Chapter 21: Yu Zihan’s Persistence

“Please feel free to speak if you have any questions, Zihan.” Old Zhou looked at Yu Zihan, who had a serious expression on her face, with warmth.

“Uncle Zhou, I’m not sure how large that order is, if the deadline is very tight, and how many specific pieces my mother is required to embroider?”

Yu Zihan felt it was necessary to ask these questions, as this was manual work that required time and effort, and she was concerned whether her mother’s health could handle it.

These were all considerations for her because after her rebirth, she believed that making money was not her mother’s responsibility; it was her own duty to support her mother. She couldn’t let a single order tire her mother out or negatively impact her health.

Upon hearing Yu Zihan’s questions, Old Zhou looked at her with deep meaning. These questions seemed simple, but coming from a middle school student, they were not trivial matters.

He compared her to his own foolish daughter and felt the gap between people was so vast.

He couldn’t help but admire Yu Zihan even more.

So he said, “I can’t disclose the specifics, but I assure you that the concerns you have will not happen. The amount of hand-embroidery required for each garment is not significant; the workload won’t be heavy. It’s really just a finishing touch.” Old Zhou patiently explained to Yu Zihan.

“Then what method does Uncle Zhou plan for my mother to do this work?” Yu Zihan then posed another question.

Old Zhou was taken aback by her words; he had only thought about getting someone to help without considering these details, yet Zihan had already thought ahead.

He decided to listen to this little girl’s thoughts.

“I wonder if Zihan has any suggestions? Please share them with Uncle Zhou.” His tone and attitude were no longer as relaxed as before.

“I only accept a collaboration where my mother works with your factory. We will sign a contract for each collaboration.” Yu Zihan calmly expressed her thoughts, which she had carefully considered.

Since Uncle Zhou valued her mother’s skills and truly needed help, she agreed to let her mother assist them in resolving this crisis.

However, considering they wouldn’t stay in this place for long, her mother was not suitable to be a formal worker.

The main reason was that she didn’t want her mother to work as a female worker in a state-owned factory. That would impose many restrictions on her.

Although people now consider working as a formal worker in a textile factory to be respectable, she knew about the future development of society and that in ten years, textile workers would face large-scale layoffs.

Moreover, the workload for female textile workers was very intense, and she didn’t want her mother to suffer that hardship. So she wanted to clarify in advance not to tie her mother down in a cotton textile factory.

“Oh, what kind of collaboration does Zihan mean?” Old Zhou was genuinely curious about the concept of collaboration that Yu Zihan brought up. Although the broader environment was starting to support various economic forms, in their remote small town, there were still fixed ideas, and they had not yet been exposed to those advanced concepts. Therefore, upon hearing this fresh term “collaboration,” Old Zhou was quite interested.

“It’s actually very simple. My mother will complete the hand embroidery according to your requirements, and you will pay her a corresponding fee based on a certain ratio. It will be calculated per piece. Isn’t that straightforward?”

Yu Zihan didn’t expect her suggestion would leave Old Zhou astounded.

“How can this be?” Old Zhou’s first reaction was that this was impossible. If he did this, it would mean that their prestigious state-owned factory would be collaborating with an individual. How could that work?

Yu Zihan knew that Uncle Zhou would find it hard to accept such a proposal at first, but she had her own principles. She looked at her mother, who nodded slightly in support of her suggestion.

In her heart, she was cheering for her mother, who was truly an understanding and perceptive mom.

Old Zhou was deep in thought; he felt he couldn’t make this decision alone.

Although he was the factory director, the factory belonged to the state, and there were some matters he couldn’t decide on by himself. He would have to go back and discuss it with the leaders of various departments.

So he said to Meijuan, “I will discuss Zihan’s proposal with the other leaders. Since the New Year is coming, it’s likely that this matter will be settled after the holiday. We won’t disturb you any longer today.”

“Okay, okay. Thank you for considering helping us,” Yu Meijuan said. After returning to city life, the aura around her gradually became apparent; she was quite eloquent.

“You shouldn’t be thanking us; instead, we should thank you.” Liu Huifang said, holding Yu Meijuan’s hand.

She really liked this friend, Yu Meijuan. Even though they didn’t finalize the collaboration with Old Zhou’s factory, it wouldn’t affect their future interactions.

After seeing off the Zhou family, Yu Zihan turned to her mother.

“Mom, you don’t think I’m being presumptuous, do you?” Yu Zihan said playfully, tugging at her mother’s arm.

“How could I think that, dear? I don’t want to be a worker either; I just feel that during this time while you’re in school, it’s good to earn some money.

After all, we will be living here for about three more years, and I want to do my best to make our lives a bit better.” Yu Meijuan expressed her thoughts.

“I believe Uncle Zhou and the others will agree to my proposal since you are the key person in solving their problem.

While we shouldn’t be arrogant because of our talents, we also shouldn’t give up our principles for the sake of friendship. Mom, don’t worry; from now on, I won’t let you suffer. I have the ability to take care of you.” Yu Zihan said firmly to her mother.

“My Zihan has really grown up. Then I’ll rely on my daughter to support me in the future.”

Hearing her daughter’s ambitious words was moving for Yu Meijuan, but she knew well that she didn’t want her daughter to have to support her. If her daughter had such lofty ambitions, then she also needed to work hard.

Life passed in this busy and fulfilling manner, and before they knew it, it was New Year’s Eve.

Although there were only the two of them at home, they still wanted to have a sense of ceremony. They decorated both the yard and the house festively. Their couplets were all handwritten.

The couplets at the main entrance were thought up by Yu Zihan: the upper line read “Family Happiness in the New Year,” the lower line read “Peace and Good Fortune Come,” and the horizontal inscription was “Fortune Star Shines Bright.” These couplets had no political implications, only wishing for safety and good luck.

The couplets on the small door were more casual, just whatever came to mind. They were all words of blessing and good fortune.

The New Year’s Eve dinner they prepared focused on being delicious. There was braised fish, symbolizing abundance every year, and chicken and duck, representing auspiciousness. Most importantly, there was the braised pork that Yu Zihan loved to eat.

In her past life, Yu Zihan had tasted all kinds of delicacies, but in her current body, she was severely lacking in richness, so she still longed for that soft and tender bite of braised pork.