Jiang Hongmei, the Unfilial Child

"What are you laughing at?"

Gu Yu turned to ask the young man beside him.

"The plagues have gathered in one place."

Shen Jianan lifted his chin toward the doorway. Gu Yu followed his gaze and saw Zhao Jianguo and his sister, along with Jiang Hongmei and the others. The smile on his face instantly faded. "Isn't that so?"

Then he added, "Let's deal with today's assessment first."

"Mm."

Shen Jianan nodded and paid them no further attention. Before long, several cadres filed out of the office. Zhao Gang stepped forward to give a few instructions, telling everyone to study hard. Then he raised a hand toward Shen Jianan. "Everything from here on out is in your hands."

"Alright."

Shen Jianan stood and looked at everyone present, speaking seriously. "Bamboo strips and rattan are things everyone comes into contact with regularly. I believe most of you know how to weave, but what I need isn't simply knowing how to weave. There has to be innovation."

He took the backpack Gu Yu handed him, held it casually in front of him, and raised it slightly as he turned it around for everyone to see. "Like this book-bag-style backpack with a three-dimensional rose pattern.

"It was originally just an ordinary backpack, nothing eye-catching at all. But after someone put thought into innovating it, it became much more refined and attractive. To put it in terms everyone likes to hear, it can sell for a higher price.

"My assessment for you is this: within three hours, use your imagination and weave a bag. As for those who don't know how, first make..."

"Isn't this just making things difficult for people? We didn't even have time to prepare! How are we supposed to weave anything?"

A familiar, shrill voice abruptly rang out, inappropriately cutting Shen Jianan off. "And you said it yourself, most people know weaving techniques. What about those of us who don't?

"Are we just supposed to be ignored, watching those who know how earn work points while we're left sitting on the sidelines?"

Everyone's faces filled with impatience at her words. The voice was simply too grating. Before Shen Jianan could speak, they all began snapping back at her.

"Jiang Hongmei, are you sick? Can't you wait until Shen finishes speaking?"

Lu Xiaoyue was the first to speak. "Why do you always have to oppose everything? Are you addicted to being an unfilial child or something?"

"Exactly! Shen and the brigade leader both reminded everyone before that they had to bring bamboo strips, rattan, needles, and thread to today's meeting. Who can you blame if you didn't bring yours?"

Li Jiaojiao chimed in with a dark expression, angrily scolding her. "And if you don't understand weaving, can't you learn from everyone else? Time is tight. Who has the time to teach people one by one?

"If we followed your logic and everyone had to wait until we learned before taking orders, when would we ever make money?"

"Exactly."

Song Yichen spoke angrily. "All you do is hold things up every day. If you don't want to do it, get back to the Educated Youth Station and stop being an eyesore here!"

She was truly sick of Jiang Hongmei. They were both women, yet look at Lu Xiaoyue and the others, then look at the women comrades in the brigade.

They might bicker at times too, but they were always dependable when it mattered. Jiang Hongmei, on the other hand, not only held everyone back but constantly said inappropriate things. She was genuinely disgusting.

"Didn't you say before that you wouldn't take part in making backpacks and hair accessories?"

Niu Chunhua already had a grudge against Jiang Hongmei. Seeing that even the educated youths had no patience for her, she joined in and shouted angrily, "Now you've shamelessly come anyway, and you're still causing trouble. What exactly are you trying to do?"

"I suspect she's an enemy agent trying to sabotage the interests of the working people!"

Someone said it, and everyone gasped sharply. Then someone immediately added, "Oh my god! Brigade leader, hurry and arrest her and send her to the Public Security Bureau! We can't let her stay in the brigade. She's too dangerous!"

The moment Jiang Hongmei heard that, she panicked. Her face turned deathly pale. Other matters could still be discussed, but if the label of "enemy agent" was forced onto her, would she still have a life left?

"Don't talk nonsense. I'm not an enemy agent."

She waved her hands in panic and stammered, "I-I just think Shen Jianan, he..."

"He what?"

Zhao Gang rose to his feet with an angry roar, glaring at her fiercely. "Did he eat your family's rice? Or did he slaughter your whole family?"

"I-I..."

"Stop stammering already."

Zhao Gang gave her no chance to explain. Pointing toward the entrance, he shouted, "Leave immediately. You aren't welcome here for now."

"Brigade leader..."

Jiang Hongmei stared at him in disbelief, her eyes gradually reddening. "Y-you, how could you..."

"Hurry up and go!"

Zhao Gang impatiently waved a hand, his expression dark. "Stop wasting everyone's time."

Jiang Hongmei shuddered at his roar. Seeing everyone looking pleased at her misfortune, she could no longer keep up appearances. Covering her mouth, she burst into tears and ran away.

"Brigade leader, you've gone too far!"

Zhao Jianguo had been held back by his younger sister and prevented from speaking. But seeing his former sweetheart bullied so badly, his heart immediately ached. He forcefully broke free and stepped forward to question Zhao Gang angrily.

"No matter what, Hongmei is still a member of Chaoyang Production Brigade. How could you treat her like that?

"Besides, she wasn't wrong. Shen Jianan asked everyone to weave a bag within three hours, without considering what people who didn't know the technique or hadn't prepared anything were supposed to do."

Although Jiang Hongmei's words had been inappropriate, she had not been entirely wrong. Shen Jianan had not considered everyone's actual circumstances at all.

For example, many of the village's older children did not know how to weave. Then there were Zhao Xiufen, Zhao Hongjun, and himself—they had only returned to the brigade today. Where would they have found the time to prepare all those miscellaneous materials?

Did they think he couldn't tell? Shen Jianan was deliberately targeting him and Jiang Hongmei, trying to make everyone isolate them. And these cadres were all accomplices.

"Heh!"

Zhao Gang was so angry that he nearly laughed. He had once thought this boy was clever, ambitious, and able to see the bigger picture. He had truly been blind. This bastard was just a fool blinded by lust.

"Jianguo, I think you studied for nothing."

He glared and sneered, his face full of mockery. "You're the secretary's son, yet you don't even understand what it means to put the bigger picture first?

"Everyone knows hair accessories and backpacks can't be an exclusive business. The costs and technical requirements are low, and in the countryside, few people don't know sewing or weaving.

"If we don't hurry up and make a quick profit, once the people from surrounding communes smell the business opportunity, they'll start making and selling hair accessories and backpacks too. What money will we have left to earn then?"

Standing sideways, he stabbed the other man with an icy gaze. "Have you forgotten the hailstorm from a while ago? Your grandfather is still hospitalized in town, isn't he? Do you know this season's crops have been completely wiped out? If we can't earn money to buy grain, more than half the people here could starve to death.

"Under circumstances like these, who has time to wait for people who don't know how to weave to slowly learn? Besides, Shen hadn't even finished speaking before you and Jiang Hongmei jumped to conclusions and kept yammering. How do you know he didn't have another solution?"

"I..."

Zhao Jianguo was left red-faced and embarrassed, guilt written all over him. "I was just..."

"Just what?"

Accountant Zhao Quan mocked coldly, "You two have a conflict with Shen, so you deliberately targeted him. Jianguo, that's all the breadth of mind and vision you have."

Those words were extremely harsh. Zhao Jianguo was so ashamed that he wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground. Even Zhao Xiufen felt that her brother had humiliated himself.

But now that he had angered everyone, she could not simply stand by. Otherwise, when her father returned, people would point fingers at him behind his back. She hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Uncles, aunts, I'm sorry. My brother was only worried..."

"That's enough, Xiufen."

Zhao Gang waved a hand to interrupt her, his tone softening somewhat. "We know you're a good girl, but don't waste everyone's time. We have to rush to deliver the goods in ten days!"

Once he said that, even though Zhao Xiufen wanted to speak up for Zhao Jianguo, she did not dare open her mouth. Whoever delayed the work was obstructing the collective's interests. That was too heavy a charge for her to bear.

But Zhao Jianguo had always been proud and arrogant. Having been publicly humiliated by Zhao Gang and Zhao Quan, how could he possibly stay? He stiffened his neck and said, "As if I care about doing this work," before turning and storming away.

Zhao Xiufen and her childhood friends hidden among the crowd—Zhao Daqiang, Zhao Changjiang, and the others—were dumbfounded. They had never expected him to act so impulsively. For the sake of a woman, he had not only offended the entire brigade but also willingly given up an opportunity to make a fortune. His brain had to be full of water.

The elders in their families also began to dislike Zhao Jianguo. They repeatedly told them to stay away from him in the future. Anyone who ignored the bigger picture and acted on impulse would make others stupid if they spent too long around him.

Standing quietly to one side, Shen Jianan took in all the discussion. A trace of mockery surfaced in his eyes, then quickly vanished. He cleared his throat, stepped forward, and raised his voice. "Alright, alright. Stop dwelling on those two. Let's continue with what we were discussing."

The moment everyone heard him speak, they quickly sat up straight. Shen Jianan nodded in satisfaction and told them that those who did not know weaving did not need to worry. They could first learn to make the simpler hair accessories, then later learn weaving from their family members or people skilled at it. Once they had learned, they could join the next selection.

Although they did not yet know how promising the hair accessory and backpack businesses would be, they could not possibly be too bad. If the business expanded to nearby towns, the brigade would definitely need to send people there to take charge. They would not focus solely on training a few people.

So it did not matter if they missed this opportunity. They could go home, practice their skills, and take part in the next selection. Besides, no one needed to hang themselves from a single tree.

Hair accessories might not be as expensive as backpacks, but they had greater demand and took far less time to make.

When all was said and done, even if they could not weave backpacks, they could focus entirely on hair accessories. Who earned more in the end was still hard to say.

Once everyone heard that, they felt it made sense. The few villagers who still had reservations but did not dare speak up immediately felt better. One after another, they smiled and said, "Then let's not waste any more time, Shen. Let's start now!"

"Alright."

Shen Jianan nodded with a curl of his lips. Then he assigned Zhao Gang, Cheng Qianmin, and the others to oversee the backpack makers, while Zhao Hongjun and Zhao Quan distributed scraps of fabric and elastic bands to the villagers choosing to make hair accessories.

"The time for making a scrunchie must not exceed twenty-five minutes. But if you can create your own style, you may have an extra ten minutes. For backpacks, the limit can be extended by half an hour. Timing begins now."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone immediately focused and began working. Xiang Haiyan knew her husband and son would choose to weave backpacks. Worried that if she joined them, there would be no one to look after the household once they got busy, she chose to sew hair accessories instead.

Unlike everyone else, she did not make the ordinary, easy scrunchies and hair flowers. Instead, she cut a piece of light-blue pearlescent fabric and quickly sewed it into a double-layered hairband.

Then she selected some sparkling beads, strung them into groups of six with sturdy thread, and sewed them at intervals along the hairband. Just like that, an everyday braided-hair accessory was complete.

"I'm done."

She held the hairband in both hands and excitedly handed it to Shen Jianan. The entire room was stunned, but time was pressing, and no one had time to feel jealous. They all lowered their heads and continued working.

"Not bad! You did very well."

Shen Jianan lowered his eyes to examine the hairband in his hands. The stitches were neat, and both the color scheme and design were good. It was especially suitable for styling all kinds of hairstyles.

He looked up at her. "You can collect more materials and make another one now. Once the judging is over, they can all be counted toward your work points."

"Alright!"

Xiang Haiyan nodded excitedly, then asked Zhao Quan for materials and sat to one side to continue working. Before long, others began handing in their products one after another.

Shen Jianan, Zhao Hongjun, and Zhao Quan began judging them. In the end, the people who placed were Xiang Haiyan, Li Shuqin, Lu Xiaoyue, Niu Chunhua, Chen Ming, Li Jiaojiao, Wang Wenwen, Zhao Xiufen, and the Cheng Household's two young girls.

Everyone was extremely surprised that Chen Ming had made the cut. After all, boys truly had no advantage over girls when it came to needlework. But this was a live assessment, and there was no way to fake it. No matter how jealous they were, no one said anything, except Zheng Lei, whose eyes were nearly boring holes through Chen Ming.

Once the judging ended, Shen Jianan immediately assigned tasks. He had those ten people inspect all the completed hair accessories again. Any whose styles or quality were not up to standard were returned to their makers without exception. The brigade would not accept them.

As for qualified products, he recorded the maker's name and assigned work points on the spot. The brigade would keep the goods afterward, and once they were sold, each person would receive their share according to their work points.

However, during the process of assigning work points, quite a few people were dissatisfied and began complaining. For example, Zhao Dahai, who had previously been bitten all over by Cheng Hu, insisted that his wife's scrunchies were qualified even though the bows were crooked. He even claimed they were better than Xiang Haiyan's.

He also made indirect remarks accusing Shen Jianan of favoritism, only to be shut down on the spot. "If you don't know how to speak, keep your mouth shut. Otherwise, you'll spray shit all over others and bring disaster on yourself.

"Anyone can see that Sister Haiyan's hairband is high-quality. Only someone blind could fail to see it. Since you think I'm unfair and you've been wronged, then don't join the collective partnership.

"Take your things outside and sell them yourself. Whatever you make will be your money. But there's one condition: don't act under the name of Chaoyang Production Brigade or mine. Otherwise, I'll report you to the Public Security Bureau."

The moment Zhao Dahai heard that Shen Jianan would report him to the Public Security Bureau, he went silent like an old duck with its throat seized. It was his wife who had the nerve to apologize quickly, but Shen Jianan ignored her and merely sat down to score the next person's work.

She gave an embarrassed smile and could only drag away her red-faced husband. Everyone watched their expressions and minded their own business, realizing Shen Jianan was truly not someone to provoke. They all tucked away their little schemes.

Cheng Hu gave the departing Zhao Dahai a cold glance before sweeping his gaze toward his wife and his son, who was bent over working hard beside him. The corners of his lips lifted slightly before he collected himself and continued with his work.

His ten fingers flew so fast they became afterimages. Bundles of prepared rattan gradually took shape beneath his hands.

Cheng Hu knew that although Shen Jianan had arranged today's assessment to reduce trouble, he had also shown consideration for their family of three.

Therefore, he could not embarrass Shen Jianan. He gave up weaving the same rose-pattern backpack and created his own instead: a flat-bottomed bucket bag with semi-openwork weaving and three-dimensional hexagonal flowers.

Not only did that cut the time in half, but he could also use the extra time to decorate the bag. During the days he had worked for Shen Jianan, he had absorbed quite a bit of fashion culture.

So he had gained some insight in this area. Following his own ideas, he attached polished bamboo-joint handles to the bag and hung six small pumpkins he had woven on the spot in two shades. A complete backpack was finished.

When little Cheng Guang saw that his father had finished and that many people were preparing to hand in their work, he hurriedly sped up to finish his own.

He had woven a small square bag shaped like a vegetable basket. It could be carried by hand or worn crossbody. The two hand-carry handles were broad and flat, while the crossbody strap was woven from soft rattan and satin fabric.

This not only served as decoration but also prevented the awkward problem of the strap breaking if the bag was not stored properly. In short, it was both beautiful and practical.

The father and son handed their works to Shen Jianan. Everyone was stunned again. Had this whole family been possessed by the god of craftsmanship? How could they all be so fast?

Just as everyone was wondering, a teenage boy from the Zhao Household also handed over the bag in his hands. He looked at Shen Jianan nervously, rubbing his hands constantly against the seams of his pants. "S-so, is mine qualified?"

Shen Jianan nodded at the sound of his voice. "It's well made. The materials are sturdy, and there are no rough edges. But you didn't follow the style I described, nor did you innovate. It's simply a square suitcase-style bag, so it may not be chosen as an outstanding work."

"I-it's fine."

The boy smiled shyly. "As long as the quality passes, that's enough. I-I can slowly learn those fancy styles later."

"Alright."

Shen Jianan answered with a smile, encouraged him a little, and continued accepting the backpacks made by the others. Not long afterward, Zhao Gang blew a whistle. Everyone stopped working at the sound and handed in their pieces.

Shen Jianan and Zhao Gang, along with the other cadres, immediately began judging. Compared to the hair accessories, the backpack assessment was much more rigorous and solemn. They spent a full two hours before selecting the best works.

Cheng Hu and his son took first and fourth place respectively, while Bai Qiulian and Zhao Hongying came in second and third.

As for fifth through tenth place, they went to Zhao Chengcai, Zhao Tian, Feng Yi, and three elders from the Zhao and Cheng households.

Once Shen Jianan announced the results, he immediately declared, "From today onward, every qualified finished product you hand in will be recorded.

"I have placed this month's scrunchie and backpack designs in the brigade office. You may use them as references, or create your own innovations.

"From now on, at the end of every month, I will calculate everyone's work points. From the fifth to the tenth of the following month, your payment will be distributed."

Looking at the excited villagers, he smiled. "I hope everyone works hard, gets the hang of it quickly, and starts earning money soon. Alright?"

"Alright!"

Everyone responded loudly and said they would stay up all night to start working. Fortunately, Zhao Gang stopped them with a scolding, or they might really have caused a fuss. Shen Jianan took the opportunity to announce the meeting was over and told them to return for work tomorrow. Seeing that they could not fight the inevitable, everyone could only agree and leave the brigade one after another.

Shen Jianan, Gu Yu, Chen Ming, Cheng Hu's family, Lu Xiaoyue, Feng Yi, and the other educated youths headed back together.

But not long after everyone parted ways at the intersection by the Educated Youth Station, Cheng Hu's family froze in the middle of the field ridge, startled by faint sobbing and heavy panting drifting toward them.