Chapter 67 State-Owned Textile Factory [Seeking Follow-up Reading]

In Baoqing, when talking about the textile industry, the first thing that comes to mind in many people’s memories is the old state-owned cotton textile factory.

This is a local state-owned enterprise. At its peak, there were nearly 3,000 female textile workers working here.

The factory has its own nursery, primary school, junior high school, a staff hospital that provides free medical care, an affordable staff canteen, and comfortable shower rooms. After work, employees and their families can enjoy a colorful leisure life in the lighted stadium, cinema, reading room, and chess and card room.

However, with the end of the planned economy and the advent of the market economy, the pace of reform and opening up has accelerated. Like many large state-owned factories, the old cotton textile factory will eventually decline and gradually reach the day of complete bankruptcy and liquidation.

The busy scene before our eyes is all false, and no one can predict that it will soon wither away.

And that day won’t be far away.

As Lu Yang recalls, the city's old state-owned cotton textile factory had begun to decline since the late 80s. In 1993, it tried to restructure, but the restructuring failed. As a result, thousands of female textile workers were gradually laid off. By 1996, the number of layoffs reached 2200, leaving only a few hundred workers to maintain the basic operation of the factory.

Even so, the old cotton textile factory, which is already heavily in debt and unable to recover, is still a huge burden to the city.

Two thousand years later, it was completely sold and acquired by a cotton textile giant from the provincial capital. It changed from a state-owned enterprise to a private one, and the name of the old cotton textile factory completely withdrew from the stage of history.

Of course, these have nothing to do with Lu Yang at present.

The purpose of his visit today was simply to buy a batch of cheap cloth in stock from this old state-owned cotton textile factory.

Yes, that's all.

The rest will be left for later, when he becomes stronger.

The big truck was parked on the side of the road.

Lu Yang and his four companions jumped out of the car, and saw a prosperous scene of people getting off work. Thousands of female textile workers walked out of the gate guarded by the factory guards one after another, some pushing their bicycles or riding them. These were those who lived far away from the family buildings, while those who lived closer walked. Dozens of people walked together, singing and laughing happily.

Further away, out of the sight of the factory guards, young men from other machinery factories who had crossed the river from the south of the Yangtze River to the north of the Yangtze River, wearing fashionable clothes, whistling, with lewd looks in their eyes, were also beginning to look for targets to strike up a conversation with.

Note that this is not hooliganism.

Rather, it is a blind date culture that has been passed down for decades, has become a custom, but cannot be made public.

According to legend, it started from the time when the old cotton textile factory was founded. Because there were many female workers, especially unmarried female workers, who not only had relatively high quality but also received extremely good treatment, the old cotton textile factory was widely sought after by bachelors from other state-owned factories in the city, especially machinery factories.

In that era, marrying a female worker from a textile factory was a very prestigious thing. When men took her out, they would hold their heads high.

To this end, the leaders above, based on actual conditions, organized many social gatherings and blind dates between unmarried female workers from old cotton textile factories and unmarried young men from major state-owned machinery factories.

But the number of places is limited after all, and there are still more people than places.

So some people began to break the rules. They would rather work half a day less, take half a day off, cross the river by ferry, and travel back and forth between the south and north of the river in a day, just to be able to squat at the factory gate, waiting for the moment when the female workers in the textile factory got off work, and then find the right opportunity to approach and chat with them.

What if they were attracted to each other, wouldn't it be possible for them to get married and marry a female worker from a state-owned cotton textile factory?

Over time, as more and more people did this, it became a convention and a custom street was formed. Many petty bourgeoisie families of that era were supported by setting up stalls on this cotton textile street and selling various snacks and small accessories that female workers liked.

pity.

Times must change after all.

No one would have thought that the female worker from a state-owned cotton textile factory, who was once so popular and a source of pride when married, would suddenly become worthless one day.

After the next tide came, a cold winter suddenly arrived overnight.

Thousands of female textile workers were unemployed and could only rely on a meager relief to make a living. Some of them could not even make a living. For married people, some couples were laid off, and their children could not afford to go to school and their elderly could not afford to see a doctor. For those who were not married, they might have younger brothers and sisters to support at home. After enduring a period of hardship, many people who were tired of making a living just went into business, and Jiangbei became a place of fireworks.

She was once very popular, and marrying her would bring honor to the family.

It has become a mess in the future.

Whose fault is this?

Lu Yang stood there, as if he was standing at a crossroads of the times, and couldn't help feeling emotional.

"Yangzi, are we going in now?" Da Jun asked him standing beside him.

Lu Yang shook his head: "Forget it, it's time to get off work, let's find a place to stay first, and then make other plans tomorrow."

A slight look.

Walk towards a guesthouse opposite.

Wait until it settles down.

Da Jun couldn't sit still, and forced Gong Pingan to accompany him down to see the beauty.

There are many beautiful women in this cotton textile factory, and it is not an exaggeration.

If you don’t take the opportunity to take a few more glances, wouldn’t you be missing out?

hey-hey……

What if we fall in love with each other.

In Da Jun's words: I also married someone who is both beautiful and capable and has a stable job. When the female soldiers go home, they envy those idiots in the village to death.

Even my eldest cousin was a little jealous.

If he hadn't been married and had a pregnant wife at home, even he would have been a little restless.

"alright."

Lu Yang shook his head: "I'll give you half a day off this afternoon. You can arrange yourselves however you want. Just remember not to cause trouble, and not to get into conflicts with others at will. If you really need help, call me. I'm going to go out and take care of some personal matters."

Done.

Just went downstairs.

And don't let them follow.

Lu Yang was actually very familiar with this street, not only because of his memories before his rebirth, but also because he had been here before in this body when he was 16 years old.

He just graduated from junior high school that year.

He became a disciple of Old Man Yin, and lived in his house, learning carpentry skills for three years.

Suddenly one day, a tall man in his early 40s came to the school and claimed to be the woman’s current husband. He said to me, who had just received my junior high school graduation certificate.

He learned about his existence from the woman, and that she came to see him today because she wanted to help her make up for some of the regrets she had in the past.

As long as you want to.

He could take me over and reunite me with that woman and my sister.

He even promised that he would be willing to send me to further study, to a technical secondary school, or high school, and then to college.

As long as you have the ability to learn.

pity!

He still remembers his response: "You're too late."

If it was three years ago and he had no other options, he probably would have agreed.

Now, he has given up studying a long time ago and has fallen behind in his academic studies. However, his carpentry skills have improved day by day, and he is now able to support himself with his own hands. In this case, why should he still live under someone else's roof?
There's a stepfather for no reason.

Ha ha.

Lu Yang rejected the other party without even thinking about it.

(End of this chapter)