Chapter 41

The electrician arrived as scheduled on Monday morning.

Qiao Wei was waiting for him.

Yan Lei specifically told Qiao Wei about some of the current unspoken rules. When the master arrived, Qiao Wei had prepared tea, cigarettes and other things for him.

Some jobs that were the most common in the later generations were very expensive at that time. For example, electricians, drivers, and almost all employees of the supply and marketing cooperative, including salesmen and buyers.

This is really a feature of the times.

Seeing that Qiao Wei had prepared everything she needed, including cigarettes and tea, the electrician was not vague and quickly finished the job. He pulled the wires to the toilet and installed an electric light bulb in the toilet.

The light cord was installed outside the door of the house. When I came out of the house at night, I touched the toilet light cord with my backhand. I pulled it and the toilet light came on, and I didn't have to be afraid anymore.

Qiao Wei specifically told the master: "Master, please install a higher wattage one."

The electrician glanced at her and was a little surprised. Because others would only say "Master, install a brighter one." Qiao Wei directly said the wattage.

After the installation, the electrician said: "Your wife is really willing to spend money."

It feels like that military officer is very caring.

Because the big bosses usually don't ask to install lights in the toilet, and you can tell that this request is made by the woman at home.

Qiao Wei said, "I only use it when I go to the toilet, and it doesn't use much electricity."

The electrician laughed and said, "You know a lot." He

even knew that the unit of electricity is kWh.

Qiao Wei: "?"

After talking to the electrician, Qiao Wei realized that the electricity bill was not charged by kWh at that time. The household electricity meter did not exist at all. The electricity bill of a family was charged by the number of light bulbs.

This method is called "package system". Count the light bulbs in your home. Each 15-watt light bulb costs 1.5 cents a month, a 25-watt light bulb costs 2.5 cents a month, and a 40-watt light bulb costs 40 cents a month.

Qiao Wei thought that this light bulb was used for a short time, so it used less electricity. But in fact, it is a fixed monthly package regardless of electricity consumption.

Really, why should the whole family study in one room at night just to save electricity?

She didn't know, but Yan Lei must know. Yan Lei was in charge of the electricity bill at home .

But think about it, this generation is probably thrifty in everything.

Characteristics of the times.

It was just after ten o'clock when the bathroom lights were turned on.

Qiao Wei brought down the mung bean soup that she had cooked for the whole morning and soaked it in the hand-pressed well to dry. She took out the two kinds of indigo and primary cloth bought at the market, stacked them up and put them in a weaving basket, and led Yan Xiang out.

There is a craft lane in the town. People who need to rely on their skills to make a living, such as shoe repair and tailoring, are all in this alley. There are no individual businesses now. The public-private partnership has long been unified under the management of the town committee office. Everyone is organized and has a unit.

Qiao Wei found a tailor shop and described what she wanted to make.

The tailor was an old man. He pushed his reading glasses and asked, "What is this for?"

Qiao Wei said, "It's for leaning against."

The old man smiled, "I think so too."

Qiao Wei smiled and said, "I bought a sunbed, put it against the wall, and put three cushions as a backrest."

The old man said, "It's just like a sofa. It's comfortable."

Qiao Wei's eyes lit up, "You know what a sofa is."

"Hey, how could I not know." The old man pushed his glasses and said, "I was an apprentice in the provincial capital when I was eleven years old. I saw sofas in the rich families." When

people get old, they talk a lot. They are about to open their mouths and talk about how prosperous big cities are. But when they move their lips, they hold back and close them.

He is an old man who has seen the world. But now he can't miss the so-called world in the past.

Qiao Wei smiled and didn't ask any more questions. She just asked: "I want to make a top with the blue material and a pair of pants with the original material."

"The top should be short-sleeved and round-necked. It should not be three-dimensional, but flat. It should be loose and form a trapezoid when spread out." She described in detail, "The pants should also be loose, with wide legs, that is, wide legs, and can fit both legs."

"We call those kind of running pants." The old man said, "This wastes too much fabric."

But he immediately said, "It doesn't matter, it's just homespun anyway." He

is really an experienced and interesting old man.

The old tailor took a ruler to measure Qiao Wei's size. The two discussed for a while and decided to make more. Although it was homespun, the old man couldn't help shaking his head: "Waste fabric, waste fabric."

Qiao Wei was happy.

But she likes loose and comfortable forest style. She inherited the clothes of the original owner, which may be decent in this era, but not comfortable. She is idle at home and wants to wear more comfortable clothes.

She has experienced two years of painful bedridden life, and she wants to pursue more comfortable, natural and pleasant life.

The old tailor asked: "Which one do you want first?"

Qiao Wei chose the cushion cover first, and she was not in a hurry for clothes.

The old tailor: "Just come and get it in the afternoon."

The old man's work tool is a large and old-looking foot-operated sewing machine.

Qiao Wei said: "It's quick to make this."

The cushion cover is square, so it should be easy to make.

Because it is to be used as a backrest, Qiao Wei made it very large, with a size of 70x65. Moreover, she did not want the kind where two pieces of cloth were directly sewn together flat, she wanted to make a three-dimensional one, with length, width, and height (thickness).

But that was also horizontal and vertical cutting, and then the sewing machine just needed to sew it. It was much simpler than making clothes.

The old tailor nodded, spread the cloth on the workbench, marked the lines with chalk, and prepared to use the scissors. After the first snip, the old man asked casually: "What is filled in it?"

Qiao Wei said: "I was just about to ask you, where can I buy cotton?"

The big cushion was filled with cotton, and it was so comfortable to lean back.

The sofa was replaced.

The old man stopped the scissors and raised his eyelids to look at Qiao Wei.

He bent his waist, his glasses slid to the tip of his nose, and looked up at Qiao Wei: "Cotton?"

Qiao Wei: "Yeah."

The old man pushed up his glasses, but when he let go, they slipped down again. The old man asked again: "Cotton?"

"Um..." Qiao Wei was weak, "No, no?"

"You are a cadre family, right?"

There are two military families in the town, and the townspeople often deal with military families. Basically, you can tell who is a military family and who is a local at a glance.

The old man said: "If you make a new cotton shirt, of course it's okay to fill it with cotton. If you make a cushion..."

The old man didn't say anything else, just shook his head.

Silence is better than a thousand words.

Qiao Wei's forehead was slightly sweaty: "I'll think about it..."

The old man lowered his head and concentrated on cutting: "Remember to come and get it this afternoon."

Qiao Wei was about to leave with Yan Xiang, and heard the old man talking to himself: "How many families have cotton in their cotton jackets that have turned black, and they are reluctant to make new ones..."

So that's it.

Although Qiao Wei often told herself to pay attention to the times, she was ultimately from the Internet era with extremely abundant commodities and greatly developed technology.

She had a hard time grasping the "degree" of using items.

After all, cotton was only used for spinning in later generations, and almost no one covered themselves with cotton quilts or wore cotton jackets.

It was too difficult to grasp the scale.

Qiao Wei was very grateful to the old man for reminding her, and she said "thank you" softly before leaving.

Instead of going home directly from the tailor shop, Qiao Wei and Yan Xiang came out with a bucket in addition to the fabric.

Yan Xiang waved her shovel and said, "Mom, let's go!"

Qiao Wei: "Let's go!"

They agreed to go pick up pebbles today.

The mother and son carried a bucket, and Yan Xiang also took his shovel - his shovel came in handy when he went to dig mud from the river with his father.

Qiao Wei saw pebbles in the river when they gathered yesterday.

The mother and son arrived at the river, and the sun made the river sparkle. This place is already the edge of the town, and large green farmlands can be seen in the distance.

Qiao Wei tucked her hair behind her ears in the sunshine, admiring the rural scenery.

She found a shallow place where the river bottom could be seen with the naked eye and people could wade across the river directly.

She was with her child, so it was not dangerous at this depth.

They both took off their shoes, rolled up their pants and went into the river barefoot, bending down to pick up pebbles.

"Why is this stone called a pebble?" Qiao Wei said, "Egg means egg. Look at the size and shape of this stone. Isn't it very similar to a goose egg, so it is called a pebble."

The child learned new knowledge and happily bent down to touch the stone.

Qiao Wei told him: "Find a beautiful stone."

There is no need to teach what a beautiful stone looks like, people's eyes can see it for themselves.

Those with light colors, almost translucent, or particularly pure colors are beautiful. Yan Xiang can pick them without Qiao Wei's teaching.

The sun was already very hot at this time, but the river water was cool. It was especially comfortable to soak the feet in it.

Qiao Wei's aunt had already retreated, so she was not afraid of touching the cold water.

She also wore the straw hat she bought at the market yesterday.

This straw hat is a farmer's straw hat in original color. If it had a beautiful ribbon tied around it and tied a bow, it would have a beach style.

But that would be too petty bourgeois, and there were no beautiful ribbons. Qiao Wei cut a piece of indigo cloth, tied it around it, and tied a bow.

The cloth didn't even have an edge, and there were a bunch of threads hanging.

The decoration was both natural and simple.

You can only say that this lesbian is good at tidying up and loves beauty. You can't say that this lesbian is petty bourgeois, corrupt, and decadent.

The mother and son were very happy picking up stones. It didn't take too long to fill a bucket.

Sitting on a big rock by the river to dry her feet, putting on shoes and preparing to return home with a full load, Qiao Wei bent over to pick up the bucket...

No, she didn't pick it up.

She really overestimated herself, Qiao Wei didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

In the end, she had no choice but to pour out half a bucket of pebbles and pile them next to the big rock, and carry half a bucket back.

At this time, the sun was already too strong, Qiao Wei said: "Let's go for those in the afternoon."

Yan Xiang: "Okay!"

After lunch, it is customary to take a nap.

Taking a nap is really a good habit. After waking up from a nap, I lazily looked at the sunshine outside. At this moment, I really don’t think there is anything in the world that I need to be busy and anxious about.

I just want to close my eyes and listen to the cicadas.

After I recovered my energy, I went to wash my face.

Yan Xiang also got up. The child had a full nap and was full of energy: "Mom, let’s go!"

Qiao Wei smiled: "Let’s go!"

The two of them went to the river first and took the remaining half of the pebbles home. Together with the pebbles in the morning, they were soaked in the bucket.

"Mom, is it enough?" Yan Xiang asked expectantly.

Qiao Wei said, "It's far from enough."

She took a small stick and drew two parallel lines from the gate of the courtyard to the gate of the house: "Look, if we want to build such a road, it's not enough to cover it with pebbles."

Yan Xiang clapped his hands: "Let's go!"

"Forget it today, this thing is too heavy. We move the mountain like Yugong, a little bit every day." Qiao Wei said.

It's not to find a few workers to finish it, but to do it yourself, change it little by little, and build it.

Even if it's not done well and it's ugly, it doesn't matter if it fails. Because the greatest happiness is already in the process.

"Let's dig a sand pit first." Qiao Wei said.

She talked to Yan Lei, and Yan Lei said he would get the sand. Qiao Wei said she would dig the pit.

Yan Xiang refused to do it and jumped up: "I will dig it myself! I will dig my own sand pit!"

His mother told him that the pit would be filled with sand for him to play with.

A real man should dig his own pit!