Chapter 127 Tailoring
As she left the grocery store, Wu Ma remembered that Nan Zhiyi had mentioned wanting to make little clothes for the child.
"The department store up ahead has some new soft cotton fabric. Shall we go take a look? I know some tailors in the back street have excellent skills. They're government-owned, so you can trust them."
Nan Zhiyi smiled and agreed.
The two bought several pieces of plain, soft cotton cloth and then went to the tailor shop.
The shop was brightly lit and hung with various semi-finished clothes.
A middle-aged female tailor stepped forward and greeted them, "Comrades, what kind of clothes would you like to have made?"
Nan Zhiyi then carefully gestured to the seamstress about the size and style of the baby clothes, requesting that they be as simple and soft as possible.
Aunt Wu added that if the child is born in the summer, the neckline shouldn't be too tight.
The seamstress smiled and said, "Okay, we've made plenty of baby clothes here, we're very experienced."
As the group was talking, a well-dressed woman entered the shop, carrying a piece of fabric in her hand.
Wu Ma looked up, her face immediately breaking into a smile: "Oh my, it's Madam Li! What a coincidence!"
Nan Zhiyi turned her head upon hearing the sound.
The woman who entered was around fifty years old, wearing a crisp dark blue wool coat, with a reserved demeanor.
Nan Zhiyi felt that the woman looked familiar, and searched her memory for the vague faces in the courtyard.
"Sister Wu!"
Madam Li smiled and responded, her gaze quickly falling on Nan Zhiyi with a hint of inquiry.
Nan Zhiyi covered half of her face with a scarf, revealing only a pair of calm eyes.
She nodded slightly to Madam Li.
"Sister Wu, whose wife are you accompanying? She looks unfamiliar."
Li's mother asked Wu's mother a question, but her eyes never left Nan Zhiyi.
Wu Ma took half a step forward, blocking most of Li's mother's view, her smile unchanged: "This is our Commander Gu's wife."
"Gu Xiao?" Madam Li was clearly taken aback. "When did he get married? I've never heard Old Li mention him..."
She looked Nan Zhiyi up and down, especially noticing the slight bulge in her waistline beneath her loose clothing.
Aunt Wu just smiled vaguely: "It's something that was just done. She's in poor health, so she's back to recuperate."
She changed the subject: "Madam Li, who are you here to have clothes made for? The fabric looks really nice."
Madam Li's attention was diverted, and a smug glow rose on her face. She straightened her back and said, "Make wedding clothes for my Weidong! The wedding is on May Day, so I'm busy making preparations."
She couldn't hide her joy as she spoke, "This fabric is specially brought from Shanghai; it'll make me look so smart in a new Zhongshan suit!"
"Oh, what a wonderful thing! Congratulations!" Aunt Wu quickly offered her congratulations.
Nan Zhiyi stood beside Wu Ma, her scarf covering most of her expression, with only her eyes slightly wide open.
It turns out she was Li Weidong's mother.
Li Weidong is getting married? During the May Day holiday? Who's the bride/daughter? If it's not Yaqin…
Following up on the conversation, Aunt Wu flattered, "Which family's daughter is the bride? Madam Li is truly blessed."
Li's mother's smile widened, her eyebrows dancing: "The Chen family's daughter! Her father is in charge of the logistics department of the military region, and the girl is also promising, working in the office. She is steady, sensible, and a perfect match for our Weidong!"
She spoke with such certainty, as if this marriage were made in heaven and could never be more perfect.
Nan Zhiyi lowered her eyelashes, feeling very sorry for Zhao Yaqin. A feeling of anger welled up in her chest, making her feel suffocated.
Wu Ma and Li's mother exchanged a few more pleasantries about the wedding preparations.
Nan Zhiyi stood aside and gave the tailor a few more instructions.
The dense buzzing of sewing machines in the tailor shop made her dizzy.
After finally waiting for Wu Ma to finish dealing with the situation, the two of them left the tailor shop.
“Aunt Wu,” Nan Zhiyi said, tightening her grip on Aunt Wu’s arm, “Shall we… go to the post office again?”
"Huh?" Aunt Wu asked, puzzled. "Wasn't the letter just mailed?"
"I want to see... if I can get back the letter I wrote to Yaqin. I wrote something wrong..." Nan Zhiyi explained in a low voice, her tone full of frustration.
In her letter, she asked about her relationship with Li Weidong, which was like rubbing salt into Yaqin's heart.
Aunt Wu didn't know about Li Weidong and Zhao Yaqin's affair, but she understood Nan Zhiyi's personality and knew that she always had a reason for doing things, so she said, "Alright, let's go ask. Maybe they haven't left yet."
The two then went back to the post office.
Upon hearing Nan Zhiyi's request, the staff at the window shook their heads and said in a businesslike manner, "Comrade, it was just put into a mailbag, loaded onto a truck, and driven away. We can't get it back."
Nan Zhiyi's heart sank. This was terrible. Yaqin would be so upset if she received the letter.
Just as she was feeling dejected, another female staff member peeked out from the window, carefully examined her features peeking out from under her scarf, and asked, "Comrade, are you... Comrade Nan Zhiyi?"
Nan Zhiyi was slightly taken aback, somewhat surprised. She nodded: "It's me. You know me?"
The woman smiled, and while looking down and rummaging through the counter, she said, "The last time it snowed so heavily, you were the only one who braved the snow to mail a letter all day long. You thanked me several times. I have a good memory, so I remembered it."
As she spoke, she accurately pulled out a letter from a stack of letters. "Here, your letter. It should be the reply you sent out on the day it snowed."
I see.
Nan Zhiyi took the letter and saw that the envelope was printed with the name of People's Literature Magazine.
"Thank you, comrade."
"Don't mention it, it's my pleasure." The female staff member waved her hand.
Nan Zhiyi clenched the letter in her hand and said to Wu Ma, "Wu Ma, let's go back."
She was eager to get home and write another letter to Zhao Yaqin to make amends for her mistake, and she also wanted to quickly open the magazine's reply to see what it contained.
Once outside the post office, Nan Zhiyi's pace quickened unconsciously.
"Oh my, my little darling!"
Startled, Aunt Wu quickly steadied her, repeatedly whispering, "Slow down! Slow down! Watch your step! What if you fall!"
Nan Zhiyi was brought back to her senses by a series of exclamations, realizing that she had been too hasty. She slowed her pace, "I'm sorry, Aunt Wu, I forgot..."
"Don't forget anything, you're two people now!" Aunt Wu patted her chest, still shaken. "Be careful, okay?"
Next, Nan Zhiyi, arm in arm with Wu Ma, slowly walked back to the Gu family's courtyard.
Before they even reached the door, a military jeep screeched to a halt past them near the Zhou family's house.
The car door opened, and Zhou Anping was the first to jump out. She was wearing the cultural troupe's uniform, and her cheeks were flushed.
"Zhiyi!" She quickly spotted Nan Zhiyi, her gaze falling on Nan Zhiyi's noticeably protruding belly. She frowned. "Your belly is so big, aren't you uncomfortable?"
Zhou Anping walked over in a few steps, took Nan Zhiyi's hand, and dared not touch her stomach.
Immediately afterwards, Meng Qingshan also got out of the driver's seat.
He said to Nan Zhiyi, "Hello, sister-in-law."
Nan Zhiyi was very surprised.
She hadn't expected that Meng Qingshan would drive Zhou Anping back. Looking at Zhou Anping beside her, whose eyes were darting around, she became extremely curious.
"Hello, Comrade Meng." Nan Zhiyi replied with a smile, her gaze subtly shifting between the two of them.
Zhou Anping's face turned even redder.
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