Chapter 33 Getting Married

In the evening, Ma Xiaojuan came back from work and saw the two quilts that Su Mo had laid on top of her bed. Her eyes lit up.

Ma Xiaojuan touched them and found them to be quite soft and comfortable. The cotton quilt was really well made.

"Su Mo, is this really made in the commune workshop? And you don't need a ticket?" Ma Xiaojuan asked, already making up her mind.

God knows how hard it is to get a ticket for a cotton quilt in the city. Only when you get married will you get a quilt like this. Usually, I buy cotton myself, but the quilts I make myself are very different from those made by skilled craftsmen. Not only do they become hard after sleeping on them for a long time, but the cotton always leaks out.

The quilts that her brothers and sisters use are almost all handmade by her mother. Her mother's craftsmanship is really inconvenient to talk about. Almost every year, they have to be taken apart and redone, which is very troublesome.

If cotton quilts can be made here, then she will have to make a few more beds and mail them back home.

"Yes, no ticket is required, only the cotton fee and the labor fee are charged, one pound of cotton is 1.15 yuan. The labor fee for the quilt is 1.5 yuan; the labor fee for the mattress is 1 yuan." Su Mo nodded.

Ma Xiaojuan was so excited that she almost jumped up.

In the black market near her home, cotton is at least 1.8 yuan or more. In years with low production, it has been two or three yuan per pound. She remembered that she had just entered junior high school at that time, and her mother wanted to make her a new cotton shirt, but the cotton was too expensive, so she only made her a pair of cotton pants.

"Are you sure that we educated youth can make it, and it's not because you are going to marry into the brigade that they made it for you?" Ma Xiaojuan asked again.

In those days, the collective economy of the commune had many conveniences that only members of the commune could enjoy.

"At that time, Director Qi said that the educated youth who came to the Red Flag Commune to work in the countryside were also part of the commune. So the educated youth should be able to do it." Su Mo didn't dare to say for sure.

"You can go and ask. The workshop is not far from the commune supply and marketing cooperative. There is a sign of the Red Flag Commune Collective Workshop on the door. It is easy to find. I saw that there are carpenters' shops inside. When you want to make cabinets, you should go there."

When they first came, Ma Jianmin also said that there was a place in the commune that made cabinets and stools. It was probably there.

"What do you think? If I make a few quilts and send them back home, will it work?" Ma Xiaojuan leaned over and whispered.

"I don't know about that. But if you don't sell them, you can send them to your family members. That should be fine." Su Mo thought. Judging from Director Qi's words and actions, he would not refuse the opportunity to generate income.

"Or you can try to order two quilts after the autumn harvest, and then ask to send one home. See if Director Qi will allow you to make them. If he does, then there's no problem."

"But you shouldn't make so many at once. Make two quilts this year and the rest next year." Otherwise, someone will find fault with you. There are many people who can't stand seeing others do well these days.

"Okay." Ma Xiaojuan nodded. "I didn't expect the commune to have such a good thing. I've heard that there were educated youth who bought grain in the brigade and sent it home. I didn't expect that there would be someone who made quilts and sent them home here."

Ma Xiaojuan was a little excited. She really made the right choice to come to the Red Flag Commune.

Unlike other villages, in the mountains. It only takes 20 to 30 minutes to ride a bicycle to the commune in the Lujia Village Production Brigade, and only one hour to ride a bicycle to the county town.

Unlike her cousin's place in the countryside, it takes two hours to ride a donkey cart to the commune, and it is even more exaggerated to go to the city, which takes three or four hours.

I'm afraid I will be assigned to the ravines in the mountains.

I'm still lucky.

*******

After that, Su Mo didn't go to work again, but stayed in the educated youth point to sew quilt covers and pack things for marriage.

The autumn harvest of the Lujia Village Production Brigade was announced to be over after the peanuts were harvested on September 29. The rest was the matter of drying and storing. These light jobs were assigned to the older aunts and uncles.

The young men and strong laborers rested for a few days, and after paying the public grain, they had to go to dig canals again.

Sewing a quilt cover is not difficult. After Su Mo asked Chen Lan for advice, she sewed the quilt cover in half a day.

Looking at the remaining three quilts that were still cotton-waisted, Su Mo also experienced the hardship of that era.

No wonder they say that three years new, three years old, and three years of sewing and mending. There are really not enough cloth coupons.

The quilt cover for the remaining quilt can only be made by buying cloth when there are cloth coupons in the future.

Su Mo folded all the quilts and put the one with the quilt cover on the top. At this time, she found that it seemed that two pillows were missing.

Su Mo had to rush to the collective workshop of the commune and ask Director Qi if he had pillow cores for sale.

It just so happened that Director Qi had asked the craftsmen at the cotton shop to make a set of samples these two days, including two pillow cores, so Su Mo got a bargain.

The two pillow cores, including the cotton and the handicraft, cost Su Mo 1.5 yuan in total.

After buying the pillow cores, Su Mo thought about going to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a set of ready-made pillowcases. She remembered that the novels said that pillowcases in this era were all embroidered and quite delicate.

Because the production team had finished the autumn harvest, there were a lot of people in the supply and marketing cooperative today. Lu Xiaolan was so busy that she didn't even have time to drink a few sips of water.

In the busyness, Lu Xiaolan seemed to catch a glimpse of her third sister-in-law from the corner of her eye. She took a closer look and it was true. She quickly shouted loudly: "Third sister-in-law, come over here."

Su Mo was almost squeezed to death by a group of aunts. When she heard Lu Xiaolan calling her, she quickly squeezed over.

"What's going on today? Why are there so many people?" Su Mo was still worried.

"The autumn harvest of the brigade has ended, and the members are coming to gather. Third sister-in-law, what do you want to buy?"

"I want to buy pillowcases." Su Mo hurriedly said. Some aunts were dissatisfied with her for cutting in line.

Lu Xiaolan's eyes flashed. She was preparing to give a pair of pillowcases and pillow towels to the third brother and the third sister-in-law, so she said: "The pillowcases are sold out, third sister-in-law."

Su Mo: ...

"Then I'll get some cloth and make it myself. Give me three feet of cotton cloth." Su Mo forgot it. Three feet should be enough to make two pillowcases.

The pillows at that time were not 48*74 like in later times, but 50*30. Three feet of cloth was enough to make two pillowcases, and there was still some extra to make some lace.

Lu Xiaolan immediately went to get three feet of cotton cloth for Su Mo. After Su Mo gave the bill, she saw that Lu Xiaolan was busy, so she didn't bother her too much. She took the things and hurried back to make pillowcases.

Su Mo was busy, and Lu Changzheng was also out early and back late these days, and was almost invisible. The Lu family was also very busy, and Li Yue'e also took leave to stay at home to make various preparations.

At the morning meeting of the brigade on the 29th, Lu Qing'an mentioned that Lu Changzheng would invite the brigade members to a banquet on October 1st when he got married. Of course, one or two representatives from each household came, and it was impossible to invite the whole family.

On the 30th, almost the entire Lu family went out to help, adults and children were all helping with the work, and Li Yue'e also asked many relatives and friends to help.

Some cut vegetables, some leveled the ground, some borrowed tables and chairs, and some borrowed bowls and chopsticks.

Lu Qing'an estimated that at least 25 tables should be prepared.

For so many tables, tables, chairs, stools, bowls and chopsticks must be borrowed from other families in the brigade, and the place to set the tables must also be prepared.

So, the Lu family's yard and vegetable plot, as well as the vegetable plot of Lu Changzheng's family, were all used.

On the afternoon of the 30th, Lu Changzheng borrowed a military truck from somewhere, pulled half a truck of things, and came back.

When the things on top were moved down, the relatives and friends who came to help were stunned.

Forever brand bicycle, Haishi brand sewing machine, a fashionable dressing table, half a pig, two whole lambs, ten chickens, five big geese, two big bags of flour, a big jar of white wine...

Relatives and friends are already drooling, I hope you can get there tomorrow.