Chapter 35 - Two-in-One Gets a New Look (Bug Fix)...
Lin Chuntao was checking if the pig's blood was cooked when she heard this and turned around to look at Lin Chunxing, who was laughing so hard she couldn't stand up straight, a stark contrast to the sullen Lin Duoer in front of her.
"How did your second sister bully you?"
"She won't tell me how much money our family has."
Lin Chuntao looked at Lin Chunxing and smiled, "She doesn't know."
Lin Duo'er frowned deeply, hands on her hips: "Second sister doesn't know either?"
Lin Chuntao nodded seriously.
"Hmm, she doesn't know."
The little girl's expression changed instantly. She grinned and leaned closer to her, asking, "Sister, how much money do we have?"
Lin Chuntao gave a long "hmm" before speaking softly.
"We used to have some money, but we just bought some fabric. It's all gone now."
Lin Duo'er bit her lip, her eyes darting around. She probably really believed Lin Chuntao's claim that the fabric was sold out, and said with some regret, "Okay."
After saying that, he skipped and hopped into the house and went to look at the two bolts of cloth.
Lin Chunxing told her about the little incident on the road, and Lin Chuntao laughed after listening, "Good job! They wanted to cause trouble, so we just cursed them back."
“When we came back, Miaomiao was almost furious.”
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "She'll be furious, and might even go back and complain."
"Whatever, let them tell the whole village that Lin Jiacai was spying on what we were eating."
After Lin Chunxing finished speaking, she looked at the pig's blood cubes in the iron pot and asked, "Is it almost cooked?"
"No, it needs to be cooked a little longer. Cold slices taste better when they're cooked a bit longer."
"Do you need to use a bamboo basket? I'll go wash one."
Lin Chuntao nodded, and Lin Chunxing turned and walked into the house, saying as she went, "Aunt Guizhi just gave us another small bamboo basket. She told you to go and pick radishes yourself if you want to make more after you finish the pickled cabbage."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chuntao looked at the brand-new bamboo basket and smiled, "I understand."
Lin Chuntao kept two meals' worth of raw pig's blood from the half-bucket, and cooked the rest. Before one pot was even finished, Lin Chunxing washed the bamboo sieve and scooped out another pot to continue cooking.
After the pig's blood was cooked and the rice was steamed, Pei Ying returned.
Lin Duo'er was particularly eager to fetch water for him to wash his hands, while Lin Chuntao teased from the side, "Your little sister has been waiting for you to come back to make clothes for a long time."
Pei Ying looked at Lin Duo'er and smiled, "I'll make it in a bit." Then he looked at Lin Chuntao and asked, "How much fabric did you buy?"
"Two bolts, one white cotton cloth and one dyed cloth."
Pei Ying nodded slightly, washed her hands, and went back to the room to look at the cloth.
“We bought too many dyes, we won’t use them all, but it’s okay, I’ll think of some styles for you.”
After Pei Ying finished speaking, he went into his room, changed into clean clothes, and then came out with his dirty clothes, asking Lin Chuntao, "Will dinner be a little longer?"
"Hmm, are you hungry?"
"I'm not hungry. If you need a while, I'll go to the river to wash my clothes first."
Lin Chuntao nodded. "Okay, go ahead, but come back quickly."
Pei Ying responded and took the earthenware pot away.
Just as Lin Chuntao finished cooking and was about to call him, he returned.
After hanging up the clothes, we started eating.
They wanted to eat pickled cabbage and pig's blood soup, so Lin Chuntao also made cucumber and egg stir-fry, and stir-fried spicy potato slices with scallions in them.
All three dishes were their favorites, and they were all thinking about making clothes after eating, so they ate lunch exceptionally quickly.
After lunch, Pei Ying moved a grain cabinet from here to use as a table, saying it would make cutting fabric easier.
Lin Chuntao said, "The grain bin is a bit high. Would you like me to wash the table for you to use?"
Pei Ying waved his hand, "We still need to use the table for meals. It's troublesome to put it away every time we use it. It's just right to lay the grain cabinet flat."
Lin Chuntao suddenly realized that the grain cabinet, when laid horizontally, was much wider than the table.
She helped Pei Ying carry a grain cabinet into his house, and only after carrying it inside did she realize that Pei Ying had already laid out straw where the grain cabinet should be placed.
After setting up the grain cabinet, Pei Ying took out a wooden ruler and a bamboo tray from the package and handed them to Lin Chuntao.
"Measure the height, shoulder width, sleeve length, and pants length of the younger sisters."
Lin Chuntao took the wooden ruler. It was a dark brown wooden ruler, worn smooth from use, and visibly aged.
Lin Chuntao knew exactly what measurements were needed to make clothes. She called her sisters out and had them take measurements one by one, recording them on a bamboo tray.
Pei Ying glanced at the items Lin Chuntao had recorded, found nothing wrong, and then placed them on the grain cabinet.
"You haven't been measured yet, let me measure it for you."
Lin Chuntao smiled and opened her arms wide. "Sure."
Seeing the two's actions, Lin Chunxing pulled Lin Duo'er and Lin Chunhe away and closed the door behind her.
Pei Ying curved her lips into a smile and slowly approached.
He stood face to face with her, toes touching, his hand moving on her arm, and Lin Chuntao frowned slightly.
"No wooden ruler needed?"
"Need not."
His voice was deep, and the two of them were so close that Lin Chuntao remained motionless like a wooden stake. After a long while, he finished measuring the sleeve length and then asked her out of the blue, "Don't you know?"
"Know what?"
"The tailor's measurements are more accurate than those taken with a wooden ruler."
Lin Chuntao rolled her eyes at him after he took a step back. "It's a good thing you went to slaughter pigs. If you had become a tailor, wouldn't everyone be disgusted by you?"
"No, that won't happen. You're different."
"If it were someone else, I would definitely use a wooden ruler to measure it."
Lin Chuntao raised an eyebrow and smiled, "It's a pity, I'm not a tailor."
Pei Ying stood behind her measuring her shoulder width, remaining silent and not responding until the measurement was finished, at which point the person walked up to her.
"It's no pity. My wife doesn't need to be a tailor to do whatever she wants. I will have no objection."
Lin Chuntao saw that the man's clothes were half open and he was about to untie his belt. She exclaimed, "Are you crazy? Hurry up and make the clothes. I'm going to take them to work."
She spoke quickly, and her hand that brushed across his chest was even faster. He blamed her for being careless and being deceived by her words. Watching Lin Chuntao, who had touched him, quickly run away, Pei Ying's smile was wide. He tightened his belt, which he hadn't tied properly earlier.
When Lin Chuntao came out of the house, Lin Chunxing had already prepared all the farm tools.
"Let's go, can we finish planting them all today?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Lin Chunxing replied, slinging her basket over her shoulder. Then she turned to Lin Chuntao and asked, "By the way, sister, do we need to water our vegetable garden?"
"No need, it rained a few days ago, the soil is still quite damp."
The sisters left the courtyard talking. Pei Ying opened the door, found a needle and thread, shaved a bamboo strip, and drew on the ground next to her. After confirming the design, she took out charcoal powder, soaked it to make a few threads, and began to cut the cloth.
Lin Chuntao and the others were working on the two plots of land by the river today. Not far away, the water was flowing gently. In the afternoon, the women of the village would come to the river in groups of three or five with wooden basins to wash their clothes.
Seeing Lin Chuntao still planting beans in the field, he asked with a smile, "Chuntao, what are you sisters planting?"
"Auntie, are you here to do the laundry while we're planting beans?"
The woman laughed and said, "Yes, do you think beans will survive if you plant them now?"
"Probably, but I don't know, it depends on the weather."
"If they don't survive, wouldn't it be a waste of the bean seeds?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "If it survives, then I can harvest my bean seeds."
The women smiled upon hearing this and all headed towards the riverbank.
The sisters planted until evening, and there were still some plants left, but the younger sisters couldn't wait to go back and see Pei Ying making clothes, so they had to give up and continue the next day.
When they returned home, Pei Ying was sitting in the courtyard, practicing her needlework.
Lin Duo'er and the others surrounded Pei Ying without even washing their hands, "Brother-in-law, have you made a few?"
Lin Chuntao was about to ask how many pieces could be made in just one afternoon when she heard Pei Ying say, "Two pairs of pants have been made; they're on the grain cabinet inside."
Upon hearing this, Lin Duo'er excitedly said, "I want to go and see."
"Lin Duo'er, come wash your hands!" Lin Chunxing hurriedly called out to Lin Duo'er, who was rushing into the house. Lin Duo'er ran over with a smile, washed her hands, and then ran back into the house to check on them.
Lin Chuntao also went to take a look. There were two straight-leg pants with a belt at the waist and the hems were sealed with grass-green fabric folded into floral patterns and sewn on. There were also small green embellishments on the hems, which looked quite fresh.
Moreover, the patterns on the two pairs of pants were different. Lin Chuntao took them over to look, and the stitching was very well done; you couldn't even see the color of the thread from the outside.
Lin Chuntao was quite surprised. Duo'er, who was standing to the side, took out both pairs of pants and asked Pei Ying, "Brother-in-law, are these mine?"
Pei Ying, still holding a needle in her hand, casually replied, "Let's see when they're all finished; yours is the smallest."
Two pairs of pants were placed there to compare sizes, and Lin Duo'er pointed to one of them and said, "I like this flower."
Pei Ying said, "I didn't know what kind of flowers you all liked, so I just made this randomly to make it easier to tell whose clothes they are."
Lin Chuntao looked at the one in his hand, which was almost half finished, and couldn't help but sigh, "How can you be so fast?"
"The pants are quick to make, without many details, but the shirts take more effort."
Lin Chuntao said, "Take your time, there's no rush. You haven't been sitting here the whole time without getting up and moving around, have you?"
Pei Ying sensed her concern and smiled.
"Won't."
He didn't stop his hands even when he got up and walked around.
After dinner tonight, even though it got dark, no one was in a hurry to go to sleep. Instead, they lit a large bonfire in the yard, and the firelight illuminated the entire yard.
Pei Ying continued making clothes by the firelight, while Lin Chuntao watched him sew stitch by stitch. If she were to do this, it would feel like taking her life.
The moon is bright and the stars are few in the sky, while the firelight flickers in the courtyard.
Seeing that the village was becoming increasingly quiet, Lin Chuntao urged Lin Duo'er and the others to wash up and go to bed, and also said to Pei Ying, "Get ready to sleep after you've tidied up and rested. You have to get up early tomorrow."
Pei Ying nodded.
"You guys go wash up first."
After everyone had finished washing up, Lin Chuntao extinguished the fire, made sure the courtyard gate was closed, and then went back to her room to sleep.
The next day, just after 3 AM, the system started making a lot of noise.
She had gone to bed a little late the night before, and as she yawned, she got up. Pei Ying had also just gotten up, and the two of them went out together.
In the following days, Lin Chuntao continued to go into the mountains to pick mushrooms as usual, while Pei Ying went to work at the butcher shop. In the afternoon, Lin Chuntao took them to the fields, and Pei Ying stayed home to make clothes.
It took eleven days to finish the clothes. Because Lin Chuntao was making underwear for herself and her sisters, her hands wouldn't obey her commands. Every time she poked the needle and pulled the thread, it would either be wrinkled here or loose there. She hadn't finished it for several days. Pei Ying had already finished the undergarments, pants, and shirts and was just waiting for her.
The younger sisters longed for new clothes, but also wanted matching sets. They stared at Lin Chuntao's clothes every day, and finally, when they were all done, they were ready.
New clothes can be made in one set, but Lin Chuntao made two sets for them, making it easier to change and wash.
She worked so hard on those little things that her fingertips almost wore out.
Seeing the sisters looking on expectantly, Lin Chuntao handed them their clothes separately, saying, "Take these to wash and dry, then change your clothes."
The sisters quickly took the clothes, their faces beaming with joy at the sight of the tiny garments. Their outer shirts and pants had already been washed and dried, so they didn't need to go to the river to wash these three or four small items; they could just scoop some water from the yard to clean them.
Lin Chuntao really didn't want to move, so she handed hers to Lin Chunxing.
"Wash mine too and let it air dry. My fingers hurt and I don't want to touch the water."
Lin Chunxing accepted it with a smile and said, "Just call me if you need to do anything involving water."
She was overjoyed to have these two sets of clothes. If new clothes made her happy, then the ones Lin Chuntao made for her made her even happier.
Duo'er and Chunhe are still young and don't know any better, but she is already quite old.
If my mother were still alive, she would have prepared these things for them long ago.
She had wanted it before, but they didn't have the money back then. Lin Chuntao went to Tian Shi to ask for money and fabric, but Tian Shi refused.
With a father like Lin Changhe at home, it's useless to ask him for food, let alone talk about such private matters.
Now things are much better. Lin Chuntao made two sets for them, so they can walk out with their heads held high from now on.
She had seen the style of Lin Xian'er's clothes; they were made for Lin Xian'er by a tailor that Tian had found in the county town, and she had been very envious of them at the time.
Looking at the one I have now, I feel it's even prettier than Lin Xian'er's.
"Sister, are we going to Sister Qiao'er's house for a banquet tomorrow?" Lin Duo'er asked.
Lin Chuntao smiled: "Her mother told me the other day that she was going."
"Can we go?"
Just as Lin Chuntao was about to agree, Lin Chunxing said, "It's fine if my sister and brother-in-law go. If we all go to eat, people will say we're reincarnated gluttons."
That's how it is in the village. There are too many people in each household, so most banquets only have one or two people attending. If there are three people, one of them is a child who is four or five years old or younger.
Lin Duo'er is not a child anymore, and she will have new clothes to wear tomorrow. She must want to go out for a walk in her new clothes.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "How about your second sister takes the two of you tomorrow?"
Lin Chunxing exclaimed "Ah!" and slowly turned her head to look at Lin Chuntao, "Is this okay?"
“Why not? I’ll give you the money for the gifts. You can keep track of the expenses and put our names on it. We sisters don’t separate from each other anyway.”
Lin Chunxing had never given a gift before, and suddenly felt a little nervous.
"I've never delivered it before, so how do I keep track of the expenses?" Lin Chunxing asked, looking at her.
Lin Chuntao smiled. She didn't know if there was a special table for bookkeeping here, so she said with a smile, "Aunt Guizhi is here. You can have Aunt Guizhi take you to do the bookkeeping."
"Oh well."
Lin Chunxing agreed, and Lin Chunhe asked expectantly, "Then can we wear our new clothes?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, "Okay, clothes are meant to be worn, wear them whenever you want."
"What if I can't bear to wear it on the ground?"
After Lin Chunhe finished speaking, Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "Then how about I buy some linen and patch up these old clothes so we can continue wearing them to work in the fields?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the younger sisters nodded vigorously.
"Okay, I'll go buy it tomorrow."
Actually, saving some money to make a new set of clothes is fine, but Lin Chuntao also wants to save money to build a house. The main reason is that she wants to finish building the house before the New Year so that she can move into her own home during the New Year.
Living in someone else's old house for too long isn't a good idea.
So I've made a set of clothes, I'll just have to make do for a while.
The next day, Lin Chuntao also changed into new clothes. The cotton fabric was soft and comfortable against her body, and the style made by Pei Ying was quite nice. There were also some details on the sleeves and collar, which were very eye-catching and looked even better with the color.
With the work in the fields finished, Lin Chunxing and the others didn't need to rush back to the fields. They were going to Qiao'er's house for lunch today, and they had already cut the pig feed yesterday so they wouldn't have to go to the fields to cut pig feed today.
This morning, just as dawn was breaking, the three sisters got up and changed into their new clothes.
You look at me, I look at you.
"Second sister, third sister, you look so good."
Lin Chunhe looked at her and smiled, "Yours is very pretty too."
"whee."
Although their clothes were all the same color, Pei Ying had made different flowers and slightly different styles on them, which added some embellishment and made them easier to distinguish.
They walked around the yard in their clothes, extremely happy.
When the time for the wedding procession passed Chenshi (7-9 AM), the procession entered from the village entrance. Lin Chunxing handed the pig feed to the piglets, then locked the door before leading her sisters to watch the wedding.
Most of the people in this village are from the same clan. Except for those who fight and end up estranged, they all participate in weddings and funerals.
No one in the village went out to work that morning. People were everywhere, inside and outside the courtyards, along the roadsides, and at intersections. There were even more children running around and playing in the alleys.
Lin Chunxing and the others ran downstairs. The wedding procession, with gongs and drums, had just passed by, followed by many people, all heading to Qiao'er's house.
The light green color looked especially beautiful in the sunlight. A girl stared longingly at it, pulling on the adult next to her and saying, "Mom, look, Duo'er and the others' clothes are so pretty."
The adults all looked over, and were stunned.
"Oh my, have Chunxing and her sisters made new clothes?"
"It's so beautiful, was it made by a tailor from the county town?"
...
The women chattered amongst themselves, each offering their own opinion.
Lin Xian'er, along with Tian Shi and the other sisters-in-law from the Lin family, were all among this group of people.
Hearing what everyone said, they all looked over. Lin Chunxing and the others were walking in front, and those behind could only see their backs. But even from behind, it was clear that their clothes were not made of linen, but of dyed cotton.
Lin Xian'er gritted her teeth. When they went to the cloth shop last time, they asked and found out that the dyed cotton cloth cost seven hundred coins. So the old lady only bought her a few feet, enough for the lining of her jacket. The cloth for the trousers was still linen.
At this moment, she watched as Lin Chunxing's trouser legs swayed gently as she walked, and just thinking about it, she knew that the fabric must be very soft and comfortable to wear.
Lin Chunxing and the others actually wore the fabric that she herself hadn't even put on!
The woman next to her, unaware of Lin Xian'er's emotions, laughed and said, "Xian'er, your outfit is going to be outshone by your niece."
Lin Xian'er's expression changed drastically. She turned her head away and remained silent. The woman was embarrassed for a while, then stopped walking with Tian and the others and went to walk with them.
Lin Changhe looked at the several hopping figures in front of him, very puzzled. He just couldn't understand where these brats got their money.
Finally, unable to hold back any longer, she called out first, "Lin Chunxing!"
The person in front didn't answer, so Lin Changhe thought his voice was too soft and they hadn't heard him. He shouted again, "Lin Chunxing! Are you deaf?"
Lin Duo'er heard Lin Changhe's voice and was about to turn around when Lin Chunxing pressed down on the back of her head and said softly, "Don't turn around, I can't hear you."
Duo'er nodded obediently.
Everyone heard Lin Changhe calling for someone, but Lin Chunxing ignored him. The old lady next to her said with a smile, "Chunxing, your father is calling you from behind."
Lin Chunxing looked at the old lady and said with a fake smile, "Grandma, you must have misheard. We haven't had a father for a long time."
Her voice was clear and crisp, and everyone around heard it. But when they thought about how the sisters had been kicked out, and how well they were doing now, and how much they enjoyed watching the show, they didn't speak up for Lin Changhe.
Lin Changhe called out twice, but Lin Chunxing ignored him as she talked to others. Someone nearby joked, "Third brother, why are you calling Chunxing? Didn't you break off your relationship? It's normal for them to ignore you."
"Do you think you can just sever ties with your father and son like that?" Lin Changhe said angrily.
A bystander laughed and said, "The father's son is inevitable, but aren't those girls the ones who are still alive?"
Lin Changhe blushed deeply, still cursing and swearing. Qian Shi scolded from the side, "How could I have married such a good-for-nothing? You can't even control a few maids."
In front of outsiders, Lin Changhe was so angry he wanted to hit someone, but when he saw Qian's bulging belly, he swallowed his anger.
The main attraction of celebrations in the village is the lively atmosphere; there aren't many rigid rules. The banquet is held in the threshing ground, and the guests also eat there. People from surrounding villages often come to these events, making the whole village very lively.
After Lin Chuntao and the others went inside, they met Lin Jiaye and Lin Qingqing and their group of friends.
Seeing them in their new clothes, Lin Qingqing exclaimed, "Wow, Chunxing, when did you make these new clothes? They look so good!"
Lin Duo'er looked up and called out "Sister Qingqing," then said, "I made it a few days ago."
Lin Qingqing tugged at Lin Chunxing's sleeve, looking her up and down. "Wow, is this cotton? It's so soft!"
"Didn't Sister Chuntao come?"
Lin Chunxing replied, "She and my brother-in-law went to the county town and asked us to bring Chunhe and the others. Have you seen Aunt Guizhi?"
Lin Qingqing pointed in a direction, "Aunt Guizhi is in the kitchen. We're going to see Qiao'er. Do you want to come along?"
"Are you sending something to Sister Qiao'er?" Lin Chunxing asked.
Lin Qingqing shook her head, "My mother is sending it to my aunt, so we won't."
Are you going to send this to Sister Qiao'er?
Lin Chunxing shook her head, "You guys go first, I'll come over in a bit. I need to take care of what my sister asked me to do."
Lin Qingqing took her arm and asked in a low voice, "Are you going to deliver a gift to your aunt?"
"Um."
"Then I'll go with you."
As she spoke, she told the other children to go find Lin Qiao'er first, while she, along with Lin Jiaye and her sisters, followed Lin Chunxing to find Aunt Guizhi.
The three sisters walked through the crowd in brand-new clothes, drawing surprised glances from everyone.
Lin Qingqing asked in a low voice, "Everyone is looking at your clothes. Where did you get them made? I'll ask my mother to find this tailor to make them for me this Chinese New Year."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com