"Aunt Xiao, don't rush. Change your shoes first, take the money, and go to the east side of the county town to rent a bicycle. Take it one step at a time. I'll look after the shop. You can go back now," Wen Qing reminded her.
Aunt Xiao glanced at Wen Qing gratefully: "Wen Qing..."
"Aunt Xiao, hurry, the child is important, get him to the hospital right away," Wen Qing said.
"Okay, okay," Aunt Xiao said, but she couldn't hide her panic.
In the end, it was Wen Qing who helped get rid of Aunt Xiao.
Aunt Xiao turned around and looked at Wen Qing repeatedly.
Wen Qing repeatedly emphasized, "Aunt Xiao, don't worry, I will take good care of the shop. Getting the baby well is the most important thing."
"good."
Aunt Xiao nodded and left in a hurry with Sister Sun.
Wen Qing was busy in the store. She could have left at 2:30, but the store was too busy, so she had to leave later. During that time, she felt a burning gaze on her from outside the store. When she looked up, a truck roared past.
Could it be Ji Yanjun?
"Impossible, he wouldn't even look at me," Wen Qing thought, no longer caring, and continued making clothes.
It wasn't until 4:30 p.m. that she could stay any longer. She needed to go to the market to buy groceries. It would take her half an hour to get home, and it wouldn't be safe for her to walk alone on the dirt road any later.
After checking the shop to make sure there were no safety hazards, Wen Qing locked the door of Aunt Xiao's sewing shop, went to the market to buy some flour, eggs, and two pounds of meat, and carried a large bag home.
As soon as they stepped onto the dirt road, they saw Yao Shiling and Wen Peng hurrying towards them.
"Big sister, big sister!" Wen Peng waved and called out from afar.
Yao Shiling breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Wen Qing.
Wen Qing hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Mom, Pengpeng, what brings you here?"
"Big sister, I got out of school early today and was doing my homework at home. When Mom came back from the fields, she said you should have come home earlier. When she saw you hadn't come back, she was worried something had happened to you, so Mom and I came to find you," Wen Peng explained.
Wen Qing smiled, feeling a warmth in her heart. She reached out and touched Wen Peng's head. Wen Peng was still so thin.
Yao Shiling took the cloth bag from Wen Qing and asked, "Why are you back so late today?"
Wen Qing and Yao Shiling walked home, and Wen Qing explained, "Aunt Xiao's son is sick. He's lying in bed and can't get up. Aunt Xiao went back this afternoon, and I helped watch the shop a little longer."
"It's that serious!" Yao Shiling exclaimed.
"Hmm, I don't know what kind of illness it is, or if it's serious," Wen Qing said with concern.
The mother and her two children talked as they walked and soon returned to Shuiwan Village.
Looking at the things Wen Qing bought, Yao Shiling started nagging again. Wen Qing was happy to hear it. She wasn't afraid of spending money, as long as her family ate and drank well.
Especially when Wen Peng was eating the chicken in her white porcelain jar, he was filled with happiness, and she felt happy too.
Every evening, it's Wen Qing's turn to work overtime making shoes. The difference today is that Yao Shiling is also helping out. Looking around Shuiwan Village, there isn't a single woman who doesn't know how to make shoes, but when it comes to making them beautiful and comfortable, there's really no one else but Wen Qing.
Yao Shiling was quick with her hands, but like other women in Shuiwan Village, she only knew how to do things, not how to innovate. Wen Qing was there to guide her.
Wen Qing had already prepared, cut, and drawn the soles, uppers, and designs; Yao Shiling only needed to ensure the stitches were even.
"Mom, don't tie this knot on the sole of the shoe. Picky people won't like it."
"Where should we hit him? Is that even a question?"
"Put it under the insole. Who would buy it if they didn't care about aesthetics?"
The mother and daughter made a pair of shoes by the light of the kerosene lamp. After handing over her money, Wen Qing urged Yao Shiling to go to sleep.
Yao Shiling took the eight yuan Wen Qing handed over, feeling uneasy. She always felt that after Wen Qing's second uncle died, no one would pamper Wen Qing anymore, and that's why Wen Qing had suddenly become so sensible. Her sensibility made her feel guilty. Yao Shiling couldn't help but urge, "Wen Qing, go to sleep early."
"Oh, I know," Wen Qing replied, lying on the bed curtains and drawing shoe and clothing patterns under the kerosene lamp, even marking the proportions. She had many images of shoes and clothes in her mind, but she didn't have time to make them, and she felt that if she had studied for another two years, she might be able to draw them even better.
Thinking this way, her desire to repeat the reading became even stronger.
After finishing drawing a pair of shoes, she blew out the lamp and went to sleep.
The next day, before dawn, it started to rain heavily.
Wen Qing's house was a thatched hut, and the dripping water woke Wen Qing up. Wen Qing quickly got up and saw that the small house was leaking in four or five places. Soon, Yao Shiling brought over pots, pans and bowls to catch the water.
Wen Qing put the soaked fabric and shoe soles into the cabinet on the long table in the main room, and had to carry the sketches with her at all times. After breakfast, she put on her rubber shoes, picked up her cloth bag, and went to Aunt Xiao's tailor shop in the county town with an umbrella.
Wen Qing was initially annoyed by the rainy days, as the house was damp and unbearable. However, after hearing someone say that the rain was a good thing, as it rained right after they planted beans, resulting in a good harvest, and that they could pick bean sprouts to stir-fry in a few days, Wen Qing suddenly found the rain quite lovely.
Wen Qing was in a good mood, but when she arrived at Aunt Xiao's tailor shop, she was soaking wet, and Aunt Xiao had not yet returned.
Wen Qing had no choice but to open the door herself. Since there were fewer customers on a rainy day, she could finish making the clothes in her notebook. Then, as usual, she went home at 4:30.
It was still raining the next day, and Aunt Xiao still hadn't returned.
The weather cleared up a bit on the third day, and Aunt Xiao finally returned.
When Aunt Xiao returned, Wen Qing was sitting in front of the sewing machine, making a pair of pants with a diagonal zipper.
"Wen Qing," Aunt Xiao called out.
Wen Qing looked up, instinctively smiling, but when she saw Aunt Xiao, she couldn't smile anymore. In just three days, Aunt Xiao had lost weight, was still wearing the same clothes as three days ago, and looked listless.
"Aunt Xiao," Wen Qing stopped her sewing machine and stepped forward, asking, "How is the child?"
Aunt Xiao sat weakly on the stool.
Wen Qing quickly went to pour water.
Aunt Xiao looked around, as if she was reluctant to leave this place.
"Aunt Xiao," Wen Qing urged.
Aunt Xiao's gaze fell on Wen Qing, and Wen Qing had a bad feeling.
"I haven't paid you your wages yet," Aunt Xiao said.
Wen Qing looked at Aunt Xiao and asked cautiously, "Aunt Xiao, is something wrong with the child?"
Aunt Xiao's eyes reddened instantly, and she almost cried: "The child is sick. He's a poor man with a rich man's disease. I took him to the city hospital three days ago, and we've spent all our money. The doctor said he can be cured, but the medical expenses may still be five or six hundred short."
Five or six hundred?
Wen Qing gasped. Five or six hundred yuan is nothing in the 21st century, but in this era when a fried dough stick costs four cents and rice costs fifteen yuan per hundred jin, five or six hundred yuan is a death sentence.
In an instant, Wen Qing understood Aunt Xiao's intention: "Aunt Xiao, do you want to sell the tailor shop?"
Aunt Xiao nodded with difficulty.
Wen Qing remained silent. No amount of money was as important as life, but for Aunt Xiao, Aunt Xiao's tailor shop was like her own child.
"Have you found a buyer yet?" Wen Qing asked.
Aunt Xiao shook her head: "Not yet. This house won't sell for much. It's just two storefronts and a small backyard. The location isn't good either. Business is only good because of word-of-mouth recommendations from my old customers. It'll probably sell for around 400 yuan at most. But my sewing machine is valuable. It's a Butterfly brand. I bought it for 175 yuan. With a 50% discount, I should be able to sell it for 100 yuan. And these fabrics... When I bought them, I didn't pay in full. I had to return the fabrics and pay the factory some extra money."
Aunt Xiao recounted the details one by one, while Wen Qing listened attentively. Then, Wen Qing recounted the money she had earned in the past few days, as well as her commission from selling shoes. In three days, Wen Qing had earned Aunt Xiao thirty yuan.
Aunt Xiao looked at Wen Qing gratefully and accepted the money.
However, Aunt Xiao was eager to sell her tailor shop and did not stay there for long.
Wen Qing stayed there with a heavy heart until 4:30 pm, then returned to Shuiwan Village. She had an idea in her mind, but she didn't dare to say it.
When Yao Shiling asked her about Aunt Xiao's situation, she told her the truth.
Yao Shiling could only sigh.
The next day, Wen Qing went to Aunt Xiao's tailor shop as usual. Aunt Xiao sat in the shop for a while again. Aunt Xiao did not find a buyer. In this era, food was the first step to getting rich. Tailor shops were not easy to sell. Moreover, Aunt Xiao's tailor shop was not in a good location. At that time, people did not have much of a concept of talent and housing. Besides, apart from a few families in the county town with tens of thousands of yuan, no one could take out five or six hundred yuan at once.
So, Aunt Xiao ran around for two days without any luck, and she became increasingly anxious.
A thought grew stronger in Wen Qing's mind, but she really didn't know how to bring it up, so she returned to Shuiwan Village.
As usual, Yao Shiling inquired about Aunt Xiao's situation.
Wen Qing replied, "Nobody wants to buy it."
Yao Shiling paused for a moment, then asked, "She doesn't raise pigs or cows in her hometown, but she can still sell them for several hundred yuan."
"No." Wen Qing shook her head: "Aunt Xiao's mother-in-law saw that Aunt Xiao could make money, so she didn't even raise a chicken at home. She often gambled with dominoes in some corner of the village. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been unaware that her child was sick."
Where is the child's father?
"An honest farmer with little money."
Yao Shiling sighed.
Wen Qing rehearsed her prepared remarks over and over again, each time swallowing them back down just as they reached her throat. In her past life, Yao Shiling had been so good to her, but now…
"Wen Qing," Yao Shiling called out.
Wen Qing looked up at Yao Shiling.
Yao Shiling was silent for a while before saying, "Wenqing, how about we sell our cow? We raised it from a calf, and beef isn't cheap these days. Cows are easier to sell than houses. Although we won't get five or six hundred yuan right away, we should be able to get around four hundred. We can chip in the remaining hundred or so yuan. You think we can manage to scrape together that much?
"Mom..." Wen Qing looked at Yao Shiling in disbelief.
Yao Shiling smiled and said, "Haven't you been thinking the same thing these past few days?"
Wen Qing nodded, realizing that his thoughts had been guessed.
“That’s good. Selling the cow can cure a child, so it was a worthwhile sale. The sewing shop will be yours too. Mom believes you can earn the cow back,” Yao Shiling said.
Wen Qing stared intently at Yao Shiling, and suddenly her eyes reddened.
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