The woman froze in embarrassment. "Don't talk nonsense." She looked at Chun Xiao and the others. "What's the relationship between you three?"
"Sister-in-law, he and I are servants, and this is our young lady." Xiaohua quickly replied.
The woman had not expected that a young lady would come to her house. Seeing that the rooms had been divided, she let them do as they pleased. She sat by the bed in the bedroom and weaved sacks, with two little boys helping her. Chunxiao looked around the house inside and out, and seeing that the two children were very thinly dressed, she hurriedly called Xiaohua and asked her to get a piece of cloth and 10 kilograms of cotton from the car.
Xiaohua brought the things quickly.
Nineteen returned to his room. Chunxiao brought Xiaohua in and said, "Sister-in-law, thanks to you for helping us avoid being trapped today, I don't know how to thank you enough. There's cloth and cotton in the car, why don't you let me make a cotton coat for each of you? You see, the children are very cold."
When the woman heard this, she quickly dropped her things and got out of bed.
"Oh, that won't work. I just want you to stay here. How can I accept such a valuable gift from you?"
"That's nothing, sister-in-law. I'm a cotton farmer, and I have plenty of cotton at home. Don't refuse. This piece of cloth is just enough for you three, mother and son, to make a set each."
"Mom, I want a new cotton-padded jacket."
"Mom, I want a new cotton-padded jacket too. I can't go out without one."
The woman looked at the two children, then looked at Chunxiao helplessly, "Then, then thank you very much, Miss."
"Sister-in-law, my name is Chunxiao. You can call me Chunxiao. Now that we have nothing to do, let's do it together. If there is not enough cotton, I have more in my car."
She sat down on the edge of the bed and waved to the little boy beside her, "Come, let me measure you and see what size is right for you."
The little guy wasn't afraid of her at all and ran over with a smile.
Xiaohua brought over the needle, thread, and scissors, and even brought over a bag of the remaining cotton. They sat on the bed and started making clothes. The two children were probably cold, so they lay down in the quilt next to Nineteen and talked to him.
"Where are you from?"
"We came from Mocang Pass and were heading to Hejian Prefecture."
"Your accent doesn't sound like you're from our area."
"The young lady is from Qingzhou and is here to do business." Xiaohua looked at the woman with a smile, "Sister-in-law, why are you and the child alone at home? Where is my eldest brother?"
The woman sighed, "My husband passed away two years ago. He was the second child in the family. After the family split up, it's just me and the children living here."
Xiaohua cut the cloth and Chunxiao helped to sew the edges. "Miss Chunxiao, don't bother. Let's do it ourselves." She could see that this woman was not good at making clothes and was not as skilled as the younger girls.
Xiaohua smiled and said, "Miss, you can just stay here and chat with us. My sister-in-law and I can do it quickly together."
"I know you despise my craftsmanship, but never mind. I won't make things worse. I'll help you pad the cotton after you finish cutting."
"Miss, are you a cotton farmer? Cotton is very expensive nowadays, and cloth is expensive too. People like us can't afford it. I'm lucky to have met you today. I can get your clothes for free."
"Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? You helped us first, so we're lucky. I don't know how long this snow will last. If it doesn't stop for a few days, I'm afraid we'll have to bother you for a few days."
"It's okay, you can live here if you don't mind."
The couple chatted while making clothes. In one afternoon, they finished a set of cotton-padded clothes for the two children. When the woman went to check, the two children were already fast asleep in bed. Nineteen was sweeping the snow in the backyard. The woman said it was useless to sweep it because it would snow again, so he should go back inside. Nineteen said it was okay, he could just sweep it when it snowed. People like Xiaohua could make clothes, but he couldn't do anything if he stayed inside.
That night, the woman cooked some thin porridge with rice and some cabbage. The porridge was really thin, but Chunxiao and the others said nothing. There was no oil lamp at home, so they went to bed after dark.
The quilt they covered themselves with was very thin, so Chunxiao and Xiaohua put their cotton jackets and cloaks on top to make it feel better.
When he got up the next day, the snow still had not stopped. There was a thick layer of snow in the yard. Nineteen had something to do, so he shoveled the snow outside the yard. In the morning, he took hay from the carriage to feed the horse and checked the condition of the horse. It was fine and could eat and sleep.
The two children had already put on their thick new cotton-padded clothes today. They were so happy that they jumped back and forth in the rooms, saying, "Mom, these cotton-padded clothes are so warm. When the snow stops, we can go out and play."
"Take good care of it and don't get your clothes dirty. Thank you so much, aunts."
"Thank you, auntie, for making new clothes for us." The older one pulled the younger one over and bowed properly.
Xiaohua twisted the little kid's face and said, "You're welcome. You're so cute."
Today I have to make a set for each of the two little ones. "Sister-in-law, why don't I make your set first? You look so thin."
The woman hesitated for a moment. "Miss Chunxiao, can I use the remaining cloth to make clothes for my eldest sister-in-law's two children? I'm just worried that it will use too much cotton. This cloth should be enough for the children's clothes. They are not fat. I won't make any more clothes. I'm used to wearing these, so it's okay."
"Your sister-in-law also has two children?"
The woman nodded repeatedly, "My eldest brother is gone too, and my eldest sister-in-law has to support my father-in-law and mother-in-law. It's even harder than it is for me. They live two houses away from us. I want to leave my clothes to the children. Is that okay?"
Chunxiao nodded and said, "It's okay, you can do it. I have another piece of cloth in the car. I'll leave that one for them and this one will be for you."
The woman blushed. "I-I can't accept this. It's using an extra piece of cloth and cotton. No, no. I-I really don't need it. I can just make it for the two children."
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