Chapter 209 Making Clothes
Song Lubai, who was far away in Shicheng, Xinjiang Province, was completely unaware of what had happened in her hometown.
There was a lot of work to do in the supply and marketing department. Although Deputy Director Lou, who was suspended from his post for investigation, had not yet been reinstated, Song Lubai had seen him in the building.
Lou Yuchun was the former head of the material supply department, and he was responsible for making many decisions.
The secretaries' offices were destroyed by fire, and their desks were temporarily relocated to other departments on the same floor.
Dai Shuhua recently went to a meeting at the division headquarters with Zhou Bu. Song Lubai had read the meeting minutes and felt that the wind seemed to be blowing from the center, but it was hard to say when it would reach this side.
After work, she took the ticket and went to the department store on Jiefang Road to find Feng Ying.
She entered the small cubicle in the ready-to-wear section with practiced ease.
I had already arranged with Feng Ying to save her a piece of fabric in a light color, and she would come to buy it after exchanging the fabric coupons.
Cloth coupons were not easy to exchange. After looking at the past data of the supply and marketing department, she realized that the cloth coupons issued in Xinjiang Province in previous years were very few. Before the cotton mill and wool mill were built, each person received less than two feet of cloth a year. It was not possible to sew a pair of pants even if two people's cloth coupons were combined.
Things have improved a lot in the last two years. We can get three feet and six inches of cloth coupons a year, and young people can get cloth coupon subsidies when they get married.
The cloth coupons are only issued for a year, and this year's cloth coupons haven't been issued yet. In order to exchange for six feet and five inches of cloth coupons, she exchanged several of the national grain coupons that Wei Yang gave her.
The fabric was originally bought to make a shirt for Wei Yang. She planned to buy one in a refreshing color so it wouldn't be too hot to wear in the summer.
The two are dating, and she's received so many gifts from him that she wants to buy him something in return.
Feng Ying found a moment to come in and get a drink of water. She rummaged under the counter and pulled out only a piece of dark blue fabric.
She searched for a long time but couldn't find the fabric she had kept before. Frowning, she asked the saleswoman next to her, "Sister Li, where is the light blue fabric I put away before?"
There was no one in front of the wardrobe counter at the moment. Sister Li walked up to her and said, "It's been bought by someone else. I couldn't keep it for you. It's an official, so there's nothing I can do."
Feng Ying was a little unhappy; she had already been told to keep it…
Feng Ying looked at Song Lubai apologetically: "That piece of cloth came from the mainland. It's a new type of fabric that doesn't wrinkle. I heard it's very durable and won't deform no matter how many times you wash it. I managed to save a piece for you. It's the last piece. You can make a shirt with it."
It's a pity for Song Lubai, but there's nothing that can be done about it.
"Let me see this black one."
Sister Li said, "This was produced by our Shicheng Cotton Mill. It's cotton and it's faded a little, but not seriously. Although it's not as good as the one we sold, it's definitely more breathable than newer fabrics for summer."
Song Lubai touched the cloth and found it to be quite comfortable.
How much does it cost?
Sister Li: "One foot for one dollar, and this piece of fabric only has six feet eight inches left. That should be enough to make a men's shirt."
Song Lubai had already inquired and found out that a men's shirt could be made with a foot and a half. Although Wei Yang was tall, he was very well-proportioned, so six feet and a half would definitely be enough for him.
Seeing Feng Ying gesturing and winking to herself, Song Lubai understood what she meant and said, "I want 6 feet 4 inches, you can cut it."
Seeing her start taking out her money, Sister Li pursed her lips and said, "Is it all gone? There's only a little left..."
Feng Ying immediately stepped forward and took Sister Li's arm. "Sister Li, just give her this piece of cloth. Just take six feet and four inches of cloth coupons. Anyway, we can't sell the leftover fabric."
When Sister Li hesitated, Feng Ying said again, "I'll let you know first when the canned goods arrive next time."
Feng Yingyi reminded her that Sister Li was inevitably in the wrong.
Feng Ying had saved some canned food for her before, but she sold the piece of fabric yesterday.
"Alright, alright, I'll just pay seven dollars and forty-eight cents, and I'll only pay six feet and four inches of cloth coupons."
Feng Ying glanced at Song Lubai, then smugly took credit.
When other customers arrived, Sister Li immediately returned to the counter.
Feng Ying said smugly, "How about that? I saved you cloth ration coupons, didn't I?"
Song Lubai smiled and said, "Thank you very much, Mr. Feng."
Feng Ying patted the cloth bag made of different fabrics that she was carrying in front of her and said, "The cloth that was sold off was all bought by our internal staff. That way, we can buy the remaining small pieces without cloth coupons. I asked for six feet four inches. The remaining piece is not that big. If you ask for any smaller, it won't work."
Song Lubai nodded to indicate that she understood.
"Wang Qun is getting married. His fiancé works for the Second Branch Farm's government office. It's a pity we don't have time to go."
As far as Song Lubai knew, most of the women in her group who stayed in Shicheng were already married, and their husbands were mostly from the military units in Shicheng.
The female comrades who were assigned to the lower-level sub-fields also began to look for partners and get married one after another.
The two talked for a while longer. When it was time for the department store to close, Feng Ying still had to check the accounts and tally the receipts with the accountant, while Song Lubai went to Director Wang's house by herself.
Director Wang has a sewing machine at home, and his wife Yan Fang is good at making clothes.
Song Lubai frequently visited, and each time she came, her hands were always full. She and Yan Fang got along well, and Yan Fang was happy to make clothes for her.
How tall is your boyfriend, Xiao Wei?
Song Lubai gestured and said, "He's about 1.9 meters tall, much taller than me."
After asking about other requirements, Yan Fang nodded and said, "I'll draw a design first. Once you're satisfied with the style, I'll make a pattern and start production. This material is breathable in the summer, but black absorbs too much heat."
Song Lubai thought Wei Yang looked good even in a military uniform, and even if the style was ugly, he could definitely make the clothes look good.
She received the finished garment from Yan Fang in just three days, and used the remaining scraps of fabric to make black hair ties by wrapping them with rubber bands.
The sewing machine stitches are so fine that you can't see any marks at all. The product is even more beautiful than those in department stores, and the key point is that department stores don't even have hair ties like this.
Yan Fang is very skillful; she even used blue scraps of fabric to make bows and sew them onto her hair ties.
Song Lubai looked at the hair tie and praised Yan Fang repeatedly. She genuinely believed that if this kind of hair tie were mass-produced, it would definitely sell very well in department stores.
Yan Fang smiled broadly, praising her, "It's not as good as you say. I just benefited from the sewing machine."
Song Lubai shook her head: "You are so skillful. I don't even know how to use a sewing machine. Director Wang is so lucky to have married you."
Yan Fang beamed with joy as she was coaxed.
Looking at her kind and gentle smile, Song Lubai truly felt that birds of a feather flock together.
Director Wang has a very approachable smile, as does Sister Yan Fang; both of them are clearly kind and gentle people.
Song Lubai originally planned to try her luck at the transportation department during her next break, hoping to catch a ride to the Sixth Branch Farm.
It's not easy to go down there, but she hasn't seen her boyfriend for some time.
But before it was her break time, Wei Yang came looking for her ahead of time.
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