Chen Lan saw that the situation was not right and quickly explained, "Granny, how could we encounter anything unclean? This is at home, not outside. Little Douzi is just timid because he suddenly changed to a new environment and place. The child is too young and not used to it. Besides, the mountain wind last night was really strong, making the leaves rustle all night. Jiayao and Jiahui were also startled awake several times by the wind in the middle of the night!"
She then looked at Little Douzi and said softly, "Little Douzi, big brother, you were scared too, you didn't sleep well, did you! Little Douzi?" Little Douzi, whether he truly understood or not, nodded his little head blankly, looking extremely adorable! Chen Lan reached out and continued, "Don't be afraid! Come, Little Douzi, come play with your younger siblings."
The granny visibly relaxed upon hearing this, saying, "It's good that nothing's wrong! It's good that nothing's wrong!" With that, she turned her head to continue persuading Aunt Xiao Shan, "I say, Xiao Shan's mother, what's so difficult about managing a sewing cooperative? You're kind, good-tempered, and meticulous! A sewing cooperative needs someone like you with skills. Moreover, you've been in this line of work for twenty years, right? You understand the intricacies better than anyone. And since you can both cut and sew, what are you afraid of? You know perfectly well how many tops and how many pairs of pants can be made from a bolt of cloth. Isn't that right, Xiao Shan's mother? Besides, our valley isn't opening a shop for business and making money. We're just opening a sewing cooperative to collectively make clothes, shoes, and bedding for the old and young in the valley. You just need to help manage these young people, make sure they work properly, and don't mess around and waste good materials. Nowadays, clothes are made with sewing machines, so you don't need to stitch them slowly needle by needle, which is slow and strains the eyes. You just need to cut the fabric for them to make, don't waste any material, and check the stitches they make to ensure they aren't too rough."
To be honest, the only thing that might be a bit troublesome is inventory management. But as long as the fabric going out and the finished clothes coming in match, that's fine. For someone who has been making clothes for decades, these are as simple and familiar as when you used to take on work from the cloth shop to do at home. For clothes issued, the recipient can just make a thumbprint. Aunt Xiao Shan, with a blushing face, said shyly, "Auntie, but I can't read!"
Granny clapped her hands and said, "We're not studying for scholarly achievements or official positions. It doesn't matter if you can't read, this can be easily handled! Mingwei can read, and Cuiqiao, Hu Yuzhen, and Zhao Xiaoyue can all read a few characters. Don't worry! They will all help you. Besides, you don't need to know many characters to record these things. Knowing a hundred or so characters should be enough. If you want to learn, they can teach you one by one later."
And so, Aunt Xiao Shan forged ahead on the path of learning, eventually becoming a well-known fashion designer and even mentoring many students who loved design! Of course, that's a story for another time.
Mother and Mama Liu, Mama Cui were also there to persuade her. Mama Liu chimed in, "Yes! Xiao Shan's mother, in our valley, only you have the skill to both make and cut! This is such a great talent! Others can only dream of it. You mustn't waste this talent and bury your skills. Just consider it helping everyone in the valley!"
Finally, persuaded by Granny, Mama Liu, and everyone else, Aunt Xiao Shan agreed to become the manager of the valley's first cooperative – the sewing cooperative. Aunt Xiao Shan immediately took office with everyone's assistance.
The temporarily designated members of the sewing cooperative are: "Hu Yuzhen, Mingwei, Cuiqiao, Zhao Xiaoyue."
Chen Lan turned to Chuncao, Ruyi, and Xiaoxue and said, "Do you girls want to join the sewing cooperative too? You can learn a skill from Aunt Xiao Shan. Being able to make clothes is a good skill to have. With a skill to rely on, no matter what happens in the future, you can earn a living."
Upon hearing Chen Lan's words, Chuncao, Ruyi, and Xiaoxue immediately stood up excitedly, their voices trembling as they asked, "Xiao, Xiao Lan, can we, can we really learn with them?" Chen Lan nodded very seriously and said, "Of course, if you want to learn, join the sewing cooperative and learn well from Aunt Xiao Shan!"
And so, the sewing cooperative's roster grew. Manager: "Aunt Xiao Shan." Members: "Mingwei, Hu Yuzhen, Cuiqiao, Zhao Xiaoyue, Chuncao, Ruyi, and Xiaoxue." The sewing cooperative now has a total of eight people.
Because there is a lot of work and the tasks are heavy, now that the personnel are complete, they can start working immediately. So, Granny called out loudly, "Come, everyone, listen to me. Now that the rain outside has temporarily stopped, let's hurry and move the fabric, cotton, sewing machines, clothing patterns, and other tools to your Aunt Xiao Shan's house. Our sewing cooperative will temporarily be set up at your Aunt Xiao Shan's house. Her family is small and has plenty of space, so it can be spread out, making it convenient and easy to work. We will temporarily work at your Aunt Xiao Shan's house for now. After the new year, when new houses are built, we will discuss where to relocate the sewing cooperative?"
Seeing Granny's arrangement, Chen Lan instructed her mother to look after the twins and Little Douzi, handing them over to her mother and Chuncao. She immediately got up and ran upstairs, finding an empty room next to her bedroom. She took out three hundred catties of cotton, fifty-five bolts of new fabric, six portable sewing machines, a large pile of buttons of various sizes, colors, and styles, and a large pile of colorful sewing threads that had been prepared long ago in the system warehouse. She also took out a large pile of slightly flawed fabric that had been stored in the system warehouse all along. Instantly, the room was filled with fabric and other materials. She then quickly carried a few bolts of fabric downstairs and walked up to Granny, placing the fabric on the table and saying, "Granny, there's a room full of fabric and cotton upstairs. The few of us women are not strong, how long will it take to move it? We need to mobilize everyone to help."
Granny immediately said, "Yes, yes, yes, I'll go call Xiangdong and Xiangxi. Oh, and your Uncle Fu, and Xiao Shan is in the study too." Then she turned to Mingwei and Cuiqiao, who were carrying fabric and preparing to go out, "Mingwei, Cuiqiao, when you pass by your homes, call Erhu and Xiaoshuan, and your Uncle De to come help move things. Do you hear me?" Mingwei and Cuiqiao replied in unison, "We hear you!"