I Got Rich in Period Fiction

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: The Rainbow Sling Bag Chapter 26: Chapter 26: The Rainbow Sling Bag As a family member, you should quietly support from behind, not hop around causing trouble for everyone.

She’s got some nerve, not considering Xiao He at all.

At this time, Mr. Qi had a very poor impression of Qiao Qingyu.

He really wished He Xiuyu would leave this troublesome woman right now.

But He Xiuyu was in the middle of an important meeting at the moment, and he had other things to do afterward; he couldn’t disturb him. So after thinking it over, he decided to call Old Wei, the base’s former leader.

And Qiao Qingyu had no idea about all this; she was holding the contract, happily placing it in a wooden box in the laboratory.

She had already discussed with Director Xie and planned to start measuring the land tomorrow.

Defining the boundaries of the contracted area, putting the agreement into practice, and then needing to plant the thousand silk hemp seeds as soon as possible.

Moreover, she had a new plan.

In the afternoon, Vice Director Qian personally brought two young men with a tractor to deliver eighty large bottles back to her.

Qiao Qingyu checked each bottle carefully, then handed over a 500 yuan deposit to Vice Director Qian, praising, “Vice Director Qian, your efficiency is really high. It only took three days to plant several hundred acres of thousand silk hemp…”

“Many hands make light work,” Vice Director Qian said with a smile. “How about you here? When do you need our help?”

“The agreement was signed today, measuring the land tomorrow, but I need to treat the soil before planting. After all, it’s not the same as the eight hundred acres of your commune’s land.”

“Right, our land isn’t great, but it’s been cultivated for a few years, and I’m familiar with it. The land you’re contracting is not only poor but also virgin soil, so it’s going to be very challenging.”

Vice Director Qian was genuinely concerned for Qiao Qingyu.

Qiao Qingyu didn’t reveal her plans; she had one thousand yuan on hand and was planning to rent two land tillers from Xichuan Machinery Factory.

Otherwise, human labor alone would not finish the work in a month.

Money comes and goes quickly; in the blink of an eye, half of the two thousand yuan was spent.

After sending off Vice Director Qian, Qiao Qingyu began to sort through the flawed fabrics and scraps of cloth.

This time, she was going to follow an old trick from the era’s culture.

That was to make shoulder bags from these scraps.

In the late seventies, people often liked to carry military green shoulder bags.

She had one herself.

There were also some black leather bags, but the styles were somewhat simple.

So when bright colors spread out, the innate love for beauty was irresistible.

Of course, first, she had to make a good design come to life.

Sister-in-law Li had a sewing machine at home; the deft Qiao Qingyu selected three different shades of yellow, added blue and red, along with a piece of black cotton fabric. Seeing that it was only after two o’clock in the afternoon, she took these materials to Sister-in-law Li’s house.

Logically speaking, Sister-in-law Li only had one child, Xiao Hu, and Mr. Li’s wage wasn’t low, so their household should be well-off. However, she had to pinch pennies; even her clothes, washed to the point of fading, were not replaced with new ones, and she would save any good food for her child because each month, they had to send half of their cash to her husband’s parents in their hometown, and Mr. Li had six younger brothers and sisters to support.

So Sister-in-law Li’s life was difficult indeed, and Qiao Qingyu planned to recruit her into the venture. If the shoulder bags made money, it could change her life.

Of course, those times were hard for everyone, including the relatives of the Qiao Family Team.

Aunt Qiao and the others particularly disliked her.

The 200 yuan in her hand was probably the entire savings of these families.

Otherwise, the original host couldn’t have longed for Beijing, where people said you could eat meat every day, nor could she have spent 200 yuan in just one month.

In the past few years, the Qiao Family Team had enough grain, but it was all coarse grains. Rice paddies were not widespread; the most commonly grown crops were corn, sorghum, and soybeans.

The clothes worn by the villagers were layered with patches inside and out, and they lived in mud-brick houses. Those who had better circumstances decorated the front with red bricks, like Qiao Qingyu’s family.

It was rare to have a meal with white flour throughout the year; eggs and meat were even more of a luxury.

In Qiao Qingyu’s memory, she had only eaten rice once, which was last year during the New Year.

It was also the first time in her life.

Even after reaching Xichuan, corn flour and millet remained the staple food.

So she often visited the supply and marketing cooperative at Xiaxi Commune to buy food, later she even went to Yushu County, and she inadvertently found the black market.

Even though the purchasing power was strong in that era, the food and clothing prices at the black market were incredibly high.

Nevertheless, it must be said that Qiao Qingyu was quite filial to Han Xianglan and Qiao Zhicai, otherwise she would not have sent them 600 yuan by mail.

She now had over one thousand yuan in her possession. She had already set aside the amount she owed He Xiuyu, planning to repay him completely upon their divorce.

But after paying him back, she wouldn’t have much left, so she had to make money quickly. Otherwise, even basic food and clothing would be a problem, and if she thought about returning to the Qiao Family Team, she couldn’t go back empty-handed and penniless.

Her thoughts moved swiftly, and upon arriving at Sister-in-law Li’s house, she briefly explained her purpose. Sister-in-law Li immediately started up the sewing machine, and Qiao Qingyu cut the fabric to size. An hour later, a beloved rainbow shoulder bag, fresh off the production, emerged.

Sister-in-law Li had been sewing for more than a decade and had used various scraps to put together a school bag for her younger sister, with a ruffled fringe around the edge.

But compared to this rainbow bag, it was worlds apart.

What Qiao Qingyu designed was not a flowered school bag, but an ethnic-style patchwork shoulder bag, with black at the bottom, followed by yellow, brown, red, pink, blue, and light yellow at the top.

It resembled a beautiful rainbow just after the rain.

Temporarily without a zipper, Sister-in-law Li made two beautiful Chinese frog buttons. The strap was as wide as a thumb, made from flawed brown labor cloth. The so-called flaws were not tears or breaks, but a dyeing issue, meaning the fabric was printed when it shouldn’t have been. However, such a strap was even more suitable.

Not to mention Sister-in-law Li, even Qiao Qingyu, who had seen many designer bags, found it attractive.

It was a victorious first attempt, and the first bag was a success.

Encouraged, Qiao Qingyu began cutting triangular pieces of fabric, with Sister-in-law Li assisting her. Quick enough, they had completed another triangular patchwork shoulder bag before dinner.

The fabrics used had contrasting colors, varied in size but did not appear fragmented, resembling an art piece even more.

This time, Qiao Qingyu innovatively sewed a tassel-like accessory to the edge of the bag, using the same fabric as the strap. When worn on the shoulder and walked a few steps, the tassels swung slightly, looking quite quaint and novel.

“Qingyu, your hands are truly skilled; this is too beautiful,” said Sister-in-law Li. Women love clothes just as much as they love bags, and Sister-in-law Li was no exception.

She had just taken a liking to the rainbow bag, and now she was equally enamored with the triangular patchwork shoulder bag.

“Sister-in-law Li, do you think these bags can be sold?”

“Of course, they can. I’ve never seen such good-looking shoulder bags before.”

Qiao Qingyu smiled brightly, “Sister-in-law Li, are you interested in joining me in this business?”