Chapter 42

Qiao Wei drew a square on the ground with a tree branch, took out an umbrella, and propped it open, slanting it on the ground. “You stay under this, don’t let the sun shine on you.”

She instructed Yan Xiang, “Only dig within this line, don’t dig outside.”

Yan Xiang had a small iron shovel and a small metal bucket. He remembered that Yan Lei had someone make them specifically for him.

Although they were mini-sized, they were indeed usable.

Perfectly fitting for Yan Xiang.

At first, Yan Xiang squatted under the umbrella, but later he just sat down. He dug one shovel at a time in the cool shade of the umbrella. The soil he dug up was first put into the small metal bucket, then poured into a corner of the yard.

Children didn’t mind working at all. Qiao Wei smiled as she watched him.

The green bean soup that had been soaking in the hand-dug well pool since morning had cooled down. Qiao Wei poured a cup for Yan Xiang and handed it over.

With his hands covered in mud, Yan Xiang held the cup and gulped down half of it, “It’s so delicious!”

The green bean soup was sweetened with sugar, and it was cool and sweet, indeed delicious. It was a pity there was no refrigerator here, so the green bean soup couldn’t be chilled. It would be really refreshing to drink it in the summer when it was ice-cold.

Qiao Wei asked Yan Xiang, “Have you ever had soda?”

Yan Xiang shook his head.

Qiao Wei felt sorry for Yan Xiang. He hadn’t even had soda before. But then she remembered that she hadn’t seen anyone selling soda at the market yesterday, only ice pops. Perhaps it was because the place was small.

“After all, it’s just a small town. There should be soda for sale in the city,” Qiao Wei remarked.

“Mom, is soda tasty?” Yan Xiang asked curiously. “Why is it called soda? Does it mean there’s gas in the water, like when fish blow bubbles?”

Qiao Wei chuckled, impressed by her clever baby.

“Soda is water with a gas called carbon dioxide pumped into it,” she explained. “This water looks just like regular water, but when you open the lid, it bubbles up like there are lots of little fish blowing bubbles at the same time.”

Yan Xiang imagined it and covered his face, “That sounds scary.”

Forgetting he had dirt on his hands, he ended up with a face full of mud.

Qiao Wei laughed heartily, “It’s not scary at all, don’t be afraid.”

Yan Xiang asked curiously, “Does soda bubble in your mouth when you drink it?”

“Yes. There are very tiny bubbles that tickle your tongue,” Qiao Wei said. “It feels really strange, but once you try it, you’ll like it.”

Being praised like that by his mother must mean it’s good. Yan Xiang couldn’t help but show a longing expression.

Qiao Wei softened and promised, “When we have time in the future, Mommy and Daddy will take you to the big city where there must be soda for sale. We’ll drink as much as we want then.”

“Great!”

Though Yan Xiang was young, he was a determined child who focused on his tasks.

He continued to sit under the umbrella, digging his sandpit with concentration.

Qiao Wei prepared the ingredients for dinner first, washed her hands, and went inside to check the clock on the wall. It was almost three-thirty in the afternoon.

She called Yan Xiang to wash his hands, “Let’s go, we’ll go to Grandpa Tailor’s place to pick up our things.”

“Let’s go!”

The sunlight at three-thirty was too hot, so Qiao Wei gave Yan Xiang the straw hat and took an umbrella herself.

The adult’s straw hat was too big for Yan Xiang. He intentionally shook his head, causing the hat to tilt left and right, giggling all the way.

When they arrived at the tailor’s shop, the three cushion covers were indeed ready.

“Great, just as I wanted. These are perfect,” Qiao Wei happily folded them neatly and put them into the basket.

This woven basket was really useful, easy to carry, and had a large storage space. It could be easily cleaned with water if it got dirty. Qiao Wei liked to bring this woven basket when she went out now.

The old tailor pushed his glasses up, “Have you decided what to fill them with?”

“Um…”

With just this “um,” it was clear she hadn’t decided yet.

But Qiao Wei had always been humble and willing to learn. Since the old man asked like this, she thought he must have some ideas, so she asked, “What do you think?”

Sure enough, the old tailor said, “Although you officials have good salaries, if people find out you’re using cotton to fill these, it won’t reflect well on your husband.”

Qiao Wei nodded vigorously, “Yeah!”

Seeing her willingness to learn, the old man continued to advise her. He suggested, “First, use old clothes that are torn and can’t be worn anymore, cut them into strips, and stuff them in.”

“Second, use regenerated cloth directly. Although it’s easy to wear out, it’s fluffier than old clothes. Remember to cut it into strips too.”

“Third, use straw. Don’t underestimate straw; it’s also very fluffy. It’s harder than regenerated cloth, but it rebounds better under pressure.”

“You can also mix regenerated cloth and straw together. I think the effect will be better.”

“That’s great, thank you!” Qiao Wei was delighted. “You’ve solved a big problem for me.”

The old tailor asked, “What’s your husband’s rank?”

“Captain,” Qiao Wei replied.

The old tailor was a bit surprised because Qiao Wei looked very young, probably around nineteen or twenty. He thought her husband would be a company captain.

“Not bad, not bad,” the old man nodded, not saying much more.

They agreed on a time to pick up the clothes. The old man said, “Wednesday morning will be fine. Your flat cutting is simple.”

That was quite fast.

But rather than saying it was because flat-cutting was simple, it was more like…

Qiao Wei glanced around the shop, which was not very big. “You don’t seem to have much business here,” she remarked.

The old tailor picked up the enamel tea pot, opened the lid, and took a sip of the strong and fragrant tea. “I don’t make many clothes all year round.”

With the rise of clothing factories, traditional tailors were impacted. Moreover, resources were scarce, so ordinary people wore patched clothes for several years.

The families in this military district were relatively affluent but preferred to buy ready-made clothes in department stores in the city.

“It’s quite good, getting paid without working much,” the old man waved his hand.

Craftsmen like him had been incorporated into the state system and received salaries. Their salaries were not tied to business performance. Whether there was business or not, they still received their salaries.

Qiao Wei comforted him, “Stability, a guaranteed income, it’s good for retirement.”

The old man reminisced about his heroic days. “The wedding dress I made had a three-meter-long train.”

“The folds on the dress took me three days to finish.”

“The customer was very satisfied and gave me a tip…”

“Cough!” Qiao Wei coughed loudly, interrupting him.

Startled, the old man wiped his sweat, “Oh, uh, cough, what was I saying?”

“Wednesday,” Qiao Wei said casually, “I’ll come to pick them up on Wednesday morning.”

“Okay, okay. Take care,” the old man said.

“See you on Wednesday. Bye, Grandpa,” Qiao Wei said.

“Goodbye, dear child.”

As he watched the young woman and her polite and lovely child leave, the old man picked up his fan and waved it a few times.

Really, he shouldn’t have talked so much about the past. Can’t keep dwelling on it.

“There’s a saying… A virtuous wife brings fewer troubles to her husband,” the old man sang in a theatrical tone.

Just as he finished singing, Qiao Wei’s head popped back in, and she asked embarrassedly, “Um, where can I buy regenerated cloth?”

The old man: “…”

It turned out regenerated cloth could be bought at the supply and marketing cooperative.

The supply and marketing cooperatives sold almost everything. Even the agricultural and trade markets were actually managed by the supply and marketing cooperatives.

Qiao Wei took Yan Xiang to the supply and marketing cooperative. As soon as they entered the store, they saw Mr. Xu, the shop assistant, sitting behind the counter on a wooden stool, arms crossed, leaning against the shelf, sleeping soundly.

Qiao Wei’s mouth watered.

This was small-town life. Except for the morning agricultural market, everywhere else was leisurely and relaxed.

He was sleeping so soundly that Qiao Wei felt a bit embarrassed to wake him up and was about to leave and come back another day.

Suddenly, Mr. Xu woke up.

Originally, he was here to watch the store because if any government-owned items were missing, they had to compensate for them out of their own pockets. Otherwise, he would have gone to sleep in the back long ago. He was quite alert when he slept, so when he heard Qiao Wei’s footsteps, he woke up.

Woken up, of course, he was a bit grumpy. Rubbing his eyes, he said unenthusiastically, “What’s up, didn’t you see… oh, it’s you.”

He recognized this military family. A few days ago, he had given her an industrial coupon to buy some extra cans of food.

Mr. Xu immediately put on a smile. “Here you are. What are you buying today?”

Qiao Wei asked, “Do you have any regenerated cloth? I want to buy some.”

Mr. Xu asked strangely, “What do you need that for?”

Regenerated cloth was cheap and didn’t require fabric coupons, but it tore easily. It was only chosen as a substitute by families with poor economic conditions.

Someone like Qiao Wei, who always paid with industrial coupons, wouldn’t use regenerated cloth.

Qiao Wei took out a cushion cover to show him and explained her needs, saying, “I don’t know how much I need, can you help me check?”

Mr. Xu said, “Wait here, I’ll call someone to check how much we have in the back.”

He opened a door and shouted, “Xiao Liu, Xiao Liu! Don’t sleep!”

There was a lazy response from the back.

Mr. Xu called out again, “Bring the regenerated cloth over here.”

He turned back to Qiao Wei. “Wait a moment.”

She waved her hand and smiled, “No rush.”

Then she asked, “Do you still have canned food?”

Mr. Xu scoffed, “Whenever we put out something good, it’s gone in a day.”

“But,” he said, “We have other good things, do you want them? You haven’t been here the past few days, and all the good stuff has been bought by others. I kept some specially, thinking you might come one day.”

Qiao Wei’s eyes lit up. “Thank you so much. What is it?”

Mr. Xu squatted down, opened a cabinet, and took out a square tin. “Cream biscuits. These are high-class goods.”

Indeed, it was high-class; the square tin was printed with the words “Premium Biscuits.”

Yan Xiang exclaimed, “Wow!”

From the sound of it, Qiao Wei could tell the child really wanted it. She smiled and said, “I’ll take it. Thank you so much, Brother Xu.”

Since Mr. Xu had deliberately kept it for her, it was a favor that had to be accepted. Otherwise, if there were good things next time, he wouldn’t keep them for her.

Without even asking about the price, it was indeed a cadre’s family.

Mr. Xu admired her and politely said, “No need. In the future, whenever there are good things, I’ll keep them for you. Just remember to come by every now and then.”

Qiao Wei smiled, “Sure!”

At that moment, a female shop assistant brought out a bundle of dusty cloth and tossed it onto the counter.

Mr. Xu asked, “Is there more?”

“No,” Xiao Liu said, “This is all. It’s all here.”

Qiao Wei reached out and touched it.

The so-called regenerated cloth was indeed recycled fabric, made by breaking down torn cotton wadding and fabric and reweaving it. The quality was poor, prone to tearing and easy to break, but the advantage was that it was cheap and didn’t require fabric coupons.

However, when touched, it didn’t feel good in terms of texture and elasticity.

The salesperson, Mr. Xu, asked, “Is it enough?”

Qiao Wei took out the cushion cover again and gestured, “It’s almost…”

Remembering the suggestion from the old tailor, she said, “I’ll add some hay to it; that should do it.”

“Always finding a way out of trouble,” Mr. Xu exclaimed.

Qiao Wei chuckled, “That’s life for you; always finding a way.”

However, Qiao Wei still had the woven basket in her hand, a large bundle of regenerated cloth, and a newly bought tin of biscuits. The biscuit tin was also not small, and with the cushion cover in the basket, it couldn’t fit inside.

Qiao Wei fretted, “How am I going to carry all this?”

“Oh dear,” Mr. Xu exclaimed disdainfully.

Salespeople in this era also had some skills. He first took a bundle of plastic rope, wound it around his hand a few times, and then pressed it onto the biscuit tin. He quickly tied knots and cut it, turning the plastic rope into a net-like holder around the biscuit tin, almost like performing magic.

After tying the knots, there were two handles on top that could be used to carry it, which was magical.

Yan Xiang exclaimed, “Wow!”

Mr. Xu picked up the regenerated cloth again and asked, “You’re going to tear it up anyway, right?”

With confirmation, he directly took a pair of scissors and cut a few small holes in the fabric, then tore it by hand. He tore out several long strips of fabric and folded several together for reinforcement.

He asked Qiao Wei to turn around and bend slightly, with Xiao Liu’s help to support her, and then placed the bundle of regenerated cloth on her back.

Then, he crisscrossed long strips of fabric around Qiao Wei’s body, finally tying a knot.

When Qiao Wei stood up, she looked just like the mothers and grandmothers in the town who carried their children on their backs.

Surprisingly, this method was quite effective. Now Qiao Wei could carry the woven basket in one hand, the high-class biscuits in the other, and the regenerated cloth on her back, all at once.

As she happily left with Yan Xiang, Xiao Liu muttered, “What does she do?”

If you said she was poor, she bought high-class biscuits. If you said she was rich, she bought regenerated cloth.

It was inexplicable.

Xiao Liu wanted to go back to sleep, but Mr. Xu said, “Sit at the front for a while.”

Then, he went to rest in the back.

Tsk.