In the procurement department, Zhang Jianyi was very annoyed.

He was the one who purchased that batch of army green fabric, and there hadn’t been any problems when it was received at the factory.

But then, just after two days in the warehouse, problems arose.

Even if it wasn’t entirely his fault, the implications from the leadership suggested that he wasn’t attentive enough. And now that there were issues with the fabric, he still had to continue procurement.

However, with such a large quantity of fabric, it was impossible to procure it all at once.

                                                                     
“Yes, the quantity is huge. Giving some to the supply and marketing cooperative is just a part of it. There are several supply and marketing cooperatives in the entire county, and each one has some. So, altogether, there must be tens of thousands of meters of fabric,” Zhang Jianyi muttered to himself as he felt his hair falling out in clumps recently, worrying about going bald at the age of 30.

“Mr. Zhang… Mr. Zhang, are you there?” a voice rang out at the entrance of the procurement department office.

Zhang Jianyi frowned tightly, looking quite unfriendly at first, but when he saw who it was, his attitude softened. “Ah, it’s you, Mr. Wang. What’s the matter?”

Others might not know, but he knew very well that Mr. Wang had connections upstairs, so he couldn’t afford to be negligent.

Mr. Wang said, “Mr. Zhang, there’s a young lady at the entrance, saying she was recommended by Director Yang from the supply and marketing cooperative regarding the issue with that batch of fabric.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jianyi recalled that among the supply and marketing cooperative directors he knew, only the one surnamed Yang from the cooperative at the entrance of the county was familiar. And if she was here about that batch of fabric, could it be that she had a supply source?

Zhang Jianyi got up and headed outside. “Thank you, Mr. Wang.” Whether there was a supply source or not, as long as it was related to that batch of fabric, he had to check it out.

Following Mr. Wang’s lead, Zhang Jianyi arrived at the entrance and saw Ning Shu. “Hello, I’m Zhang Jianyi. And you are?” He introduced himself while also assessing the newcomer.

She looked very young, probably around 18 years old, fair-skinned, and delicate-looking.

She seemed like a pampered girl from a wealthy family. If she did have a supply source, Zhang Jianyi would rather believe it came from her family.

So, despite his somewhat arrogant personality, his attitude was now very accommodating.

Anyone who could help him solve the issue with that batch of fabric would be treated like a benefactor.

Ning Shu also introduced herself. “Hello, Mr. Zhang. My name is Ning Shu. Director Yang told me that the supply and marketing cooperative has accumulated a batch of army green fabric with some black dye on it. After inspecting the fabric, I believe I have a method to utilize it effectively. That’s why I’ve come to find you.”

What? Utilize it effectively? So, she doesn’t have a supply source? Zhang Jianyi felt like swearing, but at his age, he still judged people.

Seeing that the young woman in front of him knew Director Yang and was clearly not someone to be trifled with, he restrained himself and asked patiently, “What method do you have for effective utilization?

Ning Shu suggested, “Why don’t we find a place to talk? It’s not suitable to discuss here with all the people coming and going, right?”

“Indeed,” Zhang Jianyi agreed. “Let me take you to see that batch of fabric. Director Yang’s supply and marketing cooperative only has a part of it, and there are also others in different supply and marketing cooperatives. At the same time, we have some in our factory. Originally, the clothes made from this batch of fabric were supposed to be sent to various parts of the country…” Taking Ning Shu to the office wasn’t appropriate, but the warehouse where the fabric was stored would do.

It would also allow Ning Shu to see the quantity of fabric and prevent her from making empty promises.

“That sounds good,” Ning Shu replied. She believed that the more fabric there was, the more profit she could potentially earn.

In no time, the two arrived at the warehouse, and Zhang Jianyi greeted the warehouse manager, and the door to the warehouse opened.

“You see, it’s this batch of fabric. It was originally army green, but somehow, black dye got mixed in. However, this fabric isn’t mixed with other colors, and even the dyed fabric hasn’t had this problem. We’ve communicated with the textile factory, and they said there were no issues during production, and we didn’t find any problems during inspection either. So, this dyeing problem isn’t their responsibility,” Zhang Jianyi explained

Although he was angry, he knew that according to the process, the textile factory wasn’t at fault.

But why did the fabric, which was perfectly fine when it arrived at the warehouse, develop issues?

Ning Shu knew the problem when she bought the fabric, which is why she had the idea to turn the fabric problem into profit. “It’s a dyeing issue.”

“What do you mean?” Zhang Jianyi, being a garment factory official, understood garment-making matters but not dyeing.

Ning Shu explained, “Do you know how army green is made?”

Zhang Jianyi shook his head.

Ning Shu continued, “Army green is generally made by mixing yellow pigment, blue pigment, and a suitable amount of brown or black pigment.”

“So, the appearance of black in the army green fabric is due to an issue with the dyeing pigment?” Zhang Jianyi found Ning Shu’s explanation reasonable.

“Yeah, but even if you know, there’s no solution. Because there were no issues during production, you can’t explain it, nor can you prove that there was a problem with the fixation of the dye during the dyeing process,” Ning Shu looked at him. “Mr. Zhang, if I can solve this batch of fabric and turn it into profit, what benefits will I receive?”

She didn’t like beating around the bush; she preferred to be direct.

Zhang Jianyi was taken aback for a moment, but he thought it was reasonable.

After all, why would someone solve the problem for you without any benefit? “If you have such abilities, I’ll report it to the higher-ups. The factory might even give you a formal position.”

Ning Shu pondered. How much could she sell this position for? How much profit could she make from dividends? “Mr. Zhang, if this batch of fabric is sold at the price set by the supply and marketing cooperative, regardless of how long it takes to sell, how much money can be recovered?”

Zhang Jianyi had calculated this before. “Around twenty thousand.”

“Quite a loss, isn’t it?” Ning Shu remarked.

Zhang Jianyi replied, “…” Wasn’t that obvious? “About half the loss.”

Ning Shu smirked. “So, if my solution is implemented, even if I don’t make a profit, at least half the loss won’t occur, right? Can I receive dividends from that half?”

I… Zhang Jianyi almost cursed. This girl… was even greedier than him.

He liked to take a little advantage, but he had never been this bold.

To know that getting dividends from the loss of twenty thousand would amount to at least two thousand, and even if halved, it would still be fifteen hundred. That wasn’t insignificant.

Ning Shu smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll only take dividends from that half. What if you make a profit? The dividends I take will be earned back by you, won’t they? Besides, even if there’s no profit, wouldn’t it be good if some of the twenty thousand loss can be recovered?”

That was the truth.

But… “I can’t make the decision on this matter,” Zhang Jianyi admitted honestly. “I have to ask the factory director.”

Ning Shu asked, “Shall I wait for you then?”

Zhang Jianyi replied, “I’ll take you to the factory director’s office. Wait for me outside, I’ll report the situation to him first.”

Ning Shu agreed, “Okay.”

So, Zhang Jianyi took Ning Shu to the factory director’s office, and Ning Shu waited outside while Zhang Jianyi went in to report.

After hearing Zhang Jianyi’s report, Factory Director Wang didn’t hesitate. “If that young lady can help the factory reduce its losses, then she should receive dividends. However, the amount of dividends needs to be discussed. Bring her in.”

According to his thinking, if this young lady had such abilities, then she was the kind of talent they needed to keep in their clothing factory.

Before Zhang Jianyi arrived, he actually anticipated that the factory director would meet with Ning Shu.

After all, who would pass up an opportunity to minimize losses? When Ning Shu came in, Director Wang was somewhat surprised.

He thought that someone coming to discuss such matters would be somewhat seasoned, perhaps older. He hadn’t expected her to be so young.

However, Director Wang had seen many faces in his time, and he didn’t underestimate Ning Shu because of her youth.

People who could directly come to discuss business matters and demand a share of profits, how could they be young?

“Director Wang, hello, I’m Ning Shu. Nice to meet you.” Ning Shu smiled politely, neither humble nor arrogant.

After graduating from university, she had entered a fashion group that was probably many times larger than this clothing factory, and it was a publicly traded company with a scale that this current clothing factory couldn’t compare to.

So, she had encountered many figures like Director Wang before, and naturally, she wasn’t afraid or nervous.

Director Wang nodded, “Comrade Ning, hello. What you discussed with Xiao Zhang earlier, do you really have a way to solve the problem with that batch of fabric?”

Ning Shu replied, “Yes, but it’s impossible to restore the original color of that batch of fabric. We can only change it to a different color.”

“This…” Director Wang couldn’t help but feel that this girl was unreliable again. “Are you suggesting dyeing this batch of fabric again? That won’t work. If it could, we would have tried it. We’ve consulted technical workers in this field, it’s not feasible. The colors would be messy, and we might end up with rags that no one wants.”

Ning Shu said, “I have a way to change it to a different color, and this color is still very usable. As for how to change it, let me take some sample fabric and show you the color change. Now, my question is, if I can solve this problem, can I receive a bonus as a reward?”

“That’s certainly not a problem,” Director Wang agreed readily. “So, how much bonus do you want?”

Ning Shu explained, “I heard from Manager Zhang that if this batch of fabric is sold to the supply and marketing cooperative, we’ll still lose around twenty thousand yuan. My idea is, whatever amount I manage to reduce the loss by, I’ll take a percentage of that reduction as a bonus. If I reduce it by ten thousand, then you give me a certain percentage of that ten thousand as a bonus. If I reduce it by twenty thousand… and so on. Of course, if all the losses are recovered and we make a profit, I don’t care about how much profit is made, I only take a bonus from that initial twenty thousand loss.”

Director Wang hadn’t expected this girl to be so calm. He thought she would want a share of the profits too.

Of course, even if she wanted a share of that, it wasn’t greed, after all, she also contributed to the earnings.

But now, this girl didn’t want that part, which gave Director Wang a different feeling.

“Alright, so how much bonus do you want? What percentage?” Director Wang asked.

Ning Shu joked, “How about you say it instead? I’m afraid if I ask for too little, you might offer more, and I certainly don’t mind having more money.”

She earned money uprightly and indeed didn’t mind having more.

She also didn’t have that kind of selfless dedication where she did good deeds without expecting anything in return.

Director Wang thought for a moment, “Actually, in my opinion, I can reward you with a job. Wouldn’t that be better? If you work for us for a few more years, you can earn back this bonus money, and it will only be more.”

Ning Shu felt a bit stifled. She didn’t want a job; the money from a job would definitely be less than the bonus. “I still want the bonus.”

Director Wang wanted to persuade her again, “Are you sure you won’t consider it? Maybe you can discuss it with your family.”

Ning Shu replied firmly, “No need. I am the head of the household; I can make decisions.”

Director Wang hesitated. According to reason, he should give her a bit more.

After all, if the twenty thousand loss could be recovered, it would be quite surprising, like unexpected gains.

But after the loss was recovered, that money belonged to the state, and he couldn’t afford to give away too much. After much consideration, he said, “Comrade Ning, how about I give you half of the losses as a bonus? If all the losses are recovered, then I’ll give you a job.”

He couldn’t offer too much bonus money, but he could offer a job.

Ning Shu did the math. 1500 yuan plus a job – he offered more than she expected. “Okay, but I need yellow and brown pigments, not much, just enough to color this piece of fabric.” Ning Shu took out the fabric she bought from the supply and marketing cooperative.

Director Wang said, “We don’t have pigments in our factory. Let Xiao Zhang arrange it for you.” Compared to the loss of fabric, this was a trivial matter. “When can you solve this?”

Ning Shu calculated, “One month.” It would take a month from receiving the pigments to using them on the fabric.

Director Wang said, “…Alright.” A month was just a month; anyway, this batch of fabric wouldn’t sell out even if left for a month.

Ning Shu suggested, “Should we sign an agreement?”

Director Wang replied, “Sure.” There wouldn’t be any losses.

Coming out of Director Wang’s office, Zhang Jian said, “Comrade Ning is really amazing.”

He talked to the director so calmly about the matter, while he himself couldn’t even relax.

Ning Shu replied, “I also have to thank Comrade Zhang for the introduction.” She wasn’t afraid at all and understood their urgent desire to resolve the batch of fabric, which is why she negotiated conditions for herself.

But she didn’t ask for too much with these conditions. She only asked for half of the losses, without requesting a share of the future profits.

She believed she had a bottom line. If this factory were privately owned, she would have asked for more.

But now the factory is state-owned, so she didn’t push too hard.

“You’re too kind,” Zhang Jian didn’t dare to act superior at all. “Shall I take Comrade Ning to buy pigments now?” Zhang Jian glanced at his watch as he said this. “It’s already eleven o’clock, how about Comrade Ning have lunch at our factory?”

“No need, no need, Comrade Zhang is too kind. I have to rush back home to prepare things for the fabric,” Ning Shu thought of her two children waiting for her at home.

With Ning Shu’s refusal, Zhang Jian didn’t insist. They went to buy pigments, Zhang Jian paid, and Ning Shu took the pigments home.

Buying pigments took some time, so when Ning Shu returned home, it was already noon.

At this time, every household was having lunch at home. And the two kids…

were at home, tending to the sweet potato vines, waiting for their mother to return.

“Brother, why hasn’t Mom come back yet? I’m starving,” Er Bao complained.

“I’m hungry too,” San Bao, who was becoming more articulate, rubbed his own little belly, showing a pitiful expression. “Hungry, brother, hungry.”

The Yi Bao looked at his two younger brothers, feeling helpless. Finally, he hesitated, “Shall I go get some oranges for you guys?”

Mom gave him the kitchen key before she left, reminding him not to play with water or fire. But getting food should be fine, right?

But he had never taken the initiative to get food before.

Mom would bring them food every day. Would Mom be angry if he got it himself? But looking at his younger brothers, he didn’t know what to do.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, ” Er Bao, you watch them here. I’ll go to Grandma’s house to borrow some food. When Mom comes back… I’ll return it to her.”

They used to eat at the old house, but now Mom treated them well, so they didn’t go to the old house for meals anymore. He thought if Mom treated them so well, she would return the food to the old house, right?

“Brother, borrow what? Aren’t we eating oranges? And why do we have to borrow from the old house? We used to just eat directly,” the Erbao didn’t understand.

“Before, Mom didn’t take care of us, so we had nothing to eat, that’s why we went to the old house. Now that we have Mom, we can’t go to the old house anymore, or people will say things,” Yi Bao explained.

“What about the oranges? Can’t we eat oranges?” Erbao licked his lips, expressing his preference for oranges over going to the old house for meals.

“I don’t know,” Yibao shook his head.

“But Mom said if we wanted to eat something, we could get it ourselves,” Erbao insisted.

Yibao was afraid. Despite Mom being good to them now, he still didn’t dare to cross this line.

He was afraid that if he did, Mom wouldn’t be good to them anymore.

“Brother, I’ll go get them. Do you want some?”

“I’ll go instead.” Yibao thought, if Mom got angry, she would be angry at him. And if she wanted to hit someone, she would hit him!