Chapter 4#

Liu Yun, who was about to pack up, was obviously stunned, then revealed a trace of a bitter smile, “Selling sweaters? The department store has storefronts, and it costs a lot of money to hire people and buy wool. They do big business, how can we learn from them…”

“No, Auntie, you misunderstood.” Chen Yuanming shook his head gently, “Not big items like sweaters, but small items like scarves and gloves? These things are knitted quickly and don’t take much effort. If we can sell them…”

“Hey~~” Liu Yun laughed, “Doudou, you really have money on your mind! Who would buy gloves these days? Just crochet a pair yourself casually. If you can’t knit a sweater, can’t you crochet gloves? Ah…” She looked at Chen Yuanming’s hands covered with chilblains, hesitated, and changed her words with a smile, “Your mom is too busy. When Auntie is free later, I’ll crochet a pair for you…”

This time Chen Yuanming didn’t agree, but shook his head more firmly, “I’m not talking about those ordinary woolen gloves. Although mittens can be worn outside, they still have to be taken off at home and in the classroom. Like in our class, with 50 or 60 people in a room, there is only a coal stove at the back of the classroom. It’s not warm at all in winter. Hands get frozen stiff when holding a pen to write. What if we can knit a kind of woolen glove with five fingers separated and half of the fingertips left empty, so that one can write while wearing gloves? No one has done this before, and ordinary people may not be able to knit it. There will definitely be sales!”

This time Liu Yun stopped her movements, her slender eyebrows slightly frowned, as if thinking about the possibility of this matter. After a long time, she finally asked hesitantly, “What about the yarn? I only have yarn for spring shirts here, and these colors…”

“Yarn is not a problem.” Chen Yuanming said decisively, “Crocheting a pair of gloves doesn’t cost much yarn. I think the leftover short yarns with brighter colors at home can be used for color matching, just add a main color. Moreover, the gloves don’t need to be too thick. Flexibility, convenience, and not being prickly are the keys. After all, everyone uses them to keep warm while writing. Auntie, maybe you have some yarn left over from the sweaters you took on, just use that directly.”

It was indeed tacitly accepted that there would be some loss for knitting helpers. In previous years, Liu Yun used these yarns to make small items for her family or mix them into larger items. If she saved all these yarns… Even if she didn’t save these, buying some cost-effective yarn balls wouldn’t be impossible. It’s just this investment, what if she lost money?

“Can… can they be sold?” Finally, she gritted her teeth and asked. People were poor these days. Just after changing the habit of digging for food from the soil to digging from the factory, they only dared to work hard on their own small plot of land. It was precisely because of this timidity that those who were quick-witted and dared to venture out in the 80s and 90s became the first generation to get rich.

“Yes!” Knowing the other party’s concerns too well, Chen Yuanming pulled out a very bright smile, “Auntie, your craftsmanship is so good that the work you do can be sold in big shopping malls. It’s just a small glove, completely a small trial! It’s only the end of January now, and it’s still early before winter passes. This year’s New Year is February 15th. If we make them around the Spring Festival, set up a stall in front of the department store or the municipal government family compound, and display some bright colors, I’m not afraid that those beauty-loving little girls won’t be moved! It hasn’t snowed yet this year, it’s dry and cold, there is definitely a business opportunity!”

Encouraged by Chen Yuanming, Liu Yun was completely moved. She was originally a person with an active mind, otherwise she wouldn’t have taken on private work. Now there was a simpler, and crucially, really feasible idea… Taking a deep breath, she nodded, “Then… then I, I’ll try it first? No one has done this before, really don’t know if it can be made. If it works, I’ll knit a pair for you two brothers first…”

“That would be great.” Chen Yuanming replied with a smile, “But Auntie, don’t leak it out after you make it. In case someone learns it…”

“Ai! Ai~~ I understand this!” Liu Yun also laughed. The same goes for sweater patterns. Take a fashion magazine and figure it out, many styles inside can be imitated and knitted. In her family, only she and her daughter knew how to knit. If the idea was stolen, she would never catch up with others.

The two laughed happily. Sun Lang on the side opened his mouth and asked foolishly, “What are you talking about? Let me say first, I don’t want woolen gloves! It’s troublesome to wear…”

“Oh, you silly boy!” Liu Yun slapped him, smacking her son on the head with a pa sound, “Look at Doudou, so smart and capable. All your learning has gone into a dog’s belly!”

“Hey! Mom!” Sun Lang felt he was wronged to death. Who did he provoke! “I’m also in the key class of No. 2 Middle School. I can definitely get into the top 50 this time…”

“50 my ass! No. 2 Middle School isn’t a key junior high school! Go wash the dishes!!”

“What?!” Sun Lang jumped up from the stool, “In such cold weather, you want me to wash?!”

“You damn child, I cooked the meal, what’s wrong with you washing a bowl?!”

Looking at the mother and son arguing, Chen Yuanming stood up with a smile, “Auntie, let me do it. I often wash at home too…”

“Oh, how can that be? Besides, your hands are still frozen, don’t touch cold water all the time… Er Mao!” Her willow eyebrows stood erect, Liu Yun glared at her son, even calling out his nickname.

Sun Lang glanced at Chen Yuanming’s dark red, dry and thin paws, and finally admitted defeat. “Alright… I’ll do it, I’ll do it, isn’t it just washing a bowl~~~ Doudou, you sit, Brother will show you the newly bought picture cards after washing!”

Muttering, he picked up three bowls and walked to the sink.

“This child!” Liu Yun smiled awkwardly, looked at Chen Yuanming who was so steady that he didn’t look like a child, and suddenly felt a little heartache. Such a smart and well-behaved child, why wasn’t he her cub? It’s a pity that the Chen family has been living too shabbily recently, wronging the child for no reason…

Thinking about it, Liu Yun pressed Chen Yuanming back to his seat, “Doudou, you sit, Auntie will make you a cup of red date tea. Your uncle just got red dates distributed a few days ago, they are very sweet.”

Pressed back into the seat forcefully, Chen Yuanming sat at the dining table watching the busy family, a warm current surging in his heart. He was actually envious. The more he accepted the memories in his mind, the more he envied such warmth. But his own family, was it still possible? The spark in his eyes slowly dimmed. Some things he might not be able to change, but others, he must try…

That day, after staying at Sun Lang’s house for almost the whole afternoon, visiting this guy’s collection of the full set of Three Kingdoms generals picture cards and the homemade bamboo joint Zhao Zilong figurine, Chen Yuanming declined the other party’s bicycle escort and walked home slowly.

In the dead of winter, it got dark after 5 o’clock. When he walked into the house, the hot water in the pot was just starting to boil. His mother was standing in front of the coal fire with a small bowl of batter, preparing to make dough drop soup. Seeing her son come back, her movements immediately sped up a bit, and she asked with a smile, “Where did you go to play today?”

“Went out for a walk, just happened to run into Sun Lang, so I went to his house to play for a while.”

“Sun Lang?” Wang Juan was stunned for a moment, then laughed, “Maomao, right? Did you see your Auntie Liu? Haven’t seen much of them since they moved to Yijing Community.”

“En, Auntie Liu was also at home. I ate lunch at their house, hand-rolled noodles.”

“Oh, you child, why are you so impolite…” Wang Juan frowned, “Forget it, bring something for them next time you see them…” Halfway through, she suddenly couldn’t continue. Her teeth were slightly clenched, and her jaw twitched a bit, “Alright, go home first, dinner will be ready soon.”

Chen Yuanming certainly knew what his mom swallowed back. Outsiders were fine, but for acquaintances who knew the bottom line like this, she was really embarrassed to show weakness in front of them. But the family really didn’t have the conditions to put on a show. Social interactions had decreased a lot in the past two years. Although everyone was living a hard life these days, and there weren’t really people who blatantly disliked the poor and loved the rich, poverty still made her unable to lift her head, and her self-esteem became more sensitive.

Without saying anything, Chen Yuanming walked into the house. He saw his father sitting in front of the unfolded small table, slightly hunched over, exuding an aura of exhaustion from head to toe. It was almost the end of the year, the factory was rushing tasks, and various branch factories began to arrange overtime. For that little overtime pay, his father Chen Jianhua hadn’t rested for a whole month, not even on Sundays, just to earn a little more money before the New Year to get through the year…

Chen Yuanming’s footsteps paused. The man opposite had already come to his senses. Seeing his son, his first reaction was to frown, and then he scolded him harshly. “Went out to go crazy again!! You’re already in the third year of junior high, besides fighting and running out to play like crazy, what else can you do?! Can’t you just stay at home obediently and do some homework? Have you finished your winter vacation homework?!”

“Winter vacation homework hasn’t been assigned yet…” Chen Yuanming responded in a low voice, his eyes feeling a bit sour. In that previous life, his relationship with his father had always been terrible. Besides studies, it was work. He had never heard a word of praise from his father, all were scolding and reprimanding, the indignation of wishing iron could turn into steel. Because of resigning and going north, he was almost cut off from the family. It only improved slightly when he started making money. After his wealth management company was established, the once eased conflict turned to marriage and starting a family, and on this point, he could never satisfy the wishes of the two elders…

Wondering how his parents would react in the world where he died. The company collapsed, but the accounts were basically clear, and enough inheritance was left. They… Chen Yuanming swallowed a mouthful of saliva, feeling a burning sensation in his heart, and the words blurted out, “I… I did very well in the exam this time, I will study hard…”

Let you get rid of this kind of life…

Choked by these sudden words, Chen Jianhua was instantly speechless. He stammered a few sentences, finally waved his hand, and buried his head again. Wang Juan quickly served the boiled soup. Unlike the sweet noodle soup in other families, the noodle soup in his family was always salty, with two cabbage leaves thrown in, and a little bit of salt. It was just slightly better than boiled water, but it could openly replace stir-fried dishes and was just right to eat with steamed buns.

“Eat while it’s hot!” As if to ease the relationship between the father and son, Wang Juan served the rice boisterously and sat down at the dining table, “Don’t scold Doudou all day. As long as he can get into university, we can also get a post salary of 120 yuan like those top students in the main factory, right Doudou!”

The 15-watt light bulb in the room shone with a dim yellow light. In this light and shadow, Chen Yuanming nodded and ate in big mouthfuls.