"Oh dear, Auntie, what are you saying? Isn't that my younger brother? Anyway, I don't have the ability to do it myself. I'll have to find someone to help me. Whether it's one thing or two, it's all the same. I don't know how, but people are willing to earn this money. This stuff isn't for eating, it won't spoil. It's something the kids will need sooner or later when they grow up. So I might as well take the opportunity to make more."

I made it by feel back then, but my two kids are growing up so fast, I don't know if they'll be able to wear it now.

Originally, it was supposed to be made one size per year, but the old lady said it would be fine if it got a little bigger each year. They're growing too fast, so last year we got them two sizes bigger. Second Aunt, take a look, let them try it on later. I don't think they'll be able to wear this one either. There are a few larger ones in the closet, so if they can't wear this one, we'll find another one that's bigger.

However, several pieces did come out. "Second Aunt, these five or six pieces are too old for them. I'll give them to Qin Jing. He's a bit small, so they'll fit him perfectly. We won't need to make any more for him this year."

Tang Sumei was rambling on and on, her feelings indescribable. In her memory, Jian Dan had always been a carefree young girl, with no worries about food or clothing. When had she started worrying about mundane matters like firewood and cooking oil? Was it all because of her two mischievous boys?

"You've done more than I have as your mother. What can I say about you, my child?"

"So what did you say? I only have these two younger brothers. The rest of the kids are all juniors, so I sometimes get them mixed up, hehe!"

Second Aunt, could you help me check if Qin Jing can wear these clothes?

Tang Sumei blinked, swallowing the bitterness in her heart. She thought to herself that she should find some nice things for Jian Dan when she got back; even as siblings, there was no reason for her to make a contribution for her brother.

"Alright, alright, let me see. You say you don't know anything, but look at how generous you are. You're willing to spend any amount of money. This cotton-padded coat, the cotton and fabric are all new. Who did you ask to make it for you? Didn't they even ask you if this is all good stuff?"

Even Tang Sumei herself, in the past few years, had been getting new cotton clothes every year. In the more than ten years that she was by her side, the two boys only wore new cotton clothes twice, and it wasn't much better for them than for the other children.

"Yes, I've seen the eldest son of the Qin family. He's tall, but skinny, and doesn't look like he has much flesh on him. He can fit into these two smaller pieces, and I don't think the smallest one would be too big for those two boys."

"Is that so?"

Jian Dan pulled out several cotton-padded clothes from the closet and piled them all on the kang (heated brick bed). These were all made earlier, intended as a disguise, but now the two men next to her were wearing thermal underwear from her spatial storage.

"Second Aunt, I had these made a few years ago. Take a look and see if there's anything Second Uncle can wear."

Cheng Zhuo and his wife later completed the transfer procedures. Cheng Zhuo was willing to take a low-level job, and his benefits dropped sharply. Cheng Zhuo made do with what he had. He had noticed Jian Dan's behavior after seeing her a few times, but he didn't do anything special. Today was just going with the flow.

Compared to the Cheng family and the Qin family, Qin Qinghuai and Cheng Chao were naturally the closest to her heart, followed by the two children. Since Qin Qinghuai and Cheng Chao couldn't wear these clothes, she could keep one for each of them as a cover. The rest were just sitting there anyway, so she might as well take them out and make the most of them.

Although this wasn't considered a particularly valuable gift given the Cheng family's wealth, it was a rare treat at this time of year, and most importantly, it was a token of their goodwill. Tang Sumei was very pleased with it.

"Okay, okay!"

After quickly packing up the fabrics and cotton-padded clothes, the two of them started preparing dinner. It was already quite late, but Jian Dan didn't dawdle and efficiently unpacked all the ingredients in the house. Fortunately, people often came over, and there were quite a few things stored in the cellar, so it was convenient for them to prepare dinner now.

With Tang Sumei there, the two of them quickly prepared a table full of dishes, and by the time the people from the meeting returned, the last dish was almost ready.

The original plan was that since the Cheng family had finally come all over, the two families could take the opportunity to get together. However, since they were all together, there were also Commander Lin and two other officials from Xi Ping'an's side, so it was impossible to separate them. As a result, there were more people than expected.

Moreover, when they heard that the Qin family patriarch and patriarch were also going to have dinner together, Xi Ping'an and the others were quite excited. They were founding heroes, and even for someone of Xi Ping'an's family background, it wasn't easy to meet them, let alone the two minor officials.

After a day and a night of commotion, she was too exhausted to stay with them. She ate dinner and went back to her room. In her drowsy state, she could vaguely hear things like "good fortune" and "good things," as well as several people laughing loudly. Finally, it sounded like someone was crying.

She was only curious for a few seconds before falling asleep. She didn't even notice when the people left. When she woke up the next day, the west room and kitchen were already cleaned up.

Qin Qinghuai was also getting ready for work, and when he saw her get up, he teased her.

"I heard someone is hiring someone to make clothes, and they're offering scraps of cloth as payment?"

She was speechless and didn't want to talk about it. She'd only forgotten about making clothes for the Qin family because the topic had come up yesterday.

"Uh, how did you know?"

Didn't Sister Wang and the others agree to keep this a secret?

“I overheard Mrs. Wang from next door mentioning it this morning, and then my second aunt also said it when she came over. She told us to quickly discuss arranging a place for those people, otherwise, with your stubborn but soft-hearted nature, you'll keep putting things in there.”

"Well,"

A simple, dry laugh.

"No, not at all. It just so happens to be here. The weather's getting cold soon, and we were talking about it yesterday. I was thinking about Mom, Dad, and Xiao Heng. They should have brought winter coats, but the temperature isn't this low in Beijing, so their coats probably aren't thick enough here. You are..."

In these kinds of household chores, a simple-minded person is always a few steps behind.

Are you looking down on them, or are you afraid they won't do a good job?

Qin Qinghuai shook his head.

"No, that's not it. I was thinking that even I, as the political commissar and as someone's son, am not as thoughtful as you are. I haven't even noticed this issue. You don't need to think so much. The fact that you care about them so much should make the old lady happy. In the past, these things were always thought of by the logistics department. We don't even know who did it."

Those kids, this whole thing, in the end, just caused you trouble. My second sister-in-law called a few days ago saying she wanted to mail last month's salary, but it's inconvenient to send things now.

"What happened? Could something have happened to them too?"

Qin Qinghuai's expression was not good.

"It's not that anything bad happened, but after that incident, my sister-in-law, no, Fang He, was quiet for a while. Later, she hooked up with a leader of the committee, and then she set her sights on my second brother and sister-in-law. Even when she called, my second brother didn't dare to mention the child at all. He kept talking to the old man and the old woman."

"Could she be trying to find out where the child is by using her second brother and sister-in-law?"