The car stopped at the entrance of the alley and the two got out and went inside.
Cheng Hongli pointed to a spot not far ahead. "It's just ahead. Women need to take good care of themselves after childbirth, so it's good this way. I'll visit you from time to time, so you can go back without worry and wait to be reunited with you at the end of the year. This chef's business is very good, and he's busy from July until the New Year."
Lin Lishan followed her and found that there were clothes and shoes makers in this alley. "It seems that there is a place that specializes in making shoes here. Let's take a look later."
"I'll come with you tomorrow. Forget about today. There are people who make clothes and shoes at home. They're very skilled. You can have the curtains and quilt covers made by others. Don't bother yourself. They do a great job and are quick. They'll deliver it tomorrow and you can have it the day after tomorrow."
Lin Lishan thought for a moment and shook her head. "Forget it. These things are just a few straight lines on the sewing machine. I'll take them home and finish them in a short while tonight. As for clothes, I have to make them. I brought a lot of fabric. Jiaojiao and Xiaowu's clothes are all patched up or completely white. Let's look at the styles of clothes together tomorrow. I plan to make a few more sets of clothes for Jiaojiao."
"Okay, I'm just making clothes for my kids for the New Year. What do you think of overalls? They look good on girls."
Lin Lishan laughed heartily. "I also want to make overalls. Last time I went to the Friendship Mall in the provincial capital, I bought some material that's quite suitable for making pants. I'll bring all the material over tomorrow. If you need it, don't buy it. I bought a whole bolt of the fabric I have."
"Okay, I won't be polite with you. If there are any extra ones, I will make a pair of pants for my Yuanyuan. Otherwise, if she sees Jiaojiao wearing them, she will come back and ask me for them. Here we are, Master Fang. This is Zhang Guoqing's mother-in-law. She came to see if you have any ready-made thick quilts and mattresses." Cheng Hongli saw Master Fang inside and hurriedly pulled Lin Lishan in and shouted to Master Fang.
Master Fang is a middle-aged man in his thirties. His skill in beating cotton to make wedding quilts is well-known in the county. He is busier than other people for two months a year, and people come to him during the first month of the lunar year.
Master Fang saw them and said with a smile, "Oh, Xiaowu, you haven't even prepared a thick quilt for your mother-in-law. This kid can be a bit confused sometimes. I'll have to give him a good talk later. The in-laws just arrived, right? If others came in the middle of winter, I definitely wouldn't have one. Since you're here, I'll make one for you even if I don't have one, just for Xiaowu's sake. How big do you want it to be? How many pounds does it weigh? Do you want it on the kang or on the bed?"
Lin Lishan looked at the mattresses on the cabinet; they were all narrow. "Master Fang, thank you in advance. This time, I need to prepare three thick quilts, weighing 8 jin (approximately 100 catties), suitable for two people. The largest size is less than five people tall, and it's too small to keep me warm. The mattress is for the bunk bed, so it needs to be thicker and softer. Can you tell me what size they should be?"
Master Fang nodded. "I understand what you said. Xiaowu is so tall, so he should just buy a wedding quilt the size of a wedding quilt. I'll give you the wedding quilt I ordered for next year's New Year first, and then rush to make it for them. As for the mattress, does Xiaowu have any old quilts? You can use them as a mattress. The ones I have are all made of old cotton and of poor quality. If you want to buy, how many would you like?"
"I bought it directly from you. I'll use the old quilt when I return to my hometown. This is for them to use in the county town. How many mattresses do you have ready-made? Could you please point them all out to me so I can take a look?"
Master Fang put down his tools with a smile and took out five or six mattresses from the inner room. "Look, they're all here. Usually people make their own mattresses. I sell these mattresses specifically to families like Comrade Cheng. They're all new, made with low-quality materials collected from the village."
Lin Lishan thought about it and decided to keep two of the military quilts at home, and disassemble the others to make larger sizes. She would buy all the quilts here first. Who knows if buying cotton in the future will be as troublesome as in Beijing.
"Give me all six mattresses. The child is still young, so it's easy to change if he wets the bed. You also need to get me three thick quilts."
"I have this homespun cloth too. Do you want it? It's just right for making quilt covers in the middle of winter. The material is thick and not frizzy. If you want it to look good, go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy a satin quilt to sew." Master Fang took out three thick quilts and tied them with ropes.
Lin Lishan's eyes lit up when she heard this. She had really forgotten about homespun cloth. If the color looked good, she could even make curtain cloth. She could use the cloth she bought slowly. She looked at Cheng Hongli and saw her nod. She said to Master Fang, "Master Fang, I want to see the color first. Can you take me to see it?"
Master Fang nodded repeatedly. This was a big deal. "Come with me inside. I'll put all the cotton wool flying around outside inside."
Lin Lishan and the other person followed him inside. Looking at the layers of homespun cloth that Master Fang unfolded, even Cheng Hongli excitedly exclaimed, "Master Fang, you're so mean. Why didn't you introduce me to some of these things when I came here before? There's quite a lot here. The patterns are beautiful, and the material is thick. Shanshan, I'll buy some too. You can use the thin ones as curtain fabrics. I've seen at your house that the same material you use to make curtain fabrics can also be used to make clothes."
"Well, the curtain fabric I bought is a thick summer fabric, with small flowers for skirts. I'll save it for making a few more dresses for Jiaojiao and Yuanyuan in the summer, and I can also make shirts. Master Fang, I want four rolls of that thinner plaid cloth. The weaver here must be very smart and know not to follow the crowd. He gave me all the thick plaid cloth. Hongli, do you think the curtain fabric and quilt cover set will look great?"
Cheng Hongli rolled her eyes at her. She had seen enough to want to buy everything. "Yes, it looks good, and the money is good too. But if you buy so much, can you use it all?"
Lin Lishan smiled and said, "It's okay, they won't go bad if they're left there. My Jiaojiao is very thrifty, so if I buy more, she'll have to use them. I'll make a few more sets for her to rotate, and then send the extra to Xiaoya to clean, because she's too small to carry them. And they can also be used to make tablecloths. If it weren't too far, I'd like to bring some back to Beijing myself."
Cheng Hongli nodded and suggested, "Since you're going to go on a shopping spree, why don't you buy a couple of rolls of floral fabric to change things up? Otherwise, after a while, the freshness will wear off and everything will be just plaid."
"Well, you have good taste. Then get two more with big red flowers. This will make their bedroom more festive. They'll still be newlyweds within two years of getting married."
"Okay, all the stuff in the county is new, and we can keep the stuff at home in the village. We won't have to worry about not having a quilt to use when we go back. You're a very thoughtful mother. Master Fang, can you calculate the total price? Don't include my two pieces of cloth in it, I'll pay for it myself. Shanshan, don't push it away, I won't be polite with you. You must give me some material for Yuanyuan's pants, and keep those curtain fabrics for me to make skirts for next summer."
Lin Lishan withdrew her hand with a smile, and nodded without refusing.
Master Fang counted the money, rounded off the change, and took 30 yuan, then helped them to the car. The two said goodbye to him and got in the car.
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