The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 42 The Neighbor Came Looking for Me
"Adjusting invoices?"

"Yes, it's difficult for ordinary families to buy big-ticket items like the 'three turns and one sound' (referring to a sewing machine, a watch, a radio, and a microphone), but everyone in your department should have enough money."

"But we're not short of money, maybe we're short of tickets. Ask around if anyone needs tickets for the 'Three Turns and One Sound' (a type of radio, a bicycle, a sewing machine, and a radio), and if so, try to get some from them."

Zhou Zhiqiang casually said, "Just charge them less, let them owe you a favor. Anyway, we have two bicycles, two watches soon, a sewing machine, and a radio, we don't lack anything."

We have to thank our father-in-law for leaving them so much. They really have everything they need: a sewing machine, a radio, a sewing machine, and a radio. They haven't even used the sewing machine yet, and they only listen to the radio occasionally.

The quality of large items nowadays is very good; they can be used for twenty years without needing to be replaced.

It would be better to use other coupons, such as grain coupons, oil coupons, and sugar coupons. Zhou Zhiqiang and his wife used ordinary coupons more often.

"Although you suffered a slight loss when adjusting the invoices, everyone in your department will be grateful for your favor. Besides, Gu Jiayu doesn't sound like an easy person to get along with. In less than six months, she'll be the one leaving."

After listening, Guo Yuting took her husband's arm and said with a smile, "Okay, Zhiqiang, we'll do as you say!"

"Let's boil some water to wash up tonight."

Before Zhou Zhiqiang could finish speaking, he heard someone knocking on the front door from the front yard.

The door handle of their courtyard house has been treated so that it makes a crisp sound when tapped lightly, which can be heard clearly in the backyard.

Guo Yuting's face fell immediately upon hearing the knock: "Who is it? Why are you here so late?"

She was just getting into the mood after what Zhou Zhiqiang said, and she was thinking about what would happen tonight, when someone knocked on the door and disturbed her.

Fearing trouble might come his way, Zhou Zhiqiang told Guo Yuting to boil water while he went to the front yard to see who it was.

Zhou Zhiqiang was worried that the visitors might have ill intentions, so he kept a pair of fire tongs in his hand and then peeked through the peephole in the door.

Outside stood an elderly woman and a middle-aged man. Zhou Zhiqiang immediately recognized them and quickly realized that they must be residents of the neighborhood, as he had seen them frequently on his way to and from get off work recently.

"Comrade, I am the liaison officer for your neighboring courtyard. The comrades from the neighborhood office told us that they would be responsible for notifying you about matters concerning your courtyard from now on."

After hearing what the middle-aged man said, Zhou Zhiqiang also remembered what the two people from the neighborhood committee had just told him.

So Zhou Zhiqiang opened the door with a slight sense of relief and smiled at the two people outside, saying, "Hello, I am Zhou Zhiqiang, a technician from Dafeng Machinery Factory."

The middle-aged man also introduced himself: "I am Zhang Dahai, the security guard of the towel factory. Aunt Yu is another liaison officer, Yu Sanhong."

"Comrade Zhou, we had a meeting in the courtyard after dinner, and came to see you as soon as the meeting ended. It was mainly about winter coal storage and opening windows. Did Clerk Tian talk to you about it?"

Zhou Zhiqiang nodded and said, "I've been notified of all of this. I plan to go and collect the coal this weekend."

Zhang Dahai said, "That's fine. Sometimes the subdistrict office doesn't notify everyone individually, but instead calls us liaisons to the subdistrict office to convey the spirit of the policy."

Residents like you with detached houses might not know because you're at work. We'll let you know when we get back.

"Thank you so much, Comrade Zhang. My wife and I both work, and we only have time on Sundays."

After Zhou Zhiqiang finished speaking, he took out a box of Daqianmen cigarettes, took out two sticks, and handed them to Zhang Dahai.

He doesn't usually smoke, but he always carries a pack of cigarettes with him, and he'll smoke one if something happens.

If you have cigarette coupons at home, don't waste them. Sometimes giving away a cigarette is more effective than saying a few nice words.

Zhang Dahai hesitated for a moment, then took the cigarette and said, "It's alright, we're all neighbors. If the neighborhood office needs to notify us in the future, we definitely won't miss you."

Another elderly woman chimed in, "Yes, Comrade Zhou, when Sister Mei was around, she had a very good relationship with us." Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiqiang immediately asked, "Auntie, you know my mother-in-law too?"

"Of course we know her. Sister Mei used to go grocery shopping with us, and she would always ask us for help if she needed anything. She's also very generous."

Hearing what Aunt Yu said, Zhou Zhiqiang smiled and nodded, saying, "Auntie, I only moved here after I got married. Before that, I lived at the school. It's a pity that my mother-in-law and father-in-law went to the Northwest for aid work."

"Sister Mei is a good person."

Aunt Yu nodded, then asked somewhat shyly, "Comrade Tongzhou, could we borrow the sewing machine sometimes? Sometimes we need it to make clothes, and it's faster if we have one."

"A sewing machine? Sure!"

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Zhiqiang quickly agreed, but he did have conditions.

"However, Aunt Yu, my wife and I both have to work during the week, so if you want to borrow the sewing machine, you can only use it on Sundays. Is that alright?"

"Sure, of course."

After hearing this, Aunt Yu's face immediately lit up with joy. Nowadays, not many households can afford a sewing machine, but sewing machines are indeed fast at making clothes.

They have to slowly follow the needle and thread when they sew by hand, and it might take them half an hour to an hour to sew one edge, but if they use a sewing machine, they only need to step on it for a few minutes.

There is a significant difference between using machines and doing it by hand.

Aunt Yu quickly thanked him, "Thank you so much, Comrade Zhou."

“We’re all neighbors, no need to be so polite. Besides, my husband and I are usually too busy with work to use it much, so it’s a bit of a waste to just leave it there.”

Zhou Zhiqiang waved his hand and laughed, saying that he does do a lot of housework, but he really doesn't know how to sew clothes.

Before coming to this era, I lived alone and was good at cleaning and cooking, but I had never made clothes.

When clothes get damaged, they just buy new ones; they never have the concept of mending or patching.

However, things are different in this era. Cloth coupons are scarce these days. They are used for three years of new cloth, three years of old cloth, and then patched up for another three years.

If you don't go to the pigeon market, the cloth ration coupons you receive per person per year are barely enough to make one piece of clothing; the rest have to be mended when they get worn out.

Zhou Zhiqiang felt that he and his wife would definitely need to mend clothes in the future, and that the more patches on their clothes there were ten years later, the safer they would be.

So there's no need for Zhou Zhiqiang to be stingy if his neighbors want to borrow his sewing machine. After they've used it, Zhou Zhiqiang can ask them to mend his clothes.

After finishing their conversation, Zhang Dahai and Aunt Yu went back home.

Zhou Zhiqiang returned to the backyard and told Guo Yuting what had just happened. His wife had no objection to borrowing the sewing machine, since she didn't know how to use it anyway.

Not to mention her, even her mother rarely uses it.

However, the fact that Aunt Yu came to borrow the sewing machine made Guo Yuting wonder, and she also thought about learning how to use a sewing machine.

Guo Yuting felt embarrassed because her husband did so much housework, such as washing clothes and cooking. This made her feel very embarrassed, especially since women usually did these chores in other households, while she hardly lifted a finger.

It would be one thing if a man was unambitious, but Zhou Zhiqiang was the opposite; he was exceptionally ambitious.

If she doesn't learn some housework soon, Guo Yuting feels she won't have the face to talk to others about her family.

(End of this chapter)