She had heard that the wood her son carved contained even more valuable pieces, suitable for making hairpins and combs, some trinkets for women.
She had also requested some scraps from the factory to take home.
It wasn't that she wanted to carve the scraps herself; after all, she had a son at home who could do the carving, so the materials would certainly be put to use once taken back.
However, her son had said that even the smallest scraps, barely the size of a fingertip, could be turned into beads or hairpins. These pieces of wood belonged to the state enterprise—they were materials purchased by the big boss, and he, being just a junior boss, had no right to bring such valuable wood home.
Mrs. Lai had not been so easily appeased before; she pestered in the presence of her husband and son continuously, until finally, her son explained to her that if he took those items, they would be deducted from his salary because they belonged to the state enterprise.
