Lin Ying checked the house and found no other leaks. Relieved, she wrote on the paper:
"We'll get it done once the rain stops."
Although it was drizzling at home, the area in front of the door was fine. It was cloudy outside and the house was quite dark, so Lin Ying moved the small table and sewing machine to the doorway so that Li Yue'e could work there.
"Girl, we need to do chores to make a living. If you have a sewing machine at home, you should learn how to use it. It's not difficult; you can learn it in no time. You'll need to make clothes and mend clothes all the time."
Lin Ying nodded vigorously, indicating that she would learn.
Before that, she took out a plate of mung bean pastries from the cupboard and then made some sugar water and brought it to the table.
Li Yue'e couldn't help but exclaim upon seeing the item, "Oh dear, why bring out such a fine thing? Quickly put it away. We just wanted to make two pieces of clothing..."
Before Li Yue'e could finish speaking, she saw her second son skillfully carrying a small stool to sit at the table, eating and drinking. She would never have believed it if he wasn't "accustomed to eating".
She said that the child used to eat like a starving ghost, but recently he's become very polite while eating. She and the child's father also said that the child has grown up and become more sensible, and even his eating has become more refined.
"Hey girl, this guy used to come to your house every day, you didn't bring him all sorts of treats, did you?"
It's not worth letting the child get beaten over such a small matter. Lin Ying had seen Li Yue'e beat the child before, and it was a real beating.
Besides, Xiao Shuai is just like his mother, incredibly talkative. He was initially reserved when Lin Ying didn't speak, but after realizing her good temper, he relaxed completely. He could chatter on and on without Lin Ying even needing to agree.
Especially when it comes to how she raises her children, Xiao Shuai always complains to Lin Ying like a little adult.
"Auntie, you can't tell my mom that I'm eating at your house. My mom is too domineering. She doesn't listen to our opinions at all. If she finds out that I'm eating at your house every day, she'll beat me to death. Sigh, if I beat her too badly, I won't be able to come to your house to keep you company anymore."
Indeed, having such a little guy around brought Lin Ying a lot of joy, especially since he could tell her all sorts of things that happened in the military dependents' home.
If Li Yue'e knew that this little guy had memorized everything she and her husband talked about, she probably wouldn't dare say anything.
As a result of their "revolutionary friendship" over the past few days, Lin Ying couldn't betray him, could she?
Seeing Lin Ying's expression, Li Yue'e was amused: "These days, no one has it easy. You two don't have children yet, and you're a hard worker. Of course, your combined salaries can support you. But you also need to think about the future. Life isn't like this."
Lin Ying hurriedly wrote on the paper: "I made the mung bean pastry myself using the coarse grains I got from home. Try it and see if it's good?"
Li Yue'e breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that she had made it. Now every household can receive coarse grains. There are many kinds of coarse grains, such as corn, millet, sorghum, oats, buckwheat and other grains, soybeans, mung beans, red beans, black beans and other beans, as well as tubers such as sweet potatoes, yams, potatoes and other tubers.
In the Great Northern Wilderness, there is only one harvest a year, but in other places, there are two or even three harvests a year. In addition to wheat and rice, the remaining land is used to grow short-season crops such as corn and soybeans.
In those days, wheat and rice yields were low, and people mostly ate coarse grains.
In families like theirs, aside from a small amount of refined grains, they opt for inexpensive crops like corn and sweet potatoes. This way, they can get enough to eat.
When we went to town a while ago, everyone saw that Commander Zhao's family had bought such a big bag of refined grains, and they all guessed that his family must eat very little coarse grains.
I also know that only Commander Zhao's family is willing to exchange coarse grains for these beans to make these snacks.
However, seeing how happily her son was eating, Li Yue'e wasn't a stepmother. If it was delicious, she wouldn't mind exchanging a pound or two of mung beans for him to make it.
"Okay, I'll try it. If it's good, I'll learn how to make it from you and make it for the kids too."
Li Yue'e originally thought that this mung bean pastry only contained a little bit of mung beans, but after eating it, she realized that it was not like that at all. It was sweet and had a milky aroma.
It looks like they added not only sugar but also milk.
Li Yue'e looked at the remaining food in her hand, somewhat reluctant to eat it. It was such a waste.
Seeing her son about to take a third piece, Li Yue'e slapped him without thinking: "Alright, eat less. Do you think you can eat this good stuff like this?"
Seeing that Li Yue'e was about to lecture her again, Lin Ying quickly raised the sign in her hand: "I don't really like sweets, and it's a waste not to eat the sugar. The milk powder was bought by Zhao Qinghuai when I fainted before. It's already opened, so it can only be kept for a month. If I don't eat it soon, it will expire. The only other thing I added was a little bit of lard."
What else could Li Yue'e say? Lin Ying had indeed been unable to eat anything after fainting, and she had helped Zhao Qinghuai when he moved in, knowing that he had bought milk powder.
"Then, you can keep these and eat them slowly. Don't waste them."
Lin Ying chuckled, "How can it be a waste if you eat it? I still have some left, these are for you. I can't let you work all day for nothing."
Li Yue'e knew that Lin Ying wouldn't take advantage of others; whenever Li Yue'e helped her, Lin Ying would always find a way to repay her.
"Since you've put it that way, I won't be coy anymore. I can't bear to eat this good stuff. I have a child at home. I'll save this half for him, so that the kid won't come looking for trouble if he smells it."
Lin Ying pushed the plate forward and wrote, "It's okay, sister-in-law, this is for you. Take a piece and eat it, and take the rest back with you so I don't have to deliver it to you."
Hearing this, the lingering taste in Li Yue'e's mouth finally overcame her willpower: "Alright, I'll eat it and then I'll start teaching you."
Lin Ying nodded with a smile.
After eating the mung bean pastry and drinking the sweet soup, Li Yue'e felt a sweet sensation all over her body. She thought to herself, "No wonder my second son comes here every day; I'll give him a good talking to when I get back!"
After having dessert, Li Yue'e asked Lin Ying to bring out the fabrics from the house, took Lin Ying's measurements, and began to teach Lin Ying how to cut clothes.
After cutting the fabric, he started teaching Lin Ying how to use the sewing machine.
“My family bought this as part of my dowry when I got married, but it’s inconvenient to come here, so I didn’t bring it. It’s still sitting in my hometown. You know, machines are really useful. If I were to sew this by hand, it would take quite a while.”
As Lin Ying watched the sewing machine spin rapidly with each step of the pedal, the needle moving up and down incessantly, a sudden idea struck her.
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