Chapter 30: Found a Job for the Village Seamstresses

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Found a Job for the Village Seamstresses

In truth, making these crocheted dolls wasn’t difficult. Almost anyone with basic needlework skills could learn it in a short amount of time. Yun Zhen had managed to make three just last night.

But where could she buy the materials?

Yun Zhen was too embarrassed to ask the stall owner where to buy the raw materials, afraid she might be misunderstood as trying to steal their craft.

Just then, a woman in her twenties asked the stall owner, "Did you make all of these? I’ve seen people buy finished products online and resell them to make a profit."

The stall owner pointed in a direction with a genuine expression. "I bought the materials from the ten-yuan store up ahead and crocheted them myself. The finished products sold online cost dozens of dollars too. Since I have the skill, if I didn’t make them myself and only earned a few dollars in price difference, I might as well do something else to make money faster.

"You can go check out the ten-yuan store. They have this brand’s material pack inside. It’s forty-two yuan a pack."

The woman nodded, picked out three dolls for a hundred and fifty yuan, and left. A few more women came by afterward, each buying two. In just a short while, the stall owner raked in nearly five hundred yuan.

Yun Zhen grew increasingly eager as she watched. She thought, "I really can make money! I think I’ve finally figured out how to make a fortune."

She could buy a bunch of materials, take them back, and teach the women in the village how to crochet. Once they finished the products, she would collect them and set up a stall to sell them.

She wondered, "Raw materials from the ten-yuan store?"

She approached a kind-looking older woman and asked, "Hello, could you tell me where the ten-yuan store is?"

The older woman pointed the way. "Just around the corner ahead. You’ll see it on your left."

"Thank you!" Yun Zhen said, her face lighting up with joy.

She walked a few steps, turned the corner, and found the ten-yuan store. A large "Ten" was written on the signboard above the entrance. Upon looking inside, she found an incredible variety of goods. There were pots, bowls, ladles, basins, brooms, books, and women’s accessories. Yun Zhen had never even seen many of these items before.

Yun Zhen walked in and browsed around but didn’t spot the material packs she wanted. She asked, "Excuse me, I’m looking for the material packs to crochet dolls."

The store owner handed one to her. "I only have one type of material pack here. It’s forty-two yuan a pack, and it comes in thirty-five colors."

Yun Zhen held the heavy, oversized pack.

Today, she had made sixty-two and a half yuan from collecting scrap, and fifty yuan from working at the restaurant, bringing her total to one hundred and twelve point five yuan. A crocheted doll sold for fifty yuan. A large material pack cost forty-two yuan. This pack could make at least five dolls. That meant earning two hundred and fifty yuan! Even after deducting the cost, she would still make a clean two hundred!

She paid the money and left with the materials, planning to teach all the women in the village how to make crocheted dolls as soon as she got back. Once they mastered it, she would buy even more material packs.

That afternoon, while sorting vegetables at Sister-in-law Liu’s vegetable stall, Li Mei asked her, "Yun Zhen, you bought such a big pack of crochet materials. Are you going to learn how to crochet?"

Yun Zhen answered truthfully, "I saw someone selling crocheted dolls on the street for fifty yuan each. I want to crochet a few dolls to make some money too."

Li Mei gave her a thumbs-up. "You’re so hardworking." She then sighed, "Making crocheted dolls well enough to sell is actually pretty hard. I tried learning it before, but I lost steam after just a few days and gave up. I hope you can stick with it."

She had finally figured it out—her young coworker was hyper-fixated on making money.

"I made this," Yun Zhen said, taking out the little monster she had made the night before to show her.

"Wow!" Li Mei exclaimed in surprise. "Your craftsmanship is really good! I think it’s even better than the ones sold at the street stalls. Not bad, Yun Zhen! With your great skills and hard work, you deserve to make this money!" She nodded in strong approval. "You could definitely sell these dolls if you set up a stall."

Yun Zhen’s heart leapt with joy.

Li Mei asked, "How much are you planning to sell them for?"

Yun Zhen thought for a moment. "I saw them being sold on the street for fifty yuan, so I guess I’ll sell mine for fifty yuan too."

"Your craftsmanship is better," Li Mei advised. "You can sell the keychain-sized ones for twenty. For something like this Lazy Sheep, which has embroidered expressions, clothes, and a flower crown, plus it’s a bit larger, you can sell it for sixty yuan.

"Young people nowadays love anime and pop culture. If you make more popular animated characters—like Lazy Sheep, Piggy Hero, or Peppa Pig—and make their expressions extra cute, you could sell them for a hundred yuan each.

"If you’re capable enough, you could even design some original dolls. People will buy them for anywhere between three to six hundred yuan."

Yun Zhen was completely dumbfounded. She had no idea there was so much to know about selling crocheted dolls. She clutched her little monster—oh, apparently it was called Lazy Sheep—and asked, "Can this one of mine really sell for sixty yuan like you said?"

Li Mei nodded. "Of course it can! Although the crochet community is small, many girls—and even boys—love delicate, handmade crafts." She offered Yun Zhen some tips. "When the time comes, you should go near the university town next door. College students have more pocket money, and they love spending it on their hobbies!

"You know about the university town, right? It’s just a ten-minute walk from here. If you don’t know the way, you can take a direct bus."

Yun Zhen carefully mulled over her words.

Keychain-sized dolls, about half the size of a palm, could sell for twenty yuan. The more complex ones with clothes and expressions could sell for sixty yuan. Popular animated dolls could go for a hundred yuan. And if she had the skill to create something completely novel, it could fetch five or six hundred...

Oh my god! That was a massive fortune!

Yun Zhen tried her best to calm down. It was fine. She would just go back tonight and teach the women in the village how to crochet. Then they could all make big money and go wild buying clothes and grain.

Yun Zhen was restless the entire afternoon, her mind completely consumed by the thought of making big money. After receiving her sixty-yuan wage for sorting vegetables, combined with what she already had, her total came to one hundred and thirty point five yuan.

Returning to the residential community where she lived, she began her daily massive shopping spree.

"Sir, give me a hundred catties of rice!"

As she passed the pork stall, a small loudspeaker on the counter was shouting, "Premium pork leaf fat on clearance! Selling cheap, five yuan a catty!"

"Sir, six catties of pork leaf fat!" Yun Zhen called out, pleasantly surprised that she had managed to catch another discount on pork fat.

Now, the village had polished rice, sweet potatoes, eggs, and pork leaf fat. Their days were getting better and better. She hoped the crocheted dolls would allow her to make a little more money, so she could eventually provide cotton-padded clothes for all one hundred and thirty people in the village.

Back at the restaurant, dinner was fried noodles with sliced pork. There was plenty of meat, and it tasted savory and delicious. Yun Zhen ate until her stomach was completely round. She then grabbed some oranges and returned to her dorm room.

"Go back!"

Carrying bags big and small, Yun Zhen descended upon her home with a CLATTER AND CLANK. The white light radiating from her body had grown even brighter. She didn’t know if it was because she had been well-fed and warmly dressed these past few days, but she felt her body getting healthier, and her energy levels had far surpassed what they used to be.

"Goddess!" the village chief’s voice was the first to ring out. "The Goddess has arrived! We saved some roasted sweet potatoes and rice porridge for you."

Zhou Dashan looked at the glowing Yun Zhen, his face filled with pious reverence.

Yun Zhen said, "I already ate in the Immortal Realm, so I’ll skip the rice porridge and just have a roasted sweet potato. Please distribute these oranges to the elderly in the village, like Grandpa Zhang and Granny Wu."

Grandpa Zhang and Granny Wu squeezed out from the crowd. "Thank you for the blessing, Goddess!"

Yun Zhen turned to the village chief. "I have a major announcement to make in a moment!"

The village chief immediately stood up straight. "I will gather the whole village right now."

"Village Chief, there’s no need to call everyone," Yun Zhen said. "Just gather anyone in the village who knows how to do needlework, regardless of whether they’re men, women, young, or old. I’ve found a job in the Immortal Realm. If we do it well, we can earn a lot of money. Perhaps in a few days, the whole village will be able to wear clothes made of cotton, and we can even buy stoves specifically used for heating in the Immortal Realm.

"You know what a stove is, right? The fire inside burns without going out. Once you close the doors, the entire room becomes toasty and warm."

Yun Zhen’s grand promises completely stunned everyone present.

What? The Goddess had found a job in the Immortal Realm for those in the village who knew needlework, and if they did it well, they could earn a fortune? And then the whole village could wear cotton clothes and buy Immortal Realm stoves for heating?

This was incredible news!

CLANG—

With a strike of the village chief’s gong, everyone in the village came to the Yun family’s home.