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On this day, the men followed Secretary Qi to deliver the grain, while the women and children rested at home.
However, these women secretly instructed that when they arrived in the county town, they should buy some things to bring back, as it was not easy to go out.
He Tiantian thought that she had saved up enough tickets and wanted to go to the county town to buy a piece of purple silk and some embroidery thread for Grandma Qi San to make a beautiful cheongsam for her.
This was something He Tiantian had promised Grandma Qi, but she simply didn't have enough tickets.
He Jingyu was going to give a report in the county town, and he was going with his daughter.
The bicycle He Jingyu rode this time was not borrowed from Secretary Qi, but was his own.
Jiang Lifang and Huo Zhekun were very thoughtful. Knowing that He Jingyu didn't have a bicycle here, they immediately disassembled He Jingyu and Wang Shuping's bicycle in Nanshi, sorted it out, packed it up, and sent it over.
In this way, you can have two bicycles for just over ten yuan in postage.
Save money and tickets.
So now not only does He Jingyu have a bicycle, He Tiantian is now riding the women's bicycle that Wang Shuping used to own.
Bicycles are faster than oxcarts, so they arrived in the county town a little earlier. He Jingyu took He Tiantian to Niu Lili's place and then went to the commune.
Niu Lili happened to be off today, so she went shopping with He Tiantian.
Because He Tiantian was coming to the county town, Wang Lei and the other educated youth asked her to bring some things. He Tiantian bought everything on two separate sheets of paper.
Because He Tiantian bought a lot, the salesperson's attitude was a little better than usual.
"Sweetie, why are you buying silk?" Niu Lili whispered a reminder. "Although silk is pretty, you can't wear it now. You can't let a few days of peace make you lose your sense of direction."
He Tiantian knew that Niu Lili cared about her, so she explained carefully, "I bought this for my grandma. Grandma is a lovely old lady. Now that she's getting older, she misses the old days more and more. I thought I'd make her a dress she likes while she's still alive and well."
Niu Lili was taken aback, then realized that He Tiantian knew her grandmother, who was over sixty years old and whose lifespan was uncertain. It was only natural to buy her decent clothes while she was still alive.
"Oh, I see. That's fine then. But once the clothes are made, you can only wear them at home, not outside," Niu Lili reminded her. "Come on, I'll take you there."
Niu Lili took her to a familiar salesperson and bought her a piece of fine, dark purple silk, which was soft and smooth.
As I was leaving, I saw a piece of royal blue fabric, shimmering and beautiful, which would have been perfect for Grandma Qi.
So I gritted my teeth and bought it.
Good things come in pairs, let's make two things for Grandma Qi!
He Tiantian bought embroidery thread and needles of various sizes, carefully packing them into a small wooden box.
He Jingyu gave a report, had lunch, and then took He Tiantian home.
Having a bicycle is great; at least you can make a round trip in a day, which is more convenient and faster than using an oxcart.
When I got home, it was already 7 p.m., and it was pitch black.
After parking her bicycle, He Tiantian took a small package out of the back basket and said, "Grandma, Grandma, look what I bought for you?"
Grandma Qi, standing on tiptoe, came out of the house and asked with a smile, "Then I want to see what my dear granddaughter bought for me?"
He Tiantian placed it on the table, with an oil lamp lit beside it.
Wang Shuping took the needle and adjusted the wick of the lamp, making the oil lamp, which was about the size of a soybean, shine a little brighter, and the room became a bit brighter.
He Tiantian had already opened the package and spread out the two pieces of silk inside.
"Wow, the color is beautiful!" Wang Shuping exclaimed. "I haven't seen such beautiful silk in so many years!"
Grandma Qi San reached out and gently stroked the fabric, worried that her rough hands would damage it.
"Yes, it's been many years since I've seen such fine fabric," Grandma Qi said with emotion. "One piece would have been enough, why did you buy two?"
Sweetie always remembered her words, which moved Grandma Qi very much!
He Tiantian smiled and said, "If Grandma likes it, then let's make two!"
"I want the purple one, and the blue one, but you can give them to your mother." Grandma Qi couldn't accept them all. Although she liked them very much, she knew when to stop and not to be greedy. She wanted to share good things with everyone.
Wang Shuping smiled and said, "Godmother, I can't wear this fabric even if you give it to me. If you like it, I'll make it all for you. When there's a chance in the future, I'll have Tian'er buy it for me."
“Yes, Grandma, this is for you,” He Tiantian comforted. “You don’t need anything, and Mom and Dad didn’t know what to get you. We just happened to have some ration coupons, and we’re not short of money, so I bought it. Luckily, Sister Lili helped us, so we were able to buy some really good silk. It’s much better quality than if I had bought it myself.”
He Tiantian didn't know much about silk, and none of the pieces she had looked at before were as good as these two.
"This..." Grandma Qi hesitated; she really liked this.
She spent most of her life alone.
Since her son went missing and her husband passed away, only Brother Qi has treated her well.
Now that He Tiantian's family treats her so well, how could she not be moved!
Thinking that there were many treasures in the secret room behind, if she couldn't find her son in the future, she would leave them all to He Tiantian's family as compensation.
"Godmother, please accept it," He Jingyu said with a smile. "It's normal for a son to be filial to his mother. If you don't accept it, it means you don't consider us family."
Seeing Grandma Qi, He Jingyu thought of his own mother.
Especially recently, seeing those old photos of Grandma Qi San reminded He Jingyu of his mother sitting elegantly by the window, wearing a silk cheongsam.
"Hehe!" Grandma Qi chuckled, quite pleased. "Alright, since it's a gift from a junior, I won't stand on ceremony. I'll start making the clothes tomorrow. I'll embroider white peonies on the purple one, and elegant magnolias on the sapphire blue one."
Grandma Qi wanted to make the most beautiful clothes from these two pieces of fabric, and to treat them as her funeral clothes.
Given Grandma Qi's proud and spoiled nature, even in the afterlife, she would still dress beautifully and respectably.
While alive, you can't dress as you please, but after you die, you can do whatever you want.
The next day, Grandma Qi asked Wang Shuping to take her measurements.
While drinking tea, He Tiantian watched as Grandma Qi wrote down her measurements in her notebook.
He Tiantian noticed that although Grandma Qi was old and still had bound feet, she had a straight back and her gray hair was always neatly styled, making her a very elegant old lady.
After noting down the measurements, Grandma Qi hummed a little tune as she cut the clothes, in a very pleasant mood.
Grandma Qi's optimism and good mood infected Wang Shuping and He Tiantian.
Wang Shuping has said more than once in private that it is truly rare for a woman to have such an optimistic attitude and mental state! (To be continued.)
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