Yang Anjin returned home and found a piece of maroon printed silk from the bottom of the box where his summer clothes were kept.
Zhang Lanzhen's eldest daughter is already married. The couple is loving and harmonious. She just gave birth to a chubby little boy not long ago.
Yang Anjin saved up for a long time to buy the cloth from the town. It was very expensive, so he didn't dare to buy more. He was just waiting to use it to sew a hat for his little nephew. Now it came in handy.
He took the cloth and went to Wang Dujuan's house.
Wang Dujuan was washing sheets in the yard. Now that Yang Donghu was gone, Yang Chunxue couldn't be relied upon, so there was no one to help with the housework.
In the past, she had a lot of free time, visiting houses here and there, and she had some spare money in her hands. No one in the village lived a better life than her.
I haven't done housework for a long time, and when I suddenly start doing it, I feel so tired that I can't stand it.
Yang Anjin knocked on the door: "Is anyone home?"
Wang Dujuan supported herself with her hands on her knees and went to open the door while shouting "I'm coming."
"Oh, An Jin is here, come in quickly, how come you have time to come here today? Is there something wrong with your mother? Chunxue, Chunxue, An Jin is here, pour her a glass of water quickly." Wang Dujuan's eyes narrowed into slits with laughter, and she shouted loudly into the house, asking Yang Chunxue to come out.
Yang Anjin chuckled and said in a calm voice, "Don't bother me, Auntie. My mother didn't ask me to come. I came to see Grandma Yang on my own for something."
Wang Dujuan cursed the little bastard inwardly, and the smile on her face froze a little: "Well, what's the big deal? Sit down and have a cup of tea first, and we can talk slowly if we have anything to say."
"Really, no need. Is Grandma Yang home?"
"Yes, just go inside."
When Wang Dujuan saw him turn around and leave, the smile on her face disappeared immediately and she cursed silently.
Old Mrs. Yang was lying in bed. She was old and weak, and she didn't like to get out of bed when it was cold.
Yang Anjin called out softly, "Grandma."
"Hey, An Jin is here. What's the matter?" Old Mrs. Yang sat up with the help of Yang Anjin, leaned against the head of the bed, and patted the bedside to let him sit down.
Yang Anjin took out the cloth and deliberately spoke loudly, "Grandma, I want you to help me take a look. I just got a piece of cloth and want to make a hat for my nephew. There are too few patterns on the market. You are knowledgeable and experienced, so I want you to help me make a pattern."
Old Mrs. Yang had a pattern book that she had inherited from her mother. Many of the items in it were popular in the capital at that time. Even after so many years, they still looked timeless and were all very beautiful.
She doesn't hide anything and gives money to anyone who comes to borrow it.
However, good looks must be matched with good craftsmanship. It’s ok for the women in the village to embroider clothes and make shoes, but they are not good enough to be sold.
The old lady smiled and said, "Bring the cloth here for me to see."
Yang Anjin took out the cloth and handed it to her: "Take a look, what style do you want to match it with?"
The old lady picked up the cloth and examined it carefully in the light coming through the window. "This is a fine piece of cloth, and the color is festive. It must be embroidered with a tiger head hat so it won't be wasted. The tiger head also has a good meaning. I have a few that are quite unique. I'll show them to you so you can choose."
After saying that, he got up from the bed and took out a booklet from under the cabinet beside the bed.
Yang Anjin looked out the window. Wang Dujuan wasn't in the yard. He probably went to Yang Chunxue's room. He quickly helped the old lady sit on the bed. "Grandma, please sit down first. I'll look for her later."
As he spoke, he took out the thing Yang Donghu had given him from his arms and said in a low voice, "I went to see Donghu today, and he asked me to bring this to you."
The old lady opened the cloth bag and looked at the ointment and silver inside. She felt a pang of sadness in her heart: "How is Donghu?"
"He's doing well now, so don't worry about him. Donghu is doing very well now and can earn his own money. My mother saw Donghu selling fish on the street when she went to town last time, and there were a lot of people buying. Aunt Zhao even made Donghu a new dress, and he looks so smart in it. I'm sure you wouldn't recognize him if he stood in front of you."
Yang Anjin comforted the old lady, glancing out the window from time to time, wary of Wang Dujuan eavesdropping. "If I tell you this now, you won't believe me. I'll find a free time someday for you two to meet. Then you'll know whether what I say is true or not. I don't lie to you."
The old lady was relieved after hearing this. The Zhao family is a kind family. Even if they are not as good as Yang Anjin said, they will not vent their anger on Dong Hu. She smiled and said, "Grandma knows that you have been a good child since you were young. Grandma believes everything you say. It's hard for you to come all the way here."
"Grandma, you're being polite, aren't you? I came here specifically to look for you. I brought you this with me, it's no big deal." Yang Anjin continued, "Dong Hu said this ointment is specifically for your hand pain. Before using it, rub your hands with ginger, and then apply it after it's warmed up."
The old lady nodded to show that she understood.
After delivering the gifts and taking the flowers, Yang Anjin said goodbye to the old lady and was about to go home. While Wang Dujuan was still in Yang Chunxue's house, he ran away as fast as he could, fearing that he would be stopped and questioned.
Wang Dujuan called for a long time but Yang Chunxue didn't come out. She pushed the door open angrily and said, "What's wrong with you? You didn't come out even when I called you. Do you still want to talk about marriage?"
Yang Chunxue was fiddling with her newly bought cosmetics, not even looking up: "Hey, Yang Anjin is here, not his mother. He's just a little brat, why would I go out? If you tell him, will he understand?"
Wang Dujuan reached out her finger and tapped Yang Chunxue's forehead harshly, saying with a look of dismay, "You useless thing, do you think I want to put on a good front for him? A little bastard dares to act so arrogantly in front of me. If it weren't for the fact that his brother is a scholar and can be said to be prestigious, and can also help your brother, I wouldn't bother with their family. You too, can you please stand up for mother? If it was Yang Anchen who insisted on marrying you, would we still have to be so humble in front of outsiders?"
Yang Chunxue put the things in her hand heavily on the table and frowned, "Mom, why are you bringing up such a topic? It's annoying enough already, and you're still talking endlessly. Let me be alone for a while."
She is pretty, and all the men in the village would come to her at the mere glance of a finger. But Yang Anchen is unromantic and remains indifferent to her hints. The more she thinks about it, the more angry she becomes.
"Stinky girl, how can you talk to me like that? I think you're really dumb. Yang Anjin doesn't know anything, but if you have a good relationship with him, he'll praise you in front of his brother and you can accomplish anything. If you give him a hard time now, even if you marry him in the future, you'll still be fighting every day. Be obedient and go out and take a look."
Wang Dujuan said as she pulled Yang Chunxue out of the door. When they got to the yard, they found that Yang Chunxue had already left. She scolded him on the spot: "You uneducated thing, leaving without saying goodbye, you have no manners."
Then he slapped Yang Chunxue on the arm and said, "I told you to dawdle. If you do this again next time, I won't care about you. Marry whoever you want. Come here and do the laundry."
Yang Chunxue rubbed her reddened arms and rubbed her clothes reluctantly, thinking bitterly: You're such a good thing, Yang Anjin! I'll make things difficult for you when I marry you. If you don't take me seriously now, I'll definitely marry you off to an old widower in the future. Just wait and see.
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