Qian Xiao opened the bag and took out five frozen roast ducks: "Grandma, these are the most famous roast ducks in Long City. Please put them away carefully, and we'll eat them during the New Year."
"And that bag of urea on the ground, it's full of local specialties. You can get some to eat later."
He pulled out two cotton-padded jackets: "One for you and one for my grandpa. I saw that all the old men and women over there wear these. They look so smart in them."
Grandma Qian touched the corduroy cotton coat, not daring to touch it too hard for fear of damaging it: "Why did you buy this, child? You could use that money to buy yourself a couple more coats to wear in rotation."
"Grandma, I have clothes to wear. Why don't you and Grandpa try them on later to see if they fit?"
Old Man Qian's eyes narrowed with laughter. It had to be his own granddaughter; she was far superior to his son.
Two packs of cigarettes were placed in front of Old Man Qian: "Grandpa, these are for you, but don't smoke too many."
Grandma Qian quickly grabbed the two packs of cigarettes, and after a while, she managed to put one pack in front of Old Man Qian: "I can't give them all to your grandfather at once, he doesn't know any better."
Old man Qian, why are your hands so slow? He was thinking of sending a box to his older brothers to show off.
"Grandma, give Grandpa two more boxes, and then I'll have him send one to my great-grandfather and my second great-grandfather as well."
The old lady stingily took out two more boxes: "Let me tell you, you have to send them to your eldest and second brothers, you can't just keep them all for yourself."
Old Man Qian: "I'm not that kind of person."
Grandma Qian: "That would be best."
Ignoring the old couple's bickering, Qian Xiao took out two pairs of cotton-padded leather shoes: "Second Uncle and Third Uncle bought these for you two. Try them on and see if they fit."
Qian Erbao and Qian Sanbao rubbed their hands against themselves before carefully picking up the cotton leather shoes. They were extremely excited about them, as it was the first time they had ever worn leather shoes in their lives.
Grandma Qian was displeased: "Why buy them such expensive things? Did you not eat properly with that little bit of money?"
"Oh, no way! I care about your granddaughter's belly the most. These are defective products from the store. I went to great lengths to snag two pairs. They were super cheap. There's just one spot on the edge of the shoe that's not done properly, but it doesn't affect how we wear them at all."
Qian Xiao wasn't lying at all. It was just a lucky coincidence that day when the department store was clearing out defective products. She had to use all her strength to fight her way through a group of old women, and she was almost crushed.
Otherwise, she wouldn't even have a ticket to buy shoes.
"real?"
"Really, why would I lie to you? Five yuan a pair, no coupon needed. It's just that the sizes aren't all available, otherwise I would definitely get a pair for everyone in our family."
Her second and third uncles had very large feet; the ones they sold were all large sizes, otherwise she wouldn't have had a chance to snag one.
Qian Erbao and Qian Sanbao happily put on their new shoes. To be honest, although they were a bit loose, they were just right with thick insoles.
Old Man Qian glanced at it with envy, wishing his feet were bigger too.
The elderly couple also tried on the clothes, and they fit perfectly. Qian Xiao was quite satisfied with her own judgment; she was indeed the best.
Qian Xiao pulled out two wool sweaters: "Second Aunt, Third Aunt bought these for you two. See if you like them." These were probably the most expensive gifts besides her grandparents' cotton-padded jackets, but her second and third aunts deserved them.
Both aunts did the same thing: they carefully wiped their hands and clothes before gently taking the clothes, touching them lightly with the backs of their hands, afraid that their rough fingers would scratch the clothes.
"Erdan, you can't buy these anymore. These clothes are too expensive. You should use that money to buy them for yourself. Young girls should dress nicely."
"Hehe, okay, I'll buy one for myself in the future too."
This time she really didn't buy anything for herself. She had the most clothes in the family. Her younger brothers always wore her hand-me-downs. Whenever there was some new fabric, they would make new clothes for her first.
"Big sister?" The four little ones looked at Qian Xiao expectantly, as if to say, "Are there any gifts for us?"
Qian chuckled and first handed the clay figurines he had bought to the four of them: "Here, look at these clay figurines. Be careful not to break them. These can last a long time."
"Wow, this is so beautiful! Can I touch it gently, big sister?"
"Sure, but make sure your hands are clean, so they don't get dirty. Also, each of you four should have a backpack; they'll be useful when you're at school."
"Oh my god, big sister's backpack is so pretty! Did she really give it to us? What about second and third brothers?" The four little ones grinned from ear to ear, but they didn't forget to ask about their two older brothers who weren't home.
Qian Xiao patted one of her heads and looked at how loving her brothers were: "Don't worry, you all have them."
She took out a few pieces of dark blue cloth and placed them on the kang (a heated brick bed): "Second Aunt, Third Aunt, it's not cost-effective to buy ready-made clothes for the children, so I bought some cloth. You can make new clothes for the four of them to wear during the New Year."
Wu Dan's eyes lit up: "Really, big sister, are you really going to make us new clothes?" He was seven years old and had never worn new clothes before.
"Really, if you stay home and study hard, your older sister will make you a new outfit every year, how about that?"
"Big sister, we will definitely listen and study hard," the four little ones said in unison.
“This…” Second Aunt and Third Aunt both looked at Grandma Qian.
The old lady smiled happily, her eyes narrowed, saying that her eldest granddaughter was a good girl who never forgot her family: "Why are you looking at me? Hurry up and finish making clothes for the four boys. Is Erdan's clothes done yet?"
The old lady's eyesight has been deteriorating year by year, and for the past two years, her eldest granddaughter's clothes have been made by her daughters-in-law. This year, since her eldest daughter-in-law lives far away, she asked the two remaining daughters-in-law in the family to help with the clothes.
"It's finished, Mom. I think it should fit perfectly. I'm already figuring out that our Erdan will definitely grow taller."
"Grandma, why are you making me new clothes again? I have enough clothes to wear." It's the same every year; she's the only child in the family who gets to wear a new outfit.
"What are you going to wear? It looks like it's all patched up," Erdan said. He didn't know why, but he was terrible at dressing himself, as if he had teeth growing out of his body.
“Oh, Grandma, take a closer look. I sewed this on on my own. You don’t know, many people in the city do this. It’s a way to show the spirit of hard work.”
Although it's not that time yet, Qian Xiao likes to plan ahead, and besides, it's normal for a student from the countryside to dress like this.
The old lady counted the money and laughed, "You, you really are like that outside?"
"Absolutely. If you dress too nicely, people will say you're acting like a capitalist. We have to be careful. Our family has been poor farmers for generations, so we have to dress in a way that suits our circumstances, right?"
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