Chapter 33 : Getting Married

In the evening, Ma Xiaojuan returned from work and her eyes lit up when she saw the two quilts on Su Mo’s bedding.

Ma Xiaojuan touched them and found them very soft and comfortable. The cotton quilts were made very well.

“Su Mo, is this really made in the commune workshop? And it doesn’t even require a ticket?” Ma Xiaojuan asked, already making up her mind.

God knows how hard it is to get a quilt ticket in the city. You only get a quilt subsidy when you get married. Usually, I buy cotton to make it myself, but the difference between the quilt I make with cotton and the ones made by skilled craftsmen is huge. Not only do they become hard after sleeping on them for a while, but the cotton always falls off.

The quilts her brothers and sisters used to sleep on were almost all handmade by her mother. Her mother’s craftsmanship was really hard to describe. Almost every year, they had to be taken apart and redone, which was very troublesome.

If cotton quilts can be made here, she would have to make a few more and mail them back home.

“Yes, no receipt is needed. I only charge for the cotton and the labor fee. One pound of cotton is one yuan and one cent. For a 7-pound quilt, the labor fee is 1.5 yuan, for a 3-pound mattress, the labor fee is 1 yuan,” Su Mo nodded.

Ma Xiaojuan was so excited that she almost jumped up.

In the black market near her home, cotton was sold for at least 1.8 yuan. In years with low production, it was sold for two or three yuan per pound. She remembered that when she was in junior high school, her mother wanted to make her a new set of cotton clothes and pants, but the cotton was too expensive, so she only made her a pair of cotton pants.

“Are you sure that we educated youth can do it? Is it not because you are going to marry into the brigade that we are doing it for you?” Ma Xiaojuan asked again.

These days, many of the conveniences of the commune’s collective economy can only be enjoyed by members of the commune.

“At that time, Director Qi said that the educated youth who came to the Hongqi Commune to work in the countryside would become part of the commune. So the educated youth should be able to do it,” Su Mo replied cautiously.

“You can go ask. The workshop is not far from the commune supply and marketing cooperative. There is a sign on the door saying ‘Red Flag Commune Collective Workshop.’ It’s easy to find. I saw there’s a carpenter’s shop inside. If you want to make a cabinet, you’ll probably go there.”

When they first arrived, Ma Jianmin had also said that there was a place in the commune that made cabinets and stools, so it was probably there.

“What do you think? If I make a few quilts and send them back home, will that be okay?” Ma Xiaojuan asked, leaning in and speaking in a low voice.

“I don’t know about that. But it should be okay to send it to your family instead of selling it,” Su Mo thought. From Director Qi’s words and actions, he should not refuse the opportunity to generate income.

“Or after the autumn harvest, you can try to order two beds and ask to have one sent home. See if Director Qi will make it for you. If he does, then there’s no problem.”

“But you don’t have to do so many at once. Do two beds this year and the rest next year. Otherwise, someone might find fault and report you. These days, there are many people who can’t stand seeing others doing better than they are.”

“Okay,” Ma Xiaojuan nodded. “I didn’t expect there was such a good thing in the commune. I’ve heard before that some educated youth bought food from the brigade and sent it back home, but I didn’t expect that someone would make quilts and send them back home.”

Ma Xiaojuan was a little excited. She felt that she had made the right decision by coming to the Hongqi Commune.

Unlike other villages in the mountains, the Lujia Village Production Brigade only takes 20 to 30 minutes to ride a bicycle to the commune, and only an hour to ride a bicycle to the county town.

Unlike the place where her cousin went to the countryside, it took two hours to get to the commune by donkey cart, and it was even more exaggerated to get to the city, taking three or four hours.

I’m afraid I’ll be sent to a remote mountain village.

I’m still lucky.

—-

After that, Su Mo did not go to work again, but stayed at the educated youth center to sew quilt covers and pack her things for her marriage.

The autumn harvest of the Lujia Village Production Brigade ended on September 29 after the peanuts were harvested. The remaining work was to dry the peanuts and store them in the warehouse. These easy tasks were assigned to the older aunts and uncles.

The young men and strong laborers would rest for a few days, and after paying their taxes, they would go back to digging canals.

It wasn’t difficult to sew a quilt cover. After Su Mo asked Chen Lan for advice, she finished sewing the quilt cover in half a day.

Looking at the remaining three quilts that were still made of cotton, Su Mo felt the hardships of that era.

No wonder they say it takes three years for something new, three years for something old, and another three years for it to be mended. Cloth coupons are simply not enough.

The quilt cover for the remaining quilt could only be made after she got cloth coupons.

Su Mo folded the bedding and put the one with the quilt cover on top. Only then did she realize that there seemed to be two pillows missing.

Su Mo had no choice but to rush to the commune’s collective workshop and ask Director Qi if they had any pillow cores for sale.

Fortunately, Director Qi had recently instructed the craftsmen at the cotton shop to make a set of samples, which included two pillow cores. Su Mo managed to buy them at a bargain price.

For the two pillow cores, including the cotton and the labor, Su Mo paid a total of 1.5 yuan.

After buying the pillow cores, Su Mo thought about going to the supply and marketing cooperative to purchase a set of ready-made pillowcases. She remembered reading in novels that pillowcases from this era were often embroidered and very delicate.

Because some production teams had already finished the autumn harvest, the supply and marketing cooperative was crowded with people that day. Lu Xiaolan was so busy she didn’t even have time to take a sip of water.

In the middle of the chaos, Lu Xiaolan spotted her future third sister-in-law from the corner of her eye. Taking a closer look, she confirmed it was indeed her and quickly called out, “Third sister-in-law, come over here!”

Su Mo was almost crushed by a group of aunties. Hearing Lu Xiaolan call her, she quickly squeezed through the crowd.

“What’s going on today? Why are there so many people?” Su Mo asked, still flustered.

“The brigade has finished the autumn harvest, and everyone’s coming to the market,” Lu Xiaolan explained. “What do you need, third sister-in-law?”

“I want to buy a pillowcase,” Su Mo replied quickly. Some aunties were already looking displeased at her for cutting in line.

Lu Xiaolan’s eyes brightened. She had been planning to gift a set of pillowcases and towels to her third brother and his bride. Thinking quickly, she said, “The pillowcases are sold out, sister-in-law.”

Su Mo: …

“Then give me three feet of white cotton cloth. I’ll make them myself,” Su Mo said, estimating that three feet should be enough for two pillowcases.

At that time, pillows weren’t the standard 48×74 cm size of later years. Instead, they were 50×30 cm, and three feet of cloth was enough for two pillowcases, with some left over for decorative lace.

Lu Xiaolan quickly measured out the white cotton cloth and handed it to Su Mo. After paying, Su Mo, noticing how busy Lu Xiaolan was, didn’t linger. She hurried home to sew the pillowcases.

While Su Mo was busy, Lu Changzheng was working tirelessly, leaving early and returning late each day. The Lu family was equally preoccupied, with Li Yue’e taking leave from work to focus on the wedding preparations.

At the brigade morning meeting on the 29th, Lu Qing’an announced that Lu Changzheng would host a banquet for all brigade members on October 1 to celebrate his marriage. However, only one or two representatives from each household would be invited, as inviting entire families was impractical.

On the 30th, nearly the entire Lu family was busy with preparations. Adults and children alike pitched in, and Li Yue’e also enlisted the help of many relatives and friends.

Some were cutting vegetables, others were leveling the ground, borrowing tables and chairs, or gathering bowls and chopsticks.

Lu Qing’an estimated they would need at least 25 tables.

With so many tables required, the family had to borrow chairs, stools, bowls, and chopsticks from other households in the brigade. The venues included the Lu family’s yard, their vegetable garden, and even the garden of Lu Changzheng’s family.

That afternoon, a military truck borrowed by Lu Changzheng arrived, carrying a half-load of items.

When the truck was unloaded, the relatives and friends helping with the preparations were stunned.

A Forever brand bicycle, a Haishi brand sewing machine, a stylish dressing table, half a pig, two whole lambs, ten chickens, five large geese, two big bags of flour, and a large jar of white wine…

The helpers couldn’t hide their amazement. Many of them were already salivating at the thought of the feast, eagerly awaiting the banquet the next day.