The next day was a bright, sunny day; the sun shone so brightly on the snow that it was dazzling. Zhang Hongmei had just finished breakfast when Li Cuihua arrived, carrying her awl, thimble, and a ball of hemp rope.

"Hongmei, have you eaten?"

Zhang Hongmei thought to herself, "I eat three meals a day, and it's already past eight o'clock, how can I not eat?" "I've eaten, and I've cleaned everything up. Auntie, are you feeling better today?"

"I'm fine. I was just too lazy to move yesterday. I'm not sick."

"Hehe, yes, my third aunt is strong and healthy, how could she be sick?"

"You silly girl, you're making fun of me. Alright, let's hurry up and sew the soles. This takes a lot of time. If we don't have the strength in our hands, the soles won't last long."

As the two entered the room, Zhang Hongmei wanted to light candles, but Li Cuihua stopped her, saying, "You don't know how to manage a household. This doesn't need to be very bright. Save the candles for reading later."

"Let's light it, otherwise I won't be able to see what Auntie San is doing."

"Just sew it tightly, that's all. If you're worried about it slipping out, fix the top and bottom first, sew a few stitches and then sew around the edge. That will make it easier to sew. Look, like this." Li Cuihua threaded the needle first, and Zhang Hongmei could see the large needle holes even without a light.

"Third Aunt, is the hemp rope sturdy?"

"Try to pull it off, see if you can?" Zhang Hongmei tried with both hands but couldn't budge it at all, and her hands even turned red from the pressure.

"This hemp rope is twisted into several strands, it's very strong, no worse than thread," Li Cuihua said, then put on a thimble and started sewing. Zhang Hongmei didn't join in, just watched. But this was really difficult; just piercing through the six layers of interlocking fabric with an awl was painful for her hands. After passing the needle through, she had to pull the hemp rope tightly with her hands, making sure the stitches cut into the interlocking fabric. Zhang Hongmei looked at her slightly fleshy hands and then gave up. "Sanfang's mother, does your hand hurt?"

"How can it not hurt? You'll get used to it. When I first learned to sew shoe soles, they bled from the pressure."

"Auntie, you were really strong when you were little. You could even sew shoe soles."

“What’s the point? It’s just holding your breath, isn’t it? My grandma didn’t care about me. My cousin is a year older than me, but my grandma treated her like her darling. She taught both of us how to make shoes, and she kept praising her and belittling me. I was young and couldn’t stand it, so I felt that I had to sew better than her. Who knew that even if I did better than her, all the shoemaking work would end up being mine.”

"Does Third Aunt even have this kind of time?"

"Sigh, thinking about it now, it's not worth it. Whether I'm good or bad, I don't need people who don't care about me to say so. I was so stupid back then. I didn't even like it when my mom said it to me. So Hongmei, you must remember that you live for yourself."

"Remember this, Third Aunt. Even if someone asks me to serve them, it depends on whether I'm willing or not."

“That’s the point. Just ignore people who look down on you.” Li Cuihua said without stopping her work, sewing the sole of the shoe around the edge, and then working on the second one.

"Third Aunt, let me do it. I've learned how."

“I’ll sew this edge, and you can follow along and sew it in a bit. You’ll be fine once you see it. You’re still young, and your bones aren’t strong enough yet. I’m afraid your hands will deform if you keep sewing shoe soles. I don’t need your older sisters to sew shoe soles now, but they both know how. They can do it when they’re on their own in the future.”

"My third aunt still loves me the most."

"That only works if you're someone who likes you." Li Cuihua's hands were busy sewing the second one as well. Zhang Hongmei picked it up and looked at it, thinking she could probably do it too.

"This is for you. Watch this. You have to start stitching from the beginning. The denser the stitches, the more durable it is. But if the hemp rope is too thick and the stitches are too dense, it's impossible. You have to rely on your sense of touch," Li Cuihua said as she stitched.

Zhang Hongmei tried hard to pierce the needle with the awl, but couldn't get it in. She looked at Li Cuihua's awl, thinking it might be faster, and tried it, but still couldn't get it in. Li Cuihua smiled and said, "You've got it! Put it down. Don't bother. I've already sewn it for you. You can learn to pierce it after you get married."

Zhang Hongmei was also helpless. The soles of these shoes required at least thirty pieces of cloth stacked together, and there was also glue inside. It wasn't that she hadn't learned how to make them, but the objective conditions didn't allow it; her small body wasn't strong enough.

“Auntie, you should take a break too. This is really hard work. I never thought it was difficult when I watched my mom do it. Even now, watching you do it seems quite easy. Why can’t I do it?”

"You're still young and don't know how to use your hands properly. It's not just about using a lot of force; you also need to use skill. If you hit the target, don't bother with it. I can sew it myself faster. Otherwise, if we have to work on a pair of shoes, it will be troublesome if one of them is higher than the other. Go read a book over there."

"Auntie is having lunch at my house. I made the dough this morning, and we're making steamed vegetable buns."

"I'm not eating at your house. I haven't even given you the rice cake yet. How can you eat a child's food?"

"Are you being too formal? It's just the two of us, why do we need to be so different? I don't eat much, I have enough food."

"That won't do either. I feel bad about it. Yesterday, your third uncle scolded me for the steamed cake you gave me. I didn't return it to you even though I accepted it. But you can't treat me like a stranger anymore. It's only right that I take care of you."

Zhang Hongmei thought to herself, what is right or wrong? They're not her parents, just strangers from another lifetime. Therefore, Zhang Hongmei understood the feelings of Liu Maocai and his wife. But Li Cuihua was right; she was still a child, and being too direct might make others overthink. She would be more careful in the future, and repay favors later when the opportunity arose. There was no need to rush.

"Auntie, I'm eating three meals a day now, do you see if I've gained weight?"

"You think you've gained weight? I think you've grown taller, but you're still as thin as a stick."

"I've really gained weight. You'll see when I take off my cotton-padded coat. I'm going to be chubby."

"Hehe, you think you're chubby? Give me a break. Even if I were chubby, you wouldn't be." The two joked and teased each other.

Li Cuihua didn't stay for lunch, and Zhang Hongmei was too lazy to cook anything fancy, so she just made steamed buns with sugar. This was nourishing, and for Zhang Hongmei at this point, it was the most nutritious food. Thinking about the sweet potatoes in the cellar, she decided she should ask Li Cuihua if she wanted to prepare the sweet potato vines herself this year. If she wanted to, she'd keep them; if it was like last year, she could find someone to exchange them. She'd steam half of the sweet potatoes, cut them up, and dry them, and keep the rest raw, sliced ​​them, and dried them to grind into sweet potato flour later. Her mother's cold sweet potato noodles were especially delicious when she was little.

Thinking about the possibility of drought next year, I decided it's best to keep the sweet potatoes. I've started cultivating more sweet potato vines, and I plan to plant more sweet potatoes this year. They're drought-resistant, so the yield won't be reduced much. Even if I can't eat them all, I can exchange them for other things. If things go as planned, I should be able to find some good deals.