Chapter 37
The whole family was busy washing and changing clothes, and it didn't take much effort since the clothes were thin in the summer. All the girls were wearing dresses, while the little boy Gu Yanlei, a green spot among the red flowers, was wearing black pants and white short-sleeved shirts, looking like an elementary school student in the city.
Gu Yan also changed into a dress for a rare occasion. This piece of clothing was produced in this space, and its workmanship and quality are unmatched in this period. The base material is red with large polka dots, and the waist is outlined by the belt to make it barely noticeable. The white short-sleeved top matched the white canvas shoes on her feet, and her shiny hair was braided and draped over her chest.
"Mom, you are so beautiful!"
Dahua shook her head in surprise and stood in front of her looking left and right. Xiaohua also looked amazed. As a child who grew up in the countryside and was used to seeing rustic clothes, he was immediately shocked by the fashionable and elegant outfit.
"You don't look like our mother at all, you look like our sister."
"Yes, my sister."
"Mom is beautiful."
"Mom looks good."
Niu Niu, who loves to hug legs, saw that her brothers and sisters had something to say, and she was so anxious that she didn’t know how to express herself. I wanted to hug my mother, but I was afraid of getting her skirt dirty. She anxiously pulled at her skirt and took a long time to utter two words.
"Same."
Gu Yan picked her up and kissed her several times because of her cute little appearance. She looked at herself in the mirror and wondered if it was that exaggerated. She has no makeup on her face. Years of farming have made her skin not look white, but the maintenance over the years has made her skin delicate, smooth and elastic. Her facial features are not particularly outstanding, but her temperament is really good. This kind of dress makes her look elegant and capable.
"Are you ready? The carriage is waiting for us outside." Li Zhongxia shouted outside. Gu Yan quickly put on his bag and turned to walk out.
"alright."
A group of children came out, and Li Zhongxia wanted to see which child wanted him to hold. As a result, his eyes were glued to his wife and he couldn't take them away. Only when everyone reached the gate did he quickly catch up.
The carriage was already full of grain, and only children could sit on it. Pull the rope tightly and it won't fall off. But Dahua and Xiaohua are older and don’t want to sit anymore, and the two younger ones are afraid of making a mistake and falling down. In the end they had to decline the offer to drive away and let the other person go first. They still took bus No. 11. (Step up)
Li Zhongxia changed into military uniform today, which was the most popular clothing of that era. He brought the child over, and Gu Yan led a few younger ones to follow beside him. The handsome men and beautiful women immediately attracted attention.
Wu Liuzi was carrying water and was attracted by Gu Yan as soon as he came out of the pool. He stared at him and surprise was written clearly on his face.
Is this really the woman that Han Laoer no longer wants?
"Ah..." He was too focused and ended up bumping his head against the thatched wall on the side of the road. The man fell down and the water spilled all over him.
Gu Yan turned around and rolled his eyes at him, then turned around and led the child to continue on their way. Li Zhongxia's face was dark, and his cold eyes carried a warning. Looking back at his wife who had changed so much, he really regretted not bringing a coat with him.
The two women nearby were originally talking about Gu Yan, and now they burst into laughter. One of them saw that Gu Yan and the others had walked quite far away, and she started to tease him loudly.
"Sixth son, she's already taken. If you keep thinking about her, be careful that man will punish you."
"That's right. I've never seen anyone as useless as you. You can't even look away when you see a woman. Be careful or Gu Yan will beat you with a rolling pin so hard that your mother won't even recognize you." The woman spoke with contempt and looked at Wu Liuzi as if he were a leper. After saying that, he turned and asked his companion. "Was that Gu Yan from Team 5 just now? The unwanted daughter-in-law of the old Han family? Was it her?"
"Yes, of course not. Since the divorce, this woman has become more and more beautiful. She is like the sun, shining wherever she goes. Today, she changed into this outfit, which makes people unable to take their eyes off her. She is more beautiful than those city women I have seen in the county."
"Yes, she looks good. She is also very brave, wearing a skirt that shows her ankles and her sleeves are so short. Isn't she afraid of being laughed at?"
"What a joke. We roll up our sleeves and trouser legs when we go to the fields. Why can't people show their ankles when they wear skirts? Her dress is so beautiful. I wonder where she got the fabric from."
"Li Zhongxia brought it from the big city. Where in our commune can we find such beautiful material?"
Gu Yan has never taken other people's opinions into consideration. What she wears depends on the occasion. If you want to watch it, just watch it. It will just be an eye-opener for you in advance.
Instead of taking the car, they took the small road. The children were walking and playing happily. Niu Niu also got down to the ground and was led by her sister, waving a small flower happily. The two adults walked at the end, and Li Zhongxia pulled Gu Yan and handed her the water bottle.
"Drink this boiled water first. I'll buy you popsicles when we get to the commune."
"There are no popsicles in the commune." Gu Yan quickly reminded him, "Don't tell the children, otherwise they will be disappointed."
The man nodded in agreement, glanced at the children in front of him, and seeing that they were busy playing and not paying attention to them, he whispered, "You look very beautiful today."
People in China during this period were very reserved and generally would not praise others in person. Li Zhongxia hesitated for a long time before finally saying this. As a lesbian, she was so brave to tell him that she wanted to marry him. As a man, if he doesn't even dare to express his appreciation for someone, then he is too cowardly.
"You just realized it." The woman's eyes moved and she stroked her long hair in a charming manner. "Do you feel so lucky to be favored by such a beautiful lady?"
It sounded like he was teasing, and Li Zhongxia nodded in agreement. His eyes are sparkling and his handsome face is full of spring light.
"It's my great pleasure. I'll buy some cloth to make you some more clothes so you can wear beautiful clothes in the future."
"I'm responsible for being beautiful, and you're responsible for making money to support the family? Then will you be responsible for doing all the work in our family from now on?"
"No problem." Seeing Gu Yan's doubtful expression, he smiled and said, "You can make a list of what needs to be done and when, and I will try to arrange the time to do it. I have lived on my own for so many years, and I know how to do most of the housework."
"It's a deal, you work harder so I can have more time to dress myself up. Otherwise I won't have time to wear the beautiful clothes I make."
The man nodded in agreement and then spoke hesitantly. "but……"
"But what, you regret it right after you said it?"
"Of course not." The man smiled. How could I be the kind of person who would go back on my word? "Could you make the sleeves longer next time you make clothes?"
I looked at my sleeves left and right. They were shorter than the half-sleeves of this era. It perfectly reveals her graceful arms, which has become a common practice in later generations. However, in this conservative era, it is indeed a bit revealing for women to wear this. Sister Xu and her friends also wear long sleeves in the summer, and at most they pin them up to expose their forearms so that they can work more efficiently.
"Okay. I'll wear three-quarter sleeves next time." After searching in the space, there are many clothes that meet the requirements. Or you can make a few pieces yourself by tearing some cloth and improving the style. "Li Zhongxia, you have always lived in the city, why are your ideas so conservative?"
"How can this be considered conservative? This is caring... If you like this kind of clothes, you can wear them at home at night."
"hehe……"
Gu Yan laughed out loud at the old antique's attitude. The bright facial features stretch out and bloom like flowers. The sunlight shines on her through the shade of the trees, like stars in the sky, so lively and cheerful.
"Mom, what are you laughing at?"
Xiaohua turned around and asked, and the children were all waiting for her answer quietly. Gu Yan turned his head to look at Li Zhongxia, and his bright eyes blinked playfully, reminding him of what he had just said. How are you going to tell the kids this time?
This man who used to blush was totally unmoved today. His expression remained unchanged as he spoke calmly.
"I said we should go to the commune later and buy some cloth to make beautiful clothes for you."
"Oh! I want new clothes."
"I want one too."
The twins, a boy and a girl, were overjoyed and eager for the new clothes. Most of their clothes were altered from their sister's clothes, which was fine. But the new clothes still give people a different feeling.
"Mom, can I have a dress like yours?"
The little girl grabbed Gu Yan's skirt and spoke with envy on her face. Niu Niu also came to join in the fun and expressed the same request as her sister.
Gu Yan squatted down and kissed each of them: "No. Your father said you can't wear this. Can mom make you another style?"
“Why can’t I wear it?”
The little girl is weird, and the two older ones are weird too. Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Li Zhongxia, hoping that he could give an answer. Well, the man who was calm and composed just now was embarrassed by Gu Yan’s behavior. Is there anyone like you? How can I say this?
He was thinking about how to fool the child, but Gu Yan winked at him as if he had some dirty thoughts. The heads of the girls squeezed together look like a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Tender buds, branches and leaves, buds about to bloom...all in different shapes and sizes, so delicate and lovely. The bright and dazzling rose in the middle is a backdrop, which is heart-stirring and touching.
"Because white doesn't stand up to dirt."
Li Zhongxia spent a lot of time coming up with this excuse to fool the children. Everyone laughed and said that they should wash their own clothes, just like their mother did. The man shrugged indifferently, indicating that he would listen to you.
The family happily went to the commune, and the two first went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to register their marriage. During this period, there was no space for photos on the marriage certificate, so there was no need to take photos. There was no photo studio in the commune, so the couple thought about taking the children to the county town.
"There are a lot of things in the county, and it will broaden the children's horizons."
"It would be nice to go out and see the world, but how do we get there?" There are no buses in this backward place. Is it possible to walk dozens of miles?
"The public grain is being transported now. I'm going to the grain station to ask if there's a car that can give us a ride."
You know what, they are really lucky. We just happened to catch the big truck carrying grain returning to the county town. However, the front passenger seat was already occupied by a staff member, so they could only sit in the back.
Gu Yan held up her skirt and felt a little regretful. She should have worn pants. It was inconvenient to get on the car. Unexpectedly, the man in the passenger seat got out of the car on his own initiative after seeing her. Blushing, he let her sit. "It's inconvenient for you to sit at the back in a skirt."
Gu Yan didn't bother to be polite. He thanked them and got on the passenger seat with the two kids in his arms. We arrived at the county town in less than an hour. Not to mention the children, even Gu Yan was here for the first time.
"This is too shabby. There's not even a department store. Only the supply and marketing cooperative is a little bigger than the commune, and has more canteens..."
"What did you say?" He thought she was surprised to come to a big place, but when he met her eyes, he saw disdain in them.
"No. I was wondering why there wasn't even a building."
"The county government has an office building with three floors. But it's not here. The photo studio is nearby. Let's go take some photos first?"
Gu Yan nodded and pulled a few curious children forward. A small state-owned storefront, black and white photo, no color.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com