Chapter 31: I Want to Keep the Fabric for Myself

Su Ruanruan: “……”

Looking at Liu Feng, who was smiling gently and speaking as if it was the most natural thing in the world, Su Ruanruan felt as if thousands of little creatures were running wild in her mind.

The laundry and cooking were done by an eight-year-old daughter, yet the new pink clothes were worn by her.

Was this shamelessness taken to an extreme, or was there something wrong with her brain?

Just as Su Ruanruan was trying to make sense of it, she heard Liu Feng speak again.

“Seventh’s Wife, what are you looking at? Why aren’t you saying anything? Can you sell me the fabric?”

As Liu Feng spoke, she even put on an embarrassed expression. “I don’t have any cloth tickets, but I can pay you an extra ten cents per foot. How about that? Seventh has an allowance and receives fabric every month. If you want to wear new clothes, you’ll have plenty of chances in the future. Just sell that pink fabric to me!”

Liu Feng’s words were spoken with sincerity, even carrying a hint of grievance.

If Fourth Sister-in-law Fu’s daughter hadn’t been washing dishes in the kitchen at that moment, Su Ruanruan might have actually considered selling the fabric to her.

Su Ruanruan glanced toward the kitchen and said: “Fourth Sister-in-law, can you guess why I’m not using that pink fabric to make clothes? Honestly, the color is too soft. I’m already this old—I’d be embarrassed to wear it. You’re even older than me, so you surely wouldn’t be buying it for yourself. It must be for Fourth Sister-in-law’s daughter, right?

Fourth Sister-in-law, don’t be shy to admit it. We’re all mothers here. Loving your daughter and making new clothes for her is nothing to be ashamed of. No one in the family would say anything about it. Even Fourth Ya’s two older brothers are good brothers who love her dearly. They certainly wouldn’t be jealous. So you don’t have to worry at all, Fourth Sister-in-law!”

At the end of her speech, Su Ruanruan even gave Liu Feng a knowing look.

She had said it on purpose.

She wanted to see how Liu Feng would react.

Su Ruanruan kept her eyes fixed on Liu Feng, afraid of missing even the slightest change in her expression.

However, Liu Feng showed no sign of embarrassment. On the contrary, she continued to smile warmly, her tone calm and composed as she replied,

“Seventh’s Wife, that’s not the right way to think. Clothing colors are not restricted by age. It doesn’t matter how old I am—I can wear pink if I want to. Even our mother, if she wished to wear it, she absolutely could. As for what others might say, it’s not worth worrying about. We live our lives for ourselves, not for others. Women nowadays can hold up half the sky. We can’t change who we are just because of a few words from other people.”

Hearing Liu Feng’s words, Su Ruanruan fell silent for a long time.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to speak—it was that she genuinely didn’t know what to say.

At first, Liu Feng’s words seemed to make sense.

But upon deeper thought, they didn’t match her actions.

Yes, women could hold up half the sky—but they had to do it themselves, not rely on others to hold it up for them!

In the past, it was Fourth Brother Fu who had supported Liu Feng. Now, it was Liu Feng’s three children who were supporting her.

She enjoyed the care and provisions of others, yet she didn’t reciprocate their kindness. Instead, she loudly proclaimed independence and self-reliance, pretending not to care about what others thought.

It was truly…

Su Ruanruan took a deep breath, suppressing the thoughts swirling in her mind, and forced herself to stop thinking.

She was afraid that if she kept going, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from giving Liu Feng a hard slap.

She tugged at the corners of her mouth, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I think you’re absolutely right, Fourth Sister-in-law. We shouldn’t let age dictate what we wear, nor should we care about what others say.”

Liu Feng was very satisfied with Su Ruanruan’s response. Her smile grew even wider. “Seventh’s Wife, it’s great that you think this way! So about that fabric—”

“I’m keeping it to make new clothes for myself.”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t use it before because I thought wearing pink would be embarrassing. But after hearing what you just said, I feel enlightened! I’ve thought it through. Don’t worry, Fourth Sister-in-law. I’ll make it into new clothes right away and wear it without caring what others say.”

“You… I…”

Liu Feng was completely stunned. She stammered for a long time but couldn’t form a complete sentence.

Su Ruanruan blinked at her, looking genuinely curious. “Fourth Sister-in-law, do you think there’s anything wrong with my thinking?”

“N-no, not at all.”

Liu Feng’s smile was starting to look forced.

Su Ruanruan deliberately let out a relieved sigh. “That’s good. I’ll get started on making my clothes then. If you’re busy, don’t worry about me—I don’t need any help here.”

Hearing this, Liu Feng couldn’t bring herself to stay any longer. She quickly stood up and squeezed out a few dry words. “Alright then, Seventh’s Wife, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be going now.”

“Take care, Fourth Sister-in-law!”

Su Ruanruan watched as Liu Feng walked out, and only then did the smile on her face slowly fade.

A mother like Liu Feng—there truly weren’t many like her in this world.

She opened the kang cabinet and took out the pink fabric inside.

Since she had said she would make clothes out of this pink fabric, she was determined to do it—and to wear them, too.

In the past few days, Su Ruanruan had already made herself two new outfits, but for the most part, she still wore her old clothes.

In this era, wearing new clothes might make others envious, but it could also bring trouble.

While others were patching up clothes until they were nearly more patch than fabric, Su Ruanruan could wear a different new outfit every day. That would be far too eye-catching and would certainly stir up resentment.

She could wear old clothes on the outside, but for her undergarments, she had replaced everything with new ones.

After all, no one could see what she wore underneath, so she could wear whatever she pleased.

If it weren’t for the fact that she had a husband, Fu Wenjing, Su Ruanruan had even considered buying lingerie from Taobao.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option for now.

Summer clothes were incredibly easy to make. In less than a morning, Su Ruanruan had sewn a short-sleeved, front-opening blouse.

The pink floral fabric was perfect for summer, and it suited her youthful, radiant face, full of collagen and vitality.

She spread the finished blouse on the kang, staring at it in satisfaction when Fu Wenjing walked in. His eyes immediately landed on the new garment.

“Is this new?” Fu Wenjing quickened his steps toward the kang, smiling as he spoke. “It looks nice. You still have quite a bit of this fabric left, right? Why not make a dress? It would definitely look good on you.”

Su Ruanruan shook her head decisively. “I won’t wear it. Skirts aren’t convenient.”

Even though a dress was long enough to cover half her calves, it still wasn’t as practical as pants.

Fu Wenjing had only made the suggestion in passing. Since Su Ruanruan wasn’t interested, he didn’t push the matter further.

As they talked, the courtyard gradually grew lively—the Fu family members who had gone to work were returning.

Hearing the commotion, Su Ruanruan quickly put the blouse away in the kang cabinet and walked outside with Fu Wenjing.

Just as they stepped out, a loud wail came from outside the main gate.

“Ruanruan, my dear daughter! If you leave with the army, how will your poor mother ever see you again?!”