Chapter 6 Taking the initiative to write a letter
Lin Xiaotong also specially selected floral cotton fabric for Gao Xiulan, enough to make a long-sleeved top.
I made a white shirt for my father-in-law Xie Da Jiao using white Dacron material.
Save the cotton cloth to make pajamas. Pure cotton material is breathable and comfortable.
Solid color cotton cloth costs 30 cents per foot, floral cotton cloth costs 41 cents per foot, and Dacron is a little more expensive, at 43 cents per foot.
She roughly estimated how much she could buy with the money she brought today before speaking.
The main thing is that the cloth coupons you bring have an expiration date and must be used up within the specified time, otherwise they will be wasted.
"Sister, get me another Hero pen, the black one, three bottles of Friendship Cream, a bar of Bee Flower soap, two boxes of clam oil, a box of Daqianmen cigarettes, and a box of fruit candy."
With Zhang Guihua's introduction, I went to another counter to buy other things.
The counter was staffed by a young woman who saw people coming and had a lazy look on her face.
"Hero pens are five dollars and a half, vanishing cream is two dollars a can, and Bee Flower soap is thirty cents. Daqianmen cigarettes are thirty-five cents."
But there are only two bottles of vanishing cream left, do you want some?"
"Okay, then take two cans."
"Comrade, the total is twenty-one dollars and four cents."
Xiang Xiaoqin quickly calculated and reported the number.
"Comrade, give me six cents."
Lin Xiaotong handed over twenty-one yuan and ten cents, plus some cloth coupons.
With the help of Sister Guihua and Sister Xiaoqin, I tied the things to the back seat of the bicycle and returned with a full load, riding very fast.
"Her family really dotes on her, buying her so much cloth."
The other sales clerks at the counter saw this and started talking about it. The loudest one had his mouth corner twisted up high.
"What a waste! He bought so much and didn't know how to save money."
"If you don't steal or rob flowers, it has nothing to do with you no matter how many there are. Let's not worry about it."
Zhang Guihua's words still carried some weight, and the man's mouth drooped and he fell silent.
The other people at the counter didn't take it seriously and continued chatting.
"Oh, did you hear about that?
There was a leader in the Second Food Factory whose daughter-in-law was agreed to be replaced.
Does any of you know about this?"
"You've asked the right person. My third aunt's second uncle's brother's granddaughter-in-law's family lives on that street.
I heard that Xia Caiyun had a sad face after she came back that day..."
…
After shopping here, Lin Xiaotong arrived at the entrance of the alley in a flash. The alley was full of children around four or five years old playing catch.
Hutou, the eldest grandson of Zhang Dazui, saw Lin Xiaotong riding a bicycle from a distance.
"Sister Tong, Sister Tong, Grandma Gao asked me to tell you to go home and have dinner quickly." Hu Tou rushed over and said loudly.
"I see. Who told you to call me Sister Tong? You're such a smart kid. Here, take it and divide it up."
She looked at the clever Tiger Head and gave him a handful of fruit candies. The candy wrappers were colorful and very popular with children.
Sure enough, when Tiger Head saw the candy wrapper, he roared and wanted to jump three feet high.
"Brothers, why don't you thank Sister Tong?" Tiger Head called out with his little arms, and the little kids behind him responded sparsely.
It was so embarrassing that Lin Xiaotong ran away in panic. There was an inexplicable sense of middle school mentality surrounding her.
After crossing the front yard and arriving home, he cleared his throat: "Comrade Xiulan, Comrade Xiulan."
"Who is it?"
Gao Xiulan, who was still busy in the kitchen, heard the voices and hurried out with a spatula.
"Tap, tap, tap, look what this is."
Lin Xiaotong placed the things she had "sweeped up" at the supply and marketing cooperative that morning on the table as if she were presenting treasures.
"You're so clever, haha, why did you buy so much cloth?"
Gao Xiulan quickly wiped her hands and came over.
"This fabric is thick. I'll make you a set tomorrow so you can wear it when the temperature drops."
"This large flowered material is so rare. If I wear it out, people will be envious to death."
"Why did you buy Dacron? This material is the stiffest for making shirts. It's really stylish."
"Mom, look, I bought this floral material especially for you. It's just enough to make a long-sleeved jacket."
"A few days ago, I saw Auntie Big Mouth also had a flowered one. It would definitely look good on you, too."
"Xie Yi is not at home with this Dacron material, so I thought I'd ask you to make one for Dad. It will definitely look very stylish when he wears it."
"That old man would be so happy if he put it on that he wouldn't want to put it off."
Gao Xiulan thought about her husband's narcissism. Her husband was actually a talkative person. When he was chatting with Lao Zhou and others outside, he kept talking in a mumble.
"I want Mom to make two coats with this woolen material, and then give one to my aunt. I still need to ask my aunt to take care of my work."
"This material is really thick. You're tall and can support it. Your aunt is a teacher, so she looks very good in it."
"Mom, I'm afraid my rough craftsmanship will ruin the good material. You have to make the clothes for me."
"Then you've found the right person. I don't even need a ruler to make clothes. I can cut them just by looking at them."
Gao Xiulan felt a little elated after hearing the nice words.
"Mom, I only managed to grab two bottles of this vanishing cream today. One for each of you and my aunt. I can just use clam oil to wipe my hands."
"How can that be? You need to clean your little face properly. My old vegetable stem is useless.
I see, I use this clam oil, but vanishing cream is for you young people, so I just happened to give a bottle to your aunt."
Gao Xiulan originally thought that she had not finished using the can that her eldest son Xie Yi had bought for her, so she started to decline. Adults are like this, they don't want their children to spend money on them.
Lin Xiaotong took a sip of water to moisten her throat and continued speaking.
"How can that be, Mom? We can use these two bottles first. I'll buy another one for my aunt later. It won't take too long."
Gao Xiulan felt warm inside and put everything in place after a few rummages.
"Okay, I'll find some time to finish the clothes, and you can give them to your aunt sometime.
Bring this good cigarette to your uncle-in-law. It is quite reasonable for a director to smoke cigarettes given by his niece."
…
After lunch, Lin Xiaotong inexplicably felt that her waist was a little sore because she had pedaled her bike too fast.
A man was lying dead on the bed, his legs crossed and his hands behind his head as pillows.
Looking at the beams on the roof, she inexplicably thought of the waist that Xie Yi saw when he was riding a bicycle that day. Her face turned red, and she turned over, buried her head under the pillow and laughed like a pervert.
When you fall in love at first sight, the first thing you see is often beauty.
Deeper aspects of character cannot be seen in a short period of time.
The room where the young couple of the old Xie family lived had a bright window. Next to the glass window was an apricot tree. All the ripe apricots had been picked, leaving only a few sparse leaves.
The light and shadows were mottled, the breeze was gentle, and the courtyard was quiet after lunch.
After lying down for a while, I got up, took out the pen I bought today, found some letter paper in the desk drawer, straightened up, picked up the pen, thought for a moment, and wrote:
Comrade Xie Yi:
Good luck with your letter!
All reactionaries are paper tigers. I deeply regret not being able to say goodbye to you on the morning you left.
Today I went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some autumn fabrics for my parents. I saw a black fountain pen and thought it was very suitable for you, so I bought it, thinking I could give it to you. It would be perfect for writing letters home.
The heat is gradually subsiding. You should also take care of your health during training and don't work too hard. When I recover, I will find time to visit you in the south.
I write this by the window, a few hasty words; I feel that the paper is too short and the words are too long to express even one tenth of what I have said.
I wish you all the best and look forward to your reply.
Xiaotong in the summer of 1975.
She looked at the written letter, the beautiful handwriting, and the girl's little thoughts were hidden within the paper.
"As expected of me, I did learn the essence of the book 'How to Conquer a Handsome Boy' that I read before.
Send it tomorrow."
After finishing writing, I sat alone by the window in a daze. As I looked, my eyes became increasingly blurred, and finally I fell asleep by the window.
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