"You can do these first. I'll ask about the size later and mail her the shoes she can wear. I'll also check if there are any mountain products on this trip up the mountain and mail some to her so she can try something new. These things are quite rare in the city."
"Really? Your sister likes mountain produce?"
"I think so? Anyway, my brother-in-law really likes it. I've seen him switch places with other people two or three times."
Upon hearing this, the old woman put down the cloth she was holding and hesitated.
"Hey Jian, I need to talk to you about something, is that alright?"
It's here!
Simply pretend not to know.
"Third Grandma, just tell me what you need. Do you have to be so formal with me? If you do, how can I possibly ask you for help with something?"
The old lady paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Haha, yes, yes, that's exactly right, not at all."
If that's what you mean, then Third Grandma will just say it directly.
These pieces of cloth you have, though they're all scraps, are all of good quality.
Don't laugh at me, but even with scraps of cloth like this, there aren't many families in our village who can afford it.
Look, besides what you mentioned, there's still quite a bit left. I was thinking, you'll just keep it in your hands anyway, right?
Could you... no, could I trade you something for it?
The old lady herself was embarrassed by what she said. With supplies so scarce these days, and the child had brought it all from the capital, it was just scraps of cloth, which showed that the family wasn't well-off either, yet she still made this request.
However, she really couldn't think of any other way. The commune's supply and marketing cooperative didn't have much cloth, and they mainly needed ration coupons.
In other words, the entire Liujiatun village is full of farmers who have never seen a ration coupon in all these years. Everyone says that once you enter a factory, you will be given one, but how could the old farmers have that opportunity?
Simple looked completely bewildered.
"Change? Why change? Third Grandma, are you going to have shoes made too?"
"Hey, how could I bear to use such good stuff to make shoes? I was thinking if you have any left over, I'd like to exchange some to make clothes for the kids. It's because we're poor. Tiger is 7 years old this year, and Xiaohua is 5 years old. To this day, neither of the children has ever worn a decent piece of clothing. The clothes they wear are all altered from the adults' worn-out clothes, and they're almost too old to wear again."
Hey! It's really tough for you to be talking to a young girl like you about this.
Simple didn't have any of those things she was thinking about.
"Third Grandma, you're being too polite. I'm completely clueless about needlework. I can manage to move my arms and legs, but I've been trying to learn fine craftsmanship for ages and I still can't get it right. I'm worried about what to do with all this fabric. If you don't mind the trouble, could you please help me change it all out?"
The old lady was startled.
Are you telling the truth?
She had a vague feeling that the young educated youth would agree, but she was still surprised by how readily he agreed.
"Of course it's true, but you'll have to go to your trouble."
"This is no trouble at all. This is a benefit for my old woman. I'll replace it with mountain products for you, okay?"
"But you still have so much left. You don't need much to make these things, so you've replaced it all?"
"Okay, I don't need it either, hehe, I'll go ask my sister if I need it."
I'll just mail the mountain produce to my brother-in-law. He'll feel bad if he doesn't help me since he accepted my gift.
"But Third Grandma, are mountain goods so easy to obtain? I heard that after paying the grain tax, everyone has even less to offer."
"Don't worry. Collecting mountain produce is a skill we've had for many years, and it only happens a few days a year."
If we have it, we can definitely get it back. We rely on mountain produce to get by most of the winter.
Don't worry, I'll definitely pick out the best ones for you. They'll look nice too, won't they?
My wish was easily fulfilled, and I strolled home.
The old lady's wish was fulfilled, and her face beamed with joy. She carried the bag into the house and carefully placed it on the kang (a heated brick bed).
"Look, these are all such big pieces. They're supposed to be scraps of cloth, but look, just these few pieces are almost enough to make one of Xiaohua's clothes."
Even lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), Uncle Liu could clearly hear the conversation in the courtyard. He got up and took a closer look.
"Are city people so wasteful? They're just going to throw away such a big piece of fabric?"
"Isn't it...not small?"
The old lady carefully sorted the fabrics, placing one type of fabric aside and then sorting by color. In no time, the kang (a heated brick bed) was filled with fabrics. To avoid being pushed off, Uncle Liu also joined in sorting the fabrics on the opposite side.
"Oh dear, look at this piece, it's almost the entire back!"
"This piece isn't small either. Look at the color, it'd be good for Tiger, right?"
"So, does that little girl have to make shoes in black?"
"Yeah, she said she was afraid of getting dirty. Most young girls like new colors, but she's different from them."
"Hehe, yes, what other girl can be as capable as her? She's strong, sensible, hardworking, and never lazy."
Master Liu snorted coldly.
"Yes, they're really brave; they even dare to go deep into the mountains."
"You old man, if you care about someone's child, just say so. Don't make these sarcastic remarks."
When Liu Guangming and his wife returned with their child, they were immediately shocked.
"Mom, did you... rob the supply and marketing cooperative?"
"Get lost! Whose supply and marketing cooperative sells scraps of cloth?"
Sun Xiang betrayed her sisters without hesitation.
"Mom, my sister went to the commune's supply and marketing cooperative before, and there really were some scraps of cloth available, and they didn't require coupons. There were so many people that they were all scrambling for them, but they said there weren't many, so she couldn't beat them."
After saying that, he ran out to wash his hands, and when he came back, he washed his hands again.
"Mom, where did you get so much? Is this a scrap of cloth? Why is it so big?"
“It’s from Xiao Jian, a former educated youth. Her sister mailed it to her because she’s not good at needlework and asked her to find someone to make her a few pairs of shoes. So, this girl brought them all over.”
"I figured we wouldn't need it, so I told her I'd trade her some mountain produce. I was thinking of making some new clothes for Tiger and Little Flower."
The two children's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this, and Sun Xiang was also very happy.
"Mom, are you really going to make clothes for the child?"
“I see these scraps of cloth are quite large. Look, these few pieces are enough to piece together the fabric.”
"Little Flower, look, isn't this floral fabric pretty? How about I make you a dress like this?"
The little girl blinked her eyes.
"Grandma, are you really making me a new one? Isn't it a modified one?"
The old woman felt a pang of sadness and gently stroked the child's head.
"New ones, make new ones for Xiaohua."
He glanced again at his grandson, who was waiting expectantly.
"Tiger will do it too."
The child's face immediately lit up with a smile.
Sun Xiang picked out several pieces of black cloth, spread them out on the kang (a heated brick bed), and put them together.
"Mom, can you tell the difference between these pieces? Make a new pair of pants for Dad too, we altered the other one for the kids."
The elderly couple were naturally pleased that their child was so filial.
The old lady looked at her husband, and sure enough, Uncle Liu refused.
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