In early September, the autumn heat was raging. The sun seemed to bite people and was like melted maltose. People almost got burned if they walked in places without shade.
Today is September 8th, which is also Qiao An's birthday. Qiao Lu took out the new clothes she had just made last week, one set is a dress for herself, and the other set is a short-sleeved shirt with a teddy bear pattern for her son.
There are no new styles for little boys’ summer clothes, just ordinary short-sleeved shirts with some cute patterns. Qiao Lu’s new dress is really beautiful.
The long dress with a blue background and white flowers has lace on the neckline and delicate camellia embroidery on the cuffs. It is bright, harmonious and lively, and seems to bring coolness in the summer. The outline is a large skirt and a waist design, which is smooth and flowing, and it moves with the wind, making the dress more lively and elegant.
As soon as I put it on, my mood instantly became relaxed along with the flowing skirt.
"Look, the newspapers said that it's not that we are not allowed to do business, but that we are not allowed to expand. If we expand, it will be speculation and profiteering, that is, taking the capital road... Here is a typical case, it's a melon seed seller, he registered a trademark, opened a company and hired workers, and made... a million? That's not surprising, the average salary nowadays is only about 50 yuan, a million... is a bit outrageous, we haven't seen anyone who sets up a street stall being arrested. And this one, he hired ten people and was detained as a typical example. This one, this one is Sun Xun, he made a profit of tens of thousands through irregular channels... No wonder we snatched all his business away, we need to analyze it..."
"Okay, stop reading the newspapers and stop analyzing. Look at me. Isn't it pretty?"
This man, since he closed his business and stayed at home, has almost treated the newspaper as his second wife! He holds it in his hands and flips through it every day. The time the couple spends together is probably less than the time it takes to get a newspaper.
Xu Haizhou was still not finished: "I wonder when we can prepare to reopen. The profit margin of small accessories is low, so let's put it aside for now. That bag is good. I haven't even been to the north of the city. I plan to give a hairpin for every bag I buy. I'm sure I can make a lot of money."
"What day is it today? Can you please focus on us, mother and son?"
Qiao Lu rolled her eyes at him, snatched the newspaper from the man's hand, and turned around in front of him in her skirt. The man was stunned for two seconds at first, but then his eyes lit up, and he stretched out his long arms, grabbed her in his arms and kissed her red lips.
After the kiss, he inhaled her hair and said, "She looks beautiful. My wife is like a fairy."
Recently, his life at home seems to be too leisurely. He reads newspapers and drinks good tea, and has a beautiful wife around him. His lovely son often comes to him with storybooks to tell him stories. They are in harmony with each other. Even if he is a god, he would not be as comfortable as he is.
Qiao Lu pinched his ear unhappily: "What are you doing? An An is still here."
The couple looked over at the same time, and Qiao An danced with excitement: "I want a kiss too!"
Qiao Lu: “…”
Holding back his laughter, Xu Haizhou held the little guy on his lap and kissed his little face: "Okay, Daddy will kiss our An An too."
He had shaved today, and his kisses on her face were soft and gentle, and a little itchy, making Qiao An fall back in a trance. She used her little bracelet around his neck to prevent herself from falling to the ground.
I don’t know what medicine the father and son took today, they are having a great time together and can’t bear to part.
Qiao Lu slapped Xu Haizhou away from her son's little face and slung her shoulder bag over her shoulder: "Okay, stop kissing. Come on, An An, mommy will take you to buy a birthday cake."
"Okay!" After breaking free from Xu Haizhou's restraints and throwing herself into Qiao Lu's arms, the mother and daughter put on new clothes and skirts and went to the street to buy a cake and some vegetables.
Before leaving, he told Xu Haizhou: "Go to the kitchen and steam the rice. When I come back, you can cook the dishes right away. Don't waste time."
Xu Haizhou put down the newspaper he had just picked up: "Okay."
The little guy was eating birthday cake for the first time in his life, and he asked her excitedly along the way: "Mom, when are we going to eat it?"
My eyeballs almost fell into the cake.
Qiao Lu couldn't help laughing: "Take a break after dinner, and eat in the afternoon."
The young man put his hands together and made a wish to the Buddha: "Okay, I hope time passes quickly, come in the afternoon~"
I don’t want the oil to stain my skirt, so I’m going to have pork ribs, winter melon and corn soup for lunch today. I’m just going to cook a simple pot. I’m also going to have birthday cake in the afternoon, so I don’t need to cook too many dishes for lunch.
To be honest, ever since Xu Haizhou handed over all his wages, Qiao Lu has been in charge of the family meals, and the meals are no worse than those in the 21st century. Just look at how much weight Qiao An has gained to know how well the family of three eat every day.
Sometimes, when Qiao Lu spent all her meat and grain coupons, she would ask Xu Haizhou to buy them at a high price on the black market. Although the price was a bit expensive, it was affordable.
At the door of the house, Wu Guifang and several others held their rice bowls and did not eat at home. Instead, they stood at the gate of the courtyard to enjoy the breeze, chatting and eating. This was an old habit of the neighbors.
Not long after they finished eating, a group of people came towards the Xu family's cottage. Their eyes fell on Qiao Lu like searchlights, staring at her new dress with stars in their eyes.
"Did you make the dress yourself? Or did you buy it?"
Afraid that the oil on their hands might stain people's clothes, Wu Guifang and the others just stood aside and watched without touching anything.
Qiao Lu lowered her head, glanced at the skirt, and said with a smile, "Is it okay if I just made one casually?"
"My God, why do the skirts you make seem like they've only been seen in movies?" In that drama called "Lushan Love", the heroine changed at least thirty sets of clothes, if not forty, which really shocked people.
It’s a pity that you can only watch the movie once. No matter how beautiful the skirt is, it’s hard to make it if you don’t have a sample to compare with!
Song Qingping exclaimed: "You really made it yourself. If you hadn't told me, I would have thought you bought it in a department store! I was just shopping there two days ago, why didn't I see this skirt?"
Wu Guifang stuffed a mouthful of rice into her mouth and nodded continuously: "Okay, great! This blue color makes your skin look so white. Do you think I can be as white if I wear it?"
Qiao Lu has cold white skin, while Wu Guifang has yellow-white skin. They both look quite white to the naked eye, but the contrast is very clear when they stand next to each other.
After sprinkling three spoonfuls of salt into the soup, Qiao Lu laughed, "Then I don't know."
If this skirt was worn thirty years later, it would definitely be an ordinary style that would be seen on the street, but in the 1980s, it was indeed eye-catching and fashionable.
Several women exchanged glances, looked at each other, made faces, and hesitated to say something for a long time, but no one spoke first.
"Mom! Sister-in-law! Let me tell you something really funny!" Chen Jiamei just came home from lunch break and ran into the yard holding her belly. "The guy Yanjun in our class wore bell-bottom pants. Our teacher said that this was unhealthy and that he was a second-rate person. Then the teacher cut the bells off his bell-bottom pants. Hahahaha - so funny!"
"He used to go home with us after school, but today he ran away by himself. He must have felt too embarrassed to face anyone, hahahaha—"
"There was a boy in the next class who bought a mirror to show off, but his teacher stepped on it and it was torn to pieces. Hahahaha——"
"Little sister! Little sister! Come here, quickly!" Song Qingping called her.
Chen Jiamei's laughter froze on her lips. She paused in her running and shook her head in confusion: "What's going on? What are you doing here with so many people?"
Song Qingping thought she was walking too slowly, so she pulled her over. Over at the Xu family's cottage, Qiao Lu had already served the meal and was bringing it inside.
"Why are you pulling me?" He rubbed his arm unhappily.
Her sister-in-law Lin Caihe pointed at Qiao Lu and said, "Jiamei, look at the skirt Qiao Lu is wearing. Doesn't it look good?"
Chen Jiamei glanced casually into the room and was stunned.
Oh, where did Qiao Lu get such a beautiful dress? Look at the slender waist, flowing skirt, unique neckline... There are even lace on the cuffs, playful and elegant...
Chen Jiamei curled her lips and said, "It looks good, not bad, but it's a bit of a pity."
Song Qingping was stunned for a moment: "What a pity?"
"What a pity it's not on me!" Snorting angrily, Chen Jiamei turned around and walked away, but was stopped by her elder and second sisters-in-law.
"Hey - don't go!"
After dragging them back two steps, Chen Jiamei glared at her elder and second sisters-in-law with displeasure: "What are you doing? You want to use me as a gun again, right? You don't come to me for good things, but think of me for bad things. You are really..."
Don't think she is a fool and doesn't know the tricks of these adults?
"Oh! You are a child. No one will bother with a child."
Chen Jiamei was speechless: "I am not a child anymore. I will be an adult in two years, you know? And I have already said that I don't like that Qiao Lu. You guys can tell me if you like her clothes."
"Yes, sister-in-law knows. Go quickly. We are all waiting."
In the end, Chen Jiamei was pushed into the Xu family by her two sisters-in-law.
"Jiamei?" The family of three was eating at the dining table. When Qiao Lu saw her, she put down her bowl and chopsticks and pointed to a small stool: "What's going on? Come in and sit down."
Chen Jiamei awkwardly held the door frame and did not come in, but stood at the doorway. Because of the backlight, the people inside could not see her expression clearly, but they felt that she spoke in a shy manner.
"I, I'm not coming in. I just want to ask about the skirt you're wearing..."
"What's wrong with your skirt?" Although Qiao Lu had already guessed the purpose of her visit, she still asked.
"Skirt...skirt..." Facing Qiao Lu's confused gaze, Chen Jiamei had already hated her two sisters-in-law a thousand times in her heart: "The skirt is pretty."
With just one sentence, he unilaterally broke the "cold war" with Qiao Lu. Complimenting her on her beautiful skirt meant that he wanted to make peace with her. Oh no! How useless! It's only been a short time... Chen Jiamei secretly despised herself.
Qiao Lu raised her eyebrows and curled her lips: "Thank you."
Squeezing her face and sniffing the rich aroma of food in the air, Chen Jiamei's voice became softer: "Well... I just want to say... your skirt, okay, that something..."
"Which what?"
Qiao An also turned his head to look at Chen Jiamei, blinking his big eyes curiously.
"I, I want to borrow your skirt. I think it's pretty. I'll return it to you tomorrow, okay?" After she said this, her toes gripped the ground awkwardly.
Qiao Lu was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's like this, I'm going to make a few more of this skirt to sell. If you like it, I can give you a friendly price, and even a neighbor like you won't feel comfortable charging you more."
"Ah?" This caught Chen Jiamei off guard. "Are you going to sell clothes again? Weren't you selling bags a while ago? Why... did you change again?"
Ignoring Chen Jiamei's eyes that widened instantly, Qiao Lu continued to smile and said, "I'm idle at home anyway, so I can make a few clothes to earn some living expenses. Making bags requires a lot of work, so I have to hire people. Just making one or two pieces of clothes is enough for our family of three to eat and drink, don't you think?"
After all, Qiao Lu is a businessman, not a philanthropist. If every piece of clothing she makes is borrowed out for imitation, she will become the exclusive designer for her neighbors in the long run... She won't do this job if it doesn't pay for itself.
After a moment of shock, Chen Jiamei's face showed embarrassment, and the blush spread from her cheeks to her ears at a speed visible to the naked eye.
If she continues to take advantage of him without any shame, it would be extremely shameless.
Chen Jiamei, who was already stage-frightened in front of Qiao Lu, immediately shuddered: "Oh, then, forget it."
Jiamei's two sisters-in-law were waiting for him at the door of their house. When they saw their sister-in-law returning empty-handed, they had a bad feeling in their hearts.
"What's the matter? She won't give it to me?"
"Here!" Chen Jiamei pushed her two sisters-in-law away unhappily and walked into the house: "Don't ask me for this kind of thing in the future. You know how embarrassing it is, so how can I not feel embarrassed?"
The two sisters-in-law looked at each other in amusement and chased after him: "What's so embarrassing? Where's the skirt? Did you say when you would give it to me?"
Chen Jiamei smirked: "I can give it to you anytime, I can even give you one as a gift."
"Oh, there is such a good thing?" the two sisters-in-law said in surprise.
Chen Jiamei crossed her arms and snorted, "Yes, as long as you pay, someone will send the new skirt to your house immediately."
Lin Caihe and Song Qingping realized belatedly that they were being ridiculed by their sister-in-law!
In the blink of an eye, the door of the room slammed shut.
"Hey! Can't you speak properly, kid? You're so weird."
…
Because the weather was too hot and the cake would go bad, I put candles on the birthday cake around 2pm, made a wish, and then enjoyed it.
The cake costs five yuan each and is about six inches in size. In that era, it was definitely a high-end food that only wealthy people could afford.
"Congratulations, An An, you're one year older! Come, make a wish and blow out the candles."
The young man tilted his head and fluttered his long eyelashes: "Is it the same way as making a wish to Lord Buddha?"
"Yeah, put your hands together, come on."
Qiaoan was always mindful not to speak out her wish, so she made her wish silently and then began to blow out the candles. However, as she did not have enough strength, she had to blow them out five or six times before she was able to do so.
Clapping her hands, Qiao Lu handed the knife to her son: "Little birthday boy, share the cake."
The boy's mouth opened into a "0" in surprise. He had never used such a dangerous knife as a kitchen knife.
"Mom's share."
Qiao Lu put the knife into his hand and said, "It's okay. You're the birthday boy. Come on."
Qiao An was eager to try it out. He held the knife handle tightly with both hands and carefully cut a piece. There were no disposable plates, so he had to use a bowl to catch the meat.
Cutting the cake was so fun! It was such a wonderful experience!
"For mom." After cutting a piece, he handed it to Qiao Lu. It was the part with the largest flower in the center.
Qiao Lu pressed a kiss to his cheek: "Thank you, baby."
She shrank her neck shyly, then burst into laughter: "This is for Daddy, a bigger one!"
Because Dad eats a lot, even more than An An and Mom combined.
"Thank you, son." Xu Haizhou took it and kissed the side of his cheek that Qiao Lu had kissed.
The door was suddenly filled with children, looking in with curiosity and envy.
After Joan finished cutting out her piece, Jo Lu took the knife, cut the remaining cake into six even pieces, and handed them to Joan.
"An An, go share some with your friends, so they can also share in the blessing of our little birthday boy."
If it were a year ago, Qiao An would definitely be hesitant and reluctant to give up. But after Qiao Lu's guidance and persuasion for a period of time, the boy is now happy to share delicious food with his friends.
"Okay~"
Without any hesitation, he ran out with the cake in his hands. Each child got a small piece of cake, but it was not that big, about the size of two or three bites.
"Thank you, Qiao An." Chen Jingkang took it and stuffed it into his mouth.
Tears of emotion welled up in my eyes.
This is so delicious! Qiaoan always has more desserts than he can finish. What kid in the compound wouldn’t be jealous?
The young man held his head high and said confidently, "You're welcome. This is the birthday cake my mom bought for me. She said she wanted to give everyone some of the little birthday star's blessings!"
"What is a birthday cake?" Chen Baitao had never heard of or seen one.
Qiao An replied softly: "It's a birthday cake. You can only eat it on your birthday."
"Then why haven't I eaten it on my birthday? I'll go back and ask my mom to buy it for me." Chen Baitao clenched his fist in anger.
"Who is the little birthday star?" everyone asked again.
"It's me, today is my birthday!" Qiao An straightened his back proudly.
"Happy Birthday Joan!"
"happy birthday!"
"happy birthday……"
Chen Jingkang narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Happy birthday, Qiao An." The envy in his eyes could not be stopped, and he started crying while laughing... Woohoo, the gap between people.
"Thank you~"
Children of this generation are usually very easy to satisfy. There wasn't much cake so each of them only ate two or three bites. After finishing the cake, they jumped up and down with satisfaction and insisted on taking Qiao An out to play.
Although Qiao Lu was a little worried, the real way to love a child is not to try every means to tie the child to your side, nor to wrap him up like a dumpling to protect him from any harm from the outside world, but to support the child to go to a wider world.
So she didn't say anything or stop them, but just reminded everyone to be careful before leaving.
…
In the hot summer, the child came back from playing, sweating profusely, and excitedly pulled his mother to tell her about the interesting things that happened in the afternoon.
"I also picked flowers for Mom. I picked them in the woods. I picked six, one for Mom and one for Dad. The rest have... four! I want to put them in a vase, okay?"
"Okay, our An An's ability to express himself has improved significantly. When it gets cooler in a few days, can you go under the tree and tell us a story?"
The young man hesitated and said hesitantly: "It's a bit good, but also a bit bad... because I'm a bit embarrassed."
"It's okay. Aren't you a man?" Kissing his sunburned face, Qiao Lu wiped the sweat off her son with her handkerchief and changed the subject, "Come on, Dad is washing clothes outside. Go tell him to take you to the bathroom after he's done."
"Okay!" He hadn't even rested for a few minutes when he put down the Lycoris radiata and ran out again with a bang.
Jolu put the flowers in the vase and went back to working on her sewing machine.
Xu Haizhou took his son to the bathroom to take a bath. Qiao Lu went to the tube building on time and asked her sister and brother-in-law to come home for the little birthday boy's birthday dinner. It happened that the two families had not been together for a long time.
"Aunt, Aunt! I had birthday cake this afternoon!" As soon as Qiao Yan stepped into the Xu family's cottage, she was hugged by Qiao An.
"Be careful, An An, your second aunt is pregnant with a baby." Xu Haizhou reached out and held the little guy and moved back.
Yuan Jianghe calmly held his wife's lower back, while Qiao An hugged her father's neck, smiling shyly and feeling a little guilty.
"It's okay, you didn't hit me. Besides, my stomach is not an eggshell, it's not that easy to get hurt." Qiao Yan didn't take it to heart. She poked Qiao An's nose with her index finger and teased him, "You little guy, you come to show off again, why don't you wait for your second aunt to come before eating?"
The boy bit his lower lip, seeming distressed: "Um... um... sorry, auntie, I'll save it for you next time on your birthday."
We have already eaten today, so there is no way mom would buy another one. A cake costs five dollars, and five dollars can buy An An a set of summer clothes!
Since learning addition and subtraction, Joan has a better understanding of numbers and is good at making comparisons.
"Okay, Second Auntie will remember this. If you don't leave some for me next time, I will spank you." Qiao Yan threatened him.
The boy was not scared. He knew that his aunt would not hit him. He chuckled, ran into the room, took out the enamel basin, and showed his two little goldfish to his second aunt and uncle.
When Yuan Jianghe first met Bubble, he smiled and praised Qiao An for raising him well. He noticed something and casually said, "This one with a red tail is called Bubble, right? Why is its belly so bloated? Did it eat too much?"
After splashing the water with his fingers twice, Xiaobai ran away quickly. Bubble was stunned for a moment, then reacted and slowly moved towards the edge of the basin.
Qiao An shook his head and said with a smile: "No, Paopao has grown flesh, just like An An!"
After saying that, he lifted up his shirt to show the two of them the white and tender flesh on his belly, which made his aunt and uncle laugh non-stop.
In addition to reminiscing and celebrating the little birthday boy, the topic of today's dinner mainly revolved around Qiao Yan's belly.
When talking about the unborn baby in her belly, Yuan Jianghe and his wife really had endless things to talk about for three days and three nights.
"Haizhou, you and Qiao Lu have been married for half a year. Although An An is only four years old, it's almost time for you to have a child. If you can get pregnant this year, there will be a five-year age difference between you and An An. This age difference is quite good."
"Well, let nature take its course. There's no way to avoid pregnancy." Xu Haizhou smiled, glancing at his blushing wife.
He said this calmly, which made Qiao Lu feel a little embarrassed.
The foot under the table quietly kicked his calf, and his eyes looked over, and just one glance made her heart palpitate. It was as if time had gone back, and they were still in the state of just deciding to get married half a year ago, "secretly" under the noses of her sister and brother-in-law...
After fooling around with his wife under the table for a while, Xu Haizhou's gaze drifted lightly to Qiao Yan's belly, until he saw Yuan Jianghe slightly lift her skirt and put his palm on it, with a satisfied look on his face.
He admitted that he was a little envious at this moment and had some such thoughts in his mind.
But when he turned around and looked at Qiaoan who was obsessed with gnawing on the chicken leg...
Yes, why envy others? He also has a son.
He is so well-behaved and cute, others should envy him.
Everyone was having a great time at the dinner table. After the meal, Qiao Lu gave Qiao Yan the maternity dress she had prepared in advance.
"I started preparing it the last time I knew you were pregnant. The material is pure cotton, tie-dyed. I asked Haizhou to ask someone to buy the dye. It's a very healthy material. The style is also designed. There is an elastic band at the waist, which is very elastic and won't be tight."
Qiao Yan’s focus is not on whether it is healthy or not, but on how beautiful the skirt is. The pattern is casual yet beautiful, with a white background and green patterns, it has a very summery feel!
The more I looked at it, the more astonished I became. "Did you make it? Did you not buy it?"
"Am I kidding you? The best shopping mall in Li'an is the department store. If you go shopping in the department store, you can't buy a skirt like this." Qiao Lu laughed.
"It's amazing. I never realized your skills are so good before." Qiao Yan couldn't help but sigh.
"Look at what you said, can't I learn it?"
"Yes, my Lulu is getting more and more capable, and looks more and more like a wife. This skirt is a good gift. I was just worried about the hot weather and not having suitable pants to wear!" Either it was too hot or too tight. The loose work pants were not breathable and made her chest hurt.
After much trouble, she wanted to buy a skirt, but the department store couldn't find any sizes suitable for a fat pregnant woman like her. She blamed Yuan Jianghe a lot for this. Who told him to feed her so fat?
To be honest, this skirt from Qiaolu is a timely help! It is beautiful and practical, and there is a small pocket on the belly, which is very convenient for stuffing tissues.
She happily picked up her skirt and went home. Before leaving, Qiao An held her second aunt's hand, feeling a little reluctant to let her go. She touched her round belly and asked through gritted teeth.
"Auntie, when will the little sister come out of my belly?"
Qiao Yan's eyes became softer as she looked at her little nephew. She tried her best to look at him as much as possible, hoping that the daughter or son she would give birth to would be half as cute as Qiao An.
"It's still early. In a few months, it may not be a little sister, but a little brother. Then you can hug him and kiss him."
"Okay~"
…
The electric fan was spinning in circles, and gusts of cool breeze were blowing on my body. The small window was open, which complemented the cool night breeze.
In the evening, Qiao Lu went to the bathroom to take a shower. The father and son were fighting on the bed while waiting for Qiao Lu to come home. Xu Haizhou pinched his son's neck and made him laugh so hard that he collapsed on the bed.
After a long time, the strength subsided, and one of the little feet rose up and hung on the wall, while the other foot was held and tickled by Xu Haizhou.
After laughing for a while, Qiao An stepped back and looked at Xu Haizhou with her innocent and beautiful eyes: "Dad, when will you and mom give An An a little sister?"
Xu Haizhou was stunned and froze, and it took him a long while to find his own voice: "An An, do you want... your mother to give you a little sister?"
The boy shook his head innocently: "Yeah! This way, I can play with my sister! There are cakes and candies in my treasure box, I want to give them to my sister."
Xu Haizhou laughed. Children's thoughts are always so pure, without any impurities.
"Aren't you worried? When your sister comes out, Mom and Dad will love you less."
Qiao An frowned blankly, holding Xu Haizhou's warm big hand, a little panicked: "Why? Now that my sister is out, do mom and dad no longer love An An?"