Marrying My Bestie's Ferocious Brother - He Calls Me His Baby!

Chapter 320 - 318: The Whole School Scrambles for Down Jackets!

In front of the teaching building of Beijing University, it was even messier than a vegetable market.

Lin Wan Yi had just parked her bicycle, not even having time to lock it.

"Classmate Lin! I want that red one! I have money! I also brought fabric!"

A girl from the foreign language department slapped ten yuan onto Lin Wan Yi’s bike seat, waving two pieces of dacron fabric in her hand.

"I want it too! I’ve been in line for three days!"

"Don’t push! I was here first! Lin Wan Yi, I’m the counselor for our department, can you save one for me?"

A female teacher wearing thick glasses, disregarding her dignity, squeezed forward, causing her hairpin to tilt.

It was very cold.

In such bone-chilling weather, the outfit Lin Wan Yi wore that both accentuated the waist and kept her warm was a lifesaver and a status symbol.

Lin Wan Yi pushed the money back.

She tidied her collar, with an expression of calmness.

"Out of stock."

These two words made the crowd erupt.

"How can it be out of stock? Even waiting two days would be fine!"

"One week."

Lin Wan Yi held up one finger.

"Current orders are already scheduled for next Friday. If you want it, you’ll have to wait."

Having said that, she picked up her backpack and walked into the classroom in high heels, under envious and anxious gazes.

This feeling of "supply not meeting demand" not only didn’t discourage everyone but made those who hadn’t bought one even more frantic.

The more you can’t get it, the more you want it.

...

Gu Family Mansion.

The courtyard was bustling, but they encountered difficulties.

"Wan Yi, this won’t work."

Sister in law Liu, shaking her sore arms, pointed at the large basin of duck feathers that were still dripping water on the ground.

"It’s too cold, hands get numb when put in water. It takes three people to wash one basin of feathers, which is too slow."

The clothes were made quickly, but the raw materials couldn’t keep up.

Lin Wan Yi frowned as she looked at the basin of water with ice shards.

If reliant solely on hand washing, this business wouldn’t grow big.

"Sister, try this."

In the corner, Jiang Zhou, pushed a strange wooden barrel over.

His hands were covered in machine oil, with a smudge of black ash on his face, looking rather messy, but his eyes sparkled brightly.

It was a large wooden bathing barrel, with a thick wooden stick inserted in the middle, outfitted with several paddle-like blades on top.

Attached to the outside of the barrel, was a crank handle.

This was the most primitive centrifugal washing machine.

"Put the feathers in, add water, and turn this handle."

Jiang Zhou demonstrated.

He vigorously turned the handle.

"Swish, swish!"

The water inside the barrel spun rapidly, creating a huge vortex.

The duck feathers that were initially stuck together quickly dispersed under the impact of the water flow, with mud and sand settling to the bottom.

After washing, let the water out and continue to rotate.

The centrifugal force threw off almost all the moisture from the duck feathers.

Sister in law Liu was stunned.

She reached in and grabbed a handful of duck feathers.

Clean.

And mostly dry, just need a little airing before they can be used.

"Amazing!"

Sister in law Liu slapped her thigh, almost jumping up in excitement.

"A few turns of this thing beats us working half a day! Jiang Zhou, how does your mind work?"

Jiang Zhou scratched his head in embarrassment, looked at Lin Wan Yi, like a little student waiting for praise.

Lin Wan Yi picked up the bunch of duck feathers and examined them.

"Well done."

These three words made Jiang Zhou stand up straight immediately.

Just then, the loud voice of the postman came from the front gate.

"Gu Yanshen’s family! And others! There’s registered mail! Also a money order!"

"A letter from big brother!"

Gu Lan put down the needlework in her hands and rushed out like a cannonball.

She snatched the thick brown paper envelope.

The envelope was bulging.

Gu Lan couldn’t wait to tear open the seal.

"Rustle."

A stack of large notes fell out.

Plus a stack of colorful tickets.

Lin Wan Yi bent down to pick up the money and counted it.

Two hundred yuan.

Along with fifty jins of national grain tickets, five jins of meat tickets, and even a few extremely hard-to-come-by industrial tickets.

This wasn’t just an allowance; it practically covered moving house expenses.

"What does the letter say?" Lin Wan Yi asked.

Gu Lan unfolded the letter, cleared her throat, preparing to read it aloud to everyone.

"To my wife Wan Yi: Seeing the letter is like seeing your face. The temperature has dropped in Beijing, be sure to add more clothes. Last time I heard your appetite wasn’t good, so I sent some meat tickets, don’t save money, your health is important..."

Gu Lan read a couple of lines, then her voice softened.

She turned over a page.

"... Enclosed are three industrial tickets, if you see any appliances you like, feel free to buy them. If not enough, borrow from Uncle Wang at the mansion, and I will settle it when I return."

Gu Lan flipped to the last page.

It was filled with mentions of "Wan Yi", "wife", "darling".

Up until the last line.

"Also: If Gu Lan doesn’t behave, write to let me know, and I’ll deal with her when I get back."

"Bang!"

Gu Lan slammed the letter paper onto the table.

She was so angry that her cheeks puffed up like a puffer fish.

"Favoritism! It’s too much favoritism!"

"I take care of his children every day and do the hard work, and he doesn’t even ask about me, yet he’s still thinking about coming back to sort me out?"

The sister-in-law Liu and the others in the yard laughed heartily.

"Lan, you should be satisfied. Your brother is showing affection for his wife, which means our Wan Yi is blessed!"

Lin Wan Yi put the money away and drew out the three Industrial Tickets from the stack.

She walked over to Jiang Zhou.

"Take it."

Jiang Zhou was surprised, rubbed his hand on his thigh, and didn’t dare to take it.

"Sis, this... this is too valuable."

Industrial Tickets, essential for buying bicycles, watches, radios, which can’t be bought even if you have money.

"Your machine was a great help."

Lin Wan Yi directly stuffed the tickets into his oil-stained shirt pocket.

"You need parts, you need tools. I don’t understand those things, you go buy them yourself."

"Remember, you’re someone who’s going to make color TVs, don’t be stingy over these small amounts of money."

Jiang Zhou clutched his pocket.

The thin sheets of paper made his chest feel hot.

"Sis... don’t worry! I’ll definitely make the color TV happen!"

With the material issue resolved, Lin Wan Yi looked at the mountain of fabric orders.

"Sister-in-law Liu, call two more people."

"More people?" Sister-in-law Liu widened her eyes.

"Yes."

Lin Wan Yi pointed to the pile of fabric.

"Tell them, as usual. Only swift hands come, those who slack off can leave."

Once the news broke.

The mansion was abuzz again.

Two more spots!

The military wives who were originally on the fence or even speaking sourly behind the scenes were now anxious.

Who would turn down eggs and meat?

In less than ten minutes, two of the most reliable military wives sat in the yard and joined the ’assembly line.’

At the Gu Family’s side, the sewing machines were working heatedly.

A few kilometers away, at the supply and marketing cooperative, the atmosphere was cold like an ice cellar.

"Bang!"

Manager Zhao Jian Country slammed a ledger onto the counter.

"What’s going on?"

Zhao Jian Country pointed at the towering piles of cotton-padded coats on the shelf behind him.

"It’s been over half a month since winter started, and these cotton-padded coats haven’t sold a single one?"

"If there’s a check from above, all our bonuses for this month might go down the drain!"

The salesperson hunched their shoulders, looking aggrieved.

"Manager, it’s not our fault."

"Is it my fault then?" Zhao Jian Country glared.

"No... it’s that Gu Family."

The salesperson muttered softly.

"Everyone’s going to the Gu Family to buy those... down jackets. They’re light, warm, and good looking."

"Our cotton-padded jackets are bulky and heavy, who’s going to buy them?"

"I saw even the wife of our deputy director secretly went to the Gu Family to order one."

Zhao Jian Country was stunned.

Gu Family?

The capitalist young lady who just got married here?

Competing for business with the supply and marketing cooperative?

This can’t be!

This is undermining socialism!

Zhao Jian Country squinted his eyes, the flesh on his face twitched twice.

"Alright, daring to compete with me."

He grabbed the hat on the table and placed it on his head.

"I want to see for myself, how capable she really is."

...

Dusk.

At the entrance of the military compound.

A man in a gray Zhongshan suit was sneakily hiding behind a telephone pole.

It was Zhao Jian Country.

He held a small notebook in one hand and a pen in the other.

"A bag of duck feathers went in."

He made a note in the notebook.

"That student came out, holding two finished products."

Another note made.

"Sister-in-law Liu came out with eggs in her basket."

One more note.

Zhao Jian Country looked at the tightly closed door of the Gu Family, as if eyeing a fat sheep ready for slaughter.

Hiring workers.

Private production.

Buying and selling.

Each of these is leverage.

He closed the notebook and tucked it into his chest.

"Lin Wan Yi, is it?"

Zhao Jian Country patted the notebook on his chest, turned, and vanished into the night.

"Tomorrow, I’ll show you what happens to speculators."