Crossing the river by feeling the stones—half of swimming skills come from self-understanding, the other half from luck. If you drown, you deserve it.

“Sigh!”

He took quite a while to calm himself down, then checked his balance. Fortunately, all the expenses added up to just over ten yuan.

“Good thing I was only dealing with fabric scraps, otherwise I’d be bankrupt.”

After a bit of self-consolation, he felt a little more at ease, lay down on the bed, and began to reflect on his gains and losses.

Meigouying Textile Factory is a well-known state-owned enterprise, a big tree that attracts the wind, with countless eyes watching. And the people he found weren’t right either—the inside-outside collusion model is extremely unstable...

Brian Clark is someone good at drawing conclusions. After pondering for a while, he suddenly realized something.

“Tsk, I was wrong about the approach!”

He slapped his thigh. Although there are plenty of shady dealings, that doesn’t mean he has to take such underhanded routes.

He actually has a proper job!

Chapter 11: Pulling in Help

Brian Clark felt like a fool, his mindset still not fully adjusted. Luckily, he’s good at self-reflection. A few days later, he showed up at the gate of Xiangping Textile Factory.

In terms of reputation and strength, it can’t compare to Meigouying, but at least it’s a state-owned enterprise, with everything it should have.

He put on that same presentable outfit again, polished his old leather shoes until they shone, slicked his hair back several times, and with a steady demeanor, he looked several years older.

He went straight to the duty room and handed over the introduction letter—after spending a pack of cigarettes to get “tourism” changed to “business trip.”

“Ancheng Quyi Troupe?”

The old guard was suspicious, but the identity was real, so he called the relevant person in charge. It was a woman in her thirties, surname Hu, with fluffy, curly hair—a rather fashionable look.

“Hello, I’ll just call you Sister Hill.”

Brian Clark shook her hand and said, “Here’s the thing, our troupe wants to purchase some fabric scraps. As you know, there’s no textile factory in Ancheng, so I came here to have a look.”

“What do you need fabric scraps for?”

Sister Hill was puzzled too. Fabric scraps have many uses, but due to limited production conditions, they’re basically considered trash now, usually given away for free to major factories for cleaning machinery.

“Well, the People’s Congress is about to convene, and our troupe is following the call to organize meetings and study sessions. Next month is the Party’s founding anniversary, the month after is Army Day, then National Day, Mid-Autumn Festival... You know how many events a quyi troupe has. We just want to buy some fabric scraps to decorate and create some atmosphere.”

“What kind of atmosphere can fabric scraps create?”

“They’re actually very useful!”

Brian Clark counted on his fingers and explained, “Cut those scraps into thin strips, tie them together in a knot, and you’ve got ribbons or streamers, right? Patch a few pieces together and you’ve got a garment cover. At the very least, you can make a mop or fake flowers...”

“Garment cover?” Sister Hill was still confused.

“Yeah, for example, during a meeting, if a leader feels hot and takes off their jacket, just hanging it there doesn’t look good and it gets dirty easily. Make a cover like this to put over it.”

He gestured, and she immediately understood, her eyes lighting up.

That’s a great idea! She didn’t know if this young man said it on purpose or by accident, but if she copied it, it would definitely stand out.

Every workplace has to organize study sessions, and textile factories are no exception. If she made garment covers for the leaders, she’d be in the spotlight everywhere.

His identity checked out, the reason was legitimate, and he looked pleasant enough. Sister Hill immediately became more enthusiastic. “In that case, I’ll take you to have a look. We’ll talk specifics in the warehouse.”

“Great, thank you.”

The two entered the compound and turned into a warehouse, which was piled high with all kinds of fabric.

“You came just in time. The machine tool factory is coming to pick these up tomorrow.”

Sister Hill pointed to a small mountain of fabric scraps and said, “I don’t know what kind you want, so pick for yourself. I won’t charge you.”

“That won’t do!”

Brian Clark quickly waved his hand and said, “I appreciate your kindness, but business is business. I don’t want you to take responsibility just for giving me a deal.”

“Heh, you’re quite mature. Fine, twenty cents a sack—take as much as you want.” Sister Hill liked him even more.

Right away, he dove into the pile and started picking.

It was about the same as Meigouying’s—cotton, polyester, poly-cotton blends. He already had a plan, so he picked out mostly cotton, especially workwear fabric.

Soon, he had four sacks, and also bought a dozen or so elastic bands.

The total cost was just one yuan!

After finishing all the procedures, Sister Hill personally saw him out, saying they could work together again in the future. Brian Clark could only shed silent tears—if only he’d known, he wouldn’t have wasted over ten yuan and almost lost everything.

……

Afternoon, small courtyard.

As June arrived, the weather grew hotter and hotter, making it almost impossible to stay indoors.

Andrew Brooks was leaning on the bed, holding a copy of Dream of the Red Chamber, and had been reading for two hours. Her face was fair and clean, not a drop of sweat, as if untouched by the dust of the world.

Perhaps influenced by that annoying guy, she had also been taking frequent leave lately. Don’t ask—if you do, she’ll say she’s reading and preparing lessons, getting ready for filming.

Well, the drama troupe sincerely hoped their own Lin Daiyu would emerge, so they gave her the greatest tolerance.