Eighties Sweetheart Wife
Chapter 324 Sea Yellow Cargo

Chapter 324: Chapter 324 Sea Yellow Cargo

Nowadays, night schools issue graduation certificates upon completion of the courses required by the school and passing the graduation exams, with qualifications recognized by the state.

She and Principal Cui were old acquaintances, and she sent Xiaocao in for tutoring.

Xiaocao, who was sent to elementary school by that old lady, stopped attending after reaching the third grade. She had a strong foundation and, with diligent hard work, naturally obtained her elementary school diploma.

But she wanted to go to college, so naturally, entering middle school was the best.

Zhou Xiaohua was different.

Considering her actual situation and the current context, taking the vocational training route was the best.

This also provided her with security for the future.

Song Yunuan continued, "Didn’t I also give you the textbooks? When you’re free, don’t just listen to idle chatter. Review the textbooks. As long as you get a junior high school diploma, I guarantee I’ll send you to Staff and Cadre College for further studies. Do you know that you don’t have to pay tuition there? It’s all covered by the institution, and the school even has a large cafeteria.

After three years, you’ll be able to save some money, and covering the cost of meals won’t be a problem at all. Of course, you could choose to eat at home to save more money. Also, even if you’re studying, it doesn’t affect dating or getting married. You might even find a city official to marry. Besides, the school offers many subjects, and you can choose the industry you like..."

The more Zhou Xiaohua listened, the brighter her eyes became, but the more she listened, the redder her cheeks got.

Talking about dating and marriage, it was embarrassingly sweet.

So, she covered her face, saying shyly, "I’ll listen to you, I’ll listen to you."

And just then, someone came to buy clothes.

Nowadays, the counter still mainly sold women’s clothing.

The old lady was from the commune below. She said her granddaughter was going to Nan City for college in half a month, and it was said to be really hot there. Here, September was the start of autumn, but there it was still summer.

She bought a goose-yellow short-sleeved shirt embroidered with a few Xiaohua, and Zhou Xiaohua also gave her a pair of small hair ties.

She said it was to congratulate her granddaughter on becoming a college student.

The old lady left beaming, practically walking on air.

Song Yunuan gave Zhou Xiaohua a thumbs-up. She had taught her, and she didn’t expect Xiaohua to learn so well.

As things got busy here, she felt Zhou Xiaohua was a bit restrained. She understood this, so she left the department store. Checking the time, she went to the county government and confidently sought out Deputy County Mayor Zhao.

She inquired about what Nanshan County Town was going to exhibit if they participated in the autumn trade fair.

Deputy County Mayor Zhao was taken aback. The trade fair, which had been held three times already, was an opportunity not only to sign deals with various parts of the country but also with other countries.

However, places were limited.

In the entire Beiquan Province, apart from the provincial city, local city-level units had only one slot.

It had never been considered before, and even now, it seemed out of reach.

There was too much competition, and it wasn’t something you could accomplish just by pulling strings.

Deputy County Mayor Zhao said, "Our county town has a machinery factory, but no new products. You’ve been to the textile factory; the only fabric is linen, which really isn’t hard to sell. Your family has all but cornered the market on it. If the pharmaceutical plant was built, it would be under direct management from above, just like the electronics factory. As for the rest, they aren’t suitable for export trade."

Song Yunuan suggested, "What about the handicraft sideline at Sunflower Commune? Wouldn’t that work?"

Deputy County Mayor Zhao’s eyes lit up, then dimmed again. Could straw hats really succeed?

Song Yunuan said, "We could establish a handicraft factory. We’re not short of raw materials here, nor are we lacking in craftsmen. We also have a good reputation. People in Beidu all wear our straw hats, and I heard that Grandfather Chu Zizhou really likes the insoles that my grandfather weaves from corn leaves. If we produce quality items, we could make money—money from foreigners."

Deputy County Mayor Zhao didn’t speak; he was listening intently.

Song Yunuan: "You know our country is in a lot of debt right now, mostly because of the introduction of Western technology and equipment, but these can’t be immediately converted into exports. So the main force that can earn foreign exchange through exports is our rural areas, such as tea, porcelain, silk, or even straw and bamboo weaving. Take a look, which one can be separated from our countryside?"

"We don’t have the first three, but we have straw weaving. It would be great to set up this handicraft factory right where the commune is, with the commune in charge of management, adopting the principle of individual processing and public purchasing. As long as the products pass inspection, payment is made, ensuring everyone is motivated."

"Plus, handicrafts have another advantage—they don’t spoil. With proper storage, even if they’re kept for two or three years, there’s no problem. The county can be responsible for contacting to find out what types of exported straw woven styles are popular, and we can even develop new products. Whoever comes up with new designs will get a bonus from the county. This could really be killing several birds with one stone."

Deputy County Mayor Zhao didn’t want to get excited, but he couldn’t help standing up.

Setting up this factory wouldn’t cost much.

First of all, no specific factory buildings are needed, just a place for purchasing and inspection, and a warehouse.

Moreover, there’s no need to have too many staff.

It’s absolutely perfect for the current situation in Nanshan County Town.

He looked at Song Yunuan, struck with inspiration: "Little Nuan, I heard your grandfather is an old craftsman with nimble fingers. If the handicraft factory is set up, we must invite your grandfather as a consultant, on a paid basis, and the timing will be flexible."

Song Yunuan smiled, her eyes curving into crescents: "Oh, then I will thank Deputy County Mayor Zhao on behalf of my grandpa."

Deputy County Mayor Zhao: "You child, don’t mention it. But, even with the handicrafts, there are only two products. According to the standards, we must provide at least five different types of items for the exhibition."

Song Yunuan: "The trade fair is two months away; we can come up with those three items by then, right?"

"...But what if we can’t secure a spot at the exhibition?"

"Success lies within human effort. Even if we don’t get a spot, we don’t really have anything to lose, do we?"

Deputy County Mayor Zhao nodded; selling straw hats wouldn’t be difficult.

He then looked at Song Yunuan again.

He didn’t know quite how to evaluate her.

For the sake of getting her family’s garments into the trade fair, she was adamant about bringing out Nanshan County Town.

But this was a great thing.

Unlike before, now there was a glimmer of hope.

Deputy County Mayor Zhao couldn’t stay put any longer. With Kou County in the office, he immediately went to find Kou County.

Walking along the shaded path, Song Yunuan suddenly remembered the Huali wood products from the 1980s known as "sea yellow goods."

The so-called sea yellow referred to the craftsmanship of Huali wood from the Qionghai area. To exchange for more foreign currency, the exports of Huali wood products in the 1980s were made of the finest materials and excellent craftsmanship. When the raw materials became scarce, they turned into expensive collectibles with no flaws to be found.

Unfortunately, they are almost never sold domestically anymore.

Even if you do find them, they’re not the best quality.

She wanted to facilitate this autumn trade fair, and also find a way to purchase the entire inventory of the Huali wood factory. Once the goods were bought up, she would need to devise a way to draw attention to them, preferably switching to something else. But this operation would require caution; if not handled properly, it could easily attract resentment.

If only there was a substitute that could earn a large amount of foreign exchange.

This thought was fleeting. It wasn’t her concern, so she didn’t bother to rack her brains over it. She needed to go back to designing clothes, and she also had to collaborate with the county’s printing factory to have them produce paper bags for packing the clothes.

Although color printing technology wasn’t perfect yet, kraft paper bags were just as upscale.

Thinking this over, she felt short on cash.

Tomorrow, she would ask her grandmother how much money she had; it was time to take out her own twenty thousand yuan as well.