Xu Meifeng and Bao Ni became familiar with each other, and she would occasionally come over to visit. She couldn't help with other things, but she could easily make clothes for Bao Ni.
"Meifeng, your skills are amazing! Did you receive any formal training?"
Bonnie looked at the clothes Xu Meifeng had brought over and sincerely praised them.
Previously, when Liu Jiu's clothes were torn, Bonnie held the needle and thread for a long time, even pricking her hand until it bled, but she still couldn't sew the clothes properly.
Finally, Sanqi couldn't stand it anymore, so she studied it and sewed it up.
The seam was sewn up, but it was a long, thin line, like a centipede.
Xu Meifeng came to deliver hazel mushrooms and was stunned for a long time when she saw the centipede on Liu Jiu's clothes.
"Sister-in-law, is that a centipede on Liu Jiu's clothes? Do girls like things like that nowadays?"
Bonnie took a moment to realize what was going on, but she wasn't embarrassed at all.
"Oh, that's because Liu Jiu's clothes were torn. I tried to sew it up for ages, my hands were bleeding from the thorns, but I couldn't. It was San Qi who sewed it up."
Xu Meifeng opened her mouth, unsure how to respond.
"Liu Jiu, change your clothes, and I'll sew them for you again."
Liu Jiu didn't really care, and she didn't care about centipedes or anything like that. It was just that people always used this to gossip about her mother, which was annoying.
"Thank you, Auntie. I'll change right away."
Liu Jiu went to change her clothes, and Bonnie quickly thanked her, as she was really not good at these kinds of handicrafts.
"Sister-in-law, you're too kind. If anyone should be thanking you, it's you. Not only did you help me buy autumn vegetables, but you also helped me out of a predicament, and Liu Jiu took my daughter to play..."
As Xu Meifeng counted the things she was grateful for, she felt that the more she counted, the more grateful she became.
Bonnie couldn't let her keep counting; they were all trivial matters, not worth thanking repeatedly.
The topic had drifted off-topic. When Bonnie saw the clothes that Meifeng had mended, she embroidered a pattern on the torn part, and it was so lifelike.
Xu Meifeng has a sewing machine at home, and her leg doesn't stop her from using it.
“Sister-in-law, if you need your clothes mended again, just let me know. I used to learn sewing, and I enjoy it. These things are really not difficult.”
Xu Meifeng genuinely likes it, but with cloth ration coupons scarce, there aren't many people making clothes.
"Okay, I'm really not good at this. But Meifeng, you're so skilled, why don't you open a sewing shop and make clothes for people to earn an income?"
Bonnie knew that her family was not well-off; they had three children and also had to pay for their parents' retirement.
"Will it work? I only learned a little bit from the old tailor in the village."
Xu Meifeng hadn't thought about this; she didn't think the clothes she made were particularly good.
"You're too modest. Although I can't make clothes, I can look at them. What you've done is really good. You can go to the department store when you have time and see what styles of clothes they have that you can take inspiration from."
Bonnie thought this was a good idea. With so many family compounds around them, once their reputation spread, they were sure to have no shortage of business.
"Sister-in-law, is it okay?"
Although Xu Meifeng lacked confidence, she took the advice to heart. If it worked out, it could help supplement the family income.
"It should be fine. Go take a look in the next few days and think about some clothing styles."
I know someone who's an older sister-in-law; she can buy some slightly damaged fabric and we can try it out on a small scale first. Since you have a sewing machine, it won't cost much to invest.
Bonnie thought Xu Meifeng was a good person and not a fool, so she would help her if she could.
"Okay, thank you for your help, sister-in-law. I'll go to the department store tomorrow."
Xu Meifeng also had an idea; she wanted to take a gamble. What if it worked? At least she could cook meat for her child a few times.
Just like my sister-in-law said, we have a sewing machine at home, so we don't need much capital.
After seeing Xu Meifeng off, the children returned and it was time for them to go to sleep.
Bonnie lay on the bed and touched the spot next to her. Gu Ye hadn't come back for several days.
Bonnie turned over and fell asleep without realizing it.
Xu Meifeng couldn't sleep. What her sister-in-law Baoni had said kept replaying in her mind, and she wanted to discuss it with her husband.
Unfortunately, he hasn't come back these past few days.
The next day, Xu Meifeng was about to go to the department store after she finished packing. She was a little timid, but there was nothing she could do. Her sister-in-law, Bao Ni, had to go to work, and she didn't have any close friends.
After changing into a newer set of clothes and tidying herself up, Xu Meifeng took a cloth bag and went out.
"Meifeng, are we going out?"
Since the last incident, Sister Feng has been criticized and publicly apologized. The other sisters-in-law no longer dare to discriminate against Xu Meifeng to her face or bring up her lameness.
"Yes, I'm going out for a bit. Aunt Liu is done with her work."
“We’re not really busy, we don’t have a fixed schedule, we just have the same few things to do all day, so we’re always thinking about how to save money.”
Sister Liu's husband is a battalion commander, and he lives in the same dormitory building as Xu Meifeng and the others.
Xu Meifeng and Sister Liu weren't particularly close, but they didn't have any conflicts either, and she never openly belittled her.
Xu Meifeng was in a hurry to go to the department store, so she said goodbye to Sister Liu and left without saying much.
As Sister Liu watched Xu Meifeng walk away, she noticed something different about her; she seemed much more energetic.
Xu Meifeng herself didn't notice the change in her. When she arrived at the department store, she went to the clothing section on the third floor. There weren't many styles of clothes, and the colors were mainly black, gray, white, and green.
The saleswoman was knitting a sweater and ignored the person who came over, focusing only on her work.
Xu Meifeng didn't ask the sales clerk to bring the clothes to her for a look; she just stood a short distance outside the counter and looked at them without paying much attention.
Occasionally, when customers come to buy clothes, Xu Meifeng takes a closer look at the styles of the clothes while the sales clerk is getting the clothes, and silently memorizes them.
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