with me to the warehouse,” Li Huan said, intrigued.

The warehouse was filled with rolls of twisted nylon fabric in white, green, and gray. Lin Ning bought one roll of each color, with Li Huan negotiating a discounted price for her.

Back at the guest house, Lin Ning set to work. She purchased sewing supplies and spent half a day cutting and stitching the fabric into scrubbing mitts.

When the prototypes were ready, she tested one on her arm. It worked perfectly, scrubbing off layers of dirt with ease. The success of her design thrilled her, but she quickly realized that mass production would require help.

Lin Ning returned to Li Huan with her finished product. “Li Huan, I’ve got something to show you.”

“What’s this?” Li Huan asked, examining the mitt.

“A scrubbing mitt. It’s much better than a regular towel for bathing,” Lin Ning explained. She demonstrated by lightly rubbing her arm, revealing a fine layer of dirt.

“This is amazing!” Li Huan exclaimed. “Did you come up with this yourself?”

“Yes. Do you think people would buy it?”

“Absolutely! I want one right now—it’s so much better than a towel.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Lin Ning said. “I want to start selling these, but I can’t do it alone. Would you like to partner with me?”

Li Huan hesitated. “It’s a great idea, but we’ll need more than just the two of us. Our factory has the fabric, but making the mitts will require a clothing factory. Let’s talk to our director and figure out a plan together.”

“Great idea!” Lin Ning agreed.