Yan Qingqing led Li Xiang'an into the Cao's Cloth Shop, which was the closest to them.
The owner of the fabric shop was a woman, about the same age as Yan Qingqing. When she saw the two of them come in, she quickly put down the fabric she was holding and asked with a smile, "Sister, what kind of fabric do you want?"
Whether you're looking for an inner or outer garment, I can recommend a few styles.
Yan Qingqing's new clothes weren't finished yet, and she was still wearing her old patched clothes. But the shop owner was exceptionally warm towards Yan Qingqing, showing that he wasn't a snob.
Yan Qingqing replied with a smile, "I'd like to buy some fabric for making undergarments. Do you have any suitable ones, boss?"
In those days, there was no cotton, so most ordinary people used linen to make their clothes.
After thinking for a moment, Madam Cao took out a batch of fine linen from the shelf and said, "Fine linen is the best for making undergarments, but it's a bit pricey. It costs fifteen coins per foot."
Yan Qingqing was somewhat taken aback. It would take about seven feet of cloth to make a set of clothes for an adult, and the clothes alone would cost 105 coins per person.
That family of six or seven people would have to pay nearly seven or eight hundred coins.
It's no wonder that the vast majority of ordinary people don't buy new clothes for several years.
Fortunately, it's summer now, and Yan Qingqing only plans to use these to make some small clothes, so she doesn't need that much fabric.
Yan Qingqing thought for a moment and said, "Then boss, give me three feet."
Upon hearing that three feet was not too little, Madam Cao quickly agreed and began cutting the cloth for Yan Qingqing.
Yan Qingqing looked at the other fabrics. The vast majority were solid-colored, with very few patterned ones, and even those that were patterned were surprisingly expensive.
These weren't suitable for making hair accessories for children. Just as Yan Qingqing was about to give up, she accidentally saw some scraps of fabric in the corner. Yan Qingqing's eyes lit up and she looked at Cao Niangzi and asked, "Boss, can you sell these scraps of fabric?"
Madam Cao glanced at the scraps of cloth; none of them were larger than the palm of her hand, barely enough for mending clothes. She would usually give some to guests who needed it.
Madam Cao readily replied, "Elder sister, those are just scraps. You can take a few pieces if you need them."
Yan Qingqing shook her head and replied, "I want all of these. How much would you like?"
Seeing that she really wanted it, Madam Cao thought for a moment and said, "If you really want it, just give me five coins and you can take it all."
Yan Qingqing paid the money promptly. Including the three feet of cloth she had just bought, it came to fifty coins, which wasn't much.
After leaving the cloth shop, Yan Qingqing bought some pastries for the children. Because Xiao Jinxiu especially liked sweets, Yan Qingqing chose several more kinds, spending several dozen coins.
After leaving the pastry shop, Yan Qingqing went into another shop. Li Xiang'an, who was standing next to her, twitched at the sight. It seemed that her mother was going to spend all the money she had earned that day.
However, he felt that it was only right for Yan Qingqing to spend all the money, since his mother earned all the money in the family.
In fact, the things Yan Qingqing bought were things her family was in dire need of, such as salt, sugar, and spices for making braised meat.
Anyway, the shopping trip cost seven or eight hundred coins. After deducting the two hundred coins I gave to Li Xiangjian, I only had two hundred coins left to earn today.
Just as Yan Qingqing was about to meet up with Li Xiangjian after thinking that Li Xiangjian should have finished shopping, she saw a vendor selling chicks.
Yan Qingqing was immediately tempted. Her family used to be so poor that they didn't even have a mouse. If they could raise a few chickens, it would be much more convenient to eat both eggs and chicken meat.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing walked towards the old man selling chicks.
Yan Qingqing squatted down and looked at the fluffy chicks, asking, "How much are these chicks?"
The old man glanced at Yan Qingqing, and the three fingers he had extended became two.
Eggs cost one coin each, so selling these chicks for two coins is a fair price.
Moreover, these chicks all look quite energetic. Yan Qingqing had heard people say before that when buying chicks, you should buy those that are energetic, lively, and active, as they are easier to raise.
Yan Qingqing thought for a moment and said, "Then let's get fifty!"
The old man selling chicks was overjoyed and quickly took out his homemade basket for Yan Qingqing to put the chicks into.
Yan Qingqing added, "I want forty females and ten males."
The old man paused for a moment after hearing this, then nodded and continued picking up the chicks.
Soon, all fifty chicks were put into the basket. Yan Qingqing looked at the chicks with a happy smile, thinking that when they grew up, the family would have eggs to eat, and she also needed eggs during her postpartum period.
Buying the chicks took up some time, and now it was really late. Yan Qingqing and the others hurried to the city gate to meet up with Li Xiangjian, guessing that the kid must be getting impatient.
Sure enough, when they arrived at the city gate, Li Xiangjian was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. When he saw Yan Qingqing, he immediately felt a little wronged.
Before Li Xiangjian could speak, Yan Qingqing explained, "Sanlang, we were delayed by shopping and made you worry. Next time, we'll definitely let you know in advance."
"Mom also bought you your favorite pastries."
When Li Xiangjian saw that Yan Qingqing and the others had bought so many things, and that even though he was so old, his mother was still thinking of buying him food, he suddenly felt very happy to have the best mother in the world.
Yan Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a smile on Li Xiangjian's face. She had heard that children this age are in their rebellious phase, and if not handled properly, it would be detrimental to their development.
Li Xiangjian looked at the group of chicks that Yan Qingqing had bought with admiration and said, "So many chickens, I'll make a chicken coop for them when we get home."
Once these chickens lay eggs, we'll have eggs to eat, and Xiao Si won't be thinking about raiding bird nests all the time.
The mother and her two children chatted as they hurried home, enjoying the gentle breeze and the setting sun, creating a sense of peaceful tranquility.
Li Xiangjian, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped and exclaimed, "Why does that guy in front of me look like the older brother?"
Yan Qingqing and Li Xiang'an both looked ahead and saw a man wearing a brown short-sleeved shirt that looked quite old. Although his clothes were worn out, his back was tall and straight.
Yan Qingqing called out, "Big Brother!"
As Li Xiangping was rushing home, he seemed to hear someone calling him; it sounded like his mother's voice.
But then I thought it was unlikely. His mother had only been to the county town a few times in her life, so how could she be his mother?
Then Li Xiangjian called out again, "Big Brother!"
Li Xiangping quickly turned around and saw that it really was his mother and two younger brothers.
So he quickly ran over.
Yan Qingqing looked at Li Xiangping and saw that he had gotten much darker and thinner in the past two weeks, compared to when he was at home.
No need to ask if things aren't going too well for them outside.
Li Xiangping thought that Yan Qingqing and her two younger brothers all had rosy complexions and were even a bit fatter than before.
Li Xiangping then shook his head, thinking it must be his imagination. He knew what kind of life his family lived; how could they possibly be fat?
Thinking of this, Li Xiangping quickly took out a money bag from his pocket and stuffed it into Yan Qingqing's hand, saying, "Mom, I've earned money. Although it's not much, it can still buy a lot of grain."
Yan Qingqing held it in her hand and weighed it; it was about two or three hundred coins. This amount of money was quite a lot for them in the past. Li Xiangping must have been very frugal to save up so much money.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing took Li Xiangping's hand and said, "Son, let's go home!"
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