Just as Ma Xiaolan was about to say something, Xiuxiu came in and whispered, "Mom, there are new books at the bookstall. I want to go see them after class this afternoon."
Jiang Xuan quite likes this child, since he loves reading so much.
Having chatted with Jiang Xuan for so long, Ma Xiaolan didn't treat Jiang Xuan like an outsider. She said awkwardly, "Xiuxiu, how about we read books again next month? Mom has only saved two yuan. Your birthday is coming up soon, and Mom is planning to make you new clothes."
Xiuxiu shook her head and said, "Mom, the new clothes are too expensive, I don't want them."
Ma Xiaolan turned her head.
Jiang Xuan noticed that her eyes were red.
This made her feel a little uncomfortable.
She scooped out the scallion oil and said, "Sister Lan, if Xiuxiu wants to read, just let her. I have some lace here; you can make clothes for Xiuxiu yourself, it won't cost much."
Ma Xiaolan said with difficulty, "I don't have a sewing machine, so I plan to find a tailor to make it."
"Oh, why didn't you say so earlier? I have some, come to our house and make it."
"That would be so embarrassing."
"Oh, Sister Lan, why are you being so polite? We live in the same courtyard, so we should help each other out. Why don't you come to our house this afternoon?"
"Okay, thank you, Jiang Xuan."
"It's alright, it's a good thing that Xiuxiu likes to read."
Ma Xiaolan gave her daughter a dime.
Xiuxiu was especially happy; one cent could buy her ten books.
*
It was hot in the summer, and there was a breeze in the yard, so Ma Xiaolan took out her own table and stools and placed them under the tree in the yard.
"Okay, let's sit here and eat, it's cool here."
Lu Shengye brought braised pork, stir-fried green beans, and garlic spinach from the cafeteria.
The braised pork belly has a good balance of lean and fat, and a vibrant color.
Jiang Xuan gave most of the meat to Xiuxiu.
The little girl had never eaten anything so delicious before. She devoured the scallion oil noodles and vegetables, which made Ma Xiaolan's nose tingle and tears stream down her face.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
Ma Xiaolan quickly wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "It's nothing, I just got choked by the cooking fumes. You should eat."
Jiang Xuan placed another piece of braised pork into Ma Xiaolan's bowl, saying, "Sister Lan, don't just look at it, you should eat some too."
"good."
Jiang Xuan has a small appetite, and she ate a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) while buying furniture, so she's not very hungry right now.
After finishing half a bowl of scallion oil noodles, she said a little shyly, "Sister Lan, do you have any hot water at home? I'll go get a bowl."
"Yes, I cooked it this morning, but after eating dry noodles, it's best to drink a bowl of noodle soup. Noodle soup is delicious and good for the stomach. Let me get you some."
As she spoke, Ma Xiaolan stood up and reached out to take Jiang Xuan's bowl.
"No need, Sister Lan, I'll scoop it myself."
"Oh dear, you told me not to be so polite with you, but you're being so polite to me."
"Alright, alright, then I'll trouble you, Sister Lan."
At this moment, Lu Shengye came out.
"I'm leaving. The bedroom is almost tidied up. Go and rest after you finish eating. I'll clean up the living room tonight."
"Okay, then remember to ask that."
Lu Shengye grunted in agreement and left.
Lu Xiaomei chased after him, carrying the bowl, and whispered, "Brother, are you short of money?"
Lu Shengye was puzzled. "We don't lack anything, so what's wrong?"
“When Hyun-hyun was buying furniture today, she said you went to borrow money from someone yesterday. If you need it, I'll ask Dad for it.”
Lu Shengye thought for a moment and asked, "Who did you go to the market with?"
"That Sister Mei from Courtyard No. 4."
Lu Shengye understood. "You can go in now."
"Okay. By the way, bro, HyunHyun is amazing! She reviewed the math concepts for me today by looking at the table of contents. I think she explains them even better than our math teacher."
Lu Shengye was quite surprised. Was he really that good?
"She's so talented, why didn't she get into university? Bro, I think you should check if her exam paper was graded incorrectly."
"I know, you can go in now."
"good."
"Wait."
"What's wrong, brother?"
"If your sister Hyun-hyun needs to tidy up this afternoon, please help her as much as possible."
"You don't need to tell me, brother. I came here today specifically to help out."
"Okay, I'm leaving now. Don't forget about your hair. If I see you haven't dyed it back next time, watch out for your legs."
Lu Xiaomei touched her hair and teased, "I know, I know, I'm just busy helping your wife, aren't I?"
Lu Shengye felt his face flush and quickly strode away.
"Brother, why are you blushing?"
Lu Shengye walked even faster.
*
Although Lu Xiaomei, who always listens to her brother, repeatedly emphasized that Jiang Xuan should rest, Jiang Xuan simply couldn't stay still and started cleaning up as soon as she finished eating.
Using the original owner's memories, she made some paste with flour and said, "Little sister, come and help me paste the walls. Let's start with Fanxing's room. I promised to decorate a display wall for her today."
Lu Xiaomei was in a dilemma, "But I'm not very good at making it, I'm afraid I'll wrinkle it for you."
"Alright then, you help me pack things up, I'll do the pasting."
Jiang Xuan found an old broom and skillfully began to use it.
The paper she bought was of decent quality; it wasn't the very thin kind, and it didn't easily tear when brushed with an old broom.
Ma Xiaolan had just finished washing the dishes and then took her daughter to her tutoring class. Because she had to go to her night shift later, she was thinking of quickly making a dress for her daughter.
She knocked on the door with a piece of fabric in her hand, "Jiang Xuan, may I use your sewing machine?"
"Come in, Sister Lan."
Following the sound, Ma Xiaolan came to Fanxing's room and said, "Are you wallpapering the walls?"
"Yes. I promised the child that I would decorate it nicely."
Ma Xiaolan took out a pair of brand-new embroidered red cloth shoes with multi-layered soles from her cloth pocket and said, "Your daughter should be younger than Xiuxiu, right? Give her these shoes."
"Thank you, Sister Lan. Making shoes is so much work. You should keep them for Xiuxiu."
"She can't wear it anymore."
In fact, Ma Xiaolan lied.
She had plenty of scraps of fabric from the garment factory, but she wasn't worried about finding fabric for making shoes.
These shoes are new ones she made this year.
Jiang Xuan was so kind to them, mother and daughter, that she felt really bad about taking advantage of them for nothing.
Jiang Xuan didn't think much of it and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll give them to Fanxing to wear. Sister Lan's craftsmanship is really good. These shoes are so beautiful. You can even embroider. The flowers on these shoes are embroidered just like the real ones."
"Oh, I just did a rough embroidery, I'm glad you don't mind."
"Look at what you're saying, I like it so much I don't even have time to think about it."
Jiang Xuan took Ma Xiaolan to the master bedroom, helped her find all the sewing tools, and brought her a high stool. "Sister Lan, you can use this. If you need anything, just call me. I'll go wallpaper the walls first."
"OK."
Although it's a sewing workshop, Ma Xiaolan herself is a skillful person and knows how to make some simple clothes.
She quickly cut a standard short-sleeved dress for her daughter.
Peter Pan collar, puff sleeves.
"Hey, are you home, Platoon Leader Lu's family?" someone suddenly called from outside the door.
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