Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

Three days after Xinghe expanded into two rooms, Director Ye rode his bicycle to Beijing early in the morning.

He Qiuyan had just opened the window when the breakfast on the table was still steaming. Seeing Director Ye park his car in the yard, she knew something had happened at the street factory.

"Xiuhe went to the department store to deliver something, she'll be back soon. What's going on at the factory?"

Director Ye took the enamel mug and only took two sips.

"We can still make 320 more, but we can't keep up with the material supply for the next 600 sets."

The factory that originally supplied materials to the street factory suddenly changed its tune this morning, only agreeing to provide half of the original amount.

Nanhua placed an order yesterday for the next two weeks' worth of goods, and paid in advance. The supplier's intention is clear: there are many people demanding goods recently, and whoever orders early and in large quantities will receive their goods first.

When Lin Xiuhe returned, Director Ye had already explained most of the matter.

She pushed her bicycle into the yard.

"How long can the existing supplies last?"

"I can only finish the 320 sets I have on hand, and at most I can finish the first 200 or so of the 600 sets."

"Is the workshop open today?"

"Nothing's happening today."

Director Ye held the enamel mug, but the worry between his brows did not dissipate.

"If no new materials arrive in the next two days, I need to let a few people rest for a couple of days."

He Qiuyan put down the sesame seed cake in her hand.

Most of the women in the street factories were paid by piecework; if they missed a day of work, they would bring home less money at the end of the month.

Zheng Qiaoyun had asked someone yesterday if this batch of 600 sets could be made in one go. Her younger brother is about to start school, and the soles of his shoes are almost worn down to the socks.

Lin Xiuhe put her coat back on.

"I'm going to the material supplier."

Director Ye then stood up.

"I'll go with you."

"Go back and oversee the workshop. Keep your current work going as usual, and don't let them worry."

Director Ye thought for a moment, then sat back down.

"Okay, I'll wait for your message."

When Lin Xiuhe arrived at the material supply plant, Nanhua's car was already parked in the yard.

Fang Qicheng was also there.

Just a few days ago, the two were sitting at the same table in the department store, arguing over trial orders. Today, when they meet again, they are separated by a truckload of iron materials that have already been written into the Nanhua delivery order.

Fang Qicheng was holding the paperwork in his hand, and he smiled when he saw her come in.

"A step too late?"

"It seems so."

"I ordered this batch yesterday."

"I know."

Fang Qicheng had initially seemed prepared to offer some explanation, but after hearing her quick and straightforward answer, he became even more interested.

"Aren't you going to fight back?"

"You've already paid the money, what am I supposed to argue with?"

"We can raise the price."

Lin Xiuhe smiled.

"For this little bit of material, let's drive up the price first, and who'll get the best deal in the end?"

Fang Qicheng burst out laughing.

"Mr. Lin, it's been much more interesting for you since you started doing business."

"Manager Fang isn't as polite as before."

The person in charge of the supply plant came out of the warehouse and, seeing that both of them were there, quickly came over.

"Comrade Lin, I spoke with Director Ye yesterday. Nanhua takes half a month's worth of orders at a time, so we'll definitely prioritize these big ones. If you're really in a hurry, I can spare some more."

He gave a number.

Lin Xiuhe quickly understood the situation.

Taking it back will only prolong its life by a few more days.

"Okay, give this batch to Nanhua first."

The person in charge did not expect her to agree so readily.

"What about the remaining six hundred sets?"

"I'll keep looking."

Fang Qicheng stood beside the car, his expression becoming more serious.

"Recently, even this type of product is in short supply outside."

"Beijing is so big, it can't be that only this one store has the goods."

Lin Xiuhe gripped the handlebars, ready to leave.

Fang Qicheng called after her, "If you really can't find it, call me this afternoon."

She turned around and asked, "You can still divide it?"

"cannot."

Fang Qicheng answered confidently and righteously.

"I can tell you where else you can find them."

Lin Xiuhe smiled.

"Then I'll thank Manager Fang in advance."

"I'll thank you again if I find it."

She rode her bicycle out of the hospital.

He Qiuyan was already waiting for her at the street corner.

"Didn't get it?"

"It's been given to Nanhua."

"Where to now?"

"East of the city."

When Lin Xiuhe was working on projects at the research institute, she visited a hardware factory in the eastern part of the city. That factory supplied parts to many state-owned enterprises, and sometimes when customers changed the dimensions at the last minute, some materials that were difficult to distribute elsewhere would be left in the warehouse.

When the two arrived at the east side of the city, it was already close to noon.

After hearing the specifications she requested, the warehouse manager shook his head.

"There's no genuine product available; everyone's been scrambling for it lately."

Lin Xiuhe did not leave.

"What about the parts that were left behind when customers changed specifications?"

The man stopped moving the goods.

"You want the stockpiled stuff too?"

"Let's take a look first."

Only then did the other party take them to the back warehouse.

Sure enough, there was a pile of materials at the very back.

The lengths weren't entirely consistent, and the specifications differed slightly from what the street factory usually used. The surface was covered in a layer of dust. The original customer changed the size at the last minute, and this batch of goods sat in the warehouse for several months without finding a suitable buyer.

Lin Xiuhe took out a few and used a ruler from the warehouse to check their dimensions.

One more trimming step and it's ready to use.

How many?

The person in charge reported the quantity, which was significantly more than the required 600 sets.

"Take them all, I'll give you the clearance price."

As soon as the price was announced, He Qiuyan moved forward a bit.

Even with the additional processing costs included, the material cost per set can still be reduced.

Lin Xiuhe immediately made the decision.

"Leave it all to me."

He Qiuyan turned to look at her.

"Really taking it all?"

"Um."

I just paid three months' rent yesterday.

"I remember."

"This means we'll have to put another sum of money into it."

Lin Xiuhe brushed the dust off the materials.

"If the workshop stops operating the day after tomorrow, this money won't be able to be converted into goods even if it stays at Xinghe."

This time, He Qiuyan didn't try to persuade her again.

The warehouse wanted to free up space, and Xinghe was short of materials, so the two parties quickly reached an agreement. The first truckload was delivered to Linzhou that day, and the remaining goods were also reserved for Xinghe.

The truck drove into the factory on the street just after lunchtime.

Director Ye had already spoken with several female workers this morning, and if the supply of materials couldn't keep up, they might have to take turns resting in a couple of days.

Zheng Qiaoyun was packing her things for the afternoon when she heard the engine outside the courtyard and was the first to run out.

The driver leaned out of the cab.

"Where should we unload Xinghe's materials?"

People gradually came out of the workshop.

Director Ye took out a new piece of material and tried it.

"It's different from what I used before."

"We need to do one more step."

Lin Xiuhe followed the truck into the yard. "Let's make a few to try first. The cost for this step will be calculated separately."

Zheng Qiaoyun's biggest concern was still that matter.

"Should we take a break or not?"

"Never stop."

The worry on her face immediately disappeared, and she turned around to clear the material rack.

Several female workers nearby also got busy. Zheng Qiaoyun carried a bundle of materials toward the workshop, still thinking about the pair of shoes she hadn't bought yet.

"I knew my brother's shoes wouldn't run away."

Director Ye was amused by her.

"The work hasn't even started, but you've already arranged the money."

"Arrange it in advance, so you don't waste it later."

A batch of the new material was tested that very afternoon.

Adding an extra trimming step isn't troublesome, and the resulting lunchbox basket will still be fine.

What pleased Director Ye even more was that the price of this batch of stockpiled materials was cheap, and after factoring in the additional labor costs, each set would cost a little less than before.

The next morning, the person in charge of the original supplier came to Xinghe in person.

Nanhua temporarily adjusted some of its production arrangements, freeing up some of the materials that were locked up yesterday.

The man entered and said, "Comrade Lin, you still need materials for your six hundred sets, right? I can reserve some for you right now."

Lin Xiuhe asked if the price was still the same, and shook her head with a smile.

"We won't need this batch for now."

"Did you find the goods?"

"It's already in the factory."

The man looked somewhat surprised.

"Six hundred sets are enough?"

"enough."

He stood at the door for a while.

"Will you continue making this kind of product?"

"meeting."

"Then I'll reserve some for you in the next batch?"

Lin Xiuhe did not place the next batch of orders directly.

"If you have stock available, please let Xinghe know in advance. If the price is right, I'll take it."

The man pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"become."

He Qiuyan saw the person out of the courtyard, and when she returned, the smile was still on her face.

"Yesterday I told you to wait until Nanhua finished collecting it, and today they've already started asking you if you want it next time."

Lin Xiuhe put the samples on the table into the wooden shelf.

"He also has to do business."

"I understand the reasoning."

He Qiuyan pulled out a chair and sat down.

"But it still felt great."

After noon, Director Ye came again with Zheng Qiaoyun.

Zheng Qiaoyun carried a cloth bag in her hand and put it on the table as soon as she entered the room.

"Made with fresh ingredients yesterday."

The bag was opened, and inside were ten lunchbox baskets neatly arranged.

Director Ye picked up one of them and handed it to Lin Xiuhe.

"The workshop has been operating continuously for a whole day, and there are no problems with the products."

She couldn't hide the joy on her face.

"The wages will still be paid in full. After all 600 sets are completed, Xinghe will be able to keep more money than before."

He Qiuyan was delighted to hear this.

"You really got a good deal this time."

Zheng Qiaoyun was also happy.

"If we don't stop production, Xinghe can make more money. We hope this kind of good thing will happen more often in the future."

Director Ye patted her on the shoulder.

"You wish! There's no such thing as a free lunch that you can just sit back and enjoy every day."

As the group was talking, someone suddenly rode a bicycle into the courtyard.

The young man who came was a warehouse worker from the hardware factory in the east of the city.

He parked the car, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Which one of you is Lin Xiuhe?"

Lin Xiuhe got up from the table.

"I am."

"The warehouse staff told me to come over and let you know as soon as possible."

The young man caught his breath.

"This morning someone came to ask about the stockpiled material from yesterday, asking who bought it and whether there's any left in the warehouse."

He Qiuyan's smile faded somewhat.

"Who asked that?"

The young man raised his hand to wipe his sweat.

"Nanhua Trade Services Department"