At noon, the staple food made by Liu Xiu was corn cakes, and the dishes were cooked by Liu's mother. They included stir-fried rabbit with sauerkraut, stir-fried bracken with bacon, stir-fried choy sum, homemade tofu, tofu and egg soup, and some peanuts.
After dinner, Liu's father and Liu Guanghui and his brother drank a few glasses of wine with Zhang Yangwen before leaving. At two o'clock in the afternoon, Mingwu drove the ox cart to take the Yang family home.
The rest of the group gathered together to discuss tomorrow's schedule, primarily the elders, with the younger ones joining in the fun. Shengnan's face flushed red from everyone's teasing, and she simply went back to her room to cut some cloth. It was almost three in the afternoon, so she had to hurry and make some clothes.
Shengnan cut the fabric for Yang Wanlin and her own clothes, and the elders in the yard also discussed tomorrow's matters. Mingwen had already taken He Wanting home to rest, and no one else knew where to get the fabric.
Shengnan stopped Liu's mother who was about to go home and said, "Auntie, wait a moment. I want to go to your house too. I want to borrow my eldest sister's sewing machine to make some clothes!"
"Okay, come quickly. The sooner you go, the sooner you can finish sewing!" Liu's mother replied.
As soon as Liu's mother and the other two arrived at the gate of the yard, they heard chattering sounds coming from inside, but the gate was locked from the inside.
Mother Liu knocked on the door and yelled into the yard, "Qingya, come open the door!"
Not long after, the sound of the door bolt shaking was heard from inside, and then the gate was opened from the inside.
Mother Liu asked in surprise, "Why did you lock the door when we haven't even come back yet?"
Qingya stuck her head out to look outside. Seeing no one passing by, she said to Liu's mother, "Mom, please come in first!"
Liu's mother took Liu's father and Shengnan into the yard with a puzzled look on her face. As soon as Liu's mother entered the yard, Qingya locked the gate from the inside.
Only then did Liu's mother realize that in addition to Mingwen and He Wanting, even the younger generations such as Mingwu who had sent someone back were in her yard, and Han Chen was holding a camera and teaching them how to take pictures.
Qingya then explained, "My brother-in-law is teaching us how to use a camera. Mom, didn't you say that good things should be hidden? We're afraid that other people in the village will find out and come to take advantage of us, so we closed the gate!"
After Qingya finished explaining, she pulled Shengnan's arm and said, "Sister Shengnan, why don't you come with us to learn how to use a camera?"
After Qingya finished speaking, she pulled Shengnan to Han Chen's side and leaned over to look at the camera in Han Chen's hand.
Shengnan waited until she was standing firmly before saying, "Qingya, I don't have time to learn this right now. I came here to borrow a sewing machine!"
Han Chen also heard Shengnan's words and looked up and said, "Shengnan, the sewing machine is in the room, you can use it yourself."
Shengnan nodded, then said to Liu's mother, "Auntie, please come with me! I'm not very good at using a sewing machine yet!"
Shengnan already knew how to use a sewing machine, and she asked Liu's mother to accompany her only because she felt uncomfortable being alone in Xuemei and Han Chen's room. Liu's mother also knew Shengnan's concerns, nodded, and then took Shengnan to the room.
After Shengnan arrived at the room, she took out all the cut fabrics from the bag, and then picked out Yang Wanlin's clothes first.
Mother Liu looked at the remaining piece of cloth and said, "I'll get the needle and thread and help you sew the rest of the dress!"
"Auntie, it's okay. I'll do it myself later. If I'm too late, I'll just make Wan Lin's clothes first! You've been busy all day, so take a break now!" Shengnan said.
"It's okay. Sewing clothes is also a way to rest. Besides, how can you get married without wearing new clothes? This blue dress with red flowers is yours, right?" said Liu's mother.
Shengnan nodded, then thanked her, "Thank you so much, Auntie!"
"Hey, why should we be so polite as a family!" Liu's mother said pretending to be angry.
Shengnan smiled, and then the two of them talked while making clothes.
When Xuemei came back, Mingwu had already taken Juhua home. Han Chen was packing up his camera when he saw Xuemei come back and told her that Liu's mother and Shengnan were making clothes in their room.
Xuemei happened to have something to say to Shengnan, and when she heard that Shengnan was at her home, she took the camera and went back to the room with her.
"Xuemei, are you back?" Liu's mother was standing up to turn on the light, but it was already dark.
"Yes, Mom. Mom, turn on the light. It's darker in this room than outside. Don't hurt your eyes." Xuemei said as she put the camera on the table.
"Sister, it's okay. I only have a little left!" Shengnan replied. Shengnan was now sewing her clothes with a sewing machine. Mother Liu had already sewn half of it with needle and thread. Now Shengnan only had the last sleeve left to complete.
"That won't work either!" While Xuemei was speaking, Liu's mother had already turned on the light.
Xuemei walked over to Shengnan and said, "Shengnan, you're getting married tomorrow, and I didn't get any leave. My mother covered for me for over ten days, and my boss won't let me take any leave now that I've just returned to work."
"It's okay, sister. We have uncle and aunt and other people to help at home, so we have enough manpower! You should just focus on your work. Other leaders may have opinions." Shengnan comforted.
Xuemei sighed, then opened the desk drawer, took out a silk scarf, and placed it next to Shengnan's hand. She said, "This is a wedding gift from your brother-in-law and me. Remember to take it back later so you can use it tomorrow."
Shengnan stopped and looked at the silk scarf at hand. She said happily, "Sister, where did you buy this scarf? The color red is just right, and it looks so soft and pink. I like it very much. Thank you, sister!"
"As long as you like it, bring it back from Beijing. The scarves in Beijing's department stores are not dull in color. They are all pink, light yellow, and sky blue. There are many more colors and styles than the ones we have here." Xuemei said with a smile.
The five silk scarves Xuemei received from the supply and marketing cooperative today were incredibly popular. All the colleagues who received them were delighted, and those who didn't get them regretted not ordering from Xuemei in advance. Xuemei charged 1.8 yuan for each scarf. This wasn't expensive, but it was quite conscientious. If she had imported these scarves from Beijing and sold them at the supply and marketing cooperative, they would have gotten at least 2 yuan each.
However, Xuemei was already very satisfied with earning 2.5 yuan from these five silk scarves. Xuemei and Han Chen settled their accounts last night. They had spent more than 300 yuan on this trip to Beijing, and had used up all the red envelopes given by the Lin family. They only had about 100 yuan left when they returned.
If Liu's parents knew the truth, they would definitely chase her and Han Chen with brooms, because they were such spendthrifts. So Xuemei and Han Chen decided not to tell them anything except the price of the camera.
After Xuemei finished speaking, she saw the camera on the table and said to Shengnan, "Shengnan, after you and your brother-in-law finish the wedding banquet tomorrow, come to my house. I'll ask your brother-in-law to take a photo of you and your brother-in-law as a souvenir. Then you and your brother-in-law can just take the film and develop the photos!"
"Thank you, sister. You are so nice!" Shengnan stopped moving her feet and hands, turned around and hugged Xuemei's waist and said. Xuemei gently touched Shengnan's hair.
Seeing how good the two sisters were, Liu's mother couldn't help but smile.
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