Chapter 10 Buying Ready-to-Wear Clothes
Zhang Weihong whispered, "Did you see that man just now? That's Zhou Xuenong, the deputy commander here. The woman next to him is his sister-in-law. Xiaowei saw them together and rushed over there. She wanted to keep an eye on them."
Shen Zhixia asked in surprise, "Sister-in-law? What about his older brother?"
Zhang Weihong said, "His elder brother died in the battle, so Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou took a widowed sister-in-law with him. She was five years older than him and five months pregnant. There's always gossip around a widow's house, but Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou still took her in. Last time I even saw her making underwear for him. She was holding her hands up and down his body."
"I heard that the first thing Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou did after being promoted to deputy regiment commander was to buy his widowed sister-in-law a Dacron dress. Oh my, even his own wife doesn't get this kind of treatment!"
She deliberately dragged out the last syllable, emphasizing the words "dear daughter-in-law."
Shen Zhixia said, "Xiaowei can tolerate this? Why doesn't she suggest sending her sister-in-law away?"
“The unit allocated an apartment to Sister Xiaowei in the city, and Sister Xiaowei suggested that his sister-in-law move in.” Zhang Weihong lowered her voice, her head almost touching Shen Zhixia’s ear: “But Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou immediately overturned the table. He even said that if she left, he wouldn’t mind not being the deputy regiment commander! Tsk tsk, listen to that, how can someone value their sister-in-law more than their wife?”
"That widowed sister-in-law is no pushover either. She does Zhou's laundry, cooks for him, sews his clothes, and takes care of him meticulously every day. But to me, 'taking care' is more like asserting her dominance. Xiaowei is really confused. If it were me, I would have broken ties with her long ago!"
Shen Zhixia asked in confusion, "Xiaowei is the deputy director, so she should be very assertive."
Zhang Weihong sighed and said, "Sister Xiaowei is actually a very decisive person, but she and Deputy Commander Zhou have had a relationship for many years. In addition, she has never given birth to a son or daughter for Deputy Commander Zhou, so she has always felt guilty towards him, which is why she has been so patient. Moreover, that widowed sister-in-law once saved Commander Zhou's life. During the bandit suppression, a bullet grazed Deputy Commander Chen's scalp, and it was the widowed sister-in-law who pounced on him and pinned him down. They owe her that favor. Now, it's all her doing, and she makes all the decisions at home. Every time she goes for a prenatal checkup, Deputy Commander Zhou has to go with her."
"His widowed sister-in-law has a very high status. Last time, when Sister Xiaowei wanted to buy a new dress, his widowed sister-in-law immediately said it was a waste of fabric. But what about now? The new Zhongshan suit that Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou had made has all the buttons on the collar and cuffs sewn by his widowed sister-in-law herself. I heard that his widowed sister-in-law even had Deputy Regiment Commander Chen try on his liberation shoes for three days before he wore them, saying she was afraid they would rub his feet!"
"Last night I got up to use the bathroom and heard them arguing loudly in their room. Sister Xiaowei said she couldn't live like this anymore. Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou was yelling that his older brother was the most important person to him, and now that his older brother was dead, his sister-in-law was his only family, and he had to take good care of her. Then it went quiet. I guess his widowed sister-in-law came out to mediate again, but calling her a mediator was more like adding fuel to the fire!"
Shen Zhixia remained silent. Regardless of whether Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou and his widowed sister-in-law had crossed any lines, he hadn't handled the matter properly, which was unfair to Lin Xiaowei.
Lin Xiaowei has been able to tolerate this because she has feelings for Deputy Commander Zhou. Once those feelings are gone, she will naturally know how to resolve the matter.
Shen Zhixia and Zhang Weihong prepared to take a car to the county town.
There is only one road leading to the county seat, and apart from military vehicles transporting supplies, few other vehicles travel on it. However, out of consideration for the families, the military arranges a special trip using a military green Liberation brand truck during certain times to transport the families to and from the county seat.
This truck was originally used to transport goods, but it was later modified so that long wooden benches were welded to both sides of the truck bed for people to sit on.
When the two arrived at the boarding point, several family members were already waiting there, and they stood at the end of the line. A short while later, the truck chugged up, and the driver, a young soldier, jumped out and shouted, "Hurry up and get on the truck, don't be late!"
Everyone scrambled to get into the car. Shen Zhixia, who was pregnant, had difficulty moving around, so Zhang Weihong helped her into the car.
The carriage was filled with the smell of diesel fuel, and dust flew up as soon as the vehicle started moving.
Shen Zhixia covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, the bumpy road causing her body to sway violently with the truck bed.
Zhang Weihong couldn't help but complain: "I don't know when this road will be repaired. Every time I ride in this car, my bones feel like they're going to fall apart."
Another woman chimed in, "It's good enough to have a car to ride in. A few years ago, we had to walk to the county town."
After about an hour, we finally arrived at the county town.
Shen Zhixia got off the car in a daze, and there was already a long queue in front of the county supply and marketing cooperative.
The counter of the county town's supply and marketing cooperative was covered in a layer of dust. The sales clerk was cracking sunflower seeds and was about to speak when she caught sight of the silk material that Shen Zhixia was wearing. Her eyes lit up instantly. She wiped her hands and said, "New arrivals of Dacron material, and a few ready-made clothes from Shanghai. Which one do you want?"
Shen Zhixia pushed the cloth coupons and change over, her tone indifferent: "I want to see ready-made clothes made of coarse cotton and fine cotton, the more ordinary the better."
The sales clerk was taken aback for a moment, then took a few garments off the shelf: "If we're talking about coarse cotton clothing, this work jacket is the most popular. It's durable and long-lasting, and suitable for working in the fields."
She unfolded a dark blue short jacket; the fabric was so rough that you could see the cotton threads. "And this coarse cloth undershirt is absorbent and breathable; many workers buy it."
Then, she picked up two more pieces of clothing made of slightly softer material. "If it's fine cotton, thermal underwear is the most practical. It won't itch when worn next to the skin. This plain-weave cardigan is also nice. It has two white stitches embroidered on the collar, which makes it look neat."
Shen Zhixia avoided looking at the light pink polyester shirt in the counter, and reached out to touch the coarse cloth undershirt. The rough texture reminded her of the handkerchief she used to use to wipe her hands.
However, working women of this era all liked to wear this kind of clothing, and she had to get rid of the capitalist label on her in a short period of time.
"Then I'll take these clothes."
The sales clerk quickly packed the clothes, saying, "Don't underestimate these ordinary clothes. The fabric is from a state-owned textile factory. They're durable and won't fade."
Zhang Weihong mainly came to accompany Shen Zhixia. She went shopping and only bought a few large steamed buns with tofu filling.
She had already quickly eaten two large steamed buns herself, and gave one to Shen Zhixia, who didn't have much of an appetite.
On the truck ride back, Shen Zhixia dozed off, clutching the clothes wrapped in kraft paper.
She never gets carsick before, but I guess the road was too bumpy, because she still felt dizzy when we arrived at our destination.
However, she quickly changed into a blue plain-weave cardigan.
When Zhang Weihong saw it, she said happily, "I also have a white one, exactly the same as yours, but you look better in it."
"You should have bought clothes like this a long time ago. Let's wear them together tomorrow."
Shen Zhixia said good-naturedly, "Okay."
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