Chapter 9: Knitting a Sweater

◎ Giving a Gift ◎

Wei Xuan had already developed immunity to Jiang Che’s constant self-praise, so after getting the answer she wanted, she lost interest in asking further. She tuned out the rest of Jiang Che’s words and calmly put on a light jacket.

It wasn’t even September yet, but she could already feel a slight chill inside the house. It seemed like it was time to make a couple of autumn outfits.

Jiang Che, after talking for so long without getting a single reaction from her, finally looked up—only to realize that she had completely zoned out. Instantly dissatisfied, he sat up and grabbed her arm. “What are you thinking about? I’ve been talking for ages, and you’re not even responding? At the very least, I found a job through my own ability. Don’t I deserve a reward?”

Wei Xuan: ……

Are you a child? Do you need praise for every little thing you do?

Of course, she couldn’t say that to Jiang Che directly, or he’d throw a fit. Instead, she coaxed him, “Alright, alright, just let go of me first. I’ll make you something delicious tonight, okay?”

“No way. Dinner isn’t made just for me—everyone in the family is eating. Don’t think you can brush me off with that.”

Wei Xuan’s arm was still being held by him, and the awkward position made her uncomfortable. She just wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible, so she asked helplessly, “Then tell me, what will make you satisfied?”

“Anything goes? Are you sure? If so, I’m going to make my request.”

Wei Xuan impatiently replied, “Yes, yes, I said it. Now hurry up and let go.”

This time, Jiang Che didn’t make things difficult for her. He let go of her arm and leaned in with a mischievous grin, whispering something in her ear. In an instant, Wei Xuan’s face turned bright red. When she finally processed what he had said, she became furious, grabbing a pillow and hurling it at him.

Jiang Che dodged with a laugh. “Hey! How can you go back on your word? You just agreed to it!”

“How was I supposed to know you’d be this shameless?!”

The young couple playfully bickered and wrestled for a while before finally heading to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

When Jiang Che’s sister-in-law came home and saw the two of them acting all lovey-dovey, she let out a snort, rolled her eyes, and went straight to her room.

Well, at least someone else was cooking today. She could finally take a break.

To celebrate both of them finding jobs, Wei Xuan made an especially lavish dinner. The Guo Bao Rou (crispy sweet-and-sour pork) was particularly well received—not only did their niece and nephew love it, but even Jiang Che’s mother was full of praise.

As for the three men, they preferred the stir-fried chicken with potatoes. The chicken was the one Wei Xuan had brought back from her parents’ home the day before—tender and flavorful. The potatoes were cooked until soft but not mushy, absorbing all the rich flavors. It was so well-received that it was even more popular than the meat dishes.

Everyone was thoroughly satisfied with the meal. After dinner, the little niece licked her lips, savoring the taste, and eagerly said, “Auntie, your cooking is way better than my mom’s! If you cooked all the time, I’d definitely eat so much more!”

“Aren’t you afraid of getting fat if you eat too much?”

It was just an innocent remark from a child, nothing to take seriously, but Wei Xuan clearly noticed that Jiang Che’s sister-in-law didn’t look too happy—her face visibly fell.

Wei Xuan didn’t mind. It wasn’t like her mother-in-law would ever expect her to take full responsibility for the kitchen. They had an arrangement—each of them would cook on alternate days. That was fair. Other people’s preferences were none of her concern.

The next day marked Wei Xuan’s very first day at work, a new and exciting experience for her.

On her first day, the supervisor had her shadow someone to learn the ropes. The person guiding her was a woman whom everyone called Sister Hong, so Wei Xuan followed suit and addressed her the same way.

“Sister Hong, if I do anything wrong, please don’t hesitate to correct me. I’ll make sure to learn properly and do my best not to cause you any trouble.”

“Pfft—” Sister Hong couldn’t help but laugh. “Wei Xuan, do I look that scary? Relax! There’s nothing complicated about our job. Customers tell you what they want, you take the money and give them the goods. Just make sure you don’t charge them the wrong amount, and you’ll be fine.”

Wei Xuan lightly patted her forehead and gave an embarrassed smile. “Got it, Sister Hong. I’m just a little nervous since it’s my first day.” Luckily, Sister Hong seemed like a kind and easygoing person.

“No worries.” Sister Hong was very understanding and waved it off. “I was the same when I first started. But you’ll get used to it soon—it’s really simple. It only gets busy in the morning. Most of the time, we’re pretty free.”

As they chatted, customers started coming in. Sister Hong was in charge of the food section, which was particularly busy. They kept working non-stop until after 10 a.m., when most of the items had been sold, and things finally settled down.

At noon, Sister Hong took Wei Xuan to eat at the company cafeteria. Wei Xuan found the meals there surprisingly good—and cheap. She got one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a steamed bun, all for less than three cents.

Her monthly salary was 24 yuan, and with some additional ration coupons, she could make around 30 yuan in total. She could definitely afford the cafeteria meals. It was convenient and cost-effective, so she decided to eat lunch there from now on.

The afternoon was just as Sister Hong had said—almost no customers. Hours passed before even a single person showed up. With so much free time, they mostly just chatted. At one point, Sister Hong even pulled out a bundle of yarn and asked Wei Xuan to help her wind it.

“Sister Hong, you’re already starting to knit sweaters this early?”

Sister Hong chuckled at that. “You young girls don’t understand. It may seem like winter is still far away, but when you have elders and kids to take care of at home, there’s always a ton of things to do. The only time I can spare for knitting is when work isn’t busy. If I don’t start now, it’ll be too late by the time we actually need to wear them. By the way, do you have a boyfriend?”

“I’m already married, Sister Hong.”

Sister Hong was clearly surprised, but since they had just met, she didn’t pry too much. She simply commented, “I wouldn’t have guessed! You got married pretty early.”

Wei Xuan just smiled without elaborating. Instead, she glanced at the yarn in her hands and started thinking. She knew how to knit too—not just sweaters, but also gloves and socks. Maybe she should buy some yarn to pass the time? Otherwise, wasting entire afternoons like this felt far too dull.

Once she had the idea, she acted on it. That very afternoon, she placed an order for several skeins of yarn at the store.

This was exactly why working at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was such a coveted job—employees got first dibs on all supplies, and they could even snag discounted goods with minor defects.

In less than two days, Wei Xuan received her yarn. She had picked two bright colors—gray and red—and was very pleased with them.

Of course, she had bought high-quality pure wool yarn, not the cheaper acrylic kind. The price was a bit steep, but it was worth it.

The two pounds of yarn together cost more than her entire month’s salary. Fortunately, she was only planning to knit two cardigans using fine wool yarn—if she had chosen thick wool, two pounds would barely be enough for a single sweater. Someone as tall as Jiang Che would probably need even more than that.

Bringing the yarn home, Wei Xuan immediately got to work. Since it was her sister-in-law’s turn to cook today, she decided not to go out and get in the way.

She planned to use the simplest stockinette stitch, but she needed to keep the tension slightly tight so that the cardigan would hold its shape nicely.

When Jiang Che came home, he didn’t see Wei Xuan in the main hall. Curious, he walked into their room and found her knitting a sweater inside. Amused, he leaned in to watch for a while. “Is there one for me?”

“No.” Wei Xuan didn’t even lift her head as she replied.

“Hey, no need to be so stingy! You’ve got plenty of yarn.”

Wei Xuan thought about it for a moment. He wasn’t wrong—they were married now, and there was no need to keep things so separate. Since she wanted to change him, she had to make an effort herself too.

“This yarn isn’t suitable for you. I’ll buy some thicker yarn later and knit one for you,” Wei Xuan said.

Jiang Che was satisfied—as long as he was getting one, it didn’t matter if it came a little later. “Alright. When I get my salary, I’ll buy you some face cream.”

Both of them were pleased with each other’s sense of compromise, and when they stepped out for dinner, they both had smiles on their faces.

Jiang’s eldest sister-in-law came out carrying a dish and saw them, her expression growing even darker. If it weren’t for these two, would her husband have been giving her the cold shoulder for so long? And yet, these two didn’t seem the least bit affected, living their lives in comfort.

Unfortunately for her, no one in the household paid her any attention. Even Jiang’s mother, who had initially disapproved of Wei Xuan’s rural background, had to admit in her heart that her younger daughter-in-law was far more likable than the elder one.

Who would want to spend their days facing a resentful woman? The younger daughter-in-law, with her delicate features and a smile for everyone, naturally lifted people’s spirits just by being around.

Wei Xuan and her husband acted as if they didn’t see the eldest sister-in-law at all—after all, she wouldn’t dare to confront them directly.

By the time Wei Xuan received her first month’s salary, she had also finished knitting the two cardigans.

The gray one had a small red flower embroidered on the chest and cuffs, making it look less dull and adding a touch of elegance when worn.

As for the red cardigan, she had put extra thought into the hem, knitting it with a slight wave pattern instead of a straight edge, giving it a livelier and less rigid look.

After finishing those two, Wei Xuan regained her confidence in knitting. She made a sweater for Jiang Che, and with the leftover yarn, she even knitted a shawl for her mother-in-law—just in time for the coming colder days.

Over the past few days, Mother Jiang had noticed her daughter-in-law knitting sweaters, but she never expected to receive one herself.

Holding the gift in her hands, she couldn’t help but feel touched. After all, even her three daughters had never thought of making something by hand for their mother.

If the three Jiang daughters knew what their mother was thinking, they would definitely feel wronged. It wasn’t that they were unfilial—they simply didn’t know how to knit!

Father Jiang watched as his wife admired the shawl from every angle, waving it around so much that it nearly made him dizzy. He couldn’t help but tease, “Weren’t you the one who disapproved of this marriage? And now, just one shawl and you’re this happy?”

“Get lost. Do you think I can be bought off with just a shawl?” Mother Jiang took off the shawl and carefully stored it in the cabinet. “Old man, you underestimate me. Flattery doesn’t work on me. Before she married in, of course, I had my concerns—it was only natural. Can you honestly say you weren’t a little bothered about our son marrying a girl with a rural household registration?”

“But now it’s different. She’s already part of our family. What else can I do except accept it? And besides, after observing her these past few days, I think she’s quite good—far more sensible and likable than our eldest daughter-in-law. She’s not the type with shallow ambitions.”

Her reasoning was sound, and Father Jiang agreed with her logic. He was about to say more when he noticed her pulling the shawl out of the cabinet again and draping it back over her shoulders.

Deputy Factory Director Jiang: …

Suddenly, all those reasonable words didn’t seem quite as convincing.

I suspect you have been bought off by that shawl, but you just don’t want to admit it and are trying to fool me!