Actually, cotton quilts are a rare thing here. Most families would use the same cotton quilt for three to five years. When it got too stiff and not warm enough, they would put it under their bodies as a mattress.
Of course, this still applies to families that have a second quilt.
Many families only have one quilt, and some even have only one quilt for the whole family.
The online reports that some families only have one cotton-padded coat in winter, which is worn by whoever goes out, while those who stay indoors just curl up on the kang (a heated brick bed), are not an exaggeration.
When many families get married, if they can bring out a new cotton quilt as part of the betrothal gifts or dowry, they will be looked up to and envied by the whole village.
The men in the car looked at those packages with more affection than they would at their wives.
Liu Weimin wasn't lacking either, glancing at it every now and then.
Putting aside others, even his family was considered well-off in the village. The clothes that Black Egg wore were all altered from his own worn-out clothes, not to mention the quilts.
He and his wife each had one of the black eggs, their son and his wife each had one, and their daughter's was a mattress they hadn't been willing to use before, which they had to make up because the girl had grown up and they had no other choice.
The people on the bus kept glancing at her. Even a simpleton would notice, let alone someone as perceptive as her. She couldn't help but secretly groan.
She's reluctant to give things away, but it's a bit like she's showing off her wealth. If she didn't have any skills, or if the villagers had bad intentions, she would be walking into the lion's den.
Zhu Yan thought to herself that they would mail it to her again later. She was determined not to let anyone see it again. She had to be careful; it was too scary.
Under the watchful eyes of more than ten people, she carried the bag into the yard, closed the door, and only then did Jian Dan breathe a sigh of relief.
I'm not afraid of being robbed, but I can't stand being stared at like that.
Now that I'm all alone, there's no need to hide. I take the bags out and open them one by one.
Wow, that's quite a lot.
The bags were stuffed full of colorful fabrics.
She didn't have the patience to empty and sort through them. She grabbed a handful and pulled them apart. Some were thick tarpaulin, some were twill, and some were pure cotton, but the quality was all good. Most importantly, these scraps of fabric were quite large. They were enough to make shoe uppers, let alone shoe linings.
Looking at the sky, I saw that the grain tax was delivered quickly today, and there was no delay at the commune. I'll be coming back by oxcart. It's only afternoon now, and I'm not working. I should be getting two meals a day.
Never mind, let's get ready first.
Of course, not all of the several bags of cloth could be shown, but no one would specifically keep track of how much she had used or how much was left.
After thinking about it, I grabbed about half a bag. If I were to make shoes, that would probably be enough to make a hundred or so pairs.
Ah, it's really true. This place is so poor, they lack everything, not enough to eat or wear, but they're willing to give up their strength.
Too lazy to cook, I simply ate at the base.
I didn't know that several families in the village are talking about her now.
Old Man Liu slurped up a mouthful of thin porridge and asked his wife,
"That little girl asked you to make shoes for her?"
"That day, she saw me making shoes and mentioned that she didn't know how. She said she would find some things and bring them to me to make shoes for her."
What's wrong? Did I tell you?
"Today she went to the post office and picked up a big bag of things. They were all soft and fluffy. She said they were scraps of cloth that her sister had found for her, as well as a quilt that she had made for her."
"quilt?"
The old lady exclaimed in surprise.
"That's some good stuff!"
"Yes, she said her sister was worried she'd get cold, so she specially made it for her."
This dish is so tempting, everyone's just staring at that bag. Sigh, it's all because they're poor.
The old lady also sighed.
"What can we do? We've run into this kind of year, we still have to get by, right?"
"Yes. That girl said her sister asked her to find someone to make shoes for her, implying that she should give her extra scraps of cloth, and that she should also keep some for giving as a favor."
He felt embarrassed and his words became increasingly unclear, but the old lady understood.
"I'm not after other people's children's things. I'm just thinking that even scraps of cloth would be fine. If I give them to you, don't refuse them. Save them up and piece together some clothes for your child."
Tiger is easy to deal with, as for Little Egg, or even the older brother, he can be naked.
Xiaohua is 5 years old, and will be 6 by Chinese New Year. She's a little girl now. Tell me, what has she been wearing all these years? All old clothes altered from worn-out garments, patched layer upon layer.
"That's right. Those clothes are ones I've worn before. They're so old they're practically falling apart. I don't even dare to wash them too vigorously."
That day, Xiao Jian brought some new educated youth to Gu Lai to exchange things. She sat here talking to me, while Xiao Hua was inside, peeking through the crack in the door. After they left, I asked her, "Guess what the child said?"
"What did you say?"
"She said to Grandma, 'Little Jian's clothes are so nice, they don't have any patches, and they look very comfortable.'"
Simply adapting to local customs, she wore gray clothes, some of which were the original owner's, and some were vintage styles taken from the base. The fabric looked the same, but the quality was different, with the gray ones being much thicker.
"Oh dear, I didn't know what to say to my child at the time."
"If the child were easily swayed, I might say something, but look how sensible our Xiaohua is. She helps with chores without saying a word. Even when she's hungry and upset, she doesn't cry or fuss. She's so understanding it breaks my heart."
"Tiger is sensible now. He doesn't go out shopping anymore. He says that if he goes out to play, his clothes will wear out quickly. If this piece of clothing gets torn, he'll be naked."
Liu Weimin and his wife were also talking about how simple it was.
"You know how they have connections? You don't know, as soon as I heard that there were cotton quilts in that bag, my brain just went blank, and I couldn't take my eyes off that bag."
I was thinking to myself, what have I done as village chief? I'm completely incompetent; the village is still poor, and people are still starving."
Wang Guihua advised him
"You're the one who said that. If our own family were to receive those two things, we wouldn't be any better off. We're poor right now, poor everywhere, and lacking everything."
If you ask me, Jian Zhiqing has connections, and since she's told you, she's not afraid to know. You might as well think about whether she can help you make a connection or something.
She'll be living here from now on. Didn't you notice what happened these past few times? She was trying to help everyone.
Maybe they're waiting for you to speak first?
Liu Weimin was tempted, but still felt it was unlikely.
"Really? In this situation, who would be willing to tell others about something good?"
Wang Guihua scoffed.
"I have to say, you men just can't think straight. If she didn't want you to know, why didn't she ask Uncle San to take her on a private trip another day? Why did she have to go today when there are so many people around?"
If someone wants to help you, are you going to wait for them to come to your door and tell you, "I have connections to get this and that, do you want it?"
"Isn't that crazy? Even I, a country woman, know that's not a good thing to say. It could easily cause trouble. Are they stupid?"
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