CHAPTER 42

After the lively New Year, Li Xia prepared to go south again after the Lantern Festival. Looking at the calendar, it has been a long time since Christmas; why hasn’t Shen Yaozong come back yet?

This year, the beginning of spring came early, and the solar term has not arrived yet. Cement-related work cannot be done yet. She plans to return to the south before the start of construction. The preparations are in place, and the factory building was built very quickly. She didn’t know what the situation was with the equipment and spare parts.

Li Xia thought about it and was still worried. She felt that since they were all family, she should still show some concern. She mentioned it to the old man in the backyard, and the old man said to call Shen Yaozong.

“This kid is really; I don’t know what to say about him.”

He muttered something and raised his hand to make an international call. After a while, the call was finally connected. Li Xia couldn’t hear clearly, but from the old man’s words, she could tell that Shen Yaozong said he would be back by then. The equipment and parts had been negotiated, so the old man didn’t have to worry.

That’s good. She didn’t have to think too much. She made some tea for the old man, who frowned after taking a sip. Li Xia met his gaze, smiled, and began to explain.

“The doctor said that people with heart problems should not drink strong tea, but lighter tea is fine. Dad, you and Haiyang should drink less tea in the future; it will be good for your health.”

You can’t just put a piece of tea leaf, right?

The old man smiled, put down the teacup, and nodded obediently to his daughter-in-law. In the past, in the United States, his son and daughter-in-law never cared about him. Now Shen Haiyang and his wife take care of everything for him, from food to clothing. He doesn’t feel annoyed, but instead has a sense of happiness that he has someone to rely on when he is old.

“Daughter-in-law, what are your plans for the next step? Are you going to travel back and forth between the north and the south to sell goods?”

“If the time is right next year, I will open a garment factory.” Li Xia smiled. There was nothing she couldn’t tell her father-in-law.

“Um.”

The old man responded softly, and Li Xia was wondering what this meant as she turned and left. He agreed and thought her development path was correct. Was he planning to invest in her?

After the Lantern Festival, Li Xia went south. Before leaving, she discussed the project after the New Year with the person in charge of the project contracted last year. It was decided to start in March and still leave some work for her father and his people. The other party promised that there would be no problem.

From north to south, after reaching the forefront of reform and opening up, it suddenly turned from winter to summer. The daytime temperature was almost 30 degrees, so she could just wear light clothes. She put away all her thick cotton clothes and put them in the suitcase.

Purchase spring clothes, order summer clothes, and predict what styles will be popular this year. Xiao Liu saw that she had bought a large number of bell-bottom pants and asked in surprise, “Can such pants be sold?”

“Of course.”

Bell bottoms have existed before and will become popular from now on, becoming the favorite of young people. Dance halls have already started to open in the south, and the north will soon follow the trend.

Several people walked around Shenzhen and saw a man and a woman standing in the alley near the machinery factory, with several large bags beside them.

Zhang Qiuhua lowered her head quickly when she saw them, pulling her hat down low as if she didn’t know them. Li Xia and the others didn’t pay much attention to the others, and they were approached by someone not long after they walked out.

“Hey, want some electronics?”

I just saw someone trading and buying goods, and then someone came to them with a bag to sell them. Bent goods, low price, high quality, absolutely good stuff.

“Let me see. Are they legal ?”

“Absolutely the real deal. Good quality and low price.”

Electronic hardware, she deliberately expanded the scope of business when applying for a business license. Now it is a legal business.

They contacted a group of low-priced electronic products. Small-commodity wholesale requires a complete range of goods. Then the three of them continued to travel and brought back a lot of ready-made goods on the way back.

After a trip, it was much warmer when they returned to the north. In the second month of the lunar calendar, the pear trees were in full bloom, and the basins of water placed outside at night no longer froze.

The shop was being taken care of, and Li Xia had some free time during the off-season. She began to do a thorough cleaning at home, taking apart and washing her thick winter jacket and thick quilts. For several days in a row, the clothesline at home was full of clothes.

In the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly, and Qin Mu and she were sewing a quilt together on the floor. The two women each took one end, and they quickly finished sewing the quilt. Qin Mu was about to fold it up but was stopped by Li Xia.

“Wait a minute, I bought a quilt cover this time. Put it on the quilt, and you can just wash the quilt cover when it gets dirty. You don’t have to take it apart and wash it.”

Ordinary blue printed cloth, the style is different from that of later generations. There are no openings on the four sides, but a square opening is left in the middle of the quilt. After the two people put the quilt in, they can pull it flat on both sides. The lower part that touches the skin is covered tightly, and the opening is on the upper side that does not touch the skin.

“That’s great. It’s so easy to clean when it gets dirty. I want to buy it. Is it expensive?”

“There are a lot of them coming in. I’ll give you two.”

“Don’t. You already have the capital. Even if we have a good relationship, I can’t take it from you for free.”

“Okay, I’ll give it to you at the purchase price. You can choose the pattern yourself, and I’ll deduct it from Lao Han’s salary at the end of the month.”

“Thanks.”

In a few days, she cleaned the house from top to bottom, took apart and washed all the cotton-padded jackets and trousers and put them away, and bought some wool to knit sweaters for her family.

“Sister-in-law, come quickly.”

Just as she took out the wool and hadn’t finished knitting the four knitting needles, she heard Qin Mu’s anxious shout from the backyard. She dropped her needle and thread and ran to the backyard. Both the father and son had heart disease, and this was the first thing she thought of when they heard about the accident.

Sure enough, the old man fainted on the ground in the backyard. Qin Mu had come to deliver snacks, and now the snacks were scattered all over the ground. She reached out to support the old man, but she couldn’t move him alone, and sweat appeared on her forehead in anxiety.

“When I came in, I saw him letting go of the receiver and about to fall, so I hurried over to help him up. What…what should I do?”

Li Xia calmly took out the quick-acting heart pills from the drawer and put two pills in the old man’s mouth. Then she reached out and grabbed the old man’s arms, and she turned her back to him and prepared to carry him on her back.

“Help me; we need to get to the hospital quickly.”

“Oh, oh, okay.”

They were both working people, and the two women were quite strong. With the help of Qin Mu, Li Xia carried her father-in-law on her back. She gently put him in the car and laid him flat in the back seat. Qin Mu also sat in the back seat to support him. Li Xia went to the driver’s seat, closed the door, started the car, and drove towards the hospital at high speed.